Ugh I’m so upset I didn’t like this, it sounded right up my alley. I didn’t mind this audiobook at all, however, the story itself was so underwhelming. It had so much potential to be an easy five star but unfortunately it didn’t hit the expectations I had. These characters were also just “there”, I didn’t care for any of them. I am a bit upset with this one but it just didn’t work for me.

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, I enjoyed it. I loved the mixed cultures between Mexican and Jewish heritages. It was really fun to read how they navigated that and combined their cultures through food.

Through audio it was really hard to know which sister was which and who was married to who.

I was not a huge fan of this book. There was too much cheating and lying. I felt that this family was extremely dysfunctional and they all fed into each other.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A candid look at one family and how they deal with love, relationships, and the ramifications of decisions made.

L.A. WEATHER is one of those books that lays bare all facets of what makes us human. Escandón uses the backdrop of L.A. as a catalyst to propel the story forward. The droughts, the fires, and the overall landscape of this region feed the drama and interactions with all the characters.

In a time when storytelling is filled with such high concept fiction, it was truly refreshing to sit down with a book that at its core is about one family. This snapshot of their lives is filled with turmoil, health scares, and struggles with romantic relationships. Yet, there are moments of peace, happiness, and healing. It shows the good along with the bad and doesn’t put a polish on anything. The author addresses timely issues in a way that doesn't exploit them. Instead, she uses them as just another facet of a complex and sincere narrative.

For some, a story like this will not be for them. There are readers that want the happily ever after or everything tied up in a perfect bow. This is not that. In my mind, this family had a life before this book and will continue to have one complete with ups and downs. The grit and reality within these pages made me in awe of the effortless writing behind such a well-crafted tale.

L.A. WEATHER gifted its reader with drama, secrets, duplicity, love loss, the building back of trust, and the meaning of family. Honestly, this is just such a beautiful account of a selection of people’s lives, flaws and all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

L. A. Weather wasn't what I was expecting. It is much more of a melodrama than a hard-hitting natural disaster story... While I didn't hate this book I just found it bland. I am sure that I am never going to think about this book again. The characters were interesting and the way the weather was portrayed as a character of the story was cool I found this book too much soap opera

Reese Witherspoon recommending a book is often a catalyst to a larger audience. I don't think anyone will be disappointed in this complex family drama. There are no easy relationships and there are ultimately no resolutions to many of the difficulties the family faced.

I tend to gravitate towards family dramas (especially dysfunctional ones), however, I felt like these characters were just a tad too unlikeable that I couldn't root for any of them. Each of the characters have a lot of backstory and insight into their lives (which I typically love), but it almost became too complicated to keep track of what was happening.

At the beginning, it was difficult to keep track in my mind of the various characters so I had to get an ebook version as well. I wouldn't recommend only listening to the audiobook unless you have a pen and paper ready to take notes.

L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon is a great story about a family in L.A. dealing with all life has thrown at them. L.A Weather is a great read.

I was excited about this audio but it ended up not being for me. There were way too many life-altering events happening to this one family. I didn’t feel I connected with any of the characters.

This family drama follows a year in the life of the Alvarado family - a family of affluent Jewish, Catholic, Mexican-Americans living in LA. This one covers everything from health issues, accidents, divorce, trauma, wildfires and more. This family had so much going on and it seemed like one tragedy after another, yet the book didn’t feel heavy at all, thanks to the witty writing. I’m not a fan of the character driven family dramas, so this wasn’t my favorite but I can see where many people would love it!


I preferred the audiobook version of this one as it kept me more engaged. The narration was well done and I found it easier to stay focused than the ebook.

Holy family drama! So many secrets, relationship troubles and droughts both in family and in weather. I loved the mixed culture of Mexican and Jewish including the combinations of delicious food they describe throughout. Coming from a family that has many diverse cultures, it was wonderful reading about another family that works hard at bringing the cultures together. Escandon presented vivid descriptions on each of the characters and of the weather. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it did take me a bit to get through it as I was never excited to pick it back up.

A year in the life of the Alvarado family, told via a metaphor of weather. Lots of drama, secrets, and challenges face them. A pretty enjoyable, but typical, family dram.

I toggled back and forth between the audio and the print and enjoyed both, The narrator did a great job and it was enjoyable to listen the places, food, and family names spoken with a bilingual accent.
Here are my notes on book:
I really enjoyed L.A. Weather, but I almost feel like this was a book specifically written for me! As a Latina from LA, the sights and sounds of life as an Angeleno was like being home, the uni1que identity of each neighborhood, and the FOOD. It was a pleasure to dig into family dynamics of the culture that we just don't see in media enough, especially when portrayed as Escandon did: affluent, driven, liberal, empowered women who aren't forced to conform to strict patriarchal dynamics that define so many Mexican families.
The use of the changing and influential weather patterns through the book is a clever and meaningful method for her storytelling as we see the family progress through the year.
Yes, this family has an unusual amount of drama happen to, and within, the family unit in the course of the year, but it felt believable to me.

I had my eye on L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón long before Reese announced it as her September book club pick. When Netgalley approved my request for the audiobook, it felt like I won the lottery. I devoured this story in just a couple of days because it ticked SO many of my boxes:

✔️ Immense amounts of family drama and dysfunction
✔️ Slow-burning, yet action-packed plot
✔️ Secrets, lies, and betrayal galore
✔️ Humorous, clever, and entertaining dialogue
✔️ Complex, flawed, yet relatable characters
✔️ Intense look at the ins and outs of marriage and other relationships
✔️ Multiple heavy themes discussed

It took me a few chapters to really nail down all of the family members, their relationship status, and various situations. Once the details were straight, I quickly became entranced with the Alvarado family. The author managed to focus on the dynamics of the family as a whole, while also highlighting each member’s individual storyline. Fans of literary fiction, family dysfunction, and relationship issues will really enjoy this new release.

LA Weather is the beautiful, gripping drama of a Mexican American family living in LA and experiencing some of the most stressful, scary things in the span of a year. Oscar and his wife, Keila, have been married for 38 years, and they call their adult children (3 girls) together to tell them they are getting divorced. The girls will not accept this and they encourage their parents to give it a year and try to mend their marriage. In the meantime, there is a tragic accident involving their 3 year old granddaughters, and then a very scary situation with one of the adult daughters. All the while, the LA weather has Oscar obsessed and worried, as he is keeping a secret from Keila, and his livelihood and future depends on the weather and if the rain will ever come. The characters are flawed and gritty and I love the way the family sticks together through everything, becoming even stronger with each thing they face. This is a well-written story you do not want to miss!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, I could not get into this. I found the pacing to be very slow and I did not connect with any of the characters. I stopped reading around page 75.

A fast-paced, entertaining modern Mexican American family drama set in LA during a record-breaking drought and subsequent fire. If you love complicated family relationships and a can't put down dysfunctional family story full of secrets look no further. Highly recommended for fans of The most fun we've ever had.

In this Reese Book club September selection we get to know the Alvarado family. Oscar and Keila have three grown daughters, each struggling in their own ways and also having to come to terms when their parents announce their own separation. Oscar and Keila have grown apart as Oscar becomes obsessed with the weather and has been hiding a huge secret from the rest of his family.

Highly recommended for fans of diverse, complicated family dramas told with heart and humor. I loved the bonds of sisterhood and how these sisters came together when the chips were down and their parent's marriage was on the rocks. Be prepared for a near drowning experience of young children, parental estrangement, infidelity, three divorces, infertility, surrogacy, embryo theft, wild fire evacuations, commentary on climate change and migrant workers' lives/conditions and an unorthodox blended Jewish family.

This was definitely a departure from the recent thrillers selected by the Reese bookclub and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially on audio. Definitely worth the read, especially for fans of messy family stories. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!

To be honest, I am on the fence about DNF-ing this one😬. I am about halfway through and having trouble staying engaged. It may just be though that its a family drama and I have just been burnt out on those lately. I am almost more than halfway through and the only thing I feel like that has happened is that everyone wants a divorce. I guess I am confused at the plot line, or if there is one. Very sorry I didn't enjoy this one as much as I'd hope to. Best wishes in everything!

An epic family drama about a year in the life of a Mexican-American family living in Los Angeles. Oscar is the father in this turbulent family, and he has become obsessed with watching the weather channel and unresponsive to everyone else in his life. His wife Keila wants to get a divorce, but their 3 adult daughters Patricia, Claudia and Olivia convince them to try marriage counseling for a year first. The daughters and their husbands and children have issues and secrets of their own, and the best part of this story is watching how the relationships between family members grow and change like the weather, and how they navigate all the bumps along the way.

The audiobook is narrated in the lovely voice of Frankie Corzo, who does a fantastic job of taking on all the unique personalities and accents of each of the characters. This story is a slow burn but well-developed character based novel and I really enjoyed getting to know this unique and complex family.

L.A. Weather is a gorgeous audiobook narrated by Frankie Corzo (who also read Mexican Gothic). Her voice is so soothing and interesting that I would gladly listen to hear read the phone book.

Good thing this story about a Mexican-American family, living in L.A., is also fantastic! There's family drama at every turn.

Highly recommend you listen to this one!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the listener copy via the NetGalley app.