Under the Weatherman

This was my first book by Mary Ann Marlowe, and it definitely will not be my last.

If you love romance with mistaken identity, second chance vibes, found family, workplace tension, and plenty of emotional miscommunication, this one delivers. Depending on your perspective, you could call this mistaken identity romance or even a second chance romance in disguise.

Elizabeth meets Evan on a dare, and he quickly becomes the weather man of her dreams. The only problem? Evan believes she is an old friend from middle school and thinks they are reconnecting after all these years. What starts as a one night stand turns into something much more complicated when they end up working together at the same TV station.

This story is funny, messy, emotional, and full of heart. Beneath the romance, it also explores getting older, revisiting old trauma, and the importance of mental health and healing. There is so much tension between Elizabeth and Evan, but so much of it comes down to one thing, communication. Watching them try and fail to get on the same page made for such an entertaining ride.

The supporting characters were fantastic and honestly made me excited for the next book. The found family dynamic added so much warmth to the story, and the setting in Charlottesville gave it such a cozy atmosphere. As an added bonus, every chapter begins with a quote from Shakespeare, which makes this especially perfect for English majors and literary romance lovers.

There is also plenty of spice, strong chemistry, and that feeling of wanting to yell at the characters to just talk to each other already.

Tropes and BookTok themes:
Mistaken identity
Second chance vibes
One night stand
Workplace romance
Found family
Forced proximity
Miscommunication
Mental health representation
Healing from past trauma
Spicy romance
Bookish romance vibes

A fun, emotional, and slightly chaotic romance with memorable side characters and a love story that keeps you turning pages.