Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine is a debut romance novel by this author that sets her up for success.

Margaret is the main character of this story who felt really real. She doesn't believe in HEA because she was hurt too many times, she is tired of opening up her heart and getting hurt. And when she is forced (ish) to retreat to Alaska, she ends up meeting Forrest who shakes her world and makes her rethink her stance on HEA. Maybe love doesn't need to hurt

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am so upset with myself - I received this ARC months ago and for some reason just sat on it… shame on me.

This was such a fun read! Yes, it touched on a few heavier topics - loss of a parent, severe injury, unnamed autoimmune disease, being “cancelled” - but overall this was extremely light and fluffy. And hurray for some representation for myself in the form of a side character, as I’ve been dealing with my own autoimmune disease flare-up recently.

This book literally throws ALL the romance book tropes in your face - but it works! I think my favourite thing about this book was how self-aware it was, the main characters themselves actually reference some of the tropes as they are happening to them in real time. I loved this approach to a romance novel.

I loved the Alaskan setting! I am not American (and have no desire to ever be), but have spent time in… nine? ten? different states - and Alaska is one of them. I didn’t venture into the wilderness while there, but I still really enjoy reading books set in places I’ve been before.

For a debut, this has me excited to see what else this author will create!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC of this one in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dual First Person POV
Descriptive, open-door spice

This was cute and filled with all the romance tropes, but it ended up being a book that I really liked, but didn't love. To be only 336 pages, it felt too long.

Margot is a romance author that doesn't believe in HEAs after being disappointed too many times. When her secret file of Happily Never Afters gets published and makes her the pariah of the romance world, she escapes to Alaska where she intends to reinvent herself as a mystery writer. Enter Forrest, flannel wearing lumberjack, award winning cancer doctor, and all around romance hero. Margot can't believe she ends up living in a real life romance novel, but she should know that HEAs don't come easy.

There were lots of parts of this book I really liked a lot. All of the romance tropes were entertaining and made for swoony moments. I thought Margot and Forrest were both enjoyable characters and they had great chemistry and banter. I liked the sister relationship, especially the epilistory portion of it, and how both of our MCs dealt with their caretaking roles. Where this book lost a few points for me was in the spicy scenes when it became way too cliche. I also thought the book felt long but that's probably because they spent the first 200 pages having the same argument over and over. Overall, a cute debut and I would read more from the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a unique story of a romance reader rewriting the endings of her books to have more realistic endings instead of happily ever afters. These endings get leaked and all of her fans feel like they’ve been duped by the author since she does not believe in what she is writing. Her sister then sends her on a trip so she can write a murder mystery book instead. While she is in Alaska she meets Forest and she’s has to rethink on whether or not she believes in happily ever after.

This upcoming release has been receiving rave reviews, and I thought I would love it, too!

The beginning was entertaining, with a fresh, engaging premise and appealing characters. The connection between the characters was genuine, and the Alaskan lodge setting was compelling.

The story lost me toward the middle. Once the characters connected, there were a LOT of intimacy scenes. Too many, in my opinion, and it felt like the ending suffered for it. It felt rushed compared to the pacing throughout the rest of the book.

Spice preferences are personal, of course, and readers who enjoy more of it will like this book. I was frustrated that the book description gave no indication how graphic the steam would be. Usually, a book with this level of spice would have something in the description to clue the reader in.

I was so excited to read this book based on the setting alone. I’m a sucker for an Alaska setting, and this isolated Alaskan wilderness lodge with rugged outdoorsmen love interest didn’t disappoint.
Margot is a romance author who lost her belief in the possibilities of HEA she is uncovered and canceled by her romance reader fanbase for mocking the genre.
Can isolation in the Alaskan wilderness get her back on track or will Forrest, the lodge owners son, who is comically perfect throw a huge wrench in Margot’s plans of giving up romance forever.
This book was funny, heartfelt, and somehow still kind of believable. I really liked all of the side characters and Forrest and Margot were swoon-worthy.
This book is a good time! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the EArc in exchange for an honest review.

gorgeous, swoony, romance with an awesome vibe throughout. the chemistry is awesome, and the protags are perfect. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for access to an eARC of this fun read! Set in gorgeous Alaska, romance author Margot Bradley is trying to reinvent herself after shocking and insulting her loyal readership when a Happily Never After file is leaked by a hacker. Driven by her need to support her chronically ill sister, Margot starts to pen a murder mystery while she endures weekly wilderness excursions. From her initial run in with the lodge’s hottie Forrest, Margot fights an internal battle between falling for this too perfect to be real romantic leading man and her wariness after being burned by all the men in her life so far. Forrest is fighting battles of his own, having reluctantly left his real life behind to care for his father and their family lodge. Snappy dialogue, steamy romance, and family loyalty all serve up a fun read which is a welcome escape from real life right now.

Bonus points for an author from Maine who calls out local indies I have visited in Portland!

3.5 stars

This was a cute romance. I liked the author & Alaska setting with lots of outdoor adventures. The characters were well done but I didn't find find myself drawn to pick this story up.

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria books for an advance copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC!
This was okay. I really loved the setting of the story, but the main characters lacked some serious chemistry. I liked them both by themselves, but they did not belong together. There was no spark between them. The side characters were fantastic. The beginning had me hooked, but as the story went along, it just slowly lost my interest.
The main characters lacked development, and I feel there was no progression with them.
It wasn’t poorly written or a bad book by any means, I just couldn’t vibe with it much.

This book is such a love letter to romance readers. It has the perfect blend of humor with some very heartfelt moments. If there is a book I would get lost in it would be this world. I just loved the setting in Alaska, the hikes, the adventures and the characters. Margot finds herself in an off the grid cabin in Alaska after being canceled because she does not believe in happily ever afters. So she is trying her hand at another genre. Forest fits about every trope in a romance book and is a successful doctor but moved back to help his family with their resort and help his father with his illness. These two could not be more opposites in personality and their likes but together they really do work well together and I just loved seeing the layers pull back. It’s a perfect book for book lovers and an adventure all in one!

Any Trope But You
🫎🗻
“I scoop her up and hold her to my chest, the scent of gardenias enveloping me like every reminder of home I’ve been craving.”
•
Okay listen, it’s right there in the title ✨trope✨. Was this romance a little heavy handed with the tropes? Sure. Was it also everything I love in a romance? Yes!
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“Alaska’s meant to be experienced outside.” 🥾☀️ I loved the setting of this book and I think it’s a little love letter to the nature and adventure lovers. Snowy mountains, cozy sweaters, roaring fires, the warmth of a sauna, a cutie moose, there was a calmness in this book that comes from a fresh blanket of snow. There was also a lot of adventure, hiking and camping, sign me up! We explored what it takes to take care of a family member, the sacrifices, the care, and maybe even the crutch of dependency. Yes it’s a fun read with some spice, but the characters had a depth and relatability that had me rooting for them the whole time! Dual POV check, beautiful letters mixed in check, lovable characters all around check, cute cover check! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🧡
“We’re two sides of the same mirror, perfect reflections of each other, unable to breach the glass.”
•
Thank you @victorialavinewrites @atriabooks and @netgalley for this e-arc! Any Trope But You comes out April 1st!

4.5 Stars!
I wasn't sure I was ready to read this book in March in West Texas, because it was taking me all the way back to the chilly cold of an Alaksan winter, but fortunately this book kept me warm.

Forrest and Margot are adorable. I appreciated how they understood each other. Initially I didn't like Margot, ordering Forrest to carry her luggage, fill her ice water, etc. Just felt like big mean girl energy and it was a good portrayal of how we don't act like ourselves when we have so much going on and we've been taken out of our comfort zone. I adored how Forrest referred to his heart as a home for Margot. Getting the fairy lights and throw blankets. I internally swooned every time he brought it up.

The third act break up caught me off guard. Like, I knew it was coming because it was inevitable that if Trapper didn't have an emergency, Savannah would? But it coming so late in the book got me. I loved that Trapper took things into his own hands and helped our lovebirds fix themselves. Why do I feel like Savannah was also an unnamed accomplice in this?

Before I leave off, I feel like a mention needs to be added that while this book was not overflowing in spicy scenes. Each one was placed perfectly and holy cannoli. The scenes were so steamy (the pun MIGHT be intended) that I can't believe Alaska had any snow left in the book. Perfection.

I know some readers are over the "tropification" of romance novels, but Victoria Lavine somehow takes that to the extreme and makes it work!

When romance author, Margot Bradley, is canceled after her personal files are hacked and her "Happily Never After" file- a document that contains alternative endings for all her books- is leaked, her sister sends her on a six-week retreat to the Alaskan wilderness to try her hand at writing a murder mystery, But when she arrives she jumps into the arms- literally- of the proprietor of the Inn, and subsequently finds herself falling into every romance trope known to readers with him. Rivals-to-Lovers? Check. Ridiculously tall and pint-sized? Yup. Only one tent? You betcha. Try as she might, Margot can't help but wonder if she's been wrong about her lack of faith in Happily Ever Afters after all.

This book had everything that I love in a romance and then some! Beyond the chemistry between Margot and Forest, I really loved watching Margot find her joy in writing again, and the inclusion of her relationship with her sister really made the book for me. Margot learning how to let go when it comes to her sister's care is absolutely integral to her making room in her life for romance again. The way that Margot and Forest handled all of the obstacles in the way of them being a real couple was also very refreshing to me. Two adults being open, honest, and vulnerable with each other? Wow, what a concept. Rest assured that miscommunication is the one trope missing from this book. However, I will say that the ending did feel a little bit rushed. But being that that is my one and only criticism, I hope it is clear that I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I wanted to love this more. I loved the premise and tropes, but the story fell flat for me in a lot of ways.

Forrest and Margot were cute enough, but i truly didnt relate to the characters. they both had issues they needed to work through, but Margot, girl, use your brain. i felt certain plot points involving her were unnecessary and part of the reason i didnt get more out of the story i feel.

This one was really fun and felt like a bit of a love letter to tropes. At first I was worried that this was going to be a relationship that wouldn't seem to make it once the story ends, but the author did a good job of addressing why this relationship could work.

The meta of the tropes was entertaining and I loved the idea of a romance writer who learns to love romance again. The healing journey of both Forrest and Margot was very enjoyable to read. It actually made me cry at one point. I loved reading this one and will recommend this to anyone I can!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think my favorite part of this book is that it takes place in Alaska.

I thought the romance was cute, but the premise of the book wasn’t really for me at the end of the day. I wanted a bit more chemistry between the characters as well. Overall I liked this, but didn’t love it.

This is sort of the cheesiest romance I've read I think. I really liked it and it was super fun but this feels so loved up and gooey to me that it falls out of the realm of realism but maybe that's why I enjoyed it!!

⭐️ 5/5
🌶️ 3/5

Thank you @atriabooks for the advanced copy of this book!

This romance was such a breath of fresh air - I am head over heels! Any Trope But You embodied everything that I love about the romance genre. It had the tropes, the tension, the drama, the kick-your-feet-you’re-so-happy moments, and those that just plain break your heart! A love letter to the genre, indeed! I couldn’t get enough!

Full disclosure: Forrest might be one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time! I loved to see Margo struggle with the he’s-too-good-to-be-true thoughts as they found themselves stuck in all my favorite tropes. He was such a GOOD GUY, so wholesome and huggable, just…UGH! LOVED! 😍 He was the perfect man to help Margo believe in love again. Swooooon!

Victoria’s writing was so easy to read, I am absolutely blown away that this was a debut! Her humor was one of my favorite things, it added so much fun to the story.

This was our Featured Book Club pick for ARC March & we were so lucky to have @victorialavinewrites join us for a pre-release Q&A! It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know Victoria more, chat about Any Trope But You, and learn about her writing process. We even got a sneak peek into book two in the form of a one-word hint - you had to be there! 😉 I truly cannot wait to read what comes next!

Thank you net galley for the e arc!! You guyssssss.... im speechless. What a beautiful, fun, heartwarming and sexy story. This story follows Margot a bestselling romance author who secretly hates romance or anything to do with a HEA.
When being interviewed on show her computer gets hacked and her secret happily never after file ( where she wrote alternate endings to her books with depressing and sad endings) gets exposed live and ruins her career. After that disaster her sister sends her on a 6 week long trip to a remote hotel in Alaska to write a new book in a new genre and really take a break from the internet all together. When Margot arrives she immediately meets Forrest in an absolutely trope fueled way (she hates this) they have the meet cutes of meet cutes, he's tall, a doctor, takes care of his family, enemies to lovers, one bed trope anything you can think of. This book was everything I loved the characters and the families and just everything about this book and not to mention the spice was... whew... HOT. I'm so in love with this story and highly recommend everyone put this on their TBR.