This was a gooooood one. So cute with all the romance tropes I love! Enemies to lovers, only one bed (tent), forced proximity, grumpyxgrumpy. I love how the FMC is an author and literally laughs at all the romance tropes she encounters with Forrest. Like of courseeeee he’s a handsome doctor. Of course he takes care of his father with a disability. Of courseeeee he also knows how to make exquisite meals, and can also lead expedition trails in the depths of Alaska. Is this guy even REAL?

I love how caring and dedicated Forrest is to his father and also his work. I love his back story with his mother’s illness and his reasoning behind his research. How he’s also so smart in literally every way. When he wants to research more of Margot’s work and story he literally thinks to himself “is the pursuit of this knowledge ethical?”. Love a self-aware man. I love that he gets her avocados, and books a spa day, and makes her food, and how could you forget saving her from almost hypothermia the only way a romance book would ever do it(skin to skin contact of course, in a shared sleeping bag in a SHARED tent).
However, the sauna scene?? Anyone else grossed out by how much sweat would be involved there. I mean maybe also wonderful lubricant. But like that’s a lot of sweat.
Margot and Forrest both have such a similar world view and outlook for their own lives. They both devoted everything they had to help out the ones they love. I love how close Margot was with her sister Savannah. I love how Savannah essentially boots her off to Alaska to help her try and change her career path. Savannah’s letters were so sweet. I was GUTTED when Margot got the last letter. I GASPED and cried for her. So much happened in that short amount of time. The ending of the book flew by I almost wish it was a bit longer. I wanted more!! But also, how very Bridget Jones of them to have a big romantic gesture with one of them in their underwear.

✨“Not when she's the source of all my joy and all my negligence.” ✨Oufffff that one stung. The third act breakup we saw coming, and I was not okay with. Literally had me messaging my book club contemplating is anything worth reading ever again if they may not get their HEA?!?!?!? I wanted everything for them. And love them both so much.

✨ “You launched yourself at me the first time we met, and it was like the whole fucking sun fell right into my arms.”✨

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review ❤️

5⭐️3🌶️

Any Trope but You is a super cute, funny, spicy read. There were several times I was laughing out loud at this book. I didn't want it to end. I adored ask of the characters!

*Stefon voice* SPICY! I admit I was a little skeptical of this and slightly regretted requesting an ARC for a quick second, but I was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was SO fun, with a ton of warmth and heart, and I’m glad I read it.

An LA romance author finds herself in the wilds of Alaska at a lodge living out every possible romcom trope with a cute lumberjack, despite her best efforts to avoid it all and escape the romance scene entirely (hence the wilds of Alaska). I wish I could share some quotes I highlighted but can’t until the book is published—out April 1 so you don’t have long to wait!

Things I loved: the sense of place and family, the loving sister relationship, the portrayal of disabilities—especially invisible disabilities (it wasn’t a book about disabilities, just had characters with them who were treated as actual people, imagine that.)

This was a fun (and again, spicy) little escape, perfect for the tail end of winter. Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one was just not a hit for me! I enjoyed the sister relationship between Savannah and Margot, but I just couldn't connect to Margot as a character and felt like Forrest was pretty generic. :( I generally struggle when current events / social media is discussed a lot within a book and unfortunately this book mentioned Taylor Swift/The Eras Tour, bookstagram and booktok, various social media platforms and I just couldn't get past it. Overall, the writing style was good and I would for sure give another one of this author's books a try, as this is just her debut novel!

This story is one of the best I’ve read in a while! Margot, our main female character, is a romance author who’s reached her breaking point with the typical happily-ever-afters, especially since her own life has never followed that script. It's fascinating to watch her hit rock bottom in her career after being canceled, all because she struggled to believe in the very thing she was meant to champion.

Margot is a hilarious and kind-hearted character, and as we journey through her ups and downs, you can't help but start to understand her motivations and the complexities of her situation. Then there's Forrest, the quintessential modern male lead who embodies all the best traits we love in romance heroes. While some might find him almost too perfect or lacking depth, I appreciated his flawlessness—though it wouldn’t have hurt the story to see him face a challenge of his own.

Together, Margot and Forrest make an incredible pair. They share a unique understanding of each other's needs, which helps Margot grow and gain the confidence to believe that love and happiness are within reach. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a delightful romantic tale that redefines what a happily ever after can truly mean!

This was a swoony, heartwarming contemporary romance with humor and some *spice.* This book had me hoping for a HEA (happily ever after) even though the FMC doesn’t believe in them! There were as many tropes as you can imagine packed in, which could have easily made it extremely corny, but this author pulled it off!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This is just a fun read with a lot of humor and heart. It follows Margot (did anyone else have 'I don't know, MARGOT!' stuck in their head while reading this), a disgraced romance writer who's secret stash of happily never afters was leaked to her readers. Sent by her sister to a remote Alaska "resort" she meets the platonic ideal of a romance novel MMC, Forrest. She's forced into a series of perfect romance trope experiences that challenge her views on love and romance writing.

This is, most certainly, a love letter to romance readers and the genre itself. Margot's self awareness as she repeatedly pushed into situations with Forrest mimic what I'm sure most of her readers would think if they were in the same situation.

There's a depth to the story, as well, with both the FMC and MMC dealing with the grief of lost parents and lost loves.

This is an excellent debut and I can't wait to read more of what Lavine writes!

* Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

Any Trope But You is billed as "A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot," and the rugged proprietor is all the archetypes and MMC tropes she could ever want all rolled up into one.

My loves:
-It’s Dual POV. ‘Nough said.
-That meet-cute. #Moose #Bullwinkle
-“Only one tent” is the new microtrope I didn’t know I needed. Bonus points for it being under extreme weather conditions.
-Loved the flirtation and banter between Margot and Forrest (chef's kiss, five stars, would definitely recommend)
-Appreciated the chronic illness caretaker rep and the guilt that results for BOTH MCs when they have to decide between their blossoming love and their existing commitments to those they love
-Really liked all the opportunities for the MCs to meet up; they felt both fun and as realistic as one can expect from a romance novel--by which I mean this genre is always trying to contrive situations to bring MCs together (only one bed, anyone?)

My gripes:
-The constant references to romance tropes: “Oh this the X trope happening right now” or “I would NEVER fall for the man who meets this trope”.
-Same with the Taylor Swift references. Listen I’m a Swiftie too, but the references felt out of place.
-The story was very insta-lovey, and ::sigh::, that’s not my favorite trope. Don't tell me you love someone after 3 weeks--even a very intense 3 weeks. I just can't suspend my disbelief.
-I didn’t believe her fanbase would cancel her for her Happily Never After document. I mean, come on, let the lady have her outlet to vent, people.
-The end wraps up SO QUICKLY. Why??? Give us morrrrre.

Mixed bag:
-The letters from her sister, Savannah. Sometimes, I loved them because they added heart to the story and were an opportunity to flesh out Margot’s back story, BUT it also tore me from the narrative every time we cut to the letters.

Overall, I really liked Margot and Forrest as character: their personalities, their arcs, and especially their struggles, which is one of the key reasons I believed that they understood each other.

Any Trope But You releases April 1, 2025, and I would highly recommend it to readers who love romance and humor.

I received this early thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books. I'm a sucker for a grumpy MMC and Forrest was exactly it. It's got the perfect amount of spice and tension while watching their story unfold in an enemies to lovers. It's also a love letter to readers who love tropes. This might be one of my favorite romance reads of the year. I cannot believe this is a debut novel, and I am truly excited to see more from this author.

This book was absolutely amazing! Loved it! I love reading books that mostly take place in Alaska and this is no exception. This book was funny and relatable. I also loved the caretaker aspect to this book and feel as though there are so many people out there who when they read this book would find it relatable.

Probably one of my new favorite romance books.

🥰
I will definitely be reading more of this authors books.

This one was so fun! I loved how Margot kept finding herself in so many situations with Forrest that mirrored tropes that she used as a romance writer. Some of the moments were over the top ridiculous or cheesy, but it added to the story in the best way so I wouldn’t have changed a thing! I loved these two together.

While it was fun, there were definitely some emotional moments that led to some hard decisions by each character. What I loved was how understanding they were of each other even through the difficult timing of their relationship. The emotional depth of these characters made them not only even more lovable, but relatable as well.

The way it all came together at the end makes this a must read. It was wrapped up so perfectly!

Thank you Victoria, NetGalley, and Atria for the ARC! Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Margot Bradley has escaped to Alaska, as she tries to recover what’s left of reputation as an author. While she normally writes romance, she’s trying her hand at a murder mystery set in the Alaskan wilderness. Six weeks away from LA seems to be the right idea to ‘reset’ but when she starts to fall for the handsome owner, she finds herself inside her very own romance filled with every trope imaginable.

Something about an Alaskan setting, just sucks me in, every time. I have no reason to believe I could survive with limited outside contact for six weeks in the Alaskan wilderness, but it is one of those things I’m certain I could do. Or at least tell myself that, considering we rely on doordash too much.

Everything about the setting is perfection when it comes to this cold weather romance, and I just loved it. With plenty of romance tropes, even in the title, I loved how Margot constantly was calling them out. Forrest is a dream – smart, sweet, built – he’s everything I want in a book boyfriend. The only thing I wanted more from was a better/deeper resolution to the whole ‘someone hacked into her computer and shared her own private diary debacle. It started the story off with a bang, but then felt almost like a side plot and I would have liked it to be more prominent. But that’s just my own preference.

Otherwise, this is such a cute and fun read. Highly Recommend!

Any Trope but You comes out April 1, 2025. Huge thank you to Atria for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my:
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Website: SPEAKINGOF.ORG

I thought Any Troupe But You was a really fun read! I loved how it had SO many troupes crammed into it. You’d think that it would be too much and wouldn’t work, but it totally did. It was hilarious, creative, and thoughtful. I thought Margot’s relationship with her sister Savannah was relatable and written really well. Forrest was the perfect male main character and checked all the boxes. I loved this debut novel and would gladly read anything else by Victoria Lavine again.

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

This is truly every romance-reader's dream book!

Some of my favorite things:
1. The side characters. I honestly wish we had more of them! They were so fun and painted such a great picture of a cozy little Alaska refuge.
2. All of the tropes! The FMC calling out each trope made me giggle every time. And all of them seemed to fit so well. Each trope worked well for the FMC and MMC, and were fully flushed out. Sometimes it can feel like a romance trope is there just to say it's there, but the enemies-to-lovers made sense, the "snowed in" trope fit well, and even turning the grump into a cinnamon roll. There are so many more I could mention but just know, every single one fits right into place.
3. The family relationships. As someone who has a very close family member with autoimmune disorders, this hit really close to home for me. Both Forrest and Margot have people in their family they would drop anything to help their family members but lose themselves along the way.

I can't believe that this is a debut novel! But I can't wait to see what else this author comes out with!

Cute, but not as light and fluffy as the description promised.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) for the advanced electronic copy!

Forrest is here for you if you are looking for another book boyfriend! Margot is a refreshing and relatable heroine. She's not looking for love in Alaska but her interactions with Forrest are straight from the pages of her favorite romance books. She's had a string of disappointing men in her life and is jaded by love. Forrest and really her sister play the long game to reaffirm her belief in love. It's a cute and charming story exactly what I look for in a romance. I will point out that a romance about romance books seems to be a bit trendy lately.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC!

No one knows the romantic comedy tropes like Margot - after all, she is a bestselling romance writer. But when her audience finds out that Margot has some not so happily ever afters planned for her literary heroes, she heads to Alaska to start over as a writer of murder mysteries - only to meet the romantic hero of her dreams.

Because it's been written and primarily enjoyed by women, romance has often been mocked as a collection of tropes. I really appreciated that even when we meet the burned out Margot, she doesn't regret or look down upon her work as a romance writer. She is proud of it, she just isn't sure that romantic love lasts or is for her. It was also great to see Lavine's portrayal of Margot's relationship with her sister. It's a complex relationship. Margot has been caring for Savannah since they were children, including through flare ups of an autoimmune disease, and Savannah is Margot's biggest fan. The two sisters have their issues, but really do want each other to be happy and really do appreciate her.

I thought it was a good choice for Lavine to have Margot's love interest, Forrest, have his own POV chapters from very early in the book - as the man who Margot describes as her romantic hero come to life, it would have been really easy for him to be a bit more of a cardboard figure, and allowing him to have his own struggles, perspectives and insecurities fleshes him out a lot more.

The book really touches on the idea of why do people who are not necessarily in fulfilling relationships love romance novels, but right now, it feels like a broader questions. As someone with a happy marriage and family life who works in a difficult field, I often enjoy romance novels as an escape from the world we're in, as much as idealised relationship. I'm excited that books are asking these questions, in a way that feels ever more relevant as the world burns down around us.

I'd recommend this book for fans of Katherine Center or Emily Henry.

Spectacular debut, indeed! Give this one all the stars!! Hilarious banter, emotional depth, and a steamy rollick of fun. This is officially my 2025 romcom to beat.

Margot is a best selling romance author with a dirty little secret... After a personal heartbreak, she no longer truly believes in love, and she keeps a folder on her computer where she writes alternate happily NEVER after endings for her beloved books. During a live fan chat, an anonymous fan hacks into her computer and shares her HNA file to the world, thereby sending Margot's career into cancel culture. Dropped from her publisher, her sister convinces her to still go on her intended research trip to Alaska for 6 weeks... and purposely neglects to inform her that she's booked her on a very out of her comfort zone type of stay.

Imagine Margot's surprise when she arrives to discover this... And that the guy of her literal literary dreams combined runs the lodge. But she's not interested in romance. Definitely not. Nope...

Both Margot and Forrest are caretakers to members of their family and carry a lot of burden on themselves to put their own wants in life on hold for the sake of their loved ones. They've also had their own past traumas in the love department which has made them both a bit gun shy. Watching them fight their feelings for each other while knowing how perfectly they fit together was riveting and heartwarming.

I absolutely loved the way Victoria crafted this story to include and call out so many common romance tropes in a humorous yet utterly fulfilling way! I can't wait to see what she writes next!

A romance author gets cancelled so her sister sends her on a trip to Alaska where she is inevitably surrounded by all the romance tropes. I personally love when a romance book is aware of all the tropes, acknowledges them, and plays into them.

This is such a sweet and VERY SPICY (seriously, some of the best sex scenes I have read in a while) novel that also touches on being a caretaker for someone with a chronic illness and sisters being best friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great! I loved the main characters and the journey they went on. I enjoyed that some of the tropes were referenced throughout since the FMC is a writer. I will definitely be reading this again and again and again. I will also be on the lookout for more books from this author because I loved their writing and storytelling!