DNF at 34%. I found myself constantly checking my reading progress and wondering when it’ll be over. I was pushing a bit to finish this since it’s a relatively short read, but I just didn’t care or enjoy it enough to want to continue on.

The FMC Margot’s love and affection for her sister was really sweet, but she didn’t have much appealing qualities beyond that. Being rude and petulant with your rescuer after almost burning down the cabin because you’re an idiot, and then threatening to leave a bad yelp review of a family business to get your way is not cute or feisty, it’s just being an entitled Karen and catty AF.

E-Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I felt a lot of secondhand embarrassment from this book unfortunately and the unlikable FMC didn’t help with that at all. I feel like I signed up for a fun romcom and there were a lot more serious and sad moments that I didn’t anticipate. The setting was really well done and I didn’t like the MMC, but don’t see that relationship lasting long term.

Margot Bradley, queen of the romance novel, is cancelled after her readers discover she believe in the happily ever afters she writes. Determined to start fresh in a new genre, she heads to Alaska to write her debut murder mystery. But while she may be running from romance, romance certainly isn’t running from her—one trope after another leads her straight into the arms of her very own romance hero come to life, Forrest. But is Margot ready to accept that her own happily ever exists?

My favorite part of romance novels is the tropes, so when I came across this novel, which puts all the classic romance tropes at its center, I couldn’t have been more excited. Victoria Lavine gave each trope her own unique spin—for example, instead of only one bed, she put just one tent in the Alaskan wilderness. Tropes popped up when I least expected it, delighting me endlessly. Margot was an entertaining heroine, just the right amount of sassy and self-deprecating. I loved how her sister’s letters unfurled her backstory, giving the reader insight into Margot’s family and her romantic history. As I relived each memory, I began to understand Margot more, and everything about her fell into place—her fears, hesitation, and skepticism. So, while I felt the weight and importance of the letters, I struggled simultaneously to believe that Margot would engage in these grueling and physically challenging outdoor excursions simply for a letter from someone she was going to be reunited with in six weeks. I felt like the stakes simply needed to be higher for me to be invested. On the other hand, the stakes were perfectly believable for the romance between Margot and Forrest. With both serving as primary caretakers for chronically ill family members, I understood their hesitation to prioritize their relationship. Lavine handled this delicate situation beautifully, allowing the reader to emphasize with them both. In the midst of a cold winter, this book was the perfect way to warm my heart.

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

This book was cute. I know a lot of people will love this book! I wanted to love this book and for some reason, I didn't. It had so many tropes that I love! There was just something where when I wasn't reading it, I wasn't drawn to it, but when I started reading it again, I was eating it up! The MMC, absolutely dreamy! City girl in rural Alaska, such a fun setting! I genuinely can't pin point what it was. I will definitely recommend to others!!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria and Victoria Lavine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️ The tropes! I loved how self aware this book was. The FMC, Margo, is a jaded romance author who doesn’t believe in love and has been essentially cancelled when her fans discover she’s been writing alternate ending for all their favorite romance novels (featuring divorce, cheating and all the nasty stuff).

Her sister decides to send her on a 6 week Alaska experience in hopes to inspire her newest book - a murder mystery, since she’s been kicked out of the romance genre. Somehow, she finds herself in the literal arms of Forrest - a man who embodies all the best romance MMC traits.

I loved all the ridiculous tropes they kept stumbling into and how Margot was calling them out as they happened.

The letters from her sister were really cute. That relationship was something special and I’m glad it went where it did.

I think I would have bumped this up to a 5 if there was a little more to the ending - or at least an epilogue- but I’m so impressed this is her first book.

Thank you so much for this read! I love reading new authors to me and to find out this book is featured in illumicrates afterlight editions is amazing! I love a good book set in Alaska where the FMC is trying to find herself again!

this was so cute! a little cringe/cheesy but in general just such a fun charming read. romance is my genre but sometimes it's like reading the same book over and over but this was such a nice little refresh

Any Trope but You is absolutely fabulous. This story had laugh out loud moments, emotionally heavy topics and such a unique take on the FMC being a romance author herself.

Both main characters suffering love and loss in different ways. They both are also caregivers to a family member with chronic health conditions. These topics are represented so well and I find aren’t always common topics! Caregiver fatigue is real and often people are forced to pick between their loved one’s needs or their own desires and goals.

The chemistry between Margot and Forrest is electric from the start. How they meet is absolutely amazing and their hate to love relationship unfold was so well done. The angst and tension is phenomenal and it’s such a lovely slow burn romance. Forrest not being able to just turn a blind eye to Margot makes their interactions at times laugh out loud funny.

Oh and I cannot forget to mention Margot’s relationship with her sister (who has an autoimmune disease) is so heartwarming and beautiful.

This book tackles heavy and complex topics but in a way that makes the storyline more compelling and wonderfully beautiful! This book is ideal for readers who enjoy lighthearted humor and emotionally layered romances. While delivering heartfelt connections and a touch of escapism.

This book is a love letter to the romance genre that I never would have guessed was a debut.

Margot is a disenfranchised romance author who has had her heart broken one too many times. When her secret notes leak and it's revealed that she may not believe in Happily Ever Afters as much as her books suggest, she is canceled by her fans.

Margot's sister and roommate ships her off to Alaska for 6 weeks to escape the spotlight and try her hand at writing a murder mystery instead. Naturally, Margot immediately encounters the owner's son, Forrest, the too-good-to-be-true embodiment of every single romance trope ever. But can Margot overcome her skepticism about living in a real-life romance novel and the guilt of leaving her ill sister behind while she searches for her HEA?

This was such a fun read, with lots of laugh out loud moments and lovable characters!

5.0 ⭐️
(Secretly a million stars if I’m being honest)

Omg, I don’t even know where to begin. This book has earned an automatic spot in my top 5 favorite books of the year. I loved it so much.

Any Trope but You follows popular romance author, Margot Bradley, who’s at the top of her game professionally, by having written some of the best Happily Ever Afters known in the book world. However, when her readers find out that not only does she not believe in her own HEA’s, she had them written down and sub-sequentially, exposed online by hackers.

Escaping public scrutiny, Margot agrees to go on a six week trip, planned by her sister, to Alaska, where she decides she’s no longer going to write romance novel and the only way to win back her readers is to switch genres.

However upon her arrival, Margot learns quickly that Savannah had bigger plans for her other than writing a new book.

Forrest Wakefield is the picture perfect romantic lead from your favorite book. When Margot meets him, she has to physically stop herself from falling for this man who covers every single trope written, ever. He’s a tall, broody mountain man/doctor/chef who protects the ones he loves.

They begin by trying to resist each because Margot’s trip is only temporary and they both have responsibilities that (in their own words) limits them from finding their own HEA’s. But these responsibilities, the lives they’ve lived, are exactly what makes them perfect for each other. No one understands their sacrifices except each other.

Margot and Forrest live out every trope under the sen and while at first I thought it would be cliche, this was so refreshing! And funny! I was giggling and kicking my feet. I truly believe Victoria Lavine has become of my favorite authors.

This book is also so so much more than just finding your HEA. It’s about sisterhood, and family. It’s allowing yourself to dream and chase those dreams especially when everyone around you sees you better than you see yourself. It’s about letting yourself believe again even when life has done you dirty.

God, I’ll be thinking about this book for a very very long time.

Oh! And it has one of my favorite tropes: “he’s-read-everything-she’s-ever-written” *chefs kiss!*

And it’s SO Taylor Swift coded. If that’s not a plus, idk what is hehe

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m holding this book close to my heart forever.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC of Any Trope But You in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely loved this book!
A romance author who has been burned by love that doesn’t believe in Happy Ever Afters gets cancelled by the romance community. She makes a six week trip to Alaska to reinvent herself and write a mystery instead. But what she finds is a mountain main that might as well have fallen out of one of her books and every possible romance trope that goes with it. It was so sweet and swoon worthy. 4.5 stars rounded up.

i’m not always into romance books that are overly-tropey, but somehow this one squeezed in a million and i still enjoyed it. i loved how the characters had more depth and backstory than i was expecting and i found myself tearing up reading some of the letters from the sister. an easy, enjoyable rom-com!

What a debut! If this is what Victoria Lavine’s debut looks like, y’all should be ecstatic for what is to come!

Full of hilarious commentary, spice, this trope fest isn’t just a toast to the genre but also a toast to the reader. The feeling of this book felt like an acknowledgement that readers make the genre and romance readers are literally the best.

Margot and Forrest are a couple to remember. The slow bur to a quick ignite made all the beginning tom foolery worth it (though it was hilarious to watch knowing they would collide)

I loved the representation of caring for someone with a disability, it was important and poignant, something the romance genre seems to be able to do better than even the “literary fiction” (such a ridiculous genre title)

With a rowdy cast of character, this book perfectly encapsulates why Romance will forever be the genre to beat.

When they said "Any Trope," they meant ANY trope. This book included every single possible romance trope (enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, you name it), and yet it worked. SO WELL.

This book was light, and fun, and adorable. Beyond that, though, "Any Trope But You" was honest and real. I gave it 4/5 stars because there were moments where the writing felt juvenile, and the ending felt really rushed. Plus, there were a lot of very spicy scenes that felt over the top, and I ended up skipping most because that's not my thing. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read with more introspection than I anticipated in a trope-filled rom-com. Oh, and 5/5 stars for the banter.

It was shocking to me that Any Trope but You was Victoria Lavine's debut novel! This book was excellent. Laugh out loud funny, emotional without being depressing, romantic without being toooo steamy (for the most part), and a cross between a true romance and a parody of one. This book just worked for me. I adored Margot and Forrest as main characters, and felt their connection was genuine, believable, and authentic. Their attraction was real, but so were the items that threaten to keep them apart, from their careers to their caregiving responsibilities. The tension was real, and yet, so was their love.

Aside from the main characters, I absolutely loved the sisterly relationship between Margot and Savannah. Margot cared for Savannah for many years, but after Margot was cancelled by her fans/publisher, Savannah decided to care for her sister. The trip was fantastic but the letters and the subsequent challenge she encouraged her sister to undertake was absolutely beautiful. I loved this method of learning more about Margot's backstory. It really caused me to love her even more!

I had a hard time putting this book down. The Alaskan setting was so fun, and makes me want to go there soon! I will note that this is definitely an open door romance but I was able to scan though the parts I didn't want to read, so don't let that put you off. This is a sweet book with a surprising amount of depth! I am excited to read more by Victoria Lavine!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early read! This was such a charming book. While I found some parts at the beginning a bit too cheesy and slow to get through, the story truly picked up once Margot met Forrest. Their chemistry was fantastic, and I especially loved how their backstories—both as caretakers for their families—added depth to their connection. Overall, a sweet and heartfelt read.

The title of this book could not be any more fitting!! All the romance tropes smashed into one novel. This was a cozy, fun, and quick read about finding love in unexpected places, even when you have lost romantic hope.

Some books make you feel like you’re reading a story, and others make you feel like you’re reading someone’s story—messy, self-aware, and unfolding in real time. Any Trope But You captures that feeling perfectly. It has the charm and charisma of reading the thoughts of someone who knows she’s both writing a book and living one at the same time.

The two main characters are incredibly relatable, not just because of their struggles but because of how real they feel. Their quirks, fears, and growth throughout the story make them more than just characters on a page—they feel like people you might actually know. Their dynamic is engaging, their banter is sharp, and their journey together is just as compelling as their individual ones.

If you love stories that feel personal and filled with characters who are wonderfully flawed yet easy to root for, this book is a must-read. This book is an easy read that will leave you with a little more hope in all the beautiful tropes we love to read and root for. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best stories are the ones that embrace their own narrative, tropes and all.

After romance writer Margot’s readers discover she doesn’t actually believe in happily ever afters, her sister sends her to Alaska to write and also to detach from the social media frenzy. Her trip turns out to be far more remote than she realized, isolated from most people and wifi. She also meets Dr. Forrest Wakefield, the owner’s son who put his career on hold to tend to his father’s medical needs. He’s too perfect, meeting too many stereotypical love interest tropes.

Honestly, this was pretty cute. They both had a lot in common, especially since they prioritized family. They did fall in love a little quickly, but were mature enough that I didn’t mind too much.

4.5 stars and oh my godddd was this SO CUTE and SO STEAMY. I see your only one bed and your only one horse and raise you to only one tent!!! I can't get over how fun it was to have all the tropes thrown in (and I do mean just about all), acknowledged and eye-rolled, and then moved past so quickly. This truly felt like a love letter to the romance genre in the form of a romance writer to her fans, and I can't thank her enough.

Margot and Forrest, my sweet selfless bbs, are fully realized characters with their own complete inner worlds, have the best type of banter around, and feel like a couple that would survive well past the Hapiply Ever After (unlike Margot's characters). We had a fun mix of side characters that got just enough for us to catch their flavor, but not enough to steal focus...except maybe Bullwinkle the moose.

Thank you so much to Victoria Lavine, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.