e-ARC, 352 pages
Release Date: January 11, 2021
Published by: Berkley
Read from: December 23, 2021-January 5, 2022
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Main character talks about having depression and how she felt when she was younger and her mom had depression
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary, Romance, Mental Health diversity, Realistic Fiction, Adult, Sparkly CoversA 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.
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?
BETWEEN THE COVERS!
*This book is part of the new adult contemporary romance genre! It is more mature than YA. I have featured it in Between the Covers as a way to feature the few Adult and New Adult titles I am beginning to read!“
*MY THOUGHTS*
I don’t even blink anymore. When I see that Rachel Lynn Solomon has another book coming out, I just add it to my TBR. And the amazing thing about this author, it doesn’t matter what age group it is. For this one, it’s adult, and its so, so, good!
“They say don’t meet your heroes. Don’t work for them either.”9%
Meterologist Ari Abrams has been at KSEA 6 her entire career. She followed her idol to her station and thought she would learn from her and become the meterologist that she is also. As it turns out, her hero isn’t exactly what she thought she’d be. She’s way more into her relationship gone bad and trying to one up her ex husband than actually trying to run the station. So when a sports reporter she knows comes up with the idea to get them back together, she thinks its a joke, but goes along with it. Along the way her and Russ get tangled up in spending their own time together. What happens next, no one saw coming.
“This year I’m going to be good to myself. I’m going to do things differently.”28%
If you know me, you know I hate puns, but I’m being real here, no one could have forecasted that I would like this as much as I did. I used to want to be a meteorologist, when I was younger. But living by the coast and living through hurricane season and seeing waterspouts and tornadoes and all that kind of thing, I Noped out. But the spark was still there, because I LOVED this. As a non-science person, Solomon made this easy to read and I was still able to enjoy it. Most of the science talk is in the chapter headings and how she makes her slides for work. So, on the flip side, if you are looking for a science heavy book, I probably wouldn’t choose this one lol But I really loved how Ari made the weather her persona. She found something she loved and made it her whole persona. Much like me and books lol I related to that so hard. Definitely something that comes with (for me anyways) anxiety, Pure OCD, and ADHD and probably her depression.
“The people who love us the most have the power to hurt us the most.”39%
Which of course brings me to the mental health representation in this. I LOVED it. It gave a positive light to meds and therapy, both things that people shouldn’t be ashamed of. I loved the way Solomon continuously mentioned them and made them something that the characters looked forward to. (Except when they knew they were going to have to really go indepth with their feelings)
“The best revenge,” she says, “is just being really fucking good at your job.”62%
The romance was the best part for me. Y’ALL, THE LOVE INTEREST WAS PLUS SIZE. I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance where the love interest wasn’t completely ripped and had washboard abs instead of a soft stomach like Russ. And let me tell you, that made me love him all the more. I loved seeing this because my husband is built what I think Russ is like, so it was so cute to “see” my hubs in a romance novel. It was nice reminder that everyone has their own version of perfect. And the spice was definitely a very nice surprise. The one bed and the watch us tropes are some of my favorites. On my spice scale, it only comes to about a 3 tho. There isn’t a large amount of time that there is sex on the page, but when there is, there is only a small amount of graphic words and it’s more sweet than sweat if that makes sense.
“Do the details really matter? We’re together, and it took us a while to be able to express what we both wanted, but we’re finally here. Can’t that be enough?”86%
I didn’t love that there wasn’t really a conflict. I got all worked up and ready for something to happen and nothing really did. It was a little weird to me because I obviously wanted them together lol But it just seemed like nothing was resolved? The entire book was just “sunshine and rainbows.” Idk, I think I just wanted more conflict and THEN to have it be wrapped up in a nice pretty bow. If that makes any sense at all? And it also could have used another round of editing? At 10% in she “meets” Russ who has “no tie,” but then at 13%, they’re at the same location and its in the same night, and this time he has a tie that is “loosened.” I’m hoping they caught this before the real copies came in! Hopefully that was just in the e-ARC copies still and they just didn’t update them.
“If there isn’t someone there to catch us, what happens if we fall? When we fall?”86%
It wasn’t really a shock that I loved this. Solomon is easily one of my favorite authors and I always say I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I will be (lightning) BOLTing to my nearest book store for my copy of Weather Girl, and I hope you are too!
Overall, I give this
