This book was so much fun in how it addressed the whole concept of romance tropes, and it was deeply satisfying to see the author line up a trope and STILL make it feel organic to the story. I love a dinged and damanged heroine who makes good in the end, and this one was outstanding.

Such a cute story of romance within several romance tropes. Author Margot, well loved by her readers suffers an epic fail. Her sister sends her off to the Alaskan wilderness where she meets Forest. He embodies every trope there is. Lust and love bloom and there is a lesson to be had.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Any Trope But You is a cute rom-com about Margot, a jaded and disgraced romance author, and Forrest, the man who unknowingly embodies all the tropes you so often find in romance books.

I enjoyed how the book started poking fun at all the romance tropes. You couldn’t help but laugh and roll your eyes with Margot as another trope was revealed. But somewhere in the middle, the tropes stopped being cute and funny and became more forced and serious. Forrest started out as a believable character but eventually fell a little flat. The situations that were meant to bring tension and further the story didn’t live up to the build up.

That being said, this debut novel by Victoria Lavine leave a lot of promise for future books. The emotional shift in the book made a lot of sense after reading the author’s notes about going through a personal health crisis while writing this. She has a beautiful way of writing feelings into her words and I’d like to read more of her work.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a romance book lover, the use of all the different tropes in this read was perfection. The characters ended up being super likable and you really root for their romance as well as their family members. I loved the added drama of the hikes in order to get access to a letter.

ANY TROPE BUT YOU is a love letter to the romance genre and the devoted readers who find solace in a Happily Ever After.

Margot’s career as a best-selling romance author is derailed when her jaded feelings about love in the form of a “Happily Never After” document are leaked to the public. While Margot feels this document that gives alternate endings to every Happily Ever After reflects her lived experience of failed romance, her readers feel utterly betrayed. In the aftermath of this scandal, Margot’s sister whisks Margot to a remote lodge in Alaska to reinvent herself where she meets a domesticated moose, a fun cast of characters, and of course a man ripped from the pages of one of her own romance novels.

This open-door romance surely brings the heat to the Alaskan wilderness, but also touches on heavier topics as well. Debut author Victoria Lavine completed her novel while undergoing breast cancer treatments. Her story touches on the selfless act of caregiving and the lengths we go for our loved ones who face health complications.

READ THIS IF YOU:
• believe romance novels give hope to the hopeless
• prefer the term “retro cut” to “granny panties”
• love a meta story that comments on the romance genre as a whole

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: April 1, 2024

Many thanks to Atria and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was like reading the "inception" version of romance novels.

This book was absolutely enticing and addicting. It flowed so well, Any Trope but You had me kicking my feet, giggling, and swooning throughout the entire book.

Any Trope but You had a magical feel to it, all of the romance tropes, all of the emotions, the spice, processing grief, and relatable concepts. I could not put this book down, I had to keep reading and find out what happens next for Margot & Forrest.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Victoria Lavine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Margot Bradley's romance fans find out that she doesn't believe in happily ever afters, she's ostracized in a very viral way. Her publisher drops her, and she and her agent decide she should take her writing in another direction: murder mysteries. So, her sister Savannah, to whom she's been a caretaker for years, sends her on an Alaskan adventure to find herself and write a novel in this new genre.

What Margot doesn't expect to find is Forrest, the embodiment of all romance heroes, running his family's Alaskan resort after his father sustained a life-changing injury. Margot and Forrest keep getting caught in different romance tropes together, which she, as a romance author, notices and comments on. At first, she rolls her eyes and laughs; eventually, she thinks maybe these tropes really can lead to a happily ever after.

Margot and Forrest fight the attraction as long as they can, but eventually give in and fall hard for each other. But, the romance has an expiration date since Margot has to head back to California to care for her sister, and Forrest needs to stay in Alaska to care for his dad and the resort.

This book was fantastic! The banter, the antics and the tropes were all top notch. The mutual understanding that Margot and Forrest had for each other as fellow caregivers of loved ones is what made this book. It wasn't just that they kept getting stuck in romantic (and sometimes hilarious) situations. It was that they had a deeper level of understanding of each others' struggles. They really opened up to each other after staying closed off for years. It was beautiful!

I can't believe this is Victoria Lavine's debut novel! I'll be reading more of her books as soon as they hit the shelves!

Tropes:
City girl/country boy
Fish out of water
Alaskan adventure
Dual POV
Both MCs jaded about love
Both MCs caregivers
Just about every romance trope you can imagine: meet-cute, instant attraction, one bed (or sleeping bag), snowed in, etc. Etc.

The concept of writing about romance tropes as the main character, a romance author, is experiencing them was very fun and meta. I loved it.

This book gave me everything I wanted from a rom-com, the characters were well formed, the setting made me jealous (the hiking and snow camping!) and it is was spicy!

Great debut and I’m excited to read anything from this author!

A contemporary romance that turns the genre on its head? Count me in! In this clever and heartwarming story, the female main character is a best-selling romance author who doesn’t believe in happily-ever-afters—talk about irony! What could possibly go wrong when a romance writer who scoffs at love is faced with her own slow-burn romance?

This book had it all—engaging, witty, and full of depth. It balanced humor with heart, diving into some serious moments without losing its charm. Both the FMC and MMC were incredibly relatable, and even though their relationship unfolded at a deliberate pace, the slow burn only made their chemistry that much more satisfying.

I particularly loved how the author playfully called out well-known romance tropes, offering a smart commentary on the genre while still delivering exactly what readers crave. As an exclusive romance reader myself, this book was an absolute hit!

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and truthful review..

What a great start to 2025 reading! This book is such a strong debut and I'm looking forward to more from the author in the future. The setting was unique and lovely to imagine, and the whole cast of characters was delightful. The main characters had such depth, and the spice was spicy. I thought the pacing was good, and I devoured the whole book in no time at all.

One minor critique is that I think Margot's big scandal wasn't so believable. I would be so amused to know that a favorite author had written alternate endings to their books - I'd be curious to read them!!

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was absolutely phenomenal and so much more than i ever could have expected. when i requested this arc i was like oh! a cute little cover. this sounds like a fun time, but little did i know this would be filled so much raw emotion. i’ve had this arc since october and im currently beating myself up for not reading it the second i downloaded it!! i’m in complete shock and awe that this is a debut novel. victoria lavine has truly blew me out of the water with her first book! i can’t wait to see what her future holds and what she’ll write after this. i truly see this book becoming such a hit and such a big seller. i know i’ll be purchasing a physical trophy of this one based on how much i loved it!! don’t let the cover fool you, you could read this any time of year and absolutely adore it. it’s not a holiday read like i originally assumed!

This was such a great read I was pleasantly surprised I loved it as much as I did! I love reading books about authors so much. I loved how both main characters had unwell family members who were basically trying to kick them to the curb so they could live there life.

One of the easiest 5-star ratings I’ve given this year!! Amazing from start to finish!

This book exceeded all of my best expectations! It’s the perfect cozy read for any romance book lovers with all of the different trope references. It really felt like reading a book made especially for me! The pacing was so perfect that I never lost interest or felt rushed with the storyline. From the very first interaction I was so invested in Forrest and Margot! Then as the story progressed just about every other character throughout the book made me love every second of this read! Even small background characters were so perfectly written and grew the story so well I hope to one day see stories written about their lives! I don’t enjoy books that have huge blowout fights or disagreements between the FMC and MMC, so to have a beautiful and well written ending like this made this book even better in my opinion! This will absolutely be one of those books that pops up in my mind for a long time after completing!

I can’t wait to see what other books Victoria Lavine writes in the future as I’m sure this will be a huge hit!


Thank you to Atria books and Simon and Schuster for my ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really adored this book. It was incredibly witty and I loved all the tropes and book talk. I lost track of how many times I actually laughed out loud! I felt like Margot treated her sister kind of like a baby and it was a little annoying at times. I loved the banter between Margot & Forrest and am so glad they got their HEA!!

What a fun read! I really enjoyed Margot, romance author who gets cancelled for not believing in Happily Ever Afters and ends up on a six week self discovery trip to Alaska. The meet cute with Forrest and everything that happens after was just chefs kiss!

Thank you for the advanced reader copy netgalley and Atria Books.

Any Trope But You is a love letter to romance readers, filled with humor, emotional depth, and all the beloved tropes you could ask for, yet it still feels fresh and unique. I absolutely loved it—it's a heartfelt, funny, and swoon-worthy romance that had me hooked from start to finish.

What I loved most was how the book isn’t just a love story, but a journey of self-reflection. Both Margot and Forrest are selfless, deeply caring for their families in ways that add layers of complexity to their characters. The way their relationship develops is beautiful, and the banter between them is top-notch. The Alaskan setting adds a perfect wintery, isolated vibe that intensifies their emotional journey.

The pacing is fast, and the chemistry between the characters is palpable—swoony and spicy moments are perfectly balanced with the emotional stakes. There were moments that had me laughing out loud, and others (like, quite a few others) that had me teary, especially as both characters confront their pasts and what they’re willing to sacrifice for love.

Forrest is the book boyfriend of your dreams—kind, caring, and absolutely swoon-worthy. The tension between him and Margot kept me turning the pages, even when they were fighting their feelings. And though the ending felt a bit abrupt, it was still deeply satisfying.

Overall, this book is a perfect mix of humor, heart, and romance with an unforgettable setting and characters. If you’re a fan of romance, you’ll absolutely adore this one.

A really cute read! I liked that this was a book about romance novels, focusing on someone who writes them but doesn’t believe in a HEA. The meet cute was amusing and the excursions were well described. Both Forrest and Margot were great MCs and I loved the full circle moment at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is hands down, one of my top reads of 2024 and top 5 favorite rom-coms yet. This book had it all. When people say, "This book changed my brain chemistry," I never understood what that meant. Then, I was granted this arc on NetGalley and everything changed. I am in awe that this book was Victoria's debut novel.

Summary:
Margot Bradley is a romance author who does not believe in the Happy Ever Afters that she writes about in all her books. She has an enormous fan base and is loved by her readers, that is until her super secret document of "Happy Never Afters" is released to the public. When her publisher drops her and her life seems to have crashed in around her, Margot's sister Savannah sends her to Alaska for 6 weeks to try to reinvent herself and write a murder mystery. The Alaskan resort that she is sent to is extremely remote but that doesn't mean that an adorable and extremely good looking lumberjack of a man won't be there. Margot meets Forrest the first day she arrives when she is startled by a moose and jumps into his arms. Will Margot find a new path in the Murdery Mystery field or will she finally learn that there are some "Happily Ever Afters" after all?

What I LOVED about this book:
-It was so easy to put yourself in this book. The characters were relatable. The scenes were so well described. I think I almost felt like I was freezing cold in Alaska during a few moments in this book.
-Both main characters are so concerned about caring for their family. I know I have found myself in similar situations and I totally can relate to the difficulty in taking care of yourself during these times.
-I have never laughed out loud as many times as I did in this one! Literally, I highlighted probably 15+ lines.
-It made me cry. It takes a lot to make me cry in a book but this one got me.
-Nothing was missing, I felt like everything was exactly how it needed to go. I wasn't left wanting more and it never felt like it was dragging.
-I love a good enemies to lovers trope and the slow burn was burninggggg!
-The side characters were perfection. I absolutely adored Trapper.
-One bed trope, actually call it "one sleeping bag."

This is the perfect cozy winter read and it should go on your list as one of your first 2025 reads! Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I would’ve loved to hear more of an epilogue for these characters. It had me wanting more! I really liked the tension between the characters!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc! This book is absolute perfection and is easily one of my top romance reads for 2024🥹

“𝐼 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑒𝑒𝓈 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒽𝒾𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓃 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉. 𝐼𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒.”

I immediately fell in love with the authors writing style and ability to make me laugh out loud through the characters and their inner monologues and conversation with each other. I had so much fun reading this book!

The characters are likeable and so easy to relate to; put the FMC and MMC together and its romance reader heaven. The plot is so cute and I loved that it went much deeper than I originally anticipated. I loved the setting, the relationships between the characters and the character development throughout, plus the tropes are everything I love in a romance book.

🌨️ Enemies to lovers
🌨️ Alaska Setting
🌨️ Forced Proximity
🌨️ Humor
🌨️ Lumberjack Doctor x Famous Author😉
🌨️ Chronic Illness Caretaker Rep

I can’t wait for you all to read this one! Any Trope But You comes out April 2025 and I can’t recommend it enough!