As the first book I’ve read by Andie Burke, coupled with an enticing book summary, I had high hopes for this MM romance. While the book started with a comical premise and had the potential to be a beautifully woven tale, unfortunately, it fell short in its delivery. Although it is presented as a standalone, I felt it was critical to have read the first book, Fly with Me, where it is alluded that the primary character, Derek, is introduced; otherwise, it feels like you’re coming in on the middle of his story instead of the beginning. That being said, Fall For Him is filled with humor and heart for those who enjoy a spicy, queer romance.

Dylan has made some blunders in his life, but falling through his neighbor’s roof takes the cake! How could he have known that leaving the water running and getting distracted would expose a hidden problem in his poorly renovated neighbor’s apartment? To add insult to injury, this neighbor has despised him since their first encounter. All Dylan was trying to do was focus on his work, a task his ADHD brain tackled with a vengeance if he forgot to take his medication, which helped his hyperfocus. Now, he must endure close quarters and death stares as Derek is forced to move into his apartment while they make Derek’s livable again.

After working a long shift, Derek was just trying to get some rest. What he wasn’t expecting was to almost be buried under a failing ceiling, water, and eventually a neighbor who has come through his ceiling, nearly crushing him and his dog Gus. Said neighbor, whom he already loathed for treating the person he cared most about on this planet as a social pariah, was now someone he had to live with while his apartment was fixed—a situation he doubted would go well since the rumor has it he’s just his uncle’s deadbeat nephew mooching off him. To make matters worse, when his best friends Olivia and Joni get involved, the ideas that start sparking about a chemistry that definitely does not exist begin to make him see Dylan in a new light and question how he truly has dealt with the pain of his past, the relationships of the present, and the possibilities for the future.

Despite the overall disconcerting story format, the humor was well-placed throughout. There were plenty of moments that provoked full laughter, a few giggles, and a handful of chuckles. The comical interactions between the characters were some of my favorites. I enjoyed Olivia’s humor, as well as Felicity and Dylan’s quick wit, and eventually, Derek’s, which seemed to shift to match Dylan’s as the story progressed.

I appreciated the introspective moments of Derek’s character as he reflected on how he truly felt about Jake, his role in the lives of his family, and how the death of his father and his dedication to his role hindered more than helped. These moments provided significant insight into the character, but at the same time, they still made him appear very two-dimensional, focusing more on how this one role completely defined everything about him.

While enjoyable for the most part, the book was at times a little too chaotic for me. There were passages that I had to read numerous times because they contained dropped thoughts—meaning the story was heading in a particular direction and then abruptly stopped, and grammatical errors that made certain moments hard to understand. The story really struggled in two noticeable areas: maintaining clarity with the third-person dual POV and managing timelines effectively. As mentioned above, the story also does a poor job transitioning between moments.

As for the third-person dual POV—that was an absolute headache. You could be a few pages into a chapter and have no idea whose perspective you were reading from. I respect an author’s choice in terms of naming characters, but I knew having two names so closely aligned as Dylan and Derek was going to be a challenge. The third-person perspective made it manageable, but there were times when any other name but another “D” would have been appreciated—though it would have taken away from Olivia’s hilarious stand-up comic type joke.

The biggest issue with this book was the flimsy overall structure, which made it hard to commit to the characters and be lost in the moments. Burke seemed to have found her way close to the end, but by that point, you were just ready to be done. The book accelerated when it should have decelerated and vice versa—focusing on some moments longer than necessary and speeding through (or skipping over) others that would have been vital to the story.

The attempt at steam was there, but I can’t quite put my finger on it; something was definitely missing in these moments. They should have been hot, engulfing, and memorable, but instead, they were just words with very little impact. Again, I’m not sure if it’s because we were already disconnected from the characters or if the necessary fire to heat those scenes was absent.

The story does focus on grief, loss, and the impact on survivors. While brief and through a quick explanation of the characters, we learn how Derek’s father’s death and Jake’s death affected those around him. We also got a glimpse of mental health through Derek’s method of dealing with grief and Dylan’s ADHD.

The back of the book summary gave such high hopes for this book, but it just didn’t deliver as promised. Again, it may be because I hadn’t read the first book in the series, or because this is an ARC and states that it is 'Uncorrected,' so many of the issues may be resolved in editing; however, as is, I wouldn’t be able to recommend this book. Burke has shown that she is capable of creating stories that think outside the box. Hopefully, in time, her craft will continue to grow, bringing those creative concepts to life and successfully sharing them from start to finish.

Fall for Him by Andie Burke is a 4/5 star MM rom-com. Dylan Gallagher has a crush on his neighbor but Derek Chang doesn’t seem to like him much. After a disaster that results in Dylan falling through the floor and landing in Derek’s apartment, the pair become roommates and then so much more. I really enjoyed the banter and character development. Burke does a good job writing about grief journeys and complicated relationships with family.
Read this if you like:
Dislike to lovers
Neighbors to roommates
All the banter
ADHD rep

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Do not ever let someone make you feel that small again. Because you, Dylan Gallagher, are not fucking small.”

This so easily became one of my favourite M/M romances! I read this in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down! This book is fast paced with great writing, an interesting plot, and really well developed characters. It was fun, flirty, and a joy to read with some emotional scenes thrown in there. And when I say fun, I mean it was so chaotically funny, it had me laughing out loud. Dylan’s snarky comebacks were hilarious and of course Derek secretly loved them.

Derek and Dylan had a tough time growing up, both with different reasons. I loved how through both of their family dramas and personal insecurities, they were so supportive and understanding of each other. And despite their initial distaste for one another they just work perfectly together through patience, silliness, kindness, banter, and acceptance. I just love them both so much 💞(really loved the few spicy scenes we got as well 🌶️). The side characters were entertaining, feisty, and loyal. They added more depth to the story without taking away from the main characters. Also, Gus, the doggo, was definitely a favourite of mine! The epilogue was absolutely perfect, what a great wrap up to the story!

Overall, I loved this one and definitely recommend it! I can’t wait to check out more of Andie’s books.

Check this out if you love:
🧡 M/M Romance
🧡 Forced Proximity
🧡 ADHD Rep
🧡 Dual POV
🧡 Pop Culture References

Dylan Gallagher’s disastrous introduction to his neighbor, ER nurse Derek Chang, only worsens when Dylan accidentally floods Derek’s apartment and lands in his bed, further strained by Derek’s disdain and a poorly timed joke. Despite their initial friction, Dylan’s attempts to repair the damage and Derek’s grudging appreciation of Dylan’s unexpected qualities may reveal an unforeseen connection between them.

I want to start off with what I liked about the book. I feel like Dylan’s ADHD was really well done, Derek’s grief experience was relatable as heck, and the last half of the novel is where it truly shines.

I think this one suffered from third person POV. I don’t mind it, not at all. But the chapters need to be broken up so you can clearly tell whose POV it is. Because of this, nearly every sentence includes Dylan or Derek’s name and it is extremely distracting. I also inwardly cringed at the “Karen” personality and the encounter with the police.

It took me all day to finish a less than 400 page book, when normally it takes me just a few hours.

I definitely think the author has potential, but this one missed the mark for me unfortunately.

*I received a digital copy from the publisher. All thoughts are my own.*

The banter was bantering in this enemies to lovers romance. I really enjoyed joyed this one. I liked the ADHD rep and how it handled mental health issues.

I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily

3.5/5

This book is a MM romance that follows Dylan Gallagher and an ER nurse named Derek Chang. The book starts with Derek falling through the ceiling of Dylan’s apartment which is convenient because the book’s title and the puns do not stop there. While they fix the hole in the ceiling they also are building sexual tension between them. Throughout the renovation there is a HOA getting suspicious and nosey neighbors. Dylan and Derek grow fond of each other throughout the process whether they realize it or not. As time goes on they navigate their relationship to figure out what is best for them and their needs.

The witty comments and banter made me want to read on. With being in the healthcare field I appreciated the situation Derek was presented with in the hospital. It is normalized in our field to be assaulted at our place of work by patients whether it is intentional or not. We are there to help the community, but sometimes our kindness gets mistaken for weakness. Overall this Dylan and Derek shared sweet, witty and spicy moments that made me enjoy the book. At times there seemed to be a struggle with moving the book along, but once it picked back up again I was enjoying myself.

🦇 Fall For Him Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite rom-com (film or book)? ❓

🦇 Falling through his hot neighbor's ceiling and landing directly into his bed probably wouldn't make Derek Chang hate Dylan Gallagher any less, especially with a poorly timed "It's Raining Men" joke. Though Dylan focuses all his ADHD hyper-fixation energy on getting the repair job done as quickly as possible—avoiding doing anything stupid like acting on his very inconvenient crush—Derek tries to ignore that the tattooed nerd sleeping on the couch is surprisingly witty, smart, and kind, despite the long-term grudge Derek’s been holding against him. But will squeezing all their emotional baggage plus a dog into a tiny one-bedroom apartment be a major disaster…or just prove they’re made for each other? Fall for Him combines banter, hijinks, and heart in a story of finding out what it means to fix things after your life crumbles.

💜 I was fortunate enough to read Andie Burke's debut (and this story's predecessor), Fly With Me, last year, but I didn't expect THIS. Fall For Him is so much more than an enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, gay rom-com continuation. There's no list of tropes that can contain the banter, hijinks, mental health rep, and heart within this story. There's so much grief, healing, and love within this story, matched by wit, banter, and fun, descriptive prose. All of it grabs and holds readers with the same beautiful intensity of an old-school rom-com. Andie Burke's writing has truly BLOSSOMED between Fly With Me and Fall For Him; a feat I'm always glad to see a year after discovering a debut author.

💜 Since I can't contain it all in a concise little paragraph, here's What I Loved:
✨ The mental health rep (including the misconception that someone is rude or antisocial or weird when really they're trying to manage a condition).
✨ Derek's outrage on Dylan's behalf, then fiercely standing up against Dylan's family.
✨ The. Bat. Man.
✨ Felicity, my quippy, hilarious, bisexual babe, and her Depraved Shenanigans.
✨ Jodi, just entirely, my demisexual, forest nymph queen. Andie Burke. Please. Please tell me the next book is Jodi & Felicity (my two emotional support gingers). PLEASE.
✨ All the home reno/construction puns.
✨ All the nerd references (the crack in Amy Pond's wall!)
✨ Every character description. Seriously. ESPECIALLY the boys describing each other pre-kiss. And after kiss.
✨ All the quippy, silly banter.
✨ Light blue scrubs.
✨ "Stupid, lovesick, radiant joy." / "Kay."
✨ The older sibling protective/fix-it mentality.
✨ Loving broken things.

💙 By now, you know miscommunication and third-act breakups are among my least favorite story elements. However, this story STARTS with miscommunication; one moment seen from different perspectives that's therefore misconstrued. After realizing that, Derek actively tries to keep that miscommunication from breaking them. He's one of the first MCs I've seen that tries to avoid a third-act breakup before it happens. I do wish we'd lingered in that moment a little longer, seen it happen differently instead of time-jumping to a week later, but it doesn't shatter the story the way third-act breakups often do. I will say I did cry at the end of this one, so the conclusion amplies emotions in a way that works.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Red, White, & Royal Blue or Boyfriend Material.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🔨 Mental Health/ADHD Rep
🫀 Contemporary Rom-Com
🖱 Enemies to Lovers
🩺 Forced Proximity
❤‍🩹 Grief Rep/Healing
🐕 Animal Companion
🧠 2nd in a Duology
💙 Dual POV

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FallForHim

💬 Quotes
❝ I love that English uses the word falling to describe the initial rush of love, capturing the stomach-sinking danger of opening your heart over a chasm of what if. That anyone could love all those deep-inside, messy, jagged bits we try to hide from even ourselves feels like the greatest impossibility. But after all, it’s the impact with the ground that hurts, not the fall, so I guess that’s why the best partners are the ones who cushion us. ❞
❝ Much like a home renovation project wherein hidden, expensive disasters are created when you try to fix the cosmetic parts only, sometimes you have to break things down entirely before anything gets repaired. ❞
❝ I wrote it at a time when I needed a reminder that people who feel like their bodies and minds and souls are being held together by caffeine and off-brand Scotch tape deserve to find and can find their person. Because when the ground beneath our feet is crumbling in every possible sense, sometimes we don’t just need a safe place to land. We need a safe place to fall. ❞
❝ Breaking something sometimes doesn’t mean you’re broken. ❞
❝ Awkward social interactions created small fractures in his mental armor. Every crack allowed old insecurities to slide right back into his brain. ❞
❝ That smile did things to Derek. Things he’d rather not admit. ❞
❝ “I looked for you when I woke up.” ❞
❝ In his personal experience, every time he invited someone into knowing about his sexual identity, it felt like a small test with big stakes. It was like whispering Are you going to be comfortable with my existence? into a void and just hoping what came out didn’t attack you. ❞
❝ You deserve stupid, lovesick, radiant joy. ❞
❝ “I think Felicity wakes up each day and chooses violence.” “You’re not wrong.” ❞
❝ “Do not ever let someone make you feel that small again. ❝ Because you, Dylan Gallagher, are not fucking small.” ❞
Because if he broke down, how could he still be the one who fixed things? ❞

Fall for Him by Andie Burke
Release Date: 9/3/24
Format: audio/ebook hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ever start a book and go oh no…this is the second in a series, isn’t it? That definitely happened with this book for me but in a good way! I am really excited to go back and read the first after finishing Fall for Him because this book was precious!

This is an enemies to lovers MM romcom with lots of great ADHD and grief representation. I truly loved both of our main characters and their dynamic felt so genuine (even if their meet cute was a bit over the top)! The conflict even felt very believable to me and wasn’t too frustrating despite there being a little miscommunication moment!

The only downside to this book is there are a LOT of side characters and it got a little confusing at points. Because of this, I would likely recommend reading a physical or digital copy of this book instead of taking the audio route. I also felt that the two male narrators were a little difficult to distinguish from one another which made that format confusing as well.

I do think this book has SO much heart though and I will absolutely be checking out more by Andie Burke. If you’re looking for a book with a good balance of spice, feels, and warm fuzzies…this book is for you! Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

I very much enjoyed this enemies to lovers, close proximity romp. Starts strong lags in some places but overall great read!
Dylan and Derrick find each other sharing an apartment- forced to get over their preconceived notions of each other.
Rich with realism - family issues, body image, self confidence, life balance.

It took me a while to get into this book, but that might have had more to do with being busy and in a mood more than the book itself. Overall, I have no complaints. Derek and Dylan were so sweet together, they had great character growth, realistic family dynamics with their parents and siblings, and a really funny Karen neighbor. I'm hopeful that we'll get another book about Felicity and/or Jodi next.

Fall for Him was a good romance. I liked the setup of the story, a meet-disaster vs a meet cute is always entertaining. Derek and Dylan were both great characters, both as individuals and together as a couple. The storyline was decent and held my attention as well. Overall a solid read and I would recommend to romance fans!

4.25 stars

Overall I enjoyed the story despite how ridiculous the situation was. The enemies to lovers aspect did stem from a miscommunication of sorts but it was fairly understandable from Derek's end. My main issue was how many D names there were and it ultimately had me confusing the 2 leads often. Plus sometimes Derek would call the other MC Dylan and other times Gallagher, even in the same sentence. It was hard to follow at times for that reason. I did like them both realizing they had unresolved trauma and accepting they need to do something about those to be better for the other.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A good, not great MM romance. As a caveat, I did not read the first that feature some of the side characters in this book, but I feel like you can read without any of that back story.

First, the things I did love! The meet cute is fun, Dylan crashes through Derek's ceiling after a sous vide tub overflows. The two must stay together while they fix their respective apartments. I also love that Derek stands up for Dylan in front of his parents and family and is kind when his ADHD is at its worst.

The things I didn't love as much? First, why are the names so close! I feel like it took a little while to get in the groove in understanding who was who. Second, this is an enemies-t0-lovers book, but the enemy backstory is kind of convoluted and I'm not sure I buy why there was so much animosity. Finally, though they are together for a long time, I actually don't think there is enough character or attraction development storyline in the early parts of the books. They transition from enemies to more without really showing enough of the why.

* Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

4 stars!

I thoroughly enjoyed "Fall for Him" by Andie Burke, an authentic MM enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance that is more than meets the eye. I was a little skeptical about Dylan and Derek in the beginning, but the story gets increasingly more interesting and compelling as it goes along. This love story is full of tension, spice, and trauma. It's all about processing, accepting, and changing your mind. Some of it is a little wacky, but I didn't mind at all because I loved the characters so much. Dylan and Derek both feel wholly realistic, fully realized people. I loved the attention to detail and care that went into crafting both of these characters. Their story starts with a bang, literally, and ends with a bang in another way. I loved watching them start as enemies and become lovers as their walls came down and they got to know each other better. Sure, there is quite a bit of miscommunication between them, but I think it's handled well here (and I am the miscommunication trope's #1 hater). There is a lot of honest talk about ADHD, healing from loss, familial bullying, and incorrect assumptions. There is also some terrific, hilarious banter here. All in all, I really enjoyed reading about Dylan and Derek! My one complaint is that the pacing feels quite off. It's really slow at several points, but seems to end much too quickly come the book's end. Still, Liam DiCosimo and Kyle Omori provide a fantastic dual narration for this story. They do sound very, very similar to one another, so it might get a little confusing (especially since both of their character names begin with the letter D), so keep that in mind if you choose to listen via audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andie Burke, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

*Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

It's no secret that I love Andie Burke's writing. It's just so full of emotion and representation and it makes my heart HAPPY. Dylan and Derek are at odds from the start, based on their shared history with the now deceased Jake. And then Dylan falls through Derek's ceiling. WHAT A MEET-CUTE. From there it's an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, hot mess of a relationship. Derek is still grieving Jake and Dylan is struggling to cope with his ADHD and his familial relationships. And together they form this sweet protective couple that I'd die to protect.

Also Felicity needs a book. She's so delightfully precocious (I might be projecting a little, mkay?), dynamic, and at one with her sexuality.

Fall for Him was mostly quirky and funny but had quite a few cringeworthy moments that kept me from fully enjoying this one as much as I did Fly with Me also by the same author.

Dylan Gallagher and Derek Chang fall into each other’s lives (literally) and end up trying to figure out their feelings, fix up their apartments and navigate complicated family situations together even though they have a weirdly intertwined past. Their banter and humor was really enjoyable but there was too little of it and major lack of communication about the things that matter. These two were interesting together but I feel like they went from barely talking to being intimate to having big feelings about each other with very little actual conversation, at least on the page.

I personally really dislike when the two MCs’ first names start with the same letter, so Dylan and Derek were hard for me to keep straight as I read - I kept forgetting who was who at the beginning, which was incredibly frustrating. The story dragged on for me a bit and I found myself putting this down and coming back to it a few different times. I think if things were simplified, it would have been more interesting - there’s a LOT going on with subplots, tons of different family members, back stories and medical diagnoses.

While I would never say contemporary romance is my favourite genre, every once in a while one comes along that absolutely knocks my socks off. Fall for Him is a funny, emotionally charged, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity goldmine that moves from a series of unfortunate events, complete with misgivings and misunderstandings, towards an adorably apropos and well earned happily ever after between two characters who will have wanting to smoosh their heads together all the while muttering “now kiss…”
Honestly, while the plot of Fall for Him was fun, the characters are what absolutely made it. Derek and Dylan are probably some of my favourite protagonists I have seen this year (so far). The way each one had their own personal trauma, hang ups, and assumptions about the other felt so real for two people who only really knew each other through brief but bad encounters and being “a friend of a friend.” I also greatly appreciated the commentary on mental health; both by way of Derek’s desire to take on too much when it came to his family, and Dylan’s relationship PTSD and embarrassment and anxiety over his intense ADHD. In addition to the two main characters, all of the side characters were also a delight! Everyone from Dylan’s slew of siblings, to Derek’s two best friends Olive and Joni—they were all hilarious.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t recommend it enough. If you’re in the mood for a mostly romantic comedy, with a bit of something heavier sprinkled in, then I’d pick this up asap.

Super emotional and angsty but also SO Adorable!

I cannot tell you how much I just wanted to hug Dylan. Both Dylan and Derek but especially Dylan. There was something from the first glimpse we get of him that made me instantly love him and want everything and more for him. Rejection is something we all go through but can be hard with other neurodivergence.

Derek is...haha typical MAN this one, but still enjoyed the banter between them too even the awkward moments because they get you to want them to be together through everything..

Classic Queer romance goodness. Excellent representation without being typecast or cliche, and I loved the evolution of these characters and their path to peace with themselves and each other.

I’m also a super fan of the microtrope where a partner rushes to the defense of their relationship/person against family members. Because 9/10 the jokes aren’t funny. Iykyk.

Also loved the individual issues Derek & Dylan (cue the “D” jokes with mlm romance 🤣) had to face in order to grow. They were incredibly realistic and entirely relatable. A true human interest story. 10/10 recommend

Queer enemies to lovers
TBH two D names were hard to follow at first
Love the characters struggles and development!