2.5 rounded up! ⭐️

The beginning instantly got me interested, but then fizzled out for me. It was hard for me to get through, but it was a cute story. In part, this could just be due to the fact that I’ve been reading heavier novels. This timeline felt rushed and unrealistic — think Hallmark movie, but with better writing.

I loved this book. The title drew me from the start and the book did not disappoint. A fun and enjoyable read, I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read Any Trope But You.

I kept hearing rave reviews for this one and had too much FOMO to wait much longer—and boy, am I glad I picked this one up!

What a fun read! Seriously… a bestselling romance author who no longer believes in love flees to Alaska for a bit of a fresh start only to run into a man who seems to embody EVERY trope that makes for the perfect book boyfriend!

Can I live her life? LOL

On a more serious note, this story was rich with emotional heartache, adventure, rediscovering passions and dreams, and coming to terms with the life we want instead of the one we happen upon.

I had so much fun watching Margot and Forrest butt heads throughout this story…and even more fun as they got to know each other better and their disdain for one another turned into respect and appreciation. From believing each other to be shallow to recognizing they’re far more similar than they could have ever imagined.

Any story that incorporates caretaking of medically ill family members always makes my heart hurt, but the beauty of this story—of wanting a better life for those you love…the messages and hope—I loved every moment.

Since it IS a romance, I knew it would have an HEA, but I loved the push and pull of whether or not we’d land in the Happily Ever After camp or the Happily Never After one…and even more so seeing how we get there? That’s where the true magic is.

And the narration for this audiobook was top-notch. Tim Paige and Jesse Vilinsky kept me hooked from the start, brought the story to life, and even have me wanting to visit Alaska for my own writing retreat!

Tropes
- Enemies to lovers
- He takes care of her
- Selfless caretakers
- Opposites attract
- Forced proximity
- One tent
- Slow burn
- Alaskan setting
- Sworn off Love
- Only you
- Grand gestures

This is an example of a PERFECT romance book, oh my goodness! It had spice, heart, soul and a perfect storyline to match it all! I absolutely adored Margot and Forrest, their chemistry and banter was so good and several times I was tearing up as well. This book just hit so good and was perfection, no notes!

Long overdue ARC review, but I’ve been dreading writing this one because I wanted to love this book 😭

The premise sounded SO fun, but I felt like she overdid it with constantly talking about every trope (using the word trope) and I didn’t feel connected to either of the characters by the end. It just didn’t live up to the hype that I was expecting.

Thank you @atriabooks for the free e-pub in exchange for my honest review

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of Any Trope But You. This book was such a delightful and endearing read, filled with humor, heart, and—of course—romantic tropes that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Margot, a romance writer who’s been hurt one too many times, is done believing in love. That is, until a hacker reveals her "Happily Never After" document, and suddenly her career goes up in flames. What’s a woman to do when her life is in shambles? Go to remote Alaska, of course!

Once there, Margot finds herself in a situation straight out of a romance novel, ticking off every trope imaginable: a grumpy, brooding doctor who sacrifices his career for the people he loves, forced proximity in a single tent, a shared sleeping bag, and yes—of course—a third-act breakup. It's all there, and it’s so much fun to watch unfold.

Forrest, the love interest, is equally lovable and relatable. He’s got that perfect mix of warmth and depth, making the relationship between him and Margot feel genuine and believable. Their chemistry is palpable, and even when things get messy (as romance novels tend to do), you’re rooting for them every step of the way.

What really made this book stand out was the balance between humor and heart. There’s plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but the emotional beats are real too. Watching Margot navigate her own personal growth, while trying to figure out her feelings for Forrest, made the book both entertaining and emotionally satisfying.

If you’re a fan of fun, trope-filled romance stories with plenty of heart and humor, Any Trope But You is definitely worth picking up. It’s a perfect escape with a dose of charm and a happily-ever-after you’ll love.

I giggled, I jumped, cried and got angry with this one. Not in that specific order, but yes.

I love a romcom, but it is even better when it is about a romance author trying to switch genre but meeting the perfect book boyfriend in a comical meet-cute.

Margot goes to Alaska to reinvent her career as an author, planning to write a crime book but when she meets the son of the lodge owner she gets transporter into her own nightmare-ish (not really) rom-com with all the good tropes.
It also goes into caretaker burnout which I find important and relevant in the lives of many people.

🫎 Rom-com
🫎 Dual POV
🫎 Snowed in
🫎 Adventures in Alaska
🫎 Grumpyxsunshine
🫎 Enemies to lovers
(Pretty much all the tropes🤭)

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Excellent debut novel! Any Trope But You has lots of witty banter and a super fun premise that provided lots of "breaking the fourth wall" references to popular romance tropes. I really enjoyed the characters, growth, and as an Alaskan, the setting! I have very little nitpicking to do about the accuracy of the remote setting, except to say that if you can drive there, most Alaskans wouldn't consider it remote :) Also, towards the end, the author mentions wind blowing through the pines, but we have spruce trees here. Pine trees are limited to a few specific geographic regions.

This book is great for fans of forced proximity, remote setting, and family drama. If you like books by Tessa Bailey and Jessica Joyce, I think you'll enjoy the humor in this one. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books from Victoria Lavine!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Marketing for this ARC!

I was so excited for this one based off of the blurb and the tropes. However, I have to say that I literally had to push myself to finish it. While the outline of the book worked for me, the small details and plot throughout did not. I felt as if every single possible trope was shoved into this book. It made the story incredibly choppy and took away from the plot and romance.

Overall, I would not suggest this one.

Thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the #gifted copy of this book.

"...being known doesn't feel like a threat. It feels like coming home."

Summary: Needing a reset after a devastating turn in her career, Margot Bradley heads to a remote Alaskan resort to start her new draft on a murder mystery, which is a big veer to the left from her romance novels. As soon as she arrives, she jumps right into the arms of Forrest, one of the owners of the place, to escape a moose, making her realize that she might have jumped into her own romance story. Forrest had to leave his dream job in California to come home and help out at the family resort. The last thing he wants is to have feelings for one of the guests... but during the long snowy nights, Forrest starts to see that maybe his frozen heart might just be thawing.

"I feel a sudden urge to confess everything. To tell him that all my life, I've wrapped falsehoods around me like duct tape over broken glass, so no one gets hurt."

My Thoughts: I cannot believe that this is a debut!! I loved this book so so much... It is full of romance tropes but done in such a hilarious way. I had a lot of trouble putting this book down. The growth that Forrest and Margot need to go through in this book is phenomenal to watch. They have each cared for a family member for so long that they struggle to put their dreams and needs first. But it is beautiful to watch them care for one another and realize that maybe their hearts aren't as frozen as they once thought toward love. The ending was perfect... a full circle moment!!

What you'll find:
💖So many fun tropes
🔥Enemies to lovers
❄️Alaska setting
🤩Forced proximity
⛺️One tent

The inclusion of the romance tropes within the story was well done, very funny and entertaining I laughed many times. This book got down and dirty in a sauna and many other places around the Alaskan setting. It needs to be read by everyone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
❄️ dual POV
❄️ single timeline
❄️ Alaska setting
❄️ burly, mountain men 🩷
❄️ HEA
❄️ meet not-so-cute 🤪🤪
❄️ grump vs. sunshine
❄️ only one tent 🤪🤪

OMG I enjoyed this read so much!!! I really loved the premise of this book, I LOVE books about books, the banter, the writing style.. this was a very, very entertaining read with all kinds of defences that I absolutely loved 🤪
After Margot Bradley has her private rants leaked (she doesn’t really believe in romances and kind of talks down on her readers) she must move to Alaska to reinvent her image, but switching from romance to murder books. I love that, it is such a fun plot! I’m pretty sure that anyone who reads the description of this book is going to HAVE TO read it 💕
I absolutely loved all of the characters!!! I loved the relationship between the sisters 🩷🩷 I loved reading Forest’s point-of-view and as soon as we saw the worry when he thought Margot might be hurt 🩷💜🩵💜🩷 OMG I fell in love with him instantly!
I really love the multiple storytelling formats in here! It makes it so enjoyable to read! The letters between characters in addition to the regular story-telling narration really made it fun and almost even gave us a few extra POVs 💕
The “only one bed” troupe is so silly to me, I just absolutely love it 🤪 and this one was so fun with its little twist — only one tent 🤪 There were so many tropes in here actually! I’m pretty sure literally any romance reader will enjoy this one 🩷💜

Wow this was such a super cute and sweet read. I really enjoyed it ! The storyline was adorable, the characters were great and the romance just kept me flipping the pages.

4.75/5 ⭐️ ; 2.5/5 🌶️
Tropes:
Forced proximity
Enemies x lovers
Opposites attract
Jaded FMC
Slowburn
One tent
Fish out of water
Family drama

This was an incredible debut by the author- I genuinely enjoyed the story so much. The story starts with Margot, the award-winning, romance author being sent by her sister to a wilderness lodge in Alaska with zero outside communication for 6 weeks. The goal is to cut off the outside world and criticism and explore a new literary genre.

Naturally, the lodge owner has an attractive son named Forrest— who happens to be a doctor too 😉

Soooo Margot’s sister (with the help of Forrest) pushes Margot outside of her comfort zone, she finds herself…. and her and Forrest have some pretty heated encounters… there may or may not be a sauna, tent, and hot tub involved at different points throughout.

I actually genuinely enjoyed this FMC throughout the novel. She's jaded about love because her ex totally sucked (so did her dad). Both her and the MMC are caregivers and they have to for once care for themselves.

All in all— the banter, character development, chemistry AND plot to spice ratio were great. The only reason I gave this story a 4.75 instead of 5 was because the ending just kind of ended and left me wanting an epilogue (personal preference here). But honestly, I can’t recommend this book enough. ✨

In this charming and clever debut, bestselling romance author Margot Bradley retreats to a remote Alaskan resort after a scandal ruins her career—her secret collection of cynical alternate endings, Happily Never Afters, has been leaked. Determined to pivot from love stories to murder mysteries, Margot hopes to salvage her livelihood and support her ill sister. But Alaska has other plans: moose chases, a cozy lodge, and the gruff but irresistible Dr. Forrest Wakefield. As sparks fly and rom-com tropes come to life, Margot and Forrest must confront their pasts—and fears of loss—before their story becomes the heartbreak Margot always predicted.

4.5 stars!

Alaska has never sounded quite so appealing. Margot's light, sunny, California blonde is the perfect suit to Forrest's tall, dark, muscly, athletic, rugged, smart, caring... I got lost, what were we talking about? Tropes galore light up this story, as anticipated per the title of the book. Margot even acknowledges the tropes along the way, which adds an extra bit of humor. There's a thread of rebuilding self confidence, taking risks and challenging yourself to go beyond your limits, which creates an uplifting experience for Margot in Alaska. Her sister Savanna sends her on this trip to encourage a reset and renewal and she was spot on with how it would help Margot move on from the scandal. Forrest's relationship with his recovering father is touching, and he and Margot make a super cute leading couple. Easy and enjoyable, with spice!

This book was an absolute joy. Victoria Lavine delivers a laugh-out-loud, heart-squeezing delight that flips the script on romance while delivering a perfectly satisfying love story of its own.

Margot is our hilarious, sharp-edged FMC with a secret soft side you can’t help but root for. Watching her go from writing snarky anti-romance endings to possibly living one herself (accidentally, of course, but something we all dream of tbh) was a journey I'd read again and again. The Alaska setting is both cozy and wild, and Margot’s antics — especially her run-in with a moose, which literally would have made me cry — are pure romcom gold.

Forrest is the perfect grumpy MMC to Margot’s sunshine (a trope we love to see). Their relationship is a slow burn (aka the best kind) full of wit, warmth, and those little moments that sneak up and melt your heart. The emotional layers — Margot’s devotion to her sister and Forrest’s care for his father — ground the story beautifully.

This is a romance with just the right balance of humor and heart. And yes, there’s a mystery element too, but the real magic is watching two people who’ve given up on love start to believe again (needing this right now).

This is for anyone who loves stories that embrace the messy, hilarious, and unexpected paths that can still lead to a happy ending.

This a good light hearted romance. There’s not really a villain which is a nice change. MMC and FMC both have hero complexes, both care for a family member so they understand sacrifices. Is the grand gesture as grand as other stories? No but it worked well and made for a good ending.

3.5 ⭐️ I am coming to enjoy books about writers and this one is a good one. But the highlight of this book was the two main characters yelling at each other from the top of their lungs. This was a trip through the best tropes. We got enemies to lovers, one sleeping bed (bag), snowed in cabin, and a few more.

Thank you Net Galley and Atria books for the eGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc!

If you’re looking for a cozy, funny romcom set at a retreat in Alaska, look no further! Any Trope But You has genuine, likable characters, angst, humor, love, spice, and plenty of moments to tug at your heartstrings. Not to mention, all of your favorite romance tropes are probably in this one!

Margot is a romance author who was just exposed for what is deemed a betrayal to her readers- she doesn’t actually believe in Happily Ever After. When a hacker reveals Margot’s secret documents containing her own personal alternatives to her famous romance books-aptly named the happy never after- Margot is seen as a traitor and a fraud in the romance fiction world. However, Margot needs to continue being an author- it’s what affords her a flexible schedule and enough money to allow her to take care of her sick sister Savannah full time.

Savannah decides for Margot that it’s time for her to disconnect and get in touch with herself, which is why she books Margot some time at a retreat in Alaska. When Margot gets there, determined to work on her murder mystery novel, she immediately jumps into the arms of Forrest- the retreat owner’s son, who just so happens to look a lot like one of Margot’s favorite male characters that she’s written. However, Margot’s walls and icy demeanor are apparent pretty quickly, kicking things off to a rocky start with Forrest.

Meanwhile, Forrest is a doctor who moved to Alaska to take care of his father, who was in an accident recently and is now partially paralyzed. Forrest is determined that no matter how attractive he finds Margot, he can’t get involved with another guest- not after the last time. However, as the two get to know each other better and realize how much they have in common, their attraction just continues to build. Neither one of them thinks they have a shot at a happily ever after, so why not a happy for now?

I really enjoyed this one! I think any romance reader would like this! Forrest and Margot are such great characters and their stories are so interesting. It really shows how much caregivers sacrifice for their loved ones too!

4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed the premise of this book! Overall, it had a ton of cute romance tropes that everyone will love to read and enjoy.

I liked the plot and the way the story kept me interested throughout! The setting was gorgeous and descriptive, making you feel like you’re actually there!

Definitely pick this book up if you want a quick, fun read that is swoony and note-worthy!