Wow— I absolutely adored this debut from Victoria Levine and can’t wait to read whatever she puts out next. I admit that I’m a sucker for a rom com set in Alaska, but this book seemed like it might be a bit cheesy (a romance writer who is outed as not believing in HEA goes to a remote lodge in Alaska to write her next book and meets the proprietors son who embodies every romance trope), but reader, let me tell you that this book is so thoughtfully written and completely heart-warming! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot instead in this earnestly spectacular debut by a stunning new voice. I loved the premise and this book it was so cute and heartwarming. It was fun getting to see ALL the tropes play out.



Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and Atria Books for the ARC of this book.

I’m in love with this book! Lavine nails the “author writing about authors” thing without making it awkward. The FMC hilariously calls out romcom clichés but realizes life’s messier than that. It’s funny, smart, and surprisingly deep — tackling love, loss, and the hard truths with a wink and a nudge. If you love tropes, buckle up! This book is like a romcom bingo card — every trope you love is here. Margot’s dragged to a writing retreat by her sister, meets Forrest, and suddenly it’s like a romcom producer is pulling the strings. The banter is top-notch, and I flew through this sweet, fun story.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for this eARC!

Any Trope but You was a heartfelt and fun book to read! It was romantic and provided enough backstory on the characters that it made you feel like you knew them. I really enjoyed reading this book!

Wow, I absolutely adore this book. Lavine sure does know how to write writing within writing. What I mean, is that I've read few books where the main characters are authors, but somewhere, always, it becomes really hard to read due to how cringe worthy it is. This book is smart and funny, and the FMC is able to look past the tropes she sees in her life and realize that there are real people she's putting these tropes onto, and that real people aren't fictional characters. It's really eye-opening and wise to think about, and sometimes I think we all need to hear that too. There are a lot of truths these characters face in this book that I think are hard for a lot of people to hear. Those who have lost loved ones, those who find themselves caring long-term for those they love, those who put their lives on hold and lose the things they cherish because they put their lives on hold for their loved ones. And realizing that you can't hold yourself back from what you long to do forever, just for someone else's sake. This book is well written and very mature, and I feel will capture the hearts of a lot of people, as well as give them a good laugh here and there.

YA sapphic holiday romcom with estranged best friends/first loves having 12 fake holidates that may or may not turn real by the end

I feel like this book is a love letter to all romance readers, because it's about an author and it features all the tropes, but does it such a fun and funny way, while also being steamy and swoony. Forrest and Margot have their own baggage and issues, but what's also clear is how much chemistry they have and how much they can change each other's lives for the better. There was a lot of emotion in this book too, but I think the author balanced it very well with lighthearted moments and some steamy scenes, as well as the overall romance. I can't believe this is a debut novel! The author is really good, and I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and Atria Books for the ARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Margot Bradley is a best selling romance author who doesn’t believe in love. She secretly writes alternate endings for her characters that end in divorce or a breakup that she calls her Happily Never After document. When it’s hacked and released to the public she finds herself cancelled. In order to support her chronically ill sister, she decides to trade HEA for murder. When her sister books a six week stay in a remote Alaskan town, she suddenly finds herself in her very own romance novel.

Dr. Forrest Wakefield left his dream job as a cancer researcher in order to care for his stubborn father. He spends his days running the family resort and questioning his choices until Margot shows up. He doesn’t need another person in his life he could lose, but as they find themselves navigating through trope after trope he can’t seem to let her go.

I really enjoyed Ms. Lavine’s sense of humor which is sprinkled throughout the novel.

“It’s dark inside, but even so, I wouldn’t mistake this place for anyone’s but Forrest’s. For one, it smells like someone lit a scented candle in here called Cedar and Muscles, and it’s painstakingly neat.”

“He raises his eyes to mine right as his now-familiar scent wallops me in the face like a dictionary of romance hero smells. Cedar, whiskey, and bad decisions.”

“Honestly, what is it about men who smell like trees? At what point did biology decide wood was the go-to scent for making men smell attractive? It’s intoxicating, but I will not let my eyelids flutter.”

Forrest and Margot both have a lot of baggage so it’s easy to see why they’re hesitant to follow through with the attraction they feel towards each other in their meet cute. But after an arduous hike that ends with Margot spraining her ankle, the two slowly start to let down their guards. There’s a lot of push and pull on both their parts, but Ms. Lavine handles it with a deft hand. She builds the tension between them expertly. I especially loved her take on the one bed trope. There are also moments of tenderness especially when the two bond over being caregivers for a loved one. They understand each other and respect the sacrifices the other has made. It was so lovely to watch their relationship develop.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There’s lots of humor and romance.

Any Trope But You, are you sure that you’re Victoria Lavine’s DEBUT novel? It’s too good.

What happens when a jaded romance author gets doxed and subsequently canceled by her fans? Her chronically ill sister sends her to Alaska, of course! Margot thinks she is going to be spending the next 6 weeks writing in a new genre, but she keeps finding herself stuck in the tropiest (is that even a word?) of tropes with the super hot, super off-limits Forrest. He's sworn off relationships, and especially relationships with guests.

I love how Victoria was able to pick fun at what makes the romance genre so cliche, but was able to you in and get son invested in Margot and Forrest's HEA.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute one for us romance girlies. It was fun getting to see ALL the tropes play out. I could have used a tiny bit more depth to really hook me in. But still a fun read. I’m ready to go to Alaska!

My initial thoughts on this book was that it was funny! Margot is definitely a character and I enjoyed reading her. Typically, I don’t go for cynical hell-bent on being anti-love characters but she won me over from the start. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I can’t wait to have this on my shelf!

Margot Bradley is a bestselling romance author who has lost her hope in Happily Ever Afters. When she appears on a podcast to talk about her upcoming novel, a hacker exposes her lack of faith by leaking her private Happy Never Afters, leading to an uproar amongst the reader community. Spiraling from the devastation from the leaked manuscripts and a potential career ending exposure, Margot’s sister decides to send her on a research getaway. The goal is for Margot to connect with nature, write her next novel, a murder mystery, and to focus on finding herself in the great outdoors in Alaska. Without Wi-Fi, finding herself on a new adventure outside of her comfort zone, Margot must learn how to navigate her feelings, the challenges she faces, while trying to reinvent herself.

When Margot arrives, Forrest Wakefield has some similar ideologies about love and life, which he starts to question as he spends more time with Margot. He prejudges her and finds himself annoyed with having to “look after” her. Forrest learns early on that Margot, and he have more in common than differences. Forrest starts to struggle with fulfilling his obligations or choosing himself.

This story is like a love letter to all romance readers. I love how it pokes fun at the predictability of romance tropes by acknowledging them along the journey. It provides us with a dose of reality that not every story has a HEA and sometimes those HEA’s look different then we expect. The relationships Margot has with her sister and Forrest has with his father create a deeper connection to some of the challenges each one face. It feels genuine, almost to the point, I questioned if it was based off real author experience. Being a caregiver for someone you love with a chronic illness, can be so difficult. There are so many underlying fears and worries for both the person who is experiencing the illness and the caregiver. It’s such a delicate dance that isn’t always done well. It scary, exhausting, and always filled with the desire to do what’s best for the person you love. I look forward to reading more. My only complaint is that I wanted more when I flipped on the last page of the book. :)

Thank you, Atria Books and Victoria Lavine for the advanced copy of this book.

This read had many favorite tropes! One bed, forced proximity, etc. Margot is a romance author who doesn’t believe in HEA. Forrest is a research MD who left his career to care for his Dad in Alaska. When Margo gets sent there by her sister (who she also is caregiver to) they are forced to spend 6 weeks together. I liked the main characters and they have depth to them as they both have given up a lot to care for their families. The author captures the joys and sacrifices caregivers face as well as the blessing and burden of being cared for. The bedroom scenes were too explicit for my taste, and at times didn’t reflect how the characters, which is why I gave it 3 instead of 4 stars.

This just wasn’t the book for me.

In this novel we follow Margot who is a romance writer who secretly writes harsh endings to the books she publishes (but doesn’t tell anyone). When these secret endings are leaked, her career is over. To help her find her spark again, her ailing sister sends her to Alaska for 6 weeks. Once there, Margot meets Forrest, the owners son/hot local doctor. From there we see all the common and cliche tropes in romance novels.

I say this book isn’t for me because Margot is such a nasty person. I get being cynical and not believing in love, but to call your readers naive for believing in your stories and characters is just plain rude. Not to mention she spends a good chunk of the book acting privileged and entitled when she interacts with Forrest. Not to mention she just loves yelling at him while he is perfectly nice.

There were too many characters in this novel. Sorry but it’s true.

Ollie drove me nuts. I’ll leave it at that. Same with Savannah and her letters. She is too cheery.

Forrest was a decent character but he deserved better than Margot.

I requested this book because I love a good Alaskan romance, but this just missed the mark. Maybe if you like loud FMCs who are rude, and crazy side characters you will enjoy this novel.

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

good romance about a romance writer who has a list of realistic endings for her characters and gets left in the dust. she goes away to alaska and meets forest and see's every romance trope with him and falls in love. He has some issues with family and life. He figures things out . Love her sister savannah. Good romance.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was adorable. I will say I was thrown for a loop right away when she meets a moose and the other person in the scene is like why are you scared of it. I don't know if most people know but if you see a moose DO NOT interact. After that, it was explained that it was just cute trope after trope and in the best of ways. The growth of the characters and the relationships they have with others is great. I loved this book.

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and comments are my own.

4.5 Stars!!

What a great story!

Margot is a successful Romance Writer until her secret file of Happily Never Afters is exposed all over the internet and media (alternate endings to all of her Happily Ever After stories). In the storm of her media disaster Margot’s sister sends her to an Alaskan Outdoor Adventure retreat to work on her new novel and unplug from everything.

It’s a well needed break as Margot is being cancelled by all of her readers and she could use a break from being the full time caregiver for her chronically ill sister. Little does she know the “Adventure” part of the treat means hiking and outdoor camping in freezing cold temperatures.

Dr Forest Wakefield walked away from his medical work and cancer research in California to be the caregiver for his father after an accident at their family Outdoor Adventure Retreat in Alaska.

Forest is the MMC of your dreams. He’s rugged and capable, protective, and thoughtful. He goes out of his way to care for everyone around him, including sacrifice his career to care for his father. (Oh, and he cooks too!)

Margot’s feelings on love were well justified as the men in her life had all abandoned her at some point. She had to continually remind herself of her past experiences as she randomly found herself in “trope” situations with Forest.

As her debut novel, Victoria Levine crafted the perfect balance of lighthearted humor and emotion. She created characters that you could relate to and cheer for.

The story has a found family that warmed my heart. I was so satisfied with the ending of the story not just for Forest and Margot but also for their role with their families.

Romance Content: 3 Open-door scenes and language

I hope the audio for this is in production as I know it will be a popular read when it’s released.

Thank you Atria Books for my #gifted ARC.

Margot es una escritora de romance que fue hackeada; un documento en el que expresaba todas sus frustraciones fue revelado, y los fans lo tomaron muy mal. Ahora es odiada en la comunidad.

Forrest es un doctor que estaba buscando una cura contra el cáncer hasta que su padre tuvo un accidente y se ve obligado a regresar a Alaska para cuidarlo.

Ambos son buenas personas, maravillosos hijos y, en el caso de ella, también hermana. Siempre ponen las necesidades de sus seres queridos en primer lugar. Sin embargo, cuando se conocen, se darán cuenta de que no están viviendo su propia vida y tendrán que decidir si son capaces de dar un paso atrás, permitir que su padre y hermana se cuiden solos y darle una oportunidad al amor.

This book was cute, just a little predictable. This book is best enjoyed around the holidays tucked away in a cabin in the woods. I really enjoyed the growth of the FMC in this book I just wished her storyline was slightly more developed. Overall this book was a 3.5, Enjoyable but not a must-read.