Oh how I loved this book!! A romance author who doesn’t believe in love gets canceled when her “happily never after” secret file gets leaked so she goes to a remote lodge in Alaska where she literally jumps into the arms of the perfect man! This book has all the tropes you could want in a perfect rom-com, including a fun twist on one of my favorite tropes of only one bed… but this time it’s only one tent! The ending felt a little rushed to me but overall I loved this incredible debut novel from Victoria.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a cute and heartwarming read! I'm honestly shocked that this is a debut!

I loved Margot and Forrest, their meet-cute was hilarious and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I could really relate and feel for Margot and her character growth felt natural and organic.

Forrest! What a dreamy, perfect man! I swooned so hard and I definitely kicked my feet with glee when he was a little jealous! I love me a little bit of jealousy!

I loved the humor in the writing, I laughed and cackled so many times reading this. I would definitely read more from this author, and I'll be keeping an eye out for future releases!

A few honourable mentions::
- I loved Savannah, Margot's sister, I would definitely want to be her friend!
- this is not the first romance-author-turned-cynic trope that I've read, but it was especially well done here.
- the portrayal of being a caretaker for a family member, the sacrifices, the selflessness, I thought it was beautifully done.

I can't recommend this book enough!

Very enjoyable debut novel. As the blurb says, Margot Bradley is a successful romance writer. But her career is canceled when documents get released showing she doesn’t personally believe in Happy Ever Afters. To escape the fallout her sister sends her on a six week trip to a remote Alaskan lodge. There she meets Dr. Forrest Walker. Forrest is a renowned cancer researcher who has returned to his home to help care for his father. The author cleverly weaves in various romance tropes into the story.

This has humor and heart. Some lines are very clever. It is the kind of romance that can poke fun at the genre while truly respecting it and its readers. But I love the heart in the story. Both the MCs are caregivers. Margot has taken on the care of her sister, Forrest, his dad. I loved the weekly letters from Margot’s sister as her reward for surviving another week in Alaska. I don’t have a sister, but sister relationships always get to me.

I can’t think of a romance reader who wouldn’t enjoy this. (4.5 Stars)

I enjoyed reading Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

When Margot Bradley's career as a romance writer goes up in flames, she has no idea what to do. Despite writing amazing romances, she's sworn off love for herself and even created a document of sad alternate endings to all of her stories so that they no longer have happy endings. Her sister decides to book her a surprise 6 week stay in Alaska, and Margot has no real reason not to go. Deciding to try her hand at a murder mystery novel instead, she figures maybe she can gain some inspiration in Alaska and jumps right into a romance novel in real life. She meets Forrest Wakefield, and she can't believe that every love interest she has ever written is someone real and all contained in one person. While he's dealing with his own problems, will they be able to stay away from each other and the connection they immediately had?

I honestly didn't expect to love this one as much as I did! I adored the writing and the fact that so many romance tropes were referenced and then actually came true for the main characters. It was so much fun to read, and it made me fly through this story so fast! I loved Margot and Forrest together from the beginning and they had so many moments full of heart. The remote Alaskan setting was perfect for this story and so many of the characters were so lovable. Definitely pick up this charming debut and settle in for a funny and heartwarming story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This book was ADORABLE. It was funny and had me giggling the whole time. The banter was there and I absolutely loved the dynamic between Forrest and Margot . When Margot’s career took a drastic turn she decided to take time to sort out what was to come next. What she didn’t expect. A place in the middle of nowhere with no service, no WiFi and she was there for 6 weeks courtesy of her sister. She met Forrest and realized that they had a lot more common and even though she traveled thousands of miles she could finally find someone who could understand her life and how important it is to take care of her sisters health. I genuinely ate this book up. It was everything I needed and more. I am SOOO thankful NetGalley allowed me the honor to read this arc. And I will definitely be doing a reread (I already miss the characters so much!)

Margot Bradley is a bestselling romance writer who doesn’t actually believe in HEAs (Happily Ever Afters). Of course that wouldn’t be a problem if no one had ever found out. But the cat’s out of the bag and now she’s being cancelled. With romance now a bust for her, she decides to try her hand at another genre: murder mystery and heads to off to a remote Alaskan resort to work on the new book. And it’s a whole new world for her, and I’m not talking just about the wilds of Alaska. She had to go to the ends of the Earth to find what’d been writing about for years but never really believed in. This was such a fun romcom, with quite a few genuine laugh out loud moments. But it’s not all laughs, there is genuine heart to, in the form of Margot’s relationship with her sister. As far as I can tell this is Victoria Lavine’s first novel and she knocked it out of the park. I hope this is just the first of many more to come. I’d like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Any Trope but You.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R17RF6BPTXF0FX/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

3.5/5 🌟

I read this book a while ago but haven't got around to reviewing. Overall, I thought that Lavine wrote a cute story set in almost every romance readers favorite backdrop, snow and the holidays, but I didn't overly enjoy this one. I felt that having the main character be an active participant in the trop that she writes in was a little too on the nose and didn't pack the punch like I was hoping.

Like I said, I still enjoyed the read but would not necessarily pick it back up again.

This was a fantastic debut! Filled with all the tropes, hilarious moments and lovable cast of characters, all in a unique setting, made for such a cute & fun read. Though lighthearted some more serious subjects were a vital part of Margot and Forrest’s story that created a nice balance. This is a perfect end of winter read. I loved escaping to the North Star Lodge. I can’t wait for Victoria’s future books. And after learning she’s from my home state of Maine here’s my official request for one set there!

Thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley and Victoria Levine for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.5 ⭐️

What happens when a romance author who’s sworn off love ends up living inside the exact tropes she’s written her whole career? That’s the setup for Any Trope but You—a meta, trope-filled rom-com set in a snowy, off-grid Alaskan lodge that feels like a Hallmark movie collided with a Bookstagram fever dream.

Victoria Lavine clearly set out to write a love letter to romance readers—and in many ways, she did. Many tropes are sprinkled throughout; some are laugh-out-loud fun and others feel a bit forced, but the intent is charming. That said, the book sometimes felt immature. While the premise is clever and the setting unique, the execution didn’t always land for me. I liked the story and the wink-wink moments for rom-com fans, but I didn’t love it. It felt like it was trying so hard to be clever and meta that the actual emotional arc got a little lost in the shuffle.

Still, if you love romance books about romance and are in the mood for a quirky, self-aware story set somewhere snowy and remote, this one might win you over.

Thank you to Victoria Lavine, Atria Books and NetGalley for the early digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! “Any Trope But You” is on sale on April 1st, 2025.

I LOVED this book. I loved how cynical and burnt out the FMC was because it was so funny and it was like poking fun at the books I love so much. When the FMC rolled her eyes about MMC's job, Prefect!
Such comedic pacing and banter, I really enjoyed this book.
I liked that the book actually talked about the activities that FMC was completing and the struggles she had, not that she was just inherently good at it because she was the heroine.
I found myself annoyed with myself that it took so long for me to finish the book because I had other life activities in the way.

I loved this one! This was truly a love letter to romance readers, especially those of us who are a fan of tropes 🩷 I love that this one was dual POV and the main characters were completely relatable and I really enjoyed the dialogue. My favorite part of the book was the letters that Margot’s little sister wrote for her 🥹 There was spice and great banter, but also a lot of heart. Both Margot and Forrest dealt with caring for family members who were ill. The description of scenery was great. I’m such a fan of books about authors. The title and cover are what initially grabbed my attention. But I loved this one even more than I thought I would. Victoria’s writing is so good and this is an amazing debut! I really can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Victoria Lavine's Any Trope But You centers on Margot Bradley, a romance author who, after a career-damaging scandal, escapes to Alaska to write a murder mystery. However, she finds her plans disrupted by the presence of Forrest Wakefield, a charming resort proprietor, and the undeniable romantic tropes that begin to unfold around them. The story explores Margot's struggle to reconcile her cynicism about "happily ever afters" with the real possibility of finding love..

I enjoyed following Margot and Forrest's journey through all of the romantic tropes as tried to avoid falling for each other. I loved seeing how all of the tropes were weaved together into a single story.

I would recommend this book for fans of romantic comedies. I can't wait to see what Victoria Lavine comes up with next!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Victoria Lavine put a fun spin on this romance book! Margot Bradley is a romance author who doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. She secretly writes alternate endings for her books that swap HEAs for not so happily ever afters. When Margot’s secret document gets leaked to the public, she finds herself cancelled and dropped by her publisher.

The beginning pulled me in right away and I thought it was the perfect setup for the FMC to leave the city temporarily for a fresh start.

I love a remote setting and especially loved that it was out of the FMC’s comfort zone.

There were so many fun side characters that helped move the story along.

enemies to lovers ❤️
cozy Alaska setting ❄️
only one tent 🏕️

Definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of romance books with a bunch of tropes 🩵

Any Trope but You is a fun and quick romance read that will have you believing in a happy ending after all.

Margot is a romance writer who, after her own difficult breakup, doesn't believe in the genre's required Happily Ever After. In secret, she keeps a file of alternate endings for her books titled Happily Never After - where her characters end up dealing with the real messy issues that other real people have to deal with in every relationship. When her list is leaked and she is shunned by the romance community, Margot takes a trip to Alaska to hide for a while and write her next book. She isn't expecting to meet Forrest, a doctor who is taking care of his ailing father and maintaining the family resort. After a series of romantic entanglements and mishaps worthy of Margot's romance novels. the pair must decide if a happy ever after is in their future after all.

This was such a cute and fun read! I love a good rom-com and this definitely checked all the boxes. Funny, romantic, and heartfelt, this book was definitely an enjoyable read. While a bit predictable, the story was enjoyable and I felt I could connect to the characters. Both have their reservations about getting involved, but this was such a great slow burn romance. We get hit with all the classic romance tropes, and you cant help but laugh at the absurdity - and the characters do too! This was definitely a fun read, and was both heartwarming and hilarious. It was a perfect rom-com and I think a great read for a snowy day with a cup of tea.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Loved this one! I adored how all the tropes were included in the book yet it was still easy to follow. This book is geared for any romance reader because of this! The character development was great and it was so well written. Congratulations Victoria on an incredible debut novel!

3.75 Really cute book, some how it had all the romance tropes but it worked. The book is full of both lighthearted and emotional moments. I absolutely loved the wintry Alaskan setting.

Any Trope But You was such a fantastically adorable debut and I loved every moment of it.
I’m a real big fan of the recent trend of books breaking the fourth wall, much like this one did. Margot is a romance author who is burnt out on romance, but she frequently references popular romance tropes as she ACTUALLY LIVES THEM, while remaining firmly in denial about it, which I lived for throughout this book.
After her cloud gets hacked and an unflattering document about all her existing characters is leaked (as well as her equally unflattering underwear being flashed to basically the entirety of the internet) Margot’s sister Savannah sends her on a trip to Alaska to do some soul searching and self reinvention. She expects to write her new murder mystery and come back a new author. She doesn’t expect Forrest. Or Bullwinkle. And she doesn’t believe in HEAs anyway.
Forrest might be the most selfless person to exist and I loved peeling back all his layers (flannel or metaphorical) as we learned more about him. He set aside his entire life to be there for his dad when a health crisis happens, and now lives isolated in Alaska running the family business. He can’t afford distractions that come in the way of Californian blondes.
Despite all this, their attraction is immediate and I loved the slow burn tension that ensued. Their walls slowly come down and they both realize there are worse things in life than falling in love. I ADORE how despite basically being the same A+B=C romance formula full of perfect tropes, Victoria Lavine has crafted such a unique and fresh feeling masterpiece. The witty banter, the steamy “there’s only one tent”, the elements of familial caretaking, everything added up to perfection in my book and I’m awestruck that this is a debut! I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Thank you so much to Atria Books for sending me an eARC via NetGalley.

4.5⭐️ If you are a romance reader you will simply love this book. It pokes at all the romance tropes we know and love and does so with perfection.

I did not realize that this was the author’s debut novel but I loved it & will now read any other book that she publishes.

The character development in this book is perfection and the MMC is a giant green flag!

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until April 1, 2025! But this is my honest review!

Add this book to your to read list, I promise you won’t regret it! & then let me know what you thought!

I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it. I loved the setting! Reading about Alaska was fun and I enjoyed the author's writing style. It was funny at times, I definitely laughed out loud at a few parts. Ultimately, I just didn’t feel too connected to the characters.