This book was very well put together and included characters with heart and depth. Both Margot and Forest were strong individuals who spend day and night caring for those they love most (Margot for her sister and Forest for his dad), but in the end those individuals want nothing more than for them to have their own HEA's....even at the expense of a few Alaskan wilderness adventures. I really enjoyed that this wasn't completely straightforward, and still had so much heart.

Romance book set in Alaska- sold. I knew when I read that summary that this would be a book I would be reading this year. While I did love the setting, the side characters, and the HEA, there were several things that
I cringed at. I love a spicy book, but the spicy scenes in this one did not do it for me. Too many “sweethearts” give me the ick. The book features every trope, and I did love how the author addresses each of them, too. Thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for sending me a copy of Victoria Lavine's 'Any Trope but You'

Margot is a romance novel who gets cancelled when everyone learns she’s secretly written pessimistic epilogues to all her beloved romance novels. She runs to the Alaskan wilderness to hide and start writing in a new genre when she runs (literally) into Forrest, a PhD MD who loves his dad and has the physical attributes of every romance hero Margot has ever written. He’s obviously too good to be true so Margot pushes him away but how long can they resist the chemistry and everything they have in common.

There are so many romance novels where I really think, if there hadn’t been that crazy meet cute or trauma bonding or whatever brings them together that I don’t think they would’ve ever gotten together. Margot and Forrest are different than that, I think no matter if it was in Alaska or LA they really are meant to be together. It was so fun to see sooooo many romance tropes all in one book but none of them in a crazy overdone way. Funny and raw and relatable and spicy, this was so much fun to dive into!

I loved the premise of the female main character being a romance writer who didn't believe in romance and then gets called out for it! This was really cute and the I loved the build up of the relationship between the main characters. I thought they were so cute-she's awkward and he's sarcastic--so cute. Then every trope is thrown at you-which I loved! Very cute book and I really enjoyed it!

this was fucking amazing! i have never read anything like this! i loved everything but end separating then HEA. everything else was amazing

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I found this book fun! I enjoyed reading it, laughed out a loud, was sad and also angry. Also spicy!! Totally impressed that this was a debut and excited to see what comes next.

4 stars!

This was a cute read. Very quick rom-com, I'[ll definitely have to check out more of Victoria Lavine's works in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Romance writer doesn’t believe in romance and ends up in Alaska after her fans find out. Now she is trying to write a mystery instead. ARC from NetGalley.

Bestselling romance author Margot Bradley finds herself in hot water when a fan leaks her secret “Happily Never After” file—a collection of alternate endings where her beloved characters meet darker fates instead of their promised happy endings. Disgraced and disillusioned with love, Margot’s sister sends her to the Alaskan wilderness to reinvent herself and attempt writing her first murder mystery. But when she encounters Forrest, the rugged resort proprietor who seems to embody every romance trope she’s grown cynical about, Margot begins to fear she’s trapped in her own rom-com plot.

Any Trope But You was a pleasant enough read. Lavine chose to anchor the book in romance mores by using multiple romance tropes that Margot—and many readers—have grown weary of encountering. The book functions as an homage to romance readers, and there is genuine charm in watching a debut author play with the conventions with such enthusiasm.

However, the very tropes that form the book’s foundation become increasingly trying as the story progresses. The obstacles that keep Margot and Forrest apart feel disappointingly familiar—the kind of tired conflicts that romance readers have encountered before. Rather than subverting these well-worn patterns, Lavine ultimately relies on them to drive her plot forward, leaving the reader to wonder whether the book’s trope-heavy structure represents a genuinely fresh take on the genre or simply reinforces the formulaic elements that *can* make romance fiction feel hackneyed.

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

3.5 stars

The FMC Margot is a romantic writer who has just been cancelled for revealing her feelings of HEA gets sent to Alaska by chronic ill sister to get more information on the place where her next book is taking place.

In Alaska she meet the MMC Forrest who is a physician who has put his cancer researching on pause to take care of his sick father.

This book made me laugh but did make me cringe a few times.

Margot and Forrest definitely worked their way into my heart! This couple was so fun to get to know and watch change and develop. I was rooting for them from the meet cute! I loved how Margot was a romance author and how she would find herself inside the tropes she used to write and in the same process learned to love writing again. This is as a heartwarming read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Margot and Forrest are so so so cute, and I loved every single thing about this. I can’t believe this is a debut, but I cannot wait to read every single thing Victoria Lavine writes for the rest of her career. FANTASTIC!!!!

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Where do I even start? I wish I was Margot, but at least I get to live through her love story. Margot, a bestselling romance author, heads to a remote part of Alaska with no internet, no distractions, just nature and a chance to change her life.

But honestly I love this story and I wish I read it sooner and I couldn’t stop reading it any time I wasn’t I was thinking about this story and all the characters and side characters were just as important as the main characters and I felt every emotion reading this book it made me love it even more.

Read to find out :)

Thank You NetGalley and Atria

Romance author Margot Bradley secretly doesn’t believe in love—and her leaked “Happily Never After” endings just got her canceled. To support her sick sister, she heads to a remote Alaskan resort to try writing murder mysteries instead. But when a grumpy ex-researcher and one too many romance tropes get in her way, Margot might just have to rewrite her own ending.

I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved this one. One of my biggest gripes with romance is that the plot often takes a backseat—but not here. Lavine nailed it, weaving together two well-developed mains and a full cast of side characters who felt incredibly real. I found myself fully immersed in not just their love story, but in all the stories unfolding around them.

What really hit me was how grounded the characters' struggles were. Both were dealing with the weight of family responsibilities, and neither was willing to walk away from the people they loved. It made their connection feel honest and deeply human—like these were people you could actually meet.

This was my first Lavine book, but it definitely won’t be my last. I can’t wait to dive into more of her work! Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC.
3.5 stars

3.75!

These are not bad three stars because I genuinely enjoyed this book and I really liked the idea and how it was explored, but I would advise everyone to take my rating of the book I'm currently reading with a grain of salt as my slump may have affected my opinion on the book and it's potential. The way I started this on June 6th and finished it now makes me want to bash my head against the wall because the writing is addictive, and if the slump wasn't there, I would have binged this.

The story follows Margot, an author who does not believe in happy endings, who goes to this retreat in Alaska to write a murder mystery (I think?), I initially did not like her character, but I liked how stuff about her slowly unraveled and we were let in, which really changed my perspective on her and made me resonate with her. Her humor was always fun to read, and I honestly enjoyed her perspective. Forrest, is this doctor who has the personality of a grumpy caveman, loll. I loved him and his interactions with Margot, he was truly such a good love interest, and he made Margot's story very interesting. I loved the exchange of letters in this story as well, the way they were written was so enjoyable and humorous!!

I'm just gonna skip to the romance part because this was quite literally the part of the book which actually was the part that was my motivation to finish the book. It was so well written, like the chemistry that the main characters shared was so intense and natural, the tension and moments of forced proximity just heightened everything, the communication between them, and the understanding that these two established was what made this book so unique also not to minish how intense the spicy scene were ESPECIALLY the Sauna scene like go with a fan, guys.

Overall, it was definitely a very enjoyable debut!!

This book is beautiful - firstly do you see the cover? It's a moose! and snow, but mostly it's a moose! He has a name also, but I will let you discover that yourself!

The premise of this book hooked me in from the very beginning - the premise was incredible; I mean - an author being canceled for not believing in love/her characters HEA? It was just spot on, and felt a bit too real also I might add! The way she was sent to Alaska however just was such a fun and exciting twist that I really loved - especially when the setting itself was unveiled. The rustic paradise, the remote location... sounds enjoyable to me.

Trapper is just a delicious bonus - read this and tell me you don't have a desire for a mountain man? Because it's absolutely no wonder why Trapper and Margot had some instant attraction. I loved the snark and oh, that delicious banter between the two is truly one of my favorite things. The attraction going beyond anything physical? I wasn't buying that until towards the end. Their heart to heart conversations about caretaking and just how devoted and dedicated they both are? It was heartwarming and I feel like that was their true connection - the romance? I can see that building perhaps in the future, I just didn't buy it in the timeline of a good chunk of the book. The ending however - that I can get behind and cheer for!

I loved the overall theme of this book. The setting, the letters, the belief in what one is doing... it's just so satisfying. I found myself loving all of the other characters dearly - they all played such important parts and lead to a fantastic ending.

This is a wonderful romance, and is a perfect read especially for romance readers!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Romance writer who doesnt believe in HEA's falls in love with the ultimate hot grump on her reinvention trip!
This is what hooked me to read this and it was SUPER cute. If you love all the micro tropes this one is for you!
One bed(tent) ✔️
Forced Proximity ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️
It doesnt get better than that!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for this ARC. Unfortunately, I did not love it as much as I thought I would. I really wanted to LOVE Any Trope But You. The premise is adorable, the setting (remote Alaskan lodge with snowed-in vibes) is cozy, and I’m always down for a romance that pokes fun at classic tropes. And this book definitely delivers on that front… maybe a little too much.
What Fell Flat:
• Honestly, the book felt a little overstuffed. There were SO many tropes crammed in: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, snowstorm disaster, tent scenes, and WAY MORE. It had so many that it started to feel like a checklist instead of an organic story.
• I struggled to connect deeply with the characters. Margot’s whole “I hate love but I write romance” arc was fun at first, but it felt repetitive by the halfway point.
• The pacing dragged in places. I kept waiting for that moment where everything clicked, but it never fully landed for me.

Final Thoughts:
If you love tropey, meta rom-coms with cozy settings and a touch of emotional vulnerability, this might be your jam. For me, it was cute but forgettable. Not bad, but not something I’ll be raving about.

Due to medical reasons, I was unable to fully read this book but I throughly enjoyed what I did read, however I cannot write a proper review due to this. I apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

This book was published a few months ago and I wish I had gotten to it sooner! This was the perfect romance novel, I loved all of the tropes and being so obvious about it was a fun twist. The smut was smutty and I loved it. Definitely one of my favorite romances this year!