I loved this book deeply enjoyed it and it definitely talked about heavy topics but did it with so much grace and care. I laughed so much it was such a good read.

Drop me in the middle of snowy, small-town Alaska and call it a day because Any Trope but You DELIVERED. Victoria Lavine wasn’t playing around—this book took every romance trope, threw them in a blender, and delivered a novel that gives you that gooey feeling.

Meet Margot Bradley, a romance author with a secret stash of unhappy endings. When her "Happily Never After" files go viral, she swaps love stories for murder mysteries and lands herself in a remote Alaskan resort. Cue the entrance of Dr. Forrest Wakefield, a former cancer researcher turned lodge owner, who's as rugged as the wilderness itself.

We’ve got:

✔ Moose-induced meet-cute? Check.
One bed (you love to see it).

✔ A love triangle moment (just enough to be fun, not annoying).

✔ Steamy Sauna sessions. (Things get HOT in the cold!)

✔ A rugged, cinnamon-roll lodge owner (Forrest, I am free on Thursday).

✔ A romance author in crisis (Margot, I feel you, babe).

✔ Side characters so good I need spinoffs (Savannah book WHEN?).

Margot and Forrest are both so ridiculously selfless they almost get in their own way, but their chemistry? Off the charts. Also, can we talk about how the setting is basically a character? This book had me feeling the cold, the isolation, the remote cabin in the woods charm—10/10 on the immersive vibes.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC! Any Trope but You hits shelves on April 1, and trust me, hearts and minds will be MELTING.

Another absolutely absorbing and unputdownable 2025 romance debut!! I loved romance writer Margot who gets cancelled when her secret jaded heart is uncovered only to have her sister send her on an Alaskan writing retreat where she ends up falling for the grumpy guide, Forrest who has a heart of gold. Full of ALL the romance tropes, this book has emotional depth, strong secondary characters and great caregiver rep. There is also a really personal breast cancer awareness element that adds an extra layer of greatness. I can't recommend this one enough, especially for fans of authors like Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Any Trope Will Do by Levine is a witty and wonderfully self-aware romance that leans into every beloved rom-com cliché—and somehow makes them all feel fresh. The story follows a pair of opposites (naturally) who find themselves caught in a series of increasingly ridiculous but utterly charming trope-filled situations. Fake dating? Check. Only one bed? Of course. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic? You bet. Levine’s sharp, playful writing makes it clear the book is in on the joke, which only adds to the fun.

While the story occasionally feels a bit over-the-top, that’s also part of its charm. The characters are quirky but lovable, and the banter crackles with chemistry. It’s the perfect pick for rom-com fans who enjoy a little meta-humor with their happily-ever-after. Four stars for being a trope lover’s dream, even if it occasionally winks at itself a little too hard.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I’m afraid I had to DNF around 17% in because I can’t stand Margot as a character. With her being 30, she’s way too immature and her ineptitude of anything at the beginning was laughable. Her “defensive mechanism” of trying to make herself as unlikable to Forrest because she was attracted to him and scared wasn’t relatable, it made her look like a bad person.
Unfortunately, I have no motivation to keep reading

I loved how self-aware and self-deprecating this book was about the romance genre. It's always refreshing to come across a book that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Margot is a famous romance writer, but after several bad experiences with men, she’s started “screaming into her pillow” by writing alternate endings to each of her books in a secret file called Happily Never After. When one of her fans hacks and leaks the file to the entire internet, Margot is canceled. Wanting to encourage her to reinvent herself, her chronically-ill sister, Savannah, books Margot a six-week trip to Alaska to write her next manuscript. Once there Margot immediately meets Forrest who somehow embodies every single male character she’s ever written. What’s the catch?

This was a fun romp in the Alaskan wilderness. I liked the characters, especially Forrest’s family, and I appreciated that Forrest and Margot understood what it meant to sacrifice for a family member in becoming a caretaker. This deeper connection helped me overcome the instant-love trope. Speaking of tropes, this one includes so many of them that I wouldn’t be able to list them all. Because of this, it could have come off extremely cheesy or trying too hard, but it didn’t. It poked fun at romance while also celebrating it. Were the tropes turned on their heads and subverted? Not quite. But the fact that the FMC was aware of all the tropes and calls them out, was a fun spin.

What didn’t work so well for me were the numerous Swiftie references. This was also outside of my threshold for intimate scenes, but I skipped them anyway, so I can’t comment on them. I also felt like the characters called this an “enemies-to-lovers” trope, but I couldn’t see it; a little bickering does not equal enemies to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read but better suited to an audience who will appreciate every part of it.

📖arc review: any trope but you by victoria lavine
⭐️rating: 5/5
🌿genre: romance

💌my thoughts: thank you so much to atria books & victoria lavine for this ARC via netgalley!

i absolutely adored this one! i picked it up just for a fun read not having super high expectations & i ended up devouring it in a day because it sucked me in. not only is the banter amazing, i really appreciated the depth we see from margot and forrest🩵

the outdoorsy alaskan setting was also so fun & i loved all the side characters. the letters from savannah like cmon🥹

overall, i think what drew me into this story was how real it felt, although yes it did include the typical tropes (like one bed, a fav of mine🙂‍↕️), but it felt like so much more than that. i definitely recommend giving it a try when any trope but you comes out april 1, 2025!!

🏷️ #bookstagram #books #bookreview #booklover #bookaddict #booknerd #bookworm #readmorebooks #readersofig #read

ARC Review: Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

When romance author Margot inadvertently tanks her career, her sister sends her to an Alaskan wilderness getaway to reinvent herself as a murder mystery author. Margot is decidedly not an outdoorsy person, yet her sister challenges her to go on one adventure each week she's there. And if the person leading those adventures happens to be hot lumberjack who is aptly named Forrest? Well, he's nice to look at, though he and Margot certainly get off on the wrong foot. They soon find that they have more similarities than they initially thought - they've both sacrificed a lot to be caretakers for those that they love.

Both Forrest and Margot were such well rounded characters - while they both are caregivers for their family members, they also have so much more going on. Margot is a romance writer who lost her belief in HEAs after a bad relationship and her dad leaving as a kid and Forrest is a cancer researcher who feels guilty for not coming home to take care of his mom during her cancer journey.

I loved the premise and loved how much Margot made fun of them every time they engaged (unwittingly) in another trope - only one tent (a personal favorite), snowed in, hot doctor, he carries her to safety after injury, lumbersnack, forced proximity, "just one time", strip for body warmth. Even though the timeline of their relationship is pretty rapid fire, I loved seeing how they started to understand each other better and the tension that built.

There were a few moments that made me a little grumpy (I don't think the first bit where she tanks her career is all that believable), but ultimately I am just in awe that this is a debut! It absolutely does not read like it - I am definitely looking forward to what comes next for this author!

Read this for:
- Remote Alaskan Setting
- Caregiving for family
- Dual POV
- All the tropes (but not too many!)
- A love letter to romance readers

Thank you to Atria for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another amazing debut author!! Heck yeah, Victoria - what an entrance! 👏🏼 I loved so many things about this book.

✨ The location set in rural Alaska with limited connection to the connected world.
✨ The meet-cute between Margot and Forrest (and Bullwinkle).
✨ Multiple laugh out loud moments, great banter between the two MCs, spicy scenes were 🙌🏼
✨ Representation of caregivers to loved ones with chronic illness or other disability. This was central to both the plot and character development for both MCs. The constant battle between choosing loyalty and making sacrifices vs. going after selfish desires… both as a true and chosen limitation, but also as a crutch and excuse. The endless choices they each have to make. All of that was done so well and I completely subscribed to their histories and how it influenced their decision making and reactions to things.
✨ Relatedly, the bond and love between both Margot and Savannah, and Forrest and his dad. What beautiful relationships all around.
✨ Earlier in the year, I read (and really enjoyed) Unromance, which also does a bit of a “I’m gonna throw all the tropes at you” and I was nervous this might be too similar so I gave some space between the books just in case. But it was totally unique and I didn’t need to worry about that. I didn’t feel like it was too heavy handed.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a gooooood one. So cute with all the romance tropes I love! Enemies to lovers, only one bed (tent), forced proximity, grumpyxgrumpy. I love how the FMC is an author and literally laughs at all the romance tropes she encounters with Forrest. Like of courseeeee he’s a handsome doctor. Of course he takes care of his father with a disability. Of courseeeee he also knows how to make exquisite meals, and can also lead expedition trails in the depths of Alaska. Is this guy even REAL?

I love how caring and dedicated Forrest is to his father and also his work. I love his back story with his mother’s illness and his reasoning behind his research. How he’s also so smart in literally every way. When he wants to research more of Margot’s work and story he literally thinks to himself “is the pursuit of this knowledge ethical?”. Love a self-aware man. I love that he gets her avocados, and books a spa day, and makes her food, and how could you forget saving her from almost hypothermia the only way a romance book would ever do it(skin to skin contact of course, in a shared sleeping bag in a SHARED tent).
However, the sauna scene?? Anyone else grossed out by how much sweat would be involved there. I mean maybe also wonderful lubricant. But like that’s a lot of sweat.
Margot and Forrest both have such a similar world view and outlook for their own lives. They both devoted everything they had to help out the ones they love. I love how close Margot was with her sister Savannah. I love how Savannah essentially boots her off to Alaska to help her try and change her career path. Savannah’s letters were so sweet. I was GUTTED when Margot got the last letter. I GASPED and cried for her. So much happened in that short amount of time. The ending of the book flew by I almost wish it was a bit longer. I wanted more!! But also, how very Bridget Jones of them to have a big romantic gesture with one of them in their underwear.

✨“Not when she's the source of all my joy and all my negligence.” ✨Oufffff that one stung. The third act breakup we saw coming, and I was not okay with. Literally had me messaging my book club contemplating is anything worth reading ever again if they may not get their HEA?!?!?!? I wanted everything for them. And love them both so much.

✨ “You launched yourself at me the first time we met, and it was like the whole fucking sun fell right into my arms.”✨

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review ❤️

5⭐️3🌶️

Any Trope but You is a super cute, funny, spicy read. There were several times I was laughing out loud at this book. I didn't want it to end. I adored ask of the characters!

*Stefon voice* SPICY! I admit I was a little skeptical of this and slightly regretted requesting an ARC for a quick second, but I was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was SO fun, with a ton of warmth and heart, and I’m glad I read it.

An LA romance author finds herself in the wilds of Alaska at a lodge living out every possible romcom trope with a cute lumberjack, despite her best efforts to avoid it all and escape the romance scene entirely (hence the wilds of Alaska). I wish I could share some quotes I highlighted but can’t until the book is published—out April 1 so you don’t have long to wait!

Things I loved: the sense of place and family, the loving sister relationship, the portrayal of disabilities—especially invisible disabilities (it wasn’t a book about disabilities, just had characters with them who were treated as actual people, imagine that.)

This was a fun (and again, spicy) little escape, perfect for the tail end of winter. Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one was just not a hit for me! I enjoyed the sister relationship between Savannah and Margot, but I just couldn't connect to Margot as a character and felt like Forrest was pretty generic. :( I generally struggle when current events / social media is discussed a lot within a book and unfortunately this book mentioned Taylor Swift/The Eras Tour, bookstagram and booktok, various social media platforms and I just couldn't get past it. Overall, the writing style was good and I would for sure give another one of this author's books a try, as this is just her debut novel!

This story is one of the best I’ve read in a while! Margot, our main female character, is a romance author who’s reached her breaking point with the typical happily-ever-afters, especially since her own life has never followed that script. It's fascinating to watch her hit rock bottom in her career after being canceled, all because she struggled to believe in the very thing she was meant to champion.

Margot is a hilarious and kind-hearted character, and as we journey through her ups and downs, you can't help but start to understand her motivations and the complexities of her situation. Then there's Forrest, the quintessential modern male lead who embodies all the best traits we love in romance heroes. While some might find him almost too perfect or lacking depth, I appreciated his flawlessness—though it wouldn’t have hurt the story to see him face a challenge of his own.

Together, Margot and Forrest make an incredible pair. They share a unique understanding of each other's needs, which helps Margot grow and gain the confidence to believe that love and happiness are within reach. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a delightful romantic tale that redefines what a happily ever after can truly mean!

This was a swoony, heartwarming contemporary romance with humor and some *spice.* This book had me hoping for a HEA (happily ever after) even though the FMC doesn’t believe in them! There were as many tropes as you can imagine packed in, which could have easily made it extremely corny, but this author pulled it off!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This is just a fun read with a lot of humor and heart. It follows Margot (did anyone else have 'I don't know, MARGOT!' stuck in their head while reading this), a disgraced romance writer who's secret stash of happily never afters was leaked to her readers. Sent by her sister to a remote Alaska "resort" she meets the platonic ideal of a romance novel MMC, Forrest. She's forced into a series of perfect romance trope experiences that challenge her views on love and romance writing.

This is, most certainly, a love letter to romance readers and the genre itself. Margot's self awareness as she repeatedly pushed into situations with Forrest mimic what I'm sure most of her readers would think if they were in the same situation.

There's a depth to the story, as well, with both the FMC and MMC dealing with the grief of lost parents and lost loves.

This is an excellent debut and I can't wait to read more of what Lavine writes!

* Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

Any Trope But You is billed as "A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot," and the rugged proprietor is all the archetypes and MMC tropes she could ever want all rolled up into one.

My loves:
-It’s Dual POV. ‘Nough said.
-That meet-cute. #Moose #Bullwinkle
-“Only one tent” is the new microtrope I didn’t know I needed. Bonus points for it being under extreme weather conditions.
-Loved the flirtation and banter between Margot and Forrest (chef's kiss, five stars, would definitely recommend)
-Appreciated the chronic illness caretaker rep and the guilt that results for BOTH MCs when they have to decide between their blossoming love and their existing commitments to those they love
-Really liked all the opportunities for the MCs to meet up; they felt both fun and as realistic as one can expect from a romance novel--by which I mean this genre is always trying to contrive situations to bring MCs together (only one bed, anyone?)

My gripes:
-The constant references to romance tropes: “Oh this the X trope happening right now” or “I would NEVER fall for the man who meets this trope”.
-Same with the Taylor Swift references. Listen I’m a Swiftie too, but the references felt out of place.
-The story was very insta-lovey, and ::sigh::, that’s not my favorite trope. Don't tell me you love someone after 3 weeks--even a very intense 3 weeks. I just can't suspend my disbelief.
-I didn’t believe her fanbase would cancel her for her Happily Never After document. I mean, come on, let the lady have her outlet to vent, people.
-The end wraps up SO QUICKLY. Why??? Give us morrrrre.

Mixed bag:
-The letters from her sister, Savannah. Sometimes, I loved them because they added heart to the story and were an opportunity to flesh out Margot’s back story, BUT it also tore me from the narrative every time we cut to the letters.

Overall, I really liked Margot and Forrest as character: their personalities, their arcs, and especially their struggles, which is one of the key reasons I believed that they understood each other.

Any Trope But You releases April 1, 2025, and I would highly recommend it to readers who love romance and humor.

I received this early thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books. I'm a sucker for a grumpy MMC and Forrest was exactly it. It's got the perfect amount of spice and tension while watching their story unfold in an enemies to lovers. It's also a love letter to readers who love tropes. This might be one of my favorite romance reads of the year. I cannot believe this is a debut novel, and I am truly excited to see more from this author.

This book was absolutely amazing! Loved it! I love reading books that mostly take place in Alaska and this is no exception. This book was funny and relatable. I also loved the caretaker aspect to this book and feel as though there are so many people out there who when they read this book would find it relatable.

Probably one of my new favorite romance books.

🥰
I will definitely be reading more of this authors books.