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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

Any Trope But You – The RomCom We All Need

Any Trope But You is the perfect blend of romance, self-discovery, and humour—exactly the rom-com we’ve all been craving. Margot, a woman jaded by love, has built a career around her "Happily Ever After" stories. But when her secret file, "Happily NEVER After" gets leaked, she’s left floundering both professionally and personally. Enter her loving (and persistent) sister, who sends Margot on a life-changing six-week trip to Alaska, hoping it will spark some adventure and growth.

In the wilds of Alaska, Margot faces unexpected challenges, all while working on a new murder mystery manuscript. And in the most unlikely place—literally the middle of nowhere—she finds love. Along the way, Margot embarks on a journey to not only rediscover herself but also figure out what romance really means to her.

This book is heartfelt, relatable, and expertly written. It’s a quick, cozy read that’s as comforting as a cup of tea on a cold day. Yes, it’s a bit predictable—but what romance novel isn’t? That predictability is exactly how Margot feels about her own writing, making the story even more authentic and enjoyable as she navigates what it may be like to make a change.

If you’re looking for a feel-good read with plenty of charm and heart, Any Trope But You is a must-read. Five stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

What a cute, steamy romance set in the Alaskan tundra. I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and for the most part, I found this to be a lighthearted rom-com with a few deeper insights about different aspects of love.

I really liked this kind of easygoing, almost laid-back narrative tone the story carries - it's of those books you can cozy up with a nice cup of tea on a rainy day. Forrest was the epitome of MMC tropes, and I did find myself laughing at the absurdity of it due to Margot being a romance author herself and being a professional on this. I think my biggest issue with the story was Margot. I found her to be really dislikable in some areas as her combative personality came off more as a writing plot point than her actual personality. But overall, it was very cute and fluffy rom-com with a nice handful of spice!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this ARC. I really loved this book. Margot is a romance author who doesn't believe in love. She copes with this by writing alternative endings to all of her happily ever after's and when these endings get released, she is shunned from the romance community. In order to find herself, she goes to a remote cabin is Alaska where she meets Forrest and starts to have every single romance trope with him! I loved the relationship between Margot and Forrest and thought the whole concept was really fun and unique! I highly recommend this book to all the romance lovers out there!

Any Trope but You follows Margot and Forrest and their budding relationship after Margot ends up in Alaska for 6 weeks to write a novel. She is a bestselling romance author, who has landed herself in hot water and been 'cancelled' after a doc containing alternate unhappy endings of her most popular stories leaks during a livestream. Following this her sister Savannah sends her to Alaska so she can try her hand at writing a murder mystery.

Overall the story was fine. Not great, but fine. I actually really enjoyed the side characters, Margot's sister Savannah was great as was Forrest's dad and Jo. My main issue was actually Margot herself. She was unlikable and not in a 'love to hate' kind of way. She was rude, judgmental, martyred herself and was honestly just pretty selfish. She almost burned her house down and it was somehow Forrest's fault. She never took accountability for anything. None of these qualities endeared me to her. It's no wonder her sister had to send her off to Alaska to finally get away from her. She infantilized Savannah and treated her like she was unable to care for herself even though she was a grown adult.

Forrest was of course a little too perfect. Also Margot was not really nice to him, and only really respected him when she found out he was a doctor. Before that he was basically a wood chopping caretaker in her mind, and I didn't love that she placed a limited value on him in her thoughts. What on earth could have made him like her after the way she treated him? He had moved back to Alaska to care for his father after a tragic accident, but Forrest like Margot also martyred himself, and just put his life on hold. Neither of them even stopped to ask what the person they were caring for actually wanted.

As the title suggests, there were a ton of tropes throughout the story. Some were executed well, while others not so much. And in the end, like the panties again? Just no. The ick factor was high just then. It was A LOT to pack in one book. And at the end I thought: This is a nice, perfectly lovely in-between book. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Omg! This book was so cute!!! I did not want it to end and I am just obsessed with everything about it. I loved how many tropes were covered without the story feeling cheesy! I think it was the way the main character approached each new trope that made it that way. If she would have swooned uncontrollably at every new one, it would have been cheesy. But because she had that “omg I can’t believe this is my life” annoyed attitude most of the time, it made it funny and cute and made me root for them because it felt like the universe bringing them together. Definitely will be recommending this one!

Omg what?? This took me by surprise. We had witty banter, tension, steam, depth, fun side characters set in a wintry setting. Cant believe this was a debut novel. Will def look for more by this author.

This was really cute! I think this has great winter vibes because of the setting but unfortunately it doesn't come out until April.

I think the relationship with overall underdeveloped but there were great moments of connection. I thought both of the characters' back stories were great as well. If you're interested in spice, this has some great scenes, too!

4.5 ⭐️ this book was sooo good and the cover is adorable and matches the book perfectly!

It's about a romance author that loses her faith in real-life Happily Ever Afters. She of course meets a hunky cinnamon roll and experiences just about every romance trope under the sun with him, but it was done very well. The characters all learn a grow a lot-- I definitely cried (at least 3 times) while reading this novel. It's just such a feel-good romance with some nice spice 🔥 definitely a slow burn but the anticipation made it even better when they finally got together.

I very much enjoyed and would love to read more from this author ❤️

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, wow, WOW. 🥹🥰
I loved this book so much. I just finished this, and without having to think on it much can already be sure this is a top 5 read for me this year.
Margot and Forrest are EVERYTHING.
This story is comical, witty, romantic, and so heartfelt. I can’t think of a single thing to change, and I cannot wait to see what others think of it as well!
Thank you to the author and the publisher for this arc. This book is out April 1st, 2025, and you’ll want to check it out! 🫎

I flew through this book. The characters were tender, complex, and I just couldn’t get enough of them. More formal review to come, but this might be one of my favorite romance books ever!

WOW. This book was beautiful. It had me feeling an array of emotions. I loved the tropes and I loved the family dynamics. I also loved that the issues/situation keeping the main characters apart were well written and not drawn out as they are in some books.

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

Margot is a bestselling romance author. She writes happily ever afters but after having her heart broken a few times, she doesn’t believe in them. After a file on her computer of alternate endings (happily never afters) is leaked and she gets cancelled, her sister books her a ticket to Alaska so she can figure out what to do next. Set to dip her toes in a new genre, she plans to write a murder mystery novel while staying at North Star Lodge. What she didn’t expect to find Forrest, a man straight out of a romance novel.

For a debut novel, I did like this book. It was a cozy little transition from fall to the holidays. It was a cute story but I found myself skimming through the second half. Although the idea of a walking, talking romance trope in human form for the main male character was a great idea, it felt as tough there were too many thrown in that didn’t quite fit the storyline. The will they, won’t they tension was a little too much for me and I wasn’t a fan of the conflict and multiple third acts.

I look forward to seeing what Victoria Lavine writes next!

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Pub date: April 1, 2025
Thank you Atria and Netgalley for this E-ARC!

Any Trope But You follows Margot, who is a romance author known for her books that always end in happily ever afters. But when her document filled with alternate unhappy endings is leaked to the public, she has to figure out how to reinvent herself, and where better to do that than middle of no where Alaska! She finds herself in situations that are like the tropes she writes about, but will this result in her happily ever after? This is such an impressive debut novel from Victoria Lavine, and i’m so happy I was able to read it.

This was honestly one of my favorite reads of the year. The whole “you are every romance book trope” for Forrest was so funny. I was rooting for Margot and Forrest from the beginning and loved the tension and chemistry they had. This book was so funny, while also touching on some heavy topics. I just had such a good time reading this and I would highly recommend picking it up when it releases!