This was an enjoyable read!

Dylan and Derek were likable if a bit frustrating. A major point of conflict in this is connected to Burke’s previous book Fly With Me and I’m glad I read that one first even if these are technically interconnected stand-alones.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC.

This novel is a romantic and enjoyable read. The story starts off very chaotic yet it turns into a very cute and humorous novel. The book follows an enemies to lovers trope that felt a little forced since there wasn't a large reason for the two to hate each other. Besides for that, the romance was adorable and I found myself constantly rooting for them to get together.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC!

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 3

I really wanted to adore this book, but it ended up just alright for me.

The characters individually are pretty well done, and their internal growth is the most interesting part of the book. It has a more general fiction than romance feel because the characters felt well written on the own, but less well done when it came to them together

The relationship between Derek and Dylan really feels like it moves at an unnatural pace, with many areas unexplored or underdeveloped. The enemies to lovers aspect feels very forced and at times clunky, especially when they’re insta-lusting after each other. Romance novels obviously need to focus on the romance, but it’s the *building* of that romance that is truly driving the story, and often I found the building brushed over to get to the being together which, frankly, isn’t as entertaining.

I always dislike contemporary romances that make far, far too many pop culture references and this book was a major victim of that.

I’m rounding up my rating because there was some really funny dialogue and the overall concept was compelling and enjoyable. I can see what the author was trying to do, but I think they were weighed down by too many ideas and not enough time to let anything really cook.

dnf @ chap. 7 // honestly i couldn't stand this. the writing made me cringe so much. if i wanted to read a wattpad-level book i would. the references to pop culture, the random metaphors, and the overly detailed descriptions detract from the overall plot so much that i forgot what was happening. and i only made it to chapter 7. if i didn't mind the writing style so much, i might've liked some of the characters. the premise was interesting too, which makes this so frustrating.

tdlr: not for me.

* thanks to the publisher st martin's press via netgalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you so much to  NetGalley and SMG for providing this ARC. I was immediately drawn to this incredible cover and the trope list sounded right up my alley. I'm honestly a little torn on what to rate this one, but I think I am somewhere around a 2.75 or 3? Not sure. 

What I enjoyed: 
- The concept and meet cute was really unique, silly and fun. A renovation romance is always a good time for me, and I enjoyed that aspect
- The ADHD rep and portrayal
- There were some hysterical one liners here. 

What did not work for me: 
- Like some other reviews have mentioned, I struggled soo hard with these characters having practically identical names. I'm frankly surprised a dev editor or beta reader did not point this out. It was really confusing trying to figure out whose POV I was reading.
 - Throughout the story, their relationship would make really big leaps/.shifts without a lot of explanation or connection and it left me feeling lost.
- The ending was not my favorite here. 

Overall, I feel as though these two characters were growing as individuals and working on finding themselves. In that vein, it felt like a lot of the time, the romance took a back seat which left me feeling like I was reading more general fiction as opposed to romance.

Fall for Him by Andie Burke was absolutely adorable! This was such a great enemies-to-lovers and I was giggling the entire time I was reading it. It was sweet, it was charming, it was fun! I think romance readers will love this. The writing was well done and kept my attention. I can't wait to recommend this to anyone looking for a fantastic enemies-to-lovers.

I love an enemies-to-lovers rom-com style book. This book had me laughing and kicking my feet multiple times. My favorite part has the be the disaster of a meet-cute in the beginning when Dylan falls through the ceiling into his downstairs neighbor's bed. The banter was amazing, and I loved the slow-burn romance as the two characters navigated living together. I also thought the side characters were likable and well fleshed out. I can't wait to read this author's other books in the future!

3.5/5 stars

So many aspects of Fall for Him are really great. I love enemies to lovers and I think the sort of antagonism between Derek and Dylan really makes this a great example of that trope. This book has some of your expected type banter and misunderstandings that you'd find in an average contemporary romance and much of this is executed well.

The primary reason I didn't rate this book higher was it felt simultaneously long and a little underdeveloped. At times, the misunderstandings and conflicts for this relationship were a bit forced. Something was just missing for me and I kept waiting for that something to appear or for the book to end.

This is definitely a specific to me issue, but the fact that the two main characters have names that start with the same letter makes the book harder for me to follow. This is the case whether the relationship between characters of the same gender is romantic partners, siblings, friends, whatever. I often found myself trying to remember who was Dylan and who was Derek. So that's not something I took into consideration when rating this book, but something to think about if that's also something that throws you.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary same sex romance books. It is definitely an enjoyable read, and I think I would read it again even if it wasn't my favorite I've ever read of the genre. I will also be seeking out other books by this author to see if I enjoy those as well.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Thank you St Martins Griffin and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This is so cute! Dylan and Derek live in the same building. Well Dylan is staying there while he renovates his Uncle’s apartment, which just happens to be right above Derek’s. For some reason Derek seems to dislike Dylan, which isn’t helped at all by Dylan’s floor caving in right on top of Derek’s bed. Oh and Dylan fell with it. Luckily no one was hurt. When it comes to renovating the apartments Dylan would like it if his family doesn’t find out and Derek doesn’t want to HOA snooping around because of Gus, his unsanctioned dog. While Dylan fixes things the two are forced to live together, will their forced proximity make them evaluate the feelings that didn’t know they had? As they spend more time together will the true reason Derek disliked Dylan become a wedge between them? Sweet, charming, and will have you swooning! Also full of snark and wit that will leave you laughing! Highly recommend for romance readers!

DNF’D at Page 54]

Thank you so much to Maximillian Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. But, I just couldn’t get through it.

The characters were amazing, well fleshed out to the point where I was so excited to get to dig deeper into them. Especially learning about someone who grew up with ADHD (which I also have).

But, everything was happening so quickly that I had no idea what was going on. All I know, there was a roof cave in, an HOA, so many characters lumped together, and the constant switching of POVs that I had no idea where we were or who we were with.

And the sex talk. I understand that people sometimes have sex on their minds, but right after they see each other after falling through the floor? It was so unrealistic that I just couldn’t.

Once again, thank you to the publisher, but I’m going to skip this author in the near future.

This book couldn't decide if it wanted to be a rom-com or a serious family drama, and in doing so failed on both counts. Part of this, I think, is because this is absolutely part two in a series but was not marketed as such. About 1/5 of this book made zero sense to me, 2/5s were cringy references to media that dates it immediately, 1/5 weird mental health pedestals, and 1/5 sex. The most interesting part of the story, Derek's relationship with his estranged sister Michelle, had no clear resolution. It feels like this book was something that the author wrote during a crisis of her own and is very much a reflection of her own lived experiences. As such, I hesitate to comment on the handling of some of the more sensitive issues in this book and the portrayal of mental illness. All I will say is that no one in this book seems to have actual conversations, but instead parrot therapy-speak like, while, characters in a play. This, along with some editing errors that I can only hope will be fixed by the time it goes into print, means that I can only rate it a 2/5 stars.

Fall for Him literally begins with a bang, or rather one of my anxiety’s worst nightmares: the floor of my 100 year old apartment building caving in. However, my anxiety never considered that I might fall directly on top of my hot downstairs neighbor...likely because I live above the communal laundry room. Dylan quite literally falls through his rotting floor. Coincidentally said rotting floor also happens to be the ceiling of his neighbor Derek’s condo...the neighbor he lovingly refers to as McDickhead. While Dylan works out the details of skirting around the HOA narcs to covertly repair the damage, he and Derek are forced to coexist in 750 square feet for several weeks. What’s the worst that could happen? If you guessed wild attraction and completely inconvenient sexual tension, you were correct!

This is my first Andie Burke novel and I cannot rave enough about how witty and well written this book and these characters are. Fall for Him perfectly combines classic romcom hijinks with the very real and devastating struggle of being a human and healing from trauma. Dylan is learning to manage his newly diagnosed ADHD while simultaneously coping with a family that treats him as though he was simply a hot mess and not a person with a brain that works a little differently than theirs. Derek’s part-time job is avoiding the grief associated with the loss of loved ones and the pressure of being tasked to take charge of his family from a young age. Their humanity as they get to know each other and learn to navigate their relationship absolutely shines in this book. You will laugh, you will cry, you will definitely laugh whilst crying. It is an emotional workout in the very best way.

Fall for Him is scheduled for release on 9/3 and can absolutely be read as a standalone. The characters from Andie Burke’s previous novel Fly with Me (which I want to read immediately) are featured in this story but it is not necessary to have read that before diving into this one.

Fall for Him literally begins with a bang, or rather one of my anxiety’s worst nightmares: the floor of my 100 year old apartment building caving in. However, my anxiety never considered that I might fall directly on top of my hot downstairs neighbor...likely because I live above the communal laundry room. Dylan quite literally falls through his rotting floor. Coincidentally said rotting floor also happens to be the ceiling of his neighbor Derek’s condo...the neighbor he lovingly refers to as McDickhead. While Dylan works out the details of skirting around the HOA narcs to covertly repair the damage, he and Derek are forced to coexist in 750 square feet for several weeks. What’s the worst that could happen? If you guessed wild attraction and completely inconvenient sexual tension, you were correct!

This is my first Andie Burke novel and I cannot rave enough about how witty and well written this book and these characters are. Fall for Him perfectly combines classic romcom hijinks with the very real and devastating struggle of being a human and healing from trauma. Dylan is learning to manage his newly diagnosed ADHD while simultaneously coping with a family that treats him as though he was simply a hot mess and not a person with a brain that works a little differently than theirs. Derek’s part-time job is avoiding the grief associated with the loss of loved ones and the pressure of being tasked to take charge of his family from a young age. Their humanity as they get to know each other and learn to navigate their relationship absolutely shines in this book. You will laugh, you will cry, you will definitely laugh whilst crying. It is an emotional workout in the very best way.

Fall for Him is scheduled for release on 9/3 and can absolutely be read as a standalone. The characters from Andie Burke’s previous novel Fly with Me (which I want to read immediately) are featured in this story but it is not necessary to have read that before diving into this one.

This raw angsty romance is sure to have you swooning laughing and tearing up. Dylan’s and Derek are a match made in a romance lovers dream.

y first Andie Martin book, but probably not my last because I really enjoyed this frenemies-to-lovers story.

Martin doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. Dylan’s ADHD is handled sensitively and Derek’s story touches on workplace violence experienced by health care providers. Loss of a parent and bullying (by family) are also part of the story but to Martin’s credit it doesn’t weigh the story down but rather adds to our understanding of the main characters.

The heavy is balanced with the light. The meet-cute was cute! The banter between Dylan and Derek is fun—I enjoyed Dylan’s unexpected sense of humor. The steam hits just the right note.

I only wish that both MMCs names didn’t start with a “D”. I occasionally had to go back to make sure I knew who said what. And maybe the Carol appearances could have been cut back. But these are small quibbles in a book I would absolutely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I received an arc on net galley in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not going to lie, the first two to three chapters had me thinking that this was going to be a DNF and that thoroughly upset me. Not to mention that this book is written in third person which took a while to get into. The first few chapters seemed to be all over the place and had me a little confused. But chapter four, hooked me into the story and I found myself unable to put it down. The banter between Derek and Dylan had me cracking up and giddy with absolute joy. The way ADHD was handled was amazing and carefully written not to mention the absolute horror and tribulations that healthcare workers have to endure. It made me get a better understanding of what my sister deals with. The spice was perfect and not overwhelming and I just absolutely adored Dylan. I highly recommend this book. HIGHLY

plot: 3.75/5
Part of the reason why I wanted to pick up the book was because of the plot. It was interesting and light-hearted. I enjoyed reading about mental health in various characters lives. But, the writing didn't do the plot justice. The pacing was highly inconsistent and threw me off. At first, it was a slow burn(?), but Dylan and Derek's relationship progressed quickly halfway through the novel. Not my cup of tea.

characters: 3/5
Having both characters start with "D" was extremely confusing. In my head, I had to consistently say in my head that Derek was the nurse and Dylan was the other guy. I think Dylan as a character was interesting to read about. Could he be fleshed out more? Definitely.

The POV was also highly jarring for me. There would be switches from Dylan's thoughts to Derek's and vice versa, which I was not fond of.

intimacy scenes: 2/5
There were definitely some intimate scenes, but the pacing of everything made me uninterested.

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I wanted to like this so much. The cover is super cute and the summary sounded promising. Even the beginning set up a very convincing enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance.

Unfortunately, it still needs some finessing.

There are some truly great elements! Dylan's ADHD representation and his whole mental health journey was beautiful. And how grief has shaped every aspect of Derek's life? It was lovely to watch them both learn how to heal, stand up for themselves, and set boundaries.

But there were some issues that really took away from the story for me.

Dylan and Derek's names being so similar was annoying. I understand why it was that way but it only really added a level of frustration and confusion. And then, to alleviate that, their names are overused. I get that there's an effort to avoid confusion with he/him/his pronouns but there has to be another way to prevent that. Maybe it would've been better in first person?

The pacing was off. Time seemed to jump around and we wouldn't really see much of the missing chunk. It made it hard to buy into the development of Dylan and Derek's relationship. And it really did a disservice to the ending. That was far too rushed and full of bits we didn't get to see. It made the story difficult to read.

If this underwent a bit more work, I think it'd be really great!

After adoring Fly with Me when I read it last year I was so excited to delve into another one of Andie’s queer romances, knowing it’d be chock full of emotional depth, lighthearted banter, and a wide cast of loveable characters. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed!

As apartment neighbours and bickering enemies, Derek and Dylan couldn’t be more different. After a leak in Dylan’s apartment leads to him literally falling (on) Derek, turning his home into a construction zone, the two are forced to share Dylan’s apartment while construction is taking place. Hello forced proximity!

This book definitely delivered on the slow burn angst, and I adored how slow and careful these two were with getting to know each other. Dylan’s ADHD was really thoughtfully portrayed and I loved seeing how it was discussed in an intimate setting - something rare and welcome in the genre. Their relationship was very believable and heartwarming, and I was definitely rooting for them to get together. The only (slightly) complaint I had is I felt like there were too many non-romance related subplots that slowed down the pace. We had the Karen/Carol nosey neighbor fiasco, the whole Jake situation, Dylan’s family tension, Derek’s relationship with his mom and sister, and his grief over losing his dad during his childhood, and Dylan’s boss. They were fairly well balanced but I do feel like there was *a lot* going on.

Overall, I really loved this and will definitely be reaching for more of the authors work! Sending a potential ginger duo romance in our future?? *eye emoji*

This was such a cute and feel good gay romance that the ending had me in tears! I found it to be slow to get into, but once the pace picked up a bit, I was enraptured with the story, the plot, and the banter. Although I still want to know what kind of accident Jake had since it was mentioned so many times but never clarified. I will say that with both main characters names starting with “D” I kept getting them confused in my head while reading the book. I loved the family dynamic and how the author really made you feel like a part of the family (both families). Plus, I really wanted to see Dylan’s house after the descriptions we got. I loved to see the ADHD disability representation, because I feel like it’s such an overlooked disability and no one really realizes the impact it can have on someone’s life. I found this book to be such a cute read with some great humor and the romance was so sweet and I love when they get there much deserved happily ever after.