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!
.
💗enemies to lovers
💗vacation romance
💗grumpy MMC
💗family
💗Alaskan setting
.
This is a must read for romance lovers. I can’t wait to read more by this author!
.
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!

I MARATHONED THIS BOOK.

I loved Margot & Forrest. They each had their own lives and their own priorities, their own trust issues. The stakes were high for both of them, and they tried to do everything they could to make sure everyone around them was comfortable. Compulsive people pleasers and caregivers. I related to them both. I understood them both. The third act breakup here made me miserable but in a way I could live with.

If this is her debut, I can’t wait for more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Levine, and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The storyline had me hooked from the beginning, the characters were so likeable and I loved being in their heads, and I absolutely loved the romance between Margot and Forrest.
The imagery in this book truly brought this story to life. We’re not just reading this book, we are able to experience this story along with the characters, rather than just reading.
I absolutely loved these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them.
A sweet, funny and heartwarming read!

Unfortunately, I don’t think Ms. Lavine took a trip to Alaska to do research for this book.

My first red flag was when Margot saw a moose and thought it was a bear. I guess I can forgive that part, because in panic mode, your brain sees weird things.

What I can’t forgive is the cavalier attitude of all the characters around said moose.

Moose are scary. Moose are dangerous. Moose aren’t something that you name Bullwinkle and feed carrots. Sure, they don’t generally attack people, and most of the moose related deaths come from car accidents, but they still aren’t something to be taken lightly. Frankly, I thought the portrayal of the moose in this book to be dangerous.

Secondly, Margot continually gets in very dangerous situations, and the general safety in this book isn’t taken seriously. I removed one star because of the inaccuracies.

On a totally different note, I was bored for the first 50% of the book. None of the characters have anything redeeming, and they are barely attracted to each other (again, because they have no reason to be). When I’m looking for a slow burn, I want PINING. There was no pining. If it’s enemies to lovers, I want emotion. There was none of that. Just vague dislike and some lust.

At 50% of the way through, the book is sitting between a 2 and a 3. If the second half is amazing, it miiiight get a three star rating, but honestly, that isn’t good enough.

There are so many five star books out there, I don’t want to waste more time on a book that won’t even be a four.

I think this book could be great for people who are totally unfamiliar with Alaska (although again, safety issues) and just want a hint of the outdoors, without grounding it too far in reality, and people who like internal struggles (do I like him? I’m not sure. I do like him! But I can’t! I don’t believe in love).

Margot, a romance writer, is jaded from HEAs has a list of her Happy Never Afters shared with the world, which leads to her being canceled and dropped by her publisher.

I had a hard time getting into it at the beginning. I understand why Margot writes romance novels, but why did she keep doing something that didn't really inspire her? There were some times when I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the characters.

I did enjoy the romance tropes that kept popping up. It was fun and cute. Slow burn and a great entry by a new author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.