A romance book that knows it’s a romance book, and it’s refreshingly self aware. It was fun and warm, despite being set in the frozen landscape of Alaska. This may be my new favorite in this genre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A book about a romance author who is shunned from her fans after her “Happily Never Afters” (alternate endings to her HEAs) are published, flees to Alaska, and meets a man who embodies all the tropes she doesn’t believe in? Yes please! This story gave me all the feels and was overall such a great read! Every reference to romance tropes was so well done, from the very first moment when our FMC, Margot, realizes her meet-cute with the MMC, Forrest, is so cliche yet perfect. I loved the slow burn, and Forrest gave us all the things we love about a perfect romance MMC — caring, protective, jealous, smart, funny, and gorgeous. I also loved Margot and her character development. Also, their connection… perfection! Their common experience of being caretakers for loved ones made their insta-love believable. And the writing was so good. The way they described their love for each other was poetic. From Margot’s line of, “He’s my match — the other bookend to my story…” to Forrest’s delivery of “You’ve had my heart in your teeth from day one”, I was kicking my feet happy for them. I truly loved everything about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Margot is a romantic writer who has been disillusioned by the concept of Happily Ever Afters and secretly starts writing Happily Never Afters. When the Happily Never Afters get exposed and the romance world shuns her, Margot travels (forced by her sister) to Alaska to recover and redirect her life. There, she meets Forrest, the proprietor of the lodge she is staying at and a genius doctor with a heart of gold.

Forrest and Margot have a lot of similarities in their lives: Margot feels that it is her responsibility to care for her sister, who is chronically ill, and Forrest has put his career as a cancer researcher on hold to take care of his father. Their love lives have also taken a backseat to their dedication to their family members. They go through an enemies-to-lovers trope (among others). It was amusing to see Margot identify and call out common romance tropes when she meets Forrest and gets to know him (and swoons over him). Forrest is the best love interest (with all the qualities that the ideal book boyfriend should have), and Margot finds that her walls are slowly coming down and she slowly begins to believe in love again.

While we see Margot and Forrest grow closer with each day, it was also heartwarming to see how the relationship with their respective families changed as well: Margot with her sister and Forrest with his father. I think this book does a good job on highlighting the emotional and mental well-beings of caregivers. Margot and Forrest feel a certain responsibility to their family, but unfortunately have overlooked their own lives in the process. As they discover their own lives again, they find support in each other.

Overall, I recommend this book. It's a perfect mix of romance, humor, and family. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

If you’re in the market for a very charming and super fun to read book, look no farther. This story and its characters will tug at your heart and the banter will have you laughing out loud. Having an FMC who is a romance author calling out the tropes in the story as they happened was not something I expected but really enjoyed. Right when Margot meets Forrest from the forest I knew I was in for a great read. The story, banter, tropes, and characters were enjoyable to read. What I think I loved the most about this book was the acknowledgment of romance books in general. It made me appreciate the romance genre in a way that I haven’t really considered about before. Overall, this book made it easy to root for the characters and I am excited to read more books from Victoria Lavine.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Margot is a romance author, even though she doesn't believe in all of the romantic tropes of life. She decides to write a book that ends with unhappiness, but the book is panned by all, and her publisher drops her. Now, Margot has no way to support her ill sister - until she goes to an Alaskan resort to work on her newest book, a murder mystery. Things don't go as planned for Margot, who winds up in the sights of Forest, a doctor who is now helping run his family resort in order to help is ailing father. Margot was not planning for romance, and Forest was not planning on becoming attached to someone who planned to leave.

This book was such a great read! The romance was very enjoyable, especially the banter, but there were other elements to the book such as a strong theme of hope and family. This book had an excellent balance of funny and romantic, along with more heartfelt moments. By the by, I also loved the cover!

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

Happily *Never* After?!
Never say never 😜

Margot is an imposter. She writes bestseller romance novels but doesn’t believe in the happily ever after endings she writes in her books. When her secret is out of the bag, she retreats to the Alaskan wilderness for a six week stay to reinvent herself at the request of her sister.

Enter the most trope-stereotypical handsome mountain man, Forrest. How is it possible he is every trope come true?? And how can Margot protect her heart when she’s at his mercy during their epic wilderness excursions?

Loved this book!! Margot and Forrest both experienced personal growth as they challenged and supported each other in this heartfelt romance. If only Happily Ever Afters came easily…

❄️ One tent situation
🥵 Sauna scene
📚 Author/Doctor nerds
🏥 Caretakers
🫎 One domestic moose

I was surprised to learn that Any Trope but You is Victoria Levine’s debut novel. The writing felt as polished as that of a seasoned author. The story follows Margot, a highly successful author whose career is derailed when the public discovers she doesn’t truly believe in happily ever after. To help her rediscover herself, her sister arranges an adventure in Alaska. Margot’s journey kicks off with a hilariously awkward meeting with Forest, and the chemistry between them sizzles from the start. Together, they navigate nearly every trope imaginable, but in a way that feels fresh, believable, and humorous.

The secondary characters, like Savannah and Trapper, add emotional depth to the story. I particularly enjoyed watching Margot step out of her comfort zone during her wilderness adventures, with Savannah’s heartfelt letters serving as a touching reward after each challenge. This book gives you all the feels and ends with a satisfying happily ever after.
Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I ended up loving it. I loved the Alaska setting in particular and felt that all of the characters were well flushed out.

I. Loved. This. Book!!!!!! She’s a romance author that doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. Her career comes to an abrupt pause and she ends up at an off grid lodge in Alaska where she meets a man that fits the bill for every single one of the romance tropes she’s written about. This book is like a love letter to the romance readers, bookstagram community and to anyone who needs an extra dose of hope in their life. The relationship between Margot and her sister had me crying multiple times, and also Forrest’s relationship with his dad. The way this played out was so realistic and heartwarming. The way all the characters were making sacrifices for their loved ones was really beautiful and I am blown away that this is a debut novel and so thrilled I was able to read an early copy!

I loved this book! It kept me hooked from early on. Character development was natural and I was rooting for Margot and Forrest to somehow work out despite their difficult lives. The author did a great job weaving reality hardships with the romance tropes we all love.

“Any Trope but You” is a wonderful debut novel by Victoria Lavine that is the perfect love letter to all of us romance fanatics.

Margot is a romance writer that doesn’t necessarily believe in the HEA she writes about in her novels. When her fans find out and she’s forced to consider switching writing genres, her sister plans a 6 week trip to Alaska for her to figure out what she’s going to do next. She meets Forrest, and every thing she thinks she knows about the romantic lead and HEA in her own love story comes into question.

This was such a great debut! I loved this storyline; it was so beautifully written. You know it’s special when you not only love the main couple, but also really adore all the side characters. And the chemistry was off the charts good.

And favorite book boyfriend of the year now goes to Dr. Forrest Wakefield. I mean, can we get much more perfect than him?!

Definitely recommend this one! Can’t wait to read what Victoria writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

I adored this book! I think the author got the characters and plot just right. It was entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t been enjoying romance novels recently, but picked this up because it sounded fun, and I love Alaska. The novel was a quick read, and I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters and the plot are very well written and the story was interesting and thought out well. I would definitely recommend this book to my audience and friends.

ARC Review-
I personally love when a romcom cracks jokes at how cheesy romcoms can be, and this book had me cracking up the obvious call outs. As a book about a romance author our main character, Margot, is very familiar with every popular romance trope there is. So when life lands her in the presence of the physical embodiment of every romcom readers dream MMC, rolled shirtsleeves included, she finds herself battling her heart and her head to figure out what she wants for her life.

I thought this was a very fun and charming read. As someone who lived just outside of Anchorage for a few years, I loved the setting and the feeling of nostalgia the scenery brought up for me when reading about the beautiful wilderness of the last frontier. This was more than just a romcom story. The relationship between Margot and her sister was an equally beautiful and heartbreaking storyline to follow. And the growth that both Margot and Forrest push through is very commendable. I loved that even if it broke their hearts, they could always see the side of the story from the others perspective which made grudge holding near impossible. Overall, I found it to be a very sweet story that will most definitely tug at your heartstrings while you giggle and kick your feet. And if you’re looking for a flannel wearing, wood splitting, food cooking, care taking, “mountain daddy”, for your new swoony book boyfriend, look no further. He’s here.

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

What a debut! This gives me Emily Henry + Ali Hazelwood vibes. I am honestly shocked that this is a debut novel- incredibly well written, with deep and thoughtful characters dealing with actual real human problems and medical conditions. Beautiful setting and unique situations. The dialogue felt real, and meaningful. I absolutely loved it.

I will be the first to admit that I’m hard on new authors and debut books. But I was so very happily devouring this novel. Absolutely loved it. 5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This author is new to me but will now be an auto-buy because omg what?! This was so good! It had all the tropes and was well written and was just such a joy to read. I loved the main character so much and was rooting for her, plus I am a giant sucker for a doting hero. Bravo!

This book is a love letter to all of us romance readers, and I cannot recommend it enough.

It’s about hope, family, letting people in and finding your happiness.

It’s a love story you don’t want to miss.

If you like laughing out loud, chuckling while being charmed by a story full of sweetness, swoons and a nice dash of quirk, pick this one up.

For fans of:
Falon Ballard
Emily Henry
Lucy Score’s ROCK BOTTOM GIRL
Jessica Joyce’s YOU WITH A VIEW
Katherine Center’s THE ROM-COMMERS

(Out 4/1/25, but you can pre-order it everywhere now. I read an advance reader copy via NetGalley and could NOT put it down.)

I will admit I went into this book with high expectations, and that is often my downfall. The description made me think of a few favorite jaded author books, and luckily Any Trope But You delivered. Margot was instantly likable. I would have gladly read any of her books, including the Happily Never Afters. Forrest was quietly taking care of Margot from their first interaction (which was adorable), and I was done for by the time he carried her down a mountain with both of their packs. Several of my favorite tropes were explored, and some were only made better with the heightened danger of the Alaskan wilderness. Only one bed may not be enough now that I've had only one (one-person!) tent. I will be impatiently waiting to see what Victoria Levine puts out next.

Yesterday morning I checked my email to see @atriabooks sent me an advanced reader copy of a romance book that I hadn’t heard of yet called ‘Any Trope But You’ by Victoria Lavine and since I was between books, and it looked freaking phenomenal, I decided to start it immediately. Y’all. Every moment of down time was devoted to this book. When I’m saying it is an instant 5⭐️ read, I am not exaggerating. The way Victoria wrote this book and these characters… it really made it seem like these were real live people, in a real live place, going through real live issues. It was all just so tangible and entertaining and raw.. it was perfect and I’m SO grateful for the opportunity to read it! It was the perfect blend of enemies to lovers, one bed, snowed in, forced proximity, cinnamon roll hero, plus other smaller micro tropes (like, being good with power tools AND knows how to cook, plus is also a doctor?). 10/10 would recommend.

Any Trope But You is officially released to the world on April 1, 2025 (no, I promise that’s not an April Fool’s joke) but is currently live on @NetGalley right now if you want to try and request it! I promise you won’t be disappointed 😘