Explore Emotion and Adventure in Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hello, fellow bookworms! Welcome, or Welcome back! My name is Amanda, and this is where I share spoiler-free book reviews and other bookish things. Thanks for visiting. Join the conversation and share your thoughts. Let’s get Smitten for Fiction!

About The Book 📚

Title: Atmosphere: A Love Story

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBT+

Pages: 352

Setting: Houston, Texas

Three Words That Describe This Book: emotional, adventurous, inspiring

About The Author

“Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Atmosphere, Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her books have been chosen by Reese’s Book Club, Read with Jenna, GMA Book Club, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Her novel, Daisy Jones and The Six, is now a limited series on Amazon Prime. She lives in Los Angeles.”

https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/about/

My Review

› Although Daisy Jones & the Six was an okay book for me, I loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. When I read the premise for Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest novel, Atmosphere, I knew it would be a great match. I’ve always loved space and couldn’t wait to read a story about a woman trying to get into the NASA Space Shuttle program.

Here is the link for the Book Club Kit: https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/Book-Club-Kit-Atmosphere.pdf

› Dedication: “To Paul Dye, the longest-serving flight director at NASA and author of Shuttle, Houston.”

› The book begins with a lovely author’s note about how the stars are a static aspect of our lives. No matter how bad things get, you can always look to the dependable stars. Taylor Jenkins Reid reminds us to “be open to wonder”.

› Atmosphere begins on December 29, 1984. Joan Goodwin is the CAPCOM at the Johnson Space Center, the only person in Mission Control who speaks to the shuttle. There is a tragic accident, and Joan is put into an impossible position to find a way to stay calm and talk the astronauts through the life-threatening problem. No one in Mission Control knows that Joan is secretly in love with one of those astronauts. We flash back seven years to Joan working as a professor of physics and astronomy. She has an incredible bond with her niece, Frances, despite her tumultuous relationship with her sister, Barbara. When NASA posts an advertisement seeking the first women to join the space shuttle program, Joan decides to apply. She beats out thousands of other people and is invited to the NASA astronaut training program, where she will face some of the hardest challenges of her life and discover things about herself she never imagined. Along the way, she develops strong relations with fellow candidates Hank, John, Lydia, Donna, and Vanessa. Joan must use everything she’s experienced over the past seven years to find her voice and guide her beloved home.

Quotes That Stuck With Me

“Astronomy was history. Because space was time.”

“Admitting you were afraid always took more guts than pretending you weren’t. Being willing to make a mistake got you further than never trying.”

“In all of her time spent watching others, she hadn’t picked up on this part of falling in love, that someone could look at you as if you were the very center of everything. And even though you knew better, you’d allow yourself a moment to believe you were worthy of being revolved around, too.”

“Happiness is so hard to come by. I don’t understand why anyone would begrudge anyone else for managing to find some of it.”

“You make my life worth something. And I can promise you with my entire body that you will never be alone. Every day, you can wake up and go to bed knowing there is someone whose heart is bursting, barely able to contain how much they love you. I know you’re my niece, Frances. But you have always, too, been mine.”

“But to love Frances was to be always saying goodbye to the girl Frances used to be and falling in love again with the girl Frances was becoming.”

› Atmosphere has unique characters that are fully developed, and high-quality writing with strong emotion. I recommend this book to reluctant readers due to the fast pace and great readability. Flipping back and forth from the space shuttle emergency to the past builds the tension and suspense. I didn’t want to put it down, and it left me in tears.

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: character-driven, issue-oriented, nonlinear, own voices, tragic
Pace: fast
Tone: emotional, bittersweet, inspiring, romantic, suspenseful, thought-provoking, informative
Humour: funny, offbeat, sarcastic
Writing Style: banter-filled, conversational, compelling, descriptive, witty
Character: authentic, awkward, complex, flawed, likeable, quirky, relatable, strong female, unlikeable, well-developed, diverse

Read Alikes:
The six: the untold story of America’s first women astronauts by Loren Grush
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Shoot the Moon by Isa Arsen

› In the past, I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• How do I possibly summarize my thoughts for such an incredible book? Atmosphere is one of my all-time favourite reads. I’ve always loved space, and this story sparked that interest. I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of watching all of the space movies and documentaries I can get my hands on. That being said, this isn’t a science fiction novel. There isn’t a lot of science. It’s more about the relationships. These characters! This story! I don’t even like romance novels, but wow, wow, wow…this just made me feel so seen. And as a woman…ugh. I’m tearing up writing this. To read about these strong, intelligent women is inspiring. I love how Taylor Jenkins Reid writes about women working in male-dominated jobs and thriving. Joan’s journey to find her voice and stand up for herself is uplifting. Atmosphere is a space story about love, resilience, and smart, strong women. It’s about aunts who are awesome second parents. It’s about not being straight in the 80s and working in a place where you have to hide that part of yourself and the toll that takes. Yes, this story left me sobbing; however, it was so fun to read. I can’t remember when I last read a book this size in one day. I absolutely could not put it down. I’ve heard the audiobook is awesome. This is a must-read! Go to the library, use Libby, go to a bookstore – read this book!