PLEASE FALL FOR ME

Book Two in the Brotherhood Series

Lei wants the one thing he already has, which is to be the bassist for Brotherhood, an up-and-coming indie-rock band from Oxford. When the band relocates to New York City without a drummer or fanbase, Lei’s worried they made a huge mistake, especially now that he’s an ocean away from his grandmother as she battles a life-threatening heart condition.

Felix wants the one thing he can't have, which is to be the drummer for Brotherhood. When he offers to help the band find another one instead, he quickly discovers he has chemistry with Lei on and off the stage. But Felix can’t stand the thought of disappointing another person he loves.

Will Brotherhood survive the Big Apple? And will Felix realize he can trust Lei with his sobriety and his heart?

“Please Fall for Me” features a sweet M/M love story between a British-born Chinese bassist who loves graffiti and an American drummer who helps his niece decorate drumsticks with glitter. There’s a band manager who loves Taylor Swift, more guitar picks, and an epic battle of the bands! It’s the second book in The Brotherhood Series but can be read as a stand-alone.

2022 Maggie Awards YA/NA Winner
2022 HOLT Medallion Awards YA Finalist
2022 Carolyn Readers Choice Awards LGBTQ+ Finalist

AMAZON

Book Two: About

"A love of music and a powerful ambition serves as the pitch-perfect backdrop to this excellent LGBTQ+ romance story that sees cultures clash, feelings questioned, and the brotherhood of musicians explored. M.W. McKinley creates some fantastic modern characters who are each larger than life but quickly recognizable to people familiar with the indie music scene, and charts a slow-burning romance between two leads with plenty of fresh twists and turns to keep readers hooked. Please Fall For Me ends up being a powerful and joyous tale of finding oneself out in the world beyond your comfort zone, celebrating the unifying gift of music whilst giving readers a tender and original M/M romance." (K.C. Finn, Readers' Favorite Book Review)

"There are many rare small glimpses into the personal lives of the characters that one would miss in real life but the author is able to highlight. These subtle insights through setting, dialogue, and actions reel you in as a reader as if you’ve been invited to watch something private and amazing going on between and within Lei and Felix.... Each scene is carefully crafted using all the senses so much so that I felt fully immersed as I read. The details about music, musicianship, and addiction felt so real to me. I empathized and rallied behind the characters." (Rachel Barnard, Reedsy Discovery)

"M.W. McKinley is such a tremendously gifted writer. She has put a lot of research in writing about addiction issues and is spot on in showing how shame and self-doubt can cripple us. When reading her work you easily become attached to the characters and feel both their pain and joy. When I laugh out loud or spontaneously cry while reading, I always know I have found a good book." (Amazon Reviewer)

"Lei and Felix are well-developed characters whose emotions and thoughts readers get to experience firsthand through alternating first-person narrative perspectives. There’s a rich cast of supporting characters and plenty of growth and development from everyone involved— there are some strong threads running through the story about love and acceptance and the beauty of being seen and valued as your own imperfect self. Plenty of heart and lots to like here." (Amazon Reviewer)

"This is book two in the Brotherhood series and I love it even more than the first. I could not put it down. It’s a sweet romance between, Lei a British-Chinese bassist fresh off the plane to NYC though his grandmother’s health is not doing well and Felix a tattoed drummer and recovering addict. I loved their story for so many reasons, they were both such interesting characters that fit together like puzzle pieces or rather like yin and yang. They both had their flaws and hardships but loved each other because of them not despite them. Their connection and relationship was so organic and natural and heartwarming. The writing in this book was yet again beautiful and the attention to detail with each character and their lives made everything feel that more authentic. Also, this time around there was more attention paid to both their physical and emotional connection which was fantastic. I’m super excited for the next book but I’m pretty sure #LeiAndFelix will still be my favourite couple of the series." (Goodreads Reviewer)

"Contrary to the title, this book does not need to ask you to fall in love with it; you surrender to its endearing wiles incredibly easily. Please Fall For Me, told through the alternating first-person narrative perspectives of Lei and Felix, is your typical, spunky-yet-heartfelt young adult romance, but there is some fresh, unplaceable quality to it. Whilst following the ever-eventful lives of the eclectic band of characters, I realised it was the tenderness that Please Fall For Me elicits and explores through the vehicle of art in its many forms which truly makes it one of the most unfeigned portrayals of real-world, angsty romance that I have read about in YA (especially queer) fiction. As a first-time reader of the Brotherhood Series with no knowledge of the previous book, I found McKinley's world so comfortingly easy to immerse myself in and her characters even more effortlessly charming; the characters of Lei, Felix, and crew are lovable and familiar and multifaceted and so bloody frustrating, just as we all are, and the authenticity and representation of all people, all stories, was handled so beautifully that it is what makes this novel feel alive.... You will not find anything technically constructed here, nothing pretentiously crafted or blindingly pandering (as YA novels can be); you'll find something woven with human meaning, with care. You'll find home." (Goodreads Reviewer)

Book Two: List

Book Two: Pro Gallery