I love so many things about this book! It's one of the best romances I have read all year!
Ari has clinic depression, and has for a long time. When her fiancee ends things because she is "too sunshiney" like her on screen persona, she knows it's for the best that they aren't together anymore.
The station she works at is currently a hostile department. When she realizes her two bosses (who used to be married to each other) still have feelings for each other, she teams up with the cute guy in the sports casting, Russell.
Russell is a dream beta-hero, who keeps mostly quiet about his personal life for spoilery reasons. He calls Ari "Weather Girl" as his pet name for her, and is a CHUBBY HERO!! WE LOVE A CHUBBY HERO IN THIS HOUSE!!!
The discussions regarding mental health, therapy, and medication are all handled with care and concern from the author. As someone with their own mental health struggles, this resonated with me very well.
Though this one is low on the amount of steam you will get, what you get is AMAZING, and consent is reaffirmed all the way through the scenes. WE LOVE WHEN BOTH PARTNERS SEEK CONSENT THROUGHOUT! (Not to an annoying point, but truly it's lovely.)
I won't be shutting up about this book any time soon.

This heartwarming and sweet book by Rachel Lynn Solomon follows Ari and Russ's plan to get their bosses back together after their bitter divorce. Very much parent trap vibes but mixed with some much heavier topics, like depression and hiding how you really are make this one much more real.

Also I loved reading and learning about Ari's job. It was so interesting!

All in all a pleasant romance story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another delightful romantic comedy from Rachel Lynn Solomon set in Seattle. I loved Ari and Russell's scheming plan to get their bosses back together. I laughed out loud at many points and couldn't wait to find out if both couples would find romance.

Will definitely be recommending the public library get this one. Very sweet love story, with some spicy mixed in, too. Good, gentle foray into mental illness and the stigmas that go with it. The office antics seemed a little over the top, but it all seemed to work!

I love Rachel’s writing style so much. So no matter what I’m going to enjoy her novels. I really liked reading about Ari’s job. I could’ve read about her workplace all day long it was SO interesting. And I also enjoyed that Russel was a bigger guy, which I don’t think I’ve ever read a bigger male MC love interest and that kind of blows my mind, so kudos there.

But I just wasn’t invested in Russel and Ari’s relationship. I simply didn’t ship them all that much. They would go from these more low key romance scenes to all of a sudden super steamy scenes which seemed really out of character.

Rachel Lynn Solomon continues to prove herself as one of the best contemporary romance writers of our time. As always, this book gave me rep I didn’t even know I wanted/needed with the hero being a single dad who had a child at a young age. The hero in my own romance is also a single dad who had a daughter as a teen. The ideas about the complications of joining a family and the joys and beauty of it were so well done. I also appreciated the candid conversations around depression and being a kid raising a parent. Add in a sprinkle of second chance romance, and you have a thoroughly enjoyable romance that I’ll be happy to reread and recommend to everyone.

I'm terrible for never reading blurbs and just judging books by their covers. Weather Girl's cover has strong rom-com vibes, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that was less about the comedy and instead covered some heavy topics.

There are various things covered in the book, depression, being Jewish, difficult parental relationships, teen pregnancy and so much more. I really liked those side of things, and everything was carefully approached and was well thought out. I'm not sure I've ever read a book set in a newsroom, or one that is quite as dedicated to the weather, so those aspects were pretty refreshing!

What didn't hit the right notes for me, was the romance. I found Ari and Russell's relationship was lacking depth, it didn't feel genuine and so I just didn't care about the idea of them being together. It felt as though their relationship was too perfect in every way, which didn't sit right within the rest of the book. Although I did appreciate that there was finally a male love interest that wasn't 8 foot 6 with abs made of steel.

All in all it was a pleasant read, but I did feel as though it was a little forgettable, so I'd personally give it 3 stars.

Recently I instituted a moratorium to no longer read any book with “girl” in the title for a while, but my love for Rachel Lynn Solomon’s The Ex Talk and the charming cover had me selecting Weather Girl to read and review.

Ari Abrams has always hid her depression behind a sunny disposition, fearful that no one would want to be around her if she shows her cloudy self In her mind if she exposes her mental illness, she will be abandoned, her greatest fear. It happened to her mother, so she’s convinced it will happen to her.

Ari is a meteorologist at a local television station. Her bosses, who are divorced from each other, behave terribly at work using coworkers as go-betweens. The toxicity of this work environment leads Ari and sports reporter Russell to concoct a Parent Trap like plan to get their bosses back together for the sake of the station and their careers.

In Russell, Ari finds someone worth giving her all to. Refreshing to have a male lead character to have weight, not a chiseled Adonis so often described in romance.

Mental health is a very personal journey but there were parts of this book that reminded me of Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principal - not being your authentic self, what happens when the world around you becomes overwhelming at times, and leading a double life by not being honest with those closest to you.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[4.5/5]

Another perfectly sweet, but deeply heartwarming book by the wonderful Rachel Lynn Solomon. This one follows a weather girl, Ari, and sports newscaster, Russell, as they try to “Parent Trap” their divorced bosses (who are making their workplace a living hell. With lots of laughs, romance, and (an RLS staple) mental health rep, this book was a joy to read. I loved Ari, Russell and Elodie (would LOVE to see a teen book about her in the future).

TW: depression, mental health, slight fatphobia in the writing(which made me uncomfortable and thus 0.5 was taken off - feel free to message me if this is something that might bother you and I can give more details).

It's NaNoWriMo and these words don't count toward my writing goal for the day! But I'm going to take the time to spill a little digital tea and tell you how much I love this book. RLS does it again! By really dialing into the main character, the Weather Girl of the title, Solomon gives us a portrait of a whole person we can't help but root for. She also turns Seattle into a place I might actually want to visit someday when I've never wanted to go there before. This piece is atmospheric, to say the least, and I look forward to reading more from her.

If there is one person who can capture my love for the PNW it is this author. In all her books, there’s a subtle love letter to the state of Washington and all its beauty. She makes the rainy and cloudy days the perfect romantic backdrop for anyone to fall in love. If you ever wanted to know why I moved to this state, pick up one of her books and you will see why this is the best state.

What I enjoy about this author is that she uses her books as a platform to expose readers to a variety of topics and characters that are rarely seen in contemporary romance. She is an advocate for spotlighting well thought out Jewish characters with complexities and struggles that are overlooked in today's society. Ari is a perfectly written character where the author explores the intricacies of mental health in a way that makes the character relatable to its audience.

Though this author had some amazingly strong and interesting characters, the chemistry was really lacking between Ari and Russell. I had a hard time with the “romance” part of this book. I desperately searched for any form of an electric connection, but in the end I just felt more of a friendship than a burning romance. Though I did enjoy parts of this book, the lack of chemistry really made it hard to read this book. Though I didn’t connect with this book, I know with the great writing, others will have no trouble read this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my second Rachel Lynn Solomon novel and I quite enjoyed it. I really appreciate everything she writes because she is a wonderful writer and has some great Jewish representation. In this particular book, there is also some great mental health representation too, which was very well handled.
This particular novel had such a great premise of the characters working on a local news channel. The story has the channel's two divorced anchors constantly fighting and causing tension in the studio. So the female character, a weather forecaster, and one of the sports anchors team up to get them back together. Just like in the Parent Trap. The author does such a good job of making this totally wild plan make total sense and believably work. The romance itself progressed well, it managed to be both fun and complex with the great backstories created by the author.
I overall thought the story was great and absolutely plan to read another Rachel Lynn Solomon Book.

Miss Queen RLS out here giving me belly and heart butterflies.

Ari and Russell my sweet baby puddings!! There was so much of Ari that I understood and related to. I couldn’t even get annoyed with her for the way she reacted to situations or overthought others because she did so in ways to similar to me.

A lovely story about darkness, and light about trusting someone with your heart and your vulnerability, with your secrets and all the versions of you. A story of love, all versions of love, and how no matter what you’re going through…you’re deserving of it.

Also - Ari’s therapist having MY NAME??? SORRY???!!!!!!

Random note on the epilogue - I almost wish Russell had proposed out on the beach, just him and Ari.

Ari Abrams has her dream job. Ever since she was little, she wanted to be a meteorologist and be able to report on the weather, just like her idol, Torrance Hale. But lately, work has not been fun because of the tension and conflicts between Torrance and her ex-husband. One night, Ari decides with Russell, her coworker, that they will scheme to push Torrance and her ex-husband back together because it's obvious there is still something there between them. As Ari and Russell spend time meddling in the love lives of their bosses, they themselves grow closer together and a romantic spark ignites between the two of them.

The major theme of this book is mental health. Ari suffers from depression and it's something she still struggles with because of how it affected her past relationships. She has always felt like she had to hide her dark side in the past. When she is with Russell, she begins to feel differently. He makes her feel safe to be herself and to share about her experiences. But even though Russell does everything he can to help Ari, it may not be enough for her.

This book made me feel seen in many ways. In the past, when I struggled with my mental health, I felt guilty for putting that kind of pressure and responsibility on my partner to be there for me. I didn't want to put my burden on him and sometimes it was easier to hide those parts of me. I am glad to say that with years of therapy and with working on communicating my needs to my partner that I no longer feel that way.

Although Russell is not a lot older than Ari, he's had many experiences that makes him more mature and wise beyond his years. He's physically different from the typical male main character in a romance novel - he's got a belly and refers to himself as "fat" and with that comes some insecurities. I loved that we got to see a hero who was more like the average man and who isn't always confident. I wish we had more of that in romance novels!

To be honest, it took me a while to get into this book. I didn't start getting invested into the story until about 25% into it, which is a slow start for me. But once things started to pick up, I was fully immersed in Ari and Russell's story. I also wanted more of Torrance and Seth's story! This novel had a lot to say about mental health and the complicated nature of relationships (both romantic and familial). Rachel Lynn Solomon did a great job of writing a story that has left a heavy imprint on my heart.

I can't write this review without talking about the steam. WOW! Those scenes were really sexy and hot and they added a perfect balance to a sometimes heavy story.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: depression, mention of panic attacks, abandonment by a parent

This author has quickly and completely become one of my favorite authors. I fell in love with her first adult romcom, The Ex Talk, along with her YA contemporaries. Weather Girl was another amazing book by this author that I’ll be adding to my list of favorites!
This story follows Ari Abrams, a meteorologist in Seattle, as she gets over a recent break up, tries to gain the attention of her boss and career idol, and manages her depression. She and her sports reporting co-worker, Russ, team up at a company holiday party to try to get their divorced bosses back together in the hopes of improving the office atmosphere and furthering their careers. Matchmaking chaos ensues and Ari and Russ find themselves caught up in the flurry of love just as much as their bosses.
The author just knows how to write a captivating, honest and real story. There was a wide range of topics covered in this book from mental illness to body image to teenage pregnancy and each was handled with delicacy and care. While this book is a romance and definitely brings some steam, so much of it was about self-discovery and Ari finding confidence in herself and her willingness to share that with others. I’ll probably never think about weather the same way again. It’s so much more than just a small talk topic and I loved Ari’s perspective on it. I think it says something so special about this author that she could open my mind up to a new point of view about this part of our daily lives that we probably only give two seconds of thought to when we open our weather app in the morning.
There was a perfect blend of moments of depth and humor. The characters felt so genuine, bringing an authentic quality to the book as a whole.
The office romance was fun and I loved the matchmaking and scheming plot line that originally brought Ari and Russ together. As always with Rachel’s books, there was great Jewish rep included. I loved reading about a Bat Mitzvah and a celebration of Jewish culture.
The author really never misses and if you haven’t picked up a book by her yet, this is me telling you to go do it now. You won’t regret it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley publishing and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rachel Lynn Solomon has quickly become my favorite author. I have read all of her books in the past year and fallen completely in love with her work. She has a way of writing about mental health and Jewish identity that always makes me feel very seen. Her newest book, Weather Girl, is no exception.

Before the events of Weather Girl, Ari Abrams loses her fiancé because he can’t handle her depression when she tells him about it. He thinks she has been fake every time she has seemed happy to him. Of course, this confirms Ari’s worst fear that no one will be able to handle her at both her best and her worst. As someone whose first boyfriend broke up with her about 10 minutes after I told him about my anxiety and depression diagnosis, Ari’s story really struck a cord with me. I felt immediately connected to her.

I also appreciated the openness with which Solomon allows the readers into Ari’s head as she experiences anxiety attacks."With shaking hands, I push out my chair, making more noise than I intend as I shove to my feet and stalk out of the newsroom. My ears are ringing, my lungs tight. No one can see me like this, and if I stay in this room a second longer, I’m going to scream." Of course, everyone experiences anxiety differently, but it moved me to see such an honest portrayal of Ari’s mental health journey throughout the book. I appreciated that Weather Girl depicts conversations that Ari has with her therapist as well and includes discussion of Ari’s decision to use medication to improve her mental health. Portrayals like this are so important to destigmatize mental illness, and I am forever grateful to Solomon for including these stories in her books.

I have always loved the way Solomon weaves her characters’ Jewish identities into her stories. It is never surface level, and she always dives into her characters’ relationships with their Judaism. Early in the book, Ari remarks on the her experiences being Jewish during the Holiday season. "I realize I live in a city with a Jewish population of less than two percent, but the assumption that everyone celebrates Christmas has never not rubbed at me like an itchy tag on the back of the softest sweater. This time of year, it’s nearly constant. I’ve been the only person not wearing a Santa hat during a broadcast before, and our social media blew up with accusations that I hated America." This moment rings so true to me. At this time of year, I am often searching to find Hanukkah representation among all of the ubiquitous Christmas clothing and decorations (and Hallmark movies).

Ari’s description of Shabbat dinner with her family and her relationship to it also feels so familiar to me. "Shabbat dinner wasn’t a weekly tradition for us growing up, but every so often, we’d get out the candles and the good tablecloth. I’ve always loved the prayers over bread and wine, grape juice when we were kids, as as much as I’d have rolled my eyes about it when I was younger, the togetherness. The instant sense of community." This passage immediately brought to mind many memories of sitting around the table on Friday nights with my family around challah and candles. Judaism and its traditions have always been about creating community for me, whether it is among a family or a congregation at a synagogue.

I loved Ari and Russell’s relationship from the beginning of the story. They start as friends who are able to support each other in a sometimes difficult working environment. It makes sense that they are able to transition into having a supportive romantic relationship as well. Ari is able to talk to Russell about her mental health issues and remarks that she is even able to take antidepressants openly in front of him. Russell confides in Ari about the struggles of being a teen parent. The basis of their relationship consistently feels so solid, and I loved getting to follow them on their journey. Of course, the reader only gets Ari’s point of view, and I would be curious to read Russell’s perspective on their relationship as well.

As a musical theater nerd, I loved the references to musicals made in Weather Girl. I was impressed that there are not only references to Blockbuster musicals like Hamilton, but also to musicals that are less well known like The Prom. As someone who was obsessed with musicals in middle school, I loved that Russell’s 12 year old, Elodie, loves musicals as much as I did (and do). I will forgive Solomon for calling the Mean Girls cast album a “soundtrack.”

I loved Weather Girl. It has all of the elements of a romantic comedy along with discussion of serious issues. I highly recommend everyone pick up a copy when it released in January. In fact, I believe if you order it from Third Place Books, you might even be able to get a copy signed by the author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated books for 2022 because I really enjoyed Rachel Lynn Solomon's other books and I loved the movie Set It Up! I was not disappointed. Weather Girl is a workplace romance featuring a depressed Jewish main character and a fat single father love interest.
Ari and Russell's bosses are a divorced couple and fight constantly at the office so Ari and Russell decide to matchmake them in hopes to improve the workplace conditions. As they scheme together to get their bosses back together, they start to fall for each other.
Ari, the main character, has depression and she tends to overcompensate by being overly optimistic and finding silver linings everywhere. She's also incredibly passionate about her job as a meteorologist and her love of weather is adorable.
The love interest, Russell is a sports reporter and a single father. I don't usually enjoy romances that feature a parent but this one really got to me. Russell's daughter, Elodie, is so sweet and funny and I loved the relationship between her and Ari.

I thought this was a great romance that also talked about some pretty heavy topics. Solomon mentioned that the mental health representation was based on her own personal experiences with depression. I thought the book did an excellent job of exploring the different ways depression can affect your day-to-day life. The side characters were also well-rounded and intriguing. Ari's brother Alex, his husband, and their kids were so fun and cute. Torrance and Seth, the bosses, were also very deep characters and their romance was very sweet as well.

This book also had some pretty steamy scenes that were a bit more than your usual vanilla sex which was a nice change from a lot of the romance novels that I've read.

I think this book will be a hit for most people, though it didn’t quite connect with the me (potentially because it’s set in Seattle where I live).. Two characters who aren’t “traditional” romance leads learn to both accept themselves and each other, and I appreciate how the book highlights this. Ari, the female lead, hides her clinical depression, and Russel, the male lead is fat and a little self conscious about it. This is a very gentle and comforting read, with nuanced depths - perfect for a grey Seattle day and a cup of tea.

I absolutely love Rachel Lynn Solomon’s books, and this one is no exception.

Russell might actually be my ideal man. He’s a family man, Jewish, dad bod, and into sports but in a lowkey way that doesn’t dominate every conversation. Ari is very lucky to have grabbed him.

Ari is one of the most genuinely nice characters I’ve read in a while. Her interactions with her niece and nephew are so fun, and her relationship with her brother is enviable.

Ari is so cute and I love her weather quirks, she’s so sweet and she deserves the world. Russell also deserves the world, but for real they are perfect for each other.
Watching them scheme together and plan out these elaborate tricks to get their bosses in love is so cute.

I loved every part of this book, from the heartfelt confessions to the over the top dramatic plans.

Rachel Lynn Solomon is an absolute queen of writing witty banter. I had high expectations for Weather Girl and they were completely exceeded. The romance was so sweet, and the plot irresistible. I adored watching Ari and Russell develop their relationship. But what really sold me on this book was the depiction of depression. It's probably the best, most through depiction of depression I've ever read. Solomon showed how depression impacts so many aspects of a person's life and how it can impact romantic relationships. Weather Girl just had so much going for it, I just loved it.