Any Trope but You
3.5 stars

This was cute. A popular romance author, Margot Bradley, is forced to reinvent herself after an Anti Happily Ever After list gets out and her fan base have strong reactions. So her sister sets her up on an Alaskan getaway...for 6 weeks. When she gets there to realize there is no wifi and moose walking about the property she is all but impressed. And the manger of the lodge where she is staying is rugged, handsome and the perfect man from a romance novel.

Forrest Wakefield is handsome, charming and wildly smart. He is a cancer researcher but has recently left his job to care for his ailing father and help run the lodge. Both Forrest and Margot are not interested in anything but trope after trope they are forced together and end up being quite drawn to one another. Can they both overcome their fears and get their very own HEA?

The banter was good and overall I enjoyed the characters but the romance was a little cringy and the sex scenes toward the end and back to back chapters was a little overkill for me. I did enjoy the Alaskan element and the excursions that they went on. Those were fun and helped each character grow. Both of them trying to navigate caring for a loved one was emotional and thought provoking. I probably would do the exact same thing in their situations. And also watching how those loved ones react to the overbearing caring was beautiful.

Overall this had a great message.

Cute and enjoyable rom-com book. Some of the will-they won't-they got a little repetitive. The characters seemed to keep the same internal arguments to not get together and they got frustrating at times. But overall the communication and banter between them was well done.

I ate this book up, it was SO cute and such a great plot line. The spice was SPICING and Forrest is the stuff of literal dreams?? I definitely recommend it if you want a fun, cute but poignant romance and are a fan of romance books in general. I really enjoyed it, the perfect book for a winter break!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7135743394

Any Trope but You is the *perfect* winter read. I loved Margot and really connected with her character because I, too, was jaded when it came to love at one point in my life. I loved the setting. I loved Forrest. This was one of the best books that I’ve read in a while!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was so sweet. I loved it and it gave me all the feels. I plan to read it again. Thank you for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this digital ARC.

3⭐️

It truly lives up to it’s name, honestly ever single trope. The story was fine but not one that I would rush to recommend.

This spicy rom-com is like a Hallmark movie. Margot, a jaded romance writer who’s recently been "cancelled", escapes to Alaska to run straight into the hard chest of the stereo-typical male main character. Together they fall in to all the classic romance tropes. It’s a fun, lighthearted reminder not to take reading too seriously.

This was everything you wanted all wrapped into a romance novel. Quirky, heart ripping, the tropes... oh the tropes!!!!!! I couldn't sing higher praises to this book and would definitely recommend reading!

I loved this book. It had been awhile since I've read something that tugged at my emotions like this book did. It's hard to believe this is the authors debut novel. I loved the duel POV between Margot, a romance author who gets cancelled after alternate endings of her books are released, and Forrest, the handsome doctor who is in Alaska taking care of his dad and helping to run his family's lodge. They have great chemistry and because of the things they are going through in their own lives, they understand each other like no one else does. The author was able to include almost every romance trope in the story without making it unbelievable. This one was a lot of fun to read!

Spiciness: 3/5 🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC!

Any Trope but You was a good time while I was reading it! I thought Margot could have been a little nicer and some of her choices had me going ??? but overall I was rooting for the couple! I was riveted by the plot the first like 75% and then I think the ending fell a little flat. I also didn't love the side character trying to get in Margot's pants constantly but maybe that's a me issue.

However, any readers out there looking for a fun, tropey-on-purpose romance should look no further. The MMC was a standout character as was his father. This was a cute read and I do recommend it!

Thank you for the ARC!

“Reading novels is one of the most time-honored ways of understanding and processing the human experience, and an essential part of that human experience is, of course, love.”

TLDR: This book is trope-tastic and I loved every bit of it. It’s a sweet and funny love letter to the romance genre and the readers who love it. One that will have you laughing, squealing with delight, and probably blushing a time or two. A fantastic debut!

I grabbed this from my NetGalley shelf because my little southern never-gets-snow town was expecting some and I wanted a book that had all the wintery snow vibes. This one was exactly what I was hoping for and more. Not only did the vibe fit perfectly while I watched the snow fall while drinking coffee by the fire, it ended up being my first 5⭐️ read of the year. I was completely sucked into the story. It wasn’t hard to do with that ridiculous and hysterical meet-cute. More than that though I fell in love with ALL the characters including the supporting characters, which speaks to how well the book was written. I would read a spin off book about any of them. Also, we can add Forrest to my list of 2025 book boyfriends. He is the perfect MMC, flaws and all. The wood chopping, gourmet meal cooking, knight in flannel I didn’t know I needed in my life. I loved Margo’s character arc. I kept thinking about Margo’s situation and how I would feel as a reader had that happened to one of my favorite authors. I loved how she was pushed outside of her comfort zone on this trip to the Alaskan wilderness and the growth that she experienced because of it. I adored the letters from her sister, they were sweet and tender and gave us a glimpse into her past to understand why the Happily Never After files existed to begin with. I always enjoy reading books with sweet sibling relationships. This one is unique and now one of my favorites.

Tropes + things
alaskan setting
caretaking
wilderness adventures
forced proximity
snowed in
Dual POV/1st person

I truly can’t believe this is a debut. I’ll definitely be doing a reread when the audiobook comes out. I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria books for providing me with this ARC! I had seen a few good reviews about it on bookstagram, but hadn't heard of the author before, but wanted to give it a try since it seemed right up my alley. And it absolutely was! Victoria Lavine now has a big fan in me, and this is her debut novel which is even more impressive.

The premise is that a bestselling romance novelist escapes to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery. But when she meets the ruggedly hot resort owner, she starts to wonder if she's caught in a rom-com instead.

Really cute rom com that had me hooked and was a super binge-able read. Loved the Alaska small-town setting, found family, and all the tropes managed to be squeezed in (which was the point!) It was verging on insta-love.. But I didn't mind.
The romance was so sweet and spicy I was here for it and I thought the third act breakup made a lot of sense, I wasn't rolling my eyes. And a pretty good ending too!

This managed to pack in just about every romance trope into one book but still be such a fun and unique read. I loved the two main characters together and was rooting for them so much. Can’t wait to see what this author writes next because I will 100% be reading it! This is definitely up there on the rom-com list for me, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read it and would 100% recommend it

Oh this book totally caught me off guard and captured my heart. A romance novelist goes on a self imposed excited to the Alaskan wilderness (with no internet) after her list of alternate Happily Never After endings for her books is revealed and Bookstagram labeled her “the hate child of Miranda Priestly and Voldemort.“ for not believing in love. There she meets a doctor/researcher who is now running the lodge taking care of his father after an accident. The MMC is seriously the archetype for the ideal romance hero.

It has ALL THE TROPES and that’s the point. It’s so sweet and heartwarming, but also snarky and self deprecating. It had “Happiness for Beginners” vibes at some points, which, for me,is always a good thing. The FMC and MMC were annoyance to love perfection. The way they both tried to convince themselves to ignore what they were feeling just added to the delightful slow burn.

The secondary characters were so well developed and the conflicts in the plot felt authentic. Plus the amount of Taylor Swift references, chef’s kiss.

I’m storing this to have on hand for any time my daughter needs a psych up speech.

“…You were knocked on your ass. So what? Do you think Taylor Swift gave up after her recording company screwed her over? No. She started rerecording her own albums and emerged as a new woman. A better woman. And when people still tried to dim her shine? Do you think she threw in the towel? No. She slapped the world back with her Eras Tour.”

So basically I loved it and I’m sad it’s over. 4.5/5 stars. Pub date 4/1/25.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

First of all, I'd like to thank netgally for the free arc in return for my honest review!

Any trope, but you is about disgraced author Margot Bradley going to Alaska to get away from her 'cancelation' much like Taylor swift in the year of reputation. Margot got 'canceled' due to a hacker finding a file called happily never afters, in which she writes alternative endings where the couples of her books break up. Upon going to Alaska, she meets Forrest, the grumpy son of the owner of the lodge.

✨️✨️✨️ Spoiler ahead, possibly ✨️✨️✨️


In the beginning, 75% of the book Margot annoyed me. She was being mean to Forrest for no reason.

I loved Trapper. Every scene he was in, he stole the show. I would love a book about him and Jo their romance would be one of my favorites, especially if it had to do with his accident!


The scene where he is afraid to be "on top" because he didn't want to 'hurt her' because she was so small gave the the ick and almost made me DNF!

This book was so cute! A love letter to romance readers everywhere :)
Both Margot and Forrest share similar traumas. It was heartwarming seeing them slowly open up to each other. Both are grumps and feel jaded about relationships. Victoria's voice felt fresh and fun. It was hard to put this one down. I'm excited to read future books from this author.
Thank you Netgalley!

As a debut book, this is sooo good. It has chemistry, heart, love, and humor!
I hope it gets the praise it deserves. Forrest and Margot will not be characters I forget about anytime soon.
It's like, I've come to the end, and can't focus on a significant thing to comment about in the story, because it was all written so seamlessly, my brain is mush. There were no boring moments, or parts that could've been removed.
I enjoyed the whole thing.

After hearing terrific praise for this book I was thrilled to have the opportunity to preview it. It was an absolute delight; sincere, self-deprecating in the best way… Victoria Lavine has a singular voice. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on this one. First off, I just want to say that I LOVED the idea of this book. A romance author that doesn’t believe in the happily ever afters that she writes, who instead writes secret happy NEVER afters??? Yes, just yes!

This fmc experiences the ups and downs of life, making her extremely relatable. The millions of romance tropes she runs into with the love interest are fun to read for sure. Think knight in shining flannel, snowed in, forced proximity (iykyk), etc.

Even with this being a super cute read, the 3 stars comes from the speed of the character and plot development. This felt like the relationship was moved along too fast and prior to the reader having any real connection to the characters on their own. To me, that’s a big detractor from a book. That being said, this is a fun and light hearted read for a snowy winter day ❄️

Definitely some 🌶️🌶️ in this one for readers who enjoy that.

Quote that Stuck: “I’ve never felt so vulnerable, so exposed, or powerful in all my life.”

^^ this is something I will be thinking and reflecting on for sure!

As Margot said, “Reading novels is one of the most time honored ways of understanding and processing the human experience, and an essential part of that human experience is, of course, love.” 💕

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance and gifting me my first ARC. This authors debut was solid and her ideas are unique and clever, excited to see how her writing continues to develop!

A side note for anyone who notices the small details: there are a few small inconsistencies (ex: when he pours scotch, but then they keep talking about whiskey. I know these can be used interchangeably sometimes but every other time it’s mentioned it’s whiskey versus when it’s poured it’s scotch. My brain just latched to this) and a few small typos. None impact the story line but in case anyone else’s brain can be a bit goofy about those things, just know you’ll likely find a few.

Imagine your whole career revolved around creating happy endings for lovers, however, you don't believe in love. Now, consider what would you do if career ending information was leaked and went viral. What would you do? Would you brave the storm or would you run away to the middle of nowhere in Alaska to hide? Meet Margot, a romance writer whose file of alternative realistic and bad endings for her love interests is leaked and she finds herself hiding in Alaska with Hunk of a local Doctor leading her to question her opinion on the possibility and reality of love.

I really enjoyed this debut novel! I was so intrigued by the title of it and I loved how Lavine incorporated so many different tropes within the text! The chemistry between Margot and Forrest was so entertaining and I LOVED the banter. I read a lot of enemies to lovers, because it is my favorite trope and this was great! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed that particular trope for sure! Now, I am off to book my Alaskan vacation!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC and the chance to read and review this book early!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7214900006

LOVED this one!! A romance writer getting canceled for not believing in happily ever afters escapes to Alaska with one goal in mind: to reinvent herself. Only to find herself living out her own romance plot FULL of classic romance troupes. Truly just the perfect winter romance book. It was so cute, well-written, and funny. It is so rare that a book actually makes me laugh out loud but this one had me GIGGLING. The banter between Margot and Forrest!!!! PLEASE!!!