Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine is an adorable book that explores all the romance tropes we have come to recognize and love.

This book is for anyone that is wondering how romance authors can continuously write lovely pieces with happy endings all the time.

The book centers around Author Margot Bradley writes happen ending but doesn't truly believe in them. A famous romance author, Margot is struggling to believe the things she writes as her own life is anything but a fairy tale. Her sister Savanah is chronically Ill. Margot decides to take a break from the happily ever after romances and write a murder book.

Meanwhile, Dr Forrest Wakefield, a cancer researcher, is working at the inn while caring for his ailing father. Margot and Forest meet and have one trope after the other occur. Will Margot finally get her happily ever after?

Thank you Victoria Lavigne and Atria books for working with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book will be published April 1 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Thank you Netgalley and Atria for this ARC! I binged this book in one sitting and found it to be a short and sweet if not predictable read. Margot is a recently canceled romance writer who escapes to a lodge in Alaska to avoid the public scrutiny. Enter: capable, hot, smart lumberjack Forrest who works at his family’s lodge. Oh, and did I mention he’s a med student who wears Henleys, rolls his sleeves, cooks well, and cares for his ailing father? 🤣 One of the best things about this book is that it leans in to popular ‘tropes’ of romance novels that are we all know and love. It’s totally cliche but in a meta way—the author (and characters) are in on the joke. There are also a few representations of chronic illness in this story along with a touching line plot line regarding caregiving and how it impacts the main characters. A few things were not my favorite, such as the first person writing and a 3rd act breakup, but some of these grievances are due to personal preferences. However, I did think the spice was a bit cringe. At one point Forrest’s erection is compared to ‘the business end of a baseball bat’ 😵‍💫 and there is a line about ‘a welcome home sign’ when he firsts enters Margot 🫣 I think the author was trying to be funny but it fell a bit flat for me. Overall I think this a very binge-able if silly romance from a new author.

Margot Bradley is a very popular romance author who gets cancelled when her happily never after list gets leaked. She is also a caregiver for her sister and has stalled get own life to help take care of Savannah. Savannah hatches a plan to send Margot to Alaska to research a new book but really she has a secret plan. Margot meets Forrest in Alaska and obviously sparks fly. As any romance author knows, tropes are where it's at and Margot finds herself living many of the popular romance tropes while actively falling for Forrest. He also knows what it's like to be a caregiver for his father.

I loved this book. I like how the author leans into the curve in terms of romance tropes and calling them out instead of hiding behind them. I would say this book starts as more of a grumpy meets grumpy book rather than sunshine as both main characters are not thrilled with their situation in Alaska. I think the character development and the back stories were well done and revealed well. I found both main characters relatable. I will be recommending!

Rating: 3.75⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️
Release date: April 1
Tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed (tent), author x doctor

Synopsis:
A bestselling romance author who doesn’t believe in HEAs has her secret outed & proceeds to get canceled by her readers. Her sister ends up sending her to remote Alaska for six weeks so she can clear her head & start working on her next manuscript. While she’s there she meets Forrest, the son of the lodge owner who is also a doctor & is there to take care of his dad.

Thoughts:
This was cute! It managed to pack a bunch of different tropes into one book without feeling like it was too much or too predictable. The banter between Margot & Forrest was great, I just wish they had actually gotten together a little sooner in the book. It was somewhat of a slow burn which is my least favorite romance trope but there was still some nice tension building up to it.

This book is also a great debut novel & is very well written. There was some humor, along with some sad moments that make you feel for both main characters. I love that it’s dual POV so we get both of their perspectives. Overall, I think it would’ve been better if it was just slightly shorter but it was still enjoyable.

I’ll summarize the book in one word: MEH.

I’m a sucker for a story that’s about a writer that I had to wonder if my expectations were too high. I decided they were not but rather the story was simply a letdown.

It was unnecessarily repetitive, often times juvenile and rambling while rarely holding my attention. It’s not good when I have to keep going back to reread a page because my mind wandered. I just wanted it to be over.

The best thing about this book was the cover.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Victoria Lavine for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was very cute and meta, which was refreshing because it's a romance book about a woman who writes romance books but is a love cynic and ends up meeting the definition of a "book boyfriend". It was overall a quick read, and the characters were likeable. I loved that both main characters related on a caretaker level.

The main thing that led me to remove a star is that I felt my mind wandering more than it does when I read other books. I think that's due to feeling like both nothing and too much happening. Was there character growth? Not really, which isn't 100% necessary, but I was wanting more from both characters. I also go back and forth with appreciating the many (many) blatant tropes being pointed out and wishing it were maybe more subtle and less in my face?

That said, I found this book creative. I loved the spicy chemistry between Forrest and Margot. I overall liked the writing style and the humor. And I'm excited to post my review in hopes that others read this book when it's released.

This was so much fun, and will definitely be high on many romance readers lists! Here's a few of my favorite things about this book.
1. The setting. I loved the Alaskan adventures, snowy cabin and close knit community dinners.
2. The man. He gave lumberjack but also smart scientist who really knows his stuff out in the woods and in his profession.
3. The many tropes! So fun to see all the typical romantic tropes in play with each crazy challenge our leading girl had to do. I mean the only one tent...can't ask for anything better.
4. The emotional side. Our leading man and leading lady both have their struggles caring for loved ones, but they were able to connect about that over time. It was truly beautiful.
5. The side characters. Our extreme sports loving duo, the father and a moose named Bullwinkle? yeah that got me.

Now there were also some things I found predictable which is why I went the four star route, but overall a great read that any romcom lover will enjoy! Thanks for the early copy!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: Spice: 🌶️🌶️ /5
Theme: Enemies to lovers |  Forced proximity | “One bed” | Christmas | Wilderness / Alaskan setting | Dual POV
Genre: Romance | Women’s Fiction | Holiday / Christmas
Author: Victoria Lavine
Book Publication date: April 1, 2025
Page Count: 336 (Paperback)
Book Cover first thoughts: Love the cover, its cute

One Liner: Fun, cute story with many references to modern day trope favorites.
Story Review / Summary: I really enjoyed this novel! It would be what I consider your typical "cozy sweet romance” with a touch of spice so it isn’t boring. I enjoyed Margot and Forrest’s story. I the idea of a rom-com writer mentioning and talking about tropes and setting off to Alaska was super intriguing and unique.

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Thank you to #NetGalley and Atria Books @atriabooks for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of #Any Trope but You: A Novel
by Victoria Lavine @victorialavinewrites
All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is April 1, 2025.
This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads. Not eligible on Amazon yet.

I was really looking forward to this one but it ended up being a middle of the pack read for me. It was a really cute debut but I feel like there was a lot going on. I know that the title is "Any Trope but You" but the word and aspect of "trope" was thrown around a lot more than I was hoping for. I also feel like there were 25+ tropes and microtropes fit into the book which took away from the plot a little in my opinion. I think that it was a great concept but the execution wasn't all there

This book was cute! I really enjoyed Margot learning to adapt to Alaska. I loved her and Forrest starting to fall for each other. They both had dedication to their family that played a major impact in their lives. The ending was super sweet.

This was such a fun read and perfect to cozy up to during this winter weather! ❄️

It was a great enemies to lovers, one tent, add all the other tropes here kind of book! I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did but seeing the main characters Margot and Forrest be caregivers felt so relatable as I’ve seen my own immediate family be that giving. Seeing them lose a part of themselves (not unwillingly) and find each other was my favorite part.

I think the only thing I didn’t like was Margot assuming so much about the whole Charlotte situation without first asking Forrest but they’re both human that jumped to fight or flight in their situations. So easily forgivable.

The spice was pretty spicy, I give it a 3 🌶️ out of 5!

Some of my favorite moments: the meet cute, when she sprains her ankle, the one tent scene, their banter, their growth.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC an exchange of an honest review.

This was such a cute book! Everything in it had a purpose. I loved that Margot has a sister with an invisible disease, it's representation you don't see often in media. And that Forrest has a physically ailing relative as well, allowing them to feel a connection that you just can't have otherwise. I loved that Savannah wrote meaningful and purposeful letters, and gave Margot such a strong guide for her trip. Despite barely being in the same place at the same time on the page you can really see the sisterly bond between the two. And the romance! It all made sense, it all flowed, it was all so beautiful, and the characters handled it in a way that you expect them to. They're both rational adults who are thrust into an irrational situation (I mean seriously, a hot doctor, devoted son, and capable chef/firewood chopper/search and rescue all in one? Who could resist I mean honestly).
And I loved the premise as well. It makes sense that Margot feels the way that she does and she has a 'cancellation' for it. I love that she is 'exiled' to Alaska and forced to live without avocados for 6 weeks. It's very Schitt's Creek without being Schitt's Creek. I very much enjoyed this book and I'll be reading anything Victoria Lavine comes out with next!

This book is AMAZING!!! What a strong debut. This is so much more than a romance or rom-com. I love the depths of grief and the slow burn. All characters are likeable. I loved the ending too! Absolutely fabulous story!

This was so good!!! I loved the journey to finding yourself and balancing taking care of others and yourself that was shown in this story. I also loved the casual mention of the tropes happening. It felt very self aware and made me laugh of loud. I think this one is going to be so popular when it comes out!

This book exceeded all of my already high expectations!

The title and cover make it seem silly and lighthearted and let me tell you, it absolutely DELIVERS on that front. I laughed out loud too many times to count. I even laughed towards the end, which is harder to do when the tension and story are building to a peak. The banter and the narrative voices, particularly Margot's, were spectacularly well done!

The meta-ness of the tropes was too good. It made me smile and roll my eyes right alongside Margot. It didn't feel forced or campy or anything. It worked and provided additional levity to a story I wasn't expecting to pack such an emotional punch. There's a depth here around topics that aren't discussed nearly enough in fiction. They were handled beautifully and made me tear up.

Do yourself a favor and go read this ASAP!

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Thank you Atria and Victoria for the early copy of this book!!!
I was very intrigued by this book. A romance author who basically fell out of love with love but still had to come up with HEA’s for her readers??? But also has a secret folder for the way she wished she could have ended her books instead?? Yeah, sold immediately!
Margot does some growing throughout this book and I really loved seeing that. The letters that her sister Savannah sent to her for her to read weekly was one of my favorite things about this book. You can just feel the sisterly bond between them and I just loved that so much.
I loved just about everything about the MMC, Forrest!!
I was not the biggest fan of the “third act breakup” happening so late in the book 😭 I feel like the ending was a little rushed and I wish we would have gotten to see them together for just a little longer.

Crazy that this book was a debut!! I can’t wait to see what books you write in the further Victoria!

Oh, totally adorable! It’s wild to think this is the author’s debut. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

So, here’s the scoop: a bestselling romance author, who’s actually a total cynic, gets canceled pretty quickly. To dodge the drama and finish her next book, her sister sends her off to a retreat in the Alaskan wilderness. And of course, she ends up meeting a guy there!

The title says it all—it’s packed with those classic romance tropes, but they’re done so well! It’s like a fun little nod to the whole genre. Plus, I really appreciated how thoughtfully it handled the whole caregiving thing for a sick family member. Super relatable!

I was kindly provided with the ARC of this book by the NetGalley and the editors in exchange of an honest review, thank you!✨

4.5⭐️

Oh god!! I don’t know why I just wait so long to read this book!! 😭❤️‍🩹 this book just became in one of my favorites of all times and not only because the Taylor swift references or all the tropes and the amazing main characters (Forrest?! Oh my god I just love you so much!!!) but because the back story of Margot with Savannah and Forrest with his parents…. I was SOBBING, by the final chapters of the book because it was a roller coaster of emotions and I felt so familiar with Margot’s story with love and HEA that it was pure magic reeding how she finally got hers with Forrest 😭❤️‍🩹

Thank you so much to Atria Books, NetGalley and Victoria Levine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a delightful story! I truly loved how these two characters had similar stories in their life that they needed to figure out how to navigate in order to move their lives forward.

We first have Margot, the romance author who doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters, end up having her truths shared against her will. Her sister then books her on a trip to a backwoods excursion camp to write her next story, outside of the romance genre. Here she meets Forrest, who ends up being every romance book trope come to life. Even so, he has his own demons to face in order to discover what he should do.

Overall, watching these two try to deny their chemistry was fun, and the provide the perfect way to show to learn to expect your happily ever after again!

I binged this in a day, as I couldn’t put it down!

I can't believe this is a debut novel - I was so impressed! This book made me laugh out loud to such an extent that I was afraid I might wake my husband up - and that is a very rare occurrence! Margot Bradley is a majorly successful romance author whose career takes a major hit when someone hacks into her computer and finds her "Happy Never After" file, in which she writes not at all happy endings for her best-selling books. Her fans turn on her, her publisher turns on her, and she decides she wants to reinvent herself as a murder mystery author to save her career and continue to care for her sister, who is chronically ill. She lets her sister talk her into a trip to from LA to Alaska (the setting for her planned mystery novel) under false pretenses, and she ends up in a very remote wilderness retreat with no wifi but a super hot doctor who has moved back home to care for his father, who suffered a major accident. Despite starting off as enemies, Margot and Forrest somehow end up living romance trope after romance trope... including enemies to lovers. This felt like a clever approach to romance plotting to me, and I found both Margot and Forrest to be smart, funny, and relatable. I look forward to more from Victoria Lavine! Content warnings for parental loss (before the start of the story) and medical emergencies.