I enjoyed the audiobook version of Andie Burke's Fall for Him. This opposites attract, forced proximity romance is clever and fun. Burke builds a tale filled with quirky characters, witty banter, and a plot that twists and turns till the very end.

The narrators are Kyle Omori and Liam DiCosimodo, and they do a fine job. I couldn't hear much of a difference betweent their voices to be honest, but it's still nice to have them alternating.

5 Stars

I ADORED THIS BOOK SO MUCH AND OMG THE ADHD REPRESENTATION WAS IMMACULATE.

Andie is someone I love, and her books are ones that always hit close to home for me but this one is truly special! It's a fun forced-proximity MM romance that is beautiful and fun and just all sorts of delightful. I honestly feel like anything I could put together as a "review" would just be me fangirling, so trust me when I say you WANT to read this!! I know you will love it as much as I did!

And if you are into audio books, this one had two different narrators that each did an exceptional job at bringing the story and steam to life!

I'm rating this in the middle because I did not finish it, and I don't think it's fair to rate a book I didn't fully read. The writing style on this one just didn't work for me. I really liked the IDEA of this book, but the writing was flat and somewhat confusing. 3rd person POV is never my favorite, but this is one book where it just straight up didn't work. The narrators are personal favorites, but they couldn't even make up for my complete disinterest in this one.

This book really slogged along after the first half of the book. The resolution was stretched out quite a bit too far, and I truly believe that it could have been half as long as it was, and I probably would have liked it twice as much.

Rating 2.5/ 2.75
You know when you can tell a book was written by a male author by how they write their female characters, that is how I felt about this one but vice versa. The men in this book did not feel very natural to me and the fact that I could tell a female wrote this was not great. Don't get me wrong this was not a bad book by any means it just felt like a hallmark movie to me. Everything was too neat---which honestly would have worked if this was just supposed to be a cookie cutter rom-com. I did like our main characters banter with each other and while the author tried to throw in some trauma in there to make the story for angsty it fell flat and felt forced and underdeveloped in this story.

I received an ARC of this audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book because I enjoyed Andie Burke's book, Fly With Me. Fall For Him focuses on Derek, who is an ER nurse and best friend of Olive, who was a main character in the first book in the series. This can be read as a standalone, but Fly With Me is great so I recommend reading it for the backstory.

Dylan literally falls through into Derek's room below him. He offers to make the necessary repairs, even though Derek really doesn't like him. Dylan gives up his bed for Derek and his dog. As they share a living space together, they realize that their ideas about the other were complete misconceptions. Dylan really isn't a selfish jerk, and Derek really isn't a shallow jock who always has a new guy every time Dylan sees him.

Dylan and Derek are both going through something, and they find acceptance and love with each other. They just get each other, and it's beautiful to see that shine through in this story.

Watching them navigate being roommates and finding their way to each other was such a joy to read. I loved the ADHD rep in Derek, and I found the descriptions to be very insightful into how Derek was feeling.

The story is third person, dual POV, and there are some spicy scenes in the story. The audiobook narrators did an amazing job of reading this story. This is my first time reading a story narrated by Kyle Omori and Liam DiCosimo. I hope to listen to more audiobooks performed by these two fantastic narrators.

Heat Factor: I couldn’t be bothered to figure it out
Character Chemistry: What chemistry?
Plot: Dylan crashed through Derek’s ceiling, and they secretly have to repair it and live together in the doing because of Romance Reasons
Overall: It is both boring and irritating

It is entirely possible that I picked up this book at the wrong time. I had just finished listening to nearly all of another author’s audiobooks, and that author had fantastic dialogue that was brought to life by a talented narrator. Now, I have never listened to Kyle Omori before, but I have listened to Liam DiCosimo several times, and I think he is also skilled at his job. For this reason, I think the text was the problem for me, not the audiobook narration.

Here’s what eventually set me on the path to a DNF:
1. Even though there were two narrators (For a 3rd person book! Why?!) I legitimately could not tell the difference between them. Liam DiCosimo and Kyle Omori do have slightly different tones, but I vow and declare not different enough to make the dual narration necessary. On top of that, the characters didn’t sound different in the prose. I might chalk that up to 3rd person narration, but with both characters having D names (one is Dylan and the other is Derek) and both of them sounding literally the same—both actually aurally and also in voice—I honestly could not tell who was having what issues when. And it wasn’t interesting enough for me to pay closer attention, frankly.

2. They have 99 problems, and I don’t care about any of them. That sounds very callous, and I’m a little sorry about that, but both men have their own kind of family trouble. Derek’s sister hasn’t spoken to him for months after he made some decisions for her, and now he’s dealing with the fallout of really just one bad decision after another. Dylan is the black sheep of his family because he has ADHD and his family is chock full of toxic masculinity. Everything is hard. Nothing is good. I guess they’ll be good for each other, but I am not in the mood to listen to a woe-is-me romance.

3. More on Dylan’s ADHD: Okay, this is tricky because Dylan was diagnosed as an adult and he has a ton of emotional baggage about how his ADHD impacted his family’s treatment of him. Honestly, I thought his characterization was spot on for all of that. I did get irritated when he was hurt that Derek was judging him about being a slob or forgetting things when 1) he kindly invited Derek to live in his apartment while they repaired the hole in the floor/ceiling between their apartments and 2) he never was like, “Oh, yeah, I actually have ADHD so how about you be nice or go somewhere else if you don’t like it?” I know Dylan’s self image and people pleasing tendencies really do track with his characterization, but it was brought up so frequently in the text that I was over it after just a couple chapters.

4. THE DOG! Okay, the dog was Jack’s (one of those 99 problems that also seemed about 1000% more convoluted than it needed to be, and I still have no idea what the real issue with him was). After Jack died his sister, Derek’s best friend, adopted it, but now she’s going on a months-long road trip, so Derek is taking care of it even though the condo HOA is breed specific and doesn’t allow enormous Great Dane mixes. So, once again, Derek sucks at making good decisions, but it’s all for comedic effect because now we get to read all about the HOA Karen.

5. Look, HOA Karen’s behavior is straight up harassment. She legit calls 911 after hearing a loud noise in Dylan’s apartment. Once. She convinces Derek to give her a key to his place for emergencies, and then uses it to enter his apartment to snoop. It’s not funny, and even though Derek and Dylan are not behaving particularly ethically themselves, they still don’t deserve to be harassed by a control-freak busybody in their own homes. But do they document anything or tell her that protracted harassment will have consequences? No. They apologize and avoid and worry about ways to stay out of trouble with the HOA board. (To be fair, Derek asks for his key back, but that’s about the only proactive thing he does.)

Eventually, I pulled up the NetGalley app to continue the audiobook, and I saw that I was only ⅓ through the book. Between the story being a combination of mildly irritating and mildly uninteresting, and considering that listening to the dialogue was like wading through sludge, I simply could not countenance the idea of seven-plus hours of *waves hands* all that. So I’m out, pals.

I guess, bonus points, it’s set in Maryland, so I did like the hominess of that.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the gifted audiobook. (Available now) #macaudio24

Dylan literally falls through his apartment floor, landing in Derek’s bed. He offers to do the repair himself, and the enemies-to-lovers trope kicks off on a spicy but mostly meh story that didn’t hold my attention. It didn’t help that the two main characters had very similar first names, and I kept getting them confused.

A for adorable! Andie Burke completely did it again with this charming, vibey romance. The Derek and Dylan chemistry was exactly what I look for in a romance and I totally related to the setting (I mean, apartment life!) Overall I can see this really working for those who love a rom-com that handles a little bit of mental health issues, a lot of petty drama, and so many cute moments.

\\\\\ 3.5 \\\\\

Things I adored about this book: It started right away, I loved the characters so damn much, it had all the forced proximity you can dream of, plus funny situations mixed with awesome banter, palpable tension and it even had A CUTE DOG!

Things I had trouble with: I never knew which character was talking.

Read if you like:
MM romance
Rom-coms
Forced Proximity
Enemies to lovers
ADHD rep
Banter
Dealing with grief

Okay, so this one started off quite well and I honestly truly enjoyed all of my reading. The only reason my rating isn't higher is that I had the hardest time understanding which POV I was reading... literally all the time. It would take me a few sec to guess who was talking, who was doing what. It was really annoying. I don't know if it's because of how it was written or the fact that the two characters had names starting with Ds (doesn't take me a lot to be lost to be honest) or because the narration was confusing a bit? No idea but damn was I lost, and it was frustrating and pulling me out of the story all the time sadly.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the reading experience, it was really funny and I loved how things evolved between our two characters. They were really understanding once they got to know each other better and it was sweet. They could read each other pretty well and all, truly had a great chemistry. In between all the funny moments our characters were still dealing with deep things, and it was also emotional at times, which I liked a lot. It shows a more vulnerable side to them and it was easy to feel a connection.

I could have done without the 3rd act breakup, but I will never enjoy that type of drama haha.

*audiobook thoughts: I really enjoyed both narrators but I feel like it would have been easier with only one... I rarely say that because the more the merrier, but with this one the dual narration got me so confused. I feel like with one of the narrators Derek's voice had the deeper tone and it was the other way around with the other, so I was even more confused every time we switched between the two POVs. But then I really was struggling in general with these POV so it might just be me. (Hi, it's me, I'm the problem it's me.)

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the eARC/ALC. All opinions are my own.

*3.5

It’s a cute hate to love romance with forced proximity. It’s funny but it’s also profound. There is a lot of talk about death. The narrators are both great (I love the voice of Dylan in particular).

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for the arc.

This book is a fun, dual POV, grumpy/sunshine, M/M romance that thrives on the forced proximity trope, with a unique and hilarious meet-disaster moment where geeky Dylan literally falls through the ceiling and lands on ER nurse Derek. The setup immediately hooks you, as the two are forced to become roommates while Dylan repairs the damage—leading to some very heated moments.

The story kicks off with great energy. The "Raining Men" scenario in the first chapter put an instant smile on my face. The cameos from the women of *Fly With Me* were a delightful touch for fans of Burke's earlier work. Still, it’s an enjoyable, well-paced read, and the audiobook version does it justice.

The mental health representation is a highlight, particularly the depictions of ADHD, anxiety, and grief, which add depth and authenticity to the characters’ experiences.

However, the writing style left me somewhat disconnected at times. While Andie Burke excels at creating lovable characters and meaningful romance, the third-person POV often became confusing. I found myself struggling to keep track of who was narrating, with Derek and Dylan’s names blurring together in certain scenes (there were too many D names). Secondary characters, like Hudson, appeared abruptly without proper introductions, adding to the confusion. It made for a reading experience that sometimes felt jarring.

As well, it felt like the pacing slowed down significantly in the second half. I found myself zoning out more (as I listened to the audiobook) toward the end because things were off for me.

That said, Burke's talent for weaving complex themes into her romance novels is undeniable. This book tackles a variety of heavy topics—queer identity, family values, grief, and mental health. While the story occasionally feels weighed down by so many layers of conflict, from the humorous (a roof caving in) to the profound (grief over a lost parent), it reflects the complexities of real life, where problems often come all at once.

Despite some narrative challenges, this novel balances heartfelt moments of love and levity with more serious themes, making it both touching and thought-provoking. It’s a rom-com with depth, and while it might not surpass *Fly With Me* for everyone, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable and emotionally rich read. If you’re looking for a romance that offers both laughs and meaningful exploration of mental health, this book is worth picking up!

I love being gay. We have such good books.
I absolutely adored Andie Burke's debut novel, and because of that, I went into this book with very high expectations. I also immediately loved the premise of this story, so those expectations got raised even higher. I've beyond happy to say that not only were my expectations met, but they were exceeded. Andie Burke's writing style is so uniquely perfect for the romance genre. She creates such well-rounded and loveable characters, the romance she writes is so earnest and touching, and she manages to include so much genuine humour in her stories. But most of all, she writes in her themes so well. This book, although incredibly fun, also contains a lot of conflict. Some of it is the contrived type of conflict that any story needs to create tension, such as the roof falling in, the meddling neighbour, and the Jake plot. However, there were also a lot of deeper conflicts in this book as well, and while it sometimes became a lot to keep track of, I understood why they were all included. This book explores so many complex, but realistic themes, such as the intersections of queer identity, family values, grief, and mental health. Yes, all these themes explored simultaneously can get messy, but these are also all subjects that people have to deal with in real life and don't always have the luxury of tackling one by one. Overall, I was impressed by how expertly and considerately Andie Burke explored all these themes through Dylan and Derek. While there were some heartbreaking moments, this book also has so many moments of comedy, levity, and romance. I can't recommend it enough!

This was a spicy enemies to lovers that I read very quickly. There are a few deeper themes explored here, but ultimately I enjoyed it and that was the more memorable take away.

Posting on Instagram on September 21, 2024
I enjoyed the story of how Dylan and Derek went from enemies to lovers along with the family drama. Dylan was such a sweet character and dealing with so much including ADHD and anxiety. Both men have family issues and pasts they need to deal with, and yes there was lack of communication on both sides. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Derek sticks up for Dylan at Dylan’s family grill out.
Their relationship goes through a lot of ups and downs and that’s what makes it relatable. There is a third act breakup. But there is also a really good ending for anyone wanting an HEA.

This was a nice romance where enemies became lovers in forced proximity. It was mostly a light read with a contraband dog and a nosy HOA lady taking up a lot of the sub-plot space, but it also touched on serious topics like mental health and the death of a friend.

The two things that are keeping from being five stars for me are that the main characters names are very similar. It took me too long to figure out who was Derek and who was Dylan, and while they were voiced by different actors in the audiobook, that didn't help much. This made the beginning of the book pretty difficult to navigate. Secondly, and this one is pretty personal, it is set in a city I am very familiar with, but the location very rarely came into play. I'd rather it be set ambiguously than kind of set in a place I know.

When a flooded kitchen results in your neighbour falling through the floor and into your bed in the middle of the night, you either get close very quickly or you move out-

Neither Dylan nor Derek are leaving, so they reluctantly gang up to get the apartments repaired and keep Derek’s dog hidden from from the extremely noisy HOA president. Did someone say forced proximity???

I really liked both the characters of Dylan and Derek and their own emotional and relationship glow up that they go through. These two are great match and I loved seeing them finally find contentment and companionship together.

I listen to the audiobook narrated by Kyle Omori and Liam DiCosimo. I enjoyed both of their voices, but I did find that the voice actor portraying the voice of Derek did not do the character differentiation between the two leads as well as the other. I find that this can be problematic when you have two leads of the same gender. Other than that difficulty, I did find both voice actors to embody their character well and when the narration switched, it felt very organic. In general, it was a good listening experience.

Overall, I really like this book and as it’s my first Andy Bourke romance, I can easily say that it will not be my last. I’m already anxious to pick up the book that came out before this one and catch up with those characters that were mentioned and see Dylan during that time!

Thank you to SMP Romance for the advanced reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

How I enjoyed that this book began with a literal fall! And a poorly timed but hilarious "It's raining men" joke. But all the problems with the apartments also made me a little more anxious looking around my own space. Dylan lives above Derek, and his ceiling collapses right onto Derek's bed. From there, the two are forced into proximity, as Dylan tries to fix the damage.

Derek is an ER nurse, and wow, I just have to give so many thanks to nurses and other health care providers in hospitals. I've spent a lot of time in hospitals in the last year, and this book was a beautiful tribute and reminder of just how amazing the caregivers there are.

The book explores many themes around toxic masculinity and bullying. They were presented well, but I still found them quite challenging to read. I had to put the book down and wash dishes for a bit at the most difficult scene. So take care of yourselves. I really appreciated the ADHD representation.

The dual narration by Kyle Omori and Liam DiCosimo helped with telling the two MMCs apart, especially early in the book when the names Derek and Dylan seemed overly similar.

4.5 stars rounded up

This is a super cute romance with characters you can't help but root for. I was 100% on board when Dylan fell through Derek's roof onto his bed and promptly made an "it's raining men" joke.

Dylan is super sweet and relatable and puts up with a lot from his family who are generally well-meaning but baffled when it comes to him, causing all sorts of misunderstandings and headaches for Dylan. Which perhaps makes sense when you put a nerdy gay guy in with a family of beefy very straight jocks. His sisters though are all right.

Derek is pushing down so much pain and grief and just trying to hold it all together as an ER nurse and Dylan - and most definitely not a relationship requiring actual emotions - is nowhere in his plans. His friends are great and I look forward to reading Olive's book next.

They are forced into proximity while Dylan renovates Derek's apartment and end up realizing that the other isn't as bad as they at first thought.

Plus all the shenanigans with Olive's dog and the HOA Karen who is determined to catch them doing something wrong.

The audiobook was excellent and the narrators did a great job giving all the characters easily recognizeable voices, as well as just generally bringing the story to life. It was a wonderful listening experience.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

Fall For Him- Andie Burke
Narrated by Liam DiCosimo and Kyle Omori

Rating ⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️
Narration 🎧🎧🎧

This book was messy. The writing was messy, the characters were messy, and while I appreciate the narrators individually, I think coming together on this book made it messy. It was hard to keep up with whose pov I was in because it was written in 3rd person (why do trad published books all seem to be in 3rd person? Do they really think that’s what the reader wants?) and the narrators voices weren’t different enough to associate a voice to their respective character to determine who’s pov I’m listening to. While I can appreciate a joke here and there throughout the book, I also found the writing and the story to be overly juvenile. Too simple, the arguments the characters had were very immature, and maybe it was the way the arguments were portrayed by the narrator that they came off that way, but overall I was just not a fan.