What a cute book!!

I really enjoyed this book about Ari, the local weather girl and the relationships with her boss Torrance and her sports reporter colleague, Russell. I loved getting to know Ari and Russell. Ari struggles with depression, especially after a recent break up. And Russell is young parent and plus sized (hello!! I love the plus size representation as a male in this book). The character shine and I had so much love for both of them. They both had struggles they needed to work out before starting a romantic relationship and I appreciated that.

Personally. I wish this had been written in 2 POV's (Ari and Russell) so that we could have gone deeper getting to know their characters. I felt like this was an authentic book and depicted how real life mature adults would behave instead of the typical rom-com miscommunication trope.

While this is listed as a romantic comedy, I would not categorize it as such. I would label it as contemporary romance.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what Rachel Solomon writes next!

This was such a cute read! I really appreciated Ari’s character and really connected with her. I always appreciate when a character has real problems that most people deal with, but that’s not often reflected in books or on tv. The author did a great job with the descriptions and actions of Ari in dealing with her depression. I also really loved Russell! I loved how he was just a normal guy. He didn’t have a six pack and wasn’t rich. He was still so dreamy! Really enjoyed the plot of this read as well and would definitely recommend to other romance readers!

I am deeply and forever obsessed. That’s it. That’s my review. (Not really, but I had to start by throwing this out there.)

Swipe for the full synopsis!

This book isn’t just a perfectly adorable and heartfelt romance story. It’s about vulnerability. Mental health and medication and therapy. The stories we tell ourselves *about* ourselves.

This book is a love letter to being human - that we’re worthy of love and a happy ending as we are.

This book reminds us:

Your complex family / family history (…we’ve all got something lolz) does not make you un-whole.

Struggling with your mental health, being in therapy, and taking medication, does not make you broken or “too much.”

Being fat does not make you less deserving of love and sex and desire.

These are all signs of being humans with bodies and and brains that fall outside of what society tells us is correct/aspirational/desirable/perfect. But as this book so beautifully points out, happy endings don’t come from perfection. They come from being vulnerable, whole people.

As someone who is fortunate enough to have a fantastic therapist that I’ve seen for almost 10 years, takes medication prescribed by my psychiatrist, and has people in my life who still worriedly ask me, “WHAT’S WRONG?!!” when I bring up a recent therapy appointment, Weather Girl speaks to so many pieces of my soul, and I’m grateful this book exists.

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing, NetGalley, and Rachel Lynn Solomon for giving me the opportunity to read this before it comes out next Tuesday!

I recently finished reading Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon and I was impressed by it. It was a romance about a weather forecaster and a sports reporter who worked in a new room, but there are elements that were deeper that I thought were very well done. One of them being that the male love interest, Russel, was fat. I have read books with fat women being represented, but it isn’t often I find that same representation in the men. And the rep I have found with the men is just basic body description. They tend to just be big burly guys who don’t give much thought to their bodies or the space they take up. Russel did have moments where he was self conscious about it and Ari is trying to find ways of showing him that she desires him, now, in the body he is in. I usually read that in reverse, so I thought that was interesting.
The other thing I thought was really well done was how the book dealt with mental health. Ari struggles with depression and her mother did as well. It was an honest portrayal of how these things can creep into our lives and what can happen if it goes unchecked and also what can happen if you take care of your mental health with medication and therapy. I think that is a very valuable story to tell and many readers will really relate.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to people. It checks the boxes for a wonderful contemporary romance but it delivers a little extra depth and I am here for that.

Weather Girl is the latest book (available Jan 11!) from Rachel Lynn Solomon. In it we follow Ari, a Jewish meteorologist with chronic depression, and her love interest Russell, a Jewish sports reporter and fat single dad. In a bid to improve their toxic workplace, the two drunkenly agree to get their divorced bosses back together in a Parent Trap style scheme. Shenanigans and ~steam~ ensue.
Ari's depression takes center stage in this story. She's well-medicated and her depression is mostly under control, though some days are darker than others, and she struggles to communicate her interior to others, particularly the men she dates. Shortly before the novel begins, her finance ended their engagement because of this. I found the way depression is portrayed in this book to be so spot-on, especially the ways our parents' attitude toward mental health can impact us in adulthood, and *especially* how painful and scary it can be to date with chronic depression. I normally find it hard to suspend disbelief during the big blowout fight in romance books, like characters are communicating poorly on purpose because otherwise there wouldn't be a plot, but not this time. During That Scene actual tears came to my eyes because I identified so strongly with Ari in that moment.
I've really been loving the mental health slant Solomon's writing has taken with her recent books. It's vulnerable and genuine and so very healing for readers experiencing similar struggles (not even to mention how it helps readers who love those experiencing similar struggles!). For me to have read WCKMLT in the days immediately before my admission to a psychiatric clinic and now WG in the days immediately after my discharge feels oddly prescient.

Weather Girl forced me to re-examine the way that I masked my depression and anxiety. One small detail I loved in Weather Girl was the chapter titles, my favorite and the most relatable being: FORECAST: Near-apocalyptic darkness. Avoid leaving home at all costs.

CW: depression, a parent with depression, teenage pregnancy (past), anxiety

Weather Girl is set at a Seattle news station, where we meet Ari, a meteorologist, who loves her work but wishes that her boss, Torrance Hale, was more attentive and interested in her. Ari always presents a sunshine front and her patience is tested as Torrance fights with the station's news director, who happens to be her ex-husband. After a disastrous holiday party, Ari teams up with Russell, a sports reporter, to try to make work a better place to be. But as sparks fly between Ari and Russell, Ari struggles with letting her sunshine front fall to reveal the dark clouds looming.

Ari was a character that I deeply related to. She lives with the smile until it feels real mantra, that I often feel, even when she feels the dark days coming and depression looming beneath the surface of her mask. I loved how Ari discusses the benefits of therapy and medication and how Rachel doesn't make light of how bad depression can get. The way Ari worried about being like her mother, who also struggled with undiagnosed and untreated depression, made my heart ache for her because I could relate. At one point Ari mentions feeling unworthy of love, always wanting to just give the sunshine and smiley version of herself, which is something that I've struggled with in past relationships as well. I loved the moments of realization with her therapist, as they offered insight into how I could view my struggles.

Russell was a gem and the best dad, I loved having a plus size hero to root for. I appreciated how both Ari and Russell worked to show their true selves to form a stronger connection. I loved that they just wanted to make the other one feel good and happy, this is a great example of a healthy build to a relationship.

I just adored this book and all of the feelings it made me feel. I loved the letting down of guards, to I see you and love you for who you truly are, and the bravery that comes with that (and the scaries).

I adored Weather Girl and Rachel is an auto-read author for me and I love how she creates real and whole characters living with real feelings and thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was really cute - I loved that Solomon highlighted underserved themes in romantic lit (specifically depression, and a fat hero). This was great, I highly recommend.

There is something about connecting with a book so much that you’re nodding your head as you read. I saw myself in our main character Ari. The relationship with her mother, striving to hide a part of herself from others and trying to fake it till you make it kind of scenario.

Ari is a talented weather girl for her local news however the hostile work environment is driving her crazy. Her boss and ex are always at each other’s throats so she and sports reporter Russell, team up to play “parent trap”? They will try to bring their bosses together.

Russell is single dad with a definite dad bod. And I didn’t hate it. It’s real. It’s what real life is. There spice was there, romance and love. Such a cute and real story that I connected with on so many levels.

Thank you Netgalley & Berkeley Publishings for the eARC. Weather Girl is out 1/11/2022!!

I really enjoyed this one.

It was a sweet story about two people falling in love as they work to get their bosses back together and make the office a better place to be.

I really liked how Ari & Russel’s relationship developed. I liked how they actually talked about things and shared some of the more challenging feelings/situations.

I especially liked the Jewish rep & seeing how it was just normal and not made to be a big thing. As it should be.

The representation of depression, not just experienced by Ari but also her mother and how it impacts them in various ways. Though I have never experienced depression to that extent, to me it felt very realistic.

Overall, just lovely little read.

This book deserves a round of applause for putting mental illness and therapy into the forefront and doing it justice. So kudos to @rlynn_solomon for that, as well as a powerful, realistic depiction of depression without it being overwhelming or sad.

Ari Abrams has struggled with depression for years but has a therapist and takes medication to manage her symptoms. It doesn’t define her. She’s a meteorologist for her local station, and she works with her mentor since childhood, Torrence Hale. Only it isn’t clear skies at the station — Torrence is too busy butting heads with her ex husband Seth Hasagawa Hale to pay much attention to Ari. Similarly, Seth doesn’t give much time or attention to his newest sports anchor, Russell Barringer. After an event where Torrence and Seth trash a hotel, Ari and Russ team up to essentially parent trap Torrence and Seth into getting back together for the good of the station.

Ari is externally an optimist to both counteract and hide her depression. After all, her mother’s mental illness caused her father to leave and Ari and Alex to fend for themselves. Until now, Ari’s mom has resisted treatment, but after a horrible depressive episode, she has been admitted to the psychiatric hospital. Ari grapples with this relationship, and it’s really a beautifully done story between them, realistic and sweet even though it’s hard.

Ari, fresh off of a major breakup, is not planning on dating, but the chemistry with Russell proves too intense to ignore. She has a crush on him immediately - tall guy with a dad bod, belly and all. Russell is self conscious about his size, but he’s accepted himself, and it certainly doesn’t bother Ari. I thought this was especially well done, their attraction and chemistry was believable - he is kind to her in a way she hasn’t experienced before. It’s a LOT sexier than I expected - no complaints from me!!!

Ari and Russell are both secularly Jewish with traditions that they share. This is an interfaith, interracial, queer people existing without fanfare world and I love it.

This book is out Jan 11 - you guys really need to read it 💛 Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC!

This was my first Rachel Lynn Solomon book, and it definitely won't be my last.

I loved this book. I'll be reading and rereading it over and over, because it's so rare that you feel SO SEEN in a book you're reading. You know?

Ari resonated with me in just about every moment of Weather Girl. Her struggles with depression are real, open, and more honest than I've seen in a lot of books. Solomon captures the distilled essence of what depression looks like, sounds like, feels like--with such clarity that I was tearing up, seeing similarities I share with Ari. I particularly was moved when Ari would talk about her depression vs. her sunshine personality, and how she feels she has no choice but to have this peppy personality so people don't see the underlying darkness. That just...wow. Hit me in the gut.

I also just want to talk about the Jewish rep here, because THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE THEM. This book, like some others I've read lately, are true lessons in writing Jewish rep. Ari and Russell's Jewishness is there, it's obvious, but it's not something that's blown up. It's ingrained into the characters, whether that be through the occasional mention of Shabbat, or Hanukkah, or just the traditions shared in the book. It's all of these little moments that added up to making me cry tears of joy, because can you imagine seeing yourself, your traditions, reflected back in a way that truly relates to you?? Like, you can tell this book is about Jewish characters, and it's just so well done. I'm just such a dork and I'm so in love with Ari, Russell, and Weather Girl.

OH. Also. The spice was top notch. So was the plot. Basically, come for the plot, stay for the incredible and richly detailed characters who are the best.

Ari Abrams loves to talk about the weather and she’s landed the perfect job as a meteorologist on TV. But her legendary boss, Torrance Hale, is too preoccupied with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she’s always wanted. Determined to make the station a better place for everyone, Ari teams up with Russel, the down to earth sports reporter, to help their bosses reconnect. But their plan ultimately backfires when they discover the chemistry building between them.

This book checked SO many boxes for me! The romance? Wow. The representation? Stunning. Well-written and lovable characters? Yes please!

Ari and Russell were a breath of fresh air! They were so open and real with one another, no games. On the outside looking in, it may not seem like they have much in common. But they connected on topics that were so much more important.

I think the author did a wonderful job discussing depression and therapy. She did it in such a gentle and honest way so I feel, in my opinion, it shouldn’t be triggering.

Honestly I can’t say enough about Ari! Her passion for the weather was so inspiring to me and I loved her drive for professional growth. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and forget why we chose the profession we’re in. She inspired me to find the joy in my job!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Berkley Romance for my E-ARC!

Thank you so much to Rachel Lynn Solomon and Berkley for providing me with an eARC in exchange from my honest review. WEATHER GIRL is scheduled for release January 11, 2022.

I knew I was going to love this book from the moment I opened it. It started with the dedication page and the letter to the reader. I loved them both so much. Sometimes you don't know you need to hear something until you see it in front of you written on a page. Rachel had me tearing up before the book even began.

Ari Abrams has her dream job: a meteorologist. She works for Seattle's legendary weatherwoman Torrance Hale. Russell Barringer is a sports reporter whose boss is Torrance's ex-husband. Ari and Russell are finding it hard to enjoy their jobs since their bosses are too busy getting mad at each other, which ultimately puts a damper on the whole newsroom. So Ari and Russell come up with a plan: get their bosses back together. While they're meddling with their bosses' relationship, they start to build a relationship themselves.

This story gave me major Parent Trap vibes but in a workplace. Rachel Lynn Solomon has consistently crushed the workplace romance in both of her adult romance novels. I am also obsessed with every chapter title. They're so clever and witty, they had me laughing out loud.

You can tell this book is so personal to Rachel and her readers. It may be a fiction book, but it's emotional, raw and honest. It covers a lot that people don't like to openly talk about. The main character is depressed and on medication and goes to therapy, which is something you don't see a lot in romance novels and is very present in the storyline.

There's a lot of other representation in here as well. Of course with a RLS book, we have a Jewish main character and Jewish love interest with some Jewish themes and references. There's also fat representation with the love interest, which is talked about openly as well. The main character's brother is gay and married with two kids through a surrogate. Every topic is handled so beautifully and seamlessly, I wish there was more of this in romance novels.

Rachel Lynn Solomon DOES NOT MISS. Ever. Read this book, you absolutely won't regret it.

CW: depression/mental illness, abandonment by a parent, divorce, psychiatric hospitalization (off-page)

Weather Girl is the newest romance from Rachel Solomon. Weather and Sports come together in the sweetest way possible when Ari and Russell decide to “parent trap” their bosses. Cue up the double dates and we are off on a lighthearted, yet steamy office romance. Bonus points for Russell and his “dad bod” and Ari and her depression. It is a breath a fresh air to read a romance novel that mirrors real life. The characters seemed to be pulled from real life and I would love to be friends with of them. So much of the characters back stories helped to mold them into their present day lives, yet both come to realize that their past does not need to dictate their future.
Weather Girl was my first Rachel Solomon novel, but it will not be my last. I was incredibly happy to have my home state of Michigan play a part of Russell’s story. Hockey and snow for the win!
Thank you very much to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this Arc with me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#WeatherGirl #NetGalley

It’s definitely not an everyday/ easygoing contemporary romance rather a contemporary romance that very well tackles some of the severe subjects like mental health and the implications of the toxic work environment. However, this one definitely falls under my current fav contemporary romance novel I’ve read lately. ‘Cause ghosh this was everything!! I really liked how raw and authentic the characters and their respective issues has been portrayed. Along with that, it was a well paced and an easy read for me!!

Ari and Russell- a meteorologist and a sports reporter- decide to Parent Trap their bosses Torrance and Seth and find.....love for themselves. Ari's always worshipped Torrance but Torrance has become, ahem, difficult since the divorce from Seth. The subtle campaign designed to bring them back together is clever but it also bonds Ari and Russell. While this is a rom com with steam. there's also a thoughtful look at depression. Ari's been managing hers since college but she hasn't shared about it, not since her mother dismissed her despite her own struggles. This is nicely written and plotted with good characters I found myself caring about. Loved the kids - Elodie, Cassie, Orion. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I loved it and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. And the why is because it features really authentic and relatable characters that felt like people I’ve known my whole life. Beyond just Ari and Russell, you get to know Torrence and Seth fairly well, as well as snippets of Ari’s brother, brother-in-law and mother. None of these characters were perfect (except for maybe Ari’s niece and nephew), but they also weren’t flawed in cliché or unbelievable ways. It made it feel very natural and comforting to read and I got caught up in caring so much about the outcomes for these characters.

The reality of these characters went beyond their personalities to also include their body-types; I appreciated the intentional choice to not make Russell a washboard-abed hero. One of the quotes from the book that stuck with me was after Russell referred to himself as fat and Ari started the knee-jerk reflex to respond to him, Russell responded “It’s not a bad word. It’s just an adjective. It’s just the way I am.” He goes more in depth in talking about how his body-type has impacted him from there, but I just really found that powerful; I have trouble thinking about other romance heros I’ve come across recently portrayed this way. He’s also hilarious, sweet, nurturing and so thoughtful and conscientious, while also hiding a fiery side underneath it all.

Finally, I really found Ari’s portrayal of her depression and the way she struggled to let people see how she is truly feeling to be really honest and relatable. I think even people who don’t live with depression will find Ari’s struggle to let people see and accept all of her as something they can connect with. I’ve noticed a trend where author’s write honest and vulnerable notes at the beginning of books where sensitive and potentially triggering topics are addressed, especially when that topic in some way reflects their own life-experience, and I really like it. I would suggest everyone read Rachel’s author note at the beginning of this one, especially if you’re at all concerned about the subject matter of depression. I never find them particularly spoilery, but if you like to go in blind, definitely flip back to the front for that when you’re done!

I loved the chemistry and connection between Russell and Ari; watching them get to know each other and share secret parts of themselves was a wonderful way to watch them build emotional intimacy. And when their physical intimacy starts to build, after a very respectful but somehow still scorching hot caretaking moment? Wow. And their nicknames for each other? Just adorable.

I want to bundle Russell up and put him in my pocket.

I appreciated there was a heroine with depression and she still got to fall in love, albeit accidentally. Russell could have so easily have been written as a dude-bro sports reporter and he was this calm, steady, treasure of a man instead and I couldn't have liked him more. They felt inevitable as soon as she threw her hair up in a top knot and tipsily came up with the matchmaking plan at the disastrous Christmas party. I enjoyed their story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Rachel Lynn Solomon for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Highlights: friends-to-lovers, cinnamon-roll hero, Jewish rep, mental health rep, fat rep.

I requested Weather Girl from NetGalley without reading the synopsis because I really liked The Ex-Talk, and without realizing that the premise is similar to the movie The Parent Trap. In this book, a TV meteorologist and a sports reporter team up to reunite their divorced bosses to make the working environment of their news station less stressful. I must say, I found this premise a bit juvenile. I wasn't sold on it. I enjoyed Weather Girl and I appreciated Jewish and mental health rep, but I didn't find this book as funny as The Ex-Talk. Overall, if you are looking for an inclusive romance with a positive message, I recommend this book.

I've been a Rachel Lynn Solomon superfan for years, so I was ecstatic when Weather Girl was announced and thrilled to receive an arc copy. Solomon consistently writes thoughtful, dynamic Jewish characters, making them fall in love in the swooniest ways, and she doesn't disappoint in Weather Girl!

The book follows optimistic Ari Abrams, a TV meteorologist. Ari has her dream job, but her legendary Seattle weatherwoman boss Torrance Hale's constant fighting with her ex-husband, Seth, the station's news director, prevents Ari from the mentorship she desires. Russell Barringer, a sports reporter, working for Seth, shares Ari's pain. After a catastrophic Christmas party, Air and Russell join forces to heal their bosses' relationship pushing their bosses back together with double dates and purposely engineered situations. As Ari and Rusell spend more time together, their chemistry flares, and being close to Russell means showing parts of herself Ari hides from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

I love a Parent Trap/Set it Up premise, and Solomon delivers. Watching Seth and Torrance's second chance romance unfold alongside Ari and Russell's was beautiful. Seth and Torrance were well-rounded characters, but Solomon smartly ensured their story didn't steal the spotlight. Instead, they provided hilarity and insight so Air and Russell could take the stage.

Solomon crafts a sweet slow burn creating deliciously tropey situations building emotional and sexual intimacy and tension that had me turning pages faster than my ereader allowed. Ari and Russell were alive and burning even before they kissed for the first time. When the tension boiled over and the steam exploded on the page, I cheered aloud (and got a strange look from my sister).

Ari's growth and the depression rep throughout the book was wonderful. Each step and fall Solomon pens, I felt. Ari's self-discovery journey beautifully unfolds, and watching her become comfortable in her vulnerability was rewarding.

Even though the book is only Ari's POV, Russell is incredibly fleshed out. In the best ways he's such a dad, from his compassion to dad jokes to dadbod and understanding ways, he countered Ari perfectly. Solomon didn't shy away from the messiness of teen parenthood, and I appreciated how it was handled. My eyes burned while reading how besotted Russell was with Ari before she ever realized it. But, once she did, I squealed at every swoony steamy scene they had.

One of my favorite things in the book was the weather symbolism/themes, which reflected all of the characters SO well and provided an additional layer to an already romantic and intricate story. The writing and banter were top-tier. I LOVED how Solomon built Russell and Ari's community. Russell's daughter, Elodie, is an independent character with page-time, humor, and spunk, and Alex, Ari's brother, is such a supportive light for Ari.

I laughed. I squealed. The premise was executed perfectly. The Jewish and depression rep was fabulous. I adored Torrance and Seth's dynamic and romance. I fell madly in love with Russell and Ari, and their love story will stay with me. I cannot wait to reread it!