All the noises in my head stop to listen to my heart: FALL FOR HIM.

Fall for Him by Andie Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Andie Burke's first book FLY WITH ME was such a fun and witty read, so I was so excited to read FALL FOR HIM! FALL even has some ties to FLY, as one of the main characters, Derek, is the best friend of the book's star Olive.

FALL FOR HIM starts off with a literal bang, when IT guru and construction genius Dylan literally falls through the ceiling and lands on his neighbor Derek's bed, thanks to a leaky floor and some shoddy building issues. Derek is horrified, not only because he was almost crushed, but because he hates Dylan, believing Dylan treated his old friend/flame, Jake (Olive's brother) badly. There's a lot of angst related to Jake, as he has since passed away. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of everything related to Jake, as he has ties to Dylan's older brothers, as well.

Dylan agrees to help fix the ceiling and Derek's water damaged place in return for Derek keeping the damage a secret from Dylan's uncle, who owns where Dylan is staying. This means the two enemies are stuck living together. But the more time they spend together, they realize they may not actually hate each other as much as they thought.

Dylan is such a cute and relatable guy. He has ADHD, which the book explores quite thoughtfully. Derek, a nurse, has a need to save everyone, thanks to having to care for his family after his father's death, which can sometimes be a bit much. But his willingness to stand up for Dylan is adorable. Our duo has some strong chemistry and enjoyable banter.

This story gets a little long thanks to a bit too much miscommunication and a few too many obstacles thrown in, but overall, it's a fun read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin in return for an unbiased review.



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Never mind the blinding skies: FLY WITH ME.

Fly with Me by Andie Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The abundance of lesbian romances out in the world now makes me so happy. Reading this book also made me realize that there's an untapped market out there (ok maybe just for me) of lesbian romances set at Disney World. I love the combination of queer woman and that wonderful place.

But, I digress. Nurse Olive Murphy is terrified of flying, so it seems only fitting that on her first trip on a plane, a man has a medical emergency. The plane is diverted, and Olive goes viral for heroically saving his life. One of the pilots, Stella Soriano (that name just sounds beautiful, doesn't it?) offers to drive Olive from Atlanta to Florida so she can make the marathon she's running at Disney World in honor of her brother. Stella Soriano, of course, is a gorgeous, sexy, pilot, because why wouldn't she be? Olive slogs through her race, Stella is waiting for her at the end, and the two have a beautiful day (and night) at Disney. As all good lesbians should.

Then Stella asks Olive to be her (fake) girlfriend. With Olive going viral, Stella is sure this publicity will help her finally get the promotion to captain she's been desiring for so long. As reasons to fake date in romances this one seems a bit flaky, but I've seen worse. And have I mentioned that Stella Soriano is really hot? And that Olive is absolutely adorable and funny? Please fake date ladies, please.

Burke writes Olive wonderfully. She made me laugh out loud. The book is told entirely from her point of view, which I feel like is rare anymore, but it totally worked. Burke is a former nurse who writes Olive quite realistically. Even more, she writes Olive's brother, a terminally ill patient, with complete respect. Olive suffers from anxiety and depression and that topic plays a strong role in the plot, but it's well-done and portrayed in a very appropriate fashion.

The emotion in this book! Olive's family was terrible. Downright awful. I wanted to jump through the pages and give this poor woman a hug (and push her into Stella's arms). Stella and Olive felt like authentic lesbians with whom I would be friends. Olive is scared she's a burden for Stella and Stella's afraid her workaholic issues are too much for Olive. Get it together, ladies! At the core, their romance is so sweet, and you cannot help but root for them.

When reading, it's clear this is Burke's first book, but this is still a very witty, enjoyable sapphic romance. Also, I feel as if Olive's friend Derek is the true superstar of this story and deserves his own book (with appearances from Gus the dog, of course). 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an unbiased review.


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