Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Fall for Him by Andie Burke, a contemporary MM romance set amidst the backdrop of a comical construction disaster. The book was just published on September 3, 2024. So, be on the lookout for it wherever you get your books.

In Fall for Him by Andie Burke, seven-hundred-fifty square feet isn’t enough for the home-renovation-fueled hatred and the building sexual tension.

Dylan Gallagher’s hot neighbor loathed him from the second he moved in, and causing a flood, falling through the floor, and landing directly onto that same neighbor’s bed probably means that’s unlikely to change. The poorly timed “It’s Raining Men” joke didn’t help.

Meanwhile, ER nurse Derek Chang’s life is a literal when-rains-it-pours nightmare. A man he hates dropped into his life along with an astronomically expensive problem originating from Derek’s own apartment’s plumbing. Also, the local HOA tyrant has been sniffing around trying to fine him for his extended, illicit banned breed dog-sitting.

Since Dylan also wants to keep the catastrophe quiet, he offers to fix the damage himself. Dylan’s sure he’s not Derek’s type, so he focuses all his ADHD hyper fixation energy on getting the repair job done as quickly as possible―avoiding doing anything stupid like acting on his very inconvenient crush. Meanwhile Derek tries to ignore that the tattooed nerd sleeping on the couch is surprisingly witty, smart, and kind, despite the long-term grudge Derek’s been holding against him. But will squeezing all their emotional baggage plus a dog into a tiny one-bedroom apartment be a major disaster…or just prove they’re made for each other?

Fall for Him combines banter, hijinks, and heart in a story of finding out what it means to fix things after your life crumbles.

***Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Fall for Him was a genuinely funny and heartfelt MM romance. The premise was hilarious. One of the main characters literally falls through the floor into his downstairs neighbor’s bed, and a solid enemies-to-lovers story ensued.

Unfortunately, I often found myself bored while reading Fall for Him, especially in the middle 50% of the book. The pacing was a bit off, with some of the story feeling too slow and other parts too abrupt. Furthermore, most of the conflict felt internal to the characters despite the great premise of the construction problem and forced roommate situation. The frequent miscommunication also became tiresome pretty quickly.

Once the characters got together, though, I started enjoying Fall for Him a lot more. They had a really fun dynamic with great banter and electric chemistry. The steamy scenes were great, and they felt integral to the story rather than gratuitous. I loved getting to see the guys interact as a couple with their families, as well. Those were some of my favorite parts of the novel. Their relationship just worked so well once things got going. I wanted to protect them at all costs, especially from themselves. lol.

I did appreciate the ADHD and grief representation even though it took up a bit more of the narrative in Fall for Him than I would’ve liked. The portrayal of these issues was realistic, though, and I liked the strong focus on how each of them could make relationships difficult. Importantly, the main characters were complex and didn’t feel pigeon-holed into stereotypes of their issues. I genuinely liked them both and enjoyed getting to know them.

The supporting characters were great, too. Gus stole the show when he was in a scene. He was such a good dog. The nosy HOA person was hilarious. I wanted to strangle her each time she inserted herself into other people’s business. I also loved how great of a friend Joni was to Derek. She really helped him work through some big feelings and never wavered in her support of him. As I mentioned earlier, the families were all great characters, as well. This really was such a great cast overall.

All in all, Fall for Him was a solid contemporary MM romance with an entertaining premise, interesting characters, and great mental health representation. The central relationship had a fun enemies-to-lovers dynamic with plenty of witty banter and steamy moments. The pacing and reliance on miscommunication for a good deal of the tension kept this from being a slam dunk for me, though. Therefore, I rate Fall for Him 3.5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Fall for Him by Andie Burke. Have you read the book, or does it sound like something you’d enjoy? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!