This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on March 13th, 2025. Links provided.

Margo Bradely, a successful romance author, secretly rejects the notion of happy endings, journaling tragic twists for her characters instead that she calls her “Happily Never Afters.” When her unconventional and secret endings are exposed, her reputation shatters, and she’s left with little choice but to reinvent herself. At her sister’s request (i.e. forcing), Margot agrees to head off to a secluded Alaskan resort for a six week reset and retreat in an attempt to switch genres and write a murder mystery novel to save her career. There, she crosses paths with Forrest Wakefield, who is grappling with his own emotional barriers after leaving his career in cancer research to take care of his ailing father. As the beloved trope of forced proximity plagues their day to day, Margot and Forrest grow closer, realizing they must confront their fears and rethink their views on love, family, and loss, or risk becoming part of their own tragic story.

This book was an absolute delight, hitting every rom-com trope you could imagine and somehow making it all work perfectly by calling itself out for the ridiculousness of the situations. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic, forced proximity, and the tension between Margo’s and Forrest’s personalities were all executed so well. I loved the setting of the remote Alaskan resort, which only added to the enjoyment of all the beloved tropes. What really stood out to me, though, was how it tackled the idea of falling out love with the idea of love. Margot’s struggle with the modern dating world and her disillusionment with happily-ever-afters felt so real and refreshing. I appreciated the fact that this book doesn’t shy away from showing the complexities of love and relationships. Margot and Forrest both deal with the weight of responsibilities, especially when it comes to being caretakers for their loved ones. The emotional depth in this book, from the bond between Margot and her sister to Forrest’s relationship with his dad, was incredibly moving. Overall, this book is a heartfelt celebration of love, family, and personal growth that will leave you with a renewed sense of hope and a smile on your face.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of Any Trope but You in return for my honest review.

This was such a fun read. I found myself really rooting for the main characters. A great read for fans of Emily Henry, Jasmine Guillory, and B.K. Borison.

Thank you @netgalley for an ARC of Any Trope But You - releases April 1st !

👍🏼
-cozy, snowy cabin vibes
-cute banter
-importance of family

👎🏼
-wanted more Savannah and other side characters!
-‘smut scenes’ were much for me; they just felt so unnecessary
-rushed ending
-Margot lacking SO much common sense

This was so good! Any Trope but You is a delight.

If you like grump x grumpy romances this book is for you. Plus you get enemies to lovers and forced proximity. The romance is a a slow burn filled with tension and emotional depth. Forrest is a hot broody doctor who also listens to Taylor Swift, how do you not swoon over him? Margot has chaotic energy which I love in a heroine (think Bridget Jones). She made the story so entertaining. I really enjoyed Margot and Forrest together. Their interactions were some of the best parts of the book.

The Alaska setting was perfect. Lavine does a wonderful job of describing it and transporting the reader there.

If you like fluffy, hilarious & enemies to lovers slow burn romances, give this book a try!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this amazing book!

What a wonderful debut! I will definitely be looking out for Lavine's future work. The mix of funny and sweet and spicy was such a delight to read. Margot and Forrest are such fleshed-out characters that you can't help but root for them. I LOVED how unintentionally perfect romance MC Forrest was. Every time a new trope popped up, I literally snorted with laugher.

This book has so much heart, and the secondary characters are just as lovable as Margot and Forrest. All I can say is this book is a wonderful start to Lavine's romance writing career!

A strong debut from Victorian Lavine, "Any Trope but You" is a classic contemporary romance with wit, humor, and a wink to all romance lovers.

Part "It Happened One Summer," part "Unromance," the story follows Margot, a beloved, best-selling romance author who doesn't believe in happily ever afters, and who writes a "happily never after" for each of her book couples. When the happily never afters are leaked, Margot is summarily canceled—and her sister convinces her to take a six-week "reinvention trip" to Alaska so she can focus on writing a murder mystery with no distractions. Of course, Margot immediately meets Forrest, a wood-chopping medical researcher she quickly realizes is the physical embodiment of the fictional men she writes, and though they two have undeniable chemistry, she also can't stand him.

Though this rom does serve up a good amount of com—and, as the title promises, serves up a lot of tropes in a very meta way since Margot is all too good at spotting them when they occur in real life—there plot also contains several emotional beats. Both Margot and Forrest are caregivers for chronically ill family members, and they each feel incredible pressure to ensure they don't let anyone down—even when it's too their own detriment. There is a third-act manipulation in the book that I didn't particularly love (it doesn't come from the love interest!) and that I thought was resolved a bit too quickly, and there were times that I didn't particularly understand Margot's rationale for decisions she made (all of the minor, they just struck me as odd choices!). But all in all, I enjoyed this, and think it's a very solid debut!

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover, because obviously it’s beautiful. The premise looked like it would be a lot of fun and it absolutely was!

As you might predict, this book hits nearly every romance trope, but it’s done in the spirit of a rom com and it works. A couple of times, I could see what was coming but that’s okay because I was delighted to read each new layer of extreme trope after the next.

What surprised me about this book was the depth of character and relationship growth, as well as the touching family relationships in the story. The pacing and plotting were brilliantly done to keep me turning pages and wanting to keep reading after my lunch break and when it was time to leave for work in the morning.

I think folks who like Emily Henry and Katherine Center might also enjoy this book. I will recommend it for rom-com lovers who like a bit of spice and folks who enjoy relationship stories.

THIS BOOK IS ADORABLE.
A love letter to caregivers and romance lovers alike, I loved every bit of this story. I already want to reread it. It’s beautiful and sweet and just the right amount of spicy and I just. GAH, I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Like I just want to hug all the characters. They all need them.
But I seriously adored all of it. Even if I’m pretty sure I don’t really want to go to Alaska ever. 😂
Basically, if you love romance and Alaska (and maybe have a soft spot for a moose), READ THIS BOOK.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

Okay this was cuuuteeee. There was some steam as well [🌶️🌶️/5]

Jaded (and cancelled) romance author Margot Bradley is sent by her sister to Alaska to spend some time writing her next book after a disastrous interview. Margot is used to being a full time caretaker for her chronically ill sister, Savannah, and is reluctant but goes - thus beginning her journey through all our favourite tropes. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, snowed in, adorable meet-cute, flawless grumpy man…

When you go in knowing this is a love letter to romance genre and romance readers, it doesn’t come across as cheesy, but adorable. Margot is a tough woman with her walls up for good reason, but heart of gold underneath. Forrest is a grumpy, giant golden retriever that will also do anything for those he loves. Forrest sounds drreeeaammmyy (of course).

In particular, as a spoonie myself, I loved the rep for chronic illness, caregiver burden, and the tug of war of independence and being cared for. I also loved the TNBC mentions as someone that works in molecular pathology!

I’d recommend this romance for a quick, steamy at times, unapologetically “predictable” (trope wise) novel with good banter and great characters.

This book was an adorable, quick Rom Com with likable characters and a to-die-for setting. I loved every minute of it from jumping into a strangers arms to escape a moose to facing hard truths this story was comfortingly familiar and surprisingly fresh.

It was a very cute book, it kept me interested and reading. A little predictable as a lot of romance books are, but we love it.

Dnf @ 55%

I debated continuing with this, but then I realized life is too short to read books you aren’t loving. And I was looking forward to this one very much. A romance writer shunned by society goes to Alaska to try her hand at writing a murder mystery? Sign me up.

Unfortunately, this premise for this was way better than the execution. The plot was there, but I wasn’t vibing with the characters at all, namely Margot. I found her to be extremely unlikeable, but unlikeable characters aren’t always deal breakers for me. I can still like books with prickly main characters, but I couldn’t get over her snide, rude, and just plain mean Margot was sometimes. If I can’t get behind a main character in some way, then the book is most likely going to be a dud for me.

A very random thing I disliked was the way the author used profanity in this book. I know that seems like an odd thing to be put off by, but I felt the author placed her profanity in super awkward places and made her characters seem like they were teenagers who just learned how to curse. I didn’t think her profanity was overused, it was actually balanced pretty well, but it was placed in awkward places. It took me away from the story at times. Let me note that I don’t care about profanity in books and I have no qualms about profanity being used in books, but I do think the author should be able to make it smooth and believable.

I did love the atmosphere of Alaska and that’s pretty much it. I really enjoyed the first 30% or so, but Margot soon began to bring that enjoyment down. I thought the writing was decent, so I think I will try more of her works in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After her readers learned she didn't believe in the Happy Ever After, romance author Margot Bradley headed off to Alaska in an effort resuscitate and reinvent her career. She was all set to write her first murder mystery when a romantic subplot emerged as she developed feelings for resort manager Forrest Wakefield. Could Margot have finally found her HEA?

This book was so many things, but first and foremost, it was a ton of fun. Any Trope But You definitely earned its rom-com label with all the hilarious and awkward moments these characters endured. The meet-cute was one for the books, and things only got better from there.

The idea of a romance author who doesn't believe in the endings she writes is not new, but Levine did something special with the concept. Margot had been disappointed by many men in her life, and this had left her a romantic skeptic. Along came Forrest who seemed to embody every romantic trope known to man. But he was also the man would teach her to embrace the HEA.

Their attraction was instantaneous, but it was not love at first sight. Both Margot and Forrest had been burned in the past and were determined to fight their attraction to each other. But how often do you meet someone who understands your situation so well? Margot and Forrest were caretakers for their loved ones, and not everyone understood what it was like to serve in that role and the amount of sacrifice it required. Their experiences allowed them insight into each others lives and the ability to provide support they needed.

The one thing I know for sure is that I was all in on this romance. Margot and Forrest had such great chemistry, and I adored their fun banter as well. My heart knew they needed each other and belonged to each other, and I was rooting for them the entire time.

Overall, I was happy to accompany Margot on her Alaskan journey where she learned that HEAs are real and that she deserved one. This was definitely one for all the romance lovers out there with a spotlight on the community and a trope-a-palloza that should delight readers.

Victoria Lavine’s debut novel, “Any Trope but You,” is a romance about a canceled romance author and a cancer research doctor who returns home to care for his ailing father.

Margot Bradley has been her sister Savannah's primary caretaker ever since Savannah was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease during their childhood. After their father abandoned the family, their mother worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and cover the overwhelming medical bills from Savannah's many hospital stays.

Now, at twenty-eight, Margot and Savannah live together, with Margot continuing her role as Savannah’s caretaker. To help pay the bills, Margot turned to writing romance novels, quickly rising to elite status in the genre. Her novel “When It Rains” was even adapted into a successful film. However, despite her heroines finding their happily-ever-after (HEA), Margot remains cynical about the concept of HEAs. After her fiancé, Adam, broke off their engagement just days before their wedding, Margot began creating alternate endings for her characters in a document titled “Happily Never After.” This document was leaked during a livestream by a hacker named Truth_Seeker98, causing a stir in the publishing world. Margot's fanbase turned against her, and she found herself without a publisher.

In need of a break from the constant stress, Savannah arranges a six-week wilderness trip for Margot to North Star Lodge in Alaska, a remote location with no Wi-Fi.

Dr. Forrest Wakefield, a cancer research doctor applying for the prestigious Bauer-Hinckley Grant to fund his team’s breast cancer research, is also dealing with personal challenges. His mother passed away from breast cancer, and his father became wheelchair-bound due to an injury. Forced to leave California and return home to help with the family-owned lodge, Forrest assists with cooking and leading excursions.
When Forrest meets Margot, he’s immediately captivated by her beauty, but after a past fling results in a negative review of the lodge, Forrest knows he must keep his distance. One more bad review could close the lodge down. However, as Margot and Forrest spend more time together, their mutual hesitations about romance begin to fade, and they start sharing their deepest fears.

Lavine’s debut is quirky, with some metaphors bordering on the cringeworthy. Though the novel tackles heavier topics like paralysis, medical disorders, death, and abandonment, it remains a lighthearted romance. The steamy sections of the book add some intensity, and while the characters act their age, the number of tropes used throughout the novel is excessive. Lavine humorously acknowledges these tropes, but instead of generating the intended comedic effect, the reader is left rolling their eyes at the sheer abundance of clichés.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC oppotunity!

Wow, i was shocked to find out this was a debut! What a great job for your first book, kudos!!

This book was so fun and playful, it had amazing humor and banter. It caught my attention early on and had no issues keeping it. It's got all of the most popular tropes and really gives a little bit for everyone.

Margot had some attitude, but i still found her likable. I really loved her and her sister's relationship. That stood out most to me.

I can't wait to read more by this author!!

This is a feast for any romance lover with all the tropes you could want -- enemies to lovers, romance writer, snowed in, grumpy MMC with a heart of gold, and about a million more. Needless to say, I loved it.

Margot has broken the cardinal rule of being a romance writer - a hacker has proven that she doesn't actually believe in a Happily Ever After. What her enraged readers don't know is that she has no reason to, she's been abandoned one too many times for HEAs to be real to her. In an attempt to escape the media circus, her sister sends her to Alaska for a 6-week, no-wifi, winter excursion filled trip where she runs smack (literally) into a man out of one of her romance novels. Will Forrest be a distraction from her murder mystery manuscript? Or will he inspire an entirely new love story?

I waited entirely too long to read this, so shame on me. I loved it and it would have been the perfect book to cozy up with under a warm blanket as the snow fell down around me. It's so much more than a love story between our MMC and FMC, there is the love they both have for their families and the trauma that has built up walls in their lives. Lavine does an amazing job of bringing Alaska to life, and giving depth and heart to their love stories in only a few hundred pages. It's so well plotted, and I only wish we had more time to revel in the ending and their happily ever after -- they do exist!

4.0

This book was an absolute delight! I was hooked from the very beginning, and it had me laughing out loud early on—something I always appreciate in a book. Romance books about romance are such a joy to read, and this one truly felt like a love letter to the genre. I especially loved how it playfully called out all the tropes—because, of course, she just happens to find a man who checks all the boxes in the middle of nowhere!

The relationship between Margot and her sister Savannah was so heartwarming, and honestly, Van is the most thoughtful human. The way she put so much care into sending Margot off on this Alaskan retreat was just the sweetest. This book was honest and, at times, raw, which made me love it even more.

Margot, a romance writer who has fallen out of love with love, has spent years giving everyone else their happily-ever-afters while keeping that part of herself completely shut off—until her personal struggles are suddenly thrust into the spotlight for the world to see and judge. It was heartbreaking to see her loyal readers so quick to "cancel" her without even giving her the benefit of the doubt.

And the humor? So dang good! I highlighted so many hilarious lines throughout. Margot’s wit is top-tier, and her banter with Forrest was pure entertainment. Oh, and the spice? Spicin’. Do I have a sauna kink now? Very possible!

Any Troupe but You is surely full of the troupes. I found this novel to be fun and romantic. I didn't love the main character, Margot. I thought she was rude and made questionable decisions that left me confused. Forrest was more likeable but I wasn't sure I believed he could fall in love with Margot so quickly and easily. The setting was dreamy. The ending felt rushed. Overall, the snowy wilderness and Forrest made the book worth my time.

3.5 stars!

I was a bit hesitant going into this, but honestly I had a really good time!! This book is very wittily written and so trope-heavy that it almost feels like a Hallmark movie, but better. It is very self-aware with its tropes which was a refreshing twist, and even upped the ante on some of everyone's favorite tropes (like turning the one bed trope into a one sleeping bag situation instead). While mountain man romances are not typically my jam, I found myself having a good time regardless and even laughing out loud several times.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Victoria Lavine for this ARC!!

*Note: Review will be posted on Instagram story on the account linked below on pub date and can be found on the highlight titled "reviews" after.

With her debut, Any Trope but You, Victoria Lavine joins the ranks of Christina Lauren, Emily Henry and Katherine Center with her melding of romance, chemistry, charisma and above all - humour. I laughed out loud in the first chapter and was thrilled when the joke was revisited in the final chapter. Our FMC keeps you laughing the whole way through.

📖 To escape from the backlash of a romance novelists readers discovering she doesn’t actually believe in the happily ever afters she writes about, Margot arrives in Alaskan Wilderness at a family run Adventure Lodge. Upon arrival, she quite literally jumps in to the arms of a man who is every romance trope she cringes and rolls her eyes at, all rolled up in one handsome package. With POV’s from both Margot and Forrest, we see the push and pull of the characters internal struggle to regain control and avoid everything they’ve been closing themselves off to. 📖

✨ When I started this book, I assumed it was a comedic satire on romance novels and their tropes, but as I became more invested (and even stayed up 2.5 hours after my bedtime to finish) it was clearly penned as a celebration to romance novels and their readers. I loved reading this book and am left wanting more from Margot and Forrest and what becomes of them.

✨ There is some heavier inner dialogue just before halfway through (love or hate) but once you hit the sauna - it’s full steam ahead. This was a little over a 4⭐️ read for me and I would recommend this read to all my friends who love a good spicy romance. I can’t wait to read what’s next from Victoria Lavine
On an aside, I don’t think I’ll ever look at a sauna the same way!

Thank you to the publisher atriabooks for the eARC of this book via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.