Oh, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. While it didn’t disappoint, it just wasn’t to the level of Carrie Soto for me. But for fans of TJR’s writing, this was so well done. The romantic arc between Joan and Vanessa was well-paced and believable, and if I wasn’t dead inside, I would have cried through the last chapter like a baby. Highly recommend this book if you love love and are a fan of romances.

Joan is determined to be an astronaut. It’s early 1980s and women are **juuuuuuust* beginning to be taken seriously…..sort of almost barely. Joan falls deeply in love with her flight school classmates and they develop a deep bond. But the sparkle of one classmate in particular cannot be denied.
Enter Vanessa. Vanessa knows who she is. She knows what she wants. And she knows that there is so much more to Joan than even Joan knows. These two women support, encourage, challenge, and eventually love each other in a truly precious way.
But for Joan, there’s also her sister Barbara (rigid, close-minded) and Joan’s niece Frances (precocious, adores Joanie more than any other adult in her life) and her professional peers and instructors who will not tolerate, as one put it, “sexual deviance”.
Again, Reid shines at character development, particularly the slow burn of Joan and Vanessa’s romance, and the action that this story hangs on crescendos in a masterful way

Atmosphere is another slam dunk for Taylor Jenkins Reid with this story focusing on the pilots and astronauts of NASA as well as mixing in the strengths of TJR: great characters, emotional moments and realistic events.

I was so excited to see that Taylor Jenkins Reid had a new book coming out, and it did not disappoint; I absolutely loved it!! I've never read about astronauts/astronomers/NASA before, and I found it super interesting. The characters were incredible, the love story was beautiful, and the climax was so emotional that I definitely would have cried had I not been interrupted by a precious toddler every 30 seconds, haha. Ugggh, I loved this book!!
I was a tiny bit disappointed not to catch any connections to Reid's other books (I love when she does that), but maybe I just missed it.

I was surprised it took me a long time to get through this book. Normally I am such a fan I can't put the book down. It was good it just didn't grab me the way her other works have.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. Reminiscent of her classically woven storylines, but also "Lessons in Chemistry" we are taken on a ride of a lifetime, exploring space and love. Highly recommend.

I enjoy how Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story. Joan has always loved the stars so she's excited when she gets selected to be one of the first women selected to join NASA. Joan learns so much about herself as she prepares for her first space shuttle experience. I really enjoyed this and know it's going to be well loved when it comes out in June.

This was just beautiful. It's so well written. I'm at a loss for words. It's just beautiful. I loved it ❤️ I can't wait to get a physical copy and add it to my collection. Do yourself a favor and read this beautiful love story.

Book Releases on June 3, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

TAYLOR JENKINS REID THE WOMAN YOU ARE!
She did it again. She wrote another banger of a book. Woah, I'm so grateful I got the ARC of this, the writing was beautiful (as always) and the empowering storyline was phenomenal.

One of my daughters is absolutely dying that I got to read the new Taylor Jenkins Reid book before her—especially since she’s the one who introduced me to Reid’s incredible storytelling. And honestly? She should be jealous because this book is fantastic!

As a huge fan of NASA, the space program, and the Shuttle era, Atmosphere was right up my alley. I can’t stand books about space that get the technical details wrong (I recently read one where astronauts were casually wandering around the base of the rocket, shaking hands with politicians 15 minutes before launch—not even close to reality!). But that’s where Taylor Jenkins Reid shines—she did her research, and it shows.

The story follows Joan, an astronomy professor who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when NASA begins accepting women into the Shuttle program. The training is grueling, the pressure is intense, and to make things even more complicated, she finds herself developing unexpected feelings for someone.

With its compelling characters, perfect pacing, and incredible attention to detail, Atmosphere isn’t just good—it’s one of the best books of the year. No question.

My favorite of Reid's books by far! Great LGBTQ representation, fascinating look at the inner workings of NASA and the space program in the 80's. I couldn't put it down. I wonder if it was based on the life of Sally Ride, who was my heroine while growing up. I wanted to be just like her, and this novel gave a great behind the scenes look at what is required of the astronaut candidates (ASCANS) in the space program.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the arc of this book.
I really liked this book. Nothing like Carrie Soto or Daisy Jones- it has some of the vibes of her older books. This was a romance book, but not just in the ordinary way but also about what it means to love the world outside of our world and what it means to understand our significance (or insignificance ?) in the greater galaxy. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a propulsive writer- she keeps the story moving at a perfect pace.

This author is always a must grab no doubt about that. The anticipated release for this novel in June is a perfect ode to the struggle of hiding ones true self for fear of rejection. It takes courage to remain delicate in a world so cruel. It is not just a romance. It's a love story to the planet, to science and invention, human endeavour, and to friendship. It's a story of what can be achieved through courage and determination. Atmosphere follows the story of Joan Goodwin who is training to be an astronaut at NASA in a world still coming to terms with the role women can and will play in society. It showcases the daily struggles women faced while attempting to be considered even remotely equal to men. It’s the ease with which the story unfolds that makes it so special. The characters and plot flow naturally. The prose is real and accessible, and no one is trying too hard with overly lofty symbolism and deeper meaning. It’s just a story to get lost in and that’s the best kind of story.

Tonally a bit different from some of TJR's other reads. For me, however, it still had that classic TJR feel that has had the pages flipping and the oil lamps burning late at night. You think, going into this, that you know what it's about. But then the script flips, and there I was, scrambling through the pages like I was starving and words were fodder. Well done!

3.5 stars
Space travel and astronauts as a premise for a book generally doesn't interest me unless of course it's written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. What really interested me about the book though was the ensemble cast of characters all coming together.

The novel is told from Joan's perspective and takes us from her time as a professor to being recruited by NASA to be part of their space program. I know very little about space travel but Reid has done some excellent research and gives us the technical details without sounding like a textbook. Joan is quiet and shy but slowly comes out of her shell to befriend her fellow candidates. Also adding an interesting layer to the story is Joan's flighty sister Barbara and niece Frances. Joan is basically Frances's second parent and balancing taking care of her niece with the rigors of astronaut training was really humanizing for Joan who felt sometimes too perfect. I think Reid does such an excellent job and goes so in depth with her characters that saying anymore would be a spoiler.

My only complaint with the book is that it's a little too long and drags a bit in the middle. The romance subplot between Joan and a fellow astronaut is pretty obvious but takes a while to develop. However, the ending of the book had me on the edge of my seat and really felt earned.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will recommend to everyone I can.

This is a story of Joan, who is a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University. She also has a niece, Frances. Joan is obsessed with the stars and space. In the summer of 1980, Joan along with several others is chosen to be an astronaut. She quickly becomes friends with them and then starts to question everything about her life. Then a tragic event takes place.

This book was so well written and I found myself emotionally all over but loved it. Highly recommend!

HUGE thank you to netgalley (and Ballantine) for providing me with the e-arc of this title! (While giving thanks, I would also like to give an honorable mention to the phone booths in my office that I used as a space to cry while finishing this book... because WOW.... I went through a lot of tissues.)

I have to admit, I was hesitant about this one. It seems to exist within the world of TJR books, but is a bit of a pivot from the "celebrity" novels we have come to know. And then I read maybe two chapters of this and thought to myself "TJR is going to completely outdo herself with this one," but I kept it to myself, so I didn't jinx it.

AND SHE DID OUTDO HERSELF. WOW! My heart completely shattered reading this one. Perhaps because, while I am the furthest thing from a girl in STEM, Joan is the TJR mc that has resonated the most with me. and also, perhaps, because IT IS HEARTBREAKING IN THE BEST WAY. it will sew you back together, too, don't worry, but wow. OUCH.

I think the slightly non-chronological storytelling format worked really well, and I think the dynamics between our main character and the people around her were very special. Joan clearly loves her community so, so fiercely, and this trait made me fall in love with her.

At the risk of spoilers, I won't say too much. Instead, I'll leave you all with: I pray I didn't't overhype this one just now, but this is my new favorite TJR.

I can always count on Taylor Jenkins Reid to create a story that sucks me in from start to finish. This story was unexpected and is completely different from the world she was building with her last few books, which I liked! I can’t wait to see this on the bestsellers list this summer.

I didn't know anything anything about this book going into it, other than maybe "space" because of the title but what a sweet and interesting love story this turned into. TJR adds another great to her list!

In this dual timeline novel we have the 1984 crew on a NASA ship dealing with catastrophy and then we skip back a few years and follow Joan as she is one of the first women accepted to be an astronaut.

The beginning is a bit overwhelming with the number of characters introduced, but they soon were captivating to follow. Themes of found family, working to accomplish one's goals, and dealing with the closed-minded world of the 70s.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

An enjoyable read with fantastic female characters. I finished this in one day, it was very engaging.

Another fabulous read from TJR! I love love loved this book. Such an interesting look at the 80s space program, seen through the eyes of an outsider. And what a swoony love story! I'll admit that I was glued to the drama in space slightly more than on Earth, but both arcs were absolutely fantastic. Five stars!