The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kelly_e's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Title: Weather Girl
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: January 11, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Cozy • Feel-Good • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Ari has always been fascinated by the weather, so working as a TV meteorologist is like living the dream. Unfortunately for Ari, her boss, the legendary Torrance Hale, is too preoccupied to mentor her properly. Russel, the sports report seems to be the only one who understands how she feels.
Following a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.
💠T H O U G H T S
Weather Girl was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, given the sweet premise and knowing there would be a mental health aspect. To say my hopes were high would definitely be an understatement. And unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
What I like:
• the representation. This book has excellent representation of mental illness, plus size portrayal, single parent, and a Jewish main character.
• the unique jobs. I loved that Rachel used such unique jobs as the basis for the story. An added bonus that the idea of a romance between a weather girl and a sportscaster seems fitting.
• the cover. Probably one of my favourite covers of the year.
What I didn't like:
• the romance. I get the romance isn't meant to be the main focus, yet the chemistry between the two main characters didn't feel all that believable.
• underdeveloped plot points. Some aspects of the plot were just left unexplored, which didn't feel quite right, even though this book already tackles a lot.
At the end of the day this was quick read with a cute plot, yet could have been better. For me, there was just something missing or maybe it's the fact it tried to do too much opposed to focusing on developing several aspects more broadly. I'm still glad I read it for the living with function depression aspect alone.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Ex Talk
• readers looking for mental illness representation
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The people who love us the most have the power to hurt us the most, too."
"If anything could confirm that weather isn’t small talk, it’s this. Weather connects us. A shared experience, even when we aren’t in the same place."Â
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: January 11, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Cozy • Feel-Good • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Ari has always been fascinated by the weather, so working as a TV meteorologist is like living the dream. Unfortunately for Ari, her boss, the legendary Torrance Hale, is too preoccupied to mentor her properly. Russel, the sports report seems to be the only one who understands how she feels.
Following a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.
💠T H O U G H T S
Weather Girl was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, given the sweet premise and knowing there would be a mental health aspect. To say my hopes were high would definitely be an understatement. And unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
What I like:
• the representation. This book has excellent representation of mental illness, plus size portrayal, single parent, and a Jewish main character.
• the unique jobs. I loved that Rachel used such unique jobs as the basis for the story. An added bonus that the idea of a romance between a weather girl and a sportscaster seems fitting.
• the cover. Probably one of my favourite covers of the year.
What I didn't like:
• the romance. I get the romance isn't meant to be the main focus, yet the chemistry between the two main characters didn't feel all that believable.
• underdeveloped plot points. Some aspects of the plot were just left unexplored, which didn't feel quite right, even though this book already tackles a lot.
At the end of the day this was quick read with a cute plot, yet could have been better. For me, there was just something missing or maybe it's the fact it tried to do too much opposed to focusing on developing several aspects more broadly. I'm still glad I read it for the living with function depression aspect alone.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Ex Talk
• readers looking for mental illness representation
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The people who love us the most have the power to hurt us the most, too."
"If anything could confirm that weather isn’t small talk, it’s this. Weather connects us. A shared experience, even when we aren’t in the same place."Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexism, Medical content, Abandonment, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Ableism, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, and Fatphobia
depressioncheye13's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Full disclosure, this rating may be skewed by a series of coincidences that occurred the weekend I read it. Like four different times I pointed to the book and said [vine voice] I did that!
But I loved it! The characters felt really well-rounded and complex, and it seemed like they really worked as a pair. I absolutely adore their communication style, how miscommunication was never their issue. They both tried to make comfortable space for the other, both to speak or feel free not to, even before they're together.
I'm still on the fence about the single perspective. It likely helped to really dig into Ari's mental illness rather than leave it more superficial, but I ended up completely in love with Russell, rather than with both of them. Seeing Ari directly through Russell's perspective would've maybe balanced the narrative for me, but I can see how it could've thrown the plot way off track.
It did move quite a bit faster than I expected – I thought Ari's roadblocks would be a little bigger (the recent engagement, her mother's illness), but I still appreciated that she was dealing with them internally as formative pieces of her past, even if they didn't create much external conflict. It is a bit heavy-handed with the romance tropes (as in, what's not clear to Air is still pretty obvious to the reader), but I liked it because it felt like getting to the "good parts" faster.
But I loved it! The characters felt really well-rounded and complex, and it seemed like they really worked as a pair. I absolutely adore their communication style, how miscommunication was never their issue. They both tried to make comfortable space for the other, both to speak or feel free not to, even before they're together.
I'm still on the fence about the single perspective. It likely helped to really dig into Ari's mental illness rather than leave it more superficial, but I ended up completely in love with Russell, rather than with both of them. Seeing Ari directly through Russell's perspective would've maybe balanced the narrative for me, but I can see how it could've thrown the plot way off track.
It did move quite a bit faster than I expected – I thought Ari's roadblocks would be a little bigger (the recent engagement, her mother's illness), but I still appreciated that she was dealing with them internally as formative pieces of her past, even if they didn't create much external conflict. It is a bit heavy-handed with the romance tropes (as in, what's not clear to Air is still pretty obvious to the reader), but I liked it because it felt like getting to the "good parts" faster.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
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