This is probably the most enjoyable book I’ve read so far in 2025. I was young during the space program and to read about it through the eyes of young women who were trying to prove themselves as valuable members of the space program. I recommend this book to everyone!

This is one of the best books I have read this year. It read like it was about real people and I learned a lot.

I still cannot believe that I was able to get an early copy of this book. Literally crazy.

I absolutely LOVED this book and it completed ripped my heart out. I love TJR as an author and I love the stories she creates. I loved all the space/NASA elements, I loved the depiction of being a woman in a male dominated field, and I loved the characters/love story. The conversations about how the universe and exploration make us feel and the connection to god was an element that I found I loved reading and thinking more about. I have 91 highlighted passages/quotes. I cried multiple times throughout the book but I full body sobbed for the last 20%. I will be re-reading this book many many times.

That being said, I don't think this will be the type of book that I would recommend to everyone. I am expecting that a lot of people will complain that there's too much space/science/stars/NASA talk in it (kinda like Carrie Soto is back and tennis) but I love reading and learning about that topic so I didn't mind it at all. The love story is also not what I expected but I absolutely fell in love with the characters and seeing the mundane elements of their relationship and the trials they faced was one of my favorite parts of the book (being kinda vague here bc I don't want to spoil). But I could see people being surprised by the love story and hating on the book because of it (I am in no way saying I agree with those people, just that I expect those people to exist).

Overall, this is definitely one of my new absolute favorite books. 6/5 stars.

Atmosphere follows Joan Goodwin, a reserved astronomy professor who, upon seeing an advertisement for NASA's Space Shuttle program in the 1980s, decides to pursue her dream of becoming an astronaut. As she trains at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, Joan forms deep connections with fellow candidates, including the enigmatic Vanessa Ford, leading to unexpected personal revelations and challenges.

Reid masterfully intertwines the intricacies of space exploration with profound emotional narratives. Her detailed descriptions of astronaut training and NASA operations are complemented by intimate character moments, ensuring that the technical aspects enhance rather than overshadow the human stories at the novel's core.

The novel delves into themes of ambition, identity, and love. It explores the challenges faced by women in STEM during the 1980s, the complexities of personal relationships, and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of dreams. The evolving relationship between Joan and Vanessa adds depth, highlighting issues of self-discovery and societal expectations.

While Atmosphere excels in many areas, some readers might find the pacing uneven, particularly during the training sequences. Additionally, certain secondary characters and plotlines could have been more fully developed to enhance the overall narrative.

Initially, I didn't think I'd like this book as much as her others. The space science is pretty detailed to give the full scope of the astronaut training. Joan is very standoffish at first, but about 30% into the book, she blossoms as a character. Her devotion to her niece, Frances, is evident; her sister, Frances's mother, is terrible. That said, it is her interactions and later relationship with Vanessa, a fellow astronaut, that help develop Joan as a character. While I wasn't fully anticipating this romance (honestly, I thought Joan was asexual), it is the love and emotion of this relationship that begins to drive the plot forward. Joan and Vanessa cannot be out, certainly not as members of the astronaut corps. When disaster strikes, reading how they speak to each other is heart-wrenching. Truly another stunning and emotional read by TJR!

So it's a good thing I finished this book four hours before bed. If I went to sleep right after, I wouldn't be able to open up my swollen eyes in the morning. This love story just destroyed and uplifted me, the astronauts fascinated and awed me, the family dynamics, the one born with and the one built, broke my heart and filled it up again. This book is informative if you are interested in the stars and space. The discussions of God between the two main characters were interesting though a little long. But I hope there's a sequel.

Many thanks to Taylor Jenkins Reid, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the eARC. I'm absolutely thrilled to be on the Atmosphere Launch Team!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has been a favorite since I read Daisy Jones & The Six for the first time in 2020. I preordered Atmosphere from a local indie last November and I'm so grateful that I got to read it early. I love this book! The dual timeline and characters made the story captivating from the start and hard to put down. I really enjoyed reading about Joan, her outlook on life and the universe, and her relationships with Frances, Vanessa, Griff, Hank, Donna, and Lydia. The book is clearly well researched, too! Though there were many acronyms to keep track of, I liked learning details about NASA space training, mission control, and astronomy while reading this book.

Set in the 1980s, Atmosphere is an exciting and thought-provoking read about Joan's journey to space, love, found family, and self-discovery. 5 stars.

I look forward to picking up my physical copy on June 3rd!

This book is a must read! Women in the 80's attempting to prove their place at NASA because they are just as good as men? You had me sold, Taylor! Add in complicated family dynamics, friendship, love stories (including sapphic), and contemplating the universe and life? 1000/10. This book is incredible and I hope you all take the time to read it when it comes out! (and I will be reminding you all 😂)

Thank you so much to Random House Books and Taylor Jenkins Reid for the opportunity to read this early however these opinions are completely my own!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this title as an ARC, TJR is always an automatic read and I was thrilled to have this as an advanced copy. I could honestly not put this title down. This story was unique and captivating and overall I really enjoyed Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 5 stars would recommend!!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid is bringing back her classic sapphic longing and I am so happy. (even though the ending made me feel like Taylor had personally ripped my heart out and stomped on it. in a good way).

This was another great book from this author, although I didn't actually expect any different. While there were definitely a few times I was a little bored, I really enjoyed getting to know and love the characters. The main romance is so beautiful and there were so many great passages that I highlighted on my kindle. This is a sapphic story in the 80s, so it's definitely got some homophobia and a lot of comments about how people had to hide who they were. I'm keeping this spoiler free, but I loved the commentary that it made.

Taylor definitely did a lot of research about NASA and space because I had no idea what was being said sometimes. It went into a lot of science jargon that kind of took me out of the story a bit, but that's just because I'm dumb and don't understand this stuff. If you have any interest in science, I think you will really enjoy those parts.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books are always a must-read for me. However, when I started Atmosphere, I didn’t immediately connect with the NASA/Space setting and was worried that this book would be a letdown for me. By the time I reached the end, however, I was so invested in the characters and the story that I couldn’t put the book down. The meticulously researched details and well-developed characters make this yet another slam dunk for TJR. Oh, and have your tissue box handy! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Absolutely loved this book, as I knew I would. I feel so lucky to be a part of the launch team and have read this e-copy early!

TJR has a way of connecting you to her characters in a way that makes you feel what they’re going through, and Joan Goodwin is no different. Joan and her female colleagues Vanessa, Lydia, and Donna experienced the struggles of being a woman in the male dominated space industry during the early 1980s, yet they were determined to pave the way and hold the door open for future female astronauts.

I loved the concurrent timelines of the current mission and their time in training. There were so many standout side characters that I loved, Vanessa, Griff, and Frances just to name a few! It’s also clear that this book was incredibly well researched and I felt like I learned so much about the stars and Mission Control while reading.

This will be a timeless book for me, one I will continue to go back and reread. This story gripped me from the first chapter and I just loved learning more and more about the characters. I highly recommend this book, it will most certainly be a top read of the year for me!

As with all of her other books, I have finished this Taylor Jenkins Reid book mad at her! Why does it have to end?! I read this more quickly than most other books, because I was pulled to find time anywhere I could to get back into Atmosphere. To be honest when I started it I didn't know what it was about, just that I have loved all her other books. Reading about astronauts is not something I would have planned to do, but of course the story, characters -all of it was amazing. By the end I was convinced it was based on a true story because it felt so real. Hoping it gets turned not into a movie but into a many season TV series!

Atmosphere wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t leave much of an impression either. The writing was solid, as always with Taylor Jenkins Reid, but the story just didn’t grab me the way her other books have. It felt a bit flat, and I don’t think I’ll be thinking about it a month from now. Not terrible, just not particularly memorable.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Joan has been content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, her favorite thing is being an aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. Then she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan wants so much more.

Being selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, with an amazing group of fellow candidates: Top Guns Hank Redmond and John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who is determined to be the best; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is is trying to keep her personal life private; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane and is begging for a chance to show it.

As the new astronauts become friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never could have imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to explore this opportunity but also herself.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Taylor Jenkins Reid for this digital advanced reader copy. Also a special thanks to the Atmosphere LAUNCH giveaway team! All opinions are my own. #bookstagram #bookdragon #readingchallenge2025 #digitalarc #atmospherelaunchteam #netgalleyreviewer #bookcover #literaryfiction #taylorjenkinsreidbooks #nasa #ascans

This was an absolute masterpiece. One of my favorite things about Taylor Jenkins Reid is that she plays with structure in each of her books, and the flashing back and forward in Atmosphere works to speed the pacing and suspense. You have this air of tragedy coloring all of the rest of the story and it keeps the emotional weight at the front for the entire story. The love story within had so much depth and beauty, but also filled the reader with a sense of sorrow at the time that our two characters were falling in love and how it wasn't safe for them to do so. Overall I am going to be thinking about this one for a long time, and TJR truly did it again.

Hands down my favorite read of 2025! I loved Joan, Vanessa, Frances, Griff, Lydia, Donna...every character was so great! I felt like I connected with each character and was really invested in their lives. I had a close relationship with my niece while she was growing up, so the relationship between Joan and Frances really hit home for me and I loved that it was an integral part of the whole story. I enjoyed learning about each character and how they all got to know one another throughout their training. I liked the dual timeline and was definitely on the edge of my seat at the ending!! I could hardly put this book down! I also really enjoyed learning a lot of great details about astronomy, space, the universe, NASA and women at NASA. Another home run from Taylor Jenkins Reid! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC (I may have screamed with joy when I got the email)!

I'm not sure what to say about this title. It went a direction I did not anticipate from the blurb or any of the reviews. However, I persisted and I'm glad I did. It was a beautiful story of what the women before us dealt with, and in many ways, what we are still dealing with. There are certainly many points of discussion and I look forward to hearing the opinions of my readers.

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid. I liked the story, but initially the characters were hard to keep up with as she switched from first name to last name and just the amount that were initially introduced. I had to keep a note for the first half of the book of names, roles, connections. Maybe this was a personal problem. I general, I have such high expectations for TJR, and this one missed the mark a bit for me. Enjoyed the space parts - had me on the edge of my seat.

Ballantine/Random House Publishing provided an early galley for review.

Having read something before by this author, I thought it was time to give her new one a shot. I definitely have some thoughts on this one.

Clearly Reid has done her homework. This book is chock-full of details relating to NASA, the astronaut program, and everything you would expect for a period piece with this backdrop. The story opens with the fateful December 1984 mission, complete with very accurate technical dialogue that is not explained (why would it be as these characters know their jobs and understand the lingo?). This makes it very authentic. And, unfortunately for me, very boring. I almost decided to stop right from the start as I was not getting any connection to any of the characters; it was names and jargon.

However, I stuck with it. And then the story shifts to the backstory sections. Those are told in chronological order, with returns three more times to the "present day" of December 1984. This format is done, I surmise, to keep the reader on the hook for the present day drama while also filling in with the building of the relationships. There were a couple points in the backstory where I felt the author was info-dumping NASA and the space shuttle history (under the guise of classroom learning). I recognize that this information needed to be there and that Reid did all that research, but it still felt too info-dumpy to me.

The problem with the jumping back and forth narrative structure is that the December 1984 part (which is very exciting and tense) gets defused by spending too much time away. On the flip side, events from that part also tend to undermine/undercut the flashbacks in some cases because we have already learned the fates of certain characters (making me as a reader care less about them in the past).

While the book's description does hint at it, the story spends a lot of time on both a romantic subplot as well as a complicated family subplot. At points, these two take over the narrative and push the space themes to the side. So, those who might be picking up this book for a heavy space action story need to know this.

I did finish the book, and I found the story to be okay and serviceable.