3.5 stars

What I loved:
- the ADHD rep,
- the witty/snarky banter
- the absolutely gorgeous cover

What I didn't love:
- how confusing the POVs were thanks to how similar the characters names were
- how underdeveloped parts of the story felt
- how Derek and Dylan went from snarky banter and being annoyed by each other, to calling each other babe in like 2.5 seconds... would have preferred a bit slower of a burn tbh

While this book is listed as a stand alone, the characters are interconnected with Fly With Me. In my opinion, reading Fly With Me is needed to fully appreciate the characters and the journey with romance after grief that is central to Derek's plot.

I adored the characters but this book fell short of the five star mark as I felt that the background characters and sub plots outshined the main relationship of Derek and Dylan. I was still rooting for them to get together throughout the book but felt the plot focused more on familial relationships then relationship building. As a nurse, Andie brings a unique and true perspective to the nursing profession of Derek which was extremely refreshing to read.

Thank you NetGalley for a free advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Full disclosure, I haven't read Fly with Me, and didn't realize this was a sequel until I started reading this one. That said, this works just as well as a standalone. I didn't expect to love this as much as I did. Right from the author's note in the beginning about the implications of "falling" when it comes to vulnerability in relationships and love, and all the way through with the unflinching exploration of living with grief and ADHD and the complicated and formative family and trauma dynamics -- this was a romance that did not waste time with tropes and really let you into both characters' heads and struggles. Both characters have their own share of difficult circumstances and instead of those becoming tools for plot tension, they became the reason for their growth in character and chemistry. Between complex grief and living with a partner with ADHD, this book got me right where I live. I'm quickly going to go and read the prequel now.
Thanks for the ebook ARC, Netgalley.

Dylan literally crashes through the floor of his apartment into his neighbor Derek’s apartment and lands on his bed! Way to start off with a bang! Dylan and Derek want to keep the home renovation quiet so Dylan does the work on his own.

This book was so funny and spicy! I loved the ADHD representation and the support that Dylan and Derek gave to one another

MM romance
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
ADHD rep
Grief healing

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

This was a sweet enemies to lovers romance with lots of cute moments.

The humour didn’t always hit for me. A lot of the dialogue felt stilted and forced. And I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two leads. They almost changed completely after starting to get physical and it was too abrupt for me as a reader.

The names were way too similar and I had trouble keeping track of whose perspective I was reading. Maybe this is my inattentiveness but it was a bit of a struggle.

All in all I don’t think this one did it for me, but I think it will for others.

Overall Rating: 3.85/5
Warning: these two are really, REALLY MESSY main characters.
Pros:
Normally I wouldn't be into messy main characters (and there are TWO of them!), but for some reason, this time I stuck with it. Partly because the author's writing style is quite engaging—amidst the chaos of their lives, there are these LOL moments, and those cute, funny banters I adore.
The emotional journey between the two MCs wasn't exactly smooth sailing, as it followed the enemies to lovers trope and even included moments of conflict when they were already lovers. I like it that even they finally got together, they still had their fair share of fights but always managed to work things out. Good. Added a touch of realism to the story.

Cons:
The two MC's lives are sooo messy... I was too empathetic that I often felt stressed and anxious when reading this.
Also the twist in the last two chapters felt a bit rushed. It's like, they just magically managed to let go of the past conflicts after being apart for a while??🤨 Even though the scenes in the last two chapters were kinda cute, I feel like the reconciliation wasn't well done, it felt a bit too much like sweeping the problems under the rug. The ending didn't really address how they were going to resolve Dylan's desire to not be protected by others like a broken thing needing fixing, while Derek always wants to help with (control?) others' lives. Could be written better.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 50 percent. This book was exciting for me to receive and I am so thankful for the opportunity. With that said, I couldn’t connect to these characters much and it was taking me a long time to get through. I feel the characters and timeline were not making sense and it didn’t feel like it was very realistic.

This one just wasn’t for me. Even in 3rd person, when switching POV, it’s helpful to know the viewpoint we are getting at the beginning of the chapter. The storytelling just wasn’t hitting the mark.

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!

Thanks you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Fall For Him by Andie Burke was beyond punny and adorable enemies-to-lovers rom-com.

Derek was minding his own business in his apartment (with his HOA-illegal breed of a dog) when the ceiling collapses and brings with it the upstairs neighbor that he hates: Dylan. Dylan tried to break the tension by making an “It’s Raining Men” joke, but unfortunately for him, another portion of the ceiling decided to fall down just then, choking everyone in dust, and ticking up Derek’s hate points for Dylan.

Dylan’s acceptance of his ADHD allows him to use his hyperfixating skills to read things like HOA abstracts and to focus on fixing the mess that he made when the floor literally fell out beneath him. But, this neurospicyness also made his communication difficult with Derek. What Dylan thought of as direct answers and non-pants-fixating stares ends up being interpreted by Derek, thus making their already strained relationship worse.

They agree to a plan that Should keep the HOA out of their business and not be astronomically expensive: having Dylan fix it all. Little do they know how much space and stress affects all of the things and feelings.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this fabulous ARC!!

I really enjoyed this book! Derek is an RN with a complex about always being helpful and never being a burden. Dylan is an ADHD computer programmer who is also excellent an home repair. They’re forced to officially meet when Dylan literally falls through the ceiling of Derek’s apartment due to shoddy renovations done by the previous owner. That begins their love story as they’re forced in close quarters and find not only an understanding of each other but also a bit more.

I really liked how ADHD is treated in this. Dylan talking about his journey of hating his brain to learning how to live with it is really relatable. Derek trying to cope with grief but not coping at all is something I feel everyone has been through. My only issues with the book were how abruptly the relationship started (I thought I was missing several pages but no) and Dylan and Derek having such similar names kept confusing me. Additionally, I would have preferred having the chapter labeled with whose point of view I was reading because sometimes it was difficult to tell. Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It was a nice fast read that left me feeling happy with some good mental health representation added in.

I'm immediately adding Andie Burke to one of my all time favorite authors! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for her debut novel Fly With Me last year, and I was so excited when I found out I got approved for this one too. I just LOVE everything about her books. I love that all of her books are LGBTQ with characters you are rooting for from the first page. Another one of my favorite things is the incredible mental health rep that is included in these books. So many people could see themselves in these characters, and the support and conversations that the minor characters have about the different mental illnesses is so well done. I laughed, cried, and was kicking my feet the entire time and I can't wait to read more from her in the future!

Before getting into anything about Fall for Him, the author’s note at the start of this took my heart, and then Derek and Dylan did! Dylan’s neighbor has hated him since he moved in, but a leak in the floor causes him to fall through the floor, landing in the same neighbor’s bed. This turns Derek life into an expensive nightmare where he’s suddenly sharing an apartment with Dylan as Dylan fixes the mess of an apartment. This forced proximity enemies-to-lovers romance is filled with heart and grief and growth. Dylan has ADHD and I thought the conversation of how he manages it was so honest and well developed. I will say having the two characters with names that both start with D threw me off for a while, and it took me a while to really get into this. But I was hooked the second half. Derek is dealing with so much grief and the weight of expectations on him, and it was heartbreaking. And Dylan also is fighting the stigma with his ADHD and he is so gentle and warm-hearted. I loved him so much, and I love how these men fall for each other. It’s tender and genuine, and just a lovely read.

This was a big emotional rollercoaster. I wasn’t expecting such a journey through grief. Even if it’s not openly stated all the time, you can sense that Derek is going through it. Just as in Fly with Me, Andie writes these complex emotions in a very caring and empathetic way.

Dylan and Derek had very opposite personalities at first, but once they stopped disliking each other, it was obvious how beautifully their personalities combined. Derek was so protective of Dylan! I loved the scene with Dylan’s brothers. I love it when a MC stands up for their partner in front of abusive family memebers. The slowburn was great and even though the third act breakup happens very late for my taste, I can’t say it soured my experience because it was very well handled.

I can’t wait to see what comes next from Andie!

TW: Grief, panic attacks

Rating: 4/5
Steam level: Open door, 3-4 scenes, medium level of detail

ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

not my favorite, but this book def had its high moments! the banter / quick wit between the characters was entertaining and the slow burn was definitely slow burning. i found myself more drawn to side characters & background plot development. also took a while to get used to the writing style, but for the most part, this book read pretty easy!

2.5 rounded up to 3⭐️

Enemies to lovers in a relatable and sweet story, this book had me riveted from the beginning. I preordered it before I even finished it and can’t wait for more stories with this kind of romance and banter from this author.

I really, really wanted to love this one, but it was just a miss for me. The writing style was just not working for me, and I found a lot of the dialogue to feel forced and cringey. There was also just *a lot* going on, and it felt all over the place and muddled. That made it really hard for me to connect with the characters, though I REALLY wanted to! I did love the queer & ADHD representation, but that just wasn’t enough to make up for the other elements that didn’t work for me. Overall, this was a 2.5⭐️ read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.25 stars - I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and seeing how the two would build their relationship, but parts of this fell flat for me. First off, it took me FOREVER to tell the difference between Derek and Dylan. It made it hard to get into the story when I was questioning who was who every 5 paragraphs. I also didn't love the way their relationship developed - it seemed like they moved VERY fast and then VERY slow 10 pages later. It felt like we would take one step forward and then 2 steps back. What I did love were the side characters, and Derek and Dylan's individual character arcs. Their journey with grief, ADHD, and family aspects were really moving and I kept reading mostly for that. This is my first novel by this author, and I do this I will pick up another book, because I do always love reading queer love stories.

"Being alone became a habit because I was afraid to try again. I was afraid to open that door because...what if there was nothing behind it?"

"He felt the profound lack. That emptiness that came with death. All those moments that had been taken from him."

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publishers who sent me this ARC to read & review! <3

The banter in this book was enjoyable, and the characters are easy to sympathize and feel for! Loved this read!

Fall For Him by Andie Burke follows neighbors/frenemies Dylan and Derek after an unlikely flood causes them to literally fall for each other.

Dylan and Dererk are neighbors and have been for some time. Derek doesn’t like Dylan and Dylan doesn’t like Derek, plain and simple. The two have no desire to spend time with each other and it isn’t until a flood in Dylan’s apartment forces the pair to get along that things change.

This book was a solid 3/5. While there were certain aspects to the story that I loved, like the witty banter and relatable ADHD quirks, the book didn’t feel like anything I hadn’t read before. I grew quite bored in the beginning reading about all the ways Dylan and Derek hated each other without ever knowing what started it. It felt like a lot of backstory was left out in exchange for backstory that had no relevance to the story at all. Why did I care that his mom remarried?

I think the book had a lot of promise and I did love the author’s writing but this unfortunately just wasn’t one of my favorites.