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.
The more time they spend together, and with Derek's dog, the more they start to notice their similarities and start to develop feelings for each other.
Overall, I loved Dylan's nerdiness and how that was a big part of his character. When it came to the relationship between Dylan and Derek, I was really into how the story started but near the end I felt myself disconnecting. There was a lot of external plot points, outside of their relationship, that took a lot of my focus from them figuring themselves out. Both characters had a complex history, one that involved the same person, and I think that plot point was hard for me, since they both had to move through past those feelings.
Dylan also had a large, and supportive, family...for the most part. I did like the family having to go through realizing their 'jokes' maybe weren't funny and Dylan becoming comfortable with how he fits into his large family. Derek's family has their own drama going on, which meant it was sometimes overwhelming, but I did enjoy how him and his one sister interacted.
This story was a fun one, but overall wasn't a huge standout for me. The beginning of the story was definitely a winner.
This was a 3 out of 5 star read for me!
This book is scheduled to be released September 3, 2024.
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