The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
clareasday's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Mental illness, Medical content, and Sexual content
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Iām not Jewish, but Rachel Lynn Solomon is, and I really appreciate how she navigates the different charactersā relationships to their own faith and heritage. I loved all the moments of Jewish joy, from the family Shabbat dinner to the bat mitzvah towards the end. As an outsider looking in, it feels like a privilege to experience stories that are fictional and still feel informed by an authors lived experiences.
It definitely was a breath of fresh air to have a fat love interest in a romance! Iām pretty sure this is the first romance Iāve ever read where a man was anything but super jacked & thin. I appreciated Ā the conversation around fat being a neutral descriptive word and calling out people who are āconcerned for their healthā. I would love to see the review / opinion of more fat folks re: how they felt about this representation.Ā
Overall, not a mind-blowing or life-changing novel, but after this second 4-star read from RLS, I now know I can rely on one of her books for a pick-me-up romance & will be a go-to in the future!Ā
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Medical content
Minor: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Abandonment
emmysforeverbooked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved how much representation there was spread throughout this book. The main character's depression rep, the love interest's plus size rep, the Jewish rep, the MC's brother's gay rep, multiple characters from multiple cultural backgrounds, there was so much rep and it's very hard to find all of that in one book. I really enjoyed learning more about the Jewish culture specifically, it was really fascinating to me to read about!
Overall, I think if you like Emily Henry or just rom-coms in general, this is a book for you!
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Misogyny
Another warning I would give on the "Moderate" section is parental absence. The MC's does talk multiple times about her father leaving her and her brother and being absent in their lives. So just a little heads-up on that!kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: January 11, 2022
T H R E E ā¢ W O R D S
Cozy ā¢ Feel-Good ā¢ Predictable
š 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 bossesā 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.
š 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:
ā¢ the representation. This book has excellent representation of mental illness, plus size portrayal, single parent, and a Jewish main character.
ā¢ 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.
ā¢ the cover. Probably one of my favourite covers of the year.
What I didn't like:
ā¢ 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.
ā¢ 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.
š R E C O M M E N D ā¢ T O
ā¢ fans of The Ex Talk
ā¢ readers looking for mental illness representation
š F A V O U R I T E ā¢ 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 isnāt small talk, itās this. Weather connects us. A shared experience, even when we arenāt in the same place."Ā
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
depressionshaerikireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Blood
kb33's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy and Fatphobia
cheye13's review against another edition
- 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
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 āĀ 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.
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
thefatpaperback's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Mental illness, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Fatphobia
sydapel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Sexual content
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Body shaming
Minor: Gaslighting and Suicidal thoughts