Simply one of my favorite reads of the year. Taylor Jenkins Reid wrapped an amazingly emotional journey within an interesting historical/social context. Highly memorable, I bet it won't take more than one or two sittings for readers to finish this story!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! "Atmosphere" hooked me from the very first chapter. The suspense from the present day held me though the entire book. I felt a connection with Joan through her love for her niece, her late in life discovery of love, and the passion she has for life and what she loves. Truly an amazing read and would recommend to everybody.

My Goodreads review is one word: "Yeah."

Unfortunately, Netgalley requires slightly longer.

Anywho, I loved it. I think I loved it less for the astronaut portions (although the in-space scary was good) and more for the realistic depiction of being gay and female in a high-stakes, macho federal agency in the 1980s.

Taylor Jenkins Reid when I catch you. When I catch you TJR. How dare you make me sob at work? I don't know why I thought reading this there was a good idea but I did it and it was a MISTAKE. I was so scared and emotional for the entire last act it was such a horrible experience I cannot WAIT to read it again.

Thank you Random House Ballantine for the ARC review. This is my first read by TJR and it hooked me right away. Characters develop throughout the story. I will definitely be reading more!

this book changed my life. it altered my brain chemistry. i read this book in february; it is now august and i still think about it daily. i look up at the night sky and the stars and think about joan and vanessa and get teary eyed. i get choked up whenever someone asks me about it. i have a pit in my stomach just writing this.
taylor jenkins reid so expertly wrote the perfect high stakes, life or death romance that had my heart racing out of stress and also out of pure love and adoration for these characters. this was unlike ANYTHING i have ever read and one of the most beautiful stories ever written i think. i will carry this book with me for years and years and years to come. i love these astronauts.

As someone who grew up near where Christa McAuliffe taught, the Challenger launch was a near and dear moment for me. I loved learning about the women and how they were treated in the space program during the 1980s Taylor captured the forbidden love in such a fantastic way. I love this book and I’ve been recommending it to all of my friends, family, and library patrons. Thank you for the gifted copy.

Reid effectively weaves together science, suspense, and romance while telling the story of a woman breaking the glass ceiling at NASA.

This book was flawless. My only complaint is that I want a bunch of epilogues, to be able to look in on Vanessa and Joan and Frances to see how the rest of their lives turned out. I’d honestly read another book that was just that.

The story switches back and forth from the present (December 1984), dealing with a NASA crisis that makes Apollo 13 look tame and emotional stakes that made me cry at work more than once, and the past, giving us the backstory. Switching back and forth was a good way to keep up the tension – we’d go back in time and I’d be dying to know what was happening in the present, but I was also so invested in the backstory that I’d immediately get sucked into that section as well. The time switches also worked well as a narrative device - the past sections gave a whole new context to the events of the present every time it switched back, leading you to view the events of the present in a new light.

I loved the characters and the relationships in this book so much. Joan and Vanessa are so great together, I loved them of course, but also Joan and Frances, and the dynamics between all of the different astronauts. There was such a strong found family feeling with that group, which made my heart swell (and ache, given certain events.) The relationships all felt so honest and realistic – including the less nice ones, like between Joan and her sister. The dialogue always felt authentic. That’s the best way I can describe the book, and the author’s writing in general. It always feels effortlessly authentic to me.

Five unreserved stars, and if anyone needs me I’ll be bumping all the Taylor Jenkins Reid books I haven’t read higher up my TBR list.

A love story with space by TJR!?!? Say less.

I will admit I had a hard time focusing on this one, due to split timelines. However, once I focused I couldn’t stop. Joan and Vanessa’s love story was a beautiful slow burn, in a time where being out (1980s) was cautioned against. We see Joan figuring out who she is, intercut with her trying to save the shuttle disaster. It was a beautiful story that had me in tears for the end. But also, Barbara is the worst.

Atmosphere is a haunting, beautifully crafted novel that lingers like a song you can’t forget. As a GMA Book Club Pick, it more than earns its spotlight—offering a story rich in emotional nuance and unforgettable imagery. With lyrical prose and a keen sense of place, the book explores grief, transformation, and the thin line between the visible and invisible forces shaping our lives. Each character is drawn with sensitivity and purpose, and the narrative unfolds with both mystery and grace. Atmosphere is literary fiction at its most moving—an immersive, meditative experience that will stay with readers long after finishing.

TJR = 5 star ALWAYS. Seriously she just gets it and this one involved space so a double win for me. I really enjoy reading and watching this author grow and change, great book and exactly what I needed to read. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a goddess and everything she writes is golden. Of course I couldn’t wait to read this. But then the hype for this book just grew and grew. I can’t even tell you how many reviews I read with the words “sobbing” and “masterpiece” mentioned. And don’t get me wrong, I did love this book, the story was so well written, you can’t help but love the main characters Joan and Vanessa. The 1980s setting was vivid and realistic. But somehow I never fell into the book as deeply as so many other readers seemed to. I cried more reading Carrie Soto is Back, and I don’t even like tennis. Atmosphere was very suspenseful and moving, but didn’t hit the highs of some of TJR’s previous books, for me. Still, I feel like everyone should read every one of TJR’s books. Just maybe disregard the hype about this one before you do.

Well I loved Reid's other books but unfortunately this one was a big disappointment to me. Just boring--too much romance, I didn't care about the characters, the astronaut stuff was not compelling enough. I had to force myself to read on.

"Atmosphere" was chefs kiss. If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. Taylor Jenkins Reid was humble in her acknowledgments, but I didn't find any flaw with her writing. This was one of the best love stories I've ever read. It spoke directly to my soul. I've loved astronomy and space exploration my whole life. I've always had tremendous respect for the people who work at NASA. You would've thought Taylor worked for NASA with how detailed and professionally written this book was. My first experience with TJR's work was "Daisy Jones and The Six." Another book added to my 6 star shelf. Like Daisy Jones, "Atmosphere" was engaging, beautiful, heartbreaking, and thoughtful. I couldn't praise it enough. 10/10 recommend

I enjoyed this book, it definitely wasn’t my favorite book by her but I would recommend to people who are fans of her. I wish there was more of the work they were doing and space stuff vs the relationship and romance. But it was entertaining enough

I absolutely loved this book. I loved learning about the NASA space shuttle program, the stars, and more. I loved the strong women in this book that paved the way for other women and young girls. The love story between Joan and Vanessa was beautiful, the found family element was everything. The way TJR laid out the book interweaving what was happening current day and what led to that day was chef’s kiss and made it a page turner! I am adding this book to my absolute will re-read list!

The reader can tell this one is personal for Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set against the 1980s NASA space shuttle program, this love story with suspense kept me on turning pages late into the night. I found the relationship between Joan and Vanessa supportive, real, and heartbreaking. While this book is very entertaining, it was also a behind-the-curtain look at the sexism found in male dominated scientific realms. All the women in the novel face hard decisions between the personal and professional, love and friendship, and what is versus what may be. Overall, Reid is a master at cementing the reader in sometimes difficult, always time-bound, and masterfully complicated world full of believable characters. The reader comes out with a sense of place, purpose, and understanding.

It hurts me to say this, as a HUGE TJR fan, but this was just not my cup of tea. First off, I am not a space person... In fact it can give me nightmares. I find the extreme unknown to be unnerving. So, the astronaut thing just did not work for me. I will say, the big, climatic start definitely drew me into the book, but I found that the pacing did not continue from there. There were way too many characters, which at times I struggled to keep track of. I think that if there were fewer characters I would have had a better relationship with all of them and their interactions and growth would have kept me better engaged in the story. I did like the dual timelines and I felt that TJR offered a smooth transition between the two - it helped us to understand today. I never considered this a DNF, I just never fully connected with the characters or the storyline. If you enjoy space, this may be a MUCH better fit for you!! Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Just wow. I loved this book so much. The subject of space is one that always ignites my fascination. You add to it a cast of wonderful characters, an emergency, conflicts of interest, sapphic love and found family and I couldn’t put it down. The ending had me crying!