Another 5 ⭐️ read! I can’t stop gushing about this book, and I just wanted to hug it when I finished.

I really enjoyed The Ex Talk last year, so I was really looking forward to Weather Girl. Rachel has outshined in this one and I absolutely loved that it featured both a woman in STEM plus Jewish rep in our MC, Ari Abrams.

The fun begins when TV meteorologist Ari teams up with her co-worker sports anchorman Russell for a Parent Trap type situation to get their bosses back together.

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review. #prhpartner #berkleypartner

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC! Reading Rachel Lynn Solomon's Weather Girl was the best way to kick off my 2022 reads. I love Rachel's writing so much, and as one of my most anticipated romance's this year, this book completely delivered. When I say I binged this book, I mean it. It was such a sweet, fun read that I couldn't put it down.

I loved Ari, the main character, so much, and Russel is equally as lovable. Their plan to get their bosses back together, of course, leads to hilarious and cute antics that made their story very fun to read.

I really appreciated how the book addressed depression and its impact on relationships (family, partners, etc.), therapy, and how unique everyone's mental health journey is, I definitely recommend Weather Girl for anyone looking for their next great romance read!

“Even with my depression at manageable levels, every so often I have a dark day. A day where everything feels heavy, the smallest task becomes impossible, and my brain can only conjure up worst-case scenarios.”

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed from the love story between the two characters, Russell and Ari, to the mental health journey that Ari is on, it was perfection.

I loved how Solomon handles depression and mental health from the highs and lows, with some humor and light hearted moments tied in. I found myself nodding my head along to every description of Ari’s feelings, every moment of self doubt: “why would anyone want to deal with this and me?” “I’ll never be enough unless I put on a happy face.” I’ve been there and felt so seen in those moments. But, what I really tip my hat to is her normalizing medication and HOW SHE WRITES THERAPY. Being in mental health and being mental health, I usually hate it, but this was done PERFECTLY. I loved seeing Ari in appointments and seeing her realizations and growth.

I could keep going on about the mental health portions, but there’s so much to love about this book!

You have a parent trap-esque subplot that is HILARIOUS.

You have the discussion of blended families with HEALTHY coparenting.

You have two Jewish main characters and bits of their culture.

You have the encouragement of COMMUNICATION DURING SEX and helping your partner feel comfortable and both finding pleasure?! A+

You have fat positivity! Here’s a main man doesn’t fall into the typical chiseled abs character, and he’s the BEST and makes me swoon. One quote I love from him is: “[…] I know I’m fat [..] it’s not a bad word. It’s just an adjective, it’s just the way I am.”

AND the chapter names are goal and all are written like weather forecasts.

I absolutely adored this book 😍

This is a super cute romance! As someone who is Jewish, I loved the jewish representation because it is definitely not seen or represented enough in popular media these days! I also really loved the mental health conversations. This is probably my first book ever that has actually had open discussions about depression and mental health issues that people face everyday and it was so refreshing to see. However, I think I have a hard time relating to Rachel Solomon's characters because I feel like they can be quite surface level to me in dialogue or even during their internal dialogue. Her writing style might just not be for me, and that's absolutely okay! Not every book is for every person. While I loved the themes portrayed in this book, I really wish I had loved the book itself more. Thank you so much to Berkley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ari Abrams is her job. She loves all things weather and worked hard to become a meteorologist. Russell Barringer is a sports caster who works at the same television station. Weather Girl is the story of their romance and how they come together by trying to improve the toxic atmosphere in their office created by self-absorbed bosses. Together they scheme and manipulate their bosses into a better place for them and everyone else and a happily ever after for more than one couple.

Ari is shaped by clinical depression. That’s a tough topic to incorporate into a romantic character, although more authors seem to be taking it on. Solomon intentionally gave her a “bright and shiny” job in television instead of using her degree in other ways. Ari’s mother suffers from untreated depression and Ari’s worst fear is becoming her mother. She religiously takes her medication, but also works hard to put on a happy face. She doesn’t want anyone to feel about her the way she feels about her mother. She doesn’t want to let anyone down by being down. It affects all her relationships as no one except her brother really knows the real Ari. Solomon successfully made me feel Ari’s struggle to put on a happy face.

Weather Girl is screaming to be a Hallmark movie. (To my knowledge, they’ve done two with a lead character who was a meteorologist.) The plot in Weather Girl is a little predictable, but not in a boring way. It would be easy to see their mishaps and manipulations translate to a cute, quirky movie. This has Rachel Boston written all over it. It was unfortunate to me that the story was told exclusively from Ari’s POV. Russell was a much more interesting character to me and I would have enjoyed some time in his head. He’s written atypically as a little pudgy, single dad, not the super buff, super wealthy Adonis who’s got all the swagger and confidence you’d expect from someone in sports reporting. He’s more real in that way. My only real criticism of the book is that the chemistry between Ari and Russell felt flat. Without his POV, we have to see the romance exclusively through all of Ari’s insecurities.

Solomon includes discussion questions at the end. I always have mixed feelings about authors who do this, especially with fast reading romance books. To me these are escapist literature, not chewy book club reads. Maybe I’m in the wrong book clubs. Office politics dominate the story arc of Weather Girl and they are certainly great fodder for discussion.

My Rating: B, Liked It

I was hesitant to read this title early because I did not love the author's debut novel, The Ex Talk. However, I am happy to report that I enjoyed this book much more! I adored Ari and Russell, the two love interests, and was completely invested in them getting their happily ever after. If you are looking for a lighthearted read that manages to still include some important topics, Weather Girl is the book for you.

It was nice to see a main character who is dealing with mental illness in a realistic and healthy way and a male love interest with a dad bod. That being said, I found myself more invested in the side plot involving their bosses and not terribly interested in whether or not the lead couple fell in love or not. Fans of the genre will still enjoy this title, but occasional romance readers may not feel invested to the end.

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Berkley for this copy of Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon!

I ADORED this book. I loved all of the representation, the characters, the romance, ALL of it. I liked how Ari showed us there is nothing wrong with taking medication for mental illness, and I also really appreciated the topic of growing up with a parent who suffers from mental illness as well. That isn't part of a lot of books and I think those of us who know all too well what that is like could use more stories that have that included.

This was the perfect balance of real life topics and romance. Rachel Lynn Solomon has quickly made my list of auto buy authors and I will anxiously be awaiting her next book (whenever that is).

3 stars

I haven’t read the Ex-talk and I didnt read the blurb on the back of this book so I went into it completely blind. My verdict is that this book is ~*aggressively*~ fine. It’s very obvious that the author had great backstories in mind for the main character and her love interest and even a decent plot but the character development is where I felt this story was severely lacking. There is just no spark between Ari (MC) and Russell (LI). There is so little spark that when Russel was introduced, I found myself praying that he wouldn’t be the love interest because their romance already seemed dead in the water. I will say that they did grow on me as the story went on but by the end of the book I still wasn’t rooting for them, I just wasn’t actively rooting against them.

What saved the book in my opinion is the way the author handled depression and it’s effect on family dynamics. I didn’t expect to enjoy reading about depression in a romance novel but the author intertwined it in the story in a way that only enhanced and didn’t completely take over. I also enjoyed seeing a plus sized male love interest for a change.

All in all, my forecast for Weather Girl is partly cloudy with scattered sun showers.

I can’t believe it’s been almost a year to the date since I read @rlynn_solomon’s Ex-Talk. Given how much I enjoyed that one, it was easy to predict future enjoyment with the release of her latest balmy romance, Weather Girl.

Ari Abrams is a TV meteorologist who has been in love with weather patterns for as long as she can remember. In fact, Ari couldn’t believe her luck when she got the chance to work for her childhood inspiration, weatherwoman Torrance Hale. Only the reality of working for Torrance is far from sunny skies, mainly due to the rocky relationship Torrance has with her ex husband and current station news director. (Think Anchorman after Ron Burgandy and Veronica Corningstone AFTER they broke up. )😆 Now, instead of being mentored by one of the greats, the forecast is more like cloudy with a chance of pent up aggression.

Russell Barringer is the station’s sports reporter who also feels the constant cold front projected on the staff. One day, Russell and Ari notice their bosses bickering might be able to be downgraded from its current Hurricane 5 of emotions with a little help from their peons. Together, the two cook up a scheme that will remind their bosses why they once loved each other, and, if they’re lucky, calm the literal shit storm they currently work in. Only as Ari and Russell start spending more time together, the weather isn’t the only thing that starts warming up, cueing up their own flash flood of emotions. But with Russell’s extra baggage and Ari’s stormy skies, can these two weather life’s storms together?

I really enjoyed Weather Girl. This story had layered characters that were easy to root for. Ari’s underling issues with depression and Russell’s body image concerns added even more relatability to this story. I also liked the news station backdrop, a similar locale to the radio station setup featured in The Ex-Talk. Neither are settings you visit often, giving the stories a refreshing twist.

So, if you’re new to Rachel Lynn Solomon’s work, or even if this isn’t your first outing, I can happily report the outlook is good that you too will enjoy this one. This has been @purrfectpages, reviewing. Back to you, readers!

**Content warnings for the book: Depression, work place toxicity** Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon is such a beautifully written story. Whenever I read books by Rachel Lynn Solomon, I know that I will end up loving it no matter what the plot follows. But as a reader, this book is more meaningful to me because Weather Girl is a reflection of the author's personal experiences with depression. It takes a lot of courage to talk about your dark days, and Rachel wrote a whole book. 🙌 I have never dealt with depression, so I don't think I am the right person to judge the representation in the book, but all of the reviews I have read so far on the book have highly praised the mental health rep. 💯

Now about the romance ~ it was so cozy and heartwarming and natural, I loved everything about Russell and Ari's romance. They teamed up to help their bosses (who are exes) find love again - how adorable is that omg? Oh and, I have finally read a romance novel with a plus-sized male lead, YAY. The fat represenation, and the honest discussion surrounding the topic deserves a lot of appreciation! Ari is a meteorologist too, so all of the chapters head a "Weather Forecast" type of title, and I LOVED that so, so much 😭 Ari and Russell's conversations made my heart glow with happiness.

To sum it up, Weather Girl was a package of everything I love reading about it books! I have read 3/6 of Rachel's published books, and I am really looking forward to reading the other three 😭 She is one of my favourite authors, so if you haven't picked up her books yet, PLEASE DO.

Rating 4.5
Today's forecast shows a super cute romantic comedy with loveable characters and a story that is full of heart.

Weather Girl by @rlynn_solomon was so much more than your typical romantic comedy. For starters, it represents Jewish culture, represents mental health issues, and has semi realistic characters. Both Ari and Russell are Jewish and throughout the story we learn more about their faith and what it means to them. The author brought up a great point that the majority of workplaces throw Christmas parties instead of holiday parties that could be more welcoming to everyone. I don’t think this is something people usually consider but in truth we really should. No one should ever feel left out or uncomfortable especially around the holidays. The main character Ari struggles with depression and honestly, knowing someone who struggles with depression I think the author did a great job of describing what she was going through. Having to be this bright and happy person on camera can be extremely exhausting but Ari still enjoys her job. One thing I really liked about her character was how she tried to see the good in most things. She understands that she struggles with mental health issues and tries to get the help needed. When that isn’t enough she luckily has the support from a few loved ones. I really appreciated how the characters were described. I liked that they both seem like semi realistic people and not these gorgeous models. Both Ari and Russell have their quirks and flaws but that's what makes them who they are. I absolutely loved their characters. I liked that their relationship grew from friendly coworkers, to friends, into something much more. This was a slow burn romance that actually had a foundation built. There was no insta anything and I loved that. The side characters did not disappoint and added some humor to the story. I loved the movie Parent Trap as a kid so I instantly liked how the author incorporated that into her own book.

When you read this book and I hope you will, pay attention to the chapter titles! I love how much thought the author put into each chapter. It’s doing small things like that that instantly make me enjoy a book that much more.

*Recieved an ARC on #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for the gifted copy.*

Review will be posted on my Goodreads, blog and instagram (@bearyintobooks) on publication day, Jan 11th.

TW: Depression

The thing that sold me most about this book was the love that Solomon put into her characters' backstory. That being said, I didn't find myself cheering for Russell and Ari in a way I wish I had. I just found that, for a romance novel, there wasn't much of a "spark" or passion between the characters. I think maybe if this had been reworked/branded as more of a contemporary fiction novel with a side of romance, I would have preferred it. But as is, I do feel like I wasn't really cheering for the two characters to end up together. I really felt that the parts that struck me most were about Ari and her mom's depression, as well as Russell's relationship with his daughter. Their stories separately held my interest, but for a romance, I really wasn't super interested in their romance.

I received a gifted galley of WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review!

WEATHER GIRL follows Ari Abrams, an up and coming meteorologist working for her idol who should be having the time of her life, but things at work aren’t all she always hoped it would be. Her boss is constantly butting heads with her ex-husband making the staff who work for both increasingly uncomfortable. Add in the fact that her boss barely knows Ari is alive and things have got to change.

After an ill fated Christmas party (even moreso given that Ari is Jewish), Ari and her work friend Russell conspire to make the workplace a happier place by parent trapping their bosses. Though their relationship has generally consisted of hellos and quick comments in the break room, soon a solid friendship is forming with the potential for more.

I really thought this was a fun read! I enjoyed the slow burn romance that developed between Ari and Russell with a solid friendship forming between them. The side characters were a lot of fun too! Each of the main leads had fantastic family members in their corners who were great to read about.

One thing that I especially appreciated in this book was the mental health rep. The author gives us a leading lady who deals with depression. She portrays a leading lady who understands her mental health and the ways it impacts her life and her relationships. It shows appropriate use of medications and therapy and the struggles that still exist even when doing all the right things. I loved seeing this representation on the page!

For me the best part of this book was connecting with Ari's mental health journey. This is one of the few books I found myself highlighting certain lines and having to take a moment while reading because they hit me so hard. Thank you Rachel Lynn Solomon for putting into words thoughts I never felt like I could properly describe. This book made me tear up, made me laugh, and made me feel seen.

Thank you so much @BerkleyRomance & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 11 January 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Ari (a meteorologist) & Russell (a sports reporter) concoct a plan to set up their divorced bosses in an attempt to improve the office work environment.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the depiction of anxiety & depression (including the emphasis on seeking therapy & normalizing medication)
- the fact the male MC was plus sized (I don't think I've actually ever read a romance with a chunkier hero)
- that Ari wore weather themed clothing / jewellery

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I sadly didn't feel the spark between Ari & Russell at all & struggled to root for them as a couple
- no dual POV
- I wanted more resolution between Ari & her mother
- this is marketed as a romcom but it really isn't (& that's okay! I was just expecting laugh out loud moments)

I loved the inclusion of depression in this one. It was done so perfectly, allowing you to feel the heaviness of it without weighing you or the story down. The MC was so relatable, and the story was fast-paced. Overall, I couldn't have picked a better book to read when the winter blues were tugging at me. I can't wait to read what this author writes next!

Thanks to @berkleyromance + @penguinrandomhouse for the advance publicity review copy of Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon, out January 2022.

Rachel Lynn Solomon has done it again in creating characters I connect with, a romance to root for, and a story I compulsively read and do not want to end. From the super fun and punny weather chapter titles and jokes to the exploration of mental health and its impact on relationships (family, friendship, and love) and Jewish family stories, Ari and Russ’s story is one you won’t want to miss. I have no regrets in reading this one early and having preordered the physical copy. Weather Girl is most definitely a reminder that self-discovery and acceptance is the most important piece of a successful (and steamy) love story which makes this one feel oh-so-real.

Rachel Lynn Solomon’s latest contemporary romance, Weather Girl, follows Ari Abrams, a young Jewish woman whose lifelong fascination with the weather has landed her a dream job as a TV meteorologist. Working alongside her longtime idol, legendary Seattle weatherwoman, Torrance Hale, Ari’s job is everything she ever hoped it would be. That is, with one exception: the unbearable tension in the workplace between Torrance and Seth, who happens to be the news director at the station as well as Torrance’s ex-husband. The two of them are constantly at each other’s throats, making everyone around them feel awkward and uncomfortable, including one of Ari’s coworkers, sports reporter Russell Barringer. Unable to take it anymore, Ari and Russell cook up a scheme to get Torrance and Seth back together. Adult version of The Parent Trap, anyone?

I had a lot of fun with this story. Ari and Russell are both such likeable characters and I enjoyed their attempts at nudging Torrance and Seth back together, especially since it became clear that the two of them were also growing closer along the way.

I also just loved how realistic and relatable Ari came across, particularly when it came to her struggles with mental health. Ari suffers from depression but has also struggled with the fear that no one would like her if they knew of her depression. Her way of coping with that has been to keep her depression and therapy a secret, put on a happy face and be a walking ray of sunshine to everyone around her. It was clearly not healthy and in fact, was downright exhausting at times, because all Ari really wanted was to feel like she could be herself. Could Russell finally be the one who gets her to let her guard down?

Speaking of Russell, I really loved this guy and honestly found him to be more realistic than most of the male leads I’ve read about in romance novels. He’s a Jewish single dad and he hasn’t been on a date in at least five years. Russell also struggles with his weight and so doesn’t really think of himself as a “catch” for any woman. I liked that sense of vulnerability about him, and I also liked that the more he and Ari hung out together, the more it was clear what a great match they could be because, even though their matchmaking schemes weren’t exactly professional, they really did bring out the best in each other.

If matchmaking a la The Parent Trap, a realistic exploration of a person coping with depression, excellent Jewish representation, and a friends-to-lovers romance appeal to you, Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon needs to be on your must-read list. It’s the fourth novel I’ve read from Solomon, and it’s definitely another winner for me.

This was a quick, fast paced romance with an interesting premise. Rachel Lynn Solomon seems to do well with workplace romances.