✨Review - Any Trope But You by @victorialavinewrites

This was such a fun take on the romcom genre. Margot is a romance writer who doesn’t believe in happily ever afters (gasp!) and after a hacker discovers her secret “Happily Never After” file and posts it for all her readers to see, she flees to remote Alaska to reinvent herself my writing a murder mystery.

Upon arrival, however, she meets Forrest, and finds herself living out every romance trope in the book, all while fighting the connection she feels.

Due to the nature of the plot, this one runs the gamut of romcom tropes:

💕 Enemies to lovers
💕 Forced proximity
💕 Damsel in distress
💕 One bed . . . I mean, tent
💕 Swoon-worthy, near-perfect book boyfriend
💕 And I feel like Alaska should be a trope all its own

This book is a phenomenal debut. Fast-paced, creative, nuanced, and immersive - I couldn’t put it down. Oh, and dual POV. 👌

And the way it incorporated mature themes like the weight of being a full-time caretaker for a sick or disabled family member was so well done.

If you’re a romcom fan, this one should definitely be on your radar. It released April 1 (no joke!)

A huge thanks to @simonschusterca @atriabooks and @netgalley for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

*A couple open door scenes.

⁉️What is your favourite romance trope?

This is a fun RomCom. I loved the Alaska setting and the outdoorsy parts of it! It's also fun how so many different book tropes were included in the story throughout! I liked the characters and the supporting characters too and this was a book I wanted to read quickly, but also wanted it to last longer. There is so much humor I enjoyed, but also lots of heart (and a bit of steam!). I highly recommend it!

Una historia donde los protagonistas tienen que aprender que no todo lo tienen que resolver ellos mismos y sentirse responsables de todo lo que los rodea (Con lo cual me identifico mucho!)
Me gustó que la protagonista comparara todo lo que le sucedía con tropes románticos, pero llegó un momento donde me desesperó un poco ya que no seguía las reglas del campamento o el como encender una chimenea, entiendo que eso llevaba a que los protagonistas convivieran y se fueran conociendo, pero fue algo predecible.
La constante comparación de casi todo lo que hacia Forrest con su ex Adam y al mismo tiempo deseando que Forrest le pidiera que se quedara o cosas así que no son muy congruentes.
En general es un libro ligero que recomiendo para intercalar con lecturas un poco pesadas.

An absolutely enchanting book. The story keeps you hooked from beginning to end and you feel connected to the universe in a unique way. Thank you for letting me read this work of art.

a true love letter to romance novels!! I just love reading romance and I love how much this embraced the genre! This is a fun romance and I adore characters who are authors themselves.

A bit too repetitive and had some issues with the pace and tone in parts, but overall really enjoyed!

Any Trope But You

"Is this another trope? If so, I'm ok with it."

Oh my goodness this book was EXCELLENT! The banter was absolutely top notch. I'm still laughing about it. This was a FABULOUS, adorable, hilarious and spicy debut romcom.

Margot is a well-known romance author who has been cancelled by her readers and dropped by her publicist after she is outed for not believing in Happily Ever Afters. Looking to unplug from the drama, her sister sends her on a six week retreat off the grid in Alaska where she meets Forrest, a walking embodiment of all the best romance tropes. Margot does NOT believe in love and Forrest does NOT get involved with guests, but no one can resist the power of romance tropes. Laugh out loud adventures ensue as the tropes abound.

Come for the banter and the tropes, stay for the personal growth and the chemistry. There are some heavier themes as both Margo and Forrest are caregivers for family members but interwoven with the fun so the book still feels whimsical and heartwarming.

HIGHLY recommend this adorable romcom for:
- Tropes GALORE
- Forced proximity
- Only one tent
- Caregiving (for each other as well as their loved ones)
- Cinnamon role hero
- Romance author who doesn't believe in love
- Alaska winter setting
- Excellent banter

Thank you to Atria for this ARC! My opinions are my own. Any Trope But You is on shelves April 1, 2025!

A grumpy-meets-sunshine (with a twist) rom-com featuring themes of self-discovery, grief, and caregiving. Perfect for fans of Happiness for Beginners, this story delivers witty banter, emotionally developed characters, and a letter-writing element, and adventures, along with a beautiful representation of different kinds of love.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the early chance to read “Any Trope But You.”

I really enjoyed this debut romance from Victoria Lavine. Margot and Forrest were interesting characters and their progression from enemies to fiends to lovers, while encountering just about all of the normal romance tropes (snowed in, just one bed, etc.) was fun to read. The Alaska setting sounded cold but beautiful and added a layer of depth to the story. I recommend this to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and who are looking for a fun romance with some emotional depth. 4 stars.

Review of Netgalley copy (Hoping the book’s final edition is better edited.)

If you’re looking for a Cheesy, smutty book with all the tropes that a romcom could have to offer, this book is for you.
What I liked-
-The meet cute
-the adventurous aspect
-the relationships were described beautifully (between Margot and her sister; Forrest and his dad)
-the smut (yes, it’s smoky!)
-Bullwinkle! Wish we had more of him.

What I disliked-
-The book’s tone: This was inconsistent, shifting abruptly from playful to serious, making the transitions increasingly difficult to follow.
- Repetition: The narrative became repetitive, with to its constant mention of Happily Ever Afters and romance tropes.

Several bookstagrammers I follow were loving this book, so I was inspired to request an ARC and see what the hype was all about. I am so glad that I did! I am a huge fan of both swoony moments and open door scenes, and Victoria Lavine absolutely perfected the balance between sweet and spicy (that sauna scene  🥵🔥). 

Margot Bradley got cancelled by the romance reader community after her secret "Happily Never After" list was leaked. She believes that the only way she can continue supporting herself and her chronically ill sister is by making a genre shift. When her sister books her a six week stay at a remote Alaska inn, she thinks it will provide the perfect backdrop to inspire her murder mystery novel. When she finds herself leaping into the arms of a gorgeous lumberjack mere minutes after arriving at the inn, she cannot help but wonder if she will ever be able to shake the romance genre...

As the title and summary hint, romance tropes are sprinkled throughout the novel. There were some tropes that absolutely were critical to the storyline (I'm looking at you, only one sleeping bag), but there were times that it seemed as though the cap of the sprinkle jar fell off and every single trope was worked into the book, even if it did not advance the plot. 

Tropes aside, this book is a solid 4 star read for me. I really appreciated Margot's journey throughout the book. Like many women, she has put off caring for herself in order to care for those around her. It was a joy to watch her heal from heartbreak and find her inner strength. The romance is authentic and relatable, and I found myself wanting to book a trip to Alaska after reading. 

Read this book if you love:  
🌲 Self-discovery  
🥾 Found family  
🌲Only one sleeping bag   
🥾 Adorable nicknames
🌲 Forced proximity   
🥾 Wilderness / Alaskan setting  
🌲 Dual POV

TW: Both characters care for chronically ill family members. Additionally, there is moderate mention of the death of a parent from cancer.  

I will post a review of this book on my bookstagram account @thecozybookgal closer to release date!

This book felt like a gift for romance lovers like me! It was as if the author was writing a love letter to all of us who live to read about love and happily ever after.

When famous romance author Margot B finds herself canceled when her fans find out she doesn't believe in love or happily ever after, she decides to try and salvage her career by penning a murder mystery. Her sister books her a 6 week trip to Alaska so she can work at a remote lodge. Of course, as soon as she gets there, she runs into Forrest, the tall, sexy proprietor. From their adorable meet-cute, to forced proximity, he takes care of her, snowed in and more, she finds herself experiencing all the tropes she writes in her novels. But luckily she's jaded enough to recognize them and refuses to develop any real feelings for Forrest. At least, that's what she tries to convince herself.

This was the kind of book that makes me so happy to be a romance reader. The banter and wit were written so well, Forrest and Margot had so much chemistry, and I found myself smiling and laughing through the whole book. There were definitely some emotional moments, as both Margot and Forrest dealt with tough family issues, but the author managed to add them in without making it feel overly sad. I definitely recommend this to any reader who loves a cute, spicy, swoony, rom-com that's full of heart!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the e-arc of this book.

This was an excellent romance- the themes ran a little deeper than your ordinary romance book, a trend that I am really enjoying. The characters are likable and realistic, I'm looking forward to more books by this author.

If you are looking for a trope filled read that is real and HONEST, this is the read for you. Throughout life we always talk about falling in love and out of love but never about falling out of love with the idea of love. I really enjoyed this read and the truth behind how it can be dating and falling in love in the world today.

I would rate the spice about a 3.5 out of 5 so if you aren't into open door romance scenes, I would suggest finding a review that will help you make the right modifications.

Just like some romance books, there are some cringe worthy moments so brace yourself! Thank you Atria books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book early!

This book was full of tropes (as expected and advertised) and I know it was supposed to be cheesy but it was a bit much at times. I felt the ending was also very unrealistic. The other thing that bothered me was that all the Taylor Swift references got annoying. Let's create characters who are more than just Taylor Swift fans as their personalities. I found it hard to connect with the main character Margot especially, she has such an attitude and I wanted to see more personal growth from her being stuck in Alaska but she was still the same wifi and avocado obsessed LA girl. I will say, my favorite character was Margot's sister Savannah, I adored her and found her the most entertaining character in the book.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this is a fun read! I highly recommend if you want a light hearted fun read. This is amazing to read and annotate to find great quotes!!!!

I’ve heard so many good things about this book. When I was approved for the arc yesterday, I was absolutely thrilled and I cuddled up on the lounge—ready to dive in. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the prose in this book, I struggled connecting to the MC. DNF’d at 25%

Any Trope but You has been on my radar for a long while now, and I'm glad I got to review it!
I absolutely loved it, it was refreshing and had a little bit of everything - funny instants, deadpan humor, heartfelt moments, and characters that you'll root for. This story has so many layers to it, with such strong relationships between the characters that it tugs on the heartstrings and feels poignant and wholesome.
I loved both Margot and Forrest (and all the secondary characters who play crucial roles), and the fun play on tropes in their story. I feel like there was kind of a full-circle moment to their HEA, and it seemed like a significant moment for Margot especially.
The story flew beautifully, and the writing was top-notch - beyond my expectations for a debut!
This book deserves no less than a 5 star from me, and I look forward to reading more from Victoria Lavine.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for providing me with this #gifted digital copy!

This book has such a fun premise! A jaded romance author, Margot, keeps a secret file of her “Happily Never Afters” where she gives all of the HEAs in her books non-happy endings. But when this is revealed to the world and the romance community turns against her, Margot’s sister books her a trip to remote Alaska to write and reinvent herself.

What a great debut! 🙌🏻 Victoria Lavine has hilariously sarcastic writing, and the way she intentionally mocks yet appreciates romance tropes throughout is so well woven. The entire time she’s falling in love, our FMC can’t believe she’s experiencing so many obvious tropes she writes and doesn’t really believe in. I found this such an endearing storyline and laughed out loud several times!

This is a cute, charming, and honestly pretty spicy romcom that people are going to love. I’m a sucker for a good Alaskan setting in books, and I thought the MMC Forrest was pretty dreamy. The connection between the two main characters was well-formed due to their shared circumstances of being caretakers for their loved ones. I did not love the third act breakup, but saw it coming and do understand why it was added in there.

This is definitely one to pick up!

this will contain spoilers.

This book was a lot of fun. I like when characters go through hard things that are very relatable, showing that they can grow and change. That gives me hope that I can get through the hard things within my own life. I had to laugh every time Margot was exasperated by a new trope showing up, like one tent, or abs of steel, or doctor with a worthy cause. by the end, it got to a point of trying to make impossible decisions and whether or not they could put themselves into a position to be as happy as could be. We all have to make those choices sometimes.

But this was definitely a fun book and I laughed multiple times.

I plan to share this title on my instagram on Monday, March 31st at www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

Any Trope But You
By Victoria Lavine

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com
Format: 📖
Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Mood: Fun, quirky, spicy, escape
Yes, No, Maybe: Maybe
Publication Date: 4/1/25

A romance author is outed for not believing in “Happily Ever After”. She escapes to a remote, rustic lodge in Alaska to recalibrate her writing career and possibly re-examine her thoughts on love.

I went into this book with no expectations. I was looking for a fun, palette cleansing escape after reading some darker books recently and this certainly delivered. Victoria Lavine is clearly a lover of the romance genre and I think did a good job being playful with the tropes, but not having it come across cheesy or cringe. It had some humor, spice, wit, and complicated characters that displayed some growth throughout the story.

It took me a little time to get used to the writing style. I found it a bit heavy handed with the similes and metaphors, particularly the first 20% of the book. To me it made it more distracting, confusing, and took away from getting to know the characters and the setting. As the story progressed I either got used to them or the frequency decreased making it flow more smoothly for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this debut novel from Victoria Lavine. I got some sad personal news when I first started reading this book and it served as the perfect distraction and escape, I needed. I loved the Alaska backdrop, the outdoor adventures, the fun supporting cast of characters, the humor, and the swoon-worthy, cinnamon roll male main character.

📖Read this book if you like:
❤️ Classic romance tropes
😏 Playful banter
☀️ Grumpy sunshine MMC
📈 Personal growth in lead characters
🏕️ Outdoor adventure
🫎 Fun supporting characters
🔥 Slow burn and spice!

🙏 Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, & Victoria Lavine for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Any Trope But You publishes 4/1/25. 💖


⚠️ Trigger Warnings: parent divorce, absent father, breast cancer, loss of parent (past), climbing accident resulting in significant physical injury (past)