As someone who's worked in local TV news for 15 years, this was an obvious choice for me. And I found it completely charming. Sure, there are some spicy bits in here- spicier than other books I've read recently- but the heart of it is so strong! I loved Rachel diving into a topic that is close to her, and a big one for her character. And while I'm out in the dating world, it helped to open my eyes to people I wouldn't regularly consider based on their family life, like Russell. And for you other local TV people, I found the newsroom nuisances to be fairly spot on! I highlighted a few places that made me chuckle, knowing I wanted to share these insights with my coworkers & friends! I liked The Ex-Talk, but I loved Weather Girl. Completely swept me off my feet.

Ari, a TV meteorologist, teams up with sports reporter Russell to parent trap their divorced bosses. Their hope is that by bringing them back together, they'll create a better work environment for their station, and also themselves. As they work to get their bosses to be closer, their own chemistry becomes apparent. But, Ari has always kept her depression hidden from those around her, and letting Russel in requires her to see all parts of her, something she's not sure she can do.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book.so much. Rachel Lynn Solomon did it again with an incredible romance with great chemistry, amazing representation, and the most real characters. This book features two Jewish main characters: a heroine with depression and a fat hero, who are truly beautifully written characters that I adored. Their love story is messy and so relatable and they were so caring with each other's and accepting of the difficult parts of each other. I was especially impressed with the way Ari's depression was portrayed. This book really showed her challenges and fears beautifully and it felt like a very realistic portrayal. I loved the Parent Trap style plot, and the news station setting. Honestly, I can't think of anything I did not love about this book.

This is a book to look out for in January 2022! A huge thank you to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley, and LoveARCtually for the advanced copy.

Weather Girl is my first read by author Rachel Lynn Solomon, but I was so excited to start it after reading the synopsis.

The story is about a weather girl and a sports dude that play matchmaker to reignite a spark to bring their bosses back together. But along the way sparks fly in their direction too.
The story had clever dialogue with sharp writing, relatable characters and near perfect pacing.

I really enjoyed the story and can't wait to read more from this author.

Weather Girl was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. I'm only disappointed in myself because I read it in under 24 hours and now I need to wait for more Rachel Lynn Solomon goodness.

A weather girl (her) & sports dude (him) play matchmaker to reignite a spark to bring their bosses back together. But along the way sparks fly in their direction too. Clever dialogue with sharp writing, relatable characters and near perfect pacing. What I appreciate about Solomon's books are the way she blends heart and heft. Of course you get romance and shenanigans, but you also get a real-life depth.

𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗: (I loved all of it!)
- The cover. It is so darn whimsical and happy- I love it!
- Jewish representation
- Seattle. I love Seattle. ⁣
- Steamy, open door romance with honest, candid conversations.
- Set It Up/Parent Trap matchmaking vibes. So entertaining.
- Mental health rep and therapy that is handled with care- depression.
- Workplace romance
- Single cinnamon roll Dad with a Dad-Bod. Here for that!
- Meteorological related chapter titles that had me guessing what I would experience next.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and the author for this advance review copy; all opinions are my own!

Rachel’s adult romance debut, THE EX TALK, knocked it out of the park for me—effortlessly smooth writing, top-notch banter, a diverse cast of lead as well as supporting characters, steamy intimacy, and an engaging premise that made it impossible to put down. So my hopes were high for WEATHER GIRL, and they were more than met!  
  
With a fun Set It Up-meets-Parent Trap premise wherein our leads, Ari the meteorologist and Russell the sportscaster, decide reuniting their divorced bosses will fix their professional woes, WEATHER GIRL was heartwarming and playful, soft and sexy. It's the kind of romance we need right now—an escape from reality that also manages to make our realities feel validated, as people with struggles and vulnerabilities, longings and hopes. Like THE EX TALK, I loved the inclusivity in this story world & characters—their body types, mental health, cultural & faith backgrounds—and the care Rachel took in crafting them. Seeing depression so compassionately handled in particular deeply touched me, and as always, I am so glad Rachel writes Jewish characters because the romance genre benefits richly from greater diversity of representation, especially from OwnVoice authors who bring authenticity and nuance to their characters.

In short, I loved this book. As slow-burn hot as it is achingly heartfelt, WEATHER GIRL reminds us that love isn’t only for sunny sky seasons but for the dark days that many of us weather, that we deserve to love and be loved for who we truly are, rain or shine.

Oh man did I fall in love with these two! I loved watching Ari and Russell muddle through in this sweet and surprising slow burn, yet very sexy romance. It's the perfect cozy fall read.

Thank you to Berkley for an eARC of WEather Gilr in exchange for an honest review!

Rachel is such an amazing person, and her stories are just a reflection of all of the different pieces of her. Weather Girl is another love story to Seattle, with amazing Jewish, fat, and depression rep.

Following meterologist Ari and her growing relationship with sports guy Russell as they try to bring their two divorced bosses back together, Weather Girl discussing the difficulties around depression, being a single parent, and work relationships.

I loved Ari and Russell. Russell is such a cinammon roll, as well as amazing fat rep. The smut in this book is HOT, and everything about it is a perfect mix of sweet, funny, sexy, and heart-warming.

As with every Rachel Lynn Solomon book I've read, this is just another masterpiece. REALLY cannot recommend this enough!

Both charming and heartfelt. I loved how real Ari's struggle with depression felt. A fantastic read!

I loved this so much- even more than her first novel! Everything about it- from the tv station, to the real life work struggles to the connection between the two characters. It was great to have a male lead who was a single dad and not straight sized as well. And the hotel scene....!

I’m so obsessed with this authors writing. And her brain! This book had so much more than I originally thought.

Full review coming soon!

This was my second read by Rachel Lynn Solomon. And while her previous book The Ex Talk charmed me, this one just didn’t hold up.

I had a hard time warming up to Ari. Her character came off too immature. Though I did love how the author dealt with her Ari’s depression. I find more rom coms tackling these serious issues. Life isn’t just about butterflies and bunny rabbits.

When it came to the chemistry between Ari and Russell… well, it was just missing. I didn’t feel a thing. This the romance aspect of this read just fell short.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing. Group

Rating: 5/5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Warnings: Depression
Read if you liked: The Ex Talk or With You Forever
Steam: 3/5
Tropes: Workplace Romance, Friends to Lovers, Single Parent, Jewish Rep

Thank you to Rachel Lynn Solomon, Berkley and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Weather Girl is out on January 11th, 2022.

Do you want a warm hug of a book? Weather Girl is the perfect cozy read for a rainy day with a nice cup of team and a slice of cake.

Things I Loved: All the Jewish Representation! Soft warm gooey cinnamon roll of a hero. The chapter titles were so perfect. We love a parent trap vibe. The signs in the office! The double dates. Elodie, the scrapbook, the Broadway love and gosh the tampons. I loved how Torrance and Ari's friendship developed. The tiny humans who have names based on constellations. The nickname, Weather Girl. Dear god...the TENSION and that HUG. So much consent, I can't handle it. THERAPY, there was so much mental health representation and I deeply appreciated it. I feel that need to hide behind the mask to hide pain and be strong/happy for others.

Dislike: I really just wanted to know what Russ was thinking...but other than that, this was perfect for me.

As a Jewish #ownvoices reader, I deeply appreciate the time and care Rachel Lynn Solomon took to give me access to this ARC after I had originally been declined. Seeing Jewish representation in Romance + seeing Jewish Joy is so important.

<b> thank you so much NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for providing a eARC of this book. </b>

<b> rating:</b> 5 stars

rachel lynn solomon has quite literally never missed.

for all my fans of set it up and the parent trap, this one is for you! this book is about two coworkers who get tired of their bosses' fueding and decide to set them up together, but end up falling for one another in the process. it features two jewish mcs, a fat love interest, a single dad love interest, and a mc with depression. to say i loved it would be an understatement.

i truly believe solomon has the perfect ability to balance serious topics & angst with comedy & romance and this book once again proved me right. the amount of moments where i was in tears to me laughing were insane, and reading this book just felt like a HUG. it was so beautiful, so funny, and SO cute. i adored every second of this book, and i can't wait until it drops so i can get my hands on a physical copy <3

I had high hopes for this book because I absolutely adored The Ex-Talk. This book follows Ari, a meteorologist who's been battling and hiding severe depression from everyone in her life. After she devises a plan with her co-worker, Russel, to get her bosses back together, she is able to open up and fall for Russel. This book took me quite a while to get into, I was more than 100 pages in before I started enjoying it and becoming invested. There were also a few side stories I didn't really care about, so I found myself skimming through those pages. All in all, I enjoyed that the author chose a main character that had mental health issues and I enjoyed Russel's relationship with his daughter and his ex. I didn't find that Ari and Russel had that much chemistry, but ultimately was rooting for them. This definitely missed the mark on a few things for me, but will still pick up any new book that Rachel Lynn Solomon writes.

In Weather Girl we follow Ari a meteorologist for a local news station in Seattle, and Russell, who does sports reporting at the same station. They team up to try and get their bosses back together after years of them creating a hostile work environment due to their divorce. Overall this book was so freaking sweet. There was pretty much not a single character I didn’t like and I loved seeing both Ari and Russell’s personal growth throughout the story. There were a few things that made this book really special though. One was that in this book the male lead is the one who has body image insecurities. Now, it wasn’t that it was something that was super focused on or anything but I think that men don’t always get enough body positive representation in media of any kind so it was definitely cool to read that. The other thing was the depiction of mental health and depression. It’s a struggle of multiple characters and it was really well done. The way Ari described the way depression felt for her was so accurate to my own experiences. And I appreciated that it added a more heavy and deep note to this book.

I am a huge fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon's work and this book was no exception. I love the way she incorporates Jewish characters into her stories and discusses what it's like for Jewish people to date as a minority religion. Ari was a wonderful heroine, and I appreciated the way Solomon depicted her depression.

While this isn't my favorite book of Rachel Lynn Solomon, I can appreciate the relevant presence and discussion of depression and mental health in this book. Just wish there was more development in the main characters Ari and Russell.

Rachel Lynn Solomon's treatment of her heroine's depression is delicate and insightful. I adore that she had atypical lead characters.

Just what I was looking for- first time I've read this author and will be recommending it for customers. The open talk of depression and mental illness is very revelant today and having it incorporated into reading may inadvertantly help someone start a conversation that is well needed.

Weather Girl is a deeply personal romantic contemporary about a meteorologist with depression and her sports reporter colleague. While I really enjoyed the books representation of depression, family dynamics, teen parenting and plus sized bodies, I didn't enjoy the romance aspect of this book... whatsoever.

I'm going to preface this review by saying while this book is marketed as a romantic comedy, it definitely falls more accurately into the romantic contemporary category. As Nisha Sharma points out, the publishing had been mislabeling romantic contemporaries as "rom-coms" left and right as a marketing tactic; something I think is definitely happening with this book.

For a book to be a romantic comedy, it needs to have humor throughout; while this book has a rom-com adjacent plot of the two leads "Parent Trapping" their bosses, the book itself isn't funny, and that's okay. This isn't to say that books that handle heavier topics such as depression can't be comedic, or categorized as rom-coms, it's just to say that this book isn't.

The standout of this book was the two lead characters on their own. I loved getting to know Ari and Russell, and their troubles with depression & mother-daughter relationships and being a young parent & their weight, respectively. The author made it clear that the issues she wrote about came from a personal place, which were very apparent. These characters shine. I felt so much of myself in Ari, and so much love for Russell.

What I struggled with from this book was the actual relationship between Ari and Russell. While their characters were incredibly fleshed out with poignant backstories and lovable personalities, there was very little set-up for why they should work as a couple; a problem that was persistent throughout. I feel there was never an "aha" moment where I was like "okay.. this makes sense and I like this" regarding their relationship which is.. kind of the whole point of a self proclaimed romance book.

I think had this book been written as a contemporary fiction, with a side of romance and more character study on Ari and Russell (ahem dual POV) I would've enjoyed it far more. I think there was so much potential behind the character of Ari, and I just wanted to delve so much deeper into her relationship with her mom, her depression, and toxic positivity.

Pacing wise, because I was having a hard time getting behind Ari and Russell's relationship development, I struggled to get through this book. it felt a bit slow, although that might've just been me impatiently waiting to like it more. By the time I had gotten to the end I was skimming just enough to be able to write a review for the book.