Any Trope But You has a lot going for it and I think romance lovers will eat it up.

The writing is strong, the MMC is swoony, there's snappy dialogue with fun banter, not to mention an epic Alaskan setting. I will say that the MC chemistry felt forced in the first half, like they hadn't earned the level of familiarity they were expressing. Still, it didn't deter me from finishing or enjoying this read. (I do think the title is dumb....but the cover art is what hooked me.)

Its cute. It's ok writing and the plot is fine. I was not invested in the characters as much. Its an ok holiday story

4 stars for this cozy contemporary romance that had me laughing and smiling the whole way through! The FMC felt very relatable despite being a successful author, and I absolutely adored the fact that she felt like a book reading, Taylor Swift loving friend that we all have in our lives. Her and Forrest's journeys of feeling solely responsible as a caretaker for their respective family members are going to resonate with a LOT of people. I also liked the pacing, and felt the story never dragged on unnecessarily. Well done! Thank you to Atria Books and Victoria Lavine for allowing me to be an ARC reader!

Any Trope But You follows a romance author to Alaska after a professional fiasco. Margot experiences trope after trope with a hot Alaskan man, but there's one problem - she swore off love. I loved the banter, the setting, the family relationships, and the MMC so much. I did find the dirty talk a littleeee much at the end, but that is just personal preference. Overall this was a wonderful debut by Victoria Lavine, and I will be on the lookout for any future novels!

I received an ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars, no notes. I absolutely loved this novel and stayed up LATE LATE to finish it. The setting, the plot, the play on romance as a genre I absolutely loved. I truly felt immersed in the Alaskan bush, hiking behind the hottie MMC who checks every box you could imagine. The relationship between our FMC, a romance writer, and her sister with a chronic illness was so wonderfully depicted it felt real. The complexity of being a caretaker of a family member while also juggling your own life was very much a common subplot that kept the book developing and added some complexity. Loved.

goodness, i fricken LOVEDDD this book.
Margot Bradley is an established romance author, known for her beautiful happy endings. When it comes out publicly that she actually doesn’t believe in the happily ever afters that her readers love so much, her reputation falls to shambles. To help her get back on her feet, her sister sends her to Alaska for 6 weeks to push her out of her comfort zone. Enter, Forrest Wakefield. The embodiment of every single romance trope that Margot has ever written about. No matter how hard Margot tries to run away from romance, Forrest pulls her right back in. Is he the answer to HER happily ever after?

There’s so many things to love about Victoria Lavines debut novel. For one, the chemistry between the two characters. Slow burn with tension??? Amazing.
If you’re a Swiftie (which i most definitely am), you’re going to adore the Taylor Swift references. I know I did.
Savannah’s letters? I had literal tears in my eyes at the love the two sisters had for one another. The belief in each other, the support.
As Savannah told Margot, “Your books bring joy and escape to all your readers.” Victoria Lavine, you have done just that. I’ll consider this an absolute must read of 2025.

This was such a fun read!! Who doesn’t want to read a book about a romance author who got cancelled cause she doesn’t believe in HEAs and ends up in her very own romance book plot complete with all the tropes and the perfect grumpy hero?

First off, after visiting Alaska (and wanting to go back) I love books set in Alaska and make it set in a remote lodge and have the couple get snowed in? Sign me up! From the adorable meet cute involving a moose and the hero chopping wood and all the other tropes we as romance readers love in between this book is a love letter to all of us and the hope and joy romance books bring.

Margot and Forrest are so different yet so alike in many ways and it just made the start of their enemies to lovers arc all that more fun. Every trope they experienced and adventure they went on just proved how much the two of them were meant to be but they definitely needed that push to get there. They helped each other find a piece of themselves they left behind a long time ago through the understanding of why they did and found hope in a future where they could have it all and have their own HEA.



Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

If you know me at all, I enjoy reading romance books but it takes a lot for me to give them a 5 ⭐️. However, there was no question in my mind that's the rating I was going to give Any Trope But You.

This is basically a love letter to all the romance readers out there. It's about Margot, a romance author who has not necessarily lived an easy life, and through the years have slowly lost faith in Happily Ever After. In an attempt to find herself and get some time away from the media after a recent scandal, she was sent off to a remote Alaskan lodge by her sister. During this time, she grapples with her own beliefs about love while at the same time being put in situations over and over again that can only be described as tropes in romance that she does not believe in. Forrest is the son of the owner of the lodge that Margot stayed in. He has given up his career to take care of his father who is recuperating from an accident. It's honestly hard to not love him the more you get to know about him.

Any Trope but You touches on some very important topics in social media - cancel culture - and how we as a society try to box people. It's a great reminder that we all have lived experiences and to have compassion for others. I definitely recommend reading this debut novel by Victoria Lavine.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was everything I wanted it to be and more! Any Trope But You is so special to me because I feel like it found me at exactly the right time. I didn’t expect to relate to certain aspects of Margot or Forrest’s personal lives as much as I did so I was left in tears on multiple occasions because I felt so seen. By the end of the book, I had a tear-stained face and a heart filled with hope 🤍❄️🪵🌲

Any Trope But You gave me all the warm, fuzzy, heartwarming feelings you want in a cozy romance book. It also might be the funniest book I’ve ever read. I nearly spat out my hot chocolate on multiple occasions because I was laughing so hard 😂

I absolutely loved both Margot and Forrest as individuals and as a couple 🥹 The banter, the comfort they provided each other, the playfulness, the adoration, the spice. It was everything. I also adored the side characters! Margot’s relationship with her sister made me wish I had a sister of my own. And I absolutely loved Forrest’s dad! The way him and Jo teased Forrest had me HOWLING.

This was such a beautiful debut novel about selflessness, the importance of family, resilience, love, and hope. I’ll be thinking of this book for a long time.

I only wish the pub date was sooner so more readers could read this during the winter! I think it’d do so well during the holiday season.

Thanks so much for the arc!

Thank you #NetGalley & #AtriaBooks for an arc of Any Trope but You in exchange for an honest review.

🔖 You’ll want to save the date!

✨𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: Any Trope but You
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Victoria Lavine
𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆: April 1, 2025
𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 336 pages

✔️ Dual POVs
✔️ Alaska setting
✔️ Abundance of tropes
✔️ Close family connections
✔️ All the feels

From a hilarious meet-cute, to a lovely grand gesture, and all the tropes in between… this book was the perfect homage to romance. Lavine fit them in and honored them so well. I loved the hope she brought through in her writing and am so surprised this was a debut.

If you enjoy Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, or Jessica Joyce then I think you’ll enjoy this one too!

This book was incredible! I loved it. It was cute, cozy, and spicy. I enjoyed the “fish out of water” and “enemies to lovers” elements of this very much! Forrest is my new favorite book boyfriend :). I enjoyed the chronic illness and caregiver representation and how the FMC’s sister pushed back to find her own way in life despite her challenges. So enjoyed this read!!

Any Trope but You was a great cold weather read, and the title hooked me into applying for an ARC. I’ve been on a streak of trying to get through books that haven’t really interested me and DNFs, but this one picked up quickly and kept my interest. It was a sweet read with a heart of gold, and definitely made me want to read more from this author! Once I started reading, I had a hard time putting it down!

I initially and still do have a bit of a problem with the premise of Margot’s professional downfall. I don’t think a document leaking with “unhappily ever afters” would blow up the romance book fandom in the way that it is portrayed here. The concept of fanfiction and the understanding of basic human decency would make a devoted audience more sympathetic to the author (or so I’d like to believe). However, romance readers love a book about romance authors!

It was fun reading about all of the classic romance tropes that played into Margot and Forrest’s story, especially since they are both aware and calling them out as they happen. It’s literally my dream come true. Also, I loved all the Taylor Swift references. Both Margot and Forrest’s lives as caregivers were relatable and brought a grounded nature to a romance novel. A self aware FMC and a couple who love each other flaws and all? What more could I ask for.

Overall, this was a great romance book which I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun spicy romance. I look forward to reading more from Victoria Lavine!

Romance writer, Margot Bradley, has been cancelled by her readers for not believing in happily ever afters and her career comes to a screeching halt. Her sister, Savannah, decides this is the perfect time to send Margot on a trip to Alaska to get out of her comfort zone and write her first murder mystery. Upon arriving in Alaska, Margot literally jumps straight into the arms of Forest, the epitome of every trope she's ever wrote about. Could Forest finally be Margot's happily ever after?

I believe I've found my new favorite romance author. Funny, heartfelt and a bit spicy, Any Trope but You checked all the boxes for me. Excited to read more from this author!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book has a moose on the cover and that alone makes it a good book. The writing and story are also good. I am a sucker for the "I don't believe in happily ever after or love" and this book did not disappoint. If you enjoyed the Moose Springs series by Sarah Morganthaler or The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, check this one out as well!

Heartwarming, winter vibes. It took me a little longer than normal to get through, which makes me think maybe something is up with the pacing, but once I got though the first 10% I was hooked and couldn’t wait to pick it back up.

I found both of the main characters as well as the supporting cast to be well written and engaging. I love that even though (spoilers) there’s a 3rd act breakup, it’s truly a breakup over extenuating circumstances and both parties trying to do the right thing rather than a miscommunication or something blown out of proportion.

I really appreciated the idea behind the book, but I struggled to relate to the characters. It has great potential to be a warm and festive read, yet it didn't resonate with me.

I think this is a VERY strong debut! I loved Victoria's writing style and the concept was so great. It may just be me, but I struggled to connect and ship the characters. However, I had fun reading this and I genuinely feel like Victoria Lavine is a great writer and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

Thank you so much to Atria Books for my ARC, I truly appreciate it!

3.5/5

I really really enjoyed everything about this book! I only wish the ending was a bit less abrupt. But I really loved the unique story and all the characters! The story is quite interesting and I loved the setting!

This was a cute book with lots of fun tropes (I mean, obviously… look at the title of the book). I liked that Margot and Forrest were both caregivers - I felt like it added a lot of depth to their characters and helped them connect on a deeper level. These two storylines played out really well and I liked how the book touched on how hard it is to be a caregiver for a loved one. In addition to being a caregiver for her sister, Margot was also a jaded romance writer who didn’t believe in love and recently had all her fans turn against her after they learned this fact. This storyline felt a little unrealistic to me. I had a hard time believing that everyone, including her publisher, would drop her for not believing in HEA, especially given how much everyone liked her books. I was willing to suspend my belief for the sake of the story, however.
Margot and Forrest’s relationship felt kind of rushed. They have a kind of “love at first sight” moment and then become “enemies to lovers”. I really did not feel the enemies vibes. It was, at best, forced dislike with a strong undercurrent of lust. They were both into each other but trying to stay away so it just didn’t feel like enemies to lovers to me.
There was a 2nd act (3rd act? 2.5th act?) argument that didn’t sit well with me. I felt like Margot was very impulsive and quick to turn on Forrest despite him giving her no reason to distrust him. This was easily resolved which almost made it worse because it showed how wishy washy Margot was. Then there was also a third act breakup that felt so rushed and didn’t really make me root for the characters. The resolution was enjoyable enough but I wanted more after it - I wanted a little more proof that the characters were going to work at their HEA.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

I am SHOOK that this is Victoria’s debut novel. This book had everything you want in a romcom and so much more. It had the sweet moments that made me want to scream, clutch my kindle to my chest & kick my feet. It had tenderness and portrayed this beautiful sibling bond between our FMC and her sister, and every single letter had me fully in tears. It also had every single one of my favorite tropes (hence the title) and they were all done SO well, and all called out in hilarious ways by our jaded romance author FMC.

I also, to no surprise, loved the grumpy, jaded FMC and how much she tried to fight her feelings for the adorable, sweet, helpful, hot doctor lumberjack all of the above MMC. The connection they built over the span of the book was truly magical and I just will never stop gushing over it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!! <3