If the universe could drop a hottie through my ceiling and into my bed, that'd be great!

In the enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, Fall for Him, we meet Dylan, a mid-thirties tech genius who also happens to know his way around a construction site. When Dylan falls through the flooring of his apartment and lands in the bed of his downstairs neighbor, Derek, the two quickly agree to live in confined quarters while Dylan takes the responsibility of the repairs upon himself. Derek, a mid-thirties ER nurse with a penchant for feeling the need to "save" everybody he cares for, has despised Dylan since the days he laid eyes on him. In this forced proximity, the two slowly start to fall for one another.

This had me hooked right from the start! Both MCs are quite enjoyable. Dylan's ADHD and insecurities are written so beautifully and raw that I know many will connect with his thoughts and emotions - I know I did! Derek proves that he's not just a hot body but has a heart of gold underneath his skin. The side characters add so much warmth. Joni and Felicity are the wise friend/sister when our MCs are too in their own head to communicate effectively to one another. Fall for Him is just simply adorable. This is the kind of romance you find yourself saying "only in the movies/books" but are still hopeful you find some day.

I need this to be adapted IMMEDIATELY! This is the RomCom I want to see when I need a cheesy, gay love story in my life! If I can't watch it, then at least I can read it. This worked for me in all of the ways you want a RomCom to work. Do yourself a favor and don't miss this one!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC!

Spice: 2/5
Overall: 5/5

I am so, so conflicted about this one! Fall for Him has a lot of things I adore in a book: forced proximity romance, a hefty dose of humor, and authentic neurodivergent rep. The opening chapter of Dylan literally falling through the ceiling into his love interest Derek's bedroom had me hooked, and I had such high hopes. But the more I read, the more I wished I could have fallen as head-over-heels with the rest of the story as I did with the opening.

But first...the good:
-Dylan's ADHD is depicted so beautifully. I love how Dylan is a smart, capable computer programmer who hyperfocuses a week of work into a few hours, but forgets to turn the kitchen sink off while preparing his sou vide. There aren't enough words to describe how seen I felt while reading Dylan's POV. Between Dylan from Fall for Him and Opal from Mazie Edding's Late Bloomer, St. Martin's Press authors are knocking it out of the park with neuordivergent rep! Keep it coming!!
-Derek's grief at losing both his father and his crush/kinda ex was also beautifully done. I love how him working through his trauma together with Dylan was so centered in the plot, and I felt Burke balanced the heavier moments very well with lighter ones
-I found that Derek's POV sheds important light on the challenges that healthcare workers faced during the pandemic and continue to face. I hadn't expected to find this in a romcom, but I really am glad Burke included it
-Dylan's tangled relationships with his family are depicted really well. There are some really honest, well-explored conversations here about how your relationship with family changes as everyone grows older, and yet old wounds still remain

Now, the things I didn't love:
-Dylan and Derek felt interchangeable to me until about the 50% mark. I didn't expect to have a tough time with the similar names, but it was more that their individual POVs did not feel drastically different -- the humor is similar and their ways of responding to conflict are similar, even though the characters themselves are obviously not the same
-I struggled with the side characters. It feels like we're supposed to know them right off the bat, and I get the sense that many were introduced in Fly With Me. Having not read Fly With Me first, I felt very lost, as we're dropped into these relationships very abruptly
-The romance doesn't hit as hard as I was hoping it would. I'm perfectly fine with a romance not being a slowburn and/or characters getting intimate rather quickly, but it's more that they were calling each other "babe" out of nowhere. I felt like there was some off the page development that we weren't shown

I think this book has a lot of promise, and I definitely will pick up another of Andie Burke's books. I'm hoping that a lot of the issues I had are due to it being an ARC (the "babe" thing in particular feels like an easy fix!), but I am still glad I got the chance to read it!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Andie Burke for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Andie Burke's second novel does not disappoint.

Related to her first book (though not a direct sequel and therefore easily read as a standalone), this time Derek, Olive's best friend, gets a chance at love. And that chance literally falls through his ceiling and into his bed. Yes, each and every Raining Men reference is warranted and wanted.

Derek Chang is a simple kind of guy. He's a loyal friend, devoted son and brother, and a hard working ED nurse. He's a fixer, and loves to put his time and energy to help out everyone in his life who needs it. Unless, that is, if the person is his freeloading, heartbreaking jerk of an upstairs neighbor.

Dylan Gallagher might not have everything together (or, most things), but he does his best. Moving into his sick uncle's apartment with the plan to renovate, Dylan finds there's more to repair when the kitchen floor falls out from under him. Of course he lands in the apartment of his asshole (albeit undeniably hot) neighbor. He never understood why Derek seemed to hate him so much, but the last thing he wants to do is help the man fix up BOTH of their homes.

Forced to work together for repairs and to avoid their nosey HOA president, Derek and Dylan find that their close proximity helps to reveal who the other is, lifting the ‘enemy’ veil.

I think I loved this more than the first. Maybe it's the fact that Dylan's ADHD is so relatable to my own. Or maybe it's the larger cast of characters, including both of the boys’ siblings (especially Dylan's tatted, bisexual, outspoken, ginger sister Felicity– we all need one in our lives). Either way, this is another excellent queer love story by this queer author.

Andie Burke, a nurse herself, once again captures the reality of the medical profession– the abuse, exhaustion, and overwhelming need to help. She also perfectly encapsulates the difficulty of living with ADHD, and the common biases those of us suffering with it encounter.

I will absolutely read this book again, and suggest it to anyone who loves romance, enemies-to-lovers, is or loves a nurse, and has or loves someone with ADHD.

4.5 stars. I absolutely loved this enemies-to-lovers rom-com that truly delivers on the comedy, making me laugh out loud multiple times. The story kicks off with Dylan literally falling through the ceiling into the bed of his downstairs neighbor, Dylan—a meet-cute mixed with disaster. Circumstances in the romance novel ultimately force them to cohabitate as they try to hide apartment repairs and a dog from their nosy neighbor. What could possibly go wrong?

The banter was top-notch and even brought me to tears by the end. I loved how this slow-burn romance unfolded and all the great side characters. I read the entire book in just a couple of sittings while on vacation, which was perfect. I can't wait to go back and read this author's debut and look forward to many future books!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter! Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down and finished it a day and a half 🤣It’s a perfect slowburn, queer, enemies-to-lovers story 😍❤️‍🩹 Dylan and Derek both experience such growth throughout this novel and I was rooting for their happy ending. I really went through a roller coaster of emotions while I was reading this touching, heartwarming, and hilarious book!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Andie Burke, St. Marin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! 🥰

This book was so-so for me. I don't think this is part of a series, but I did get the impression that Olive and Stella have their own book. I found the reason for why they started as enemies to be contrived and was so petty. Then we got so many parts of this story that seemed to be relevant but then they don't get any sort of resolution or explanation in the end. It felt like he author was told to cut out several chapters from the end of the book since things felt wrapped up very quickly within the last few chapters. I also think Derek needed therapy very desperately. I don't know if Dylan every said that he went to therapy but Derek certainly needs it, yet we never got any explanation as to how he plans to address the things that he realized are serious issues he needs to confront. The only thing that brought this book from 2 to 3 stars for me is that the chapters were delightfully short and helped me speed through this book. It wasn't a great book, but I liked the idea for it.

We had the chance to read Fly With Me as an arc, which we loved, and was so excited to see her new book “Fall for Him” being release! This was such a fun, flirty, and sweet m/m romance 🥰 I feel that Andie is really coming into her own as an author and I can’t wait to see what she releases next!

I pushed through this one because it sounded good when I read the sypnosis, and I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it just fell short for me.

The plot was basically non-existant, with nothing much happening to move the story forward, and some very heavy themes I was not expecting either; lots of focus on grief and the death of a parent.

I did enjoy the ADHD representation and Felicity's character, but the other side characters were too numerous and not fleshed-out, like they were props to make a conflict happen.

Wasn't the right book for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley and St-Martin's Publishing Group for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️
The story kicks off with Dylan's misadventure: a renovation mishap that lands him directly into Derek's bedroom after a floor-collapse caused by a forgotten kitchen faucet. Because of this Dylan offers Derek a place to stay while he fixes his bedroom.
This quirky setup promises a blend of enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and hurt/comfort tropes—a trifecta that I usually love.
However, despite this, "Fall for Him" struggles to maintain momentum. The story went at such a a slow pace that it made it challenging for me to remain engaged. While some moments were funny and heartwarming, others were just boring fluff, leaving my overall reading experience uneven.
I did love Dylan's portrayal as a protagonist navigating life with ADHD. It added depth and authenticity to his struggles and interactions. His dynamic with Derek, rooted in initial animosity but evolving into something more, attempts to build upon classic romantic tropes. Yet, these dynamics often feel overshadowed by the narrative's pacing issues.
Overall , "Fall for Him" offered a promising story arc with relatable characters and an appealing blend of romantic tropes.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this early. This was an M/M enemies to lovers romance with the most interesting "meet cute". I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the relationship building between Derek and Dylan. At times, it seemed like there was a lot going on with external characters but it definitely didn't take away from the romance between the two male characters. This was my first Andie Burke book and I definitely don't think it will be my last.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

This book is about two very silly people who actively dislike each other for very silly reasons including a dead best friends brother / ex fling and meddling lesbians and redheads.
The cost of the house issues stressed me out but overall this book is just pure fun with no serious problems except for some miscommunication tropes that I don’t care for, however the silliness made up for it. It felt like real people with real problems and bad listening skills and ADHD.

DNF at 40%.

This story started really well. I loved the Raining Men concept in the first chapter, and a smile immediately danced on my face. The ADHD rep was so well done, and I was so happy to see a hyperfocus rep. The cover is beautiful, and Gus is adorable.

BUT …

The writing completely lost me. Most of the time, I didn’t know whose POV I was reading (it’s third person), and the names Dylan, Derek, Dylan, Derek, Dylan, Derek danced before my eyes. Secondary characters were introduced without an introduction. Hudson? Should I know Hudson? Oh, he has scrubs on. Oh, he hooked up with Derek. Oh, that means I’m reading Derek’s POV. I still don’t understand who Hudson is.

I’m sorry, but I need structure in a book, and the writing didn’t give me any. So, I DNF’d. Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one.

This one was meh. The main characters were okay but there were so many side stories and things going on with side characters that it got convoluted. It was an easy read, but I don’t think I’d recommend it.

So much potential. I enjoyed the MC’S and the opening is great. However, this book introduced a bit and instead of getting the reaction and moving in, it kept coming back.
I will definitely read another book by this author but this one, just didn’t work.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the e-arc for Fall For Him. Unfortunately I will not be posting reviews or posts about this book because of St.Martin refusing to respond to the boycott regarding the posts made by a SMP employee that were Islamophobic. I'll post about it as soon as SMP stops pretending it never happened and hoping it just goes away.

This book was so good I had to put it down to make sure I got anything else the author had written (and there was a sapphic one waiting for me-on it now) Had me fighting back tears half the time with how accurate ADHD was portrayed, the emotions that both Derek and Dylan were experiencing jumped of the page, though I would have killed for them to not have the same initial bc I'll be honest that blurred them together enough that I found myself consistently going back to try and keep track of who it was I was following until halfway through the book, and even then it wasn't that it never happened, just happened less because the characters were so incredibly flushed out as people that I knew them enough to know who was who, but getting there was rough for a minute. This also tackles grief so incredibly well, how it can dominate life so completely you don't even notice. And the romance was so fucking good it's not even funny. The enemies to lovers, forced proximity secret dog harboring felt so natural even as quickly as it happened, and once they had gotten together, it didn't feel like the book was just going on for the sake of continuing,but testing them as a team. The plots around them were so well built that the will they won't they shifting unquestionably into they will until the third act breakup had very little impact on the enjoyability of them. To put it simply, this book filled me with Stupid, Lovesick, Radiant Joy.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

I will admit, I knew the characters had similar names, and I thought I could get past it. I thought it would not bother me! But both characters felt so similar, that even 50% through this book I could not tell you which character was which. If I did not think about it too much I could get into the story more, but then I would try to connect facts with characters and just get....lost.

This story started out so strong too! Falling through the literal ceiling onto a hot guy is the ultimate meet-cute....and there was so much potential for great storytelling after that opening sequence.

But..... I did struggle to get invested in the story, and found myself bored multiple times throughout. I wanted them to have a cute romance I could gush over, but it felt like the chemistry was lacking in some parts and just not there in others. They went from a full fight to a blow job to "babe" nicknames within a course of one chapter, with no real confrontation of the real issue behind the fight until later in the story. It just felt a bit disjointed, which took me out of the story.

I did enjoy reading about how the author tackled topics like grief and ADHD, and even being a gay man in this day and age. I appreciated these little details about the main characters - it made them feel messy, and a little bit more realistic. Burke really goes in depth with these too, they are not just thrown in and then forgotten about, and while I missed some of the chemistry, I enjoyed the complexity of the characters.

This was my first novel from this author, and from other reviews it sounds like I would have understood more if I read Burke's previous novel. This one just was not for me, but that is okay! I have seen others really enjoy this book, and I am sure it will resonate out there with at least one person. For me, I struggled to get into the story and invested in the characters, and found the pacing disjointed at times. The book does have a cute cover and sounded like an even cuter story, but it ended up not being for me.
Content warnings: loss of a loved one, grief, alcoholism, homophobia, medical content

A very strong read with some really great character work. The themes and romance were strong. Overall I really enjoyed this and will check other books out by this author in the future.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Andie Burke for allowing me to read a NetGalley ARC of her upcoming book, Fall for Him, which will be available on September 3rd, 2024.

Dylan Gallagher doesn’t know why his handsome neighbor has hated him since Dylan moved in, but he is sure that causing a flood and falling through the floor into said neighbor’s bed won’t do him any favors. On the other hand, ER nurse Derek Chang not only hates Dylan, but now he has to deal with expensive plumbing repairs that came with Derek’s apartment from the beginning. Not to mention the HOA dictator of the apartment complex is trying to punish him for watching a dog that is not on the list of approved dog breeds for a very long time. Dylan offers to do the repairs himself and tries his best to ignore any feelings he gets to avoid making the situation worse. Derek is trying to ignore the fact that maybe Dylan isn’t as awful as he originally thought from things he gathered in the past. Can they care for a dog and complete renovations without wanting to kill each other? Better yet, what if the thing they are looking forward to ending is the start of a new beginning?

I absolutely loved this book. You have Dylan, a kind and talented young man that has practice in construction. You have Derek, a grumpy ER nurse that is protective of his friends and wary of committing to a romantic relationship. Gus was adorable. Loved Felicity, Olive and Joni were delightful. I loved the ADHD representation, found family, and the chaos that took place in this love story. Did Derek and Dylan make mistakes? Absolutely, but so does everyone. I thought their banter was fantastic, and their insecurities and reactions to those insecurities were relatable. Overall, if you like wonderful banter, found family, complex characters, chaos, cute dogs, neurodivergent representation, LGBTQ+ representation, romance, and lots of spice, then I would highly recommend this book. Here’s the link for more information: Fall for Him: A Novel - Kindle edition by Burke, Andie. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

This has everything I could ever want. But I just can’t bring myself to read/rate a book by this publisher in good faith. And downloading it was a happy accident bc I didn’t realize who the publisher was.

Thank you NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this upcoming title.