Member Reviews
This book was so lovely and beautiful, the characters were well fleshed out, the setting was something new for me and I really loved it! I recommend this one! 😍
I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC thanks to Victoria, NetGalley, and Atria Books!
We follow Margot, a really successful romance author who doesn’t believe in ‘happily ever afters.’ To stomach putting out these cheesy books, as a form of catharsis, she writes for herself “happily never after” endings for all of her characters, secretly despising the typical happy romances her fans (and younger sister) love. When her private ‘HNA’ endings get leaked in a very dramatic and kind of hilarious hacker situation, it causes an uproar. Desperate to reset, she heads to remote Alaska to work on a new “comeback” novel in a completely different genre.
Of course, Alaska isn’t without romance. She immediately meets the charming son of the lodge’s owner, Forrest—a man who seems to embody every romance trope she’s ever written. And while she’s determined to resist his too-good-to-be-true charm, their chemistry is undeniable, and it was a lot of fun seeing her call out all of the romance clichés.
This was such an entertaining and sweet read, but it was also a story of growth, moving on, and it could be surprisingly emotional at moments. Both characters are incredibly deserving of happy endings.
Overall, I couldn’t put this book down. It was a really enjoyable and quick read.
this is a sweet, emotional, spicy story. I loved Margot’s personal journey of healing & acceptance after her professional life goes way sideways, while also finding the HEA she didn’t initially believe in. I loved her & Forest’s emotional, passionate connection. Forest is such a down to earth, hard working man who has made sacrifices & decisions in life that Margot can relate to & draws them together. I loved how they show their authentic selves to each other & find such comfort, peace, & love with each other. I also absolutely loved escaping to a small Alaskan town & all the comfort that brought to the story!
thank you for the arc!
Margot and Forrest forever! They were both complicated multi dimensional characters. Margot writes romances, but doesn’t believe in love. Forrest is a cancer researcher. They meet in Alaska, which I think is the perfect setting for a romance!
4.5
I loved these characters and the set up. Lavine does a great job of walking the line between choreographing and calling out the tropes she's getting them into, while still making it emotionally believable and not over-egging it. Both MCs managing major care-taking roles in the lives of their family members is deeply moving and dimensional. And those family members aren't just saintly sufferers or cardboard cutouts either. I found this equal parts entertaining and moving. Will definitely be recommending to readers and looking out for more from this author!
4.5 Star ⭐️
This had every trope that you can think of, but in a self-awareness kind of way that didn’t make it annoying. We follow Margot to a forced trip to Alaska after a huge publicity scandal where she meets Forrest who just happens to be a handsome doctor taking care of his father. There’s a cute dog, one tent, tension, banter, actual communication, and unfortunately (my least favorite trope) a third act break up, but other than that, this was cute overload.
Highly recommend picking this one up when it releases April 1, 2025, you won’t regret it.
Thank you Atria / Simon & Schuster for the eARC ❤️
Turns out Alaska settings are my jam! I loved going on this adventure with Margot as she ventured to a remote Alaskan location. The story starts off with a hilarious granny panty incident and just keeps delivering from there. I was excited for Margot’s journey of self-discovery, and the book did a fantastic job keeping me engaged with its well-paced scenes and character depth. It’s an adventurous, heartwarming read that I couldn’t put down!
I’m drawn to self-aware stories, so from the title alone, I was excited about this book by debut author, Victoria Lavine. I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC thanks to Victoria, NetGalley, and Atria Books!
We follow Margot, a really successful romance author who doesn’t believe in ‘happily ever afters.’ To stomach putting out these cheesy books, as a form of catharsis, she writes for herself “happily never after” endings for all of her characters, secretly despising the typical happy romances her fans (and younger sister) love. When her private ‘HNA’ endings get leaked in a very dramatic and kind of hilarious hacker situation, it causes an uproar. Desperate to reset, she heads to remote Alaska to work on a new “comeback” novel in a completely different genre.
Of course, Alaska isn’t without romance. She immediately meets the charming son of the lodge’s owner, Forrest—a man who seems to embody every romance trope she’s ever written. And while she’s determined to resist his too-good-to-be-true charm, their chemistry is undeniable, and it was a lot of fun seeing her call out all of the romance clichés.
This was such an entertaining and sweet read, but it was also a story of growth, moving on, and it could be surprisingly emotional at moments. Both characters are incredibly deserving of happy endings.
Overall, I couldn’t put this book down. It was a really enjoyable and quick read. Any Trope But You will be released on April 1, 2025, and I highly recommend it!
4.5/5
This book was so good and pretty much everything i look for in a romance. It was funny, witty, spicy and still emotional. I loved all the characters, from the main characters to their family members, to the guests at the lodge. And, i LOVED all the tropes! this might be the only book where the more tropes the better. it was clever and well done and i had such a great time.
I also appreciated while there was room for the miscommunication trope - it was handled well and maturely, like you would expect from two adults. And when the 'conflict' happened - it felt like it made sense for the characters and wasn't forced. It was true to their nature and fit into the story like it was meant too.
Overall, such a fun read and I can't wait for it to be released!
It was a solid "ok" for me. I like the concept and the characters were easy to enjoy.
It was cheesy and some of the conversational bits had me cringing.
The relationship had banter and the setting was lovely- decent read.
Thanks for the ARC !
This will be a top read of the year for me. I absolutely loved this book. I didn’t want it to end. There was slow burn and tension but it was eased with stolen moments that made me so giddy. The subtle humor & writing style was done perfectly. I loved watching Forrest & Margot’s relationship slowly build with trust and love, and their common ground of caring for their family members. I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone who will listen. I may have to do a reread before pub day, I can’t believe people will have to wait until April to read this one! But also, can we get this made into a movie? Easily a 5 ⭐️ read for me! I will be reading anything Victoria writes in the future!
This debut novel is everything a romance reader could want: the FMC is a romance writer figuring her life and work out on a trip to Alaska where she meets and has instant chemistry with the book boyfriend of her/our dreams. But there's so much more to this book and it's what I related to most from my own experiences: both the MCs are caregivers who love their family member but feel kind of stuck and her sister has an autoimmune disease. I felt seen and represented by this author's compassion towards these characters and their situations. I hope this author continues writing and I can't wait to read what she writes next!
Oh. My. Gosh. How is this a debut novel?! Also- I feel like this absolutely should've been a winter release, but who am I to say?! Literally the best tension, banter, build up, and believable love story! Loved the real life heartaches and issues that came up too. Well done!
WHAT. A. DEBUT.
There was so much hype around this book, I had to read it. I can see why this one has made such a splash in the romance community.
Deeply thoughtful, witty banter to rival the best of 'em, meta-romance-ness, and extended family relationships drawn to perfection-- ANY TROPE BUT YOU has it all.
I have been in a romance mood lately, needing a pick me up because my husband had to have surgery this month. My husband's surgeon was named Dr. Wakefield so when I saw the doctor's name in this book, I had to read it! Thank goodness NetGalley understood what I had going in my life!
When I first picked it up, I was worried that was going to overdo the romantic tropes because let's be real, some of them are really overdone. I did not find that to be the case at all. I feel like that has to be addressed up front given the book name.
The main character, Margot, is a romance writer who gets "cancelled" and finds herself in Alaska to regroup and write her next book. All the situations you expect to happen given the name of the book, do happen, but in a humorous and natural way. The relationships the two main characters have with their families and family histories bring a lot of meaning into the tough decisions that have to be made.
I really enjoyed this book and was surprised to see it is a debut author! I look forward to reading more by her to join my usual go-to romance writers.
(p.s. surgery was successful and hubby is on the mend, so yeah for both Dr. Wakefields!)
Wow! I chose this book as a nice, quick, pallet cleanser after some heavy fantasy reads. I did NOT expect to enjoy this story as much as I did. I simply couldn’t put it down. I devoured Margot and Forrest’s story. The characters are believable, love able and relatable. The story is charming and laugh out loud funny. I hope to see this at the top of every best seller list!
I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.
She’s a romance author that has been disappointed by love too many times so now she doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. His career goes awry and and ends up in Alaska. She meets a man who fits in the categories of the books she’s written. Margot’s character growth was amazing. I recommend this book to EVERYONE!!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
Victoria Lavine’s Any Troupe but You is a delightful sweet rom-com that will charm readers with its witty banter and heartfelt moments. The story follows Margot, a romance author who secretly writes alternate, unhappy endings to her happily-ever-after stories. Jaded by love and caught in an unfortunate scandal after her private endings are leaked, Margot’s career and credibility take a hit. In a bid to clear her head, Margot’s sister sends her on a six-week retreat in the wintry Alaskan wilderness, where she unexpectedly finds herself in the arms of Forrest, a man who seems to embody every romance trope she’s ever written.
The premise is fun, fresh, and packed with humor. Margot’s journey of self-discovery and emotional healing is both sweet and funny, with Forrest being the ultimate MMC—he’s smart, muscular, kind, and has a heart of gold. He’s a total cinnamon roll who puts family first, making him the perfect romantic lead. Lavine’s writing shines through with sharp dialogue, vivid descriptions, and a pace that makes it hard to put down.
Any Troupe but You was a joy to read, and I’m certain it’s going to be a huge hit on BookTok. This book made me an instant fan of Lavine, and I can’t wait to share it with friends once it’s released. If you’re looking for a romantic read with fantastic character chemistry, this is it!
Thank you to Victoria Lavine and Simon & Schuster for providing an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Margot is a romance author who doesn't believe in a happily ever after, and that's fine until her fans find out as well. To get away from all the bad press her sister sends her to a remote Alaskan get away for six weeks. There she meets a guy who fits every romance troupe she's written about in her novels.
I love when the main character is in on the joke, and Victoria writes Margot as just that aware. Seeing cliche troupes every time she turns around.
The novel was an easy quick read with enough slight twists to keep you interested.
Big thanks to Atria Books for sending me an ARC of this book. I always love getting to read romances from debut authors and this one was just an absolute delight. I'm looking forward to more books by Victoria Lavine in the future, too. Five stars from me!
Margot is a bestselling romance author who doesn't believe in Happily Ever Afters. She has been very unlucky in love and also has a large responsibility to take care of her little sister who suffers from an autoimmune disease. When a live chat goes wrong with fans, she essentially gets cancelled. Her sister sends her to Alaska to take a break and work on a new manuscript. She isn't looking for love at all when she meets Forrest at the Lodge she is staying at. He is essentially every romance trope that she is trying to avoid and he has a big responsibility to take care of his disabled father. Both Margot and Forrest learn that it's okay to take care of yourself, too and they find love as well. The way the tropes are woven only the book is clever and the setting of Alaska is always a favorite of mine. I highly recommend this one for any romance lovers!