Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

This book was interesting enough to hold my attention while I was reading but I didn’t immediately want to keep picking it up!

Overall it was a good read

Romance novelist Margot, who doesn't believe in real-life happy endings, goes to Alaska and meets hers, in the form of Forrest. The abundance of tropes encountered along the way doesn't feel forced, and whilst occasionally the meta nature of this brought me out of the story, it was mostly handed well by Victoria Levine.
There have been a glut of romcomcs centering around romance writers recently but I found Levine's approach fresher and significantly less derivative than many others. I also enjoyed the characterisation, setting and prose. Spice fans will be very keen on this one.

Romance writer Margot Bradley is cancelled after a stunning on-air revelation that she doesn’t really believe in romance. Her publishers back off, even though she was about to drop a new book, and she is cajoled into spending weeks in the Alaskan wilderness. Her plan is to try and write in a totally different genre, but the world seems determined to prove her wrong.
From the moment she meets Forrest outside the lodge she is booked to stay in, he seems to fit every romance trope going. Physically attractive, a doctor, altruistic (he’s given up on his promising career in cancer research to care for his father) and good with his hands, she does all she can not to succumb to his obvious charms. After all, no one can be that good, can they?
As we’re in romance territory there are no real surprises here. Circumstances conspire to ensure Forrest and Margot are thrown together at every available opportunity. They each learn things about the other that challenges their assumptions. Events mean they end up in close proximity with alarming regularity, and each time results in their determined reserve around each other is thrown off-kilter.
From start to finish you get exactly what you are expecting. It’s entertaining, and not particularly smutty (which was a pleasant change), but I did find myself ticking off the expected moments/situations as they arrived.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this prior to publication.

I really enjoyed this book! From the remote location, to the hear of gold mmc, to the oops there’s only one tent situation I thought this book had such a great mix of heartfelt and funny moments that really came together to make such an enjoyable read.

What to expect:
Instant Attraction
Dislike to Love
Wilderness (mis)Adventures
Only One Tent
Romance Author
Disability Rep
Family
Happily Ever Afters

In Any Trope But You, we see Margot Bradley needed an escape. Her secret (and highly private) Happily Never After list has been leaked all over the internet, and as a romance author, disasters ensued. After being cancelled by her fans and dropped by her publishing, Margot's sister Savannah ships her off for a reinvention retreat, to the Alaskan wilderness …

Any Trope But You is a love letter to the romance genre, with a little twist. I adored that Margot was so put out by Forrest being the embodiment of so many tropes, it showed just how jaded she’d become and I was here for it. I love a good grumpy heroine. There were a lot of romance tropes in this book, but given the title, I wasn’t disappointed or rolling my eyes, I was eagerly wondering which one was going to pop up next. It was a break-in-the-fourth-wall kind of vibe.

While the whole book was easy to read and very enjoyable, I didn’t love the ending. I hate third-act breakups, even more so when they could have been talked out instead. And while I loved seeing Margot get back into her life, when Forrest turned up in those last few pages, it all felt rushed.

However, this was a fun, easily enjoyable read that mixed sex and spice with sweet and tender moments. Enjoy.

I enjoyed this book to a certain extent. I liked the whole Alaska setting, how Forrest epitomised Margot's written romance heroes and the whole 'trope' thing. I thought that Margot and Forrest's chemistry was cute. However, I found that Margot came across as quite selfish and rude. Also, the ending was quite rushed - it really could have done with more, in order to have given it a sweet and fluffy closure.

This was a heartwarming read set in Alaska and I can't remember if I've read a book that's set in Alaska before, so it was nice and refreshing to read. This book does go quite a bit meta as it's about a romance author finding and living through all of the romance tropes s she's used in her books to find her own happily ever after. The characters are well thought out and I like that they each had their own individual struggles regarding their careers and families, but despite all of that they managed to cover space for their own self to be, although that wasn't without sacrifice. For t he most part it was quite an engaging read

Margot, a bestselling romance novelist, flees to Alaska when her secret that she doesn’t believe in happy ever after gets leaked to her fans. She arrives in Alaska to try her hand at a murder mystery, but then finds herself being saved by proprietor Forrest, who doesn’t have room for anyone else. Both have fears to set aside or they will get a happily never after themselves.

I liked the sound of this one based around an author who does not believe in what she writes about and I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope. This ended up being an ok read. I think it started interesting enough and I found the characters intriguing, although not all that likeable. I also liked the setting and the atmosphere laid out during the novel. Saying that, I feel the story dragged and I struggled to keep on reading at times. Overall a really fun concept but not my favourite delivery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This was a very amusing book, though with elements of grief and recovery, too. Romance author Margot is hacked and it's revealed to her adoring fans that she might just not believe in "Happily Ever After". As she tries to gather the shreds of her self-respect and career, her sister, Savannah, sends her off on an Alaskan retreat - where she meets Forrest, a man seemingly composed of all the romantic hero tropes and each of her own heroes she's written and their subsequent plot ticks the rest of the romance boxes! I do like a book that undercuts those tropes and this does it very well.

There were some VERY long and detailed bedroom scenes which isn't really my thing, but you can skim them and not miss any plot points. What I really loved about this book was the theme of caring - Margot cares for her sister, who lives with a range of autoimmune issues that can flare or drop back at the slightest provocation, while Forrest does a lot of physical care for his dad, who has had a head injury. I particularly liked the representation that both kinds of conditions have their back and forth rather than a smooth arc of recovery, and the acknowledgement that some doctors don't accept autoimmune conditions as valid. There was important detail in these stories (about the carers and those they care for) that really rang true and I am sure many people will appreciate being seen as carers and those who receive care.

Blog review published 9 April: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/04/09/two-books-about-the-book-trade-bianca-gillam-bad-publicity-and-victoria-lavine-any-trope-but-you/

A really enjoyable romance that has all the tropes, so there is something for everyone.
Margot is a romance writer, but doesn't believe in HEA, which is fine, until a hacker releases that information to the world. Her sister then sends her to the Alaskan wilderness to rediscover herself and there she clashes with sexy mountain man Forrest (great name for a mountain man)
This was fun and sexy and I thought it was a great romance read, whilst having deeper sub stories for side characters with Chronic illness representation and also cancer (potential TW for both)
I loved the friendships and family bonds both main characters had and I just had a good time reading this one.

An adorable, trope-laden romcom that is perfect for fans of Meghan Quinn! Margot is forced into a 6-week writing retreat by her sister, where her meet-cute with Forrest sparks a chain reaction of romance tropes that feel like there's a behind-the-scenes producer masterminding their interactions. This was sweet and fun, and I quickly flew through the banter and budding relationship between Margot and Forrest.

An absolutely cosy hug of a romance book, which is a love letter to the romance genre and those of us who read it. A jaded romance author runs away to Alaska to lick her wounds and find a new beginning but unexpectedly finds her 'Happy Ever After'. Great characters, fabulous chemistry, lovely location, and a romance trope to suit any and all readers. An excellent debut!

Margot meets Forrest when she is in Alaska trying to write her novel. From the moment she meets him she can't help but think how many tropes are met. A fun read.

This was an incredible debut by Victoria with a premise that had me well and truly hooked. I loved the chemistry between Margot and Forrest, they were very similar but because of that it made it harder for them to give in to their feelings. I giggled at the fact that Forrest was practically a human form of all the best tropes which wasn't making it easier for Margot to hate everything about love. Any Trope But You is a really fun and quirky novel with some deep moments woven within but a happy ending makes up for all the battles the two had to go through just to get there.

The title really made me laugh as we all have tropes that we dislike! So many tropes, so little time but for me this made it a fun and exciting read as we explored the characters.

Any Trope But You is the incredible debut from Victoria Lavine. It is genuinely one of the best contemporary romances I’ve read in a long time; it’s full of incredible characters, all of the glorious tropes and it’s so very meta - I adored it!

After hugely successful and popular romance author Margot finds herself being cancelled when someone leaks that she of all people doesn’t believe in HEAs, her sister thinks the best thing for her is to get away… to Alaska! Margot’s sister Savannah books her an extended trip at a wilderness lodge in the hope that Margot will be able to write her comeback manuscript. What neither of them expected was for Margot to meet Forrest, one of the lodge’s proprietors who seems to be a romance hero in the flesh. As one trope after another draws them together over long snowy nights, one thing is clear: Margot and Forrest have landed in a romance novel of their very own. But will they each be able to overcome their fears, or risk becoming another of Margot's Happily Never Afters themselves...

I loved pretty much everything about this one. Firstly, Lavine has gifted us the most beautiful, nuanced and deeply human characters, and not just in our MCs. The whole cast is so special and together make this book come alive. I was so deeply rooting for Margot and Forrest and adored the fact that in addition to their growing feelings we got to see some incredible individual development arcs. These two give so very much of themselves to others, that to see them be able to try and carve out their own HEA - ah perfection.

These tropes, I mean who doesn’t want to read about a romance author living through the very tropes she writes! At first Margot tries to resist them but we all know the lure of a good trope is impossible. As well as bring incredibly moving in places (I most definitely cried - no shame here) this novel is also very fun, most often when the tropes get involved.

It’s hardest describe just how much I enjoyed this one, but to say I’m excited gif what Lavine writes next would be an understatement.

this was like the book that takes the cynic you are, think you are, want to be and pushes it all at you with every single trope it can. but it does so with every intention. and it does so and somehow it pulls you in time after time, trope after trope and just helps you see why tropes are indeed tropes and why actually we all need them. its a mocking reader that becomes the mockee when the book falls for itself because its just so blooming good!
our characters. the tropes. perfection. i love how it explores all the cynicisms some of us have or think we should have with the tropes. and alongside the words we and the fmc are totally dismantled and fall in love with each and every one of those tropes.
this book is so unique and so very original and besides all that it just worked as a brilliant read.
Margot is fantastic as a character. she a romance author who doesnt believe in romance. and when this is leaked it all goes to pot. she is modern day canceled. so what does one do? well yeh, run away to a far flung corner of the earth of course. possibly to write something new? yeh, something dark might fit her current mood and sense of self.
ooooooh but she didnt count on our male main character Forest. no neither did we. and swoooooooooooon we all go. but ha, Margot is arrrd right? she knows the tropes and laughs in the face of them,right? oopsie....perhaps not. and perhaps our cynic might just learn why nothing ever comes from nowhere and that includes tropes.
they both are with their issues though. thats also explored really well. and made me love Forest even more.
this book knows exactly what its done and is a standout book because of it.
i loved this book. read,read this book now.

Loved it. Was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed the push and pull of both the main characters. Had me chuckling several times and tearing up at others.
My first book by Victoria Lavine and won’t be my last.

This was the perfect rom com. So deliciously meta and heartfelt, I was hooked from the first sentence (and a little called out). Forrest and Margot had such great chemistry from the very first slightly fraught meet cute until the end. I loved how they had an implicit understanding of one another and how they navigated that together. The communication between the two of them was so good and felt so realistic. I flew through the book and it soothed my soul and made me feel all the things that a good romance book should

I had higher expectations for this book and it didn’t disappoint!

From the amazing romance to the character growth and the gorgeous setting, this book hit the nail in the head on every front!

The romance had me hooked. The tension between Margot and Forrest was great and as much as I just wanted them to be together, I did enjoy the earlier chapters where they were trying so hard (and failing) at not letting their chemistry and feelings takeover. After everything they went through, they deserved to be happy and I couldn’t have been more thrilled when they finally gave in to their feelings and later fully committed to being together for good.

As per the title, tropes are a big part of this book and I truly ate them all up! Even Margot found the enormous amount; there were a lot of them in the book but I loved it and found they all fit within the plot without feeling forced).

I’m obsessed with Forrest - he literally is the dream book boyfriend and loved Margot so much. I also loved Margot and how strong she was; her character development throughout the book was great to witness and seeing her fall inevitably fall in love with Forrest was heartwarming. They had a lot in common, including the experience of caring for loved ones and they understood each other better than most, which made them a perfect fit even though it also made it harder for them to be together at one point.

I did find the ending a bit rushed, and would have loved to have seen Forrest and Margot beginning to build their life together in LA but that didn’t make reading this book any less enjoyable.

Overall, this was a great debut and a perfect read for any romance lovers! It is out in the US now and in the UK tomorrow so make sure to check it out!!

Huge thanks to Zaffre and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.