Victoria Lavine put a fun spin on this romance book! Margot Bradley is a romance author who doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. She secretly writes alternate endings for her books that swap HEAs for not so happily ever afters. When Margot’s secret document gets leaked to the public, she finds herself cancelled and dropped by her publisher.

The beginning pulled me in right away and I thought it was the perfect setup for the FMC to leave the city temporarily for a fresh start.

I love a remote setting and especially loved that it was out of the FMC’s comfort zone.

There were so many fun side characters that helped move the story along.

enemies to lovers ❤️
cozy Alaska setting ❄️
only one tent 🏕️

Definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of romance books with a bunch of tropes 🩵

Any Trope but You is a fun and quick romance read that will have you believing in a happy ending after all.

Margot is a romance writer who, after her own difficult breakup, doesn't believe in the genre's required Happily Ever After. In secret, she keeps a file of alternate endings for her books titled Happily Never After - where her characters end up dealing with the real messy issues that other real people have to deal with in every relationship. When her list is leaked and she is shunned by the romance community, Margot takes a trip to Alaska to hide for a while and write her next book. She isn't expecting to meet Forrest, a doctor who is taking care of his ailing father and maintaining the family resort. After a series of romantic entanglements and mishaps worthy of Margot's romance novels. the pair must decide if a happy ever after is in their future after all.

This was such a cute and fun read! I love a good rom-com and this definitely checked all the boxes. Funny, romantic, and heartfelt, this book was definitely an enjoyable read. While a bit predictable, the story was enjoyable and I felt I could connect to the characters. Both have their reservations about getting involved, but this was such a great slow burn romance. We get hit with all the classic romance tropes, and you cant help but laugh at the absurdity - and the characters do too! This was definitely a fun read, and was both heartwarming and hilarious. It was a perfect rom-com and I think a great read for a snowy day with a cup of tea.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Loved this one! I adored how all the tropes were included in the book yet it was still easy to follow. This book is geared for any romance reader because of this! The character development was great and it was so well written. Congratulations Victoria on an incredible debut novel!

3.75 Really cute book, some how it had all the romance tropes but it worked. The book is full of both lighthearted and emotional moments. I absolutely loved the wintry Alaskan setting.

Any Trope But You was such a fantastically adorable debut and I loved every moment of it.
I’m a real big fan of the recent trend of books breaking the fourth wall, much like this one did. Margot is a romance author who is burnt out on romance, but she frequently references popular romance tropes as she ACTUALLY LIVES THEM, while remaining firmly in denial about it, which I lived for throughout this book.
After her cloud gets hacked and an unflattering document about all her existing characters is leaked (as well as her equally unflattering underwear being flashed to basically the entirety of the internet) Margot’s sister Savannah sends her on a trip to Alaska to do some soul searching and self reinvention. She expects to write her new murder mystery and come back a new author. She doesn’t expect Forrest. Or Bullwinkle. And she doesn’t believe in HEAs anyway.
Forrest might be the most selfless person to exist and I loved peeling back all his layers (flannel or metaphorical) as we learned more about him. He set aside his entire life to be there for his dad when a health crisis happens, and now lives isolated in Alaska running the family business. He can’t afford distractions that come in the way of Californian blondes.
Despite all this, their attraction is immediate and I loved the slow burn tension that ensued. Their walls slowly come down and they both realize there are worse things in life than falling in love. I ADORE how despite basically being the same A+B=C romance formula full of perfect tropes, Victoria Lavine has crafted such a unique and fresh feeling masterpiece. The witty banter, the steamy “there’s only one tent”, the elements of familial caretaking, everything added up to perfection in my book and I’m awestruck that this is a debut! I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Thank you so much to Atria Books for sending me an eARC via NetGalley.

4.5⭐️ If you are a romance reader you will simply love this book. It pokes at all the romance tropes we know and love and does so with perfection.

I did not realize that this was the author’s debut novel but I loved it & will now read any other book that she publishes.

The character development in this book is perfection and the MMC is a giant green flag!

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until April 1, 2025! But this is my honest review!

Add this book to your to read list, I promise you won’t regret it! & then let me know what you thought!

I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it. I loved the setting! Reading about Alaska was fun and I enjoyed the author's writing style. It was funny at times, I definitely laughed out loud at a few parts. Ultimately, I just didn’t feel too connected to the characters.

This is a very cute romance. What happens when a romance writer doesn’t believe in the happily ever afters she is writing? She is being cancelled by the general public when her thoughts come to light. She then self exiles to remote Alaska to write her next book. It’s there that she finds the most amazing slow burn romance. I love the pairing of a romance and social isolation. This was a great read!

"Write your heart out, no matter what's hiding inside."

Oh, my GOD did I love this book. I'm not ashamed to admit I stayed up unbelievably late to finish it because I simply couldn't fathom going to bed without knowing how this beautiful story ended.

This book is perfection. I was enamoured and invested from page 1. I loved Margot's voice. How abrasive and a little cold should could be at times, but also how kind and selfless, determined and fierce. I loved her journey throughout this book. How she had to grapple with the fact that you can't forgo your own life and happiness when you give your life for the ones you love most. How you have to be brave and feel what you need to feel. How you can learn to trust and love despite your past heartaches and tragedies. I was crying at the end of this book; it truly gripped my heartstrings.

I adored Forrest. Give me a grumpy but soft man who knows and makes your coffee order and carries you down a mountain any day!!! Also, I'm obsessed with the fact that this book was set in Alaska - a dream destination for me, and now so even more.

I loved the tropes we go through in the book. It was hilarious and hot and heartfelt. I just loved everything about this book. It was written so beautifully, with a beautiful love story at the crux - between Margot and her sister, and Margot and Forrest - both were developed so well and with so much heart.

This book is a love letter to romance and the romance community. It was everything I needed and more. Do not even think twice about picking this up!

Endless thank you to Atria books for the advanced e-copy! It's one of my new favourite reads!

This novel expertly blends romance with deeper themes of responsibility and caregiving, as both Margot and Forrest struggle with the emotional weight of supporting their loved ones. Their slow-burning connection, filled with witty banter, jealousy, and swoon-worthy moments, makes for an engaging and heartfelt read. While packed with classic romance tropes, the story feels fresh, thanks to sharp writing and top-tier chemistry. Set against a vividly described Alaskan winter, the novel not only explores falling in love but also the struggle of falling out of the idea of love, offering a unique and thoughtful take on modern relationships.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters , the plot, the backdrop of Alaska, all chefs kiss. This book came together so amazingly and I am so excited to read more from Victoria Lavine!

I really enjoyed this one! Set in Alaska to try to get her writing mojo back was so fun to read about especially because she starts to fall in love with Forrest! I love the talk about all the different romance tropes.

This story was unique and refreshing! Margot is a best selling romance author who doesn’t believe in love and her “happily never after” alternate endings of her books goes viral making her go to Alaska to hide away and write a new book in a different genre to show she can still write. There she meets Forrest who is literally the perfect book boyfriend come to life! He also hits all of the book tropes making her rethink her stance on love.
Victoria knocked this one out of the park and honestly I can’t believe this is a debut book! Reading her authors note about what she went through while writing it also blows me away how she could accomplish writing such a great book!
I highly recommend if you are looking for a different take on a romance book filled with tropes!

I ADORED this book! One of the best-written and well-crafted romances I've ever gotten to read. Normally, I don't love when one of the characters in a romance is a writer, but the way Lavine crafts the story here, I loved it. Margot, being a romance writer, is the whole point of the story and the way it is used here is not only funny but so so important to her character's wound of never getting to see a happy ending so why would she ever believe it could happen for herself. The idea of a romance writer getting canceled for not believing in love and then going to Alaska to write her new murder mystery...only to find love along the way?? And the way this book is crafted to not only poke fun at romance tropes but also celebrate them made my romance heart soar!!!

I love how we have a double POV of both Margot and Forrest. Forrest also has his own wounds, and the way they mirror Margot's was masterfully done. Margot feels like she has to be her sister's caregiver, while Forrest has also sacrificed his career to be in Alaska, taking care of his father. The two of them completely understand one another and it was such a joy to see that on the page. This book was full of such delightful tropey goodness. It was so funny that the characters were aware of it, but it never got TOO silly or TOO mocking. This book hit the tone on everything so well. I laughed, got emotional and omg is this book HOT. Lavine really gives us everything we want with this book and I cannot wait to read more!

Thank you SO much to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the best romances of the year, you have to give it a shot!

I LOVED this read. The book hooked me from the beginning and made me want to keep coming back for more. Perfect for anyone looking for something other than the typical romance beach read right now.

📖 Find love in the Alaskan wilderness in this charming rom-com from debut author Victoria Lavine! As you can tell by the title, this book pokes fun at all the classic romance tropes, and jam packs as many as possible into an engaging story about a romance author who has lost her faith in love and experiences a major public embarrassment as a result, causing her sister to pack her off to Alaska to recover and regroup as a mystery writer. Of course once there, she immediately encounters the ridiculously hot grumpy mountain man-slash-super successful doctor with past traumas who is running the place she’s staying to help out his dad after an injury. Oh, and he is an amazing cook, and he reads. All the tropes in one! It’s not all fluff, though - Lavine adds in a lot of layers of family love, responsibility for disabled relatives, past hurts, and personal growth while also nailing the banter and spice.

💭 I had a great time with the fish-out-of-water LA girl in Alaska concept and kept kicking my feet at all the adorable tropes - it was actually less eye rolling because of how Lavine embraced them as over the top and has the FMC, a romance author herself, call it out as ridiculous. The spice is well written and not over the top, or too frequent, I thought it was a great balance of sexy and sweet. The ending felt rushed, though, and stopped rather abruptly. I wanted more!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Publishing for sending this DRC for review consideration.

“Hey Siri- Play Fearless (Margot’s Version)

Any Trope But You is delightful read that cleverly plays with familiar tropes that we all have come to know and love. Margot and Forrest were honestly some of my favorite characters that I have read. Both have deeply routed issues that they are working through, but also trying to discover and find themselves. All while trying to care for their family members as well. Margot’s witty inner dialogue seriously had me rolling so many times. There were truly so many times that I was laughing at the things that these two got themselves into, while also simultaneously so many dang tears escaped while reading this story. Savannah is the honest true winner in this story with the care she showed her sister. I love that she made sure to push her sister out of her comfort zone to receive one of the letter she has carefully crafted for her. When I picked up this book, I thought oh look a super cute cover that is going to be a great winter read.. Not even expecting the emotional depth and character growth that was going to be in this story. I truly loved this book with my whole heart and can’t wait for others to experience this beautiful story.

“Stay safe, but not too safe”

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine is a laugh out loud, feel good rom-com debut that is full of witty banter, SO many tropes and emotional moments that will tug at your heartstrings!!

Margot Bradley is a best selling romance author who knows exactly what her readers want.. a "happily ever after". Disillusioned by weddings, babies and true love, Margot starts writing alternate endings to her books and calling it her Happily "Never" After document. After her alt endings are hacked and leaked to the public, Margot finds herself cancelled in the romance world and dropped by her publisher. When her sister Savannah books Margot a six week stay at an Alaskan resort, Margot decides to try her hand at a murder mystery novel. After a run in with a moose, Margot meets Forrest Wakefield who is the proprietor of the resort. Finding commonality over both being caretakers, Margot and Forrest start to fall for each other and who knows... maybe in the Alaskan wilderness Margot will finally start to believe in her own HEA! 💕

I seriously can't believe that this is a debut!! I wanted to take a break from my thrillers with a fun and fluffy read but I was not expecting the ride that this book was! I absolutely love that it is a bit over the top with all of the tropes and that Margot realizes it as well! The dry wit throughout the book is another plus. I especially liked the realistic problems that being a sole caregiver entail, most rom-coms that I have read don't have that emotionally bonded element. I highly recommend Any Trope But You and will definitely be on the lookout for more by Victoria Lavine!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and Atria Books for this ARC! Publication day is April 1st 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Lavine, and Atria Books for the e-arc of Any Trope But You! It’s Victoria’s first book, and it was such a fun read and I loved spotting all of the tropes that occurred over the course of the story.

Margot Bradley is a best selling romance author… that doesn’t believe in HEAs. After her secret is discovered and aired on a live stream in front of all her fans, she’s positive that her career is over. Margot’s sister, Savannah, decided that Margot needs a nice relaxing trip to the Alaskan wilderness — complete with no WiFi, a hot and brooding proprietor, a pet moose (NOT bear) named Bullwinkle, and enough outdoor excursions to make any Californian want to curl up in a ball with an avocado.

Forrest Wilder left his prestigious cancer research job in California to return to his family’s Alaskan resort lodge to take care of his father. His only concerns should be handling his dad’s pain management, cooking for guests, and leading excursions in the Alaskan wilderness. What he did NOT count on was a beautiful Californian blonde to jump right into his arms at their first meeting (granted she thought a moose was a bear…).

Even though every romance book trope seems to happen to Margot and Forrest, they still have their reasonings as to why they need to avoid one another. Forrest needs to only focus on the lodge and his dad, while Margot is supposed to be writing a new book that will hopefully revive her career (and the fact that she doesn’t believe in happy endings). The tropes keep troping and soon enough the two of them will have to figure out if they can have a Happy Ever After, or if it’s another Happy Never After.

I LOVED this book. I think it’s a wonderful debut novel and it was so fun to read. There was dual POV in first person, so we get to know how both of them are feeling throughout the book. There are also just tropes everywhere, from a “meet cute,” to “only one tent” to the “hot doctor that seems to be good at everything” MMC.
I feel like we got an opportunity to see the characters grow, especially Margot. She went from being down and out, thinking the only thing she has left is her chronically ill sister to take care of, to finding her voice again and starting to heal from the past that made her question HEAs to begin with.
The spice was also GREAT in Any Trope But You. Even though the author chose to use words such as “entrance” instead of the usual words for vagina, the scenes were extremely well written.
The only reason why I’m giving this 4.5 stars instead of 5, is that I feel like the very end was rushed. I think I would’ve liked to have seen more conflict resolution not only between Margot and Forrest but also Margot and Savannah. Regardless, I LOVED Any Trope But You and everyone should read it.
4.5/5 ⭐️
2.5 🌶️

This is a fun play on all the romance tropes we know and love. It can be difficult to pull off a meta look at tropes, but Lavine does it really well. Forrest and Margot have great chemistry and I loved how their deepest bond came from how they loved and cared for their ill family members. The context of Margot's fans turning on her for not believing in HEA was a great setup for the story, too. Happy pub day to this one and thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the eARC!

I maintain that nicknames are my least favorite trope and give me the ick, though...