Victoria Lavine’s *Any Trop but You* has a unique and promising premise: a jaded romance author turned aspiring mystery writer finds herself in a real-life romance. Unfortunately, while the setup grabbed my attention, the story didn’t quite deliver.

The Alaskan setting is undeniably stunning and adds a cozy, escapist vibe, but the characters and their relationships didn’t feel fully developed. Margot’s journey from cynicism to vulnerability had potential, but her connection with Forrest leaned too much on physical attraction and predictable tropes. I wanted more depth and emotional resonance between them to make their romance truly compelling.

The standout moments came from the secondary relationships. Margot’s love for her sister, Savannah, and Forrest’s care for his father brought much-needed heart to the story. These dynamics were far more touching than the central romance and showcased Lavine’s ability to write meaningful, nuanced bonds.

While the book had its charming moments, too much reliance on overused tropes and pop-culture references dulled the emotional impact. *Any Trop but You* is a light, wintery read, but it left me wanting more authenticity and connection in its core romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy!

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 is a fun, humorous rom-com that doesn't take itself too seriously. It has a parody element to it, yet it's still deep with characters facing serious, real-life problems, and for that, I really enjoyed it.

Margot, fresh off a disastrous moment of her career as a popular romance author, escapes to remote Alaska to work on her next project, a thriller novel. She's been deeply hurt by the men in her life, and as a result doesn't believe in the tropes and happily ever afters of romance novels.

While in Alaska, she meets Forrest, who is struggling with the remnants of his own prior heartbreaks. The pair bond through various popular book tropes and shared vulnerability of caring for a sick loved one.

I loved how Victoria almost breaks the fourth wall with her acknowledgement of how predictable and silly romance tropes can be! This really made for a unique, balanced, light-hearted read. If you're looking for something a little different in the romance genre, this is it!

Fantastic! Loved this book so much. So many tropes (obviously) and such a wonderful love story. This has the most adorable and sexy meet-cute ever. I laughed with every chapter and cried and worried over this impossible situation. I love how real Forrest and Margot are--their vulnerability and stubbornness. Their both badassess in their field that have had some very real setbacks. And the very real representation of being a caregiver to a loved one and all the guilt and reward that brings. Lavine has a real winner with Any Trope but You. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Review of Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

If you're a fan of charming rom-coms, quirky characters, and a fresh take on the "enemies-to-lovers" trope, Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine is an absolute must-read! Lavine’s debut novel effortlessly blends humor, heart, and just the right amount of steam, making it a delightful page-turner from start to finish.

The premise of the book is fun and unique: A romance novelist who’s sick of the clichéd tropes in her genre—until she meets her perfect (and ironically tropey) foil in the form of a grumpy, no-nonsense book editor. The dynamic between our heroine, the aspiring author with a bit of an attitude, and the editor who just can’t stand her genre, is hilarious, heartwarming, and packed with palpable chemistry. Their banter is quick, witty, and sharp, and you can't help but root for them to work through their differences and find common ground.

What really sets this book apart is how Lavine plays with romance tropes in a meta way, poking fun at them while still delivering the sweetness and tension that fans of the genre crave. Each chapter builds layers to their complicated relationship, slowly peeling back the walls they’ve both built around themselves, revealing vulnerability, shared dreams, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

The pacing is perfect, never dragging, and the secondary characters—especially the heroine's quirky best friend and the hero’s supportive coworkers—add depth and richness to the story. The setting is also wonderfully described, and it’s easy to imagine the cozy, book-filled spaces where the characters spend their time.

Ultimately, Any Trope But You is a celebration of romance in all its forms: both the clichés we love and the deeper, more complex emotions that make love worth fighting for. Lavine’s writing is sharp and engaging, and her knack for creating likable yet flawed characters makes this book an absolute gem. Whether you're a diehard fan of romance or just in the mood for something lighthearted yet meaningful, this book will check all the boxes.

A perfect, feel-good read that reminds us why we adore romance in all its messy, trope-filled glory. Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGally for this ARC in exchange for an honest review 💝

Reading this is like craving a sweet and satisfying the it with the most perfect treat 😋🥰 I loved the creative spin on tropes, breaking the fourth wall with the FMC's self awareness of cliches. The pacing was compelling, and the author's voice was so witty and fun. The romance and tension building was EXCELLENT. The characters were very layered and I loved watching them grow. Plus, I'm a sucker for a dual POV 😍💘 A perfect winter wonderland of a love story! ❄️🏔💙

"On top of his romance hero good looks, his woodchopping habits, and the perfect meet-cute I accidentally had with him, the revelation that he's also a doctor is one trope too far."

"There's a hollow ache in my chest that goes a little too deep to maybe ever fully heal. But the thing I've learned about hollowness - the kind that's carved from pain - is that the deeper it goes, the more room it leaves for love."

"It was a classic enemies-to-lovers arc - I'm sure you know how it goes. Two people resisting each other because they have a unique ability to shine a glaring light on exactly what needs to be healed in one another. More importantly, they have a unique ability to give eachother hope."

An homage to romance readers, bookstagramers, book tok, and the joys of the various romance tropes. There was a little bit of everything in this one and I fully enjoyed it.

The basic story is that beloved author Margot Bradley has had her heart broken one too many times and doesn't believe in the HEA. After a big secret is leaked, leading to a PR nightmare, her sister sends her to a remote part of Alaska for 6 weeks to get back in touch with who she is as a person and a writer. Of course, when she arrives the guy running the inn is straight out of a romance novel.

There were a lot of really great things in this one:
* Acknowledgement of the tropes and how predictable they are
* Mixing of a variety of tropes to keep you on your toes
* Margot's younger sister is a hoot! Sending your sister to a remote part of Alaska to force her out of her comfort zone, completely cut off from civilization, not even able to send emails or texts. Awesome. Actually, she had the whole thing so planned out that there were weekly letters that Margot would get ONLY if she went on whatever weekly planned adventure was happening.
* Forrest is a combination of every lead possible - doctor, hunky, loves his father, puts others first, has to get past his own baggage and fears.

This was an incredibly fun read and somehow pointing out the tropes and slightly breaking the 4th wall allowed the reader in to see another side of the writing process.

Listen, this book is adorable in some parts, but unfortunately it is just not my type of read! The attraction from Forrest (I KNOW) is entirely built on lust. Not something I myself find enjoyable at all, but I am sure many readers of this kind of story will LOVE it. Worth checking out if that's your kind of thing.

I did like the Alaska setting and the sisterhood!

I loved this book. Unlike some attempts at love letters/homages to the romance genre, this didn’t ever feel like a pastiche or cliche. Margot and Forrest were layered and felt realistic, and the witty dialogue and pacing were superb!

This book was so cute! I read this as a buddy read with my friend and we both couldn’t get enough of it. Any Trope But You had me get so immersed in the world of Margot and Forrest and had me rooting for them from the start.

I loved how it played into allll the classic romance tropes. The book plays really well into the corniness of typical rom-com books and twists them into something that works really well. It was fun seeing Forrest and Aspen’s relationship develop as well as seeing their relationships with other characters grow throughout the book.

This one will sure to be a cozy classic that I’ll be re-reading in the cold winter months!

Thank you to Artia Books, NetGalley, and Victoria Lavine for the eARC!!

I devoured this book! While the title is a play on words, this book truly threw ever romantic trope into the writing. As a reader I was kicking my feet with giddiness, blushing, and tearing up. This story was a strong reminder that the greatest growth and love often occurs during the ‘darkest’ of times. While navigating a devastating blow to her career the protagonist struggled through abandoning her comfort zone and relearning to trust others. Needless to say it’s never too late to try something new, find your independence, or learn to put your heart out on your sleeve. Happy reading!

4.5 stars rounded to 5!
Screaming. Giggling. Awhhing.

This was amazing. All of it. Amazing. Such a good romance read with a little humor but I wouldn't consider it a rom-com...and I like that! The main and supporting characters were next level. I found myself gasping, crying, laughing, drooling! All the feels. Can we talk about this cover, too? SO CUTE.

This should be on everyone's TBR and would be an awesome book club pick.

Love, love, love!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"Every situation is a rom-com waiting to happen" just about sums up this sweet debut novel.

Romance author, Margot, finds herself in serious need of some R&R. This lands her in a remote "resort" in Alaska where she meets Forrest, a man so perfect she's surprised she didn't write him up herself in one of her romance novels.

Victoria Lavine brings out all the tropes, the spice, and warm fuzzy feelings in her debut. This was such a fun, romantic read and I look forward to seeing more from this author!

3.25 stars for me, though I know many romance lovers will really enjoy this snowy debut. Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine is an entertaining trip to Alaska where we follow romance writer, Margot, on her journey to reinvent herself. After a scandal involving the release of her Happily Never After file she is cancelled by her beloved romance fans and heads North to try her hand at writing a mystery novel. There she meets Forrest and they both fight the chemistry they have with each other.

I really loved the setting in Alaska at the lodge and the cast of side characters. The nod to all the standard tropes was highly entertaining and I enjoyed the journey both characters took. If you love spice and the combination of a burly man with a strong-headed woman then this book will work well for you. For me personally there were a few issues, primarily that I found Margot to be quite mean at times, something I have trouble empathizing with.

Overall a great debut and I am sure many will love this romance set in the backcountry of Alaska.

Thank you to the publisher Atria Books, author Victoria Lavine, and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC to review in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a wonderfully unexpected read!

It's like the author had a list of common romcom tropes and checked them off one by one... but in the best possible way. Some "self-aware" romcoms miss the mark and end up feeling more pedantic than witty. But "Any Trope But You" balanced the sarcasm well, and created such a fun, sweet read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm honestly a bit surprised that this is a debut novel, because it was so well crafted!

The banter between Margot and Forrest was adorable. The internal struggles they face make them incredibly relatable, even while they're facing a few over-the-top adventures in the Alaskan wilderness. The pacing was on-point, and kept me hooked through the entire story. It's rare that a romcom leaves me with a "can't put it down" feeling... but this is one that I didn't want to stop!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Victoria Lavine, and Atria Books for the ARC!

This was a very cute contemporary romance and the intentional cliches were so much fun. I absolutely adored the MMC and am a sucker for books set in Alaska which made the setting all the more enticing (hello, hikes through the frigid wilderness and a lovable moose!)

The Taylor Swift references were *chefs kiss* - I ate them up!

I also enjoyed the side characters and felt that they helped keep the book interesting. There really wasn’t a part of the book that moved too slowly for me, the pacing was perfect!

The second hand embarrassment for our jaded FMC at a few points killed me (but in a well read and intentional way!)

I’m mayor may not have shed a few tears as well.


*I received this as an ARC through Net Galley*

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There was banter, chemistry, and heartfelt moments. It was essentially a love letter to romance novels, sisters, and partners. I loved how it poked a little fun at some of your favorite tropes. It was a little too insta-love for my personal taste, but it was well written and an engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this earc

This book is exactly what the title sounds like. It’s an adorable rom com with all the most favorite tropes.

- remote Alaska setting ✅
- Doctor who gives up everything to help his dad ✅
- Did I mention he also cooks and chops wood?✅
- Romance author who stop believing in HEA ✅
Honestly, I’ll run out of page space if I keep going and it’s better if you just read it.
Read it by the fire with a hot chocolate or a glass wine. Trust me, it will make the experience ever better

Victoria Lavine is truly a talent! I absolutely adored Any Trope but You. The chemistry between the main characters was perfection, and the tropes were so much fun to try to spot. It was almost like a game within the story. I loved the characters so much, I honestly wished there was just a little more at the end or an epilogue.

-romance writer FMC
-rugged doctor MMC
-enemies (briefly) to lovers
-cozy Alaskan setting
-only one tent
-he takes care of her
…and many more tropes (of course)!

I really loved this book! Turns out, I love all the tropes!

Margot is a down on her luck writer who travels to Alaska to write her next novel after being exposed as a HEA hater by her readers. And of course, she finds all sorts of tropes in her way.

I really enjoyed the growth that came from both main characters. They fell so hard but also felt so torn about giving in to their own happiness.

any trope but you ❄️🎿🗻🫎🧣
3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you Net Galley and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this! this is the perfect book for winter! I enjoyed reading this book! this book is about Margot who goes to Alaska to write her new book. she quickly falls in love with the grumpy man who works at the lodge where she is staying. The only reason I rated so low was because I was bored at times but overall I did enjoy this book! I LOVED the ending! it was so so cute! Definitely read this if you like forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and dual pov! This is her debut novel and it comes out April 1st, 2025! definitely check it out!!