This was my fourth book by RLS and she truly never misses. Weather Girl is about Ari Abrams, a meteorologist who gets ✨emotional ✨ about the rain, and Russel Barringer, a sportscaster and single father. Ari and Russell are tired of their divorced bosses constantly feuding, so they decide to pull a “parent trap” and try to set their bosses up, while getting closer with each other in the process.

This book was so fun and so enjoyable. I flew through it and could not stop smiling! One thing I love about Rachel Lynn Solomon’s books is how she tackles heavier topics, while still keeping her books light and fun. I thought that depression representation in this book was done SO well.

I also love how RLS always writes books with at least one Jewish main character. Contemporary books with Jewish representation are hard to come by, and as a Jewish gal myself I always appreciate a book with Jewish characters.

Some things to expect:
- a Jewish main character AND a Jewish love interest
- a main character with depression who is on medication and in therapy
- a fat love interest
- that trope where one character gets injured and the other character takes care of them 🥺
- LOTS of references to broadway and hockey (two of my favorite things!!!)
- some really fun side characters
- a lot of weather puns

Rating: 5/5⭐️

Friends!!

I finished Weather Girl, and it left me with so many warm fuzzies!

There are so many things to love about this book. As a former newspaper reporter, I love the setting of a broadcast news station, and I dare anyone to not fall in love with main characters meteorologist Ari Abrams and sports reporter Russell Barringer.

Set against Hanukkah and Christmas, this book is also helping feed my holiday reading habit, and I’m loving that I’m reading another book that not only has great Jewish representation, but also incredible mental health awareness and de-stigmatization of mental illness. Raised by a mother who suffered from severe and untreated depression, Ari has been very aware of her own mental health from a young age, and after beginning to feel off in college, seeks out a therapist and makes sure her own depression is treated and under control. But Rachel doesn’t stop there – she gives readers a main character who, despite understanding her own mental health and how it affects her and can impact her relationships with others, despite taking medication and therapy, still has bad days. Just like taking care of your body and physical health, maintaining your mental health takes work, and I love how Rachel illustrates that through Ari.

As a fellow anxiety sufferer who was diagnosed with PPA and PPD while I was pregnant with my second baby, seeing my own mental health struggles reflected in a main character is so comforting and validating. Despite being on an antidepressant for several years, I too also have days when I struggle, and I could so empathize with Ari.

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance @berkleypub and @rlynnsolomon for my gifted galley of Weather Girl, and to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for leading a great buddy read!

The only reason it’s not getting a full 5 stars? I wish I could tweak the ending the tiniest bit, but that could just be me, so please, please read it for yourselves and tell me what you think because I promise you, it is so worth it!! Rachel, sign me up for anything you write because I am HERE.FOR.IT.

"Every moment feels like breaking new. Russell Barringer just ran a thumb along my knuckles; where will he strike next? More at eleven.

Summary
Ari and Russell, a meteorologist and sports newscaster, team up to get their divorced bosses back together - and improve the office environment along the way. However, their bosses aren't the only one experiencing the romance...

Review
This was so wholesome and cute I loved it!

Ari is a Jewish meteorologist, who really has a life long struggle with depression. In Russell, the plus sized hero of our story, she finds a partner in crime to scheme with to get the infamous Torrance and Seth Hale back together. As they spend time together plotting, they find themselves drawn closer and closer.

The main thing about this book is it really is an exploration of the way that depression can affect personal relationships. Ari is known as the sunny weather girl who is always smiling and giving out compliments, but she struggles with her mental health. I liked seeing her open up to Russell about her struggles, and vice versa. It was such a cute relationship!

I loved Ari's passion for the weather, and learning about life as a meteorologist. It was so fun!

Thank you to Netgalley & Rachel Lynn Solomon for my copy of Weather Girl. Ari Abrams has always fascinated by weather. Everything about it.. sun, rain, snow you name it.. She is in the early days of her Meteorologist career and loves the work but is starting to feel like she isn’t going anywhere. The station doesn’t provide a mentor and her boss Torrance Hale isn’t retiring anytime soon. Although her career is a bright spot, Ari has no luck with men and a trying relationship with her mother. She just needs to move her life forward. The Holidays are approaching and their is a festive feeling. At the company party Ari let’s lose and acts out of character. She has a great time but is trying to reel it in before she embarrasses herself. In steps Russell Barringer the sports reporter. He helps her make it out without a show. They start to talk and have a few things in common. Both believe their bosses.. who are now separated are in love again. They decide to help push them together. Set up dates for them and help rekindle their love.
All the while it seems pretty obvious that Ari and Russ would get together. They do but they both have enough baggage to scare the heck out of themselves. They get to close and both seem to freak out.. Can they combine their lives and get together? Are things to complicated to move forward? Will their own problems/concerns stop the romance? This was a cute story. They address depression and being over weight. I do think that certain things were repeated too much. But overall the characters were good and the writing was good.
I am glad I got to read & review this book.. it was my pleasure.

This was a very sweet romcom that handles the topic of depression with care.

What I liked...
- all the weather talk! Ari is a meteorologist who loves a good rainstorm, and it honestly made my heart so happy.
- I loved that the book doesn't center on Ari's depression as something she just discovered. She has had depression for a majority of her life, and even though she knows how to manage it, her depression doesn't magically go away. I thought the author did a fantastic job of showing the day to day of one having depression and how it can affect one's life through many avenues.

What I didn't love...
- I wasn't sold on Ari + Ressell's romance. There was just something missing for me.

I would recommend to fans of : Set It Up + workplace romances!

Even though I enjoyed The Ex Talk by the same author more, I am definitely a fan of Rachel Lynn Soloman and will continue to read whatever she writes!

Weather Girl was an enjoyable romantic comedy with unique characters who were both dealing with real life issues and circumstances. The main male character had a daughter at the very young age of 17 and is not the typical ripped, muscular man of romance novels. The main female character dealt with depression and anxiety, but was willing to get therapy and medication to keep it under control. Both were intriguing and lovable characters. The angst was real until about 3/4 of the way through and then the romance racheted up to a major heat level. I loved that the main female was a meteorologist and a strong female role. If you like workplace romance, you'll love this one.

I really enjoyed this romcom; it did take me longer than usual to finish because some topics were heavy at times –and that is definitely not a bad thing! I enjoyed how different and relatable this book felt to me as a reader. I will be rereading this one as it was very thought provoking but also so charming and tactful when it came to those hard topics I mentioned above.

When it takes me that long to read a book, it's usually not a good sign. While this was a nice, cute, office-kind of romance book, it was definitely missing something for me. I do give points for gently handling depression, having a diverse cast of characters including plus-size romantic Jewish men, and Jewish meteorologist, and lovely gay men with twins! The rest fell flat. I just didn't care too much about them, and our Weather Girl definitely was a bit self-sabotaging. Just meh for me.

Weather girl was the perfect rainy day romance story! I really loved the way Solomon handled depression in this story and the representation was exactly what I've been looking for in romance. Most times, when a book has an MC with a mental illness, the book is sad. But seeing Ari fall in love and get an HEA meant so much to me! I also loved the plus-size representation. To top it all off the setting of this book was so fun!

At times sad and at times light-hearted, this was a wonderful romance that deals with depression and anxiety while also offering insight into broadcast meteorology and is a Jewish own voices book.

Rachel Lynn Solomon delivers another great romance! I loved the setting, the characters and the overall way that the plot was developed. It's a sweet and delicate romance that certainly leaves a smile on your face. I will definitely be recommending this to friends of mine and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

*3.5 stars

I couldn’t be more excited to say that this sophomore adult novel from Solomon was just as good as her first. I absolutely loved seeing the news anchor environment, that’s something I never knew I wanted to learn about! The relationship was too precious to boot! I loved the representation in this one and related a little too much to our heroine. Would totally recommend.

I will read anything RLS writes and i will love it every time!!! This book was no different! I loved this. The conversation around mental health was so great and i found myself relating so well to the discussion of depression. I am excited for what RLS releases next! She is a favorite of mine and i love her characters with all my heart.

My favorite part was the chapter titles and how they were super funny, relatable, and tied into Ari's feelings and job as the Weather Girl. I also loved how Ari and Russel's relationship developed so slowly and yet it felt naturally paced - really allowed me to get into their characters and their emotions.
I think the fact that they were trying to get their bosses together and ending up together was a cute trope and it really worked in this scenario.

At my core, I do not typically enjoy romantic comedies in book or movie form -- however, after reading WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon -- I'm wondering if my preferences are changing. One thing I loved about this book was the character development, especially the inclusion of deeper topics like depression/anxiety. Most times, I feel like romantic comedies are just full of too much fluff and aren't genuine, but I felt like WEATHER GIRL was different. I will definitely be reading more books by Rachel Lynn Solomon and recommending this book to my patrons at the library.

3.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Rachel Lynn Solomon’s writing, but this book was just okay. It was one of those not bad, but not great reads. We follow main characters Ari and Russell as they try to Parent Trap their bosses into loving each other again. Sounds fun, right?

There were so many things I loved about this book: Russell’s struggles with his body image and fears of dating due to his twelve-year-old daughter, Ari’s journeys through therapy and repairing her relationship with her mother, and the fact that Russell and Ari went to a Kraken game! I honestly loved everything about Russell in general! However, at times it felt like the author was trying to be TOO inclusive, and scenarios came off as inauthentic. It seemed like every single character had been in therapy at some point in their lives. Of course there’s nothing wrong with this, but these character portrayals seemed a bit forced.

Lastly, I really really hate the break up to make up trope. But don’t get me wrong — I’m still eager to read more Rachel Lynn Solomon.

One unresolved question: did Captain Craig ever text Ari? 😂

“‘What I’m realizing,’ I continue, ‘is that I like myself the most when I’m around you. And I think it’s because I’m the most honest version of myself. I don’t have to try as hard, and I don’t have to hide. I can just . . . be.’”

I thought this was a charming romance with a Parent Trap-esque spin. I appreciated the body diversity and to be following adults who are a bit older and have more well established lives. I was fond of the couple but not IN LOVE with the idea of them being together. Overall, I thought this was sweet and easy to get through.

WEATHER GIRL WEATHER GIRL WEATHER GIRL! I have been waiting for an adult romance from Rachel Lynn Solomon since THE EX TALK and this one DELIVERS! I'm so glad to have had the chance to read it early and know Rachel. This book was great. Ari and Russell are two characters that I fully anticipate taking up space in my brain until Rachel has another adult romance published. Full review will hopefully be on bookstagram soon!

It's taken me a really long time to review this book - not because I disliked it, but because it made me extremely emotional as I deal with my own mental health struggles and depression.
I identified with Ari SO MUCH, and its the first time in ages I really felt connected to a character, from her daily struggles, to her being scared to admit her depression to people she cares about, it was all just so real to me.
And then there's Russel - I loved that his size (he's a larger dude) and the fact that he was a single dad were both painted as POSITIVES throughout the story were a positive thing for Ari, No fat shaming or parent shaming here!!

The relationship between Ari and Russel was absolutely adorable and everything I wanted and needed in this weather gal based romance. I adored these characters so much and wanted nothing but happiness and love for them from the very first page.

I adore everything Rachel writes and this story was no exception, From the body positivity, mental health rep, her signature masturbation and pro sex outlook, this story had everything.

Ahhhh, this book and the emotional rollercoaster it put me through. SO GOOD! It put me through it, Rachel is such an amazingly talented writer and this one is deep, sexy, authentic and I loved every bit of it.