About the Book
-
Author:
- Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Genres:
- Adult
- Adult Romance
- Man-Woman Romance
First Impressions: Sunny With A Light Breeze
What’s Your Type? Light-hearted workplace romance, Matchmaking scheming a la Set It Up / The Parent Trap, Frank discussions on depression, Fat hero without any toxicity, Oops, I need help undressing because of an injury, Actual “nice” characters, Jewish representation
Meet Cute: Clear Skies All Day
The Lean: A Light Drizzle
We Need to Talk: Scattered Showers
Was It Good For You? Surprise Sun Shower
First Impressions: Sunny With A Light Breeze
This cover is adorable. I’m personally burnt out on cartoon covers, but if we have to have it, I’m glad it’s more than just the character’s faces. I like leaving the mystery of what they look like under the open umbrella and the cute rain boots (I have duck boots, too, Russell! They’re super comfy!).
What’s Your Type?
- Light-hearted workplace romance
- Matchmaking scheming a la Set It Up / The Parent Trap
- Frank discussions on depression
- Fat hero without any toxicity
- Oops, I need help undressing because of an injury
- Actual “nice” characters
- Jewish representation
Dating Profile
Ari is your early morning meteorologist on KSEA, Seattle! She knows that what people love is a pocket full of sunshine in their weather and their people, and so as someone who has been dealing with her clinical depression for years, she’s determined not to let it rule her life. If she isn’t the cheeriest, most positive one in the room, then she doesn’t feel like she’s doing her job.
Russell works the sports desk, and he’s always been that quiet, nice but kind of distant guy around the office. After Ari’s recent break-up with her fiancé, she’s been finding all sorts of random people attractive, but Russell, with his professor-esque fitted jackets and sparkling blue eyes, has been catching her eye more than normal.
Meet Cute: Clear Skies All Day
Ari grew up loving Torrance Hale, Seattle’s favorite meteorologist, but working for her the last three years hasn’t been the dream she expected it to be, mainly because Torrance and her ex-husband, newsroom manager, Seth, make everyone’s lives a living hell with their constant bickering. After an explosive white elephant gift exchange at the office Christmas party, Russell and Ari bond over their bosses’ unprofessional behavior and hatch a plan to get Torrance and Seth spending time together in more constructive ways. Of course, this has the unintended—but not unwelcome—side-effect of bringing Russell and Ari closer together, too.
The Lean: A Light Drizzle
I’ve realized: I’m not a super-nice person. I can be a sarcastic bitch sometimes. I love snark in all its forms; I can’t help it. So, if there’s going to be a “nice” person in a book relationship, then for me there’s got to be someone else who balances that out with some irreverent behavior.
Thus, my problem is Ari and Russell are two perfectly lovely people, but their romantic powers combined give less thunderclaps and lightning bolts and more like solid gray skies of drizzle. Like, as a real person, I’m happy they found love. They both deserve someone kind to care for them, because they’ve both got “baggage” that at first glance makes any relationship tough to pursue. But as a reader, I needed more oomph. More banter! Ari was smitten-kitten on Russell right away, plus she’s a huge people-pleaser and would never say something out of line to someone. Russell is kinda bashful, sweet, and mild-mannered, and so thoughtful and respectful that there was just no danger, no je ne sais quoi. In short: milquetoast.
Dirty Talk
He grins before lowering himself down my body. Slowly, he nudges my legs apart, lips burning a path from calf to knee to thigh, and I feel the earth simply dissolve beneath me, one great swoosh of air leaving my lungs. He kisses me through my underwear at first, because he is awful and terrible and so extremely cruel, and I love it. I love it all. I’m too desperate for his tongue, bucking my hips, fisting a hand in his hair. Begging for what I’ve asked him to do. When he finally slides down my panties, I’m on the verge of passing out.
Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
Beware, there are weather-puns in abundance. I do love Solomon’s straightforward, breezy style that can slip from the serious to the sweet. Her books are easy to take in, even if this one didn’t leave me as enamored as I’ve felt with her previous stories.
We Need To Talk: Scattered Showers
I started losing reading momentum at around 60% in, when I realized Ari and Russell are already very cute together, and they’d already worked through most of their relationship blocks at the 80% mark. Which meant, uh oh, here comes the third act “blow up”, and, honestly, I was kind of exhausted just thinking about it. Could we normalize in the romance novel industry that it’s okay sometimes to just have two people get together and be good?! I don’t need a huge miscommunication or someone’s relationship fears break them up briefly when we know that won’t last because of the HEA contract. Believe me, I love a good drama-filled book as much as the next gal, but there’s enough publishing space out there that not every story NEEDS that.
There’s an audience for this book that is going to be head-over-heels for it, and I want that for Weather Girl, because it IS well-written and has a lot of great things to say about living with depression, working through trauma related to a parent with undiagnosed depression, and the feelings of familial and religious community (Ari and Russell are both Jewish, though they aren’t extremely devout). According to the author’s notes, the topic of depression is one very close to Solomon’s heart, and I am loving the fact that there have been a lot of romances coming out in the last year or two that explore all facets of women, not just the plucky, klutzy heroines of ye olde rom-com. Even the emotionally messiest people are deserving of love!
Was It Good For You? Surprise Sun Shower
I liked it, I’m just not IN like with it. Just like when it’s a sunny day at the park and then suddenly it’s also raining on you and your cheese platter (because even Florida’s weather knows it’s a hot mess), I was having a good day until it was a slightly less good day because now my hair is limp and my sandals are squeaky. The mood is still salvageable, but it won’t exactly be what it was.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Berkley Books. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Weather Girl is available now.
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