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.

Hard-to-put-down as the book begins with a disaster on the Space Shuttle and we move slowly back and forth in time for background on the astronauts. Good perspective on how hard it was for women to make progress in getting jobs and promotions in the 1980s.

The build up of the characters and their relationships is also wonderful.

Wow! Talk about riveting and turning those end pages before you even finish reading them!
It's so obvious that the author did such extensive research into space exploration. The explanations of the missions and the intricate details of the prep and arduous training that g0es into space study are thoroughly investigated.
However, the family story line just didn't do it for me. The relationship between the family members seems a bit too contrived.
I loved the intro and I now gaze at the stars and night sky every chance I get!

I enjoyed this book much more than her last title. I learned alot about the history of space exploration as well as astronomy and science, and really enjoyed the love story and relationships.

Atmosphere~hmm I guess my opinion is not the norm! I love TJR and was so excited when approved for an ARC. However it just did not hit for me. The pacing felt off to me and I just could not get into all the astrology, Now that being said if you loved Malibu Rising this is for you. The writing style was very similar.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm obsessed with this. I'm recommending it to everyone I know. The pacing was great; I was stressed out (in mostly a good way) for most of it. The way the relationship between Joan and Vanessa played out was so well wrought. My favorite read of the year so far!

TJR is always a must-read for me, and she never lets me down. Her stories are inspiring, her characters are flawed and real, her romance is tortured yet beautiful. Joan grows, learns, loves, and is a masterclass in character development. What an amazing story from a consistently amazing writer.

Atmosphere is a breathtaking story of a found family, late in life queer romance, and the magnificence of humanity. Joan is a professor of astronomy who has spent a lifetime alone and disinterested in romantic relationships sees the stars as proof of existence beyond the anthropocene--but also as a reflection of the best parts: humanity’s desire for meaning and the stories we tell to create it. But, Joan has always had a dream to go to space. Set in the 1980s when the NASA space program begins to admit women into the program, Joan’s life turns upside down. She learns to take up space and exist for herself, not just at the whim of her younger sister who refuses to see beyond herself to the detriment of her daughter and Joan’s niece. Joan’s journey is awe-inspiring. Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book!

TY to Net Galley and Ballantine for the ARC! TJR is my favorite author so no surprise, I loved this book. Was I extremely interested in a book about space travel? Not particularly, but this author can make me interested in any topic she chooses to write about. I was captivated from the first chapter and did thoroughly enjoy the setting, both geographically and historically. The most amazing aspect of this story is neither of those things, however. As always with TJR books, the most amazing element of the book are the characters and there was no exception here. The two main characters along with all of the secondary cast make this a book that you cannot put down.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Radom House Publishing Group for the E-Arc</i>
Oh WHAT can I even say? Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write a romance! This book was amazing. I was hooked from the beginning and loved Joan. She annoyed me and made decisions that I wouldn't have but she felt so real. I enjoyed getting know know some of the other characters and I enjoyed how she interacted with them. I really liked the romance with Vanessa. Vanessa gave her the time to figure out what Joan wanted and never made her admit it to herself before she was ready. I thought they had a realistic relationship as well! They love each other but they but heads. It was also a harsh reminder of what it was like for lesbians back in the day and unfortunately what we could be headed towards now. I also really lover Francis. She was so cute and added another layer to Joan and really made everything come together in my opinion. I was ready to have my heart broken with that ending. She's done it before and I was ready for her to do it again! It's on of the few books I've tried at because damn if Joan and Vanessa didn't deserve that ending! I will say if you aren't good with dates or forget what's going on you might have a little bit of confusion for a hot minute. Overall this book was fantastic and I can't wait for more people to read it!

I had the opportunity to read Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid as an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! As a fan of Reid’s previous book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I knew I had to dive into Atmosphere, especially with its intriguing space and astronaut storyline—something I’m secretly a bit of a nerd about.

Reid does an excellent job crafting compelling characters and delivering a heartfelt, closed-door romance that’s both sweet and genuine. The chemistry between the protagonists was palpable, and their relationship felt grounded in trust, respect, and emotional connection, which I appreciated. It’s definitely a romance that will appeal to fans of more subtle, slower-burn love stories.

However, my main complaint is that I was really hoping for more space! The story centers on the astronauts in the space program in the early 80s, and the events on a space shuttle, but I felt like the moments they were actually in the shuttle should have been more of the star. I was absolutely fascinated by the premise and excited about the space angle, and while it was incorporated into the story, I found myself wishing there was more details of what was happening on the shuttle, more of that NASA drama. As a space lover, I wanted a deeper dive into that world.

Despite that, the book was still fantastic overall. The writing was as beautiful and engaging as always, and Reid has a talent for creating characters that feel real and relatable. The emotional beats were spot on, and the way she blends personal journeys with larger, life-changing experiences (like space travel) was incredibly well done.

In conclusion, Atmosphere is a captivating read, and even though I would have loved more of the space component, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. If you’re a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing and are intrigued by the space storyline, I definitely recommend giving it a read!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this eARC!

WOW. All I can say is WOW. This story was so artfully crafted I’ll be thinking about it from now until the end of time. TJR has introduced us to perhaps her best set of characters yet, while simultaneously educating us on space and the importance of love and belonging. The last 100 pages of this book had me sobbing and I highlighted so many things.

Add this to your TBR. Right. Now.

Atmosphere was the engaging and enjoyable story of Joan Goodwin. Joan is selected as one of the first women astronauts during the 1980's Space Shuttle program. Joan's story is largely about her work as an astronaut, about which Taylor Jenkins Reid does a great job describing the social dictums and expectations of women breaking in to what was historically thought of as a "man's world". Joan's personal life, from her childhood challenges through her restricted young adulthood, to a mature woman experiencing deep emotional relationships allow the reader to come to know and understand this character as well as the other people in Joan's life. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Audio for making this ARC available.

I can’t ever put TJR’s books down. Her books are page turners full of all the emotions, and Atmosphere delivered! It was a unique era and topic to read about, life as an astronaut in the 80’s. I really didn’t want to end, especially with how it ended, haha! It left room for so much more for the imagination! Incredible author, incredible book.

I'm absolutely speechless. No words could do this book justice. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way with words that I could never match, and she has crafted something truly perfect with this book.

I'm infinitely grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back with another beautiful and tragic love story unlike any of her previous books. Written with strong female characters and an amazing setting, Atmosphere is set during the 1980s space shuttle program.

The characters are portrayed so realistically. The dynamics between sisters, friends, coworkers and lovers were complex. I was totally invested in each character. The historical detail about NASA and space exploration was fascinating. The high demands and competitive nature of the space program was reflected along with the found family aspect of the trainee astronauts. The thrilling conclusion had me at the edge of my seat. I could not put this book down!

Equally compelling and emotional, this is a story that stays with you long after the last page. TJR is an expert at making us fall in love and breaking our hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this. Each character felt so real to me, especially Joan, Barbara, and Frances. Their dynamic was familiar and complex, and I was deeply invested in the relationship between the three of them. I was also especially invested in the relationship between Joan and Vanessa, which felt so important to the story and added so much heart. As usual, Taylor Jenkins Reid has a such a compelling and accessible writing style, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! She always finds a way to craft this story to make these people feel so real. The way that this book is not about a real person is actually ridiculous. This is going to be one of those books that goes down in history with her Hollywood Series.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has never and will never steer me wrong. This was so different, yet reminded me so much of her previous works that I adore so much: strong female characters, a captivating setting, and the most beautiful yet tragic love story. One thing in particular I always admire about TJR is her ability to create fictional characters that feel *real*. This book reminds me so much of Evelyn Hugo beacuase of that; I actually had to look up if Joan Goodwin was real, or if she was just inspired by people who were.

I absolutely loved the setting and story of this book as well. Every time I read a story about space, I am in awe of how well the authors manage to turn high-level concepts into something palatable for the average consumer. Joan's outlook on space and her place in the world resonated so deeply with me and I found myself highlighting so many passages.

This book also has so many different love stories woven into it: the one between Joan and Vanessa, Joan and Frances, and, of course, Joan and space. In typical TJR fashion, I was sobbing through most of this (especially the final 20 pages), and wanted to savor every last page because I didn't want it to end.

These are characters and a story that will last with me forever.

I haven’t loved any of Jenkins Reid’s books beside Evelyn Hugo which is why I had low expectations for this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Atmosphere felt well researched and there were some interesting storylines and themes. It did feel a bit dense (slow) in the middle but I wanted to read on to see what happened.