Margot is a romance writer who gets caught up in a little internet drama. Her sister sends her off to Alaska to find inspiration for her next book, a thriller.

Instead, she finds the grumpy Forrest who works at the nature retreat she’s staying in. I always love a “fish out of water” type story. And Margot was definitely out of her element! But with encouragement from her sister, she forced herself out of her comfort zone.

I loved the Alaskan setting in this one. Right away we get a hilarious encounter with a moose. This book was funny, yet so swoony. A perfect balance.

There’s just something so special about reading a romance book that involves a romance novelist who is living out her own romance dream! It’s all very meta but heart warming and charming. This book was truly a love letter to both romance readers and the entire community around romance novels, and I truly just ate it up. I loved the actual romance in the book. We have two adults who are age appropriate, who communicate, and are going through real life hard times being caregivers to chronicially ill people in their lives and find solace in each other? Yes, please! But, I also just loved how much the character of Margot felt indebted to the romance community and recognized how important these readers are to the book world as a whole. This was true even when she was going through hard times herself romantically and felt like she was an outsider and rebelled against her romance roots. This book is the epitome of what contemporary romance is! I just loved this book. I thought the entire concept was just so fun and so well done and I could not get enough. This is definitely in the top contender of my favorite romance book of the year so far! HIGHLY recommend to all readers who love a happily ever after.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This book is another example of “Don’t let that cute cover fool you!”. By looking at this cover you would think this is just a cute romance and while it had a very entertaining story and the romance was so good, this book was on fire with the spice.

Margot and Forrest had instant chemistry and it was definitely a slow burn. It had some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and only one tent!

When the spice hit I couldn’t get enough. While it wasn’t super full of spice there were several open door scenes and they were placed just where they needed to be to add to the story.

More than the romance, this book was about finding oneself and the relationship between Margot and her sister. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings a few times and I caught myself tearing up. It was such a beautiful plot line.

I definitely look forward to more books from this author.

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Do you believe in Happily Ever Afters? I do... but could you imagine finding out that your favourite romance author doesn't??
This book pulled me in right from the start, l'm a huge romance/rom-com lover, and I was completely entranced by Margot and Forrest. Their initial guardedness, shaped by their respective responsibilities-Margot caring for her sister, Savannah, and Forrest looking after his father —added depth to their connection. The forced proximity trope worked well, drawing them together in a way that felt natural and heartfelt.
I loved the concept of Margot's "Happily Never After" file— it felt realistic and relatable, acknowledging that not everyone believes in fairy tale endings. I sure as hell did not, for a while. While the book started off strong and kept me engaged, I found some parts in the middle a bit slow, especially since I'm not a fan of the "will they, won't they" dynamic (because they better), or smut-heavy scene. However, the emotional weight behind their story kept me invested and rooting for both the FMC and MMC.
The ending, though sweet, felt a bit rushed. I would have liked a little more time for the resolution to unfold.
I would have loved more time with Margot and Forrest and the aftermath. That said, the overall message about love, trust, and letting go of fear was heartfelt and left me tearing up and satisfied. A fun, light read with just enough depth to make it memorable!

This book surprised me in all the best ways! I am normally not drawn to FMC that are jaded or feel sorry for themselves but Victoria was able to make Margot still very likable and even relatable. I loved how the different tropes kept popping up whenever Margot was referring to Forrest and how Forrest checked all of her "fictional" boxes while still being a real human being with flaws. Margot and Forrests relationship was definitely up and down as they tried to resist each other and hold each other an arms lengths away, but the chemistry never faltered! As Margot kept emphasizing throughout the book, Forrest was every romance readers dream and definitely checks all the boxes for an ultimate book boyfriend! I had so much fun reading this one and can't wait to see what Victoria Lavine publishes next!

Read if you like:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Only one tent
- Accidental Sauna run-in
- A friendly moose
- Outdoor Adventures

Margot is a romance writer who is cancelled when her Happily Never After endings are leaked. A retreat in Alaska with a handsome proprietor lead her to experience all the tropes she writes but never believed in.

This was a fresh take with lots of spice! As a romance fan, it was fun to see an author acknowledge the tropes in such a playful way. I enjoyed the emotional side that explored the real life demands of being a caretaker. The characters pulled you in for a thoughtful and thrilling ride.

Thank you Atria Books for providing a free ARC for review via NetGalley.

3.5 stars. The premise of this book was delightful—a cynical, canceled romance author goes to Alaska to write a murder mystery and instead meets the embodiment of a romance leading man, complete with all the tropes of a romance books.

The writing was very witty and funny, and I liked the characters. I loved that they both dealt with similar family situations that made their connection deeper and more believable. Some of the plot felt a little flimsy to me—the obstacles keeping the characters from happiness felt like common sense to surmount, and the characters did get there, but it took them a while. Granted, that is probably common in real life, too—sometimes we have to overcome our big emotions before we can take the sensible course of action—but it did cause me a little bit of frustration in the book. Still, an enjoyable read.

A love letter to romance novels. With all the tropes!
A meet cute... Snowed in a cabin... Grand gesture... What more do you need?

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley.

This was such a breath of fresh air! I loved how Rte author toed the line between lighthearted tropes and the characters serious back stories and growth.

This was a debut that completely caught me by surprise! I went in just blasé, not expecting much…but I ended up absolutely loving every bit of it! 💕 It was heartwarming, funny, AND spicy. I want to laugh and talk about all the scenes that I loved, but I shan’t spoil it. Victoria Lavigne hit it out of the park with this one, and is now on my auto buy list.

I absolutely adored this book. Who doesn't love an MC with "flaws" like not liking HEA as a writer? That was the thing that sucked me in, because there was a reason for that. I was unsure at first about the book's many tropes, but it somehow worked itself out perfectly. It wasn't overwhelming or over the top, but somehow, it all worked!

Tropes:
- Enemies x Lovers
- Slow burn
- Grumpy & Grumpier
- Forced Proximity
- One tent x one sleeping bag

Loved this one and can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

I loved the writing in this book. The emotions, the humor, the frustrations, all on point described beautifully.

DNF. While I do want to come back and finish this book, I am simply too swamped with school work and my job to really sit down and dedicate the time to read this book.

One of my fave couples ever. 🥰🥰🥰 I love them. I love how genuinely built their relationship was. I laughed and giggled. The banter was *chefs kiss* and their care for one another was so sweet. It was all so romantic. I loved the FMC being an author and all the mentions of different tropes, a fun idea! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I initially loved how this started, with a romance writer who is cancelled by her readers after they find out she doesn’t believe in HEAs. Her sister sends her to a remote resort in Alaska to get out of the spotlight and to focus on writing something new to redeem herself. I did enjoy that part.

The book loses me when she arrives in Alaska. A weird scene with a moose. Nobody has a pet moose they are feeding carrots to in Alaska. I don’t even live there there and I even know (with zero research) how far fetched that is. The moose is also named ‘Bullwinkle’ and the MMC is Forest. It was a bit ridiculous honestly. But I powered on.

Then we get to the excursions she was forced to do once she arrived and they all seemed so unrealistic for someone with zero outdoor experience. An 8hr hike on snowy mountain rocks? Cross country skiing for miles? Overnight camping in sub zero freezing temps where she’s trusted to pack herself? Getting hurt, almost getting hypothermia…and if she didn’t do them she’d would be seen as weak? None of that seemed the least bit enjoyable to be. Felt like she got thrown into boot camp instead.

Once Margot’s time expired and it was time for her to go back to LA the story really started to drag and I lost interested. The outcome was predictable and seemed like instead of focusing on the story we kept just getting spicy scene after spicy scene after spicy scene with not a lot of substance. I felt like the spice was overkill.

As I said I enjoyed the beginning and there were lots of funny moments but overall it was just okay for me and didn’t hit the mark of a 4 or 5 star read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Book: Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine
Genre: Romance
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

This book was everything I love in a romcom—funny, heartfelt, swoony, and packed with all the classic tropes (in the best way!). Margot and Forrest had such great chemistry, the banter was top-tier, and the Alaskan setting? Chef’s kiss. I laughed, I teared up, and I did not want it to end.

Hard to believe this was a debut—Victoria Lavine’s writing is warm and full of heart. I am officially obsessed and already excited for whatever she writes next!

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @victorialavinewrites, and @atriabooks for sending me this lovely eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book is now available!!

When an author is able to acknowledge her readers in such a cleverly crafted way, it’s a gift to know you share the same secret of an HEA. This book was a tribute to the romance genre and the unfailing hope that romance novels give its readers time and time again. Readers flock to the genre for the hope that it is possible for enemies to become lovers, for the hurt and jaded romance writer to find compassion and understanding in the brawny Dr. Mountain Man™️, and Victoria Lavine understands and knows what her readers want.

When romance writer Margot finds herself somewhat exiled to Alaska for six weeks after her Happily Never After journal is leaked to her fans, all it takes is one look at Forrest, her lodge caretaker, to know that he’s the walking embodiment of every romance trope she’s ever written. With this being a romance, we all know how their relationship will turn out, but the journey from dislike to love between Margot and Forrest is so hard won and beautifully explored that their story was unputdownable. Margot is forced out of her comfort zone and into an environment that may literally be trying to kill her, yet she has to begrudgingly trust Forrest to help her in more ways than one.

This book is as much a love letter to romance readers as it is a look at what it means to be a caretaker. There are letters from Margot’s sister Savannah to her that took my breath away and even though Savannah is only on page for a fraction of the book, her relationship with Margot felt so true and so real. Forrest gets to witness Margot reading the letters and it’s one more thing that helps he and Margot understand one another and see how they each have taken on great caretaker responsibilities. I don’t know if it was how much I felt their connection or what, but the intimate scenes were off the chain good. Again, Lavine clearly knows what her readers want, and delivers orgasms as well as she does a redemption story. I am still amazed that this is a debut and am so thankful I was able to read an early copy from the publisher. I have a feeling Victoria Lavine will be an autobuy author! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭.5
Will you cry? 🤔 Will you laugh? 🙌🏼
Did I highlight a ridiculous amount of this book? 💯

A very fun read. Great characters and a cute love story mixed with so many fun fall in love scenes. It was a book where you knew how everything was going to end but it didn’t mean you want the book to come to a conclusion. Would happily read more of this style and writing for a relaxing love story read.

I loved the premise, but this was not for me at all. The writing, the details, etc were melodramatic and silly. I couldn’t get far past MC Margot being made to look like a ridiculous city girl because she was scared by a close encounter with a moose who’s nickname, we find out a few pages later, is Bullwinkle. Moose are dangerous. It’s pretty well accepted that you should steer clear of them, and I felt the way the author wrote this made it seem like she had done no research. Also, that nickname was not clever, nor is the moniker for woodchopping male MC Forrest .

I could tell this was headed for really steamy territory, which also isn’t my preference in a rom com.

I loved loved loved this book!!
Any Trope But You managed to be a fun, steamy, hilarious romcom, but also have a heartwarming and serious side. I am forever going to love my grumpy heroes and Forrest did it disappoint!
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💗enemies to lovers
💗vacation romance
💗grumpy MMC
💗family
💗Alaskan setting
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This is a must read for romance lovers. I can’t wait to read more by this author!
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Thank you netgalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review this book!
It’s going to be a big hit! 💗
4.5 stars!