While in a zoom interview, a romance novelist’s secret document entitled “Happily Never Afters” is leaked to a legion of her most ardent fans, effectively canceling her in real time.

And so Margot is sent packing to Alaska for six weeks by her younger sister, Savannah, for a hard reset. She grudgingly agrees.

For someone who doesn’t believe in love after having had her heart broken multiple times, Margot ends up in a meet cute involving a flannel wearing, lumberjack looking, bearded mountain man, and a moose named Bullwinkle.

But nary a bother. She’ll just deny the attraction. Deny, deny, deny. And while she’s at it, she’ll switch genres and write a murder mystery while in exile. Reinvention is thy name.

Except Forrest, the one from the meet cute, has been sent to destroy her. He’s is every single trope she ever written only more genuinely, more loyally, more kindly than even her most popular heroes written on paper.

Forrest is hurting, too. He’s managing the resort for his father who had suffered a life altering illness. To do this, he’s given up his career as a doctor in California and he can’t imagine ever feeling like he can leave his father and go back. Even if he wants to.

But Margot and Forrest can’t deny the attraction and as snowy nights and unrelenting tropes bring them together over and over. Will they find their own happily ever after?

I liked this one but didn’t love it. I wasn’t a huge fan of Margot but I did appreciate her relationship with her sister which was sweet and felt true. Forrest was written as the perfect romantic hero, but dare I say, almost too perfect?

There were two parts I loved. Both Margot and Forrest are caregivers and have an innate understanding and appreciation for the other. The selflessness they show is lovely. And, when Margot finds out something disturbing about Forrest, he asks if he can give his side of the story…and she lets him. Believes him. Avoids the breakup. So tender and real.

I think Unromance did the tropes thing better, and I’m sorry but nobody wants to go ice camping.

A lot of y’all loved this, so take my review with a grain of salt.

✨I absolutely adored this book. If Hallmark and every trope invented had a baby, you would have this book.

✨We follow Margot, a romance author who is jaded by love, deal with the consequences of a devastating interview that has her sister sending her to a remote inn in Alaska. Resolved to reinvent herself she tries to write in a new direction, but when she meets Forrest, her heart decides it has other plans.

✨Forrest, a man who wears many hats, is happy leaving his life in LA to care for his father and help run the inn in Alaska. Destiny has another plan and drops a beautiful stranger into his arms and everything he knows goes out the window.

✨The banter is witty, the spice is spicing. Victoria does a great job weaving each trope within the story. I absolutely enjoyed the light moments along with the heavier ones. This debut is not one to miss!

🩷 I really loved the dedication; it touches on breast cancer warriors. As a breast cancer survivor, it made me feel 🥹.

✨Thank you, @Net Gallery, @ and Atria books, for the E-ARC.

This book was so much fun! The story had me hooked, gasping and cackling from the very first chapter, and it just kept getting better! I loved how this was a celebration of romance novels, from the self-aware inclusion of countless tropes to the physical manifestation of the perfect male lead, to the maim character's journey to believing in happily ever afters again. There were so many adorable and swoon a worthy scenes, and both main characters had so much depth and vulnerability, I felt like I was really able to connect with them in each of their chapters. This was one of my favorites this year, and I can't wait to see what else this author writes!

I was so excited by the title and premise of this book. I love romance novels, and I leave no crumbs when a romance novel puts a spotlight on the romance genre and our community. So safe to say, I was certain I would love this book…. but unfortunately, I just didn’t.

The premise has so much potential, and there were moments that I loved - the letters from her sister being one and the humor being another). That said, my biggest issue with this book is the sheer lack of finesse. There was no subtlety in how the tropes were written/discussed within the book. Trust that your readers know and love these tropes just as well as you do and that they all don’t need to be spelled out in black and white to be noticed.

Additionally, the main characters’ personalities were too similar to be realistic or convincing. They had the same sense of humor. They had both given up on love. They even the exact same family health dynamics impacting their lives. The lack of variety in character background and development left me unconnected and detached.

I do think this author shows a lot of promise, and I may pick up another novel of hers in the future, once she has more experience.

Imagine all your favorite romance tropes playing out in one funny, lighthearted story…I thoroughly enjoyed this debut! Margo, a romance author, struggling after a recent marketing snafu, travels to Alaska to refocus and write a story in a new genre. Forrest, the rugged resort proprietor, seems to do anything to convince her she’s living in a real-life rom-com. The scenarios these two get into, the banter, the steam…it’s all there with all best romance tropes and all interwoven into a story that made me laugh and smile and swoon. I had the pleasure to attend a zoom with the author-she’s as sweet as the story she wrote, and am so excited to follow her journey with her future books. Shout-out for the cover…it drew me right in with its own little story and cuteness! 4.45 stars

I really wanted to love this one because it sounded really interesting but overall I thought this was ok.

There were some cute moments between Margot and Forrest, but I didn’t feel connected to their characters. I wasn’t as invested in them getting together and felt there wasn’t any chemistry between them.

Margot’s relationship with her sister was really sweet. I liked how supportive they are and the love/care they have for one another. I did enjoy the setting I think it was fun and made me want to book a trip somewhere.


Thank you Atria and Netgalley for the arc.

Witty, heartwarming, and full of charm! Margot flees to Alaska to escape romance but finds a grumpy, swoon-worthy resort owner/doctor, Forrest. Between moose encounters and crackling chemistry, this book delivers forced proximity, humor, and just the right touch of emotional depth. A must-read for rom-com lovers and an incredible debut! Victoria has a hilarious and utterly relatable voice. I'll be keeping an eye out for her next book!

✨ This is so good and so fun. Margot is a famous romance author from Los Angeles… but when her fans turn on her after realizing how jaded she is about happily ever after’s, she ends up on a 6-week mandatory getaway orchestrated by her sister. This getaway is in the middle of nowhere Alaska, at a locally owned inn with cabins, home-cooked meals, minimal internet, and weekly outdoor excursions. There she meets Forrest, a doctor who previously lived in LA for his research, and the son of the inn owners. The two of them both know what it’s like to put your own life on hold to care for loved ones, and what’s it’s like for the internet to turn on you.

👉🏻 As a wife of an outdoorsman, so much of this was relatable!! Thankfully I’ve never gotten a sprained ankle on a hike, but I have been pre-hypothermic and it’s so scary!

The tent scene …… IYKYK. 🔥 🏕️

Check it out if you like:
⛺️ fish out of water
⛺️ banter
⛺️ forbidden love
⛺️ author/city girl x doctor/outdoorsman
⛺️ only one tent
⛺️ forced proximity
⛺️ grumpy x sunshine
⛺️ he rescues her

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley - this comes out on April 1st! 💕

#anytropebutyou #atriabooks #netgalley #newbook #newromancebook #targetdollarspot

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine | ARC Review

Thank you @victorialavinewrites and @netgalley for this ARC! I loved everything about this book: a reluctant FMC that does not believe in HEA, a quintessential book boyfriend MMC, a remote setting with endless snow and wild animals, and all the tropes that could possibly happen in a romance novel! Victoria - congratulations on your exceptional debut novel! 🎉

4.5⭐️// 2🌶️

Margot Bradley sells romance books like hot cakes, but she has a deep, dark secret: she does not believe in HEA. For every happy ending she writes, she concocts an alternative ending in her Happily Never After document - a secret diary-like in which she vents her frustrations about love and romance, along with depressingly bleak endings to her characters’ published love stories. When the Happily Never After document gets leaked to the public, Margot gets dropped by her published, and cancelled by her fans. Her sister plans a little getaway for her, in remote Alaska, to help her find some new inspiration for a murder mystery, while taking a break from the public eye. At the resort she is staying at, she meets Forrest Wakefield, MD PhD, the son of the proprietor, and her knight in shining armor against a vicious moose. Sparks immediately fly, but between Margot refusing to believe in HEAs and Forrest being unable to commit to a relationship in which he might again lose someone he loves, their story has the hallmarks of all the love stories Margot has written before.

I loved these two together. How Forrest pushed Margot to become more adventurous, and how he secretly read all her romance books (very fangirl of him), and how easy it was for Margot to connect with Forrest’s favorite people (and Scout). Forrest (as his name would suggest) is one of the greenest flags there are, he shows Margot that romance doesn’t have to be about grand gestures, but it can be small and steady steps, until you can feel safe and secure with someone else. 💗💗

Favourite scene: Bullwinkle attack 🫎
Favourite 🌶️ scene: Snowed in 🤭

5 out of 5 Chars!!

I loved this book so much! It was like reading a love letter to romance readers. I went into it expecting a cute little rom-com and didn't anticipate the emotion and depth these characters would have. We see them at their highest highs and lowest lows and watching them come together for their happy ever after was so good. I never would have guessed that this is a debut author, the writing just flowed so well! The humor, tension and chemistry were sooo good!!!

Margot Bradley is a bestselling romance author who doesn't believe in Happily Ever Afters after one too many heartbreaks. She secretly writes alternate endings to her books, leaving her beloved romance characters with endings they would have faced if they were real people with real life issues, like affairs and divorces. Her career implodes when a hacker exposes her secret endings on a live stream event and she is quickly cancelled by the romance readers who had always loved her. Fleeing to Alaska to write her first murder mystery and reinvent her career, she quickly finds herself living in what feels like a rom-com plot with the ruggedly handsome Dr. Forrest Wakefield, a cancer researcher turned lodge proprietor who is taking care of his ailing father. We see Margot and Forrest experience nearly every trope she could have come up with in her novels, including getting snowed in, sharing a sleeping bag skin to skin to avoid hypothermia, and of course the too good to be true MMC of her dreams. Or is he?

I loved seeing the family bonds and showing the things caregivers sacrifice to take care of their family members struggling with health complications. There were so many tender moments but also so many places where I laughed out loud and smiled so much. I loved watching Margot finally realize that good men do exist and that you don't have to give up your love for your family to have your happily every after.

-enemies to lovers
-forced proximity
-set in the Alaska backcountry
-only one tent/sleeping bag
-caregiver representation
-cancelled author x research doctor

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy. It was an absolute delight and all opionions are my own.

3.75 stars! 🌟

Thank you @atriabooks for the complimentary eARC via @netgalley!

This book brought such a unique vibe to the romance genre by embracing nearly every classic rom-com trope—and the author managed to pull this off flawlessly!✨

Margot Bradley is a bestselling romance author, which contrary to most—does not believe in HEA. A secret document that Margot created that includes endings with Happily Never After leaks to the public, and unfortunately for her, she gets CANCELED.  With a push from her sister Savannah, she runs off to Alaska for a refresh and decides to write a thriller, because what could possibly go wrong? Meet Forrest Wakefield, a doctor who abandons his career to run his family’s Alaskan resort to care for his ailing father. Of course, Forrest hits every classic “book boyfriend” cliché. He’s got that gruff exterior with a heart of gold.

You get all the fun tropes in this book—enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, grumpy & grumpier.

💖Things I loved:
✅Forrest: ultimate book boyfriend. You can’t beat a hot doctor with literally everything you would want in a man including his selflessness.
✅Margot: she was hilarious! I found myself laughing so many times throughout the book. She also has a heart of gold and a soft spot for her family.
✅Alaskan setting: loved the wilderness and the snowy setting. It’s giving ultimate winter vibes.
✅Love story: I loved the relationship between Margot and Forrest including the tension, the banter, angst and emotional depth between the two characters.

❌Things I felt could improve:
💡I wanted to see more of Margot and Forrest’s relationship. The ending seemed just a bit rushed.
💡Margot’s relationship with her sister—while I loved how dedicated she was to making sure her sister was ok, I was also frustrated for Margot because I felt she was sacrificing so much of her own life.
💡There was a part mid-way through the book that I felt was a bit slow and was losing my attention but it didn’t last long. The second portion of the book made it up for it.

Overall if you love a book that is fun, light-hearted with angst and banter between two characters who embody self-growth and have a heart of gold, this one is for you! This is a love letter to the romance genre itself—Margot’s inner world of rewriting “happily ever afters” versus the real-life unpredictability of love. 💕

Any Trope but You exceeded every expectation I had going into this. There is so much depth to this story that I do not often see in character focused books. It is witty, funny, and very heartwarming. While I had expected a lighthearted read based on the title and description, I found this to be the perfect balance of emotional and hopeful.

The development that Margot and Forest go through separately and together in this book has to be the best part. Margot is honestly very real. Her reasonings for not believing in Happily Ever Afters are quite a realistic portrayal of someone who has been hurt and is afraid to be vulnerable again. As for Forest, I think this was great representation of grief and how guilt often affects the choices one makes in the future. The side characters also offer so much fun and emotion to the story. I think my favorites were Trapper and Savannah, as they were more prominent than the others.

This book offered so much more than a romance and it was exactly what I needed to read. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so very much to Atria for letting me read this book early! All thoughts are my own!!

Any Trope But You is a wonderful debut romance from Victoria Lavine, filled with family, love, and learning to follow your heart even when it hurts.

Margot is a romance author who doesn’t believe in Happily Ever After. She’s been hurt before, and she no longer wants to open herself up to love. Watching her open up through this book made me think about my own feelings towards romance that I’ve been avoiding. SO THANKS FOR THAT!!

Margot’s relationship with her sister was a highlight of this book. Savannah’s letters, which ultimately pushed Margot and Forrest together, were full of a love that only sisters could understand. Margot spent so much time caring for Savannah that she forgot how to care for herself. I adored this journey that both sisters went on to create a new dynamic between them.

Forrest has a similar situation with his father, but it’s unique as well. He’s feeling so much guilt for not being there when his mother was dying, and he dedicated himself to his father’s care, leaving his work and life in California. Both our main characters had sacrificed so much to care for their families, but they’re not resentful.

Obviously, this book relies on tropes, as that is literally the description of it, but I really enjoyed how fun it was to follow a romance writer be aware of the tropes and call them out as they were happening. It was balanced to nicely with the actual story around the tropes, and I had such a great time!! One of my favorite tropes is when he reads everything she’s ever written, and I just knew this book would have it. I truly enjoyed their dynamic and Margot being so quick to deny that Forrest could exist outside of a fictional story.

They get each other so well, like the way this book is written it’s just so amazing. Margot and Forrest had such great banter from the jump, continuously riffing off each other and being so playful. Their chemistry was making me giggle, it was SO GOOD!! They truly understood each other down to the smallest parts of themselves.

He’s obsessed with her dimples, and I’M OBSESSED WITH THEM!! I truly loved watching them grow closer together, knowing that they would fall in love and would ultimately have to decide between caring for their families or their love. They’re so wonderful and lovely and HOT!!

Normally, I’m not a fan of third act conflict, but this one at least made sense for both of their characters. I loved how it was resolved as well, which added to how well done it was. Even when the conflict with Charlotte came up, they were able to communicate and work through it together. I LOVED IT!!

The whole thing just WOW! I flew through this book so quickly. I could not put it down! This is such a strong debut from Victoria Lavine, and she has immediately become a favorite author for me. I can’t wait to see what else she writes. The writing in this book kept me so invested in this story and these characters.

I’m so beyond attached to Margot and Forrest. I need a physical copy immediately that I can mark up and revisit because I just love them so much.

This one felt kind of short for me. I believe the writing style just wasn’t for me. The plot itself was very interesting. I loved that the setting was Alaska. I also loved how her sister just sent her off because she knew it was what she needed. Forrest was indeed the perfect man. All her tropes came to life when she met him and she couldn’t believe it. The surrounding characters were so sweet. Like Forrest’s dad. I did enjoy this books but it felt kind of slow in certain places.

The way I ate this up!!!!!

Went into this book totally blind with no idea what to expect. And it was an absolute JOY to read. Funny comebacks and one liners, flirty banter, and an MMC I was swooning over constantly.

Highly recommend for contemporary romcom lovers & lovers of the romance genre in general

3.5⭐️

I actually found the plot of this book really interesting. The way Margot is a romance author so she recognizes all the tropes, and I mean ALL the tropes, that happen with Forrest. It sounds like it would be too much to have so many tropes in one book, but it worked and it was fun to read.

They had chemistry, but it was lacking depth. I don't feel like we really know them, mostly Forrest. We know all the things that Margot told us about him, but didn't get to actually see it as much as I'd have liked. But they were perfect for each other and I wish we got more of their HEA at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC 🤍 All opinions are my own.

Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine is an absolute charmer. Margot Bradley's journey—escaping to Alaska after her scandal and stumbling into an unexpected romance with Forrest Wakefield—feels so relatable and refreshingly human. The playful nods to classic romance tropes and the rugged beauty of Alaska made me feel like I was right there with her. Lavine’s storytelling balances humor, heartache, and self-discovery in a way that kept me hooked, and I couldn’t help but root for Margot to find both love and her creative spark again. It’s a story that warmed me from the inside out, even with all the snow.

This books is so good! The two main characters have both taken on roles as caregivers for a family member and that poses a challenge in their relationship. Both “stuck” in places they couldn’t leave and didn’t want to based on past traumas. The catalyst for the third act break up is heartbreaking but something they both understand. This book was sweet and spicy and worth the read!

Rounded up from 4.5

🙌 What worked for me:
• Margot's growth as she learned to trust not only Forrest but also herself
• Forrest: absolutely book boyfriend material.
• Margot and Savannah. I loved there sister- friendship. 🫶🏻
• The whole Alaskan adventure theme was really fun and made me want to visit Alaska (even more than I already did).
• Margot consistently pointing out the romance tropes between her and Forrest. This made me giggle.

🚫 What didn't work for me:
• The whiplash I had from Margot and Forrest's all in/all out relationship
• The ENTIRE romance community completely disowning an author over a "happily never after" file. I honestly found this a bit unbelievable. I've been in the bookish community long enough to know that this type of drama wouldn't cause you to lose the whole community...only some people would be really upset over this. The rest wouldn't care and would continue to buy your books as long as they were good.

🤜 Would I recommend: Forrest sure! This was a super cute romance!

Read if you enjoy:
✔️ Alaskan settings
✔️ Trope-filled reads
✔️ Sister-love

Absolutely fantastic plot! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I'm glad it has finally been released.