Charming and steamy in equal measure. The weather forecast chapter headings and metaphors are often corny and border on trite, but the story and characters are engaging enough not to let that become a deal breaker. Solomon also capably and empathetically handles a character's experience with depression in a way that feels serious and realistic yet doesn't weigh down the overall uplift of the read.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me a DRC of Weather Girl! I enjoyed Rachel Lynn Solomon's previous book, The Ex-Talk (which I also received a DRC of via NetGalley), so I was absolutely THRILLED for the opportunity to read more by this author.

With Weather Girl, there is a very obvious Set It Up / The Parent Trap inspiration (Ari and Russell try to get their divorced bosses back together so their work environment isn't so hostile with the bosses fighting and airing out their dirty laundry in the office), but honestly, that plotline isn't really the star of the show. This book is about opening yourself up to someone else, and letting others see the real and honest you. With Ari, there is a portrayal of depression that I found so real. I have not read many books that dive so deep into talking about depression, with such raw honesty. I think it is so important and so wonderful that this character was written. Ari's experience with depression and how it threads into so much of her life - relationships, memories, self-expression, and everything, was so interesting and felt really important to read. I also did love the character of Russell - he's sweet and understanding in a way that is very real, and I liked the progression of the relationship between Ari and Russell.

Fair warning there are a couple of explicit bedroom scenes - I did love how there's a focus on consent and communication between partners, but I was taken a little out of reading during these.

Overall, I'd give Weather Girl 3.5 stars! Such an important book for so many reasons, with a romance you will root for!

Weather Girl
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Ari and Russell
Ari is the meteorologist at a Seattle TV station. Russel is a sports reporter at the station. Their recently divorced bosses at work are truly dysfunctional and it makes the whole station feel like a war. Ari and Russell develop a plot to get them back together. But things progress between Ari and Russell instead of just the bosses. It turns out that while they’ve been plotting for their bosses those bosses have been plotting for Ari and Russell. Some metal health issues intervene but things become sunny for the couple.
This is a lovely well told story. The characters are endearing and charming and just brilliant. I would recommend this book to my patrons.

Rachel Lynn Solomon's "Weather Girl" was a revelation. Ms. Solomon is a new author to me, but I was thoroughly impressed.

In "Weather Girl" we meet Ari Abrams, a meteorologist with a sunny disposition, which she uses as a shield to keep from being "too much" for people. She has never truly allowed herself to be the real Ari because of childhood trauma and her own insecurities about dealing with her depression. We also meet the sweet and adorable Russell who works as a sports reporter in the same news station as Ari and deals with his own insecurities relating to body image and becoming a parent as a teenager.

Ari and Russell initially team up to get their bosses, who are ex-spouses, back together, which will hopefully bring peace to the work place. In the process they realize their growing mutual attraction and suddenly the story was all about these two cuties falling for each other. I am glad because I feared that the main focus on getting their bosses together would distract from the main romance, but thankfully, it did not.

Ari's journey in this story was real and emotional and although I have no personal experience, I felt that the way in which her mental health and therapy was portrayed was very respectfully and genuine. I also loved how Ari and Russell discussed their feelings and insecurities and did not allow for miscommunication to derail their new relationship. Even in the final conflict, I though the resolution and HEA was extremely satisfying and believable.

"Weather Girl" was a beautifully emotional and honest love story that any romance reader will enjoy. I adored this story and all the supporting characters, especially the twins and Ari's brother and his husband. I will most definitely look forward to reading more from Ms. Solomon.

Ari Abrams is a TV meteorologist at a Seattle news station and according to her ex-fiancée is too "rainbows and sunshine". Ari loves her job, but is missing out on a crucial mentorship with her boss, legendary weatherwoman Torrance Hale, thanks to the very turbulent relationship between Torrance and her ex-husband (and news director) Seth. The two of them are constantly fighting in the newsroom, creating a very hostile work environment.

During a spectacularly insane fight at the holiday party, Ari and sports reporter Russell decide to "parent trap" Torrance and Seth to bring harmony back to the station. Their scheming means spending more one-on-one time together, letting Ari get to know the incredibly kind and sweet, albeit mysterious Russell.

Ari was an incredible character. Suffering in silence from her clinical depression, while giving everyone the "sunshine" version of herself was completely relatable. She became so brave and vulnerable throughout the book thanks to the incredibly kind Russell (who was the BEST).

This book felt very personal and approached an incredibly tough subject in a thoughtful way with really good characters.

I've adored all of Rachel Lynn Solomon's books and this one was no different! As a huge fan of Set it Up (2018), I loved seeing Ari and Russ set up their bosses, and the slow, natural development of their relationship through that process. Russ was such a sweet character, and I especially loved his interactions with his daughter. Ari and her history with her family broke my heart and it was so rewarding to watch her heal and learn to open up. I also loved Torrance and Seth, it was equally as delightful to watch their relationship blossom side-by-side with Russ and Ari's. I found myself wishing for a little more as we approached the end of the book; there was a third-act scene that felt fairly one-sided in terms of who is "responsible" for the conflict, and though of course this book was told from Ari's perspective, I wanted a clearer challenge and pressure point for Russ as well. All in all, though, this was a joyful romance and I can't wait for the next!

An excellent read! I loved Ari's growth and oh goodness, I have a huge crush on Russell. The twist at the end was so perfect, I gasped! This was fun, but more importantly it had a lot of real life situations and it didn't feel forced. I just really loved this book.

Solomon writes excellent books for nerdy millenials! I love all the references to Seattle things and 90s kid things, and the witty repertoire between her characters. I will definitely recommend this to people and am purchasing a copy for my library.

Each RLS book leaves a permanent smile residue on my face and fill my heart with pocketful of sunshine! They are true definition of feel-good novels!

Weather Girl is no exception: it makes you smile, warming your heart, helping you to see the brightest stars at the darkest hour of the night!

It’s a great mash up of Netflix’s brilliant romcom “ Set it up” ( this time instead of 2 executive assistants, a quirky weathercaster and sports reporter team up to matchmake their horrible bosses ) and Newsroom ( focused on romance parts )

Ari Abrams works as a weather broadcaster: truly loves her job! She can talk about weather for hours, getting emotional when she sees the rain drops, smiling ears to ears when she sees sun appears behind the clouds because she likes to see the silver linings of everything. This is like a defense mechanism for her to cover up the truth she’s hiding from her coworkers. She has been suffering from depression for years, prescribed antidepressants. She’s mostly handling it perfectly but her breakup with her fiancée and her boss Torrance Hale’s (she’s idolized ) tantrums because of her unresolved issues with her ex husband Seth who is also the owner of network make her life miserable.

Thankfully at a Christmas party, when she drinks her feelings, shy, reserved but also cute sports reporter Russell Barringer not only shares drinks with her but also offers a solution which helps both of them getting rid of this misery: both of them hate their bosses’ attitudes and they want their efforts at work be appreciated. The solution is simple: Torrence and Seth are still having feelings for each other so they will remind them of those feelings as their volunteer cupids!

Detailed schemes to bring them together means Russell and Ari may also spend more time together, involving into couple massages, yacht trips etc. Their chemistry is palpable. They realize they already fall for each other before they accomplish their matchmaking mission!

Will Russell differentiate his roles between being boyfriend and being father of his 12 years old daughter? Will Ari open him up honestly about her mental problems? What if Russell can tolerate her dark moods just like her ex boyfriends?

I loved this book. It’s even better than Ex- Talk which I also enjoyed, too.

Mother- daughter relationship, depression, Ari and Russell sweet bounding and Seth and Torrence’s second chance romance are written so well that earned five blazing, sweet, heartfelt, teen father loves quirky sweet girl stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Ari Abrams has always been enamored with the science of weather since she was a little girl. She has grown up and achieved her dream job of meteorologist (aka weather girl) working with her childhood weather hero. Ari is sorely disappointed when her weather hero turns out to be nothing as she imagined and she's let down by the disconnect between who she appears to be on tv and who she is in real life. Ari's boss is constantly fighting with her ex-husband who also happens to be employed at the news station. It creates quite a contemptuous and tense atmosphere at the office. Ari bonds with Russell over their shared dislike of their respective bosses fighting.

After a disastrous office holiday party, Ari and the sweet, unassuming sports writer, Russell, decide to team up to help their bosses solve their relationship issues, but to their surprise, Ari and Russell seem to have some chemistry of their own.

This book really ran the gamut for me - it included smart dialogue, witty characters, and authentic emotions. I truly appreciated how Rachel Lynn Solomon wrote about Ari's struggles with her mental health. It never felt like she was giving a lesson on depression or quoting a guidebook - instead, the thoughts she shared felt very real and raw. It was an eye-opening and honest look at depression. Solomon gives the reader insight into the struggles of depression both internally and externally and the stigma that can come with it, but also the freedom that can be found in addressing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One of my VERY MOST anticipated reads by one of my favorite authors and it did not disappoint!

Read this story if you want to learn about the ups and downs of living with depression (the mental health representation in this book is SOOOOO good). Ari Abrams is a Seattle meteorologist getting over a recent break up and learning to manage her depression (she's on antidepressants, goes to therapy regularly, and has a family history of depression).

There's also a very sweet romance that builds between Ari and her co-worker Russ (the ultimate cinnamon roll hero with a couple extra rolls of his own that he's self-conscious about). The two team up during a holiday office party to help get their bosses back together and try to improve the office atmosphere. What ensues are lots of matchmaking set-ups that see Ari and Russ falling in love along with their bosses.

What I loved:
The cover!!!
The weather forecast chapter headings!
The Jewish representation
The single Dad cinnamon roll hero
The strong family focus
The matchmaking!
The real, vulnerable mental health representation and the message that everyone deserves to be loved
The open door bedroom scenes full of honest conversations about desire

I can't gush about this book enough! Rush to pre-order it and count the days until it comes out in January!! Much thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advance review copy.

"Weather Girl" takes the adage "life isn't all sunshine and rainbows" (or maybe for a better fit - "you can't have a rainbow without a little rain') and creates a gentle, kind, pressing love story out of it. Ari Abrahms is a television meteorologist who loves rainy Seattle weather and works her damnedest to keep the sunshine facade both on and off the screen. She doesn't do it to be fake. She does it to stay positive and prevent the downward spiral of depression at bay. But when her fiance breaks up with her because she's 'not real' with him, she finds she may need to adjust how she approaches relationships. Enter kind, but guarded, sports reporter Russell. They end up bonding at the hotel bar after a work party where their bosses (who are a divorced couple) have an explosive fight. They decide, in their inebriated state, to try to 'parent-trap' them into reconciliation. Their plans are all sweet, fairly benign, date-night opportunities where they end up 'double dating' with the couple. The conflict is low-drama and the reconciliation at the end is sweet.
Solomon shines at giving her characters complex, yet highly relatable personalities. I always have a full vision of what they look like, how they sound, how they might react to a situation. They are so very realized to the reader and the details are carefully curated, never dumped upon you at the beginning or tossed in a conspicuous way.
The conflict is centered on personal growth and some miscommunication (but not the obvious "if they would have just asked/talked to each other it would have been completely avoidable" kind of conflict).
This is a great book for a patron who likes well crafted chick lit with emotional characters, low external drama, and steamy scenes.
Thanks so much for the ARC!!!!!!!

This book caught my attention immediately, simply because I love talking about the weather (not in a mundane way of course). I've never read a book by Rachel Lynn Solomon before, but I will definitely have to check out her back list now.

I loved how Solomon was able to create a raw depiction of mental illness while also keeping the story mostly light and fun (since life is not usually one way or another). The scenarios that the characters put themselves into were hilarious. Although the story was somewhat campy and fun, it ultimately felt down to earth.

There was also representation in this book that I don't always see. The main character and her love interest are Jewish. The love interest is also described as fat but in a way that is normalizing all weights rather than shaming. There is also the important representation of struggling with depression for the main character as well as a parent with depression and how that affects the MC's self actualization as an adult.

This book was more explicate than I was expecting it to be, which can be a bad or good thing depending on the reader. Adult romance books are always a guessing game of level of explicitness.

Overall, I think this book was wonderful and will be enjoyed by the masses.

I loved the Ex-Talk so I was so excited for Weather Girl! This was a solid follow-up and I'm already ready for her next book. I enjoyed the local news station setting, the Jewish representation, and the discussion about depression. Ari and Russell had sweet chemistry and I was rooting for them. There was humor with the workplace hijinks, but they had a mature relationship and I enjoyed how it played out.

This is a pretty run-of-the-mill romcom. It has its fun moments, but it could use stronger external conflict—the stakes never felt high enough to justify the actions of the main characters. I kept waiting to be surprised, and it never quite came. The depression representation feels authentic and true to life, so that’s a plus.

OKAY! 🔥🔥🔥 Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a 5 star for me. I couldn't put down "The Ex Talk" and this one was no different. One of my favorite comfort movies is "The Parent Trap" so when Rachel Lynn Solomon pitched it as "The Parent Trap" at a TV station with more spice...I was IN. (Well, I was in before this but....you get my point?)

Let's set this up. We meet Ari (a TV meteorologist) and Russell (sports reporter). They are casual work friends who bond over the fact that their bosses are not the greatest at times. After getting drunk at the work Christmas party, they scheme to reunite their divorced bosses. Their scheming was wonderful and awkward and I was rooting for all the characters involved.

I absolutely loved Ari. She's real and hilarious and I loved how passionate she was about her job. Russell was adorable, no need to say more. Just simply wonderful. I adored the family elements and how the author dived into the importance of therapy, navigating mental illness and embracing self-love. ALSO. HELLO SEXUAL TENSION AND STEAMY SCENES.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Rachel Lynn Solomon and Berkley for this ARC! I'm ready for the next one!

Ari is meteorologist at the local news station working for her childhood idol, Torrence Hale. While it should be her dream job, it is being ruined by the petty fighting between Torrence and her ex-husband, the news director at the station. After the christmas party is ruined by Torrence throwing her husband's emmy through a window, Ari and a sports reporter, Russell, hatch a parent trap style plan to get the two back together and get some peace in the station. Unsurprisingly, as the two spend time together scheming on reuniting their bosses, sparks fly between the two.
I really enjoyed this one. The relationship between Ari and Russ was very cute and them navigating their pasts with each other (Ari's self-consciousness about her depression and Russ's daughter) was dealt with in a very nice way.

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon, for release January 11

“A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.”

Alright - I’ll be frank. This is one of my favourite reads of the year. Probably all time. It’s currently the top requested romance on netgalley and rightfully so!! There. I said it 🤣 Why, may you ask?

☔️Rachel did an absolutely spectacular job at balancing humour and Ari’s clinical depression. The portrayal is so raw and powerful, it actually made me tear up. Honestly it was so so well done. Ari was also such a well developed character 💓

☔️The Set it Up premise was ripe for hilarity. So much tension and build up!! Let me just say: there is a massage scene and I cackled.

☔️Like the Ex Talk, this one is a slow burn that has the best pay off. It is STEAMY. Russell is 🔥🔥🔥. I love him so much. He needs to be protected at all costs. Prepare yourselves for the steamy scenes.

There are a million more reasons I loved it but this post is getting far too long and it would just be word vomit and incoherent feelz. Can you tell I loved it!??

Seriously, you want to read this one!! Massive thank you to Rachel and Berkley for this early copy ❤️

thank you so much berkley for sending me this arc!

4/5 stars for me!

first and foremost, this book is a true comfort read. the jewish representation that rachel always includes in her novels never fails to put a smile on my face. also the depression representation was almost educational for me, i loved that rachel was able to convey that so healthily but also informative if that makes sense through ari and her mother. the plot was really easy to follow, and russell was an absolute dream. i would say the only thing that fell flat for me was the progression of the relationship, at times it felt a little under developed but when the story was wrapping up it felt perfect. i really did adore the story, y’all know rachel loves to incorporate being in seattle and working at stations in most of her books, and this story having a news/weather background it was also really fun to see. i really did enjoy this book, and for that it gets four stars for me!