Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing debut novel from author, Victoria Lavine! I absolutely loved reading Any Trope But You.

Margot is a 31 year old, bestselling romance author who has lost her belief in Happily Ever Afters. After a secret document she wrote full of Happily NEVER Afters is leaked to her adoring fans, she is promptly cancelled by the romance reading community and dropped by her publisher. Her sister, Savannah, books her into a 6 week retreat in the Alaskan wilderness - the kind with hikes, camping, and no WiFi, basically a California girl’s nightmare, to reinvent herself and draft a new manuscript.

While staying at the North Star Lodge, Margot butts heads with the grumpy son of the proprietor, who is aptly named Forrest. He also happens to be a doctor who left California to care for his father after he had a bad accident leaving him in need of full time care.

Told in dual POV, Margot and Forrest clash and fight with on another while also learning more about each other and growing closer. All while ticking off nearly every romance trope around! Could Forrest be the one to mend Margot’s jaded heart?

The plot is well paced and the story moves along nicely. The setting is the gorgeous and lush Alaskan landscape that had me, a total indoor cat, thinking about going for a hike.

Forrest and Margot have major chemistry on the page and I was rooting for them each to get their HEA.

Victoria Lavine is an author to watch!

This book was amazing and I really enjoyed the banter between the both characters. I loved their interactions and how good the story flowed.

Margot is a romance writer whose fans have turned against her when they find out she secretly writes unhappy endings for her characters. Feeling the heat, she escapes to Alaska for some peace and quiet as she attempts to write something non-romancey. While there, she meets Forrest and begins to question her stance on love after all.

While the premise is a bit silly, Any Trope But You is a fun story with lots of witty back and forth, great vibes between FMC and MMC, some heft to the story when it comes to each MC's personal responsibilities and a lot of fun characters to engage with. This was the perfect read when the days are feeling extra long.

I'm not usually super into meta books, but Margot and Forrest's story had me in the feels. Any book that has me laughing throughout is a win for me!

Plot: 5/5
Vibes: unimaginable, off the charts

You know, I don’t normally tear up at romance books, but damn Margot & Forrest got me GOOD. TWICE.

This was a beautifully written meta novel and, as the title states, was full of romance tropes. I saw a lot of them coming, was still surprised when they happened, and Ate. Them. Up.!!!!


Margot & Forrest are two types of stubborn caretakers that go against each other, but when they end up working, it’s a gorgeous thing to read. I am grateful to have my own Happily Ever After, but I also understand Margot’s need for a Happily Never After file too.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC💗

3.5⭐️
Our leading lady is a jaded (for good reason) romance author who's reading audience turns on her when they find out she has secretly (and privately) written "happily never afters" for each of her romance novel couples. This is where I had to gloss over the ridiculousness that an entire fan base would cancel an author because she didn't love love.

That aside... Margot escapes to Alaska for 6 weeks to write a mystery novel instead to keep her career alive.

It's here she meets Forrest, who might have the potential to change her opinion on if a happily ever after might be possible.

There were a few laugh out loud funny parts and a couple of steamy scenes, but there was also some heavy stuff with each of our MCs being primary caretakers for a relative.

*please note that I did receive this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Loved this book! Did my secondhand embarrassment struggle a bit with the beginning of this book? Yes, yes it did, but at least I knew going into it that we were going to see our FMC's fall from grace and so I could be a bit prepared. I enjoyed Margot's journey in Alaska, discovering more about herself and of course, getting to know Forrest. The banter between Forrest and Margot was a lot of fun and I love a dual POV romance. Both characters had their own problems to work through, while trying to figure out how to let the other in.
The story was completed with a colorful cast of side characters that helped round out the story and Margot's sister, Savannah, was absolutely adorable. There were a few things here and there that I felt like should have been addressed or perhaps wrapped up a bit tighter, but overall I'd rate this a 4.5, rounding up to a 5.
Overall, I feel like this book was a love letter to romance fans - their loyalty, the fact that they carry the book world, their excitement, etc.

I adored this book! The characters were wonderful, the story was creative, the concept was very well done! Perfect for romance readers and will definitely be a book that I will be recommending to everyone this year! LOVED it!

Wow did I end up loving this 100x more than I thought I would! I usually don’t like the “book about a writer writing a book” but this one had me. I love Alaska and having that in here was great and feeling that the characters really struggled and made it through those struggles. I can say I cried the whole last 15% but it was so worth it. She writes HEA but was she going to get her own? I was hooked, love the build up and the ending, the beginning was not my fav!

Romance author Margot Bradley finds herself in hot water after her “Happily Never After” list is revealed to her fans. Facing an uncertain career, Margot is sent to Alaska by her sister Savannah, tasked with finding inspiration for her next book. But when Margot arrives, she is met with Forrest, the embodiment of all her romantic dreams. And her world is turned upside down by Forrest’s attentions, because Margot doesn’t believe in romance anymore… doesn’t she?

I think the idea of this book was very fun and creative, what with all the romantic tropes coming to life in Margot’s story. Ultimately, though, it all fell a little flat for me. Instead of it all being romantic, it felt a little cringey. I liked both Margot and Forrest as characters, but I don’t think they made the best couple. They were often fighting, which wasn’t enjoyable to read. A lot of their interactions seemed based on lust. (There are lots of spicey chapters, so be prepared.) The only thing they connected over was their experience in being caregivers for their disabled family members. For me, this was the best part of the book, as their love for their family members was so beautiful and strong. There were good messages for caretakers in this book.

Overall, I don’t think this was for me. But thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Any Trope But You was funny, emotional, and heart string pulling all in one. There was a good balance of humor and heart to draw you in and make you invested in the characters and their situations. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading and the banter between the main characters was great. One thing I was not a fan of were the very descriptive intimate scenes. They were uncomfortable, not for me, and are what made me want to rate it lower. I felt they were too long and took away from how cute the story was. Overall, outdoor adventures, self discovery, and all the traditional romance tropes were at the center of the book and it was a good debut novel! Thank you Victoria Lavine, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Any Trope But You follows FMC and author, Margot as she escapes her normal life after an embarrassing leak of “Happily Never After” alternate endings. She arrives at her lodge in Alaska only to meet Forrest who kicks off a love story of all your favorite romance tropes in one place. Despite the cold Alaskan setting, this book was cozy and kept me laughing throughout.

Readers who love outdoor adventure, self discovery, and traditional romance tropes will enjoy this book.

Any Trope But You was a cute and enjoyable read. The story centers around a burned out romance writer going on a forced vacation in an attempt to savage her career once it is outed that she doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. Her plan is to pivot to mystery writing, but the universe has other plans when she continuously encounters every romantic trope.

In other hands the use of so many tropes could have come across as excessive, by Lavine does it right. They blend seamlessly into the story and the character has a self awareness of the ridiculousness of it all happening in real life. This creates a comical atmosphere and a very sweet story. The book was a fast read that was throughly delightful. The only critic is that I wished there was an epilogue (which is the only reason for 4.5 stars instead of 5). Overall, definitely recommend!

I looooved the beginning of this book. It was so witty and the banter between the main character Margot and her sister were the shit. All in all, this is a really solid romance book. I really liked the setting and the characters but I wish their relationship had been as fun as that of the sisters.

Swoon, Sauna Spice & Friendly Moose - Oh My! Any Trope But You is my favorite of 2025 so far. A debut for Victoria Lavine & I am here for all the laughs, swoons and feels. This book confirms my love of ALL the tropes (the limit does not exist). Plus, it reminded me to Stay Safe, but not Too safe (IYKYK).

ARC via Net Galley

Goodreads review

I really liked this one. The character development was great, the dialogue flowed, and the story kept my interest. This author was new to me, but I'd definitely read her again!

I read this on a snowy trip (yes, I’m aware it was just Seattle, but for a California girl, that’s *basically* the North Pole).

This story was sweet, spicy, and *completely* devoured in record time. It was adorable, and I couldn't put it down!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I love this book!!! Such good characters and amazing writing. I recommend this to everybody! So good!

Thank NetGalley and Victoria Lavine!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was so different from what I was expecting- it was much deeper and I was pleasantly surprised. Forrest and Margot are characters that you can’t help but root for because of how honestly good and kind they are. But I’m pretty sure that we can agree that Forrest is a top notch MMC. I also loved the relationship between Margot and her sister Savannah and the letters Savannah wrote Margot.

I could list off the numerous tropes this book has but its way more fun to stumble upon them when the FMC Margot does. Each one is a palm-to-the-forehead moment of "Of course this one is in here!" But it works... each and every time!
The book started off feeling like it was trying a little too hard to be a witty banter, over-the-top romcom. But once you got to know the characters and their quirks and motivations the story settled into an often funny, sometimes heartstring-tugging and surprisingly hot romance between Margot and Forrest. I loved the little details in the story that made them real people to me. There was a perfect mix of plot, angst, slow burn and spice mixed in.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read and review and eARC of this book.