This book was really interesting if you are into the history of NASA and topics surrounding that but past that I did not really enjoy the book. It was very slow going and the characters were flat.

This book gets ALL.THE.STARS!!!
I was desperate to get an advance copy of Atmosphere but had accepted that I’d have to wait for release day. I cannot express how excited I was to get that “read now” email this week!! I already knew going in that it was going to be a five star read. As the book progressed, I realized that it might just wind up being my favorite book released in the past few years. When I was done, I tearfully acknowledged that it’s likely my favorite book ever.
I read Atmosphere in one day, with my eyes leaking the entire time. The layers of this story are 🤌. I was on edge trying to find out what would happen to the astronauts, facing unexpected tragedy in space. I was drawn in by the struggles of these women trying to represent as the best of the best under circumstances stacked against them across the board. The smartest women in the world always know that they rank among the most middling of men in many/most spaces. This story showed how hard women had to work to be accepted as astronauts and serve as examples for the hopes and dreams of every woman to come after them. The stakes were existential for the first female astronauts. On top of that, we have female protagonists who also want to live their lives on their own terms, loving who they love, being able to experience the same things everyone else takes for granted. And we had our central character, an astronomer in love with the cosmos who also wanted to do right by her niece, who drew the short straw having her narcissist sister as a single parent.
I could not have rooted for these characters more. And I could not have loved this story more than I did.
Thank you for bringing this into the world, Taylor. The only thing else I could ask for is Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brien to headline together again when the movie is made. 🙏
*Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley

Netgalley Reviews

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Joan Goodwin, a quiet astronomy professor, jumps at the chance to become one of NASA’s first female astronauts, leaving behind her routine life for the intense training of the space shuttle program. As she bonds with a diverse group of fellow trainees and discovers unexpected love, Joan's world expands beyond science and into deeper self-discovery. But everything shifts dramatically during a space mission in 1984, altering her life forever.

I think this might be Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best work yet. The dual timeline is both powerful and heartbreaking, allowing us to fall in love and grieve almost simultaneously. The relationship between Joan and Vanessa is deeply convincing—a poignant reminder of how painful it can be to have to hide your love from the world. I was completely invested in every character from beginning to end. I don’t cry over books often, but I’ll admit I was full-on ugly sobbing by the final pages. I can’t wait for everyone to read this and fall in love with it just as much as I did.

The first chapter truly shoots you (🚀) straight into the climax of the story and the action/tension doesn’t let up until the last page! I loved the dual timeline aspect, as I literally could NOT put the book down until I found out what happened. TJR always writes the best female characters and I especially enjoyed her portrayal of women’s experiences of male dominated fields like NASA in this story - especially during the space shuttle era!! She outdid herself in Atmosphere and it was worth the wait!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid, historical romance, and space history is truly MY trifecta and I personally think she wrote this book with me in mind… so thank you TJR for selecting me for the Atmosphere Launch Team & to NetGalley for the early digital copy. So excited to have the physical edition in my hands in June. 🤞🏻

i was holding my breath and full of tears the entire time. this book is incredible. i have no words that can describe it. thank you launch team !

Anyone that is interested in NASA and aviation is going to be absolutely immersed in this story. The women depicted here are the true unsung heroes. Terrific read all around!

"Atmosphere" is Taylor Jenkins Reid's best work, in a library of amazing texts. Following the life of fictional shuttle astronaut Joan Goodwin, "Atmosphere" is not just about her adventures in space but about the discipline and strength it takes to follow your dream, and the people who help (or hinder you) along the way. Beautifully written and utterly suspenseful from the first chapter, this book is a fast read and utterly engrossing. It's romantic, too, with a great love story and an even stronger look at found family.

I typically love a Taylor Jenkins reed book but this one unfortunately wasn’t me. I had a hard time understanding all of the NASA/space talk. With that being said I will continue to still read each book she puts out!

TJR is in my top five favorite authors list, so I was undoubtedly going to love this book. But my adoration aside, this is, objectively, a fantastic book. From the first chapter to the last page, I was on the edge of my seat. It starts in the "present" in 1984, setting the stage and showing readers what's at stake. Then the story jumps back in time (to 1979, I think?), and readers get to fall in love with all of the characters we met in the first chapter. We get to know them as they move through their lives for the next few years in Houston. The story jumps forward to 1984 a few more times throughout the book, and then it catches up to and ends in 1984. There's going to be a lot of readers who will flip to the end to see what happens (I didn't, but it was difficult to resist). It's been a few years since a book made me sob, but this one did it. Multiple times. TJR made me care about tennis, and now she's made me care about spaceflight and shuttles and ASCANs and payload bay doors. I don't know how she does it, but she's magic. This book will be a bestseller. It will be on every list of the best books of 2025. Book clubs everywhere will read it. Bravo, TJR, for writing such a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Absolutely beautiful. This was tragic, heartwarming, romantic, scientific, and suspenseful all rolled up into one gorgeous novel. I was immediately connected with every character and devoured the book in one day. Some of the astronomy and science terms were a bit over my head but added to the depth of these women's intelligence and complexity. I LOVED it. Thank you to NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ballentine Books in exchange for my honest feedback.

I just finished and my thoughts are raw. My first thought are words like, wow and stunning. I loved every second of it. The pacing was incredible, the timing was brilliant, the writing was so wise and, the portrayal of the characters was so full humanity. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a force.

Another great read from Taylor Jenkins Reid! First off, I was skeptical about reading this book because I don't generally read books about space. But, the story sucked me in from the very first chapter and I knew I needed to continue reading. While the story was about space, there was so much more. It was about strong women, making their way in a man's world in the 80's. When they were told no, they did it anyway because it was what they believed in.

alright i’m going to go into this saying that i was not very satisfied with the book. i’m not sure if it was on me and i read it at the wrong time or what. i found most chapters to be boring and i didnt understand a lot of the the nasa/astronomy/space talk, and that is kinda on me i suppose but a lot of it read like i should’ve known what was being talked about and i did not. i absolutely ate up the december 29th chapters though! they were written SO well and had me in such a chokehold it saved the book. unfortunately that was the only thing i liked about the book, which sucks because i typically love tjr books

Taylor Jenkins Reid knocks it out of the park again with another cozy yet realistic historical romance. This book was exactly what I expected in the best way. I enjoyed the non-traditional back and forth structure of the timeline. It added a nice level of suspense. The addition of Francis's niece and sister added a layer of depth to this story. This was a perfect mixture of a sweet sapphic love story and an inspirational history of woman astronauts. Fans of Reid's past works will love this!

As Joan Goodwin trains as an astronaut in 1980 she becomes close with her fellow astronaut candidates. Her passion has always been space but she’s beginning to learn about herself here on earth as well.

If you enjoy space, you’ll love this one. It’s very heavy on space science as a lot takes place out of space inside the shuttle. The background is a character study and was a little slow for me but it all picked up in the end and made for an emotional story.

“If we do it, if we leave the planet, we will carry that with us into every room we enter for the rest of our lives.”

Atmosphere comes out 6/3.

The Martian meets Top Gun for female audiences in Taylor Jenkins Reid's new faux celebrity historical fiction. Atmosphere (Taylor Jenkins Reid, Penguin Random House, 2025) centers around Joan Goodwin, one of the select few candidates chosen to participate in the 1980s Space Shuttle program at NASA. Although following her life’s ambition, Joan goes from one male-dominated field to the next. Set over four years, Joan must not only navigate her new responsibilities as an astronaut-in-training, but she must also learn how to form new relationships with her fellow candidates - and friends?- and nurture her existing ones with her sister and beloved niece. Atmosphere explores what one is willing to do for their career, for their dreams, and for love.

Reid’s new book falls right in line with the dazzling historic perfection of her other acclaimed novels, like Daisy Jones & the Six. Readers that already enjoy Reid’s work, both her romance novels and her faux celebrity novels, will undoubtedly obsess over Atmosphere, as it masterfully blends historical fiction, queer romance, and science with a touch of action through a seemingly doomed shuttle mission.

Immediately, you’re thrust into the chaos of the December 1984 shuttle mission, with no idea who you’re reading about or what they’re about to go through. We know that Vanessa is on a space shuttle with four other astronauts and that Joan is communicating to them back on Earth from mission control. The apathy presented in this opening chapter leaves the reader wondering what relationships Joan has with these astronauts, and also the stakes of the story that we are working towards. Other than the occasional flash forward to December 1984, we follow Joan chronologically from around 1979 until the shuttle mission.

While the pacing might seem off at first, it actually makes a lot of sense when you realize that the time jumps highlight events that are most important to Joan throughout her training, not just what would be considered a significant milestone for an astronaut. It’s very clear throughout the narrative that, although Joan is one hundred percent committed to her job and her ambitions, her loved ones are the absolute top priority of her life, and though this is challenged at times, it is never doubted that that is the case. The relationships of the main characters are front and center throughout the novel and are so beautiful and tender and real. The challenges these relationships face are dealt with in such a raw and realistic way that it’s so difficult to choose a side when problems do arise. The only thing that Atmosphere leaves to be desired is the way that the characters cope in the aftermath of the mission.

Packed full of action and emotion, Atmosphere does not disappoint as Reid draws readers into the allure and wonder of NASA.

I have been a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid's works for years, and with each new book, my anticipation grows, as does my worry. Will this one be as good as the others? Will I connect to the characters as much as in previous books? Will I enjoy the storyline as greatly as in other books? Atmosphere did not disappoint, on any level. I found the science and the points about the inner workings of the space program accessible and not a deterrent to the enjoyment of the book. TJR did her research, and it showed. I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth in the storyline; she chose perfect points at which to switch back and forth so that the flow of the narrative was not disrupted, and it was easy to follow with what was happening in both sections. Overall, Atmosphere is a book about figuring out where you belong and being willing and able to shift those ideas when the time comes. It is about love and loss and found family. The characters were well-rounded and complex and I found myself seeing pieces of people I love throughout the ones in the book. The storyline was fast-paced and grabbed the reader immediately and didn't let go until the final line. This work sits at the top of TJR's bibliography and will remain in my brain for years to come.

Before the reader begins reading the novel 'Atmosphere", author Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote a letter to the reader that sets the background for why she wrote this novel. In it, she describes the main character Joan as "a passionate, excitable astronomer." Joan is so much more including being one of the women selected to be in the second group of astronauts in NASA that allowed women. The other supporting characters are likeable for the most part. Her sister Barbara's treatment of her daughter Frances was troubling and heartbreaking to read. An immensely enjoyable novel, like TJR's other works the reader will be surprised by some turn of events while able to predict other plot points well before they occur. Whether a first time Taylor Reid Jenkins reader or someone who has enjoyed her other works, this novel will likely fly off the shelves upon publication on June 3, 2025.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review.

It wasn’t what I was expecting but it was so good! The way Carrie Soto Is Back was full of tennis content this one has tons of astronaut/NASA content. Space exploration in the early 80’s!

Dual timeline. Well developed characters!! Strong female leads! This book explores what life was like for women in the 1980s, especially in male-dominated fields. One big theme is the struggle to balance professional ambition with personal fulfillment. It also dives into biological family vs those you choose as your family.

5 stars. This book had me in tears. Al the emotions.

in my mind, there's a strict divide between the crappy romance of TJR, and the fantastic historical fiction of TJR. I have to say, this leaned towards the former, and I didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't as bad a some of the earlier books, this one felt a bit too melodramatic for me. It felt like there needed to be some sort of epilogue, because that ending was way too "clutch my pearls," for it to be a good TJR.

Joan has dreamt of little else than making a mark in the world to be a better role model for her niece. When NASA accepts female astronauts, she throws her hat in the ring without looking back. When the personal risks the professional, Joan makes some tough calls that she doesn't want to make.

I liked Joan overall. As an aunt who would also walk over hot coals for my nephew and nieces, I strongly related to that plot line. Everything else fell so flat compared to TJR of the last 5-7 years, I almost couldn't believe it. I liked it, but not my favorite.

Thanks, NG!