Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Weather Girl

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."

Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you to Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing for sending this book in exchange for an honest review. This book made me laugh, cry and just fall in love with both MCs.

Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants, Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer. In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to 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. Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

I would say I tried to not love this book as much as I did but I was lying. I went into this book thinking it would be along the same lines as the Ex-Talk and that it was going to be cute and light rom-com. Boy I was wrong, and I am so glad I was. The representation of depression and therapy in this book is done PERFECTLY and to Rachel Lynn Solomon, I thank you for that deeply. I loved and related to Ari so much it hurt my heart. The way she felt about herself during the 80% in this book and the way she manages to handle her depression and still seem so full of life and in love gives me a bit of hope for my personal journey.

Now Russell, if anyone hurts him, I will commit a bloody murder, and no one will know it was me. Russell was someone I wanted to hurt for 100% of this book and he was just so adorable and sweet and such a gentleman. I love the fact that he was a bigger guy. I haven’t read a lot of books where the love interest is a bigger person and slightly insecure and I just loved him more for it. This was also the first book I read that was the single parent trope and I surprisingly enjoyed it and it fit so well in this book and I will also die for Elodie (just saying).

The tension between Ari and Russell nearly made my heart burst. I absolutely loved all the idea they had set up for their bosses and ended up having to do. (The couple massage and Ari’s inner thoughts had me cackling). The whole company retreat trip had me giggling like a schoolgirl. It was so funny, so cute, just UGHHH. The spice in this book as well. I just want someone like Russell in my life – golden retriever energy outside and then in the bedroom, it was like he flips a switch, and I bloody loved it.

I love the general storyline of trying to make work better by doing The Parent Trap to your bosses and the twist that comes with it and how they were both ranting at the Christmas party as they are both Jewish (which I also loved the rep of). I loved the family dynamics of both MCs but Alex, Javier and the twins deserve their own book. I want another book like this but for Alex and Javier. Overall, I have nothing bad to say about this book except I wanted it to be like 30000 pages and would have loved to see the epilogue like 10 years down the line.

Content Warnings

kb33's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A love story with very real characters with real life issues, including depression. I’ve recently discovered Solomon, and I can’t wait to read more.

Content Warnings

bookcasey's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a romance, but I recommend reading it for the beautiful portrayal of the ways depression weaves into your life.

Content Warnings

kdailyreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

thefatpaperback's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

A cute read! In some places it felt like the cheesy-factor was dialed up more than other rom-coms, but I think it works given the amount of focus that is placed on depression in the book. That balance works. My favorite thing about this read was that our hero, Russell, is a fat man. An explicitly stated fat man, and Ari is aaaallllllllll about his body. It’s handled really well, and I love reading about fat men as romance heroes. Russ is 100% book boyfriend material

Content Warnings

brokebitchreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

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