Due to medical reasons, I was unable to fully read this book before it expired. I throughly enjoyed what I did read, however I cannot write a proper review due to this. I apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

One of my favorite parts of romance books that I have been seeing more of in recent years is the dedication to the characters being fully messy individuals. No matter how cutesy, tropey-y, or silly the inciting incident is, the characters are grappling with their identities and how they are in relationship with those around them. Fall For Him is an excellent example of this trend. Dylan may fall through a hole in the floor into Derek's bed, but this sets the stage for an enormous amount of growth for both of these men, both in how they understand themselves but also how they understand their relationship with their families.

Andie Burke’s Fall for Him is a heartfelt contemporary romance that blends humor, vulnerability, and a tender exploration of love after loss. The story follows Drew Wilson, a grief-stricken woman who unexpectedly finds herself fake-dating her late fiancé’s best friend, Ryan Callahan, after a chance encounter forces them into a charade neither is prepared for. Burke handles grief with sensitivity, avoiding clichés while portraying Drew’s struggle to move forward authentically. The fake-dating trope shines here, with witty banter and a believable, gradual shift from reluctant allies to something deeper. While enjoyable, the plot follows familiar romance arcs, with few surprises for genre fans. For fans of The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, Less steamy than Beach Read (Emily Henry), but comparable in emotional resonance.

This story was overall fun but I found it to be a bit boring at times. Stylistically the writing wasn't my favorite and the plot was a bit all over the place, like there were too many things going on. I didn't really like the storyline with the best friend's brother; like Derek was so hung up on him for majority of the book, it didn't feel like I was reading Derek and Dylan's story. I did love the characters though and I think the ADHD rep was great!

"It's raining men" was the hook for me when I found this one, and I'm glad it did because I don't know who I would be without Dylan and Derek. Two of the most entertaining, endearing boys I've ever gotten to know in fiction. Hyper fixation and grumpiness put together is the ingredients to a love that not only entertains, but shows you the story could be just as much about you as it is about them. I loved being a part of their story for a little while. My only complaint is that I didn't get more.

This was okay. I found myself getting bored and confused. The character names are too similar and I kept getting them mixed up.

This was such a sweet, funny, and unexpectedly emotional read. The setup is chaotic in the best way, and from there, it’s a classic grumpy/sunshine, forced-proximity vibe—with a lot of heart.

Both main characters felt really real to me. Dylan has ADHD, Derek is dealing with grief, and their connection felt authentic and slow-burning in a way I loved. There’s a dog, some hilarious neighbor moments, and great queer rep throughout.

Some parts dragged a little or leaned on miscommunication, but overall it made me feel warm and hopeful. I’ll definitely be reading more from Andie Burke!

Fall for Him is a cozy, queer romance that’s equal parts swoony and sincere. It follows two very different men—one guarded, one golden-retriever-energy softie—as they navigate past the most disastrous meet-cute love, and the complicated parts of starting over. Andie Burke brings so much heart to the story, with rich emotional layers and a romance that feels both warm and earned.

The chemistry is great, the banter is fun, and the deeper moments hit hard in all the right ways. It’s the kind of book that wraps around you like a hug while gently reminding you that healing isn’t linear—and love can be worth the risk.

Perfect for fans of heartfelt slow burns, soft masculinity, and characters with real emotional depth.

I went into this book not expecting much. A good mm romance is hard to find. But I laughed. I cried. I was angry. I was sad. Its well written. Good story line. Enjoyable characters. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

A fun, easy read with sweet moments, but it didn’t quite have that spark I was hoping for. Still enjoyable for a light romance fix!

3.25

Fall for Him falls into the modern trend of creating a world where standalone romance novels all sit together, but here I'm not sure how well this one stands without having previously read Fly with Me. One of our main characters is Derek Chang, who is the best friend of Olive from Fly with Me. He also had a major crush on Olive's older brother, Jake, and they had maybe started something right before the accident that landed Jake in a coma. A lot of Derek's storyline is unpacking how he feels about that and whether or not him and Jake would have ever truly worked out or if he was just using that crush to avoid processing other emotions, which honestly was very relatable and I think boosted my enjoyment of this book quite a bit. We also follow Dylan, who had a bad interaction with Jake shortly before he died and a lot of the conflict between Derek and Dylan goes back to this weirdly contrived miscommunication between them which I really didn't get on with. And I'm not sure if it was that or the pacing but I really struggled to buy into the actual relationship between Dylan and Derek. But I did appreciate Dylan's whole storyline of learning strategies to mitigate the impact of his debilitating ADHD and anxiety, and a lot of that storyline was also really relatable to me personally. Having read this shortly after reading Fly with Me, I'm struggling because while I was hoping Burke's sophomore novel would elevate some of the writing and plot critiques I had with her debut, I think I actually found them more irritating here I just liked and related to the characters as individuals more. So I'm settling on a low 3 stars, that probably would have been a higher 3 star if it had been about 50 pages shorter because I really did not get on with the way the last bit of conflict played out.

I had a good time with this book, but there was just something missing for me. I liked the characters and their banter. I really liked the set up and how they would need to work together to renovate their apartments.

But I just needed more in the development of their relationship. It was paced weirdly from going to enemies to lovers with very little in between.

There was some really excellent ADHD rep here which I really appreciated!

4.5/5

I went into Fall For Him thinking I’d get a sweet, funny little rom-com with a quirky meet-cute, and it was that… but also so much more. Andie Burke doesn’t just deliver on the laughs and the swoon—she brings genuine emotional depth, realistic mental health rep, and characters who feel like people I could bump into at a coffee shop (and immediately fall for).

The premise is wild in the best way: Dylan literally falls through the ceiling into his neighbor Derek’s apartment, and somehow that chaotic moment sets the tone perfectly. Dylan, a nipple-pierced nerdy contractor with ADHD, is every bit the lovable disaster. Derek? A hot AF Asian nurse who reads, cooks, cares for a giant dog, and wears sweatpants like it’s a lifestyle choice. Honestly? I was gone from him by chapter two.

What made this hit so personally was Dylan’s journey with ADHD and mental health. As someone navigating my version of that maze, I felt so seen in his frustration, his self-doubt, and the way he craved someone who didn’t try to “fix” him but just let him be. Burke nails that delicate balance—showing us how our diagnoses affect us, but also reminding us they don’t define us. Dylan choosing peace over pressure, especially in his career, echoed a decision I’ve been working through myself, and I honestly teared up more than once.

Then there’s Derek, who starts grumpy (and kind of an ass), but quickly becomes the emotionally complex softie of my dreams. His grief over losing his dad, the weight he’s carried for years, his need to fix everything around him, but never knowing how to ask for help? It cracked me open. And his love for Dylan—quiet, protective, tender—completely undid me. Plus: the weekly voicemails to Michelle? I MELTED.

Their chemistry? 🔥🔥🔥 But what made it special was the emotional intimacy behind the spice. It’s the kind of heat that builds not just from attraction, but from feeling safe and understood. The way Derek talks about how Dylan makes all the versions of him feel okay? I wanted to scream into a pillow from the sheer beauty of it.

This book is full of laughs (hello, Gus the dog and HOA drama), top-tier banter, and side characters who are just as vivid as the leads. I didn’t love the third-act conflict, but it didn’t take away from the emotional payoff. This book had me blushing, laughing, and clutching my chest at unexpected moments. I stayed up way too late devouring it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

I enjoyed this book immensely as well as both main characters. The comedic moments were balanced with sweet, emotional moments between the two characters and I just can't say enough good things!

Okay, I adored this one. I was obsessed with these two and the fake dating while secretly fixing the apartment. All the messiness I was here for it and I needed more.

I loved Andie's first novel - Fly with Me - so I admittedly came into this with exceedingly high expectations. She continues to impress me with her ability to write healthy mental health rep. That being said, this didn't blow me away the way Fly with Me did. It's a respectable 3.5ish stars, but I doubt I'll feel the need to ever reread this.

At times, the relationship seemed to progress and regress without much logic - they seem to jump into using "babe," but then hadn't had some very basic discussions about what their relationship status was? I think the pacing here felt a tad off, like maybe it could have used a few additional chapters, and maybe had a few existing ones cut. I think this goes into the bucket of enjoyable romance reads that won't necessarily stick with you forever.

DNF at 30%. I'm not leaving a rating because I didn't finish the book.

This seems like a pleasant M/M contemporary romance. For whatever reason, each time I came back to it, it felt more like a chore than something I was excited to do. Perhaps I'm just not in the mood for contemporary romances? There's just nothing gripping me about this plot. Because of the above, I don't want to potentially negatively impact the rating of this book with a review written by a person who just wasn't feeling the story, for whatever reason.

I found Andie Burke's forward to be deep and emotional, and I hope that her work reaches the people who appreciate it!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Griffin for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Fall For Him is the first book I’ve read by author, Andie Burke.

This was a slow start read for me and I had trouble getting into it. So much so, that I took a lengthy hiatus and read a ton of library book. I came back to this and restarted the read.

It’s still a slow start but I’ve made it past the first 10 percent this time on my kindle. One of the problems I’m seeing with both MC’s having similar names is keeping their two POV’s separate. Dylan and Derek’s names are just too similar.

Several hours later…

Okay, I’m glad I stuck with this as omg, it’s so good. Dylan and Derek are perfect together. And Gus! And Felicity (Both of them). And even the idiot Three Icemen of the Apocalypse…

This was a very well written story after I got through the beginning and I’m glad I didn’t. I’m definitely adding Andie Burke to my auto-read romance list.

The banter! The neurodivergent representation! Those were my 2 favorite components of this book. The banter between all of the characters had me laughing out loud (and making my husband look at me like I'm a crazy person) multiple times throughout the book. Between Dylan and Derek's conversations and bringing in spicy ginger Felicity, and little Felicity (down with the patriarchy!), I was smiling throughout the entirety of this book.

I felt the representation of the struggles someone with ADHD goes through on the regular was very accurate and it is always nice to see authors tackle these subjects and do it well. Seeing the relationship blossom between them and reading about Derek giving Dylan the strength to stand up for himself was super heartwarming. Dylan faced many struggles most neurodivergent people experience at some point in their lives and having someone to support you and remind you that you are still important and worthy is an amazing message to put in a book.

Derek also had his struggles that I could relate to. Not processing one's grief because of the need to be strong is a difficult realization to come to and is even harder to overcome. Reading about these two coming together despite the challenges they each faced was a very pleasant experience and now I think I need to go back to read Olive and Stella's story!

It is a funny, by the number's kind of romance. I did chuckle quite a bit at the main character literally falling through the ceiling and that being how they met. The whole book has the feeling of a quirky and quippy version of that oh no there's a single bed trope and that's not bad. It's just very mediocre. It's fun and lighthearted but doesn't really do anything very unique.

It's simple and fun to read and I'd definitely say if you're on a plane or have time give it a read. It doesn't take very long and not something you really have to put your thinking cap on for. It's lighthearted and tropey but still readable. Like a mediocre fanfiction, not high literature but it is still nice enough to read and you'll have a good time along the way.