We got about 10 inches of snow overnight and school is canceled, so it seemed like the perfect time to post about Weather Girl. I thought this was a cute and entertaining story, and I really enjoyed it. I liked that there discussion about mental health and depression. I also liked that there was a plus size male lead. This is the first book I've read where that is the case; usually, its the female lead that is plus size. The representation here is important, and I also liked that they were both Jewish. The two main characters, Russ and Ari, working as matchmakers to set their bosses up (who used to be married) was fun to watch. I kept picturing Torrance as Elizabeth Banks ala Pitch Perfect. The perfect amount of steam was the icing on the cake for this delightful read. Thank you @berkleyromance for my digital copy of Weather Girl by @rlynn_solomon and its out now, so be sure to grab a copy!

At the beginning of this year, I realized it had been three months since I last read a romance, an oversight for which I will spend the rest of my days repenting. EVEN WORSE FOR ME, if such a thing is EVEN POSSIBLE, was the ensuing reveal that it had been NEARLY FIVE MONTHS since I had liked one.

Immediately I of course changed my self-diagnosed seasonal depression (I am diagnosed with All-Annual / Classic Depression so leave me alone) to self-diagnosed "I just need a good romance novel and then I will be fine!" and decided to cure myself, because why not.

So I took up a lil ol heroic and sweeping and grand olympic-esque series of task called the Romance Quest.

This book isn't all bad. It's the first time I've read a romance novel with a fat love interest, and that was fantastic. It was, in fact, my favorite part of this, besides the cover which is amazing. It also had depression rep, which is good, but it didn't work for me, which is okay, because everyone's depression is different.

This isn't a bad book, it just didn't have anything I wanted.

It kind of felt like suddenly the characters slept together, then a lot of time passed, then the third act drama happened for no real reason. And that means a lot, coming from me, because normally I want a lot of drama and miscommunication in my romance novels because I'm here for the yearning and pain, but if it's going to feel unnecessary I would rather not have it.

I still have liked RLS novels in the past and will definitely read more from her.

I'm a huge fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon and this one is my new favorite. I loved the chubby DILF love interest and the depressed heroine because they're both such real and grounded characters. I can't even think of any other romance heroines who have depression, but it's so common that I loved to see her in this. And I am just really here for the love interest. He reminded me of someone I've loved.

This is a cute romantic novel with characters who are multi-dimensional and realistic. I enjoyed the chemistry between Ari and Russell. Their relationship exposes feelings of vulnerability and fear. They each have issues to deal with in life (don’t we all!). I also appreciated the realism of Russell’s body. Most romance novels portray bodies that are perfect so it was refreshing to read about a soft, round tummy. Ari has struggled with depression and the novel handles issues of therapy and mental illness with care and realism. There are a couple of detailed sex scenes (just FYI for anyone who wants to know)
Overall a very fun and enjoyable read!

I liked this book so much! It brought a smile to my face and made me feel happy.
More than anything this book surprised me, in a good way, it is so much more than a superficial romantic book, it deals with mental health issues, self esteem issues as well as couples compatibility and understanding issues.

I liked the writing and the likability of the characters, they felt real, the Jewish scenes were right on point.

I can't wait for Rachel Lynn Solomon next book.

There’s truly so much to love about Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Ari and Russell are one of the most realistic and relatable couples I’ve read about in a very long time. Russell has a daughter and sports a dad bod, so he isn’t the typical heartthrob you see in most romance novels. Ari is quirky, creative, struggles with depression, and has a strained relationship with her mom. It’s extremely refreshing to see real people with real life problems depicted in a rom-com.

WHAT I LOVED:

- Fun newsroom setting in the city of Seattle.
- Hilarious side-story involving another couple.
- Tons of scheming and matchmaking going on.
- Great representation of the Jewish community.
- SO much steam. (I’m still blushing.)
- Some heavier topics like family issues, complex mother/daughter relationships, and mental illness are discussed.

Solomon is officially a new favorite romance author of mine, and I’m very excited to read her previous novel, The Ex Talk. I’m so happy I snagged a kindle copy of it when amazon had a deal over the holidays! February is the month of love, so if you’re looking for a romance novel to get your heart pumping, Weather Girl is it!

First of all, I love Ari. Talk about a likable character- her struggles are real and relatable and her mental health journey is important as well as her relationship with her mom. I also loved Russell and how is a NORMAL, RELATABLE male character! Torrance and Seth were so cute and I lived for their drama. The spice was great, I just loved this book.

I would never have questioned anything else about this if I hadn't read Solomon's foreword, which mentioned that Ari was (in Solomon's words) a neurodiverse heroine. I would have loved a bit more context on this because it was something I felt did not come across at all within the story, and that could have added another great layer to Ari's already great character. Because I read that before reading the book, I kept looking for clues, but I never really got it. That's pretty much my only complaint!

Overall a really great read, I blew through it in a few hours, and would definitely purchase a paperback copy for myself.

Weather Girl is the “IT” romance right now and for good reason! This book couldn’t get any sweeter if it tried! Ari and Russell were just such real, deep and genuine characters and I loved them. It features an own voices Jewish representation, depression representation, and body positivity with a plus-size hero. The story was delightful and oh so steamy. It did start a little slow for me and also took me awhile to read, but most of that was just my life being crazy. Regardless, Weather Girl was my first book by Rachel Lynn Solomon, but she has definitely become an auto-buy author for me and I need to move The Ex-Talk up my TBR.

Read if you like:
-Slow burn
-Workplace romances
-Seattle
-Weather puns
-Morning news segments
-Swing dancing
-The Parent Trap

Thank you so much @berittalksbooks, @berkleyromance, and @netgalley for my gifted copy!

I absolutely adored this book! I think it's mostly because of the conversation around mental illness, specifically depression, and how that can affect in the long term. As someone who has struggled with depression (& anxiety) - this just felt like a much more vulnerable book than I was expecting. I know RLS put so much of her own experience into Ari's and it was so honest.

I also very much enjoyed the single dad trope. Like I'm a huge sucker for that one and Russ was an incredible dad! Don't even get me started on how much I adored his kid.

Ari and Russ's relationship what a very honest look into how self-sabotaging is a very real thing and how our brains can sometimes just continue to feed into these negative thoughts. And it all usually happens without us even knowing.

I'm trying not to take a deep dive - but just know I loved this one and tabbed the hell out of it!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

This was a sweet, heartfelt romance between two co-workers who are trying to bring their bosses back together, after a bitter divorce that is affecting the workplace. This book features a wonderful hero, who is overweight (genuinely has a round stomach and is not just "large". I loved this as I think this is the first time I've encountered a hero like this in a romance. The character development is great and I enjoyed all the references to the setting, Seattle.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how Ari grew as a character while trying to get her bosses together and discovered love instead. One thing I did have an issue with was the miscommunication between her and Russ. A lot of the issues that they were having could have been solved by just talking it out to see where they stood. I also didn't see Ari's depression as a deal-breaker because I don't know very many people who aren't struggling with their own mental health right now.

That said, I loved Ari and Russ together and this story is one of my favorites this year. I'm excited to see what is next for Rachel.

This wonderfully Jewish romance is filled with lovable characters, great Jewish rep, and wonderful conversations about mental health.

Rachel Lynn Solomon is such an amazing writer, and this book is no exception.

Ari Abrams is a meteorologist on a mission. When her boss and her boss’ ex makes the workplace hostile, she and Russell, a work friend, make a plan to get their bosses back together.

While Ari and Russell are scheming, they discover a ton about themselves and each other.

Another very cute read from Rachel Lyn Solomon. This book follows Ari - a meteorologist, and Russ - a plus-sized sportscaster! Lots of really cute themes in this book while also hitting on some heavier themes. Ari suffers with depression and because of that she has a lot of self doubt. It's always nice to read characters who feel so real and Rachel Lynn Solomon is great at that! Can't wait for their next book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Weather Girl is a sweet (& steamy!) romance about meteorologist Ari Abrams. Ari adores the weather! She also loves her job... that is except for her bickering bosses, who used to be married and cause chaos in the office. In an effort to improve their work environment, Ari teams up with sports reporter Russell to get their bosses back together. All the meddling makes an impact, not only on the bosses, but on Ari and Russell's relationship too. The question is can Russell handle Ari's dark days, as well as her sunshine? ​​​​​​​​
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Thank you again to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the digital copy of this read! ​​​​​​​​
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Weather Girl was sweet and genuine. I really enjoyed Solomon's acknowledgement of mental health and the way she dealt with it in this read. I think that is definitely one of the biggest highlights of this book! Both Ari and Russell are super endearing and very intentional people, who love their jobs. There was some difficult subject matter in this one, but all the topics were handled with the utmost care IMO. Also, there were some majorly steamy open door scenes that I honestly was not expecting haha. ​​​​​​​​
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While I enjoyed reading this one, I'll admit that it felt a little slow at times and I sometimes faltered in my motivation to keep reading. I appreciated this book for its relatability, but that's also where it became a little less exciting to pick up. I just wanted a bit more pop for the romance and more escapism in the hijinks and plot. Others feel totally different about this though! Also, the open door scenes were a bit much for me. ​​​​​​​​
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Overall, Weather Girl is a good-hearted, sweet, and sexy romance with lovable characters. This one is great for fans of The Ex Talk and People We Meet on Vacation!

beyondthebookends
🌦🌪☃️Breaking Weather Update: Cloudy with a chance of STEAM💨 #partner @berkleyromance

Rachel Lynn Solomon is back with another steamy workplace romance! If you loved #theextalk , then you must pick up #weathergirl !

In this romance novel, weather girl Ari teams up with sports anchor Russ to get their feuding bosses back together Parent-Trap style.

Along the way they kindle sparks of their own! There are lots of fun weather puns, adorable scenarios for both romantic pairs, and love scenes that aren't for the faint of heart🔥🔥🔥.

The best part of all is that the book deals with REAL life issues like depression, body image, teen pregancy, and complex families.

I can't wait to read whatever @rlynn_solomon writes next!

Many thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the early copy of Weather Girl! All opinions are my own.

I can tell you for a fact that this book is going to be one of my favorites of the year. I love Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing and Weather Girl was no different. It hit every perfect note for me, and I loved it. Weather Girl is about Ari, a meteorologist who struggles with depression, and the fate of a news station in Seattle. Ari teams up with fellow coworker, Russell, to concoct a plan to get their bosses to fall in love with each other.

The perfect thing about this novel: I was able to relate really well to it. I've struggled with anxiety and depression all of my adult life and probably most of my teen years. I have felt everything that Ari felt in the novel. The good days and the bad days. I'm always really excited to see an accurate portrayal of what it is like to live with mental health problems. So kudos to Solomon for that.

I also just enjoyed the plot line in general. I've been really into science books lately (started with The Love Hypothesis) and I was loving all of the weather-related science in the book. You can tell Solomon really researched the book.

SOOO all in all, if you get a chance, please read this book!

Super cute romance book! This was the first book I read by this author and I absolutely loved it. Reminded me a lot of the Netflix movie Set it Up. Can't wait to see what this author writes next!

RLS knows romance. I liked it, but haven't loved it like some of the recent romances I've read. Not quite sure why I didn't get fully into it. I thought it was avoidable, but the pace needed to be a bit more breathe-catching for me.

I loved her book The Ex-Talk so I was very excited to read this one, but it was so BLAH. I kept waiting for it to get better but it never did. Wasn't bad, wasn't great.

Weather Girl is something special. Weather girl Ari and sports reporter Russell team up to end the toxic fighting in the office by plotting to get their bosses back together. This rom com has a unique twist though, Ari also is suffering from depression. I loved this so much. Rachel Lynn Solomon knows how to nail a workplace romance and this was just so much more. It felt like the Netflix movie Set It Up but with just so much more. Ari is incredible and I just thought the mental health representation was so beautifully done. It felt honest and raw and just perfect. Ari is resilient and sunny and I just love her optimism, her growth and her ability to love and give. And Russell is just so endearing and cute! He’s so adorable and his daughter is such a light. And their bosses! I loved them both in such different ways. The antics they get up to and the plots that Ari and Russell make is funny and just fun to read! Ari and Russell feel so natural together. I like they’re shy at times and I loved their banter and chemistry. This book felt real and authentic. The writing is fluid and smart and funny, and every character is so likeable. They were people I wanted to root for. Truly an amazing romcom that just is so much more than that too!