I have no words. This was absolutely the most beautiful novel I've ready by Taylor Jenkins Reid yet. Don't get me wrong, all of her writings are amazing, but this... this was out of this world (pun intended)

Joan is such an amazing character. Unsure of herself. Brilliant. Loving. Honest. Kind. Reading this story and being able to witness her find love and accomplish her dreams is truly a story that touches my heart.

Frances - Oh my gosh, my heart ached for her, but having Joan in her life to raise her and be that person she needs is so beautiful.

Vanessa - Vanessa is all of us. Vanessa is the confident woman. Brilliant. Sure of herself. Gorgeous. Unstoppable. The love she and Joan have is exquisite.

This story was so interesting to me not just for the inevitable love interests, but the interesting plot of being the first women in space. Reading about the different ways women are treated vs the male astronauts is disheartening but the way these characters overcame was so amazing to read. I was routing for them all.

Every character is this novel has a purpose and a strong one. I have never cried so much during a story. But not just sad tears, happy ones. I was so proud of these characters, especially being a female reader. I know this will be one of my tops reads for the year, and it's only January.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the arc. I loved every minute and am truly honored to be a first reader.

to infinity and beyond stars!

Four thumbs up! I loved the experience of reading this book. It was classic Taylor Jenkins Reid but fresh and new at the same time.

TJR is on my auto-read. She writes it, I'll love it. Atmosphere was no exception. The family dynamics with Barbara and sweet Francis in this book felt so real and honest. The story was fast paced and emotional. The alternating timelines, one launching the space shuttle/mission and one before to set the scene were nice and worked well to go between. I honestly could have used more story, more details, and technological information, but I get that it is the setting for this drama that is playing out. There are plenty of space books I can follow this one up with. TJR did what she does best, this time with NASA's space shuttle program as its base.


Thank you thank you thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

The last third of this book was intensely compelling, raw, and beautiful. I could feel myself pulling away from the narrative as it started to focus more on the central romantic relationship, but it sharply maneuvered the familial relationships I was much more moved by back into that central plot.

I was worried I wouldn’t end up liking this, but I never should have doubted TJR. 3.5 rounded up! I love you Frances!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love TJR sooooo much and the space theme was so fun! but 3 stars bc 1) I hate endings that feel very incomplete and this one felt very incomplete. I still have so many questions! An epilogue would be such a gift here. 2) Ugh I just hate when it feels like a couple has to choose between a career and love and it feels like these two are going to have to give up everything they worked for to be together, and unfortunately I don’t find that romantic, I find it sad /:

also it’s just so cruel to start off the book knowing that certain characters die and then grow to love them throughout the book already knowing their fate :,(

After reading The Six by Loren Crush, I found myself even more fascinated with Atmosphere, and this heightened my enjoyment of the story. Taylor Jenkins Reid once again delivers a compelling narrative filled with complex characters, deep emotions, and an immersive setting that pulls you right into the heart of the story. What stood out to me was how The Six gave me a fresh perspective, allowing me to appreciate the depth of Atmosphere even more.

At the beginning, there were so many characters introduced that it was a bit overwhelming, making it hard for me to pinpoint where the story was headed. However, as the novel progressed, Reid masterfully wove their narratives together, and the direction of the story became clearer, making it all the more rewarding in the end.

This would be a fantastic book for comparative reading, especially for those who enjoy analyzing themes, character development, and narrative style across different authors. The way Atmosphere explores its central themes pairs beautifully with The Six, creating opportunities for deep discussions about storytelling, perspective, and emotional impact. While I wished for a bit more development in certain areas, the book left a lasting impression. I highly recommend it—especially to those who, like me, enjoy drawing connections between books and exploring stories from multiple angles.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book by one of my favorite authors!

Friends, I wept.
I wept tonelessly. I wept fearfully. I wept while reading. I wept while walking around my house. I wept so thoroughly I needed to rehydrate.
My friends, I wept.

Frustratingly predictable. I absolutely love TJR books, but this one was flat and, to be honest, deceptive. If you're going to highlight a book as a "love story" then be honest enough up front to call it what it is. The publisher is at fault here as well for not labeling it LGBTQ fiction.
Outside of the romance story, which is typical and not all that interesting, it is the rest of the characters that become the entire drive to finish the book. The relationship with Joan and the joy that Franny brings is truly the highlight of the book. Unfortunately, there's simply not enough of the rest of the "crew" to make it worth it. Overall, a disappointing read.

If you ever clipped photographs and articles about the astronauts, or remember watching breathlessly the space launches as a kid from your classroom, or experienced the Challenge and Columbia disasters, this new offering from Taylor Jenkins Reid will appeal to your fascination with space travel and the men and women of NASA.
The novel focuses on astronaut Joan Goodwin and her classmates and future crew members as they are selected, train, and complete their missions during NASA’s shuttle years. Particular attention is paid to the stories of the women chosen by NASA and the responsibility they shoulder both professionally and personally as they train for the job at hand.
TJR captures the mood and mores of the 1980s, and deftly blends the technical and historical as she reveals the story of her fictional crew. Her technical and scientific details impart realism and discovery without feeling preachy or unnecessarily complex.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel if there weren’t a strong interplay between complex characters. The familial relationships between Joan and her sister, Barbara and niece, Frances, the love relationship between Joan and a fellow astronaut, the friendships between the other astronauts, and the love of outer space and the adventure of exploration are each elemental to the success of the story.
At first glance, the plot may seem predictable, but Reid writes with tension and suspense that entices the reader to turn the page. Ultimately, she asks each of us to consider how to be our best and to ponder our place in the universe.

What a fantastic book filled with so much love. There is something for most people in this book: science, goals, strong women, romantic relationships, familial relationships, and so much hope and fear. There are elements of suspense -- will Vanessa make it back to Earth? Will Lydia survive? How will Donna cope with the deaths? -- but I would describe this as a book about love through and through. Francis deserves the world, Joan is truly doing her best, and Vanessa's actions make sense. I am grateful to have read this book, and will find myself recommending this to patrons in the weeks to come.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. Once you meet Joan Goodwin you will fall in love with her, the stars, dreaming big and Francis and Vanessa. For her entire life Joan has loved the stars, looking into space and seeing a world bigger than herself has inspired her to study astronomy and teach at a university. Her path leads her far beyond that to the leagues of NASA and the race to become one of the first female astronauts. The story is so much more than space however, it is also the story of family, friends and love against all odds. Destined to be my book of the year!

Taylor Jenkins Reid did it again. As a girl that grew up in the 80s and wanted to be an astronaut, I knew I had to give this book a try. I was immediately invested in the characters and drawn into their world. I haven't given so much of my emotional well being to a book in a long time, but this one was worth it!

I love the growth of Taylor Jenkins Reid as an author, so I was really excited to receive this ARC. The story of Vanessa and Joan and their experiences as NASA scientists was fascinating. I am not a space person, but Reid turned me into one. I loved hearing about the struggle of females astronauts and how they fought against sexism and misogyny. That part of the book absolutely soared. What I thought bogged it down was the love story and the whole section on Space God. I was thrilled that Joan and Vanessa found true love, but their story, I think, is so much more than just a love story, and that's what their journey feels like by the end. I would have loved another chapter from Vanessa's perspective aboard the shuttle as she faced certain death. TJR writes women who are smart, bold, and clever. I didn't feel Joan or Vanessa were as developed as compared to Evelyn Hugo or Carrie Soto. Good read, but I miss the complexity of her last few books.

Taylor Jenkins Reid did not disappoint with this book. I felt so connected to the main characters and their story. I can’t remember the last time a book made me cry multiple times, not just at the end.

Sometimes your most anticipated book of the year can disappoint because of all the expectations you heap on it. This did not happen with Atmosphere. This was such a beautiful book. The lyrical musings about the heavens and earth was one of my favorite parts. The story was beautiful and heartbreaking. More to come closer to the release date.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! Sweeping the reader up in historical fiction. I have been eagerly anticipating this release the minute I heard about it and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read it. Following Joan’s story through the ups and downs of being a woman in NASA’s space program was riveting. I read the book in one sitting! I have a renewed fascination with the stars and space now thanks to this book. The research the author did truly made this a remarkable read about the science and politics behind the space program. It is also a story about love between family, friends and partners. I will 100% be recommending this book to everyone.

While reading this book by one of my favorite authors, I went through stages--I liked it, I didn't like it, I loved it. In the end Ms. Reid really surprised me--usually she does not give me the ending that I wanted, but she always gave me the right ending. In Atmosphere she gave me the ending that I wanted and it was the right ending. That was the part I loved. I especially liked the story arc of Francis and Joan, their relationship, and Joan's relationship with her sister (especially when she stood up to Barbara) was very interesting and real. I loved Joan and her evolution from a professor to an astronaut to her epiphany that she really liked mission control which fit nicely to her Thanksgiving raid of her niece from boarding school to becoming a full-time caretaker. I think this book is a real departure for her, but a good one in the end!

This book is the definition of a five-star read. It follows Joan Goodwin, an astronomy professor who is one of the first group of women accepted to NASA's Space Shuttle program in the early 80s. We get a close-up and personal view of the training and the program itself and Reid does an amazing job describing it all without getting bogged down in the details. And those technical elements are expertly balanced with the human side of the story - the friendships that are forged among the astronauts, how the training affects their personal lives, and of course the primary story of the unexpected romance that develops between Joan and a fellow astronaut. It's a beautiful love story that's wrapped around a fascinating examination of NASA and the space program during its historic space shuttle era. Masterfully written, with richly detailed characters who you come to know and love as if they were real people.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has an incredible talent for helping the reader understand her character’s passions. Throughout the book I felt my interest in space grow. The real standout talent in this book, though, are the relationships Joan creates. It is a love story in many ways, well beyond romance. It is a love story for family and friends and self-love.
I specifically loved the relationship with Frances. I think it was wonderful how you got to see that relationship change and evolve over time, knowing how quickly relationships do change with a child of that age.

However, when writing about such a technical topic, naturally that is going to be harder to convey to an audience. During the scenes which have detailed descriptions of particular parts of the spacecraft, it was challenging to follow along just due to my lack of knowledge. It felt like I needed a diagram to understand what was happening. It took me out of the story when I was having to piece together the workings in my head.

As a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, I had no idea what to expect from this book. Each of the author's other books were so different in genre and time period. I read this book knowing nothing about it except that it was written by Taylor Jenkin Reid and that I was excited to see where this book would take me, The life of an astronaut is not an easy one for sure. But when your family life is also complicated, and you are still trying to figure out who you are as a person, the life of this astronaut was complex for sure. This story has a lot of back and forth time periods, complex characters that you will both love and hate, and will have you holding your breath until the last page. Another well written novel by this author.