“Any Trope But You” by Victoria Lavine started with a romance author, Margot being hacked and having her happily never afters that she had written shared with her entire fan base. This is a huge deal to the romance community and she retreats to the wilds of Alaska to see if she can switch genres and reinvent herself. There she meets Forrest who is her every romantic trope fantasy come to life. They both fear the intense attraction they have and so fight constantly to try and keep their distance. Fate has other plans as they are constantly thrust together in awkward and harrowing situations. Margot is even chased by a tame moose named Bullwinkle as her meet cute with Forrest.

The chemistry between these two was fire and the spicy scenes were incendiary 🌶️. I really liked the push and pull between these two characters as they developed their relationship all while trying not to. The banter and writing was top notch as was the character development. I did struggle with the constant reminders that their budding relationship was not permanent because it was sometimes hard to get into the development of the relationship when we were repeatedly reminded this had an end date. The main conflict wrecked me, I mean tears, but the grand gesture made up for the emotional trauma. Overall a good read that I enjoyed but also caused some emotional distress.

To start, loved the moose reference in the story. Not the usual rom-com but a bit more of ‘reality’ in the story. I thought it was enjoyable. I loved how both Margot and Forrest could relate to each other in care taking for family members and understand that stress from one another. I thought the HNE leak was kind of funny and a great catalyst for the whole story. I also liked how it showed how powerful family relationships can be.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for granting me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is due to be published April 1, 2025.

4.5 stars, rounded up! This was so sweet and steamy heart wrenching and all around a great time!

Any Trope But You tells the story of Margot, a best-selling romance author who no longer believes in happily ever after. In order to cope with being a romance author who doesn’t believe that an HEA is possible, she writes happily never afters. These are stories about her romance characters but in them, they are getting divorced and generally not living their best romance lives. When these are made public, she is effectively cancelled and her sister sends her on a trip to Alaska so she can pivot to murder mystery and get her life back together. But when she arrives, she meets the ruggedly handsome proprietor (aptly named Forrest) and romance shenanigans ensue.

I had such a great time with this one! Margot and Forrest are such complex and well rounded main characters that I couldn’t help but root for. But what made this novel really stand out to me, was the fact that they both acted as caretakers for family members who needed support. Lavine wrote these parts with such tenderness. Margot’s relationship with her sister Savannah is one the best parts of this book. It is also very clear that Lavine is a huge fan of the romance genre. I loved all the references to tropes that Margot was running into in her real life relationship with Forrest. I do feel like I wanted more out of the ending but overall, I loved this. It was also perfect timing to read a book set in Alaska because I could pretend it wasn’t almost 80 degrees when I was reading it.

I would highly reccomend y’all pick it up when it comes out!!

“Any Trope But You,” by Victoria Lavine is the romance novel I didn’t know I needed. I expected this book to be overly cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised by how Lavine’s use of familiar tropes balanced heart, heat, humor, and charm. I instantly connected with Margot and found myself looking forward to the weekly adventures and letters from her sister. Her chemistry and banter with Forest are relatable and not over the top. I enjoyed this read so much and will be eagerly awaiting Lavine’s next book.

Happy publication week! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy for review.

Sure! Here’s a friendly but honest review:

Review of Any Trope But You

I really wanted to love Any Trope But You! The premise—a romance writer struggling to believe in her own love story—was such a fun idea, and I enjoyed the way the book poked fun at popular tropes. There were some genuinely funny moments, especially when those tropes were called out in a tongue-in-cheek way.

Unfortunately, despite the clever concept, the story just didn’t hold my attention. I kept waiting for something to pull me in, but I found myself getting bored as it went on. Ultimately, I didn’t finish the book, which was disappointing because I had high hopes for it. If you love meta-romance and don’t mind a slower pace, it might still be worth a try!

I loved this and ended up staying up late to finish it, a decision I don’t take lightly in the middle of test season. I love that this book explored a lot of the most popular romance book tropes in a way that was both authentic and self-aware. The main characters, while both dealing with complex situations and making a lot of growth throughout the book, were adults and able to communicate - thankfully the one trope the author wisely skipped is miscommunication.

The setting was perfection - a lodge set in a wild, untouched part of Alaska. I loved the descriptions and the way the setting played so well into the plot. While there was a fish out of water situation with the female lead, she wasn’t presented as completely vapid, which I appreciated.

Margot is an extremely successful romance writer, until her secret file, created out of her own disillusionment with love, is leaked, causing her to become a pariah in the romance world overnight. Her sister sends her to Alaska as a reset, where she sets out to reinvent herself and save her career by writing a murder mystery. While there, she meets Forrest, a doctor who gave up practicing medicine to care full time for his father.

I think I might be an outlier for this book. I liked it, but didn't love it. Margot is a well-known romance writer who has an online book meet with her readers that goes terribly wrong. Believing her career has ended, she decides to head to the wilds of Alaska due to her sister's assistance and opts to work on a horror novel instead of her traditional HEA. There, she runs into the son of the owner of the property, Forrest. Forrest is grumpy, surly, and crazy brilliant. These two do not hit it off from the start, but when hit with every trope in the book, it soon becomes evident that an HEA may be in store for them at all. I loved how cute this one was. The characters and setting were great. I did like Margot and Forrest and their back stories. The one thing that kept taking me out of this book is the amount of metaphors, similes, and imagery that Lavine used. I may be more sensitive to it as an 8th-grade English teacher, but it felt like she used one of these devices in every single line, and it just became too much for me. Other than the juvenile-feeling writing style, I enjoyed everything else about this book. Kudos to the author for writing what felt like a love letter to romance readers and creatively working in so many tropes. If the writing style doesn't bother you as it did me, you may love this one. I do recommend it to any lover of the genre.

Margot Bradley is a best selling romance writer who doesn’t believe in happy ever afters. She escapes to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery.

Savannah, Margot’s sister books a stay in Alaska for six weeks. Margot expects to hate it but she enjoys spending time with the people at the bed and breakfast she’s staying at. It doesn’t go smoothly at first but in the end, Forrest and Margot stop disliking each other.

The first half of the book was full of wit and funny lines but the second half I didn’t love, hence why I gave it four stars instead of five stars.

I do recommend reading it though, it’s entertaining.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for a chance to read this book for free in return for my honest opinion before it’s published on 4/1/25

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has quite a few different romance tropes contained within it. It is told in duel point of views. There is some spice in it. I will definitely be reading more from this debut author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4/5 stars (“chars” 😂)

I loved this cutie little romance! It had a bunch of tropes, as the title suggests, and I enjoyed the chemistry between the MCs. If anything, I wish the ending was not as rushed and we could have learned more about the future of their relationship. I also think what helped make the book a strong read was the inclusion of more serious topics of loss and caretaker duties, so that it wasn’t a story solely about love.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the early e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

*ARC Review*

This book was so good! It’s hard to believe this is her debut!

From the very beginning, this book drew me in. I felt so bad for Margot after her disastrous zoom meeting, which then blacklisted her from the romance community because of her Happily Never After file.

Her first meeting with Forrest was hilarious and I loved the romance tropes that kept popping up throughout the story. Their connection was instant, even if Forrest wanted nothing to do with her.

Margot is honestly just a jaded person who has lost faith in love over the years, yet she still writes romance stories with the HEAs that her readers expect. I admired her ability to write books about something she has a hard time believing in. I also highly admired her strength - she put her wants and needs aside for her sister who has an autoimmune disease and whom she is the main caretaker for.

Forrest is a grumpy man, but also the sweetest man who gave up his entire life’s work to be his father’s caretaker. This man was a whole ass doctor, the top in his field for breast cancer research (because that’s what his mom died from ☹️) and he dropped everything to go home to Alaska to run his father’s resort and take care of him.

Even through the dislike, Forrest couldn’t not take care of Margot - from carrying her down the mountain on their first excursion, to skin-to-skin cuddling to avoid hypothermia. Their chemistry was so hot and when they finally said eff it, woof 🥵 The spice was so good and their relationship was so believable.

The health of their family members threw a wrench in their relationship, but I’m glad both Savannah and Trapper took control of their situations and forced Margot and Forrest to find their way back to each other.

Again, I loved this book and I cannot wait to see what Victoria writes next. She has a bright future ahead with this as her debut.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC! 🩵

Ok I LOVED this. It’s the author’s debut book and was amazing. The characters were pleasant. It was a fast read. Alaskan setting. Helped get me out of a slump. Poked gentle fun at every romance trope. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Thank you Victoria Lavine, Atria, & NetGalley for an eARC of Any Trope but You!

This was such a fun & cute read! Not only did it make me smile & laugh SO many times, but it also pulled on my heartstrings. I loved the fun take on exploring an abundance of romance tropes! From the funny meet cute to the banter & undeniable chemistry between Margot & Forrest, this book is everything you want in a rom com.

I loved that Margot & Forrest were able to form a deeper connection through their shared experience of caretaking for a family member (Margot’s sister & Forrest’s dad). Those relationships were extremely important to each character & the way they understood each other’s devotion to their families was so wholesome. Speaking of other characters, I also felt the side characters overall were all done SO well & really added to the story!

I just really loved this book & thought it was a great debut novel for the author! I will certainly read anything else she writes.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. I found the main character unlikable and the chemistry forced. Margot was rude and hard to root for. The setting was great and I liked the side characters.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC.

4

This was so cute!! I must say that I’m a sucker for an Alaskan romance (I have never been to Alaska lol) so I was really excited for this! Also, I love a story where an author is the FMC, it’s super fun to see authors get to basically write themselves (or parts of themselves) into a story.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about all the references to tropes and all, but they genuinely made me giggle. It’s kind of tongue in cheek and almost breaking the fourth wall a little? We’ve got enemies to lovers, one bed, snowed in, damsel in distress, etc, etc. and it’s really funny to see those play out while also having an MC literally acknowledge it as it’s happening.

The banter between Margot and Forrest was perfect! I was actually laughing out loud several times at their interactions. They just kind of clicked right from the start, even if neither of them could admit it.

Honestly, this story and writing style give me Tessa Bailey vibes! It was fun and lighthearted, but also had a deeper backstory for both Margot and Forrest and why they were closed off to love. There was a lot happening for both of these characters, and I personally could have done a little without the Adam and Charlotte storylines, as I’m not sure they just added a whole lot? Or maybe I just needed a little more from them to actually show more on how they impacted the characters.

The ending came full circle for Margot and was really satisfying! I was rooting for them both so hard. Is there a bit of a third act breakup? Yeah, but it’s not like brutal or anything, it’s more like adult characters making hard adult decisions (although Forrest could have been smarter).

This was a really great debut and I’m excited to see more from this author!

I received this NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Genre: romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️
Trigger warnings: Anxiety, (online - fan to author) Bullying/Harassment/general online shaming, Terminal illness (mentioned), Chronic Illness (side characters)

This book made me feel:

I want to say how much credit I give to the author for completing this book and taking the chance on their ideas that they have successfully gotten their work published. There are so many people that will never accomplish this same feat and although I may not have personally enjoyed this book as much as I was hoping I know there are plenty of people this book will be more suited for.

The blurb had me immediately intrigued by the book. It is a satirical romance focusing on a romance author who has lost hope of finding any love for herself after her past relationships have all ended badly. She ends up going to Alaska for the main portion of the novel where she constantly experiences classic romance book tropes.

That is where the intrigue for me ended. It was overall just an average read. I was not super engaged but it was still decently interesting, but it was extremely predictable which made me want to pick the book up less. Honestly by the 20% mark I felt like I knew how the entire story would unfold, which is not a very fun feeling. From there it felt like a bit of a drag to read the book because it was so predictable.

I also was not the biggest fan of our main character, Margot, because her personality did not seem consistent. One minute she was nice and the next she would be rude. And I could partially understand her reasoning - afraid to open herself up to someone new that she immediately was attracted to but ultimately she’s afraid she will end up having her heart broken. But the back and forth was not for me.

I also did not really feel much chemistry between our two main characters. But I do feel like that is mainly because we were going from trope to trope, I felt like we were just ticking them off a list, and we didn’t have any moments where we truly see our characters interact together just as people. I was just hoping for a bit more development of the scenes. Margot would also after nearly each trope happened would say the trope which felt unnecessary. I again get the point because she’s an author and brings in the title of the book, but it always took me out of the story a bit by focusing so much on the tropes.

Favorite Character:

Forrest - To me he had the most depth between our two main characters and the most consistent character to read about and from.

📖✍️🫎🏔️❄️🌅🏕️🧡

This was soooo cute and I was floored when I saw it was a debut! Obviously you know by the title that this will play with different romance tropes and there’s basically every single one you can think of here but it was done in such a fun and cheeky manner! It took a pretty cliched series of tropes and put an original and funny spin on things that I just adored. If a romance has witty banter I’m pretty much sold and there was plenty of that goodness here. Besides the amazing romance between Margot and Forrest the relationships with the secondary characters were just as charming too. Margot’s bond with her sister was so special and Forrest’s relationship with his dad made me teary at times. Since she is a romance author this was one big love letter to romancelandia and I thought that was such a cute addition. Loved this one clearly and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!

I loved this!!! Margot and Forrest’s story had me with heart eyes the whole time I was reading. It was fun reading and trying to figure out how they would end up together. I enjoyed the nods to classic romance tropes, I didn’t feel like they were too much.

A cute book that includes almost every romance trope in the book, yet doesn’t feel cliche. Margot and Forrest’s story is one that you’re rooting for the whole way through. Lavine does a great job developing the lead characters and creating a fun romance.

This was a fun read!

What I enjoyed:
*Main character being “cancelled” by her romcom readers for not believing in happy ever afters, escaping the world and working to redeem herself. Great character arc.
*The Alaska setting & mountain man hero who’s really a Dr.
*The family on both sides
*The romance and all the tropes!

Over all I really enjoyed this story and it gave me all the happy feels once I finished.