I didn't hate this book, and I didn't love this book. It was a cute slow-burn that had great representation and some steam, but I just felt like it was missing a SPARK for me to really get into it. I didn't feel any chemistry between Ari and Russell, so the open-door steamy parts of the book weren't really believable to me. There were funny parts, and I loved the weather puns! As someone who has anxiety and depression, I love how open the author was about mental health in this book.

THE HYPE IS REAL. A meteorologist and a sports reporter team up to reunite their divorced bosses...and end up unexpectedly entangled in their own office romance. While I could have done without the mother/daughter drama, I was 100% living for the mental health conversations, those swoony steamy scenes, and Russ. Just...RUSS. The book boyfriend to end all book boyfriends if you ask me. WEATHER GIRL was such a delight and absolutely set the bar for what I want in my romance reads!

Weather Girl is my second Rachel Lynn Solomon book and I think I can say with confidence that she has a knack for creating charming contemporary romances with heart. Ari Abrams has wanted to be a TV meteorologist since she was a kid and now she's got her dream job and dream boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale. But her boss is more preoccupied with fighting her ex-husband, the station's news director, than mentoring Ari and it's affecting the whole office. She and fellow coworker, sports reporter Russell Barringer, decide to team up to discreetly help their bosses get back together. In the process, Ari and Russell end up in a romance of their own as they get to know one another more and more, but of course both are dealing with individual internal struggles that will determine the future of their relationship.


First of all, I loved the news station setting and how much Ari geeked out over weather (you don't see this a lot in books!). Second, the trope of two people falling in love while trying to set up another couple is just delightful. Predictable -- sure. Does that matter? Not at all. It was just fun to watch the ways in which Ari and Russell thought about getting their bosses together, seeing their excitement when their plans worked, and most importantly of all, seeing the chemistry and romance grow between these two. There are so many layers to Ari and Russell, which I don't want to spoil so I'll keep this as vague as I can. But with Ari, the synopsis alludes to her always running on optimism which isn't something a person can do 24/7, and I related very much to that attempt at keeping a smile on her face even in dire situations. And with Russell, he's just so sweet and reserved (for perfectly good reasons) that I loved seeing the sexier and more carefree side of him with Ari. They just complemented each other so well!

Do I recommend? I do! I will say that The Ex-Talk continues to be my favorite from this author, but I liked this one a lot! The points I "docked" for lack of a better word had to do with what ended up being the conflict (I didn't really see the big deal). My real rating for this is 3.5 stars.

“That’s the thing about depression. You can know it’s there, know it’s part of you, but you can go ages without seeing it. It lives with you, an invisible roommate.”

Do you ever read a book and not feel much for the characters themselves but appreciate the message in the story?

That’s me, with the Weather Girl. I didn’t feel much for the characters, but the story’s underlying message about mental health is what made the book for me. The main character, Ari Abrams, is so many people who struggle with depression and don’t let the world know what’s going on beneath the surface.

In the author’s note, Rachel Lynn Solomon said that Weather Girl was a deeply personal story for her, and I can see that after finishing the story.

🧠 Mental Health awareness
✡️ Jewish Representation
🌩🏈 Unique Rom-Com (my first office romance?)
🥴 Open Door Romance
💙 Love for all body types

I usually try to compare the book I’m reviewing to a book I’ve already read, but Weather Girl is a unique one.

Thank you PRH International for sending me the ARC!!

The cover and the name of the book might suggest that its a sweet romance novel, however, Rachel Lynn hides an amazing story behind this cute book. The story is about a metrologist, who is clinically depressed, who is trying to navigate life and relationships while managing her illness.
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I think the author has taken a sensitive topic and dealt with it maturely. It shows the sunny side of romance as well as the not so pretty side of it. This story shows us that sometimes taking a step back is important, to look at the bigger picture and realizing whether a relationship is worth coming back to.
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The cute moments in the story are balanced off with the difficult moments and thats what makes it more real.
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I had heard about Rachel Lynn's Ex Talk and bought that book on kindle but have yet to read it. After reading the Weather Girl, I am excited to start that one next!

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a contemporary romance novel. The story in this one does a dance on the border between lighthearted fun and having a more serious side to it with the main character dealing with depression.

~Weather Girl Review~
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3.5/5
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I’ve loved Rachel Lynn Soloman’s work in the past so I was super excited to see this on Netgalley!! The cover is also super cute and all the puns in the synopsis made me request this one right away!!
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Pros:
+jewish main character with depression rep
+also the idea of a weather girl and sports dude falling in love is too good
+plus size guy main character??!! i love
+dilf
+classic accidental couples massage
+miss girl has a freaky side
+healthy communication during sex!!!
+we love élodie
+wait i also love torrance and seth
+THERAPY!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Cons:
-not dual perspective how rude
-random out of character fight just to further the plot
-if someone proposed to me at another persons wedding i think i’d dump them on the spot
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i liked this book! it was definitely adult which means the main characters were older than i could relate to but i still had fun! no big complaints from me on this one but it’s definitely not one of my favorite books ever

I loved the realistic portrayal of a protagonist suffering from depression and thought Solomon handled the mental health issues expertly. It didn't feel clunky or added as an afterthought. I also appreciated the plus-size male love interest and don't know why that's not more common in romance novels. This was a fun read with just the right amount of seriousness and depth.

Wow, is it possible that I love this book more than the Ex-Talk? Soloman knows how to write a romcom that will make you smile, root for the couple, and want to keep reading. At times this plot drew out with a quick final act but still a fun read!

So I don’t know if you guys remember, but I didn’t like The Ex Talk 😂 I don’t know why. I think the characters just really irked me. They were annoying.

So I didn’t go into this one with high expectations…buuuttt…I absolutely loved this one!

I thought it was cute, funny, and totally relatable! And I loved that the male lead wasn’t some super duper hot dude that probably doesn’t actually exist. It was someone relatable.

Both of the main characters were incredibly relatable, with real problems that some people deal with on a daily basis.

It brought up some really key issues that I feel like not a lot of people talk about and it needs to be talked about more.

I hope you all pick up the book because it’s definitely something you should!

**Trigger Warnings: Depression, Body Image**

I loved Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, and Weather Girl did not disappoint. RLS is on the way to becoming one of my auto-buy authors. In addition to RLS's Jewish and Seattle rep, this book also featured a main character with depression, and wow did Ari's experience speak to me. Weather Girl was also the first adult romance I've read with a plus-sized love interest and we need more of that in books.

If you want a cute romance about a (not so) sunshine-y girl and a cinnamon roll single dad plotting to set up their bosses and falling for each other along the way, check out Weather Girl.

This book was such an interesting read. I've read one other book by Rachel Lynn Solomon—The Ex Talk—and while I loved that one, this one was even better. The talk about mental health and the representation was unique and relatable. Ari was such a lovable main character and I was rooting for her every step of the way. I would categorize this book as more of women's fiction than romance, personally, because Ari's journey through her depression (that doesn't stop when you turn to the last page, which is important to note) was the focus of this novel and I would honestly have it no other way. Russell was also such an interesting character and I absolutely adored the body positivity and men's plus-sized representation in this book, something I haven't seen touched upon in romance novels before. Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing is so incredibly real and this book is a great read for any type of weather (get it?). I listened to the audiobook in conjunction to actually reading this book and would highly recommend checking out the book in that way as well. You get your single dad, your sunshine protagonist, and The Parent Trap meets Set It Up on Netflix.

Loved the story and the characters. Interesting that the MCs are both non conventional, a nice change of pace. Will read this author again.

I think I will read anything Rachel Lynn Solomon writes. This was delightful even if I did relate a little too well to Ari. I loved her, I loved Russell, and I loved this book.

The love interest in this book was just the best, and the set up was so fun. More chubby awkward guys, please!

I truly loved this story! Not only do we have an excellent mental health rep, but a nuanced discussion around mental health and what that means in the long term and how generational trauma around depression can truly have an affect our relationships.

But also we have an absolutely swoon-worthy, cinnamon roll of a hero, who just seriously makes my heart absolutely melt.

A little bit of workplace romance, a lot of The Parent Trap vibes, sprinkled with a bit of own voices Jewish rep (both for the hero and heroine) and you have a truly atmospheric love story and one I won’t be able to stop thinking about for a while!

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

I liked but didn't love The Ex Talk, I know, don't come for me! But after reading this, I definitely like this author more. While it is a rom-com, the mental health rep was a pleasant surprise. I also really loved the way Russel was portrayed. I do wish there was more of a spark between the two characters though, as a result, I had a hard time believing their love connection.

This book caught me so off guard with how much I loved it, and I don't think I was expecting how much I was going to love it. I can usually can tell which books are going to be 5 stars and which are going to be a solid 3 stars, especially with romance novels. and this was the sneakiest 5 star read I've read in a while.

Not only was this book charming and funny and relatable because Ari is such a ray of sunshine and quirky and the quintessential "weather girl" but it was also so heartbreaking because Ari hides a big part of her from the people in her life in fear of being deemed "unlovable" or "too much."

Ari has depression and a lot of that stems from her childhood and her mom's depression as well. Ari has a mostly manageable depression and has been for the last 10 years of her life, but she keeps her depression a secret and keeps up her "sunshine" facade in fear of being rejected by her loved ones (most notably her romantic partners) and that broke my heart and hit a little too close too home.

Don't get me wrong though, this is a romantic comedy. it just so happens to be a romantic comedy with a depressed main character, and I loved that. This book shows that having a mental illness does not mean you are broken and does not mean it will be hard to be loved. It is part of you but it is not ugly. Ari is my weather queen and I love her.

I also loved the love interest so much. the author said it best in her author's note: "I wanted a hero who'd love her through her dark days, not despite them-because to me that is the most romantic thing of all."

Russell is so wonderful and shy and sneaky sexy and we have to stan our DILF king.

Do your self a favor and read this book!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC (advanced reader's copy) in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite part of Weather Girl was all of the amazing mental health representation. As someone who has struggled with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression for most of my life, it feels so gratifying to see a heroine in a romcom who is clinically depressed. Just because we are mentally ill doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy of having our own swoon- worthy love stories! It made my heart so full to read Ari’s story and see herself open up and let Russell in.

The Jewish rep in this book is incredible too. I love how Rachel always includes Judaism in such a casual way. Her descriptions of Jewish traditions like Shabbat dinner and Eloise’s Bat Mitzvah made me feel so nostalgic!

And if you’ve ever been curious as to what I was like as a preteen, Elodie is childhood Amanda to a T.

If you’re looking for a romcom with characters you can easily connect to and root for, this is the book for you! You will fall madly in love with Ari and Russell, I guarantee it

I loved The Ex Talk so much and it was one of my fave books of the year, so perhaps I went into this with my hopes a little too high. While parts of this book were certainly great and cute, I just couldn't find myself connecting to the story or the characters as much as I wanted to.