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.

Hoo boy. I always know a new Taylor Jenkins Reid will be good but...this one was outstanding. Space has always been just too huge of a concept for me to want to even TRY and understand any of it, so when I read the premise, I was a bit weary. But TJR drew me in from the get-go, and I found myself putting the book down a lot to look more into space and the innerworkings of NASA.

Everything about this book was good. The characters, the romance, the STEM-moments (aka it was written in way that a layperson like me could at least sort of know what was happening)...I absolutely adored it, and I honestly am trying to stop myself from immediately re-reading it. Certainly one I will buy a hardcopy of.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! Atmosphere is an absolute triumph—richly layered, deeply emotional, and brimming with the kind of character depth that makes her books so unforgettable. From the very first page, I was completely immersed in this world, drawn in by characters who felt real, flawed, and beautifully human.

One of the things that struck me most was how much research clearly went into this novel. The intricate details and authenticity made every moment feel tangible, and I found myself wanting to learn more about the science and exploration woven into the story. Reid masterfully tackles important themes with nuance and care, adding yet another layer of depth to an already compelling narrative.

This book made me look up at the stars with new wonder, reminding me of how vast and full of possibility the universe is—not just in space, but in life itself. I have no doubt that Atmosphere will be one of the biggest hits of the summer. It’s the kind of book that lingers long after you turn the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy—I feel so lucky to have read this in advance!

TJR never disappoints. Atmosphere brings the science, romance, and history together in a page-turner. I was not expecting to learn so much about the space program. The romance was good, closed door and believable. I loved the relationship with the niece and also some of the fellow astronauts. The happy/sad ending was realistic and satisfying.

This book started off slow for me, but once I understood the story that was being told I was invested. By the end I was in tears. Not my favorite TJR because of the pacing issues, but overall I really liked this. And any book that makes me cry automatically gets a high rating.

Atmosphere follows Joan Goodwin, an astronomy professor who joins NASA's Space Shuttle program in the 1980s, where she forms unexpected bonds and a romantic relationship with fellow astronaut candidate Vanessa Ford. Reid’s novel balances technical accuracy with deep emotional storytelling, capturing both the rigorous space program training and the personal struggles of its characters. The immersion into NASA’s culture of the time, the development of Joan and Vanessa’s relationship, and the depiction of women in STEM are standout features. However, some secondary plotlines feel underdeveloped, and the pacing can slow in the middle sections. While certain technical details might overwhelm some readers, Reid skillfully weaves them into the narrative without overshadowing the emotional core of the story. Joan’s growth and her relationship with her niece Frances add depth, and the supporting cast, especially Lydia, offers compelling complexity. The novel explores themes of ambition, sacrifice, identity, and love, set against the historical backdrop of NASA’s space program and the challenges women faced in the 1980s. Reid’s exploration of space as both a literal and metaphorical frontier for human connection and self-discovery is the book’s greatest achievement. While occasionally uneven, Atmosphere is a testament to Reid’s evolving storytelling abilities, blending scientific and emotional elements to create a resonant narrative.

I know this book will be extremely well-liked, and there are good reasons for that: well-researched women in NASA, a multi-faceted LGBTQ love story, compelling ending, memorable characters. I also struggled to want to keep reading the first third, as often characters were having conversations that were clearly meant to instruct readers about astronomy or NASA details in a way that felt subtle but to me felt heavy-handed and didactic. I absolutely loved Daisy Jones, which felt like lots was happening in the hearts of the characters that we had to infer, and this book felt much more like a writer telling me what the characters were thinking and what I was expected to think about that. But it isn't often you read about an aunt relationship and I loved that here, and after Carrie Soto it was fun to read such a big-hearted and likable character as Joan. Many will love this, I'm sure.

Soooo I fell like there is really not much more a writer can do when setting a story in space. The plots seem to be predictable. Astronauts go up in space, there is some incident, and will they make it home? TJR doesn’t try to do anything new plot wise, instead she focuses her story on a love affair between two female astronauts. And it worked, I really did care more about the people in this story than the space setting.

Whoa, what a good book! Taylor can do no wrong. I fell in love with tennis with her last book, and now I have fallen in love with NASA and space travel. I appreciate how the story was framed around this specific event with Vanessa, then the history unfurled. The story was powerful, emotional, and inspirational. I had tears in my eyes for those last few pages. A+ book!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

TJR takes us to the stars in her newest book and delivers another emotional stunner. Atmosphere introduces us to Joan who has always felt different so she looked to the sky.

As NASA is beginning their space shuttle missions in the early 1980s, they start to seek out astronauts which will include the first group of women that may go into space. Joan and the rest of the women selected understand the pressure they will be under so women can continue to engage with these space missions.

Joan also has a special bond with her niece who is far more like Joan than her sister. As her life continues to change with her career, she starts to find herself. She also begins to realize that the things and people she loves will change and affect her in ways she could no predict.

I love historical fiction that captures a very specific snapshot of a moment and this perfectly does that with the space shuttles pre-Challenger. Joan's development shows the struggles women dealt with during this period. I'm excited for everyone to travel into space with Joan!

I loved this book. I didn't know what to expect going in. I sobbed so hard I couldn't see anymore! It is so beautiful, difficult, and heart-warming. It was hard to read a love story that couldn't be like everyone else. It was stressful to watch this mission unfold with all these characters that you fell in love with.
It really rocked my socks off. I will recommend it to everyone! I can't wait for it to come out.

Who doesn't get excited for a new TJR book?!
Unfortunately, this book just didn't fully work for me. I found the pacing to be off, and the relationships between the other astronauts didn't feel as well fleshed out as I would have liked. The book shines however in the relationship between Joan and her niece. I loved the progression of the romance, it really did a good job conveying the feelings there. Overall, I was left disappointed by the book, but I think my Aerospace husband will enjoy this for all of the well done space research!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I would like to start this review by saying i am incredibly grateful to have received this ARC and i will genuinely recommend this to everyone i know.

I’m not very good at writing reviews for books but i knew i had to write one for this book. This book tore me apart. TJR knows how to elicit emotions in me i didn’t think was possible when reading a book. I always go into her books thinking it’s gonna go one way and it always goes completely different way and this one was no different with Joan and Vanessa. Their relationship was beautiful and perfect and tragic. Vanessa’s relationship with Frances broke me especially when before she thinks she is going to die in space she thinks to make sure Frances knows she tried. The ending had me sobbing and truly questioning what was going to happen. I know TJR did it to leave the ending open for interpretation but i do wish I got more of Joan and Vanessa, especially their reunion or maybe a flash forward of their lives together. But nonetheless it was a sad, beautiful, tragic love story that i hope everyone reads!

TJR’s strengths of character depth and growth truly shine in this one! I didn’t feel as emotionally attached as in some of her other books but it still packed a punch.

3 ⭐ Sad to say, Atmosphere is my least favorite TJR novel so far, which is saying a lot because I still enjoyed it quite a bit. There were many moments when I struggled to get through the book due to its repetitiveness and slowness. The transitions between scenes often felt abrupt—especially when one conversation would jump straight into another without much clarity about shifts in time or location. This lack of delineation made the flow feel jarring at points. That said, the romance element had lovely development (though as Frances likes to say, it occasionally felt cheesy in the dialogue).

My favorite parts by far were the chapters of Veronica on the shuttle—I absolutely tore through those. And I wish with all of my heart that we got to witness Joan and Veronica's reunion at the end.

TJR does it again! I am so excited for everyone to read this in a few months. Although some may not love it because of how focused it is on space, the story is at its best when the reader is with TJR’s characters. TJR knows how to pull at a reader’s heartstrings and the last 10 percent are for sure a gut punch. I do think the pacing was a bit off which made the story stall in the middle, but that is my only complaint! I now need spinoff stories for all of the side characters. I love every single one of them! I loved being immersed in the space / astronaut jargon and loved learning about NASA through the lens of a woman in the 80s training for her first time in space. Thank you PRH for the early e-ARC!