Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Ms. Reid for the opportunity to read an ARC of this story. An honest review was requested but not required.

First of let me just say how absolutely WILD it is that the 80s are now historical fiction. Yes, I get it, they were 40 years ago, blah blah blah, I am so old, OMG.

For some reason I was really sort of expecting this to be a sort of Carrie Soto meets space: instead of tennis, make it aerospace engineering. I liked that the romance element in Carrie was relatively muted: tennis is Carrie's love and Carrie's life and will always stand before romance or, at the very least, walk hand in hand with it. Which is why I was so surprised that domestic issues and romance played such a big part of Atmosphere. After all, tennis is great and all, but SPACE. Space is so mysterious it's practically impossible: this absolutely foreign and mysterious environment, so difficult to imagine, so far out of reach of 99.999999999999% of people as to be magic. To me, that element is so big (pun intended) that it was hard work to make a romance compete.
And in the 1980s! That boys' club that was (is?) NASA, where "token" women were proffered to the American public as though feminism and women's rights actually mattered to them. What a rich environment for a story. This might be an unpopular opinion; I would have liked even *more* science and engineering details and nitty gritty stuff added in. (I'm that weirdo who read ALL the scientific explanations in The Martian.) I found myself enjoying but skimming the domestic/family bits and the love story, as good as they were. Not say that they weren't very well written; Ms. Reid is a master of characterization and the emotional punch is real. I did struggle with the open-ended ending but, that's me.
Carrie is still my favorite but this was an easy 4 star book for me.

Wow. I was conflicted about my feelings towards this book for the majority of time I spent reading, but the last 10% obliterated me. I was ugly crying for the first time in a while due to a book.

With TJR being one of my favorite authors and having waited so long for her next read, my expectations were probably too high. There was so much scientific and space jargon that I was lost a little bit of the way. And I will admit there were moments while I was reading that I was a little bored and just wanted to know the point of it all.

The point is love. And not your typical love at that. This isn’t a romance. This is a love letter to found family, to your person, to a child who isn’t your own but might as well be and to the things in life bigger than any one person. This is about fighting for what you deserve against all odds, against what society tells you is acceptable. The struggles of being a woman in a man’s world.

The beauty that is TJR is that she will tell you all of this in a slow and mundane way that you won’t even notice what’s happening before your eyes until all the puzzle pieces fall into place and there is a bomb threatening to detonate everything.

While 90% of the book is setting the table and feels a little lackluster just know the last 10% makes the experience beautiful.

Joan teaches physics and astronomy to students at Rice University. She's been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Her sister discovers NASA is accepting applications for women to join the space program. It's 1980, and Joan’s application is selected from thousands of others. She begins her astronaut training while also meeting and working with some of the people who will change her life forever and make her question her place in the universe.

This book is great. The whole way through, it was a string four starts from me, but the last maybe 25% of it is what kicked it up to five. So many emotions. So many feelings. There were some tears, but not as much as other TJR books have given me. If you're a fan of TJR, you'll notice she still uses all the smallest, yet still significant, details she's known for. There's romance, there's questioning everything you've ever known, there's heartbreak, and there's passion. Passion not just for other people, but space. This book definitely gave me a new perspective on space and how I look at the sky. It's a heartbreaking and beautiful story at the same time.

On a more personal note, there's always something in a TJR book (all the ones I've read so far anyways… I have two left) that somehow mirrors a part of my life, even something very little. In this book it was such a small detail of the theme of the book, but the bigger message is there. It's the weirdest thing. And that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

A big thank you to TJR and her team for gifting me this advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF: You love TJR!! I also think it would be a good beginner TJR book if I haven't read any of hers yet. Just read it!!

Such a wonderful read. I love that Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a great way of writing characters that a reader can connect to. She is also great at making the reader understand the time and place of the setting. This was a wonderful book and I loved the topic. Her books cover different topics and I have enjoyed each and every one of them.

"I can wake up every single day and choose you, over and over and over again. If you're in bed next to me, I will take your hand. If you are not, I will go find you. I will spend the rest of my life, if I get that lucky, seeking you out. Not because I promised you or because you're there. But because I will want to. I will want to be beside you. Every day. Forever."....
"If that can be enough for you," Vanessa said, "it's yours until the day I die."

This one was hard for me to review. I love TJR and each aspect of this book was really beautiful. But together it felt a bit like too many pieces. The first part was intense and sucked me right into the space drama, so I thought it would be a fast paced read (which I wasn't expecting). Then the book goes back to the story origin and the pace turns a slower corner filled with family drama (that sister is completely awful), society prejudices, 1980s male dominated work culture in a male dominated field, and a heartfelt secret romance. While all these pieces are connected, I think maybe I wanted more of each versus a little bit of all. It made me feel less connected.

The bigger themes of our place in the world, acceptance, and freedom to love are absolutely beautifully portrayed. TJR's writing hits you when you don't expect it. You'll be reading along and then hit something like the quote above --or THAT ENDING, wow--I was in tears.

While there were parts of this I enjoyed, and while I can see how the book will be commercially successful (plus, kudos to the marketing team), this just felt contrived and stilted. "This is how an astronaut feels" "This is a sexual awakening" "This is women's lib!". As a result, the characters and plot stayed very surface level for me.

This is hand down the best book I have read this year.

Joan Goodwin is lots of things to lots of people. A daughter, sister, aunt, friend. She has spent her life doing what is right, what she *should* do, what people need her to do.

But in 1979, Joan does something just for her, for a world bigger than herself. She applies to NASA’s astronaut program, and is chosen to be one of the women working with the space shuttle program. Hoping to be one of the first women in space.

“We are so determined to learn what lies beyond our grasp that we have figured out how to ride a rocket out of the atmosphere. A thrilling ability that seems ripe to attract cowboys, but is best done by people like her. Nerds.” - Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid

This duel timeline story walks us through a space shuttle mission as it is happening, with Joan as the CAPCOM. And year prior and all events leading up to this pivotal moment.

Atmosphere truly is a love story, a love for a true partner and all of the difficulties that come with navigating a world that puts relationships in a box and isn’t ready to accept anything else. A love for a world beyond the one we stand on, for the sky, the stars, and everything in our solar system and beyond. Also a love for self. Discovering and embracing who you are, not just what you can be for others.

While this space shuttle program is fictional, it’s clearly been so well researched and written to slip easily into our understanding and experience with real space programs. I grew up watching the HBO series “From Earth to the Moon” which is a dramatized telling of the US space program at its various stages. Atmosphere felt like reading those stories of real people who helped advance our journey and exploration of space.

I have said it before in other reviews, but Taylor Jenkins Reid is a mastermind at making these characters come to life and feel all of their emotion. I felt like I intimately knew Joan and Vanessa by the end of the book. More than their story but truly knew *them* and things unsaid.

This is a beautiful story, everyone should read it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for providing me with an early copy of this book and including me in the Atmosphere Launch Team! All opinions are my own.

✨Atmosphere - Spoiler Free Review✨
By Taylor Jenkins Reid

Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: 📖
Steam: 🌶️
Published: 6/3/25
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Atmosphere tells the story of Joan Goodwin, an astrophysics professor who joins NASA's space shuttle program in the 1980s. As she trains alongside other astronaut candidates, Joan finds unexpected friendship and love, only for a catastrophic event during a mission to dramatically change everything.

Just moments after finishing this incredible story, tears are still streaming down my face! Atmosphere was a profoundly moving experience; a heart-pounding, heart-wrenching, and beautiful exploration of love and passions. Taylor Jenkins Reid has not only met but spectacularly exceeded the hype and anticipation surrounding this novel! I absolutely loved and devoured every page. The narrative masterfully balances heart-stopping suspense with a deeply character-driven plot, interwoven with such a beautiful love story. Its many layers and characters kept me engaged, swooning, and continually learning throughout my read. I previously knew little about space travel, and I found it fascinating to learn about the rigorous selection process, the immense challenges, and the fierce competition involved in becoming an astronaut and being chosen for a mission, especially as a female in the 80’s! This book served as a poignant reminder of the significant strides women and the LGBTQ+ community have made over the past four decades, while also underscoring the crucial work that still lies ahead to secure true equality, particularly in male dominated fields.

The masterful use of a dual timeline enriched the story significantly for me. It added a compelling depth and complexity to the story and the emotions I experienced while reading this book. The narrative structure provided such a profound connection with the characters that, despite not typically crying while reading, I found myself genuinely moved to tears several times throughout my reading. I loved Atmosphere and highly recommend this 5 star read!

🙏 Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books, and Taylor Jenkins Reid for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Atmosphere publishes 6/3/25. 💖

First off, remember to take everything here with a grain of stardust because I love the NASA/space theme so I’m on board right from the start.

But this book is excellent.

I’ve read Reid several times now and it’s exciting how she can introduce you to characters, make you feel for them (even when they’re not being lovable), connect with them, and root for them hard. This time it’s all against this epic backdrop with stakes that seem higher for it.

Atmosphere is told in a in media res format, so being thrown into a critical juncture in the present is of course an easy way to ratchet tension immediately, but those present timeline scenes were spectacular. Each one gaining significance as the past circumstances lent more weight every time you caught back up.

The leads in Atmosphere were wonderful characters, ones I won’t forget soon. The supporting cast was solid, although there were times I wished they were a little more differentiated. There were also a couple of scenes that slowed the pace of the book by going on a bit long…but really they were decent enough departures. That’s the extent of the bad.

Everything else was a home run. Atmosphere did that great-book-thing where you reread paragraphs because you enjoyed them so much. That thing where you couldn’t wait to turn the page but also didn’t want to because then you’d be closer to not reading it anymore. That thing where you took a breath—or three—because you couldn’t just start another book after reading it. You needed a minute to celebrate or bask or something.

It’s a story about going far and staying close. About reaching the stars and reaching just across the table.

But again, stardust.

I still loved it though.

Recommended for readers who love great writing, meaningful dialogue, insanely cheerable characters and stories where you can find epic meaning in the small and small truths in the epic.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing an uncorrected ARC via NetGalley.

I have so many things to say about this book, so apologies for the jumbled paragraphs:

I know absolutely nothing about space. Well, the bare minimum that they taught in 6th grade science classes, but that’s about it. I knew that I loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work before this new novel, and so I knew that even if I didn’t understand it, I would be in for a very good story and overall vibe. Luckily, Taylor never fails to disappoint.
Joan is my mother’s name, and she always wished that her middle name was “Frances” so that she could go by that instead. She felt it was such a cool name, so reading this book was a rollercoaster because of that. I love how Taylor can write such beautiful character relationships – even if each character didn’t have a personal relationship with every single major and minor character in the story, it wasn’t faked to try and add dimension to the cast. No one was a villain, at least not entirely, and everyone who could be deemed as such had a understandability to their reasoning. To an extent, that is.
I really do have a lot that I would love to say about this book, but I’m still recovering from it and my thoughts are a bit too all over the place for me to even try and collect them. I loved the characters, I loved Joan’s relationship with Frances, I loved Joan’s character arc, I loved Vanessa, Lydia, Griff, Steve, Donna, Helene, and all of the other characters in this story so much it hurts, and most of all, I love space!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read and review such an amazing book, and thank you Taylor Jenkins Reid for taking the time to research, write, and publish the beauty that is Atmosphere.

This book hurt my feelings in the best way possible. I stayed up late to finish it, because the last 20 percent or so was so suspenseful. It's definitely a character driven book, and I enjoyed getting to know each character. I also experienced a ton of space anxiety and confirmed I have zero interest in ever going to space. On the flip side of that, I love how much the characters loved space. Overall, I always love Taylor Jenkins Reid and this book was no exception

This is is a captivating and emotionally resonant novel that masterfully blends character depth with vivid storytelling. Reid’s signature talent for exploring complex relationships shines through, making the narrative both heartfelt and thought-provoking. With its immersive setting and compelling emotional arcs, Atmosphere is a beautifully written, satisfying read that lingers long after the final page.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for this digital e-arc.*

The entire time I read this book, I was in mad love with Joan because she is unabashedly herself. She doesn't play politics. She doesn't try to dim her shine in front of male astronauts. She hides only one part of herself, a part she didn't discover really until she meets Vanessa. Their relationship works because Joan is a fully formed person with hobbies and interests of her own.

Put against her very straight, single mom sister, Barbara it is obvious that Joan knows exactly who she is and what she wants out of her life and Barbara is conversely obsessed with male attention. She feels like her daughter Frances takes away from her life, but Joan sees her niece as enriching her life and spends every moment with her. Taylor Jenkins Reid makes these choices deliberately to highlight that Joan is a better parent figure despite what the moral majority types say about lesbians and children needing both a mother and a father. Joan is willing to give up everything to be with her niece and it is a far better thing for Frances that Joan loves her. Barbara just doesn't.

I love the fact that Joan is unabashedly herself once she figures out who that is. There is one time when she falters, but by the end her life rings truer than any character I've read in a while.

Thanks to the Ballantine and Netgalley for this wonderful eARC.

In short, I LOVED this book, and although I don't consider myself a romance fan, it is likely because most are terribly written and unrealistic. However, this is an outstanding book in every aspect! 🌹❤️

Here's my review In detail...

Taylor Jenkins Reid has a knack for crafting stories that feel intimate yet grand, and "Atmosphere" is no exception. Set against the backdrop of NASA’s Space Shuttle program in the 1980s, this novel is a breathtaking blend of ambition, love, and the relentless pursuit of something greater than oneself.

At the heart of the story is Joan Goodwin, an astrophysics professor whose lifelong fascination with the stars propels her into NASA’s rigorous astronaut training program. Joan is a compelling protagonist—thoughtful, reserved, and deeply passionate about her work. Her journey is not just about reaching space; it’s about discovering the limits of her own courage and the unexpected depths of human connection.

Reid masterfully balances the technical and emotional aspects of Joan’s experience. The novel immerses readers in the grueling realities of astronaut training, the camaraderie and competition among candidates, and the ever-present specter of failure. Yet, it is the relationships Joan forms—particularly with the enigmatic aeronautical engineer Vanessa Ford—that give the novel its emotional core. Their bond is electric, evolving from mutual admiration to something far more profound, challenging Joan’s understanding of love and sacrifice.

The pacing is taut, alternating between Joan’s early days in the program and a pivotal mission in 1984 that changes everything. Reid’s ability to weave tension into both the professional and personal stakes makes "Atmosphere" an unputdownable read. The novel is not just about space exploration; it’s about the gravity of human emotions, the weight of dreams, and the forces that pull us toward one another.

With "Atmosphere", Reid delivers a story that is both thrilling and deeply moving. It’s a love story in every sense—love for discovery, love for the unknown, and love that defies expectations. Whether you’re drawn to historical fiction, romance, or tales of perseverance, this novel is a stellar addition to Reid’s already impressive body of work.

This book will leave breathlessly in awe of the author's talent, and remind you of a more innocent time when we all took pride in our country, united and fascinated by the space program.

Five stars and a standing ovation for Atmosphere!

I’m floating in orbit and emotionally unwell (in the best way) 🚀🌌💔✨

BRB, building a tiny shrine to Joan Goodwin and launching myself into the stars because *Atmosphere* absolutely *wrecked* me—in that special, stargazing, soul-shattering way only Taylor Jenkins Reid can.

This book is *everything*:
💫 1980s NASA history
🧑‍🚀 women breaking barriers
💘 a secret F/F romance that *soars*
😩 emotional devastation (that I will be thanking TJR for until the end of time)

Joan is such a stunning character—quiet, brilliant, aching for something more. Watching her go from classroom to cockpit, chasing the impossible, made my heart *ache* with pride. And Vanessa Ford?? QUEEN OF THE STARS. Cool, capable, a little mysterious, and soft where it counts. Their love story?? Tender. Defiant. Beautiful. My heart melted into space dust.

I laughed. I cried (a *lot*). I felt like I *was* in Houston in the 80s, sweating through astronaut training and falling in love under fluorescent lighting and constellations. TJR’s writing is cinematic and intimate, historical and heartfelt. You’ll learn so much about the space shuttle program—but more importantly, you’ll *feel* the impossible weight of dreams and love in a world that doesn't always make room for them.

Do you have to care about space to love this? Absolutely not. But by the end, you *will*. You’ll look up at the night sky and think of Joan and Vanessa—and the whole brilliant, beautiful crew who dared to reach beyond gravity.

Read it. Cry. Stare at the stars. Repeat.

I just want to say I normally love TJR and read most of her work, but this one was more of a miss for me. It was hard to get into - I think the rah-rah excitement of the space exploration triggered some deep-seated Soviet propaganda trauma in me, and the whole magic of the cosmos just did not seem genuine.

Joan's character is a bit one-dimensional, especially in the beginning. She is so good at everything, from science to drawing to astronomy, but also so clueless. As if becoming a professor of physics and getting selected by NASA just happens to people this naive.

Barbara is also more of a caricature of an unfeeling, ungrateful sister. I think a little more depth to her character could make her a bit more alive and relatable.

I wanted to add an extra star (but didn't) to balance out all the bad reviews left just because the readers "did not expect a saphic love story" - get a grip, people. I don't think you need a disclaimer for that. Maybe exploring different love stories and reading about relationships outside of heteronormality could make you a better, more compassionate, empathetic person. Taking same sex romance in a book as a personal affront is a bit silly, especially given the disproportionate imbalance in representation.

The second part of the book redeems it a bit, and I enjoyed the final chapters, even if they left me wanting a bit more of a closure. Maybe TJR is thinking about a second installment?

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House/Balantine, for providing an early reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

The salty tears at the end really helped with removing my mascara.

All jokes aside, TJR really knows how to write a beautiful, loving story where you fall in love with the characters. You can’t reduce the novels to just a romance novel. She genuinely carves out their lives, their personalities, and their interests. I loved this one oh so much.

First of all, a huge THANK YOU to Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to be on the Atmosphere Launch Team!
Atmosphere was one of my most highly anticipated releases for 2025, and it did not disappoint.

From the introduction to the very last page, I was hooked. Set in the 1980's alongside NASA's Space Shuttle Program, we meet Joan as she applies to be one of the first female astronauts. TJR paints an intricate portrait of what it takes to become an astronaut and pairs it with Joan's outside story, which instantly draws you in and illustrates TJR's storytelling skill. She kept me engaged to the very last word. I love how TJR portrays women in her books, and Atmosphere is no different. It was a pleasure getting to know Joan, Vanessa, and Joan's niece, Frances. The way Joan's love story, family drama, and NASA journey all intertwine so perfectly is another testament to TJR's ability to write an epic novel.

I enjoyed the multiple timelines. The dialogue between Houston and the astronauts was such a unique way to add depth to the space scenes. The amount of science and space was just right, not overwhelming at all, but enough to deepen the reader's understanding and invest them in the story. It is obvious that TJR meticulously researched the topic at hand - another reason she is easily one of my favorite authors.

Ambition, romance, misogyny, and identity are some of the main themes throughout.

Atmosphere was a complex emotional journey that will bring tears to even the toughest eyes (yes, I cried)!

This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year.

TJR’s latest is set in the alluring world of NASA in the 1980s and follows Joan, an astronomer who applies to the astronaut training program when it opens to women. The first tense scene of the book takes place in 1984 and depicts a series of calamitous events aboard a space shuttle mission. From there, we zip back in time to 1980 where we meet Joan as a recruit and see how the entire crew arrived at this moment. I don’t have much to say about this book. It might be my favorite TJR book, but it was also just fine. I found the majority of the story to be predictable and the themes of workplace feminism to be heavy-handed. I really liked Joan as a character and appreciated the details Reid provided to fully flesh her out—she really showed us who Joan is. Unfortunately, few of the other characters get the same robust treatment. We are constantly told how perceptive Joan is (about everyone except herself) and then are fed her interpretations of every other character. Still, I kept turning the pages, even though I would say this is on the slower side for TJR books, and I thought Reid did a fantastic job of bringing the world of NASA to life for readers. If you’re looking for something that goes down easy but maintains some substance, this is a good bet.

What a journey this book is! I pre-ordered the audio and will definitely be listening even though I read the ARC...it was THAT good!

Love and acceptance are the main themes, of oneself, of ones family and of ones overall existence in our world.

The story follows 2 astronauts in the early 80's, Joan and Vanessa, as they battle sexism and acceptance or lack-there-of regarding their own sexuality in a world where they are outnumbered by men at NASA. They work hard to attain their goals and while doing so form a bond with each other, but also struggle to stay private in a world of judgement.

Additionally, there is a subplot with regards to Joan's family and how her single mom sister, Barbara, is raising her niece, Frances. She ends up being more of a parent to her niece than her sister and it causes a strain on their relationship.

While the everyday issues of life are happening, a parallel storyline is going on of a space mission going wrong with Vanessa in space while Joan is in Mission Control. They are professionally communicating with each other, while personally trying to speak in code as it is a matter of life or death. Intense, page turning, couldn't-read-the-words-fast-enough reading ensued. I was quite literally on the edge-of-my-seat!

TJR has such a talent for hooking the reader into the story from the beginning and having the reader invested into the characters. She is a must buy author for me anytime she releases something new and Atmosphere did not disappoint. I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC copy.