I know this has been a popular book lately, but I couldn’t get through it. I put it down and am hoping to try and pick it up again soon. Be sure to check out other reviews, as mine is just an unpopular opinion!

A fun and quick read! I loved the representation in this book. The fact that Russell was the "plus-size" character was unusual and not something you see in books.... ever. I loved that it gave proper attention to Ari's and her mother's depression without making it too much of a mopey story. Sometimes when authors write about mental illness, they take it from a debilitating standpoint, but Rachel did an excellent job of just making it part of Ari's life without it overwhelming the character. I liked the little twist of the bosses fixing them up while they thought it was the other way around. I kind of figured that was what was happening before they mentioned it, but I think it was a cute touch. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted read. Especially for a cozy weekend!

This book. This book.
I’m so happy I received this arc for an honest review from netgalley.

So many things about this book were important.

First: the main characters are far from perfect. Ari lives with depression, she has good days and bad days, but tries to hide the bad parts of herself from her relationships in turn sabotaging all her relationships. Russell has a secret part of his life he tries to keep secret because he is embarrassed about his past AND shocker, he’s not a chiseled model with a six pack. He’s an average 29 year old guy that is a sports reporter.

The way Ari’s relationships with her family (her mom), how her depression feels, to how she takes medications for depression, to seeing a therapist IS IMPORTANT. It’s real life. THANK YOU. She’s still a complete person flaws and all. I loved it.

All this mixed with spice and weather puns, weather cuteness in general. I really enjoyed this book. It was cheesy, it was a romcom, but it had more than that. I loved it!

4.5 stars!

After reading RLS’s The Ex Talk, I was excited to read this one for book club! Ari is a Weather Girl who has been working on her Mental Health her whole life and Russell is the sports guy at the station with a 12 year old daughter. The station is a bit of a rough workplace because the bosses are divorced and create a toxic environment. How will Ari and Russ’s scheme to get them to fall back in love play out?

The main focus of this book is mental health. It was executed beautifully. The depth and growth of many of the characters overall, but also from a mental health perspective was beautiful. I particularly loved Ari’s growth. The realization that her initial struggles weren’t from her family in the same way she’d always believed from her childhood; her realization that everyone has a past, not just her; and most of all understanding as it pertained to her mother, how everyone’s journey is different and it needs to be handled delicately. In particular I loved how Ari and her mom’s relationship evolved.

Ari and Russ’s relationship was fun and playful as they tried to get their bosses back together and I enjoyed their comfort level with each other as they spent more time together.

Other favorite highlights:
- Passion: Russ’s passion for hockey and his daughter, loved the hockey game scene and the book Russ and his ex kept. Ari’s passion for weather was adorable.
- Inclusion: Bodyshaming and the presence of the word ‘fat’ having a negative connotation as an adjective; Gay bro and his 2 girls were so fun! The Fact that they were Jewish and the highlight of how it feels to be Jewish living in a Christmas dominated holiday season.
- Millennial vibe: I loved all the minuscule references back to the 90s and early 2000s!
- Loved the ‘set up’ aspect and how things played out in the end with the bosses and Ari and Russ!

I took me a bit to get into which is why a smidge less than 5 stars, but once I was in I really enjoyed it and didn’t want to put it down!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the free ebook in return for an honest and unbiased review!

4.5 stars rounded up for Netgalley's system.
It took a little bit for me to “warm up” to Weather Girl but, once I saw where the story was heading and how introspective the storyline was, I couldn’t put the book down. Ms. Solomon took a chance on writing a romance that also tackled the subject of depression. But, she did this with class and style. I was totally impressed with how she brought these two characters together and had them fall in love. Ari and Russell were sweet and perfect for each other.

Ari and Russell were amusing. Neither one of them were perfect … Ari with her depression and Russell with his self-image issue. But, you could see the attraction and both of them fighting it right from the beginning. Their goal was to get their bosses back together not fall in love. Their plan worked and another one did as well. The second plan was not the one they were expecting and things took a turn for the worse. But, love prevailed in the end.

I was fascinated by the way depression manifests itself differently in people. Ari had one way of handling it and her mom had another. But, support from those around them is what got them through. Trust was also a big issue in this story … mainly trusting another person to be able to deal with you on a daily basis and understand. I give Kudos to Rachel Lynn Solomon for handling this subject with kid gloves yet letting us see the humor and love within the characters. They were very well written … you understood them and all their quirks and idiosyncrasies. I also was interested in the way different religions were portrayed throughout the storyline.

Weather Girl was a tender, humorous, and poignant story.

If you enjoyed The Ex Talk, then Weather Girl is the book for you! From the nicknames, to the swing dancing, to the family get togethers, this romance is adorably sweet and will just make you SMILE 😊 I absolutely love Ari and Russell’s relationship and their cute workplace romance.

One of my favorite things about the book is how honestly and openly it discusses depression, mental health, and therapy. It is a consistent theme throughout the book, and I loved seeing how each character was affected differently or handled it in their own way. The characters also have unique backgrounds and family situations that come together beautifully, including a Jewish MC, plus size MMC, single parent household, and LGBTQ representation.

Absolutely loved it, and can’t wait to see what Rachel Lynn Solomon writes next!

Rachel Lynn Solomon (The Ex Talk; We Can't Keep Meeting Like This) has created a wonderfully heartfelt and hilarious romance in Weather Girl. Ari Abrams has longed to be a meteorologist since she was a little girl. So getting a job at the same Seattle television news station as Torrance Hale, a local weather legend, seemed to be a dream come true. But unfortunately for Ari, Torrance's ex-husband, Seth, is the station's news director, and their tumultuous relationship means the workplace environment is incredibly stressful.

Also affected by the tension is sweet, shy sports reporter Russell Barringer. Tired of Seth's passive-aggressive memos and Torrance's drama, Russell and Ari drunkenly decide at a holiday office party to make their bosses fall in love again, for the sake of the station. But as they bond over wacky schemes to throw Torrance and Seth together, Ari and Russell come to realize that they may also be falling for each other.

Lighthearted but with depth (characters deal with depression, fat-shaming, co-parenting and more), Weather Girl is a fantastic romance. Solomon has created lovely, enjoyable characters, and the laugh-out-loud matchmaking hijinks are a wonderful foil for the heavier themes the book explores. Descriptions of the Seattle area create a charming backdrop, making this an excellent choice for readers who like a little armchair traveling with their romance. Perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory or Christina Lauren, Weather Girl will not disappoint.

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!