Rachel Lynn Solomon’s Weather Girl (Berkley) is the cozy sort of book you want to read while happily cocooned within your softest blanket in your favorite reading spot. It had me wanting to move to the Pacific Northwest if only for the sounds of rain on my windows. It also had me actively fangirling over a hero who was deeply passionate about sports, which is certainly no easy feat.
When Ari and Russell’s bosses continue to make the newsroom where they work a miserable place to be, the two decide to do something about it. After all, how are either of them supposed to focus on their professional goals when Seth and Torrance make their divorce from five years ago everyone else’s problem?
After a drunken holiday party, which leads to both a shattered Emmy Award and a good dose of scheming, Ari and Russell become unlikely allies with a common goal: reuniting their bickering bosses in the hopes that less newsroom tension will make way for more staff mentoring. Things only start to get complicated when they both realize that their mutual attraction is undeniable and, maybe, even unavoidable. A match is certainly being made, but will they wind up matchmaking anyone besides themselves?
This book hit all my favorite beats in a rom-com. It was funny and charming while also exploring the characters’ struggles and heartbreaks. It was one part laugh-out-loud, Parent Trap-inspired scheming, one part steam, and one part examination of finding love amid human imperfection. Weather Girl offered a poignant, authentic look at happiness and romantic love in the face of conflict and trauma, yet still left its reader feeling joyful at the end. I also particularly enjoyed that Russell was not the suave, twelve-pack, alpha male we have come to know as a romance hero. He felt incredibly relatable, like the type of man a person could truly fall in love with at their own job.
The supporting cast of characters was strong, diverse and served to bring a huge amount of depth to Ari and Russell’s world. Some of the interactions between Ari and her brother, Alex, felt so familiar and real to me that it was easy to imagine my own relationship with my brother while reading. While Ari’s traumatic relationship with her mother broke my heart throughout the book, it brought a certain profoundness to Ari’s character that one doesn’t often see in this romance subgenre.
I particularly loved Solomon’s thoughtful author’s note at the beginning of the book, which included trigger warnings and words of support for those dealing with trauma and experiences similar to Ari’s. It was an extra touch that could really mean a lot to people who have been blindsided by triggers in otherwise “lighthearted” books. It highlighted the care and thought that went into addressing such topics while still remaining a romantic comedy book.
Whether you are new to the genre of romance, or a time-out-of-mind fan, Weather Girl is worth adding to your TBR. It leans on many favorite tropes while simultaneously subverting others, leading to a delightfully quick read with just the right mix of comfort and surprise.
