Fall for Him by @andiewritesandreads
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After reading Fly With Me and getting to hear Andie talk about her writing at an author event hosted by @curiousiguana , I was THRILLED to get an email from St. Martin’s Publishing to have the opportunity to read an ARC of Fall for Him!
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One thing I absolutely love about Andie’s stories, is that it takes place in my city: Frederick, MD! There is nothing quite as fun as reading a book and some of your favorite places are mentioned! (@curiousiguana @frederickilforno @cafenolamd ) It feels like I could be a part of their story since I live so close to the downtown area where this story takes place.
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Another thing I absolutely loved about Fall for Him was the banter between Dylan and Derek! A rom-com will always suck me in when the banter has me giggling!
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The way Andie writes her characters make you instantly love them (or hate them…. aka the nosey annoying Karen neighbor). I absolutely loved meeting Felicity and getting to know her throughout this story, on top of getting to know Dylan and Derek!
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Finally Andie has a beautiful way of talking about hard topics throughout her stories. In this case there were a few different topics but the one that stuck out was the hazards of being a nurse and getting assaulted by patients. This is something that happens far too frequently and is always swept under the rug.
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If you are looking for a rom-com that is cute, queer, and a lil spicy, look no further than Fall for Him!
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You definitely don’t NEED to read Fly with Me first to enjoy the story, but I highly recommend reading it because it’s SO GOOD and you get a lot of background info!

2 Stars – Promising but poorly executed…

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC of “Fall for Him” by Andie Burke in exchange for an honest review.

I think the simplest way to sum up my impression of “Fall for Him” is to say that it reads like basic fanfiction; which is to say that there are some great and interesting ideas at the core of the story, but that it’s quite lacking in the technical aspects of narrative construction overall.

The characters are generally fun, if not fully developed; the dialogue is natural and engaging for the most part, though the different voices don’t always feel distinct; and there are several delightful scenes scattered throughout the pages, though there are just as many moments that don’t feel particularly necessary or well-executed.

The book does start strong. The whole ‘it’s raining men’ scenario that kicks off the story is quirky and put a smile on my face. The tension between Dylan and Derek as they’re pitched into a construction nightmare and somewhat antagonistic roommate agreement is delightful and positively full of snark and grudging attraction. And Dylan’s ADHD is wonderfully portrayed. Dylan is smart, successful, and downright capable, but there are constant complications he has to deal with to be “functional” and it grates on him when he forgets things. He’s really the star of the book and I mostly kept reading for him (sorry Derek).

That being said, this is not a book that gets better the further you get into it. By 50% in my interest had already begun to wane, and by the time I got to the third act break up I was just dragging through because I’d already invested so much time into the story that I was reluctant to shelve it as DNF.

There are just so many things that didn’t work:
• The “Karen” character was funny the first time but the more she comes up the more she just feels like an overplayed joke that’s wasting page space.

• The flashbacks and memories have no discernible formatting change to set it apart from the rest of the text, so those sections can feel muddled and difficult to follow.

• There are some really abrupt shifts in Derek and Dylan’s relationship that made me do a double take and check to make sure I hadn’t somehow skipped a chapter or something.

• There are subplots that just don’t add anything to the story (like Derek’s mom and the bats).

• The natural driving force of the story all but evaporates after Derek and Dylan get together and then there’s almost half a book left of loose ends that get tied up in the most contrived and unsatisfying ways possible. I was fuming at how the issue with Derek’s sister played out after she’d been missing for like 90% of the book—I mean, why not give a non-essential person like Karen entire chapters devoted to her damn shenanigans but roll Michelle in and out in no more than a handful of pages? Ugh, I’m peeved just thinking about it.

• The increasing frequency of grammatical errors and such also disrupted my reading experience. I’d get to the end of a line and be like “wait” and have to go back and mentally fix or fill in what’s missing to make the sentence make sense before moving on.

• And that ending was practically criminal! Somehow I started the book in a light contemporary rom-com, and by the time I reached the end I was stuck in all the swell and pomp and melodrama of a daytime soap opera. No, that is not a compliment.

“Fall for Him” does show a lot of promise, but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me.

I do enjoy a book that includes characters with flaws. Sometimes I feel like some authors write the "perfect" man that every one can fall in love with but that's just not very realistic. Dylan struggles with his ADHD and he doesn't always do the right things. Derek starts out as an unlikeable person. He was extra harsh on Dylan until he realized maybe he misjudged him. This is not a very spicy book. I would say its slightly above a fade to black.

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately it fell through for me. The cover is stunning and really made me want to read and enjoy this book. A con for me was that both the mc were names with D and maybe that’s just a me thing but it did take a few chapters to differentiate who each character was. Another con was that it was just overall a bit boring to me and slow. A pro was I did love the characters and their relationship. But overall I was disappointed.

I could not stop reading this book. Derek and Dylan were clearly meant to be and their journey to happily ever after was real and fun to read.

A story brimming with emotion, but I wish the romance arc was paced better. Things started going sour after they got together and then the tension was gone. The third act conflict wasn't enough to hold up.

This story was such an unexpected delight! Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I absolutely adored this book, and it was instant magic for me! The chemistry and dynamic between Dylan and Derek was immediately something that draws the reader in - the banter, the tension, the adorable awkwardness. Honestly I felt the same way at the beginning of this book that I did at the beginning of Red White and Royal Blue; I knew this book was something special, with two adorably queer characters who were about to turn each other's lives upside down (in Dylan's case, literally) in just the best way.

There was very real enemies tension at the beginning, written in a way that the slow transition to lovers felt so natural and organic and believable. Derek is a nerdy programmer with ADHD that I would defend with my life. He's a very real and accurate (in my own voice opinion) of what ADHD can look like both medicated and unmedicated, and the author uses the story to address some very real experiences and stigmas that those with ADHD can face. Derek is a nurse (we LOVE a male nurse omg) who has a bad habit of putting everyone he loves in front of his own needs. But he loves deeply and fully and I would also defend him with my life. This story is about grief and love and healing old wounds and trauma while opening yourself up to potential hurt through relationships. It was unexpectedly real and raw and emotional and I will absolutely be re-reading this one AND Andi Burke's other book immediately.

There was nothing inherently wrong with this book, but I think maybe it just wasn't for me. It seems many other people have enjoyed it, so my opinion should not affect anything.

This was my first LGBTQ+ book that i've read and I really liked it! It was a bit of a slow start for me because the two main characters names start with the same letter. Until I got a little bit more backstory for each one it was tough for me to mentally differentiate the two throughout the book. Once I got a feel for their personality more then I could follow along a lot easier! I enjoyed their personalities a lot and how they interacted with eachother! I found their back stories to be very interesting and I liked how they were connected to each other in a way. I thought it wasn't too mushy of a love story with a little bit of a more serious issue when it came to their pasts, and it also had a good amount of spice! I was definitely rooting for them the entire book!

I enjoyed the enemies-to-friends trope and the growth both characters show over the course of the book. All of the characters felt well-developed, even side characters like their family members. The crazy neighbor lady was my personal favorite (we've all known someone like that).

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This seems like such a promising read, but the execution and the writing style left much to be desired. While reading I felt like I was slowly collecting all the classic tropes of an enemy-to-friend-to-lover storyline without anything new added to keep me interested. The main couple lost all their chemistry once they got together and the writing style left me confused many times on which POV I was currently reading.

Ok this was ADORABLE. The characters were ADORABLE, the dog: ADORABLE.
Legit loved both MMC’s even though the name’s Dylan and Derek got confused for the first quarter of the book but I understand the author needed to make that “a lot of D in that apartment” joke and I appreciate the dedication to the joke.

This had more depth than I expected — exploring grief, healthcare workers, mental health, and family dynamics and setting boundaries with said family. Although these topics were explored and made significant impacts on both MMC’s I felt all of it remained surface level. It didn’t dive too deep into any of the heavier topics and honestly felt like it just skimmed through some of the really important ones.

If you like forced proximity, slow burn, and a cute dog (that stays alive, don’t worry!), then you’ll probably like this book!

Overall it was a fun read! And will be released on September 3, 2024!

A lot of this book worked for me, but what didn't was hard for me to excuse.

What worked:

- I think this is a beautiful and raw story about two people forced together by circumstances finding love with one another and growing.
- Dylan's characterization was so well done. I thought Derek's was done well - but not as well; he felt a little undercooked beyond his career and his grief, but I understand that his grief was all consuming for him, even though he didn't acknowledge it.
- I loved the set-up, and I'm not generally one to go for home-reno romances but when Dylan FALLS THROUGH THE CEILING TO DEREK'S BEDROOM, how could I not be charmed? This lead to believable forced-proximity and the chance for the characters to really marinate in their hate-t0-love situation.
- The side characters, particularly Joni and Felicity were superb. And Gus the dog!
- The emotional development and relationship between Derek and Dylan was so soft and tender - I wanted to luxuriate in it forever. It was my favorite part of the book.

What missed the mark for me:
- Having both MCs named D-names was a little hard. It took me until about a third in to maybe the halfway mark to be able to consistently tell these two apart. A simple fix would be changing the name of one of them, but I don't think the author did a fantastic job of separating their voices when rights in their POVs.
- Speaking of the POVs and writing, the way this book would just suddenly jump into the past or switch from Derek to Dylan's POV was jarring at times.
- The book felt too long. At the 60% mark, Dylan and Derek are together....and there was still more book. I understood the reno was still going on and maybe that would leave 40% of domestic plot along with little conflicts, but then at the 80% mark there was still more book, Derek hadn't told Dylan His Big Secret (which was not big nor a believable Third Act Conflict in my opinion) and I was tired. What was there left to do?
- The ending of this book felt half-baked. As I said above, the third-act conflict was weak but Dylan's reaction after all this emotional development between him and Derek felt over-the-top, and then it was all washed under the bridge with a scene that happened off page where he left Derek a key to his house anyways? By this point, I was over the both of them and their drawn-out romance.

I really, really did enjoy the emotional development between Dylan and Derek as they grew closer and went from enemies to friends to something more, but it seemed to me like the author wanted the story to have more drama than they had written, and so the drama presented wasn't weighty enough to keep up with the emotional connection between the couple.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Published for the ARC copy!

I loved Burke's Fly With Me so knew I'd love this one too! Dylan falls through his floor to the apartment below which belongs to Derek and his dog, Gus. They've each known "about" each other but have entirely different habits as Derek is a neat freak and Dylan tends to leave things lying around until he really needs to clean up. And so begins the very funny story of their shared existence until Dylan (whose uncle own the building) can get things squared away. Of course the two are attracted to each other but neither wants to admit it. There's great snarky humor and frantically funny scenes involving Gus and the two men who keep denying their feelings until they are forced to see it for what it is!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Accidentally read this in like 12 hours but I seriously adored it. I hadn’t realized that there was a book before this one with Olive until after I’d started but now I must go back and read that one!! This was such a fun book but also the ADHD rep in it hit me really hard. As a later in life diagnosis of adhd, I felt so many of the things Dylan did and it was written so well. I cannot wait to share my love for this story and these characters. The epilogue was also incredible and the perfect little glimpse of the future.

This seems like such a promising read, but the execution and the writing style left much to be desired. While reading I felt like I was slowly collecting all the classic tropes of an enemy-to-friend-to-lover storyline without anything new added to keep me interested. The main couple lost all their chemistry once they got together and the writing style left me confused many times on which POV I was currently reading.

What happens when a handsome guy you hate falls through your roof? Derek and Dylan take us through an entertaining but endearing enemies to lovers story after Dylan falls through the ceiling into Derek’s bedroom.

I enjoyed these characters and their friends/families a lot. I thought the characters were funny and the overall story was interesting. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy but light enemies to lovers story.

Ultimately I did decide this book wasn’t quite for me - I read a lot of LGBTQ YA fiction and I found myself missing some of the deep character development present in those books. I found the timeline in the beginning hard to follow and overall I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I’d like to be.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

I was able to read the arc thanks to Netgalley. I was super excited to read this book because the cover is stunning and I was in the mood for a cute romance. While I liked the relationship between Derek and Dylan the plot fell short for me and the writing wasn't well flushed out

This story was very endearing and inexplicitly raw.

Dylan Gallagher is an adorable, sweet, ADHD-driven company worker who has many layers that slowly unravel as the story progresses. Derek Chang is an ER nurse who is not only hot but also a softy, especially when it comes to his cute little dog Gus. When these two both meet it is like water and oil but when an accident occurs that forces the mix of their lives it will take not only patience but even some understanding of their selves to make it through this ordeal among others. While also finding love along the way.

In terms of story, I found the plot to be really interesting. The whole "accident leading to forced proximity" was done I think very well. Both characters have such big hearts towards one another even though they start not liking each other. You could tell that Dylan against all else wanted to help Derek in any way he could even if Derek didn't like him. You could also see how Derek appreciated the little things Dylan did for him even though his impression of Dylan was not so great at the start. I also loved how the side characters like Olive, Joni, and Felicity had such an impact on the story. Even though the high and low moments of the story I couldn't help but adore both Dylan and Derek alike. Each of them had baggage that affected their relationships in the past and in the present. The way each of them bore their hearts under both short selves and long selves was touching my heart specifically. Especially Dylan's moments of ADHD where he would sleep for long hours or when would have to hyperfocus on one task or it would never get done was something I think I struggled with as well and it made me start thinking about my different actions and reactions to certain things in my life. I will say that the miscommunication that does happen in the book was somewhat annoying, but luckily it is resolved pretty fast in my opinion (and this is coming from someone who 1. read shoujo manga for most of their life and 2. hates the miscommunication trope.)

The relationship between Dylan and Derek is one I found to be very warm in my heart. Despite them being at odds at the beginning of the book, seeing how their relationship developed emotionally was very interesting. The small things that they did for one another and the simple moments that they each shared were so cute and nice to read. Each of them was sweet and hot in a non-sexual way and I loved it. Being able to read a story that has characters who give tension on not only a physical level but an emotional one as well is like a breath of fresh air because sometimes in a relationship it's ok to take a step back and work through certain unresolved traumas that your partner or yourself may hold.

This was an amazing read and I highly recommend people give it a try, I know I am recommending it to my friends. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this early eRead, I greatly appreciate

Ngl, I spent the first few chapters trying to remember who Dylan versus Derek was, but once I had it down, this story was easy to fall in love with. Both characters had relatable struggles and fears that made me want to root for their success.

This book solidified that I will look for titles from Andie Burke in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.