I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and her writing just keeps getting better and better. She’s almost created her very own genre: books that take place in the historical past, but have their own story mostly unrelated to any major known events of that time. In Atmosphere, she has taken what we know of space travel and NASA operations from that time and has given us a heartfelt and poignant story about the people behind the scenes.

Reid has written a story filled with complex characters, all with complicated relationships with their careers and each other. They’re trying to achieve something personally remarkable while also being part of a team that will advance humankind, but all the while they are real people under the surface with feelings and hopes and desires. The push pull of the emotional bonds with the stress and limitations of the science of the times has the reader rooting hard for any positive outcome and deeply worried for the characters throughout the story. Several times I announced to people in the room with me “I’M SO WORRIED FOR THESE PEOPLE!!!!”

The love story is poignant and magical and sad which makes the overall story poignant and magical and sad.

Without spoilers, I think I liked the ending on the second to last page more than the ending on the actual last page which felt a little bit made for Hollywood. But overall, it’s an incredible novel and will be an instant best seller, at least in my little bookshop!

This may be one of my all time favorite books!! It was beautiful in every way! I laughed and I cried and I loved every minute! I loved the characters and their stories and it will stay with me for a long time to come. I cannot wait to have the physical copy for myself and to hand sell it to all of our customers. I loved all of the research that went in to writing this book. It was just enough to give me the information I needed and not too much that I felt overwhelmed by it all. The cover is amazing and this book is absolutely perfect in every way!

Atmosphere is exactly the book I've been waiting for from Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you were a kid who loved Apollo 13 and an adult who loved Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, then I promise this is the book for you.

4.5 ⭐ rounded up to 5 for goodreads

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and one of my faves is Carrie Soto is Back, who would have thought a book about a tennis star would capture my attention the way it did? Atmosphere is a little more Kristin Hannah vibes and I loved the way her characters evolved over the course of the book.

If you like strong female characters and epic love stories that also have emotional depth and character development, this is for you.

If you are looking for a good read to escape into and binge, this is for you.

NASA is finally accepting female astronauts and Jane realizes she's never wanted anything more. As a scientist, she knows more about the stars and space than most people and is thrilled to get accepted into their second class. When Jane arrives, she quickly makes friends with her fellow recruits and settles into a routine. I loved the side characters and the dynamics between the friends.

Put this on your tbr. It isn't my all time favorite from Reid, but I really enjoyed it and was thoroughly engrossed from start to finish.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC to review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid really said time to make people feel stuff. It's like she knew what we would be expecting with her and decided to just create something so different from her other stuff. Her improvement in writing between this and the last book is incredible, and I didn't think it needed to be improved, but you can tell how much she stretched her writing prowess.

The highlight of this was the story between Frances and Joan, it was so powerful and touching. I would have liked a little more character growth for some of the side characters, it would have made the emotional impact of what happens more impactful.

Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Atmosphere" is a captivating and emotionally resonant novel that tells the story of Joan Goodwin, an astronomer who becomes one of the first women astronauts in the 1980s. Set against the backdrop of the thrilling space race, the novel explores themes of love, ambition, and the enduring power of human connection.

I loved the last four Taylor Jenkins Reid books and was beyond thrilled to see this on several "most anticipated books of 2025 lists." Alas, Atmosphere is definitely the weakest of all of her most recent books. The previous four had fun, glam settings -- the music business, old Hollywood, professional tennis, and Malibu -- whereas this one, set in the 80s at NASA in Texas, just isn't as sexy and fun. Instead of the big ensembles some of her previous books have had, Atmosphere focuses on one main character, and while she's smart and driven, she's not all that fun. Many of the supporting characters are one-dimensional, and while I'm psyched to see more queer representation in love stories, this one felt super predictable and wasn't all that interesting. It does get better as the book goes on, and by the end I was fairly invested, but I don't think I'll revisit this one.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

WOW I loved this book. Not only was this book wildly gripping but it was just so so so beautiful. It affected me in ways other books haven't. It just felt so beautiful to read and it really felt like I was a part of it and that really speaks to TJR's writing. It was like I was watching this epic gravity-defying love story through a VR headset. This book is easily one of my favorite books I have ever read. I've also never highlighted more in a book than this one.

This is a well written novel about women in the NASA program in the 1980s. Fans of the author will find much to ponder in this book as well. Thank you to Edelweiss+ and NetGalley for the ARCs.

4.25 stars

Another stunning book by Jenkins Reid. A little slow and a bit overwhelming (a lot of characters) in the beginning, but once it is focused it is a gem of a story.
I have read a book by her that I haven’t liked and I would definitely put this one in the top 3 best by her.

Taylor Jenkins Reid never fails to deliver my favorite novels of this year and her latest is no exception. It was engaging and fascinating from the start and a book I could not put down. The love story, the action and the way the plots moves and grows shows Reid’s amazing writing skills. Loved loved loved and highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Another engaging historical fiction title that will be certain to be one of the most popular books of 2025.

*Atmosphere: A Love Story* by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a captivating exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery set against the backdrop of a slowly evolving relationship. Reid's writing shines as she navigates complex emotional landscapes, weaving together moments of vulnerability and tension. The characters are deeply human, flawed, and relatable, making it easy to become invested in their journey. While the plot may follow some familiar beats, Reid's talent for creating a rich, immersive atmosphere elevates the narrative, making it a compelling read for anyone who enjoys heartfelt, character-driven stories.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing truly soars here, rich with the beauty of friendship, the intensity of ambition, and the quiet longing of a woman seeking her place in the universe. Joan’s evolution from a reserved professor to a determined astronaut is captivating, as she faces both professional and personal challenges in a male-dominated field. The bond she forms with her fellow candidates creates a tension and warmth that makes their journey to the stars all the more thrilling. The pacing is perfect, pulling you in from the start, and the twists leave you breathless. This is more than just a story about space; it’s about how love, ambition, and loss shape who we are, even when we’re staring at the stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This sure packed a punch. I was losing interest in the beginning with so many characters being introduced, but when the author really zero's in on the main focus and story, it really sings. It was beautifully done.

ATMOSPHERE is a masterpiece. A triumph. A paragon of literature destined to be recognized as one of the best books, if not THE best book, of 2025. It is unlike anything Taylor Jenkins Reid has ever before offered her readers. The book is about science, space, spirituality, family, sisters, friends, misogyny, patriarchy, homophobia, time, self-discovery, relationships, and love. The author explores science, philosophy, and art as she makes sense of the human condition.

This historical novel is a character study, a riveting story of survival - literally and figuratively - and the most beautiful love story that I have read in a long time. I want to point out that yes, I know there is a difference between a romance and a love story. There are romantic moments in ATMOSPHERE, but above all, Taylor Jenkins Reid has written a truly elegant love story. Fans of the film Gravity and the book Love Story by Erich Segal will fall in love with ATMOSPHERE.

It should be noted that this is not only a love story between Joan Goodwin, the protagonist, and her partner Vanessa Ford. It is also a story about the love Joan has for her niece, Frances. And reader, pay close attention to the relationship between Joan and Frances, because as the niece grows into an intelligent, strong young woman, so too does Joan grow and discover things about herself that she never quite understood before. One could almost regard parts of the novel as a bildungsroman.

The novel is set in the 1980s when NASA started using the Space Transportation System (STS), the first re-usable space shuttle. On April 12, 1981, Columbia became the first space shuttle to fly into space. It was also the first re-usable spacecraft. These facts are pointed out in the text, making it especially relevant today as private space industry in 2024 is discussing ways to develop re-usable rockets.

Also, hovering beyond the book's periphery is the tragedy of January 28, 1986, when Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. Readers old enough to remember that tragedy will find their thoughts drift to it from time to time.

I mention these details because Reid's research into NASA and space travel in the 1980s is punctilious. She incorporates NASA's lexicon into the novel with great care, bringing an air of authenticity to the story and her characters. I was reminded of the film Apollo 13 and the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon while reading.

It is also one of the author's more feminist novels as her protagonist Joan Goodwin navigates a profession dominated by men and “traditional” masculine values. For example, Reid writes,

“She was trying to prove that she could be just like a man to all of them . . . . Because the world had decided that to be soft was to be weak, even though in Joan’s experience being soft and flexible was always more durable than being hard and brittle. Admitting you were afraid always took more guts than pretending you weren’t. Being willing to make a mistake got you further than never trying. The world had decided that to be fallible was weak. But we are all fallible. The strong ones are the ones who accept it.

Joan had let men like Jimmy set the terms.

But the terms were false, even to him. He was just as scared as anybody else.
Bravery, Joan suspected, is almost always a lie. Courage is all we have.
She didn’t want to lower herself to the game men played.”

Some may be of the opinion that the author is not be breaking any new ground with this astuteness, but that is not the point. Joan is a grown woman, yet she struggles with her identity, coming to terms with who she is and what’s most important to her, ascertaining her values. How and when Joan achieves this insight - that is what is most important from this takeaway. And it is unbelievably progressive at a time when the moral majority was highly influential, especially in political circles, and Phyllis Schlafly is going around the country lecturing about traditional roles for women, not to mention the world slowly is being decimated by AIDS, a word then President Reagan would never dare utter until his second term in the White House. All of this should come to the reader’s mind as they turn page after page.

Numerous passages contain some of Reid's most sublime prose. My copy of the novel is covered in highlights. It is almost like poetry. To include any of the content here would make this already verbose review cumbersome. I will just mention - pay especially close attention to the moments when Reid writes about God and the universe. They reflect an insight that I have struggled to express my entire life. Now, I can point to many of these sections when trying to explain my own point of view.

Compared to previous novels like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto Is Back, this book is so different. It's almost as if Reid knows what the reader expects from a standard “Taylor Jenkins Reid novel,” so she had to step away from herself while writing this book.

The book is for the most part about Joan Goodwin learning who she is. But for some reason, when I was reading, I had the sense that Taylor Jenkins Reid was also learning, or maybe re-discovering is the better word, something about herself while writing this book.

At one point, Reid writes, “Joan studied the thin, blue, hazy circle that surrounded the Earth. The atmosphere was so delicate, nearly inconsequential. But it was the very thing keeping everyone she loved alive.” At this point in the book, Joan has achieved the very goal she set out for herself. And what does she want more than anything at that moment? To be back on Earth with the people she loves.

How can something so delicate, so fragile as the atmosphere protect and destroy? The same might be said about human beings. Perhaps, that is part of what Reid is trying to convey in the book. What is the variable that determines whether something protects or destroys? Love.

I think that is a lesson we all need to be reminded of.