This was a slow burn romance that had all the tropes I enjoy. It set up perfectly for a sequel, also. The writing was good, the plot was perfectly executed. The characters were interesting as well as likable.,especially Margot. Forrest, our MMC was witty and selfless. I absolutely loved the Alaska location. This was a fun and heartwarming book. I’m so glad I had the chance to read it, and definitely recommend it to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Any Trope but You features Margot a romance writer who doesn’t believe in happily ever after. She gets outed and ends up leaving LA for the Alaskan wilderness. There she meets Forrest, the mountain man of her dreams. Many different tropes, in one book. Will Margot actually have her happy ever after?

Thank you Atria Books and Net Galley for this arc!

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance reader copy and to Simon Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

I always love books featuring authors and the writing process. And wow, this one was a hit for me.

When Margot's career as a romance author goes off the rails, she retreats to Alaska to write a mystery. And she immediately runs into Forrest, a doctor who is there caring for his father and the family lodge.

The story balances humor and deeper topics around grief and caregiving especially well. I loved the pacing and how the story resolved. And I had such fun seeing all the tropes enacted. This book is such a wink to romance readers and an ode to the romance genre.

The audiobook is narrated by two of my favorites, Tim Paige and Jesse Vilinsky. They both added heart and emotion to their performance. At just over 11 hours, this is fantastic in the audio format.

When given a choice on Indie Bookstore Day to choose any ARC at my local store, this was immediately the one I chose. Even having read it already, I knew I wanted to physical copy to be able to flip back through.

CW: grief and caregiving

4.5 stars rounded up

I liked this one but I didn’t love it. Something about this book made me not care about any of the characters. I loved the concept of a canceled romance author and I wish somehow we could have gone more into that maybe from the fans side of things instead of her just escaping. Otherwise a good book but not a great book.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t find any of the characters likeable and felt a lack of chemistry between the MMC and FMC. I DNF’d around 40%.

Disgruntled romance writer tucked away in remote Alaska wilderness, only to find the main character all romance novels are made of? SAY NO MORE!! This book was so so cute, easy to read and love, but also acknowledged how cliche so many of the typical romance plot lines can be. Overall, cute and easy read. Definitely some spicy chapters in there, be prepared for that!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own

this was such a sweet romance book that kept me intrigued the entire time! the FMC and MMC had their own storyline, while also creating one together, which was really beautiful to read! I felt like this book embodied the importance of family, love, one’s career, grief/the emotions that come with it, and overall growth in life. highly recommend if you are looking for a good romance book :)

5 ⭐️

This was an absolutely adorable, kick-your-feet and smile the whole way through romcom. I love romance books that are nods to romance readers, because it’s like a secret love letter inside a love letter. Combine that with allllll the tropes you can think of that are also made fun of for being tropes, plus a few TSwift references, and you get this delightful masterpiece of a debut.

Margot was every scorned woman who has been screwed over by men, but she was down bad (hi TTPD) for Forrest the moment she jumped in his arms while running away from a moose. Forrest, the most selfless grump to ever grace the snows of Alaska, fell the moment he caught her. The tension between these two sizzled hotter than the sauna they finally christened. I laughed and swooned so hard at every mishap-turned-trope moment, and literally squealed at the HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! I’ll be buying it immediately so I can reread it as much as I want.

3.5 stars

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine is a rom-com for those who claim to be anti-rom-com but are secretly hopeless romantics who just haven't met the one to prove them wrong. That's the exact premise of this book. Margot, our FMC, is a famous romance writer who does not believe in Happily Ever After. When a cyber leak endangers her career, she flees to a remote resort in Alaska as a forced retreat. She believes she is finally free from writing romance, but little does she know, she's about to meet the real life MMC who embodies every single trope she has ever written.

On the surface, this book might seem like another cutesy rom-com, but it's much deeper. This book covers in depth what it means to truly love someone, and not just in the romantic way. Both MCs have to grapple with the difficult reality of weighing what comes first, their love for family members in need or their love for someone who they could be with for the rest of their life. Where does one love end and the other begin? Do they have to be mutually exclusive? Of all the conflicts that could exist in a romance, this has to be one of the most genuine and realistic ones, and Lavine does it justice.

On the other hand, the initial part of the romance is a bit Insta-lovey, which contrasts sharply with how deep of a relationship the two MCs end up developing. Also the frequent use of the F-bomb sometimes takes away from the beauty of a potentially profound moment. And for those who, like me, do not like spice in books, there are a couple chapters to avoid.

All in all, this is a refreshing romance for those who enjoy reading about complex relationships between characters and who appreciate a more nuanced conflict between the romantic leads.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Any Trope But You is available everywhere now wherever books are sold.

4.5⭐️ Loved this one. I’m not into an instant situation but this was dont well. Being in the mind of a writer talking about living out the tropes she writes was so fun. The representation of caregiving as a sister and son was so wonderfully played out. Can’t imagine how hard it is to want to take care of family while also choosing yourself at times. It’s a hard balance.

Margot is a romance writer that has been dumped by her fiancé and struggles to believe in the happily ever after in her books. So, she writes a not so happy ending for herself. Not even her biggest fan, her sister, knows about it. Until it’s leaked to everyone. Margot goes on an Alaskan excursion setup by her sister to start over. When she gets there, she literally jumps into the arms of a man that embodies everything she sees as the perfect main male character. Margot proceeds to be caught in a whirlwind of trope situations with Forest. Can he help her believe in the happily ever after again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for the advanced reader copy. #netgalley #anytropebutyou #bookreview #arcreview

This book was so cute but just unfortunately not for me. I will say when reading it I was in a bit of a book slump so I fear that could have altered some of my feelings about it. I just felt sick of the same old formulaic story but I do feel like the characters were super loveable and I did care about them. I am still giving this book three stars since I think some of my mood had to do with how I felt about the book. I also loved the writing style!

ARC Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶/5

Thank you to Victoria Lavine, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adored this book! It was funny and the characters were charming! I was drawn in from the first chapter and did not want to put it down! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books by Victoria Lavine!

This was so much fun!!!

I listened to this on audio and the narration was absolutely fantastic. I thought that the premise was unique and well thought out, which made for such a joy of a reading experience.

I loved that from the begging Margot and Forestt fully acted like an old married couple. I loved their persistent bickering despite the immediately attraction to one another.

There's something about a book featuring a writer that always feels like a nod to the readers which I absolutely adore. And we know I LOVE the 'he's read everything she's written' trope!!!!

Overall I really had such a good time with this one!! The spice fully sent me into orbit and I can't stop thinking about it!!

Thank you Atria Books and Victoria Levine for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fun read! Very tropey, but that’s to be expected, so if that bothers you, this might not be the book for you. I loved our main characters and was rooting for them the whole time. Also, HOT.

A beautiful romance where the characters have depth and the FMC along with the MMC are helped along their growth journeys by those very loved ones that they insist they must care for. Some things to note- this is not an enemies to lovers, there are chronically ill characters along with some discussions of caring for an ill loved one, the big C is mentioned more than once, the supporting characters shine and show more than just a diagnosis, and lastly this is set in Alaska during the winter. If this sounds like a good time that’s because it is great time! Go check it out!

# Any Trope but You
# 4/22/2025 ~ 4/23/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0

Any Trope But You is a book that I never wanted to end. I loved it so much. It's my first book by Victoria Lavine, but she is now a must read for me. Margot is a bestselling romance writer whose fans love her. She's very successful and her fans interact with Margot regularly. Margot writes books about characters finding their happily ever after. The problem is that Margot doesn't believe in happily ever after herself. She has been heartbroken since her father left when she was a young child. Her latest boyfriend, Adam, left one week before the wedding. Margot has good reasons to not believe in her happily ever after. People keep leaving her. She decides to make a list of happily never after things she believes. This list was never supposed to be seen by anyone but her. Unfortunately, someone hacked into her computer and found the list. They then shared the list on social media and Margot was cancelled. Her fans were angry and heartbroken. Margot's publisher wasn't sure if they would keep her on.

Margot is a caregiver for her sister who has an autoimmune disease. Her life revolves around Savannah's medicine schedule, appointments, therapy, etc. Margot doesn't have time to think about herself, especially not her love life. Savannah secretly buys a ticket for Margot to Alaska. She's going to stay at a lodge for 6 weeks to get her head straight. Little does Margot know that the lodge she's staying in has no wifi. No access to social media at all. She can write her next book in peace, whatever genre she chooses. Margot thinks she's done with romance novels as her fans are so angry they would never buy another one by her. Savannah has a deal with a man at the lodge, to give Margot a letter she's written her, once a week.
Margot thinks she's going to a resort and has no idea how remote the place is going to be.

When Margot arrives at the lodge she ends up running into the arms of a very good looking man. She's running from a moose that she's mistaken for a bear! The man who catches her is Forest Wakefield. His father and stepmom own the lodge. Forest is a doctor who researches breast cancer., specifically the kind of breast cancer that killed his mother. He lived in Los Angeles, like Margot, until his father was in an accident and needed help.
Forest and Margot go out of their way to stay away from each other as their chemistry is undeniable. Forest knows she's leaving in 6 weeks and can't lose anyone else even though he's attracted to Margot. Margot can't get close to a man after she's been left too many times. As hard as they try, they are forced together on excursions from the lodge.

Will Forest and Margot be able to stay away from each other? Will Margot be able to write a new book? Will it be a romance or something else? Will someone publish her book if she does write it? Will Margot's sister be okay without her for 6 weeks? Will Forest be happy to forget his life and continue to care for his father? This book has it all and the closer I got to the end the slower I read. I wanted it to last longer! Any Trope But You is a fantastic book that I rate 5 stars with my highest recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of Any Trope But You in exchange for a fair review. The book is available now and should not be missed! #AnyTropeButYou

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. I loved this book so much!!! I loved that Margot didn't believe in happy endings but still gave her readers what they wanted, but after being exposed I think Alaska was what she needed. I loved how her and Forest were enemies to lovers and she even mentioned this is a trope in my book. And I loved how he even read her books to understand her was just perfect! Great book and great ending!

3.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC.

This take on a romance novel was so refreshing. Margot is a bestselling romance author who doesn’t believe in HEAs. When she’s exposed, her career goes off the rails, and her sister sends her to a remote lodge in Alaska to reset and find herself. What she finds is Forrest, a stereotypical book boyfriend brought to life. Or so she thinks.

After weeks of fighting their attraction, they finally give in. But all is not what it seems, and their HEA is left in question. Will they get to be together?

I dare you to read this and not root for Margot and Forrest. Tropes abound in this book, but that’s the point! It was delightful and fun, and I think this was a really strong debut for Victoria Lavine.

4.5 STARS ⭐

Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine's was a sweet romance with literally every trope under the sun!

Margot Bradley is a beloved romance author who has been cancelled after her personal 'Happily Never After' document was hacked and shared publicly. With her writing career in ruins, her sister Savannah books her a six-week stay at an Alaskan resort

On her first night in Alaska, Margot finds herself running from a Moose and into the arms of the rugged, brooding resort proprietor.

Forrest Whitefield doesn't need another distraction in his life, especially when he's taking care of his ailing father. But the tension and push and pull between these two soon become too hard to resist.

Excuse me while I swoon. The banter and small moments between Margot and Forrest were everything! I loved Margot and Savannah's relationship and all the secondary characters. Any Trope but You was a fabulous debut and I'm excited to see what Victoria will write next 👏🏼!