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?

What I love about Fall for Him by Andie Burke is that it is full of heart and I don’t mean just in the romantic way but is full of friendship, family, and accepting one’s self, flaws and all. The story combines all the best romantic comedy elements but builds in authentic emotion and genuine truth about what it means to fix things after your life crumbles. 

Both Derek and Dylan are truly engaging, especially in their banter back and forth with each other. I especially like how their texts to each other give us little nuggets of truth. The hilarious drama between the pair does not detract from the authentic emotions as their perceptions of each other shift and they slowly figure out the truth about each other and learn to understand the other. What is truly beautiful is how the story incorporates openness and trust into the relationship and how falling in love might be a risk but can lead to being a better person. 

If you love romantic comedies with hilarious hijinks like an HOA Karen, this novel might be for you. But bear in mind that the story is full of heart and emotion as well. With three dimensional characters who are far from perfect, the authentic and genuine love story will make you fall in love with the author as well as Derek and Dylan. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 texts.