For stargazers, empowered women, and celestial enthusiasts, “Atmosphere” by TJR offers a captivating perspective on the challenges faced by women in science during the 1980s in America.

The story follows Joan Goodwin, a Physics and Astronomy Professor in Texas. She is a stargazer and space enthusiast, and has long put aside her dreams space suits, shuttles and astronauts. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when her younger sister, Barbara, informs her about a commercial for NASA’s recruitment of astronauts and scientists. Barbara relays that NASA is specifically seeking women for the program. Barbara and Joan have a complex dynamic, as sisters often do. But her love for Barbara’s daughter, Frances is unparalleled.

Despite her initial disappointment when she is not selected for the first round, Joan decides to apply again and is accepted into the program in late 1979. The novel delves into NASA’s Space Shuttle program, introducing Joan’s group of colleagues who become her friends and chosen family. These individuals come from all walks of life; including a Top Gun Pilot, a scientist, a mission specialist, and an aeronautical engineer turned pilot.

Amidst the excitement of the program, Joan forms a special bond with one of her colleagues. This relationship helps her to finally confront her sexuality and realize why she never thought traditional love with her. Joan must navigate this reckoning in secret, fearing it may jeopardize her career at NASA. This storyline adds a layer of emotional depth to the novel, exploring the complexities of love and the societal pressures that make it difficult for Joan to live authentically.

“Atmosphere” is thrilling, emotional, and heart-breaking all at the same time. It emphasizes the importance of self-love, acceptance, and the dynamics of complex family relationships.
I thoroughly enjoyed the non-linear narrative, which began in 1984 with the space shuttle disaster and then took us back to the very beginning. This created a suspenseful atmosphere as we gradually learned more about the characters and couldn’t help but worry about a possible ill-fated end.

“We asked for so much, didn’t we? We wanted to touch the stars, and look at what we did”

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the love of my life. Every novel she writes blows me away. Her characters, the drama the way everything unfolds. Magic every single time. She will forever and always be an auto read for me.

In "Atmosphere" by Taylor Jankins Reid, we follow Joan Goodwin as she goes from being a teacher at a college to being one of the first women to be an astronaut in the 1980s. As she pursues this endeavor, she must deal with family discourse while also coming to terms and accepting her sexuality in a time when having an alternative lifestyle would put you at risk of losing everything.

This was a phenomenal book. This woman really nails every subject she wants to write about. From old Hollywood to tennis and now to the space shuttle program. She must really know how to research, but I choose to believe she is just this smart. I would read anything she writes.

I loved all of the characters in this story and how they interacted and became this found family within NASA. I felt so bad for Joan's niece and how she was being treated by her mom but was so very happy with how her story ended. Everyone deserves to have a person who loves them that fiercely. Of course, Joan and Vanessa's relationship was beautiful to watch develop and then watch them fight for it.

I was on the edge of my seat in the end, I could not decide which way Taylor was going end that she ended it perfectly.


This book is perfect for those of us out there who are interested in NASA and the early space program while still having a story to follow other than just reading facts. This book also represents what it must have been like to realize that you are gay in a time that that was really frowned upon.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again with another heart wrenching and emotional romance read!
Joan never saw herself as an astronaut, but always envisioned herself among the stars. Its the 1980s, and women haven't been previously given the chance to join NASA's space program. When a call for women in the engineering and sciences fields is placed, Joan throws her name in because of her niece Frances' insistence - and is accepted amongst only a small handful of women. Amongst spectacular men and women, Joan builds relationships with them all, drawn particularly to Vanessa Ford, a magnetic aeronautical engineer. Told from the past and present timeline as relationships bloom and desires are discovered, a mission in December 1984 changes everything in an instant.
I have loved Taylor Jenkins Reid's books, and this book is no exception. I love how their books are set in historic time periods that Reid does an amazing job of capturing without losing the plot or the characters. I hadn't known prior to reading this that our love interests were two women in the space program, but I can't imagine them being any two different people after reading. Joan is a very naive and optimistic person, and her connection to Vanessa brings out emotions and feelings in her that she hasn't felt before. The two compliment each other in so many ways, and their love is inspiring. I also love the relationship that is created between Joan, her sister Barbara, and Joan's niece Frances, because it is such a realistic dynamic that adds to both Joan and Vanessa's characters in the story.
The only thing I had of note "against" the book was all of the NASA jargon and space terms used pulled me out of the story at times, but to be fair, I was reading a book set during the 1980s NASA space program, so that was to be expected.

This book gutted me in the absolute best way. I was honored to hear Taylor speak this morning at the Texas Library Association conference and I'm so impressed by her taking on such a different setting for this incredible novel. Thank you, as always, to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

WOW! What an amazing read. A love story that takes place in the early 1980s and involves outer space. Taylor Jenkin Reid has taken a piece of history - the late 70s and early 80s, when women were first being accepted into NASA's astronaut training program and turned it into a heart-stopping love story. I cannot wait to share this book with others.

Okay just rip my fucking heart out 😭 the ending had me laying in my bed sobbing at 4:30 am. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. Such a phenomenal story, this will go down as one of my favorites by TJR. Highly recommend.

I'm a long-time lover of Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing. Her first three major historical fictions (Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and Malibu Rising) are three of my favorite historical fiction novels I've ever read. Atmosphere, sadly, did not work for me, however. It didn't feel the same and was altogether lacking in something that I can't quite put my finger on.

The story was good and I think that there is an audience for this TJR specifically. I just don't think it was for me.

The cover is beautiful and I'm sure that it will do really well in sales because who is not enamored with the author? I hope it does so so so so well.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! Chapter one starts with an absolute cliff hanger- what will happen to the astronauts? Then the subsequent chapters unveils who they are and their relationships with each other. Love story, strong women, NASA? So good!

Anything by TJR is always a must read! This was full of heart, sadness and hopefulness. I definitely like this book better than the previous one she wrote, but to me it still isn’t nearly as good as Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo. Joan is a good main character, but I don’t find myself to be as drawn to her as those other female characters. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 :-)

I have devoured every Taylor Jenkins Reid book I can get my hands on and this one is no different! Her books are some of my favorites to recommend to book clubs and I will for sure be recommending this to my patrons. The story, the characters, the use of time pulled me in and I could not stop reading. I can’t wait for this to come out so I can get it into the hands of everyone I meet.

I usually adore everything by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but I have to admit that it was difficult getting through this one. The plot was interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about the space program, but the storyline dragged quite a bit and was often boring. It took me a couple of weeks to read Atmosphere, whereas it usually takes me only a couple of days to finish Taylor's books. Most of the story is made up of the main character, Joan, struggling with and coming to terms with her sexuality, which I didn't have a problem with, but I did feel like it took up too much of the story. I would've loved more action involving the space program. Overall, I would still recommend Atmosphere, but I wouldn't recommend it over Taylor's other books, like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or Malibu Rising.

Get ready to blast into orbit when this bestseller launches! TJR adds another winner to her shelf with this look at women in the space program in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Joan is a complicated female scientist who achieves her dream of becoming a NASA astronaut at a time when women hadn't even gone into space yet. She is more of an astronomer than a pilot, and she has been gazing up at the stars her whole life. She becomes a part of a team at NASA, astronauts of all kinds, chosen for their individual talents--but women have to work twice as hard to be given the rare positions of power. Joan is trying hard to balance work with everything else-her niece Frances is a huge part of her life--and she has to keep parts of herself private in order to be taken seriously. What cost would be too much for you to reach your lifelong goals? What if there's just too much being asked of you--too many sacrifices? Will women ever be able to balance their career ambitions with their desire for a relationship or a family? A high-intensity crisis in a space shuttle makes this a nail-biter, while a swoon-worthy romance makes readers sweat! Reid looks at this from the historical perspective of women in STEM careers and prejudices on government employees, and in general.

This book was compelling and suspenseful, with a heartfelt love story at the center. I loved learning more about space and being an astronaut as well as the many characters involved.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again with Atmosphere. Set in the 1980s against the backdrop of NASA's space shuttle program comes a book that explores powerful themes of courage, belonging, and embracing love and life even in difficult times. Details about the space program and astronaut training are fascinating, and it's clear Reid has done extensive research. She manages to put you right into the action whether that be cruising down a backroad at night or shooting into space. I was torn between speed reading because I wanted to know what happened next and forcing myself to slow down and savor the writing. This might be her best book yet.

Atmosphere was good, but it didn't grip me like TJR's other books. It felt very similar to Seven Husbands and I wish there was more space.

TJR does it again!! This may be a contender for my best book of the year, and to say that in March feels wild but honestly that's a testament to how great this book was.

I will say that this is a very oddly specific cross-over of my two favourite things and that has definitely snowballed my obsession, but I think even to someone who doesn't care about space the way I do (understandable, haha!) this is still an enjoyable read. I read this in two sittings, I didn't want to put it down and step away from the story. I was itching for the plot to unveil and spent a lot of it on the edge of my seat wanting to see what would happen next.

My only comment would be to have leant into the space element *more*, but hands down a 5 star read. Highly recommend and will be making all of my friends pick this up on release day!

I love how strong Taylor Jenkins Reid writes her female characters. Reid writes with an incredible level of emotional intelligence. I just loved this entire book and I am excited to order it for my library’s collection.

Classic TJR: excellent writing and memorable characters. Loved the setting at NASA and the feminist angle that took us back to what women were dealing with (and still do) decades ago.

I'm a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan, and this book did not disappoint. I don't think I've read a book during this time period (1980s) highlighting NASA's Space Shuttle Program. I learned so much with this book about astronauts and NASA. Taylor Jenkins Reid does state at the very end that this is a work of fiction, so not all NASA/space related information was 100% accurate, so I do need to take it all with a grain of salt. This book makes you thankful for all the strong willed women who came before me to pave the road in workforces in America. The first women astronaut (Sally Ride) to go up into space was in the 1980s. I researched a little more and found out that the Soviets sent a woman (Valentina Tereshkova) on a solo mission in space in the 1960s. It was a little surprising to me that America was that far behind on women rights in space programs. But this is the type of book this is. Taylor Jenkins Reid makes you want to find out more about this time period and topic. She makes you want to Google things and go down rabbit holes to become more informed.

One of the most heartbreaking parts of this book for me was with Joan's niece, Frances. Joan's sister, Barbara, became pregnant in college. Joan has helped Barbara as much as she could ever since Frances was born. For the first few years of Frances's life, Joan would have her at her apartment every weekend to give Barbara a break. Barbara has always seen Frances as a barrier to the life she saw for herself and wanted. Barbara gets married when Frances is 10 years old. Barbara and her husband end up sending Frances to a boarding school. This breaks Joan's heart.

Frances's character in general was a little iffy for me. I fell in love with the little girl in the beginning of the book. Her character contradicted itself halfway through the book. At one point, they say Frances just finished fifth grade and is only 10 years old. She must have skipped a few grades? Which would explain the immaturity in her character for a 6th grader later in the book. I wish Frances's character was cleaned up a little more. Because, yes, I did feel sorry for her since her mother never made her a priority, but some of the things she would say to her mother and step-father were also awful.

I definitely will recommend this book to any Taylor Jenkins Reid fan along with any historical fiction fan. I love finding historical fiction books that are unique. Would I have enjoyed this book just a little more if the love story centered on a heterosexual couple? Yes. BUT Joan and Vanessa's love story was a love story you rooted for and I did still enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced copy for an honest review.

SPOILERish - there are multiple characters who die in this book that you fall in love with. I don't know if I would say this is a spoiler or not since it happens in the first half of the book. But I am the type of person who likes books that don't sugar coat things. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Life is sad at times. Life ends. This book had a good balance of serious, sad, and heartwarming moments to make you feel like it was REAL life.