Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for allowing me to read an ARC of Any Trop but You by Victoria Lavine.

When acclaimed romance author Margot finds her previously private cynicism hacked and released for the world to see, and all of her once beloved readers are now disavowing her for being a skeptic of the "Happily Ever After" she is known for, Margots sister ships her off to Alaska, urging her caretaking sister to push herself and take all of the chances she has bene holding back from. When Margot sees Forest, she can't help but laugh at how he is essentially the blueprint of a HEA leading man. Margot tries to deny it, but she should know by now, that HEA's tend to come when you least expect it and most need it.

I really loved this book! It is warm, fuzzy, sweet, and definitely spicy. Dual perspective worked well and I loved getting the inner workings of both of their minds (aka their pining and dare I say burning for each other). The only thing missing for me was an epilogue!

When you are in the mood to cozy up under a blanket and dream about falling in love with a beautiful and rugged Alaskan backdrop, this is the book for you!

Shout-out to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Any Trope but You tells the story of Margot, a romance writer, who's doesn't believe in the Happily Ever After's she writes. Her beliefs are made known during an interview that sends her to "romance writer jail". In order to get herself together, she goes to Alaska, away from her sister and the comfortable life she knows. There she meets, Forrest, a handsome outdoorsy doctor taking care of his dad. Though they don't always see eye to eye, they are always drawn to each other. But will it last?

This book was more than I expected. While this book gives romance readers the romance plot and the spice (hello sauna scene!), it also touches on healthy family dynamics. I really appreciate how Margot's sister and Forrest's dad support each of them and want them to be the best version of themselves.

Additionally, I really enjoyed seeing Margot go from this woman who is so jaded by anything that has to do with love and focusing on taking care of her sister to a woman who can see how great love can be and that it's okay to let go. What really made this book for me was Forrest's story. Forrest was never the "handsome outdoorsy doctor" strictly in the book to love the FMC. Forrest goes through his own changes, similar to Margot. Both of their stories complement each other so well and makes you fall in love with their story more and more.

starting this in the middle of a slump was a last chance effort to hopefully kick me out of it and luckily for me it worked out.

this book made my heart ache SO hard in the best way and i have never been happier for it. watching two nearly broken people find solace in each other’s company even after fighting it and makes me believe even more in love and happily ever afters.

margot and forrest were two of the most relatable characters and to me that is one of the most important factors when it comes to reading for me. being able to see parts of myself in characters that only exist on paper somehow makes me feel a little less alone on this giant spinning rock we live on.

i loved margot and forrest so deeply and i can’t begin to express how much i want to take this book and etch its words into my heart over and over again.

this was a fantastic debut and i will be keeping up with victoria lavine from here on out!! thank you atria and netgalley for this arc 🤍

Margot is a popular romance writer who does NOT believe in Happily Ever Afters. When her file of Happily Never Afters (alternate un-happy endings to her books) gets leaked, she gets shunned from the Romance Community. In an attempt to re-invent herself and hard-launch into a new genre of thriller/adventure writing, her little sister sets her up on a 6-week vacation in remote Alaska. There, Margot tries to write her murder mystery manuscript, but meets the inn-keeper's son, who is the essence of every romance trope. Forrest (ironic name) is a research doctor who studies breast cancer treatments after his own mother died from the disease. He left his research a few years prior when his dad got sick and moved to Alaska to take care of his dad and the resort. He is hot, rugged, smart, AND HE LOOKS GOOD WITH ROLLED UP SLEEVES. With their forced proximity, Margot feels like she is living out one of her books, but will she finally get her Happily Ever After?

This was a meet-cute book that was adorable to read. I enjoyed the characters and their development over the book. It was slightly cheesy at times, but that was part of the charm. Overall, "Any Trope But You" is a smart, funny, and touching read that will resonate with fans of contemporary romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for allowing me to read this ARC!

🔎 ARC Review

Any Trope But You

@victorialavinewrites
@atriabooks
@netgalley

Publication Date: April 1st, 2025

My Rating:
🌟 5/5

📚 Read If You Like:
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Cozy Setting

Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.

The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.

As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.

🔎 My review
This book is so good! How can you not love a book about a romance author that doesnt believe in HEA, but opens her hurt up! I loved all of the Main and Side Characters. Definitely recommend

Thank you @victorialavinewrites, @atriabooks, @netgalley for the ARC!

#books #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookstagram #bookobsessed #romance #victorialavine #atria #NetGalley #AnyTropeButYou #arc

This book hits all the marks.. I laughed out loud, I gasped, I cried in all the best ways.

The premise of a romance author who doesn’t believe in HEAs is genius, and makes for a funny read as well. She calls out all of the tropes as she sees them and they just keep coming. Throw in the Alaskan wilderness and it just keeps getting better.

Highly recommend joining Margot on her wild ride of learning more about herself, her relationship with others, and whether or not she’ll eventually believe she get her very own HEA.

Growing up, I always laughed at my mom's choice of books because they always had the man with Fabio hair and no shirt. So to find a romance novel that makes fun of romance novels... Yes PLEASE!!! I laughed my way through this entire book.

Margot was everything I could ever want in a sassy, love hating fmc and I loved that I could roll my eyes along with her as Forest checked all the boxes for the typical MMC in romance novels, but then still swooned appropriately when he said all the right things at the perfectly timed moment ! AND THE 👵🏽 PANT!ES... I was mortified for her!


The plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I really enjoyed this book! The only negative thing I have to say is the sexual tension throughout the book was never ending!

I thought the character development was done well and the story line was done well. You kind of knew how the book was good to end (but it was the ending I was hoping for).

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I’d read it again!

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e-arc of Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine.

This is a romcom novel. 4.5*; One unique aspect of this romcom is making fun of all the romcom tropes in one book. I loved it way more than I could have expected.

Synopsis:
Bestselling romance author Margot Bradley, skeptical of Happily Ever Afters, finds her career in jeopardy when her pessimistic drafts are leaked. Seeking a fresh start, she flees to an Alaskan resort to write her first murder mystery. Instead, she encounters the rugged resort owner, Dr. Forrest Wakefield, a former cancer researcher caring for his ailing father, and soon, her life starts mimicking a romantic comedy. As they navigate a series of unlikely events and snowy nights, Margot and Forrest must decide whether to embrace a potential love story or accept a Happily Never After.

Things I liked:
• MCs
• Family/care-taking aspect
• Setting/Alaska
• Sister love/family love

Romcoms are one of the genres I read little of, maybe a dozen or less a year, but I am happy I read this one! Highly recommend it to all romcom lovers.

I loved this book! It was so cute, heartwarming and just the right amount of spicy. The tropes were all perfectly delicious and I loved how they were a wink to the readers. I will definitely read more by this author!

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc!

Wow. I cannot believe this is a debut. This romance is unbelievable! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved that the FMC was a romance author who wrote "Happily Never Afters" and then got cancelled and then basically was stuck in trope, after trope, after trope. It was hilarious and the banter between her & the MMC was fantastic. I loved all the side characters, each had fun personalities and added a fun element to the story.

I loved that Van wrote such heartfelt letters to the FMC, and that the FMC & MMC had so much in common in relation to their experiences. Their chemistry and understanding of one another was fantastic.

The writing was fun. I laughed, teared up, and smiled! I'd say the only thing I semi disliked was how grumpy the FMC was initially to MMC, as I felt like it was out of character from what we learn.

This was such a fun and romantic read though. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Any Trope But You is a delightful, heartfelt debut romance novel that I absolutely adored. Margot is a romance writer who does not believe in Happily Ever After. When she meets Forrest she fights every instinct in her that is drawing them together like a romance novel come to life. Every imaginable trope keeps playing out but Margot refuses to become vulnerable like a romance character and to fall in love.

The summary of this book drew me in immediately! I am obsessed with rom coms and knew I would fall in love with this one. Victoria Lavine has written a beautiful story that has hooked me as a reader.

After reading the acknowledgements I just want to stand up and applaud this amazing, fearless author who deserves all the accolades and more for her perseverance to complete this book while battling cancer. Victoria Lavine you deserve my applause. Take a bow. Outstanding debut.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
***I received a copy of this as an ARC via Netgalley for my honest review ***

- Rom-com - Alaska setting - one tent/sleeping bag - snowed in - hurt/comfort - hot Dr/mountain man - sworn off love - HEA -

Best-selling romance author, Margot, is canceled by the romance readers community after her private thoughts of how she really feels about HEAs is leaked by a cyber-hacker. With the encouragement from her chronically ill sister whom she cares for, she decides to take a break from the every day and go to a cabin retreat in Alaska to reinvent herself and her image by trying her hand at her first murder mystery novel. Little does she know, she will jump right into the arms of the epitome of a romance MMC (literally).

Forrest is the proprietor of North Star Lodge, along with his father, who he has taken under his care after an accident left him unable to properly use one side of his body. Because, of course, the handsome rugged man running the lodge would also be a genius doctor taking time off from his groundbreaking breast cancer research to care for his ailing father. The more time he spends with Margot, though, he starts to question if he really wants to stay in Alaska or move back to California and see where things can go with her.

I loved how this book blatantly pointed out each time our characters stumbled upon each and every romance novel trope you can think of. The banter between the characters was fun and natural feeling. This story also represented the caretakers side of assisting a family member with both a chronic illness and lingering effects of a major accident well. Overall, it was a cute, fun, and spicy read where everyone finds their HEA no matter how reluctant they are to accept it.

Just not for me. Didn’t care for the FMC. After 25% of the characters hating eachother, it then felt like insta-love. I just didn’t really care about finding out what happened to these characters, and it just felt predictable either way.

A million stars wouldn’t be nearly enough to express how much I adored this book and my new favorite auto-buy author, Victoria Lavine. This novel embodies the warmth of a heartfelt hug, brimming with sisterly love, self-growth, and a fair share of passionate moments. Margot and Forrest are perfectly matched, and these pages are a testament to their captivating journey and so much more.

Lavine’s writing is in a league of its own. Someone compared her style to a blend of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood, and I couldn’t agree more—except Lavine brings her own distinctive wisdom that illuminates every line. I didn’t realize I needed her words in my life until I read ATBY, and now I can’t imagine being without them. Knowing there’s another one of her books on the horizon fills me with pure excitement.

This is set to be the book of 2025, and I can’t wait for everyone to discover this masterpiece. A huge thank you to the publisher for this early holiday gift. This ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

any trope but you features margot, a cynical romance author who has lost all of her belief in the genre, but continues to write to appease her fans, but even more so for her younger, chronically-ill sister, savannah. after a career blunder savannah sends margot to a wilderness retreat in alaska where margot encounters forrest, the embodiment of every romance trope she now resents. this was really fun and steamy, with a lot of the meta commentary about the romance genre and specific tropes will resonate with any lover of the genre. i did find the pacing was off a bit in terms of the relationship development and the plot dragged at times. margot's treatment of the mmc sometimes rubbed me the wrong way. savannah was a stand-out character and i really enjoyed the sister relationship as well as forrest's relationship with his dad.

I did not want this book to end! This is a wonderful debut romance, by Victoria. This story has a little bit of everything, I also loved the backcountry, Alaska wilderness setting for this book. If you are looking for a fun and cozy winter story, this books is for you!

One of my fave romances I’ve read this year. Smart, sexy, charming, funny and genuinely affecting. I loved that it dealt with two caregivers.

This is exactly what you want if you are looking for a winter romance. Margot is trying to recover from an epic professional failure, and also believe in love again, which is important for her as a romance author, so she is sent to the Alaska wilderness to write a new book by her loving sister. I loved the atmosphere of this book- perfect for winter, chilly weather.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the early eARC of this incredible debut novel!

Margot is a romance novelist who's built her career on writing the happily-ever-afters readers crave. But secretly, she has her take on how those stories could end. Behind closed doors, Margot doesn't believe in true love, and she has an entire file of alternate endings titled "Happy Never Afters," where her beloved characters face broken relationships, growing older, and losing themselves and their relationships. When this file leaks, Margot's career implodes, and she retreats to Alaska at the request of her ill sister to reinvent herself as a mystery author. Though her sister Savannah has other ideas about how Margot will spend her time reinventing herself.

This book is a delightful mix of romance and humor, with a touch of satire, as Margot ironically finds herself falling for a man who embodies every romantic trope she's ever written. I loved the witty writing, full of memorable quotes that had me laughing out loud. Lavine's prose feels natural, relaxed and not fussy, which allows readers to settle into the storyline quickly, even as it surprises us with heartfelt moments.

Margot's relationships with her sister and with Forrest are written with warmth and depth, making the characters relatable and well-rounded. The bond between Margot and her sister moved me to tears more than once, and Forrest's dedication to his dad added a grounded, authentic layer to the story. Lavine weaves in tender insights that explore love and loss without taking away from the lighthearted, almost satirical tone.

While the Alaskan setting was beautiful, I found myself craving a bit more immersion—Alaska is breathtaking, after all! This story includes some steamy moments, which I found to be spicy and not cringy.

In the end, this book felt like a tribute to romance lovers and Bookstagram readers everywhere. I'm thrilled to have had the chance to read it this early, and I can't wait to ATBY it in the wild and read what Lavine has in store for us next!