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!

Oh. My. Goodness. I haven’t enjoyed a debut novel this much since I read Emily Henry’s first book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for a review. I did not request this book but boy am I grateful it landed in my hands.

What I love about the new explorations of old tropes is the depths to which different authors can take it. This really delivered on that. It was playful and steamy, but also had a lot of depth. Many times when I read new rom coms I feel like they get to the point where the dude sees how amazing she is based on nothing - but the point of connection between Forrest and Margot has meat on the bones. So, when we inevitably get to the dramatic point in the book where things go wrong - it feels real and full of heart, instead of contrived even if you know that’s where it’s headed. The characters are driven by deep care and love by those around them, and some fear gets mixed into that - and it feels REAL. I really enjoyed this, the jokes were cute without being too corny, the fears real, the hunk real sexy. If anything he was hunky enough that I could have used more steamy scenes - but maybe then the character development would have lagged. I also feel like other authors sometimes create a bit of a caricature of the empowered feminist leading heroine, and belabor their points related to that, but Margot was imperfect and doing her best but not in a way where she’s totally blind to her shit ( for the most part, cause that’s a trope too so it had to be in the book).

I hope her debut makes this author into a star because I need more novels from her.

If John Green, Chloe Liese, and Ali Hazelwood had a book three-way (Sorry, John. I'm trying to make a point here), then you would get Victoria Lavine’s “Any Trope But You.”

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book was perfect. The writing was beautiful, so impactful, and every big moment or revelation the characters had just took my breath away. I have so many notes and highlights on my kindle where I said to myself, “oh, this is good and I wish I was this deep.” She's a romance novelist who doesn't believe in love and I was rooting for her from the JUMP!

Moreover, I cannot believe that this is a debut novel because it was utter perfection. *chef’s kiss*. From the dialogue to the character backstories we hear about as the main story develops, every aspect of this novel was so intentional, delicate, and powerful. The fmc was witty, hilarious, jaded, a little annoying at times, but I was still rooting for her at every page turn! And don’t get me started on Forrest, the mmc. 🥵

Lavine is now on my auto-buy author list!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the privilege of reading an e-ARC from NetGalley. 💚

P.s. A word of advice, don’t finish this book in public. You will ugly cry. Like, sob. 😅

I enjoyed the overall story, but at times it a little too cheesy for my tastes. It got better as the story progressed, but it certainly made me cringe at points. I felt the connection between Forrest and Margot and enjoyed their journey together.

Goodreads:

Are you a fan of Romance Tropes? This is the book for you!

Any Trope but You follows Margo Bradley, disgraced romance author, to Alaska as she attempts to write her next novel. Only problem? Forrest from the forest and all his inherent tropes.

This book does a great job of almost “breaking the 4th wall” addressing romance books, fans and tropes. Forrest is your next top book boyfriend and a self proclaimed “Margo Bradley kind of guy now”.

Great read (especially in the winter months!) with moderate spice!

This book was provided to me by NetGallery and Atria Publishing in exchange for an honest review.


Instagram:

Grab your hot cocoa bookworms: this one is a must-read for your TBR pile! Just finished reading Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine, and I’m absolutely obsessed! 🌟 This ARC provided by NetGalley deserves a solid **5 stars**! ⭐️✨

With its 🌶️ moderately spicy 🌶️ scenes and witty banter between the main characters, it’s a delightful read. Plus, the Taylor Swift references sprinkled throughout make it even more fun! 🎶💖

If you love a good romance with a twist of humor, this one’s for you!

This one didn't quite work for me! Absolutely love the premise, the setting (my first Alaskan romance!), and the meta element, but the voice wasn't a fit. Grateful for the opportunity to get to know this author. I'm eager to keep looking for my 2025 début gems!

I absolutely loved everything about this book. This is for the romance girlies through and through. I would recommend this to fans of Emily Henry, and Abby Jimenez.

Any Trope But You is about romance writer Margot, who stops believing in happily ever afters. Once the world gets wind that she actually doesn’t believe in love, she is forced on a trip to Alaska to reinvent and rediscover herself. In comes Forrest, a walking MMC trope himself. I DEVOURED this plot line. It is the epitome of romance tropes and LOVE, LOVE, LOVED it!!!

Without revealing too much, there is romance (obvi.), there is plot with depth, there is banter and wit, and there is some spice. This is a MUST add to your summer 2025 TBR!

Thank you so much to Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for letting me enjoy this e-arc. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to enjoy Margot and Forrest and the rest of the gang.

Book Review: "Any Trope but You" by Victoria Lavine

Victoria Lavine's "Any Trope but You" is a delightful romp through the landscape of contemporary romance, anchored by the witty repartee and palpable chemistry between its protagonists, Margot and Forrest. This engaging story deftly plays with romantic tropes while subverting expectations, making it a refreshing read.

Lavine hooks readers with her sharp dialogue. The banter between Margot and Forrest is electric, filled with playful jabs and clever comebacks that not only entertain but also reveal their deepening connection. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the tension that builds throughout the story keeps you eagerly turning the pages.

Lavine's ability to balance humor with genuine emotional moments is exemplary. As Margot and Forrest navigate their feelings amidst misunderstandings and personal growth, readers are treated to a rich exploration of love in all its complexities.

I also appreciated the incorporation of Taylor Swift references, which add an extra layer of charm for fellow Swifties.

In a genre often filled with predictable plots, "Any Trope but You" stands out as a delightful twist on familiar themes, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys witty romances. Lavine’s voice is fresh, and her characters are relatable, ensuring that this book will linger in your mind long after the last page.

I cannot wait to see the splash that Victoria Lavine makes with her debut novel, as I truly believe this rom-com will contend with titles in a similar publishing timeframe (and the more the merrier, in my opinion)! Everyone should look forward to April 2025!

I give "Any Trope but You" 5 out of 5 "Chars!"

Note: this ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley!