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A review by bookishlychar
Fall for Him by Andie Burke
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a MM rom-com about Dylan and Derek. Dylan falls through the ceiling of Derek’s apartment, while he is renovating upstairs. Of course, his downstairs neighbour had to be the ultra-hot, unapproachable Derek. When they find out the problem stems from his apartment, and it will be expensive to fix, he doesn’t know what to do. Dylan wants to keep the problem quiet from his family, he offers to fix the damage himself. Add in some ADHD hyperfixation, a whole lot of family drama, and plenty of misunderstanding and these two can’t possibly fall for each other, can they?
This book delves into many things including grief and loss, anxiety and ADHD. There are tough topics and they can be painful. I did find Dylan’s ADHD difficult to read, as I felt like I was on a chaotic journey of neurodivergence. It, however, allowed me to see ADHD through the perspective of an adult and one of the ways it works in their life. I thought it was good to see mental health represented in not trying to fix it, but learning to live life with ADHD. Derek has his struggles dealing with family dynamics and knowing how to care for his family, while also letting them make mistakes. His desire to protect his family is beautiful, but I did understand his siblings’ feelings too.
The banter between Dylan and Derek is great and they seemed to work together with similar senses of humour. They were the perfect opposites, and I loved that Derek didn’t try to change some of Dylan’s ADHD tendencies, but rather worked with it.
The book is dual POV and written in third person. I did find myself struggling at times with whose perspective I was reading. I also felt that though this isn’t dubbed as a sequel if I had not read Burke’s first book, I may have been lost on some of the things that had happened in the past, especially Derek.
Though this story is written as a love story, and it is that, it is also so much more. It is about figuring out who you are, caring for yourself and learning to cope with grief, loss and mental illness. I loved the story and the messages in it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.
Read if you like: hate to love, forced proximity, neighbours, mental health rep