Will review later...On my way to Alaska!!!

What a fresh take on a rom-com. Blatantly pointing out and making good fun of how these characters fit into these tropes that we all have read time and time again. But man, it worked. I loved this book. I laughed. I cried. I decided I would never hack it on these excursions. This book was probably my favorite rom-com I've read this year!

Thank you to Net Galley, Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for an ARC of this book!

3.5/5...so I was super excited to read this book. It started out great. The FMC is a best selling romance author that gets outed about her not so subtle feelings about romance. Her sister sends her to Alaska for 6 weeks where she meets Mr. Grumpy Forrest. I love a good enemies to lovers trope but I felt like the author went to fast into them liking each other. I love enemies to lovers so so much but they stopped being enemies at like 25%-30% into the book. It would have been sooooo much better had this gone on for at least half of the book. The angst that happens with enemies to lovers is what keeps people engaged. All in all, I would give it 3/5 out of five stars. It was still a cute read. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced reader copy.

After her professional life as a romance author implodes when her for-her-eyes-only antithetical "Happily Never After” file gets leaked, Margot goes to Alaska in search of genre-shifting inspiration and instead finds kinship and every romance trope imaginable with a hot mountain man hero. This book had such a fun premise and I enjoyed how it played out. The humor was so good, and I look forward to reading more from this new author!

Thank you to Atria Books for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I decided to join a group of girls on Instagram in a challenge to try and read as many of our advanced reader copies as we could and Any Trope But You was one a lot of us decided to read together and I’m so glad we did. I couldn’t get enough of this book. The characters and their banter was everything I wanted in a romance book. All the tropes one of the other all throughout really kept me on my toes and I loved that. There was even a part where tears started to well in my eyes and its been years since I’ve cried from a book so I was very pleased that it could bring that much emotion out of me. I easily score this book 5/5 stars and would recommend to any romance book lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and Atria Books for the eARC. I love a good romcom set in Alaska, and this one delivered! With all the delightful elements of a classic romantic comedy—humor, heart, and sizzling chemistry—it also spices things up for those who enjoy a little heat with their happily-ever-after. A fun and flirty escape!

This book was such a beautiful love story! I loved both of the main characters and found them to be well developed and nuanced. I laughed, I cried, I had the best time. It was a slow burn but the spice was amazing when it got there. If you love an emotional romance, this one is for you!

This book had me laughing out loud. It was a book that was read in a day. You go somewhere to get away to write a book but meeting a meet cute. They are very attractive, but this isn't how it supposed to go. What would you do? I will be looking for more by this author. If you are looking for a cute rom com book this would be it for you. Thank you #netgalley and #simonschuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book early.

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine is a delightful rom-com that had me hooked from the start. The story follows Margot, a romance author who, after a public scandal, retreats to a remote Alaskan lodge to reinvent herself as a thriller writer. There, she meets Forrest, the lodge's proprietor, and their initial antagonism gives way to a heartwarming romance.
Margot and Forrest's chemistry is palpable, and their witty banter kept me engaged throughout. The exploration of their personal growth and vulnerabilities added layers to the story. The pacing felt a bit rushed towards the end, with some plot points resolving quickly, but overall this was thoroughly enjoyable read.
If you're a fan of enemies to lovers romance, "Any Trope But You" is a must-read.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and author for giving me the opportunity to review this enjoyable read.

This one was full of witty banter and possibly every single trope you can think of. Our main character, Margot, does not believe in happily ever afters. Which as a romance author, might sound a little wrong! After a difficult incident, she decides to try her hand at writing murder mystery. She is sent to Alaska where she meets the sexy Dr Forrest, who was once a cancer research doctor, and is now working at his family’s lodge taking care of his father.

The character growth that ensues is just phenomenal. The setting was cozy, My only complaint is that the story ended too soon, I needed more of this couple! Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Brief overview:

After being cancelled online for her real thoughts on happily ever afters, romance author Margot is sent away to a resort in the Alaskan wilderness to clear her thoughts and start a new novel in a new genre. What she doesn't expect is to arrive and instantly meet the human embodiment of all the typical romance tropes in a single man.

My thoughts:

The writing style in this story was really fun and playful and made for an immersive experience. The letters from the sister woven throughout the book are heartwarming and add a depth to the characters that may not have been as easily shown without it. The dual POV was enjoyable, though I did feel like the fmc kind of repeatedly expressed the same complaints/concerns and it did get a bit redundant in the middle, but Forrest's POVs helped to break it up.

The overall story really strikes at the pressure to be a caregiver for someone while also trying to maintain your own happiness. Very well done!

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. i loved this book so much, i couldn't believe this was a debut for the author. i thought the writing was really good and the plot did not drag. the only thing i didn't like was the timeline sometimes. it felt like scenes skipped a day or two and when it got to a new chapter, you get filled in on what happened but for such a short trip inside the story, you'd think every detail would want to be spelled out.

This was a cute one. Filled with all of the romance tropes. I really liked seeing Margot push herself out of her comfort zone with the activities in Alaska. I liked seeing her push back against Forest. Their dislike to friends to more is so fun. I liked seeing Margot and Forest open up to each other and help heal the parts that needed to be given their previous relationships. The third act breakup wasn’t a surprise but somewhat made sense. And I did like seeing Margot being confronted by her relationship with her sister. Seeing how she needs to separate a bit.

This one was just fun and sweet. Really enjoyed.

Listened to the book via advanced listening copy courtesy of Simon Audio.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? Life’s a trope, then you get your HEA (and eventually die 😂 I’m sorry, that’s probably not funny)

Why this book? Seemed cute.

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Bed

Any preconceived notions? This will be a 3 star read for me (and that’s not a bad thing! because I usually give romances three stars when I care to rate books)
Identify most with? Hating winter camping (what even)

Three little words? “the grand gesture”

Goes well with? Home cooked meals, romance novels, letters to your loved ones

Recommend this to? Romance lovers

Other cultural accompaniments: https://janefriedman.com/tropes-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

I leave you with this: “Not to mention I’ve already been through enough tropes with this man to fill my favorite Nora Roberts trilogy, and that was before One Bed got downgraded to One Tent.”
*
Any Trope But You is so freaking cute. Margot and Forrest are a romance reader’s dream. Who doesn’t love a book filled with fun romance tropes, especially when Margot points them out in a breaking the fourth/meta wall kind of way. Perfect time to read this before spring really starts up for real.
*
Any Trope But You is available now.

5⭐️
3🔥

Quick Breakdown

Set in Alaska
Enemies to Lovers
Romance Author Heroine
Doctor Hero
Fish Out of Water
Only One Tent
He Takes Care of Her
Forced Proximity
Snowed In
Dual POV
Open Door - Moderate

Margot is a romance author whose life experiences has shown her that HEAs don’t exist. To cope, she pens alternate endings to her books where the MCs inevitably break up. Her personal file is hacked & leaked during a livestream interview, leading her to be cancelled by her publisher & the romance community. She escapes to Alaska for 6 weeks in hopes to switch genres & write a murder mystery. Only, as soon as she gets there, she falls into the arms of the son of the resort’s proprietor, Forrest - a handsome, flannel wearing doctor with dreamy forearms. She’s continually thrusted into romance trope after romance trope with him despite both of their reluctance for HEAs.

WOW. If this isn’t on your TBR, you are 100% missing out. This darling debut romance was equal parts self aware, smartly written & swoony to boot. It expertly wove in countless romance tropes in a way that felt fresh & not cheesy in the least. The depth was deep but mixed with the heart & humor, it remained light.

The way I absolutely loved this book about a fish out of water who has lost her belief in romantic love and stumbles into a wilderness vacation where every romance trope is thrown at her!!

usually I would be rolling my eyes at this many tropes in a single story but it works so perfectly here because the heroin does the eye-rolling for us!

The story is sweet, funny, a little serious, and spicy and the lead characters are absolutely the best! I can't wait to read more from this author!

SPICE LEVEL: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
CONTENT WARNING: caretaker to disabled family member, stroke
FEELS: 4/5 - Tackled some seriously tough topics.
POV: Dual - M/F - 1st Person

Ok… I really liked this book! The chemistry was so good. I loved the setting and the side characters. This was such an enjoyable read. Knocking off a star because the caretaking parallels were between MCs were too similar and I wish they had different challenges to overcome individually.

I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Oh I just loved this!
I was on the edge of my seat, I cried, I laughed, this book made me feel so much! The way things evolve with Forrest and Margot is such a beautiful story. The relationships they each have outside of one another are also fairly developed and change throughout the course of the book. The writing was so good! I cannot give this enough praise, this story has run away with my whole heart & even if I wasn’t living in my own HEA this would make me believe!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review

Just average for me. Something about it fell flat and I honestly feel like it might be the romance. I loved the setting and the side characters and enjoyed the writing style, but as for Forrest and Margot, they were better for me as their own individual characters. As a couple, they were kind of lackluster. I loved Margot and Savannah’s relationship, as well as Trapper and Forrest’s but it just kind of fell flat for me. I can see why people are enjoying this though, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

this book is a journey through the romantic comedy genre that both embraces and pokes fun at all of the clichés. the banter between characters is so witty, and their emotional depth as both are dealing with their pasts, insecurities, and evolving views on love. it did feel very insta-lovey, and the ending felt a bit rushed, but it was a fun and heartwarming story regardless!

3.5 Stars ✰✰✰

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thoughts:

This book is for those in the mood for…

-snow melting tension
-BANTER!
-polar opposites realizing they actually have a lot in common
-tender scenes to sexy scenes to giggle scenes galore
-slow burn goodness (speaking of burn, there is a burning hot sauna scene that I am still thinking about)
-emotional realness
-trope heaven (I mean the title kind of clues you in lol)
-what most of us look for in a rom-com: the happily ever after!

Any Trope but You is somehow both cliche and unique all at once. It gives rom-com readers exactly what we want while also adding in some truly surprising and raw moments. Definitely a cute read to cozy up with and binge.

P.S. May those who don’t even believe it for themselves still have their HEA!


Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
E-book

Pace:
Medium

Cover thoughts:
Rom-Com Cuteness!!

Triggers:
Chronic Illness, Mentions of Cancer, Injury, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Abandonment, Grief, etc.