Derek and Dylan are neighbors who dislike each other--until Dylan falls for Derek. Literally falls, right through the roof of Derek's bedroom. With both of them having their reasons to keep the extent of the damage to themselves, Derek agrees to allow Dylan to do the renovation work needed to fix their apartments--and, since his bedroom is out of commission, he stays with Dylan for the duration of the work. As they live together, they both begin to learn that maybe they judge the other too harshly. And maybe if they let themselves, they can get along better than either of them ever imagined.

Fall for Him is very sweet and incredibly heartfelt. I absolutely adored it. My only issue was with their named both starting with D, I had a hard time remembering who was who for a decent portion of the book. My confusion over that was the only thing that kept this from being a five star read--otherwise it was absolutely beautiful.

Content warnings for a dead friend and for ADHD issues, including some shaming from loved ones.

I'm a huge fan of Andie Burke's, and not only was this a great follow up to Fly For Me, but it was fun, sweet, and sexy

3.5⭐️

Dylan was never quite sure why his downstairs neighbor, Derek, has hated him since they first met, but he's done a great job staying out of his way and ignoring it. That is until he forgets to turn the kitchen sink off during an ADHD hyperfocus and ends up falling through the floor into Derek's bedroom. Dylan offers to fix the damage himself in an effort of saving money and keeping the nosey HOA president out of their visit. That forces Derek to spend time with Dylan, rather he likes it or not.

I love that this whole story started with Dylan literally falling through the floor into Derek's bed. It started things with a bang and set the pace for the rest of the book. As someone diagnosed with ADHD late in life, I feel like Dylan's ADHD representation was really well done. The scenes of him essentially just grin and baring the way his family treated him more or less as a fuck up because he had remained untreated for so long was heartbreaking. Derek's history of losing his father and losing his best friend added to how real this story felt. I also absolutely loved Gus and the way they were trying to hide a huge, old dog from the HOA lady.

I did find the lack of communication in this to be absolutely maddening. Derek had the tendency of jumping to conclusions and losing his temper over nothing. I can appreciate a ride or die friend and I can also appreciate Dylan not wanting to speak ill of the dead, but someone really needed to sit Dylan down and have a conversation about how Jake really was. And by the end of the book, I still don't think Derek ever found out why Dylan called Jake a piece of shit in the first place. Also, that was a huge grudge just for someone calling your best friend who you didn't even want to be with a POS.

Nit-picky, but Dylan and Derek are way too similar of names to have in a story together and it still takes me a minute to figure out which one I'm actually talking about. Pick names that start with different letters, please.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC to me!

Oh SWOON. Give me more of these two PLEASE. I have a deep affection for boys with family issues and big feelings and both of these men have these in spades. So happy Derek got his story - and I so enjoyed the banter between these two men. What may have started with irritation and annoyance on both ends, the two set aside their differences and become a swoon-worthy couple, it was beautiful.

This one was hard for me to get into sadly! It was confusing to read at time. And some scenes I did not like, I also did not like the structure of the book.

I love the cover though!!

Thank you to Andie Burke, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for an ARC of Fall For Him!

Admittedly, I hadn’t read Andie Burke’s debut novel, but the blurb for this sounded too cute to resist when I was sent the widget to download from NetGalley. And definitely glad I did! I probably missed out on some details coming from the other book (wish it had been more clear online this was an interconnected standalone) but overall i really enjoyed this book. I thought the rep was well done, and enjoyed the romance between Dylan and Derek - though I did get their names flipped a few times in my head at the beginning 😅

I wish there had been more of a solid resolution between Derek and his sister. The problem with Michelle was a background issue for Derek for most of the book, and the fact that all we got was a brief scene that didn’t really seem to resolve a whole lot between the two was a let down. I would have liked to see more detailed resolution between them.

Overall, this was a cute and spicy Achillean romance, with a super sweet epilogue!

POV: dual third person

You can expect: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, roomance, meet disaster, home renovation, ER nurse MMC, tech engineer MMC.

Rep: gay MCs, bi side, Taiwanese- and Korean-American MMC, ADHD, demisexual side, anxiety, Alzheimer’s (suspected, not confirmed), panic attack

Spice: 2/5

CW: loss of a parent, loss of a friend, ableism, alcoholism, workplace violence

Decided not to put a review at the usual platforms as I don't want to be a Debbie Downer.

I wanted to like this MM romance, but the two leads with very similar names and similar voices confused me. I kept having to check who was speaking. Even now I can't remember which one was supposed to be Asian--there was so little sense of even second or third generation mix of cultures, which made the character feel like checking boxes.

Secondly there was more hostility and judgment than I like; enemies-to-lovers is a very subjective trope, I know, but I prefer a lot more banter and less bickering. .

The plot was so cluttered with "stuff" that wasn't really well explained much less resolved, especially with Derek and his issues with deceased Jake. Maybe it's just me,

This book really started out too weak and slow for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and even just telling the characters apart. I also didn’t feel the enemies to lovers plot as much as I wanted to. The hating felt forced and awkward and then their relationship got off to a kind of rocky start in my opinion. I liked the characters and their complexities once I got into the storyline a bit more. I liked the side characters. I honestly didn’t love the final act breakup and felt like it wasn’t authentic to all the progress they had made already. I also feel like the resolution with the Parakeet Karen was too fast. Overall, it was good and I’m glad I read it. Just felt like it wasn’t quite what I expected.

Andie Burke’s sophomore release had a lot to live up to after her debut really knocked it out of the park - Fly With Me was one of my very top reads of 2023! Fall For Him, which includes appearances by Olive (from Fly With Me - she’s a nursing co-worker and best friend of Derek), wasn’t quite as stellar but definitely one to read.

This one started with a bang - literally, as Dylan falls through Derek’s ceiling due to a bit of a flood in his apartment above, and long-term water damage. The pair has a long-standing issue with each other, though neither understands the reason why the other doesn’t like him. It’s eventually revealed (I see a ton of reviews that dnf’d, so please keep going - this storyline really redeems itself beyond the point everyone seems to be giving up, and it’s definitely a good one).

While the boys have to work together to repair the ceiling damage to avoid huge insurance claims or contractor bills, they also have to work together to hide Derek’s dog Gus that isn’t allowed by the apartment complex board, and share the only livable space - working mostly opposite shifts makes it fairly doable, but they’re still in forced proximity and still fighting a mutual attraction, which is there even with both of them having their issues about the other (again, revealed later in the book, so don’t give up on it).

It has a tiny bit of spice, but not really… I was definitely hoping for something more.

The names were WAY too similar and when in third person it was getting difficult.

I did find this one was quite slow in comparison to her first book, but certainly worth it by the end - a beautiful relationship and I’m glad I read it and stayed with it (seeing some of the reviews popping up I was getting worried). I do recommend it, and I absolutely recommend sticking through the difficult parts in the middle when you might want to call it quits, like the other reviewers!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and this is my honest feedback.

Tha banter! The enemies to lovers to reluctant allies to kind of roommates! The cute dog! THE COVER! I dont know if it was intentional or not, but this will definitely appease Sterek Teen Wolf fans, and not just because their names are Derek and Dylan. They have that same addictive tension, the wit and the flirting. I couldn't get enough!

This was such a great novel that gave so many diferent groups representation. This book had everything from acceptance and moving on from losing loved ones, mental health, neurodivergence, etc. On top of being a great romcom and the banter was pure chefs kiss.

***Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Fall for Him was a genuinely funny and heartfelt MM romance. The premise was hilarious. One of the main characters literally falls through the floor into his downstairs neighbor's bed, and a solid enemies-to-lovers story ensued.

Unfortunately, I often found myself bored while reading Fall for Him, especially in the middle 50% of the book. The pacing was a bit off, with some of the story feeling too slow and other parts too abrupt. Furthermore, most of the conflict felt internal to the characters despite the great premise of the construction problem and forced roommate situation. The frequent miscommunication also became tiresome pretty quickly.

Once the characters got together, though, I started enjoying Fall for Him a lot more. They had a really fun dynamic with great banter and electric chemistry. The steamy scenes were great, and they felt integral to the story rather than gratuitous. I loved getting to see the guys interact as a couple with their families, as well. Those were some of my favorite parts of the novel. Their relationship just worked so well once things got going. I wanted to protect them at all costs, especially from themselves. lol.

I did appreciate the ADHD and grief representation even though it took up a bit more of the narrative in Fall for Him than I would've liked. The portrayal of these issues was realistic, though, and I liked the strong focus on how each of them could make relationships difficult. Importantly, the main characters were complex and didn't feel pigeon-holed into stereotypes of their issues. I genuinely liked them both and enjoyed getting to know them.

The supporting characters were great, too. Gus stole the show when he was in a scene. He was such a good dog. The nosy HOA person was hilarious. I wanted to strangle her each time she inserted herself into other people's business. I also loved how great of a friend Joni was to Derek. She really helped him work through some big feelings and never wavered in her support of him. As I mentioned earlier, the families were all great characters, as well. This really was such a great cast overall.

All in all, Fall for Him was a solid contemporary MM romance with an entertaining premise, interesting characters, and great mental health representation. The central relationship had a fun enemies-to-lovers dynamic with plenty of witty banter and steamy moments. The pacing and reliance on miscommunication for a good deal of the tension kept this from being a slam dunk for me, though. Therefore, I rate Fall for Him 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Great uncute-meet scenario: MC1 falls through the rotten floor of his kitchen, straight into the bed of MC2, and uh-oh, they already have a hostile relationship.

Unfortunately, the writing's flat and the various characters' heartfelt conversations draw largely from the psychobabble pool:

"I’m honored you’re trusting me with this. Life is complicated."

“It’s not dumb if it’s something that’s important to you, or something that impacted you.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I don’t know what that must have been like, but I do get the insecurity part."

There's nothing wrong with this kind of thing, exactly -- its heart is in the right place -- but the triteness gets excruciating PDQ. Then the book throws in an annoying, nosy older woman character (Lord, I am *so sick* of the ageism/misogyny combo platter) and, as the cherry on top, this bit of body positivity:

"I have mostly come to terms with my body, and I have fully embraced the intuitive eating life. I mean, I’m in great shape and work out three times a week. Should being a size fourteen mean I can’t like my body?"

No, no, of course not.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a great sequel (but stand alone!) to Andie’s debut last fall. I loved Derek and Dylan’s story with lots of complex emotions, history and actuality. Andie also demonstrates great mental health rep with an understanding and patient partner which is SO incredibly great and lovely to see in the romance genre. Derek and Dylan are (literally) thrown together when Dylan falls through the ceiling and lands in Derek’s bed. For a myriad of reasons they are stuck with one bed in a forced proximity scenario amid the chaos of their everyday lives PLUS a drawn out home reno. As they rebuild the physical spaces around them, will they also start to fix what’s going on inside?

I didn’t realize before reading that this book is connected to Andie Burke’s first novel, Fly With Me (Derek is Olive’s best friend). While this book is a standalone, I think I would’ve connected more with the characters if I had read the other book first.

I loved the meet “cute” (or not so cute)…Dylan literally falls through the ceiling into Derek’s apartment and then makes an “it’s raining men” joke. There’s a little enemies-to-lovers (but Dylan doesn’t know why they’re enemies) and a lot of forced proximity (Derek has to share Dylan’s apartment while the damage to his own is being completed).

Unfortunately, I had a a bit of a hard time following the story. I guess Dylan and Derek are in the same name family for me, because I got them confused for the whole book. I think either different names or 1st person POV would’ve been really helpful. Dylan and Derek also went from enemies to calling each other “babe” with the flip of a switch! I wish there had been more of a slow buildup to the relationship to make it more believable.

I did really enjoy that this book covered ADHD, grief, and family relationships in such a deep way. Both characters had great senses of humor and had me laughing out loud. I think this would’ve been a 5 star book for me if I wasn’t distracted by trying to keep track of who I was reading about. I also loved Olive’s character and will definitely go back and read Fly With Me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Andie Burke, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Fall for Him" was the perfect follow-up to "Fly with Me". While this is technically a standalone, seeing Olive as the supportive friend to Dylan was perfect. The depiction of Dylan and Derek's relationship felt realistic. There were emotions, work situation, family situations, etc. that were messing and heartbreaking, really reflecting what people go through as they build their own romantic relationships. Dylan and Derek fill the gaps that are missing in their lives, truly balancing each other out. There are so many great moments of banter I hope to see in future projects by Burke.

What happens when it literally starts raining men... and by that I mean a cute guy floods his apartment and lands right in yours. Dylan Gallagher is a cute nerd who has never really gotten along with his hot neighbor, ER nurse Derek Chang. From the moment Dylan moved in Derek has hated him and Dylan has no idea what he did wrong. What Dylan doesn't know is that Derek knows him before he had moved in, specifically because Dylan had dated the Derek's best friend's brother... the same guy Derek has nursed a long time crush on and slept with multiple times yet by going out with Dylan said guy was hurt and then when he passed away Derek's hatred for Dylan solidified. Yet here when Dylan lands smack dab in the middle of Derek's apartment, flooding it... they have to come up with a solution and that means Dylan will repair Derek's apartment while Derek moves in with Dylan. And so begins a tension filled roommate situation where there feelings for one another only grow stronger... but the longer Derek hides his past from Dylan the more it'll ruin the blooming relationship between them. This one just felt like a disappointment for me, the premise was really cute but the actual characters just weren't for me. I didn't like the pacing of the story and the actual conclusion for the mess between them just felt meh. I really liked how the story had a lot of rep in it and how it handled grief, but the actual romance just didn't feel there for me at all. I do appreciate getting to read a story with unique rep but I would just say this one missed the mark for me.

Release Date: September 3,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my goodness I loved this book!

This one is for the readers that love forced proximity, classic romcom movies, heartwarming moments, ADHD rep, grief plot lines, anxieties, struggles, deep feels, spicy times, and laugh out loud moments as well!

Andie is quickly becoming a staple recommendation for anyone looking for queer reads! I can’t wait to see what she is writing next!

I loved Fall for Him. I had previously read Fly With Me, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I figured I would like this one as well. Andie Burke's writing is stunning, and the characters are all so intriguing. Highly recommend this one!

Thank you st martins press and net galley for providing me with an e-arc

3.25 stars

Dylan and Derek certainly have an interesting meet cute with Dylan falling through the floor and into his mean neighbour's bed. Very reminiscent of a hentai plot.

Dylan initially comes across like a bit of an air head and Derek is a bit of an ass. They yo-yo between hate and lust as Dylan offers to repair Derek's ceiling. Feelings inevitably develop due to their forced proximity. I really liked the discussion of anxiety, ADHD, and familial expectations.

I didn't get a satisfying conclusion with Derek's family. The built up conflict with his sister felt glossed over with an implied reconciliation in the epilogue.

Overall cute but not memorable.