This was so super cute! I really enjoyed the main characters and the setting of the Alaskan wilderness lodge. I liked the growth the characters went through and especially how they communicated. Like always, I wish there was an epilogue!

I loved this book! It was the perfect little romance about a girl who gave up on Happily Ever After just to be basically punched in the face with the epitome of a Happily Ever After. And a guy who takes his family and all of their hardships on his shoulders and thinks there’s no way someone could make him want to do anything differently. All set in the Alaskan wilderness with “bears”, chimney flues, hot tubs and lots of ill advised excursions.

I loved Margot from page 1 and her indecisiveness of what shirt to wear because of the “hidden” meanings behind each of them. Same, girl. Her story and all that she went through to get her to the point of not believing in the HEAs that she wrote about was heartbreaking. All I wanted was her to find someone to show her how wrong she was. *Insert Forrest here*

Forrest and his need to help his family to the detriment of his own career and wants was everything Margot needed. Without even trying, or so he thought, he showed Margot what she deserved and what an HEA could mean for her. His battle to put himself first, even with his family pushing him to do just that, was so well written. I could feel how hard that was for him through the pages.

I loved this and you definitely need to read it!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

To start, this is a solid debut. Victoria Lavine's voice is unique, funny, and clear, and that shines in Any Trope but You. However, as the title implies, this book has a LOT of tropes in it and I think this was ultimately to the detriment of the story, and made it so that I felt secondhand embarrassment at times throughout the narration, pretty much all the way to the end LOL.

Margot and Forrest's story was funny but not captivating, and I didn't really get into the passion between them until the more spicy scenes—which were surprisingly graphic (in a good way) for a book that is written so sweetly—so the overall romance fell a bit flat for me to be honest. However, I think if you're someone who loves meta romance novels, where a character is writing a book, you might find this completely charming and will love your time with it!

I look forward to reading more from Lavine!

3.5 ⭐️s
2 🌶️

Loved this book so much! The characters, the plot, all of it. I got second hand embarrassment and it was so funny. What a great debut!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc!

This was a beautifully written debut novel, and I’m so excited to see what comes next from Victoria Lavine!

I loved the concept of Margot being a romance author who secretly writes alternate, unhappy endings for her books—divorces, breakups, everything she doesn’t put in the final versions. When her secret document is leaked, she escapes to Alaska to reinvent herself and write a murder mystery—but instead, she finds herself in a rom-com of her own.

The plot was adorable and so much fun. Watching Margot go from not believing in HEAs to getting her own was everything.

And Forrest? Absolutely perfect for her. I rooted so hard for them, and the ending was perfect!

A cute cozy winter romance perfect for those days you don’t want to leave your warm bed. I loved the setting, the story, and the characters.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!
I absolutely loved this book but I did knock off one star because while it’s a SLOW burn, the ending felt rushed. There was so much build up (which was amazing) and I loved how many tropes were put into this book and didn’t make it feel crammed in. This is definitely a heart-warming rom-com read BUT it also has a lot of honest aspects to it and is realistic in the sense that it shows how messy love can be and how there are no rules on how people fall in/out of love and how not every single story will have an HEA in the traditional sense. Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to other titles Victoria Lavine releases in the future!!

This was such a perfect palate cleanser for me! I had been reading some good, but heavy books. This was a wonderfully meta story about a romance author who knows she’s experiencing a romance akin to her stories. The only reason there’s not a 5⭐️ review here is because it was insanely predictable, not one thing I didn’t see coming. But it was a wonderful and easy read! I also loved the relationship with the sisters. There was more to be desired between Forrest and his dad but that could be because we got his perspective a bit less.

Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine is a debut romance novel by this author that sets her up for success.

Margaret is the main character of this story who felt really real. She doesn't believe in HEA because she was hurt too many times, she is tired of opening up her heart and getting hurt. And when she is forced (ish) to retreat to Alaska, she ends up meeting Forrest who shakes her world and makes her rethink her stance on HEA. Maybe love doesn't need to hurt

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am so upset with myself - I received this ARC months ago and for some reason just sat on it… shame on me.

This was such a fun read! Yes, it touched on a few heavier topics - loss of a parent, severe injury, unnamed autoimmune disease, being “cancelled” - but overall this was extremely light and fluffy. And hurray for some representation for myself in the form of a side character, as I’ve been dealing with my own autoimmune disease flare-up recently.

This book literally throws ALL the romance book tropes in your face - but it works! I think my favourite thing about this book was how self-aware it was, the main characters themselves actually reference some of the tropes as they are happening to them in real time. I loved this approach to a romance novel.

I loved the Alaskan setting! I am not American (and have no desire to ever be), but have spent time in… nine? ten? different states - and Alaska is one of them. I didn’t venture into the wilderness while there, but I still really enjoy reading books set in places I’ve been before.

For a debut, this has me excited to see what else this author will create!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC of this one in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dual First Person POV
Descriptive, open-door spice

This was cute and filled with all the romance tropes, but it ended up being a book that I really liked, but didn't love. To be only 336 pages, it felt too long.

Margot is a romance author that doesn't believe in HEAs after being disappointed too many times. When her secret file of Happily Never Afters gets published and makes her the pariah of the romance world, she escapes to Alaska where she intends to reinvent herself as a mystery writer. Enter Forrest, flannel wearing lumberjack, award winning cancer doctor, and all around romance hero. Margot can't believe she ends up living in a real life romance novel, but she should know that HEAs don't come easy.

There were lots of parts of this book I really liked a lot. All of the romance tropes were entertaining and made for swoony moments. I thought Margot and Forrest were both enjoyable characters and they had great chemistry and banter. I liked the sister relationship, especially the epilistory portion of it, and how both of our MCs dealt with their caretaking roles. Where this book lost a few points for me was in the spicy scenes when it became way too cliche. I also thought the book felt long but that's probably because they spent the first 200 pages having the same argument over and over. Overall, a cute debut and I would read more from the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a unique story of a romance reader rewriting the endings of her books to have more realistic endings instead of happily ever afters. These endings get leaked and all of her fans feel like they’ve been duped by the author since she does not believe in what she is writing. Her sister then sends her on a trip so she can write a murder mystery book instead. While she is in Alaska she meets Forest and she’s has to rethink on whether or not she believes in happily ever after.

This upcoming release has been receiving rave reviews, and I thought I would love it, too!

The beginning was entertaining, with a fresh, engaging premise and appealing characters. The connection between the characters was genuine, and the Alaskan lodge setting was compelling.

The story lost me toward the middle. Once the characters connected, there were a LOT of intimacy scenes. Too many, in my opinion, and it felt like the ending suffered for it. It felt rushed compared to the pacing throughout the rest of the book.

Spice preferences are personal, of course, and readers who enjoy more of it will like this book. I was frustrated that the book description gave no indication how graphic the steam would be. Usually, a book with this level of spice would have something in the description to clue the reader in.

I was so excited to read this book based on the setting alone. I’m a sucker for an Alaska setting, and this isolated Alaskan wilderness lodge with rugged outdoorsmen love interest didn’t disappoint.
Margot is a romance author who lost her belief in the possibilities of HEA she is uncovered and canceled by her romance reader fanbase for mocking the genre.
Can isolation in the Alaskan wilderness get her back on track or will Forrest, the lodge owners son, who is comically perfect throw a huge wrench in Margot’s plans of giving up romance forever.
This book was funny, heartfelt, and somehow still kind of believable. I really liked all of the side characters and Forrest and Margot were swoon-worthy.
This book is a good time! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the EArc in exchange for an honest review.

gorgeous, swoony, romance with an awesome vibe throughout. the chemistry is awesome, and the protags are perfect. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for access to an eARC of this fun read! Set in gorgeous Alaska, romance author Margot Bradley is trying to reinvent herself after shocking and insulting her loyal readership when a Happily Never After file is leaked by a hacker. Driven by her need to support her chronically ill sister, Margot starts to pen a murder mystery while she endures weekly wilderness excursions. From her initial run in with the lodge’s hottie Forrest, Margot fights an internal battle between falling for this too perfect to be real romantic leading man and her wariness after being burned by all the men in her life so far. Forrest is fighting battles of his own, having reluctantly left his real life behind to care for his father and their family lodge. Snappy dialogue, steamy romance, and family loyalty all serve up a fun read which is a welcome escape from real life right now.

Bonus points for an author from Maine who calls out local indies I have visited in Portland!

3.5 stars

This was a cute romance. I liked the author & Alaska setting with lots of outdoor adventures. The characters were well done but I didn't find find myself drawn to pick this story up.

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria books for an advance copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC!
This was okay. I really loved the setting of the story, but the main characters lacked some serious chemistry. I liked them both by themselves, but they did not belong together. There was no spark between them. The side characters were fantastic. The beginning had me hooked, but as the story went along, it just slowly lost my interest.
The main characters lacked development, and I feel there was no progression with them.
It wasn’t poorly written or a bad book by any means, I just couldn’t vibe with it much.

This book is such a love letter to romance readers. It has the perfect blend of humor with some very heartfelt moments. If there is a book I would get lost in it would be this world. I just loved the setting in Alaska, the hikes, the adventures and the characters. Margot finds herself in an off the grid cabin in Alaska after being canceled because she does not believe in happily ever afters. So she is trying her hand at another genre. Forest fits about every trope in a romance book and is a successful doctor but moved back to help his family with their resort and help his father with his illness. These two could not be more opposites in personality and their likes but together they really do work well together and I just loved seeing the layers pull back. It’s a perfect book for book lovers and an adventure all in one!

Any Trope But You
🫎🗻
“I scoop her up and hold her to my chest, the scent of gardenias enveloping me like every reminder of home I’ve been craving.”
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Okay listen, it’s right there in the title ✨trope✨. Was this romance a little heavy handed with the tropes? Sure. Was it also everything I love in a romance? Yes!
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“Alaska’s meant to be experienced outside.” 🥾☀️ I loved the setting of this book and I think it’s a little love letter to the nature and adventure lovers. Snowy mountains, cozy sweaters, roaring fires, the warmth of a sauna, a cutie moose, there was a calmness in this book that comes from a fresh blanket of snow. There was also a lot of adventure, hiking and camping, sign me up! We explored what it takes to take care of a family member, the sacrifices, the care, and maybe even the crutch of dependency. Yes it’s a fun read with some spice, but the characters had a depth and relatability that had me rooting for them the whole time! Dual POV check, beautiful letters mixed in check, lovable characters all around check, cute cover check! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🧡
“We’re two sides of the same mirror, perfect reflections of each other, unable to breach the glass.”
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Thank you @victorialavinewrites @atriabooks and @netgalley for this e-arc! Any Trope But You comes out April 1st!