This enemies-to-lovers romance offered a delightful escape. Margot, a romance author whose "Happily Never After" scenarios are exposed by a vengeful fan, is sent to Alaska by her sister, Savannah. There, she encounters the undeniably sexy and rugged Forrest.

The dual POV was a definite strength, allowing for a deeper understanding of both characters. Margot's fierce independence, born from past hurts and a desire to protect her sister were compelling. Forrest, the quintessential grumpy-but-gorgeous hero, also resonated with his dedication to his father and the quiet ache of missing his mother.

The Alaskan wilderness setting added a unique dimension to the story, though the pacing felt a bit slow initially. While some plot points, like the rapid recovery from a sprained ankle and the two-hour carry down a mountain, strained believability, I ultimately enjoyed the book. Once I got into the story, it was a quick, steamy, and well-written read.

Margot is a loved and renowned romance author thriving in her career when it all goes sideways as a hacker publicly releases a very private file she kept known as the Happily Never Afters. Margot goes to remote Alaska to reinvent herself and try her hand at writing a murder mystery when she stumbles upon a moose of a roadblock… Any Trope But You had me laughing out loud and crying into my Kindle. (Yes, I’m a softie!) This debut takes hundreds of cheesy romance tropes and throws them all at you in a funny and entertaining way that actually works so well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to future works by this author.

A romance not believing in love? Oh my. Of course she meets someone and suddenly believes in love. It’s cliche but love the story and writing,

I eagerly requested Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine from NetGalley after hearing rave reviews from Bad on Paper podcast. I was intrigued by the premise: a popular romance author, Margot, retreats to rural Alaska after being cancelled. Her fans revolt and her publisher drops her after her private file of alternate endings for her beloved characters, titled Happily Never After, is maliciously leaked to her fans. Her chronically ill sister then plans a 6-week stay at a rugged resort in Alaska for her so Margot can get her mojo back. She has an immediate meet-cute with the resort owners son, Forrest, and a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance begins. This novel has all of the elements that I enjoy in my romances, but it seemed to be missing a bit of magic. The slow burn was a bit too slow for me, and I felt my mind wandering at times. I appreciated the author’s use of so many of my favorite romance tropes (and even some of my least favorite), but unfortunately I wasn’t completely wowed. It will be worth reading for the right romance lover. 3/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Anticipated release date: 4/1/25

i was given the opportunity to read this arc through netgalley & let it sit on my shelf for far too long! such a cute & fun rom-com, with a clever play on classic romance tropes. Loved the characters - especially Forrest, aka, Dr mountain daddy 😂 he’s literally the perfect book boyfriend. Fairly predictable, very hallmark vibes, but not too cheesy. I was giggling and thoroughly enjoying the entire read.
🌶️🌶️ there were some great spicy scenes as well
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Omg this was ADORABLE. Such a cute rom-com, I highly recommend. Great banter/chemistry from the beginning, but also had depth. This was a great romance! I will absolutely read whatever this author writes next.

Wow wow wow wow wow. It's so hard to believe this is a debut because most authors ramp up to their best work over time and it seems like Lavine can't top this (I'm sure she will, though). It hits a very specific niche I'm interested in: romance author, Alaska, the remote wilderness, forced proximity, a sauna. This was more than just a fun read, though. Both MCs had satisfying emotional arcs. Both of them were fighting their own battles, learning how to be their own person while also sufficiently taking care of someone they love. The sacrifices they were willing to make for their family members felt so realistic, and the obstacles keeping them apart were so deep that multiple times I was like, "There's no way they're making it out of this one." It was so good I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished.

I LOVED this story! From an Alaskan setting to the lighthearted joy of the book I just didn’t want it to end!

This book is f.u.n.n.y. and has gifted me with my first book boyfriend of 2025. What a trophy, right?? :)
Romance writer Margot Bradley is caught with her pants down. Literally. Her fan base is shocked to discover her Happily Never After file where all of her books have an epilogue breaking up her couples in devastating ways. She's abruptly canceled and encouraged by her sister to take a trip to Alaska to plot out and jump into a new genre sans romance. Her arrival is met with a moose and every dream of a romance hero combined in the proprietor's son, Forrest. But she knows he's just like every other man who has disappointed her in the past and to steer clear. Forrest is also carrying wounds that tell him to avoid her as well.
I really can't believe this is a debut. It's an absolute knockout. The humor, the tension, the setting, the cast all work magically to make this one entertaining read. I especially loved the letters Margot gets from her sister, Savannah, and they ways Margot is pushed out of her comfort zone. Victoria's descriptions are uniquely perfect (like who describes a scent as cedar and muscles and yet it perfectly makes sense??) I am a fan and am excited to read Victoria again and again.
Thank you to the author for the traveling arc copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a cute story. I loved their relationship and it really seemed like they were made for each other. While being sweet, both main characters had such depth and other things that they had to get through to be with each other. The only reason it’s not a 5 stars is because the trope thing got a tad annoying. Like I know it was the point of the book, hence the title, but it got a bit repetitive. And there was also a part where they called her a grumpy romance writer, which I thought was a little cringe. Other than that I loved this book and will recommend it to everyone I know. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Atria for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

First five star read of 2025!! Any Trope But You is for the romance readers. It’s clever and swoony and brilliant. Plus, Forrest is 100% book boyfriend material.

I had so much fun reading this book - I loved the Alaska setting! The characters were likeable and relatable.

This book was super cute. The title intrigued me and I will say that it did not disappoint! This was such a cute romance with many of everyone’s key tropes being hit throughout while also dealing with the idea of family obligations and sick family members. I loved the personal growth that Margot went through during this book as well as Forest and how with each others help they realized that they could do things for themselves every once and awhile. Plus, the spicy scenes were top notch and I’m glad that Margot and Forest got their HEA!

OH MY!!! I LOVED this book! I highly recommend this book to any romance lover!

The writing was clever and fun! This story was a breath of fresh air!! I want to say Thank you to Net Galley and Victoria for allowing me to read this book!

Finding love later in life, loving your family so much it hurts and you are willing to sacrifice everything for them! This story had so many “tropes” but that was the point! This book was written for every lover of the romance genre! Thank you Victoria!! This is my favorite read of January 2025!!

Eeee my first romance rave of the year! Victoria Lavine knocked this debut out the park and straight into the remote Alaskan forest. While meta, tongue in cheek romps are nothing new in the romance genre, what I wasn’t expecting was so much emotional depth in a cynics to lovers rom-com.

The set-up is a cute take on a familiar set-up: a romance author who secretly hates the happy endings her loyal fans swoon over has her life upended after a super hacker/toxic fan shares her secret with the world. She flees to a remote Alaskan lodge at her younger sister’s insistence to lick her wounds and try her hand at he murder mystery genre, only to literally find herself leaping into the arms of the embodiment of every romance hero she’s ever written mere minutes after her arrival. Not only does she endure the most tropey of all meet-cutes (much to her chagrin), Forrest also happens to be an altruistic, sensitive, doctor in the body of a Greek god by way of Paul Bunyan. Margot is definitely not interested… just like Forrest is definitely not interested in this beautiful blonde hurricane of a woman who barrels into his chest and his life, throwing him completely off balance. She definitely does not have him second guessing his firm “North Star Lodge guests are off limits” rule.

I had a great time getting to know these two and their hijinks through the dual POVs. The chemistry was hot, the relationship growth felt authentic, and the cast of side characters were also wonderful - from Bullwinkle the moose to Margot’s spitfire of a sister Savannah, everyone had a moment to shine and/or pack an emotional gut punch.

My only real minor quibble was the repeated references to how small Margot is, especially when coupled with reminders about how big Forrest is. I get this a romance novel, intentionally calling out various genre tropes, but in such a fun read that excels at flipping a lot of well-tread tropes on their head, do we need constant reminders of the big strong man and small dainty heroine who drowns in his borrowed t-shirts and might be crushed by him during sex?

Quibble aside, I loved this book and can’t wait to recommend it to everyone! Many thanks to Atria/Netgalley for the eARC - I swear Atria always nails it! One of the best at finding and amplifying debut authors!

This book was LOL funny from the start to about halfway through. I loved the premise. A romance author is exposed as cynical of true love and her fans turn on her. Her sister sends her to Alaska to re-energize and there she has the perfect meet cute. Our FMC and MMC both understand the duty and responsibility to family, which impacts their love lives and careers.

If I had one piece of feedback, I wish the back half of the book kept up the humor of the first half.

I loved this book!! :)  Does it have every last romantic cliche, and romance trope that could possibly exist rolled into one book? Pretty much yes, yes it does. But does the author somehow manage to create scenarios where all of these things happen in an endearing, compelling way? Also, yes she does!

I adored all of the characters in this book, including the supporting ones, which isn't always the case. I loved seeing how the main characters' love story developed. And, I loved the happily ever after ending that worked out in the best way possible, even though I couldn't figure out until the big ending how it could possibly all work out. This was one of those books that breaks your heart multiple times, then puts it all back together in the end.

I finished this book several months ago, and yet find myself still thinking about it from time to time. If romance is one of your favorite genres, then this is an absolute must-read for 2024! Love, loved it!

I enjoyed this story! The Alaska adventure was really fun and cozy. My critiques are that there were two breakup / tension scenes and it made the last third of the book drag on too much. I also don’t like Taylor swift references in books, it feels like a lazy way to make people like the book more, and there were way too many in this one. It just takes me out of the story. Overall, I enjoyed it but the last third was not my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

What worked for Me
- the Alaskan setting
- the banter between the two leads
- Dual POV
- the sister relationship
- the emphasis on caretaker roles

What Didn't Work for Me
- the romance felt rushed
- slight miscommunication trope
- 3rd act breakup
- would have liked to see more time spent with side characters
- MMC felt a little flat / "too perfect"

I think what made me give it three stars is that while it had such a fun and interesting premise, it didn't feel all that different from other romances that I've read before. But overall, I think this was a fun read, and a good debut from a new author! And just because it wasn't my perfect cup of tea doesn't mean that it won't be for others.

This was such a catchy opening line that grabbed me immediately! Margot’s voice comes through so strongly in the narration, and the dual POVs felt distinct. This book felt made by and for romance lovers. It was tongue in cheek and witty about tropes and HEAs while still delivering a great romance.

As a chronically ill — but often healthy-appearing young person — I really appreciated the disability rep in Margot’s sister, and felt that the relationship exploration there felt real.