Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this book. It tackled heavy topics yet still managed to be upbeat and fun, which was exactly what I was looking for. Kind of winter vibes but not enough for it to be holiday vibes which I found kind of fitting for the November atmosphere.

Was this review helpful?

this started out okay but then fell flat. but I liked the story line. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

Was this review helpful?

I mostly enjoyed this. It felt like the Alaska part of it could have been more of a focus because it was very typical of how Alaska is written in most books, which isn’t really a true representation of Alaska. It was predictable but it was a cute read.

Was this review helpful?

ALERT THE PRESSES IVE FOUND A NEW FAVOURITE BOOK.

I’m not lying when I say this book had everything it needs to be a infinity star read for me. The tension was tensioning. The tropes were troping. The slow burn was burning. And the love was LOVING!!

Both characters are dealing with chronically ill family members, ones who they have given up so much for to take care of. The understanding they have for each other’s situation is something they both haven’t found elsewhere.

Margot was a best selling author until it was leaked that she didn’t believe in the happy ever after’s she writes about. After a blow up of her career, her sister forces her to go to Alaska to unplug and work on herself as well as a new manuscript. Little did she know she was going to a secluded cabin in the mountains.

And who better fit to be the first person she runs into would be a burly mountain man with green eyes the colour of the forest and the name to match. Forest is grumpy, built from loss after loss in his life. But all he needed was a stubborn blonde to show him he doesn’t have to give up all he’s worked for and to show him the love he needed so deeply.

The love these two developed for each other was truly magical. I could read this again already.

Was this review helpful?

Any Trope but You is a a cute enemies-to-lovers, just a little light on the enemies. Fairly quickly omg in the story their similar family health obligations, and the hesitation to 'believe in love' is the obstacle the main characters face. There is the potential of a love triangle, but it never feels like an actual potential outcome. The Happily Never After file was great, who hasn't ever not wanted to just vent out frustration and/or disappointment!

Overall fun read, especially for Romance fans.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, what must it be like to be a debut author and just hit it completely out the park. I ADORED this book, and my abundant use of annotation tabs exemplifies it. It was a journey of growth, and filled with hilarious moments. The one liners in this book are killer and had me laughing out loud. This author has quite the sense of humor and it shined through our main characters.
Margot Bradley is a popular romance writer, but when her secret of “Happily Never Afters”—a private document she has that has an HNA written for all her books as an alternate ending— comes to light, the romance community turns on her. But these HNAs are written from a deep place of hurt and constant cycle of trust in men only to be disappointed. To be honest, I can’t think of anything more relatable than that.
Her sister ships her off to middle of nowhere Alaska to find herself again and get in the feel of her next book, set in Alaska, when she meets Dr. Forrest Wakefield, who is quite literally the embodiment of her male fantasy and executes all the romance tropes. I loved how the tropes were pointed out as we as the reader experienced them, and how wonderfully written they were written.
This book was a joy, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

This book was just SO FUN. I immediately wanted to book a flight to Alaska for my own backwoods writing retreat and that is, in no small part, due to how immersive the setting is. Alaska is lovingly rendered (even for all its quirks and oddities that just make it more charming!) and the setting felt so lived in. I loved Margot from page one, and found her souring views of love after a broken engagement both nuanced and believable. The exploration of tropes was soapy romance perfection and I really enjoyed the inclusion of Forrest's POV and its exploration of his relationship with his father. This is an absolutely standout debut and one I cannot wait to have on my shelf!

Was this review helpful?

Imagine all the romance tropes. Now put them together, with the main character being a romance author who has just been canceled for being outed for not believing in love. And then that author finds herself in remote Alaska running into all those tropes with the romcom-worthy ruggedly attractive proprietor.

This was a delight to read! It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s spicy. I enjoyed the character development of our beloved author FMC, Margot.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.5 stars

This was such a cute romance with emotional depth. It’s a perfect read for the cold months. As a chronically ill girly, this book was very emotional to me. The MCs will do anything for their family members who are dealing with disabilities. That is something they have in common and can understand each other. This is the kind of romance that will stick with you. I can’t believe this is a debut novel.

I highly recommend it!

Was this review helpful?

This was such a fun read! I love romance and delighted in seeing so many of the tropes all in one book. The tropes were woven through the story seamlessly and supported the overall plot nicely. Could you see what was coming a mile away? For the most part. Did that diminish the quality of the story or leave me less invested in the characters? Not all. I was rooting for the MCs, as a couple and individuals, and thought their development was well done and grounded in reality.

There was an unexpected depth to the story and the discussion of family members with life altering health conditions was dealt with realistically but tactfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. What a treat this was to read!
I am such a sucker for a good romance novel trope. This was basically a love letter to all of us romance novel lovers and everything we love about HEA in a romance novel. I love that the author really explored the idea that romance novel HEAs could seem unrealistic, but they gave all of us hope.
Margot and Forrest were a match made in heaven. The setting of Alaska was really fun and different as well. I loved everything about it. I love watching all their tropes unfold and see Margot and Forrest give into the pull of their attraction. Absolutely loved this book.
I do question the publication timing of this book. It says April release, but this book is set almost exclusively in winter and near the Holidays. Im not sure why this book would be released in Spring. Winter is clearly when it should be released. Right now is perfect timing.

Was this review helpful?

Any Trope But You is a precious story about an author who escapes to Alaska to write her next book. Of course, the lodge is owned by the hottest eligible bachelor, and you know how to goes from there.

I loved the idea of this one, I just wished for more plot and fun. The ending was great, but the middle seemed to lack action for me.

I just need to know now-- do all authors have an alternate ending file?! That seems fun! Lol!

Was this review helpful?

I love a winter romance the idea of snow is so nice.

I love the sibling relationship but her sister using that to basically run away from home was insane

how was her folder of deaths/divorces enough to blackmail her and actually cause issues in her professional career like can people not write fanfiction now damn, it's not like she was actually publishing them under the guise of them being romance books with happy endings.

idk why she kept going out into the wilderness after almost dying I would've quit after the first time you wouldn't catch me outside until spring after that.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you so much NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a breath of fresh air! I loved our main characters, Margot and Forrest! Margot is a romance author who writes happily ever afters, but does not actually believe in HEA outside of her writing. She even has a happily never after document that features alternate endings for her characters. When this gets leaked to the public, her readers cancel her and her publishers drop her. She then goes on a quest to Alaska and is set on writing a murder mystery. She ends up running into the arms, literally, of our MMC and a love story begins

This book has all of the tropes, I mean it is literally in the title, but they are written perfectly. I enjoyed my time reading this one. It was genuinely funny. I had to stop reading multiple times to cringe at the situations our FMC put herself in. It was such a good time. If you are looking for a good laugh, a fun, and swoon-worthy story, please pick this one up! Easy 4.5 stars for me.

Was this review helpful?

4.5

Thank you so much to Atria Romance and Atria books for my digital ARC!

Wow! This is such a solid debut..just as the authors mentioned in her acknowledgments( which was pretty amazing) it’s definitely a love letter to romance genre and to the community in general. It was such a fun and fast paced read that I bet you could read in a sitting, set in the wilderness of snowy Alaska the story has perfect amount of warmth and depth.

Any trope but you is about two souls who lost their trust in love after going through brutal seasons of life are compelled to raise above their fears and find themselves their own well deserved HEA. The book takes a deep dive into what it takes to be a caregiver to your loved one while navigating their life with just a hope for better tomorrow where there might a chance for their dreams too. I really loved the sisterhood in this book and definitely made me teary eyed, the romance itself was mature and quite sincere with enough amount of character depth. The dual POV is a great choice for the book because really loved seeing into Forrest’s mind along with Margot’s

If you are romance reader you would definitely end up enjoying this commendable debut. Kudos to the author for kicking big C’s ugly bu*t WHILE writing this book, so excited to see her future works. The only reason I knocked off half a star because at times it felt trope heavy, I mean the name should be a clue but I just wished it could have taken down a notch

Fav Quote “But the thing I’ve learned about hollowness-the kind that’s carved from pain-is that the deeper it goes, the more room it leaves for love. And when love finally rushes in, it fills every dark and twisty crevice with a light almost too brilliant to bear”


Trigger Warning- Cancer, Breast Cancer, Care giving, death of a parent, disabled parent

Was this review helpful?

Their meet cute is her jumping in his arms because she was scared of a moose. What more do you need to know?? Cozy and spicy and filled with banter!

Margot Bradley has captured the hearts of millions with her swoon worthy romance novels. But she's a fraud. Being hurt too many times, Margot no longer believes in the "Happily Ever Afters" that she's so famous for writing about. When her secret Happily NEVER After file gets leaked to the public, her fans are exposed to the traumatic "alternate" endings that Margot finds more realistic. Looking for an escape from the chaos of LA, Margot's roommate and sister Savannah, books Margot a trip to ALASKA, so Margot can regroup, research and focus on her new book trying out a new genre.
But when Margot meets Forrest, who is quite literally a real life walking book boyfriend, her plans and walls come crumbling down. How many romance tropes can Margot survive before she really lets her guard down?

Potential Spoilers and Thoughts:

I loved it! This book was so much fun! As an avid romance reader, there was a huge comedic aspect to the tropes that were introduced and made so apparent. Almost like breaking the fourth wall!
Though the stories are completely different, I often saw little clips of The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds sweeping through my brain when reading. Headstrong city girl thrown into the snowy remote woods with no wifi? Ya feel me?

As a dual POV book, this story doesn't just belong to Margot. Forrest the MMC is so swoon worthy I had to but the book down and take a deep breath a few times! Massive, Grumpy, Incredibly Intelligent and Loyal? And something about a stoic respectful man with an absolutely dirty mouth is gonna get me EVERYTIME!

Loyalty is the main source of conflict in this story. Both Forrest and Margot are caretakers and feel solely responsible for their loved ones. Margot to her sister who deals with chronic illness, Forrest to his ailing father. They both struggle to be selfish and choose themselves and therefore each other, over their family members, despite their loved ones desires. This was a huge component to the main characters relationship being an instant attraction, but slow burn to action. But sheeeeesh was the build up WORTH IT!

Was this review helpful?

Any Trope but You was so good!!! Victoria Lavine has done a great job in her debut novel.

ATBY is a delightful romance that seamlessly weaves together all our favorite tropes into an emotionally satisfying story. This book hits all the right notes for anyone who enjoys a fun and heartwarming romantic journey in one of the coolest (literally) locations... Alaska!

The chemistry between the main characters is felt from the very start. The pacing is well-balanced, giving enough time for the relationship to develop while also throwing in some exciting wilderness adventures that kept me engaged. I appreciated the strong secondary characters who added depth and heart to the story, enhancing the overall experience without overshadowing the main romance. The chronic illness representation in the book adds another layer of realness to the story while not overpowering the main story lines and humor.

Overall, Any Trope but You is a fantastic read for fans of romance tropes, delivering a charming and heartfelt love story that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Atria for this ARC via Netgalley.

Desperate to keep making money so she can care for her chronically ill sister, Margot decides to switch to writing about murder and goes to a remote Alaskan resort to do so. Unfortunately, she quickly finds herself intwined with Dr. Forrest Wakefield, and despite Margot’s best efforts she keeps finding herself in trope-like situations with him that she could’ve written herself. But for a woman who’s determined to believe there’s no such thing as a Happily Ever After, will she ever give in to the forces that keep pushing them together?


This was an amazing debut from Victoria Lavine. This book contains every trope you can think of in a romance story and its a small town setting. This book was very funny to me. I had a lot of LOL moments. The characters have in-depth backstories which made me feel close to them. Love the letters from Margot's sister and Forrest's dad was amazing. I also love how the story showed that caretakers also need to be cared for, especially those who take care of family members. Margot and Forrest have sacrificed so much for their loved ones.

I really enjoyed this book. I cannot wait to pick up my own physical copy.

Was this review helpful?

This was so cute! Even though I read it by the beach, I really loved the isolated Alaskan setting. Both of the characters felt so flushed out, and I really believed their chemistry. I could totally understand the reasons behind their actions, and any conflicts they encountered felt realistic. This was such a heartfelt book, too. I don't feel like I often read romance books that center around caretakers, and how difficult that can be, and I felt that this really did a good job of exploring that. But, in addition to those heavy topics, the romance and the steamy scenes were great too! I also laughed out loud several times, which doesn't happen while reading too often. I would 100% recommend this book for romance and rom-com lovers!

Was this review helpful?

Victoria, babe, it was so nice of you to write this book just for me. Every trope I love? Check. Hot mountain man? Check. Book about writing a book? Checkity Check. Alaska setting, complete with cute animal companion? Freaking check.

I adored every second of this book and these characters. It reminded me of Sarah Morganthaler's Moose Springs series, but with the spice dial turned up a bit - and I am not mad about it.

This book managed to be light and fluffy AND deep and heartfelt AND still made me giggle (and blush). I think everyone has been through a "Happily Never After" season in their lives and the way we watch Margot find her hope (and herself) again is just so beautiful. There's also this element of care takers learning to care for themselves that I just found to be so moving and lovely.

This is a classic romcom, but it's also so much more! You're going to want to read this one - and then you're going to want to book an Alaskan vacation.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?