Television Meteorologist Ari Abrams has her dream job working for her idol-since-childhood, Torrance Hale, an award-winning legend. Her working life, though, is miserable . Torrance and her ex-husband, Seth are so busy feuding, Torrance can’t mentor Ari. Furthermore, low morale is endemic among all the staff since the negative energy spreads like cloud cover.

When the ex-spouses act so atrociously at a Christmas party that the hotel bans them from holding future functions there, Ari and sports reporter Russell Barringer decide to play cupid and reunite Torrance and Seth. As they scheme together, plan secret gifts, and go on double dates, they can’t deny the building attraction between them.

Each has reasons to hold back, though. Ari and her long-time fiancé only recently separated, and single dad Russell finds juggling dating and parenting difficult. Moreover, Ari has been raised to only show her sunny side. If she reveals her whole self, she fears Russell will reject her.

What I loved:

☀️ Russell, Russell, Russell, a lovable hero who isn’t an Adonis
☀️ The funny interactions between Torrance and Seth
☀️ Russell’s precocious daughter
☀️ Jewish representation
☀️ The sensitive and realistic depiction of depression, including an awareness that constant positivity can be damaging, even toxic
☀️ The right amount of open-door steam for my liking

There wasn’t anything I disliked about the book; however, the final-act conflict between Ari and Russell appeared overblown. On the one hand, it might be in character for Ari but on the other, the precipitating event was seemingly innocuous.

By the end of the novel, my heart was so warmed I felt like I was under a sunny sky even though it’s winter. WEATHER GIRL is my favorite romance of 2022 so far.

My forecast: romance fans will love this book, especially those who like to see serious themes included.

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and impartial review:
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4*
Pros: Very cute PoV of life inside a broadcasting TV program, specifically the news and the various segments within. Wholesome and sweet romance and characters. Talks about difficult work environments and inconsiderate bosses. Deals with flawed family relationships and mental illnesses. Tries to clarify some stigmas and misconceptions still present in society.
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Cons: Somewhat stiff dialogues. Slow-going.

Weather Girl is heartwarming and heartfelt romance that revolves around Ari, long suffering from depression, hatch plan to set up her bosses with her coworker. The story is about mental health, Jewish culture, family, friendship, work environment, parenting, being true self, second chance, and love.

Writing is emotive, engaging, and steady to fast pace with first-person narrative from Ari’s perspective. The setting of news station KSEA 6 in Seattle is interesting and I loved titles with ‘Forecast’ for each chapters.

Plot is interesting and original. The story started with Ari feeling low after break up with her fiance. She loves her job and working for legendary weatherwoman Torrance Hale, who motivated her to be meteorologist, but Torrence always bickering with Seth- her ex-husband and station’s news director- in the office makes workplace unpleasant, and Torrence not giving enough attention to her work and growth Ari is expecting from job, isn’t helping her mood. On drunken office party night, Ari talks about office problems with her coworker Russel- a reserved sports reporter- and plans to set up their bosses. In planning their schemes, trying to get Seth and Torrence together, Ari and Russel get to know each other more and start to feel more than just friends but that means Ari has to reveal her dark clouds that she keeps hidden from everyone behind the pleasant sunshine front.

It was interesting to see what Ari and Russel are scheming and if it will work in the end or not, can Ari mend her relationship with her mother, when Ari will talk about her depression with Russel and how he will react to it, will he accept her dark clouds, stormy weather along with her clear skies?

I enjoyed reading all characters. It was great to read both characters’ background stories and about their family. I loved how author kept all characters and situations realistic. Both Ari and Russel had their baggage and it takes time for both of them to deal with their fears, anxiety, and uncertainty.

Ari is great throughout the book. I rooted for her from the beginning. I get why she keeps her depression hidden. She sure hasn’t normal childhood with mother suffering from depression and her father leaving them as he couldn’t deal with her mother’s mood and mental health and later discovering she too has depression in college. Seeing men not reacting in a good way with mental health issue of her mother and then her boyfriends not ready to deal with it, Ari isn’t entirely wrong for hiding it from her finance and like she feared it affected the relationship she dreamed of.

It was great how she understood she needs to be her whole self with both good and bad sides on meeting Russel, how being with him she could share things she never did before with anyone and how free she felt in doing so.

Russel is amazing. I have read books with fat heroines but I haven’t come across a book that has fat male protagonist, who isn’t all handsome and has belly and scars and it was great to see how comfortable he was with his body and, even Ari who finds him attractive and never comments on his body and love him the way he is.

He is lovely, kind, gentle, smart, and funny person and above all he is fantastic father of 12 yr old girl. I like his backstory even more. I have read stories with characters having child when they are teen and how that affects their life and somehow situations make relationships with ex toxic eventually but here Russel and his ex are brilliant, they still are friends and loves their daughter. I liked him for understanding Ari and accepting her even with her dark clouds, not claiming he can make life sunshine but trying to be part of her both sides.

Best part of the story is setting of KSEA 6, Seth and Torrence’s bickering, Russel and Ari’s scheming and how that changes their relationships with their bosses, Ari and her mother’s relationship, Ari’s bond with her brother, and mental helath representation… yeah almost every aspect are simply amazing. I liked how author showed there is no instant cure of depression, it stays there whole life but it can be manageable with right therapist, medication, patience, and love. There is also layer of parenting and sexism and misogyny and I enjoyed how characters talked about it. It is really great story containing many lighthearted moments along with serious topics and heavy theme.

Romance is good. It was lovely to see Ari and Russel becoming from co-workers to friends and how their feelings developed to love. Chemistry is okay I guess, not bad but also not best, but there were many lovely moments that enjoyed. I loved that scene where Ari broke her elbow and Russel helped her in hotel room.

Twist and turns are great. I enjoyed how Seth and Torrence found out about set up in climax. I guessed what they were planning but I couldn’t predict how that will affect Ari. It was heartbreaking to see her break after that. I loved this part, reading how Ari understood having a partner and kid is not only kind of family, she has people who love her and she could be part of family that is already there; she needs to let go of her fear, not define things with what her father did; and give life and love chance with her whole self. The end is lovely and just perfect.

Why 4.5 stars-

As much as I love everything in this book, I still felt there is something missing. Maybe it is chemistry or it’s just me not feeling wowed by it but otherwise, this is close to perfection.

Overall, Weather Girl is heartfelt, heartwarming, emotive, and well-written romance with Jewish main characters and amazing mental health representation.

I highly recommend this if you like,
Fat single dad
Jewish protagonists
Mental health rep
Office romance
Uplifting romance dealing with serious topics
Layer of sexism and misogyny
Gay sibling
realistic and relatable characters
Heartfelt backstories
Parent Trap and Set It Up vibe
Characters passionate for their job
Weather puns
Open door romance

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Thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House.
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a romantic comedy I was curious to read because of some elements in the story that made it stand out: a protagonist with diagnosed depression and a plus-size male lead. I was ready to like this book, but I was actually disappointed. Why? There was no spark. 
It's not a bad book, but I just couldn't connect with it and there were some things that bothered me a little.
The theme of depression was probably the one that was better dealt with and that I appreciated the most but, despite it being something that hits really close to home, I couldn't empathise with the protagonist as much as I would've liked.
The two main characaters are well-enough fleshed out, especially the female lead, but together they just didn't work that well. The love story had its moments, but on the whole it all felt rather flat to me. 
The sex scenes were a bit too explicit but, as I always say, this is just based on my personal preferences.
The ending, moreover, was a bit cheesy.
⭐3+~3.5/5

I love when books surprise me. Weather Girl was definitely a judge a book by it's cover, because it's an adorable cover that I just needed to have. When I first started reading, I wasn't sure it was going to live up to the expectations if I'm being honest. It felt quite slow and I couldn't really connect to the characters or the story, it felt a little boring.

WELL, Rachel Lynn Solomon, prove me wrong you did! This book was adorable, sweet, and DELICIOUSLY spicy holy hannah get me a fan. It was delightful. I absolutely loved Ari, and how she navigated her depression, her family and her life. What I loved even more though was Russ. Can we get an amen for a REAL love interest? Not washboard abs, smoking hot eyes and things our dreams are made of? I was obsessed with Russ, with his character as a whole. He was perfection. Check this book out!

I don’t know how to describe my love for this book other than it was perfection. I loved how it was so real and wrought with real depth of emotion.

In some shape way or form we all experience some levels of struggles with mental health whether this is due to a situation or something with more long term effects. I loved the realness in the discussion of Ari’s mental health as it was so relatable to feel as though expressing that you aren’t okay isn’t okay, and that being lovable is contingent on never letting the real you be seen.

I felt so close to Ari and Russell’s story as I’ve had my own struggles with my mental health and felt I always had to hide myself and be a perfect version for other people, until my fiancé… but even still in our early days I too pulled an Ari and tried to push him away, he just didn’t let me be successful like Russell had allowed Ari to be for a while.

The stories I can connect with the emotions in are some that I love the most. I also loved that Russell had a dad bod and wasn’t chiseled… because maybe unpopular opinion, but I’d rather have a kind man with a dad bod in real life any day.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Books for the ARC of this book!

What I loved:
*Ari's character - she was ambitious, authentic, and flawed. I loved that her character embodied positivity and happiness but inside, she was struggling with depression. It's such an important reminder that we never know what other people are dealing with.
*Russ's relationship with his daughter, his insecurities (but only because this wasn't overplayed), and his discussion about the discrimination he faces for being a young father.
*Contemporary family structures - Russ maintained a positive relationship with his ex and her new husband; Ari's brother and his partner and their adopted children were just happiness in the form of a family.
*The weather and newsroom aspects. They were topics and locations I haven't seen much in fiction so it was nice for the change of scenery.

What I didn't love:
*Predictable, formulaic. OK, I might get heat for this but I'm tired of the whole two people meet, they fall in love, they break up, they get back together storyline. It's been done. And done. And done about 90834975 more times. Sure, we love a happy ending but I thought this one might skip a step or two in the romance formula and then it was crammed in at the end so I was a little disappointed that Solomon teased me with breaking the mold but didn't actually break the mold at all.
*The undressing scene on their weekend work retreat was just ridiculous. I won't say anymore about this LOL.


This was a cute romantic read with substance. I see why it's getting so much hype and it's well deserved! If you generally love a good romance with a little bit of spice, this one is definitely for you!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

I loved this book so much. One of the sweetest romances I've ever read. The presence of mental health / depression / therapy / medication was so prevalent in this story and incredibly written. I feel SEEN. I love love loved this one.

Escape into Contemporary Romance - Shelf Awareness for Readers, February 8, 2022
Novels increasingly have been for me both escape from and heartbalm for the difficult realities that surround us right now. With Valentine's Day around the corner, these contemporary romance novels offer an escape into stories with guaranteed happy endings, even if the path to get there might be fraught.

Rachel Lynn Solomon managed to pack a full list of romance tropes into her hit novel, The Ex Talk; in her newest, Weather Girl (both Berkley, $16), she plays with the second-chances trope, as a meteorologist and a sports reporter at a local broadcast station hatch an unlikely plan to get their divorced bosses back together. Jasmine Guillory (The Wedding Party; Party of Two) plays with the "fake dating" trope in While We Were Dating (all Berkley, $16); movie star Anna Gardiner and colleague Ben Stephens really are sleeping together, after all, even though the relationship they agree to put on for the paparazzi is just for show--at least, until their feelings become all too real.

In Love and Other Disasters (Forever, $15.99), the first openly nonbinary contestant on a competitive cooking show develops unexpected (and inconvenient) feelings for another contestant. Exploring topics of identity and sexuality with heart, Anita Kelly's debut is a must for any romance reader with an interest in Top Chef-style shows (or vice versa).

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau (Berkley, $16) boasts a movie-star romance and a competitive cooking show, as hot-shot Ryan Kwok preps for his upcoming participation in a charity baking challenge by taking lessons in baking--and romance--from a local donut shop owner. The two hit it off as each navigates their respective grief over losing a parent, offering a heartwarming read for anyone who's ever thought about taking new chances in the wake of loss.

Posting on Forever Young Adult blog on 2/17/22.

First Impressions: Sunny With A Light Breeze

This cover is adorable. I’m personally burnt out on cartoon covers, but if we have to have it, I’m glad it’s more than just the character’s faces. I like leaving the mystery of what they look like under the open umbrella and the cute rain boots (I have duck boots, too, Russell! They’re super comfy!).

What’s Your Type?

Light-hearted workplace romance
Matchmaking scheming a la Set It Up / The Parent Trap
Frank discussions on depression
Fat hero without any toxicity
Oops, I need help undressing because of an injury
Actual “nice” characters
Jewish representation
Dating Profile

Ari is your early morning meteorologist on KSEA, Seattle! She knows that what people love is a pocket full of sunshine in their weather and their people, and so as someone who has been dealing with her clinical depression for years, she’s determined not to let it rule her life. If she isn’t the cheeriest, most positive one in the room, then she doesn’t feel like she’s doing her job.

Russell works the sports desk, and he’s always been that quiet, nice but kind of distant guy around the office. After Ari’s recent break-up with her fiancé, she’s been finding all sorts of random people attractive, but Russell, with his professor-esque fitted jackets and sparkling blue eyes, has been catching her eye more than normal.

Meet Cute: Clear Skies All Day

Ari grew up loving Torrance Hale, Seattle’s favorite meteorologist, but working for her the last three years hasn’t been the dream she expected it to be, mainly because Torrance and her ex-husband, newsroom manager, Seth, make everyone’s lives a living hell with their constant bickering. After an explosive white elephant gift exchange at the office Christmas party, Russell and Ari bond over their bosses’ unprofessional behavior and hatch a plan to get Torrance and Seth spending time together in more constructive ways. Of course, this has the unintended—but not unwelcome—side-effect of bringing Russell and Ari closer together, too.

The Lean: A Light Drizzle

From While You Were Sleeping, Bill Pullman explains attraction to Sandra Bullock
I’ve realized: I’m not a super-nice person. I can be a sarcastic bitch sometimes. I love snark in all its forms; I can’t help it. So, if there’s going to be a “nice” person in a book relationship, then for me there’s got to be someone else who balances that out with some irreverent behavior.

Thus, my problem is Ari and Russell are two perfectly lovely people, but their romantic powers combined give less thunderclaps and lightning bolts and more like solid gray skies of drizzle. Like, as a real person, I’m happy they found love. They both deserve someone kind to care for them, because they’ve both got “baggage” that at first glance makes any relationship tough to pursue. But as a reader, I needed more oomph. More banter! Ari was smitten-kitten on Russell right away, plus she’s a huge people-pleaser and would never say something out of line to someone. Russell is kinda bashful, sweet, and mild-mannered, and so thoughtful and respectful that there was just no danger, no je ne sais quoi. In short: milquetoast.

Dirty Talk

He grins before lowering himself down my body. Slowly, he nudges my legs apart, lips burning a path from calf to knee to thigh, and I feel the earth simply dissolve beneath me, one great swoosh of air leaving my lungs. He kisses me through my underwear at first, because he is awful and terrible and so extremely cruel, and I love it. I love it all. I’m too desperate for his tongue, bucking my hips, fisting a hand in his hair. Begging for what I’ve asked him to do. When he finally slides down my panties, I’m on the verge of passing out.

Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose

Teacher types on laptop while talking to student
Typing a romance novel on a computer screen
Beware, there are weather-puns in abundance. I do love Solomon’s straightforward, breezy style that can slip from the serious to the sweet. Her books are easy to take in, even if this one didn’t leave me as enamored as I’ve felt with her previous stories.

We Need To Talk: Scattered Showers

I started losing reading momentum at around 60% in, when I realized Ari and Russell are already very cute together, and they’d already worked through most of their relationship blocks at the 80% mark. Which meant, uh oh, here comes the third act “blow up”, and, honestly, I was kind of exhausted just thinking about it. Could we normalize in the romance novel industry that it’s okay sometimes to just have two people get together and be good?! I don’t need a huge miscommunication or someone’s relationship fears break them up briefly when we know that won’t last because of the HEA contract. Believe me, I love a good drama-filled book as much as the next gal, but there’s enough publishing space out there that not every story NEEDS that.

There’s an audience for this book that is going to be head-over-heels for it, and I want that for Weather Girl, because it IS well-written and has a lot of great things to say about living with depression, working through trauma related to a parent with undiagnosed depression, and the feelings of familial and religious community (Ari and Russell are both Jewish, though they aren’t extremely devout). According to the author’s notes, the topic of depression is one very close to Solomon’s heart, and I am loving the fact that there have been a lot of romances coming out in the last year or two that explore all facets of women, not just the plucky, klutzy heroines of ye olde rom-com. Even the emotionally messiest people are deserving of love!

Was It Good For You? Surprise Sun Shower

Jim from The Office nodding side to side making a "meh, I guess" face
I liked it, I’m just not IN like with it. Just like when it’s a sunny day at the park and then suddenly it’s also raining on you and your cheese platter (because even Florida’s weather knows it’s a hot mess), I was having a good day until it was a slightly less good day because now my hair is limp and my sandals are squeaky. The mood is still salvageable, but it won’t exactly be what it was.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Berkley Books. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Weather Girl is available now.

My first Rachel Lynn Solomon book!

While I enjoyed this book overall, this was a mediocre romance for me.

What I enjoyed:
-The setting! I loved getting the perspective of Ari as a weather woman & Russell as a sports reporter in Seattle.
-The representation! A fat hero + a Jewish heroine who both describe their struggles and feeling of not belonging.

What fell flat for me:
-The romance, which is quite important in a romance book! It felt a little insta-lovey and I couldn’t feel the chemistry between our two characters.
-The plot “twist” made me feel uncomfortable? The reveal at the end between Torrance, Seth, Ari, and Russell just didn’t sit right with me.

Overall, I loved our characters, I just didn’t love their romance!

Really enjoyed this rom-com from author Rachel Lynn Solomon!

This rom-com is fun and sweet, featuring lovable characters and with a deep felt message about learning to live with depression. Ari, our heroine, has had depression since she was young, and has learned to manage it with the help of medication and therapy. However, she still fears being rejected by partners for her moods, so hides behind a smile. Then comes Russell, a lovable DILF who struggles with his body image.

I loved how the author talked about depression through her characters. The subject was dealt with in a very authentic way, and you were rooting for Ari to get with her man. My one issue is that while Ari's fear of a partner not being able to deal with her depressive episodes is talked about in depth, we never see Ari and Russ together through such an episode. I would have LOVED to see Russ support Ari while she was stuck in bed, crying. Maybe he checks in on her, then lets her cry while he does the dishes for her? And Ari would know that she's not too much, and it would have made everything more meaningful. Instead we got an ending that was a bit over the top perfect, even for a rom-com, and it just felt a bit too sunny when the point of the book was supposed to be staying together through the rain.

BUT, I still loved this book, and am so happy a rom-com exists with a female lead that has depression.

Weather Girl, for me, was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Those sex scenes were explicit, detailed and in my opinion unique . But they definitely weren’t the whole focus of the story. There was plenty of plot and character development which, for me, I’m more interested in.
Just as a comparison: Neon Gods is very spicy, but has little substance. I still enjoyed that book but I knew what it was and it was not a story for story telling sake. It was for those who enjoy erotica. Anyways I digress. What I’m trying to say is there was a really good balance here where I was invested in the people and the story. It just happens to have a couple really hot scenes which is a bonus.

This is a romantic comedy, but there are some really important heavy themes. The major one being depression. Ari has struggled with depression for most of her life, and watched her mother battle against it and lose all throughout Ari’s childhood. She’s determined not to become her mother and accepts the help of antidepressants and commits to a positive attitude. I have personally never experienced clinical depression so I can’t speak to the authenticity of the rep, but I did appreciate that Solomon portrayed it as unpredictable and that every day tasks feel insurmountable. Those close to me who have experienced depression have explained it quite similarly.

A cute rom com that dealt with some great topics! Overall i enjoyed this book but I did find parts to be a little juvenile for the characters age. I loved the male body positivity and how she dealt with mental health.

The first third of this book was very slow moving. Although I enjoyed the Parent Trap type storyline, the development of the story seemed to take forever. Once the characters, back stories, etc. were established, the book picked up and was very enjoyable. Watching the characters go from friends to lovers was so cute. It felt real. I also loved how the author wrote about Ari's depression. She showed the true dark aspects of depression and the effects it can have on a person and their relationships.

Weather Girl made me laugh... like seriously laugh out loud which is compliments of Rachel Lynn Solomon for her writing and characters. Russell and Ari decide that they are going to matchmake to get their bosses to rekindle their love so that they aren't causing so much drama at work. Ari loves her job as the weather girl but feels like her boss's personal life prevents her from mentoring Ari. Russel pretty much feels the same. So they spend time together coming up with ways of how to reconnect their bosses.

I love this grown up version of The Parent Trap and when sparks start to fly between Ari and Russell it just really seemed authentic. Author Solomon has a way of normalizing therapy and medication for depression and I really respect the way she handled Ari's feelings about depression. Sweet romance with a bit of a twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always my opinions are mine and mine alone. My review is voluntary.
#berkleywritesstrongwomen #berkleypublishing #rachellynnsolomon #books #bookstagram #alwaysreading #weathergirl #romance ##berkleyromance #NetGalley

As someone who suffers from depression, this book felt like a love letter. Ari my sweet lovely weather woman - oh my god, the amount of times I related to her. Always being afraid to be too much. UGH. My heart is not okay after reading this, but in the best way possible.

I really am a fan of Rachel Solomon's books. She has such a wonderful way of writing reality into her stories that it makes her characters extremely relatable.

I liked this story, and the relationship between these main characters. There is growth and development, and also misunderstanding and forgiveness. I'm definitely awaiting Solomon's next book.

This month my book club, the LIterary Lovelies, read The Weather Girl for a fun February romcom. It was definitely a fun read with Parent Trap and Set It Up vibes. I can’t say it was the most engaging romcom, but it definitely had some things I liked.

What I liked::
The characters were Jewish- a very underrepresented population.
The lead male, Russ, was a little heavier and was insecure about his body. A nice change from a female who is insecure.
I thought it was sweet that Ari and Russ were trying to help the station owners rekindle the flame and that they all became friends despite the age difference.!
I loved Russ’s daughter and the fact that he became a fathernas a teen and we get to see that side of the equation.
I loved how excited Ari was about her career!
I think it was great that there was a character with mental health issues that helps to remove the stigma associated with it.

I really wanted to love the book but it was missing a little spark that prevented me from getting too excited about it. However, it was still a solid romcom!

I think I got my expectations too high after how much I loved The Ex Talk. I really do adore Solomon’s writing, it’s captivating and easy to follow, but the chemistry fell flat for me. I found Ari and Russell’s first interaction to be a bit convenient and I didn’t feel the spark until halfway through the book. Also, on a very personal note, I can’t really connect with romance books that involve the characters having children. All that being said, it was a fun book with some great steamy scenes, and I’m still excited to pick up Solomon’s next adult book!