Margot is the queen of writing happily ever afters, but when her file of "happily never afters" gets leaked, her fans lose their faith in her stories. Crushed, she flees to Alaska to go off grid and write her next manuscript in the hopes that she didn't just tank her career. There she meets Forrest, who dangerously seems to check every trope box there is and makes it hard for Margot to stay away. Will she be able to believe in HEAs again?

Thoughts 💭
What. A. Debut! I can't express how much I loved this story. Both Margot and Forrest are complicated characters with similar but also different traumas. Their chemistry is magnetic, and the dual POVs only enhanced that chemistry. The rugged Alaskan setting with a fish out of water trope only made the story that much more enjoyable. Both characters have a heart of gold, and it was satisfying to see that they got what they deserved. This is a wonderful contemporary romance filled with pretty much every trope you can think of. Fans of The Simple Wild will eat this one up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria for allowing me to read this book! This one took me by surprise I'm so happy I read it!
When cynical romance author Margot Bradley is exposed for secretly writing unhappy endings, she loses everything and pivots to crime fiction, retreating to a remote Alaskan resort to start fresh. There, she collides—literally—with the brooding Dr. Forrest Wakefield, who has given up his medical career to care for his ailing father, despite his growing restlessness. As sparks fly and rom-com tropes stack up against them, Margot and Forrest must confront their fears and decide if they’re willing to risk a real happily ever after.
I absolutely loved this book! For a debut, it’s incredibly well-written—I laughed out loud so many times and even teared up once or twice. Victoria Lavine nailed this rom-com, and I’m preordering it right away!

Okay. This novel had an interesting premise and definitely delivered on a lot of popular romance tropes. It makes for an entertaining but I'm afraid quite forgettable read for me.

As a slowburn lover, it was difficult to get over the fact that these two just immediately seem to be so protective and obsessed with one another. Even then, their chemistry felt quite superficial. Romance might be one of the genres where I have to connect and/or like at least one character to enjoy the book.

I think this didn't end up aligning with my reading tastes, but it can definitely work for other romance readers.

I can’t believe this is a debut!
I love the plot following a romance author who doesn’t believe in HEA and seeing her find hers. Great setting and characters- overall cute!

I love a debut novel that makes you anticipate all the future books this author will write! Any Trope But You was fun, witty, and easy to get sucked into. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the fact that all the cliche tropes would be featured in this book, but it was done in a way that made you feel like you were in on the ridiculousness of it. Almost like breaking the fourth wall, or romance book inception. The main character is a romance writer and repeatedly reminds us how ludicrous it is that her hero keeps embodying every romance hero ever written, or how silly it is that she keeps finding herself in tropes she herself has written. Because of the way it was done, it made it feel fresh when it could have felt overdone and predictable. I loved the relationship Margo had with her sister. The letters her sister writes her throughout the book are so funny and sweet and helped add depth to the plot. I also appreciated the setting in Alaska and all the fun developments that came along with each excursion they went on. The first half was a little slow for me, but the second half flew by. I gave it 4 stars because of the pacing and the set up of Margo’s fan base turning on her based on something that I don’t think anyone in real life would care about (if I found out my favorite author wrote unhappy endings in a private document for each of her book characters I would just be curious to see what she wrote. I would not cancel her).
Overall a great debut and I’m excited to see more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed it and I think it was a pretty good debut! I loved the setting, just wasn't as invested in the romance between the two

Thank you to Atria for sending me an advanced copy!

I absolutely loved this book. Margot is so relatable (in the sense of attending meetings with no pants on) and Forrest was an absolute dream. When I wasn't reading this, it was all I could think about. While this does have a lot of trope dropping it was done so well that I didn't feel like we relied on the tropes for a story. The relationship and adventure of this story makes me want to go stay in remote Alaska!

I really did love this, and I'm so excited for April 1st to come so I can get a physical copy!

Thanks NetGalley for this advanced copy!
Loved this book, could not put it down. I blame you for losing sleep 😂.
The 🔥 was prefect! Some authors lose me with certain words and unrealistic scenes they use for a first time couple to get together but not this one! Per-fec-tion.
Also can this please be a movie!?

This was super cute! I mostly read thrillers but also enjoy a really good romcom to lighten things up and this one did not disappoint.

Margot Bradley is an extremely successful romance writer. So successful that one of her books was made into a movie. But Margot has a BIG secret! She doesn’t believe in happily ever afters anymore. Her heart has been irrevocably damaged.

One night, while making an appearance with an online book club, a mysterious hacker exposes her ‘Happily Never After’ file. In this file are all of Margot’s alternate endings to her romance books and it’s NOT what her readers want to hear. During that horrible book club, Margot gets canceled….by her fans and her publisher.

Being helpful, her sister Savannah, comes up with a perfect solution to help Margot restart her career. She arranges for Margot to spend six weeks at a remote Alaskan resort that specializes in adventure excursions. It should be a quiet place where she can write her next novel. Maybe try her hand at a murder mystery.

Against her better judgement, Margot agrees to go and there she meets Dr. Forrest Whitaker who will help this Los Angeles ‘indoor cat’ appreciate the great outdoors and maybe even learn to love again.

This is an excellent debut for this author. I loved the Alaskan setting, the banter, and the side-story of both main characters being caretakers. This story had a lot of witty moments and meaningful moments and I enjoyed my time in this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025

Only one tent? Check. She gets injured and he has to carry her down a snowy mountain? Check. Late night sauna run-ins? Check. Funny (adorable?) meet-cute? Oh, you mean where she literally jumps into his arms because of a wild animal? Check! What a great debut!

Beloved Romance author Margot Bradley doesn’t believe in Ever Afters anymore. When her top secret Happily Never After file gets hacked and leaked, she quickly gets cancelled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

She escapes to Alaska to reinvent herself, and hopefully write her first ever murder mystery. Instead, she fears she’s found herself living in her very own rom-com plot instead.

This book was very entertaining. Surely a treat for the romcom, trope-loving readers out there. Additionally, the very human and tender moments also captured me. I particularly loved and appreciated the sister bond and relationship.

Definitely recommending this one. Thank you for the ARC!

I will admit that I went into this book pretty blind, but I could not have been more thrilled with the funny, emotional spicy ride I ended up on!

We watch Margot hit rock bottom in chapter one, and there's never a moment we're not rooting for her. I like to think that even as a devout member of the church of romance novels, I think if what happened to her was instead happening to one of my favorite authors, I'd be rallying behind her from the jump.

Enter Van, who is just the cream of the crop as far as supporting characters go. We love a sister/bestie who knows the heroine better than she knows herself.

Based on the book's title, I was very wary of the trope bingo card our MMC Forrest could have become (though not as wary as Margot, who fought her feelings most valiantly). But because this book is dual POV (which is not always the right choice, but definitely was here), he became a well rounded, nuanced character who we kind of begrudgingly love in spite of his cliches.

The real beauty of this book though is the conflict, which is just life. These are two caregivers, determined to sacrifice their own happiness to be there for their loved ones. And the fact that they recognize and respect those traits in each other makes the star-crossing of it all that much more painful. And their reunion so much more earned.

This was such a cute and fun book! I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. The Alaska setting, the enemies to lovers trope (and every other trope you can think of), the Cali girl thrown into the wilderness, the secondary characters, just all of it was so perfect. I found myself giggling and kicking my feet with the banter and crying the next. The character development of the FMC, Margot, was A+ as well. Victoria Lavine did an amazing job on her debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

This was fun.
Margot needed some attitude adjusting which we got a little of at the end. She definitely exuded manic pixie dream girl energy.
You wrote a moose into the story and then he only appeared once more 300 pages later for one sentence? Wasted opportunity.

What a delightful book! A romance that calls out all the common tropes and uses them to great advantage. It was a very cute and uplifting read.

Margot Bradley is a best-selling romance author whose faith in love has faded due to her past experiences. She has a document entitled ‘Happy Never After’ in which she writes worst-case-scenario alternate endings to her HEA books. One day, it leaks, and her readers are left betrayed. Margot’s sister Savannah sends her to Alaska to reinvent herself, and she finds herself (literally) jumping into the arms of Dr. Forrest Wakefield. Margot and Forrest quickly begin to experience every romance trope in the book, leading her to spiral.

This debut from Victoria Lavine (expected April 1st) is hilarious, heartfelt, swoony, and self-aware. Margot and Forrest are both grumpy as ever and trying not to fall in love with the other, but that all goes out the window the moment they’re forced to share a tent. I loved both of these MCs and thought they were unique and really had heart to them. The dual POV was easy to follow along and they both had their own distinctive voices.

Something that really stood out to me in this one was the side characters! Savannah’s letters were a huge stand-out for me, they were full of so much depth. Jo and Trapper had such a sweet dynamic, and seeing Margot bond with Trapper made me WEEP!

I thought this one did a great job at staying very current and meta, but not crossing the line into cringey.

Though I can’t speak on the accuracy, I loved the representation for chronic illness.

Overall, this was a very solid read! There was a there was a great balance of sweet romance, spice, moments that will make you weep, and witty humour.

- Romance Author x Doctor
- Grumpy x Grumpy
- Cynics to Lovers
- Forced Proximity

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

The honesty of the characters in this book was unmatched, and the way it unapologetically called out classic tropes? Absolutely amazing! I loved every second of this read. It had me laughing, cringing in the best way, and just having so much fun.

One of my favorite parts? How well Victoria Lavine calls out romance readers—it was so relatable and made the reading experience even better!

If you love romance, this is a must-read, especially if you’re a sucker for these tropes:
📖 Enemies to Lovers
⛺️ One Tent

This one was such a fun ride, and I can’t recommend it enough!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Victoria is surgical in her use of tropes. Every one honed to perfection to pull every heartstring. I can’t believe this is a debut and I’m so excited to read whatever she has in store next. Well done.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: April 1, 2025

Gratuitously adorable open door romance that is a love letter to romance readers! This has all the tropes but also hilariously calls them out so it works?! Great pick if you need a fluffy heartwarming read!

I really enjoyed this one. It had a little bit of everything and was cute and uplifting. I really enjoyed the chronic illness storyline. It gave the characters something really meaningful to connect on. Loved the setting and how the characters just couldn't help but be drawn to each other. I totally bought into the story and the characters relationship. So good for a debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an arc of this novel.

This was a cute romance novel! Victoria Lavine understands the genre well, and I appreciated how self-referential this was: In a meta twist, struggling romance writer Margot Bradley goes off to a remote Alaskan wilderness lodge (at her sister and best friend Savannah's insistence)...where she soon meets Dr. Forrest Wakefield, a grumpy but swoony man right out of one of her romance novels. With Forrest, Margot learns to love again.

I enjoyed Lavine's sharp writing — I found myself highlighting passages throughout the book that were funny, and she really pulls out all the trope stops! Margot and Forrest have great chemistry, even though they're both stubborn. Towards the end, though, the novel wore out its welcome; I think it had one too many extra conflicts between Margot and Forrest before they arrived at their HEA. The storyline could be tighter, but this is a solid and clever entry into the romance genre!