gorgeous, swoony, romance with an awesome vibe throughout. the chemistry is awesome, and the protags are perfect. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for access to an eARC of this fun read! Set in gorgeous Alaska, romance author Margot Bradley is trying to reinvent herself after shocking and insulting her loyal readership when a Happily Never After file is leaked by a hacker. Driven by her need to support her chronically ill sister, Margot starts to pen a murder mystery while she endures weekly wilderness excursions. From her initial run in with the lodge’s hottie Forrest, Margot fights an internal battle between falling for this too perfect to be real romantic leading man and her wariness after being burned by all the men in her life so far. Forrest is fighting battles of his own, having reluctantly left his real life behind to care for his father and their family lodge. Snappy dialogue, steamy romance, and family loyalty all serve up a fun read which is a welcome escape from real life right now.

Bonus points for an author from Maine who calls out local indies I have visited in Portland!

3.5 stars

This was a cute romance. I liked the author & Alaska setting with lots of outdoor adventures. The characters were well done but I didn't find find myself drawn to pick this story up.

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria books for an advance copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC!
This was okay. I really loved the setting of the story, but the main characters lacked some serious chemistry. I liked them both by themselves, but they did not belong together. There was no spark between them. The side characters were fantastic. The beginning had me hooked, but as the story went along, it just slowly lost my interest.
The main characters lacked development, and I feel there was no progression with them.
It wasn’t poorly written or a bad book by any means, I just couldn’t vibe with it much.

This book is such a love letter to romance readers. It has the perfect blend of humor with some very heartfelt moments. If there is a book I would get lost in it would be this world. I just loved the setting in Alaska, the hikes, the adventures and the characters. Margot finds herself in an off the grid cabin in Alaska after being canceled because she does not believe in happily ever afters. So she is trying her hand at another genre. Forest fits about every trope in a romance book and is a successful doctor but moved back to help his family with their resort and help his father with his illness. These two could not be more opposites in personality and their likes but together they really do work well together and I just loved seeing the layers pull back. It’s a perfect book for book lovers and an adventure all in one!

Any Trope But You
🫎🗻
“I scoop her up and hold her to my chest, the scent of gardenias enveloping me like every reminder of home I’ve been craving.”
•
Okay listen, it’s right there in the title ✨trope✨. Was this romance a little heavy handed with the tropes? Sure. Was it also everything I love in a romance? Yes!
•
“Alaska’s meant to be experienced outside.” 🥾☀️ I loved the setting of this book and I think it’s a little love letter to the nature and adventure lovers. Snowy mountains, cozy sweaters, roaring fires, the warmth of a sauna, a cutie moose, there was a calmness in this book that comes from a fresh blanket of snow. There was also a lot of adventure, hiking and camping, sign me up! We explored what it takes to take care of a family member, the sacrifices, the care, and maybe even the crutch of dependency. Yes it’s a fun read with some spice, but the characters had a depth and relatability that had me rooting for them the whole time! Dual POV check, beautiful letters mixed in check, lovable characters all around check, cute cover check! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🧡
“We’re two sides of the same mirror, perfect reflections of each other, unable to breach the glass.”
•
Thank you @victorialavinewrites @atriabooks and @netgalley for this e-arc! Any Trope But You comes out April 1st!

4.5 Stars!
I wasn't sure I was ready to read this book in March in West Texas, because it was taking me all the way back to the chilly cold of an Alaksan winter, but fortunately this book kept me warm.

Forrest and Margot are adorable. I appreciated how they understood each other. Initially I didn't like Margot, ordering Forrest to carry her luggage, fill her ice water, etc. Just felt like big mean girl energy and it was a good portrayal of how we don't act like ourselves when we have so much going on and we've been taken out of our comfort zone. I adored how Forrest referred to his heart as a home for Margot. Getting the fairy lights and throw blankets. I internally swooned every time he brought it up.

The third act break up caught me off guard. Like, I knew it was coming because it was inevitable that if Trapper didn't have an emergency, Savannah would? But it coming so late in the book got me. I loved that Trapper took things into his own hands and helped our lovebirds fix themselves. Why do I feel like Savannah was also an unnamed accomplice in this?

Before I leave off, I feel like a mention needs to be added that while this book was not overflowing in spicy scenes. Each one was placed perfectly and holy cannoli. The scenes were so steamy (the pun MIGHT be intended) that I can't believe Alaska had any snow left in the book. Perfection.

I know some readers are over the "tropification" of romance novels, but Victoria Lavine somehow takes that to the extreme and makes it work!

When romance author, Margot Bradley, is canceled after her personal files are hacked and her "Happily Never After" file- a document that contains alternative endings for all her books- is leaked, her sister sends her on a six-week retreat to the Alaskan wilderness to try her hand at writing a murder mystery, But when she arrives she jumps into the arms- literally- of the proprietor of the Inn, and subsequently finds herself falling into every romance trope known to readers with him. Rivals-to-Lovers? Check. Ridiculously tall and pint-sized? Yup. Only one tent? You betcha. Try as she might, Margot can't help but wonder if she's been wrong about her lack of faith in Happily Ever Afters after all.

This book had everything that I love in a romance and then some! Beyond the chemistry between Margot and Forest, I really loved watching Margot find her joy in writing again, and the inclusion of her relationship with her sister really made the book for me. Margot learning how to let go when it comes to her sister's care is absolutely integral to her making room in her life for romance again. The way that Margot and Forest handled all of the obstacles in the way of them being a real couple was also very refreshing to me. Two adults being open, honest, and vulnerable with each other? Wow, what a concept. Rest assured that miscommunication is the one trope missing from this book. However, I will say that the ending did feel a little bit rushed. But being that that is my one and only criticism, I hope it is clear that I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I wanted to love this more. I loved the premise and tropes, but the story fell flat for me in a lot of ways.

Forrest and Margot were cute enough, but i truly didnt relate to the characters. they both had issues they needed to work through, but Margot, girl, use your brain. i felt certain plot points involving her were unnecessary and part of the reason i didnt get more out of the story i feel.

This one was really fun and felt like a bit of a love letter to tropes. At first I was worried that this was going to be a relationship that wouldn't seem to make it once the story ends, but the author did a good job of addressing why this relationship could work.

The meta of the tropes was entertaining and I loved the idea of a romance writer who learns to love romance again. The healing journey of both Forrest and Margot was very enjoyable to read. It actually made me cry at one point. I loved reading this one and will recommend this to anyone I can!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think my favorite part of this book is that it takes place in Alaska.

I thought the romance was cute, but the premise of the book wasn’t really for me at the end of the day. I wanted a bit more chemistry between the characters as well. Overall I liked this, but didn’t love it.

This is sort of the cheesiest romance I've read I think. I really liked it and it was super fun but this feels so loved up and gooey to me that it falls out of the realm of realism but maybe that's why I enjoyed it!!

⭐️ 5/5
🌶️ 3/5

Thank you @atriabooks for the advanced copy of this book!

This romance was such a breath of fresh air - I am head over heels! Any Trope But You embodied everything that I love about the romance genre. It had the tropes, the tension, the drama, the kick-your-feet-you’re-so-happy moments, and those that just plain break your heart! A love letter to the genre, indeed! I couldn’t get enough!

Full disclosure: Forrest might be one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time! I loved to see Margo struggle with the he’s-too-good-to-be-true thoughts as they found themselves stuck in all my favorite tropes. He was such a GOOD GUY, so wholesome and huggable, just…UGH! LOVED! 😍 He was the perfect man to help Margo believe in love again. Swooooon!

Victoria’s writing was so easy to read, I am absolutely blown away that this was a debut! Her humor was one of my favorite things, it added so much fun to the story.

This was our Featured Book Club pick for ARC March & we were so lucky to have @victorialavinewrites join us for a pre-release Q&A! It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know Victoria more, chat about Any Trope But You, and learn about her writing process. We even got a sneak peek into book two in the form of a one-word hint - you had to be there! 😉 I truly cannot wait to read what comes next!

Thank you net galley for the e arc!! You guyssssss.... im speechless. What a beautiful, fun, heartwarming and sexy story. This story follows Margot a bestselling romance author who secretly hates romance or anything to do with a HEA.
When being interviewed on show her computer gets hacked and her secret happily never after file ( where she wrote alternate endings to her books with depressing and sad endings) gets exposed live and ruins her career. After that disaster her sister sends her on a 6 week long trip to a remote hotel in Alaska to write a new book in a new genre and really take a break from the internet all together. When Margot arrives she immediately meets Forrest in an absolutely trope fueled way (she hates this) they have the meet cutes of meet cutes, he's tall, a doctor, takes care of his family, enemies to lovers, one bed trope anything you can think of. This book was everything I loved the characters and the families and just everything about this book and not to mention the spice was... whew... HOT. I'm so in love with this story and highly recommend everyone put this on their TBR.

I'm going to start this review by saying this was very clever.

A jaded romance writer who, after publishing her happily ever after's, privately rewrites her endings to give her stories a happy never after. When her HNA files are leaked, her career implodes. She sets off to a remote cabin in Alaska for a career and personal reset.

Enter the ultimate meet-cute, who quickly becomes an enemy who gives her a cutesy nickname and has to rescue her, which is easy because he's a doctor.

If you think this is ridiculous because this sounds like every romance out there, you aren't alone. Margot completely agrees! This can't be happening. She can't fall in love precisely as all the characters in her books do. 

I don't know why calling out all the tropes being unbelievable suddenly makes them completely endearing, but it does. This book was so cute! Every character is likable, and Forrest and Margot's common ground makes their conflict understandable. 

For my friends who prefer low-spice or closed-door, this isn't it. There aren't many scenes, but when there is one, it isn't just an open door. There is no door. 

That being said, given that we have ALL the tropes for a reason in this book, I was able to laugh at one of his worries in the bedroom, which under normal circumstances irritates me to no end. (I sure hope this was one of the purposeful tropes 😂)

Overall, it is a lighthearted, fun, don't take too seriously romcom that also feels like a yes, take it serious discovery of finding your own HEA.

Also, fun fact: Alaska is on my bucket list. I want to fly into a small village and experience it all up close and personal. I'm planning to take my own bearded lumberjack-ish MMC with me, though 😂 

Review will be shared 3/25/25

any trope but you is the embodiment of everything there is to love about the romance genre. it is truly a love letter to romance readers, and full of the absolute best the genre has to offer without ever once feeling contrived. this story is for emily henry fans, but especially those whose favorite em hen novel is book lovers.

any trope but you follows margot, a cynical romance author who has found herself growing more and more doubtful that men like the ones she crafts in her stories truly exist in real life. as a way to cope with the sharp contrast between the happy endings in her stories and the harsh realities of her own lonely life, margot writes a “happily never after” epilogue for every one of the romance novels she’s published. what was meant to be a secret means of catharsis turns into the potential end of margot’s career when someone hacks into her files, and posts the “happily ever after” document for the entire world to read.

after losing the trust of her readers, and nearly being dropped from her publishing house, margot’s sister savannah books her a 6-week “go find yourself” getaway to the alaskan wilderness where the temperatures are in the single digits, there is no connection to the outside world, and there just so happens to be a man that embodies the best qualities of every single one of the MMCs margot has written into existence. the only problem? she’s supposed to be finding herself and writing a new manuscript, not finding the happily ever after she thought she’d never have.

i absolutely adored margot and forrest, both as individuals and as a couple. they are perfect mirrors of one another, understanding each other on a fundamental level. they see each other fully, caring for one another with such tenderness. any trope but you has easily become a comfort read than i anticipate myself going back to again and again.

review live on goodreads as of 3/24 (linked below) and will be posted to my bookstagram account on release day, 4/1 (profile linked below).

This book is so beautiful! There’s heartbreak, jadedness, romance, humor, and so many lovable characters. I really enjoyed how this book played out and found myself laughing and crying and feeling all of the feelings with the characters.

“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.” ✨

↳ ♡₊˚. The premise of this book had me hooked from the beginning: a romance author getting cancelled for not believing in her books’ happily ever afters ends up retreating to a remote lodge in Alaska and meeting a grumpy proprietor/cancer researcher whose one rule is to avoid dating guests at his family’s lodge. Both MCs, Margot Bradley and Dr. Forrest Wakefield, are so similar in how selfless and caring they are for their loved ones: Margot for her sister, Savannah and her struggles with an autoimmune disorder; Forrest for her father, Trapper, and his obstacles with overcoming a spinal injury. It’s very admiring to see how dedicated and devoted they were to dropping everything in their lives just to be at their side 24/7 as so many people often do in real life ♥️

↳ ♡₊˚. However, I wasn’t very interested in the romance when it did happen between them about halfway just because I felt like it was solely based on looks and attraction. I did love the quippy and snarky banter between the two of them, which I thought was hilarious. They did also have conversations about being caretakers, how Forrest found out how Margot didn’t believe in true romance, and how Margot found out how Forrest sacrificed his life back in California to stay in Alaska. But I felt like the instant attraction from when they first meet and build-up towards them finally embracing their growing attraction to each other fell flat for me, and I wasn’t very heavily invested in them because of it.

↳ ♡₊˚. Because they got together earlier than I would have expected, I did feel like I had to force myself to continue reading just because they were bound to have a roadblock or two in their way. And I’m so glad I kept going. Margot and Forrest’s relationship is plagued with so much uncertainty between their optimism for their relationship working out and their shared fears of thinking about themselves over the loved ones they’ve spent their lives taking care of. I feel like they have a unique, shared experience that not everyone will be able to understand unless you’ve been in their shoes and that’s what brought them closer to each other despite their constant fear of not letting anyone in too close ❣️

↳ ♡₊˚. I thought it was so interesting to see the themes of falling in love with someone but also falling out of love with them for factors that they can’t control as well as the fear of trusting and letting someone into your life knowing that they could walk out anytime. It was something I felt tugged at my heartstrings and it was so satisfying to see both Margot and Forrest navigate their fears for this on their own terms and with their support from their loved ones. I think the overall theme of learning that it’s okay to care about others but to also swallow the hard pill that sometimes you hurt them by not learning to live your life for yourself too was very important to include and was executed very well 💭

↳ ♡₊˚. I think my favourite parts of this book was seeing Margot’s relationship with Savannah and Forrest’s relationship with his father. I think I would’ve liked to see more of Forrest and Trapper’s relationship because despite him doing a whole 180 and leaving his life behind for his father, you didn’t really get to see many scenes of them bonding or what their relationship was like outside of Forrest serving as his father’s main caretaker. Margot and Savannah, on the other hand, made my heart swell and it was so heartwarming to see how much love they had for each other. Savannah deciding to carve her own path out of life and encouraging Margot to live her life for herself and not out of fear for her sister’s flare-ups was so bittersweet but full of love that I wouldn’t have complained if there were more scenes with them together. Their relationship was symbiotic and you could feel the love they had for one another in Savannah’s letters and in the stories Savannah recalled of Margot putting her little sister first all the time 💌

↳ ♡₊˚. I would give this a read to anyone who’s been burned by the flames of heartbreak, in need of a reminder that it’s okay to put yourself first once in a while, and still hoping for their chance of a happily ever after. You’ll find that you’re not the only one when you meet Margot and Forrest in “Any Trope But You” 🌄

“There are some people who come into your life—even for just a moment—who have the power to fundamentally change you forever.” 💘

Tropes:
- Romance author FMC x cancer researcher MMC 📝🔬
- Dual POV
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Caretaker rep ❣️
- Forced proximity + one tent, snowed in

Thank you to Victoria Lavine, NetGalley, and Atria Books for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨ (3.5/5)
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️
Tropes: forced proximity

It is always a bit meta to read a book when a main character has such a personal connection to the romance genre. This is especially true in “Any Trope but You” as the main character, Margot, is a romance author who is trying to shift her genre to murder. However, she keeps getting dragged back in to romance through every trope imaginable. I agree with other reviews that some tropes were necessary (only one sleeping bag OBVIOUSLY), but others didn’t seem like tropes to me until Margot specifically called them out. It took me out of the story a smidge, and made me question when storyline is just plot or a trope.

Regardless, I did really enjoy the journey Margot and Forrest took personally and professionally. The setting is also absolutely gorgeous, and loved their adventures. While it was dual POV, it was very internal monologue heavy, so their relationship wasn’t driven by dialogue. Overall, it was a great debut book and look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Atria Books for an advanced copy of Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine which comes out April 1st.

This was a such a fun romance! When a best-selling romance author makes a major snafu and flees to Alaska to reinvent herself as a murder mystery writer, she finds herself in a rom-com plot with the resort proprietor and wondering will this be her happily ever after?

I loved that while Margot writes happily ever afters, she doesn't believe in them and has her secret Happily Never After file -- honestly, I'd love to read the alternates of some of my favorite books.

I'm a sucker for an Alaska setting. I also liked seeing Margot step outside her comfort zone while in Alaska and Forrest was the best. I liked seeing them both come together over their shared experiences of being a caregiver for a family member. Margot's sister Savannah was great -- and I'd love to see more of her!

This had great banter, I liked the romance writer almost making fun of romance tropes and the challenges faced by both Margot and Forrest.

If you're looking for a great romance and a debut -- check out Any Trope But You!