I approached this book with a bit of skepticism. Margot's introduction, where she labels herself a fraud, followed by her cancellation, left me unsure about her character. The initial encounter between Margot and Forrest, involving a chaotic moose chase, was as frosty as the Alaskan setting.

What drew me in early on was Margot's endearing relationship with her sister, Savannah. Their bond was genuinely heartwarming, and seeing Margot as a caregiver added depth to her character. Additionally, Van is a standout character—brilliant and captivating in every way.

Forrest initially came across as somewhat surly, but gaining his perspective helped to flesh out his character. Perhaps a bit too much, as he seemed almost too good to be true at times. I enjoyed the irony of him being a skilled doctor yet intensely anxious about bad reviews, while his father and manager persisted in setting him up with potential partners.

What truly captured my attention was the shared experience of Margot and Forrest as caregivers for close family members. The author skillfully conveyed the anguish and guilt they felt about considering leaving their loved ones. The hopelessness Margot felt about her future beyond her time at the lodge was particularly poignant.

When Margot and Forrest finally surrendered to their desires, their chemistry was undeniable. The romance was well-balanced with humor and emotional depth.

The ending was satisfying, avoiding an overly idealistic happily-ever-after. Instead, it felt more realistic and authentic. I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a romance with a good balance of humor and emotional resonance.

Steam: 🔥🔥
Heart flutters: 💖💖

Ahhh- I loved this one!! Being a huge fan of The Simple Wild series, I was soo excited when I saw this story was set in Alaska as well! This checked off all the boxes- adventurous, charming, cozy, sexy and fun! Lavine’s writing style is refreshing and her story was layered with banter, depth, emotion and excellent character development. I was smiling, laughing and tearing up throughout. Margot and Forrest’s romance was a slow burn, but in the best possible way. Both having their guards up, they slowly revealed bits and pieces of one another. I also appreciated the strong, sibling bond between Margot and Savannah and the heartfelt letters scattered throughout the story.

I was hooked on this book from the moment I started it. I loved how the FMC was romance writer and was obsessed with identifying each trope her and the MMC got caught in. I absolutely couldn’t put it down and look forward to new books by this author. Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the chance to read this book early.

The opening scene with our heroine, Margot, on Zoom had me in stitches, and I didn’t think it would get better but it did with the funniest meet cute! Forrest was immediately a favorite of mine. I loved finding every trope and how beautifully they worked together in this book! Brilliant!

A cute n classic rom-com! I had a great time with this one. Margot and Forrest were SO cute (the chemistry? the MEET CUTE?? obsessed), and also I just was in love with the premise of a romance author being secretly cynical about romance 😋

This gave me the vibes of: The Proposal, Beach Read, literally every Hallmark Christmas Movie you can think of.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc.

This book follows a romance author who has lost faith in love. When a so-called fan leaks her "happily never after" list online, her career takes a hit, and her reputation crumbles. In an attempt to help, her chronically ill sister sends her to a remote cabin retreat in Alaska—completely off the grid and surrounded mostly by men. In Alaska, she crosses paths with two intriguing locals at the lodge with storied pasts tied to the retreat. As she navigates rugged hikes, steamy sauna nights, and adventurous excursions, she finds herself torn between them or madly and secretly in love. But when she thinks she’s chosen, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, happily ever afters exist.

I don't typically read books about authors, but I thoroughly enjoyed 50% of this book. Once the smut and forced proximity began, I felt like the author lost the little moments that made the plot unique. The letter writing was my favorite part, but that slowly lost its track with all the smut. I also feel like the ending was either rushed or sloppy. This is an okay romance about an author from an author.





-Forced Profimity
-Smut rating 4/10
-Alaska for some reason?
-A Moose
-Medical emergencies
-emails/letters penpal

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

If you told me last week I’d be emotionally invested in a book about a romance writer who hates romance getting stuck in an actual romance at a remote Alaskan resort, I’d say… yeah, that tracks.

This book is like someone threw every romance trope in a blender and served them with a side of emotional damage. Forced proximity? Check. Grumpy/sunshine? Check. One bed? Of course. Moose-related near-death experience? Weirdly, yes.

Margot is my favorite kind of protagonist—sarcastic, emotionally unavailable, and one inconvenience away from arson. She’s spent her career writing happily ever afters she doesn’t believe in, only to get canceled when her secret angsty endings leak. So she pivots to murder. Fictionally. Probably. Enter Forrest, a broody ex-cancer researcher turned reluctant innkeeper who’s determined not to fall for the chaotic writer crashing at his family’s resort. (Spoiler: he fails.)

This book is hilarious but also unexpectedly tender. Margot and Forrest carry so much baggage, and watching them unpack it together (in a snowstorm, obviously) was so satisfying. Plus, the sister relationship between Margot and Savannah? I would fight God for them.

If you love tropey romance with a side of existential dread and family angst, read this immediately. Just… watch out for the moose.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Ms. Lavine for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Right off the bat I knew there was going to be trouble when main character Margot decides to wear beige granny panties on a Zoom interview being streamed to thousands of fans. I mean. When has that EVER worked out? Girl: at the very freaking least put some sweatpants on. !!!!! I don't feel too comfortable sitting around in my underwear period: the neighbors come by, the delivery person looks through the windows, life happens, whatever, and you're in your underwear? Recipe for disaster. Not a good idea.

My second immediate thought was, woman! a hacker has been ON YOUR DEVICE, stealing files, and she's worried about her sister being disillusioned? I mean, ok, yes, that's very sad, CALL YOUR BANK AND PUT HOLDS ON ALL YOUR CARDS AND CHANGE ALL YOUR PASSWORDS STAT. lol. I am clearly a person whose priorities are different than Margot's.

Then, THEN, Margot goes to Alaska where she has a panic attack over a tame moose, treats the resort owner like a bellboy (who asks the owner [or even a bellboy] to fill her Stanley with water? How spoiled can you be?), and almost burns down the cabin because she's too stubborn to admit she doesn't know what a flue is or how it works. Sigh. As a card-carrying Ravenclaw, ignorance and ineptitude are not my thing, like, at ALL. And her entitled, bossy-boots attitude was super off-putting. If you've been cancelled, rightfully or no, maybe don't act like a giant jerk to people? So I had a hard time with Margot, at first.

You might be thinking, yes, but, why the decent rating if the beginning was so rocky? Well. I really enjoyed that Ms. Lavine so intentionally dragged in and lampooned every single romance trope. Margot even makes jokes about the fact that every aspect of her and Forrest's relationship is one trope after another. Her gradual unbending about her resistance to love (after having been burned by her fiancee and, more damagingly, by her father) is the best part of all. Frankly I would have been happy if she'd just gone home to L.A., being honest about the fact that it took a good experience to reopen her heart to love and romance. I do wish we could have heard more about Savannah and how her new life was going to work out. I got the distinct impression that Margot had to take care of her a lot and I was curious how various aspects of her life were changing with her new living situation.

Overall despite the rocky start I finished the book feeling good about it. I would definitely recommend this to readers who prefer contemporary romances, rom-coms in particular. ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Length: 320 pages
Source: NetGalley eARC, Atria Books
Publication date: April 1, 2025

5 ⭐️
3 🌶️

Margot Bradley is a well-known romance author who no longer believes in romance. Happily Ever Afters? Try Happily Never Afters, the alternate endings that Margot writes for her books—all the ugly, sad, miserable endings readers don’t see after the characters declare their love for one another. And unfortunately, Margot’s private journal of HNAs makes it out into the social-media world, and she’s quickly canceled—by fans AND by her publisher.

Margot, with her sister’s insistence, decides to try reinventing herself as a mystery writer, and said sister books her for a six-week vacay to a remote Alaskan resort. Once there, Margot finds herself smack-dab in what seems to be one of her old romance novels, complete with every trope she can think of. Handsome doctor? Check. Rescuing the heroine from wildlife? Check. Cooking for her and giving her a cute nickname? Check, check. There are even micro-tropes! Henley shirts, muscled forearms, heroic good looks … what's a girl to do?

Forrest Wakefield is clearly too good to be true, and Margot’s cynical heart won’t let her forget that men like him can’t possibly exist. For Forrest, Margot looks like his dream girl, but there’s no way he has the time or desire to put himself out there. He’s busy taking care of his sick dad, and he’s been burned in the past after getting involved with a guest. He’s not going down that road again, especially since Margot’s only staying for six weeks.

But the tropes want what the tropes want—a real HEA—and Margot and Forrest find themselves thrown together time and again, hurtful pasts and messy presents be damned.

Whew … this book! I loved it. Incredibly well-written and a distinctive writing voice. The two main characters were so clear and fleshed out, I had absolutely no trouble picturing them (and that kind of mental visualization is really difficult for those of us with ADHD). And debut-author Lavine really didn’t want to leave out any trope. Margot mentions most of them explicitly, in case you miss any. Now are there those tropes we hate as well? Yes, yes, there are (I’m not going to spoil it with which ones, but if you read a lot of romance, you can probably guess).

If you’re old enough to have ever been in love, I would think you’ve been in Margot’s shoes at one point or another, even if you found your own Happily Ever After or believe that The One is still out there. But my guess is at some point, we’ve all felt like, “Love’s not worth it, so burn it all to the ground!” or “I’m NEVER putting myself out there again.” I felt Margot’s cynicism and defensiveness so strongly as she tried to not fall in love with Forrest, and it hurt, even knowing she was only trying to protect herself. And yet, I also laughed more at this book than I have in a long time while reading a rom-com. Both Margot and Forrest were humorous in their ways, and getting to be in both their heads had me cackling. (Even Lavine’s acknowledgements were funny!) And yes ... Forrest, despite his faults, IS that perfect book boyfriend.

Any Trope But You gives you all this and more:
—City girl x backcountry boy
—Forced proximity
—So much banter
—Only one tent
—Slow burn
—Snowed in
—Dual POV

So what’s the verdict? Definitely a yes from me. I’m ridiculously into this author’s debut and look forward to more.

— A

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for an eARC of this book. All opinions are mine. Review up now on BlueSky, StoryGraph, Fable, Tome, and BookBub.

A jaded romance author meets the cumilnation of all the male love interests she's ever written and fights her hardest not to fall in love with him. Any Trope but You breathes new life into all the classic romance tropes in an ode to romance readers and happily ever afters.

I had heard lots of hype about this Alaska-based rom com for months and I’m so happy I got a sneak peak (it’s out tomorrow). If you like Abby Jimenez books, you’ll love this one. Romantic but dealing with real issues and hard choices with the backdrop of beautiful Alaska scenery, this is the perfect escapist romance to put a smile on your face and tear in your eye. A friendly moose named Bullwinkle doesn’t hurt either. Thanks @netgalley for my advanced copy!!

“Romance readers are the best kinds of readers. For one, we buy ALL the books.”
“Secondly, and most importantly, we believe in true love.”

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the free book! All opinions are my own. #Atria

I had so much fun reading this book! Any Trope But You is witty, heartfelt, hilarious and so very sweet. If you are a romance reader then this is one you can’t miss! I am so excited to read whatever Victoria Lavine writes next!

Best selling romance author, Margo’s secret is out -- she doesn’t really believe in happily ever afters. Having been canceled by her fans and dropped by her publisher, Margo heads to a remote Alaskan resort at the request of her sister to regroup. While there she meets Forrest, the adorable doctor turned inn proprietor who epitomizes all of the romance tropes she has only ever written about in her books.

On its surface Any Trope But You seems like just another fun filled romance but there are many deeper and more emotional moments woven throughout. Margo and Forrest are both struggling to find a balance in their lives between following their dreams and providing care for their loved ones. They fight their connection because neither of their lives feel completely their own and the sense of responsibility they each bear is profound. I loved watching their journeys of self discovery and fell in love with the adorable cast of characters that surrounds them. The story is beautifully written, from start to finish and I am so glad to have read it.

Read if you like:

Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Alaska Setting
Slow Burn
Some Spice
Debut Authors

This one made me laugh, swoon, and ache. It was so good. What a debut! It’s so cozy and real. And I loved getting to explore the Alaskan wilderness.

3.5* stars - thank you netgalley and atria books for this free ARC!

seeing as it's the night before publishing day, what a perfect evening to finish this! i really enjoyed this seeing as the plot was pretty unique and the main characters were so easy to love. "enemies to lovers" is such an odd trope to tackle for contemporary romances but this one was great! it wasn't surface level storytelling too, there were some deep and real life moments in here that made the book more enjoyable honestly because it felt relatable. i highly recommend this for your next rom com!!!

I've been in a reading rut and really burnt out from work, and Any Trope but You was a great fix as winter comes to an end. A trope-aware romance, Any Trope but You follows disgraced romance author Margot as she takes a getaway to an Alaskan resort to write her next book. There she meets Forest, a cancer researcher who is back at his family's resort to take care of his sick father. With charming characters I rooted for, good banter, and a cozy setting, Any Trope but You was a strong debut by Victoria Lavine and I look forward to reading more by her.

I absolutely loved this book! Margot and Forrest’s banter was so good and it was genuinely just a perfect romcom, feel good, slow burn story that left me with me all warm and fuzzy! I can’t wait to see what comes next from Victoria.

A very cute romance novel which quite honestly covered every trope in existence. Although that may sound crazy this is exactly what made this book fun and different. Margot is a very successful author but one mishap puts all of her fears and insecurities out in the open for all of her devoted fans to see. In an attempt to save her career Margot ends up at a winter lodge in Alaska where she meets Forrest. As part of the medical field, Forrest has always been a success story, however he is now back at the lodge taking care of his father and slowly losing his mind. When the two of them meet instantly sparks fly. Will the tropes bring them together? Or will Margot's reservation run out before Forrest can make a move?

Pros: I loved the use of all of the tropes throughout this novel. I felt that it added something different.

Cons: It was a very cute novel but overall it was very predictable. However I still enjoyed it and highly suggest to romance lovers.

Special thanks to Atria Books for the early release through Netgalley.

This book was better than I expected. You get so many rom com tropes at once and honestly I was worried it would feel like a jumbled mess, but it worked!!

Margo Bradley is a bestselling romance author who shockingly doesn’t believe in Happily Ever After.’s! Crazy right!? When her secret work in progress “Happily Never After” document is leaked, she gets cancelled big time. So she decides the best thing for her to do is to run away to Alaska (of all places) and write a murder mystery? (This had me cracking up!) That’s when we meet Forrest Wakefield, a doctor who is now (against his own wishes) a lodge owner, but he had a heart of gold and is grumpy to everyone but has a soft spot for Margo. (cue the cartoon heart eyes!!)

This books was just so much fun, though my only complaint was the ending felt so rushed, it honestly could have had like 3 more chapters and I wouldn’t have complained at all!! lol. I needed MORE. And the fact the book was so self aware, with Margo literally pointing out all the tropes had me cackling!! This was the exact type of romcom I needed.

So a huge thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for the eArc in exchange for my honest review. I had a great time with this book!!

First of all, I love this title! I really enjoy a playful yet on the nose romance title. Excellent work!
Margot is the perfect cozy romance author with an unfortunate secret… She doesn’t believe in happily ever after. After her secret is hacked she’s forced by her sister on an Alaskan getaway. There she meets Forrest, who she bonds with over being caregivers to their family members, but also clashes with. These two engage in some high jinx that seem very familiar to romance readers, a.k.a. tropes! Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Despite having a winter cover, I think this is an absolute perfect be treat!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun book. I loved the cover and the title was catchy. Margot writing Romance and not believing in happily ever after was intriguing and kept me interested. I liked seeing how things went after she fled to Alaska to write a murder mystery and continue to provide for her sister.

I loved the setting, the male main character, the tropes the book included like forced proximity, slow burn, enemies to lovers, etc.

Overall, the book was great but some things annoyed me a tad, like feeling the ending was somewhat rushed and I wish was more flushed out. But other than that, wow!!!!!!