Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Love Story

Such a good book! Really enjoyed this one, great character development, and the ending had all the feels coming out.

The amazing Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! Atmosphere was definitely my most anticipated summer release. I’ve read every single one of TJR’s books. I had my doubts about this one because I’m not into space things BUT this book delivered with all the 80s nostalgia, beautifully written characters, and all the emotion. It’s not about space at all, it’s an epic love story, a forbidden love story with a lot of depth! The only bad thing is the wait until her next book!

Solid read. It was a glorious love story between two strong women. I learned about the NASA space program, the characters were relatable and well crafted by the author. The story kept you engaged. The love between them was challenged by the time and place and yet the story didn't dwell. It dealt with the topic and let the reader feel for themselves. One of the most enjoyable reads I've had this year.

Taylor jenkins reid has my heart and my money lol. i will read and buy anything she writes!! i was a little nervous for this book with the slow built up but my gosh everything was worth it. The NASA mission and crew felt so real. The romance was steady and so sweet. The main character is not loud or flashy like her other characters. And i appreciated that because Joan was just very relatable. i havent been on an emotional book journey like that in a while! My favorite book by far this year.

With every book she writes, TJR gets better. As always, she’s researched so thoroughly that we readers enter the time and place inhabited by characters so complete we can cohabitate in their world, the world of astronomers, space lovers, pilots, and dreamers. In this world, 2 women among others enter NASA seeking the opportunity to view the world from space.And in this most compelling story, among the training classes, friendships are forged, life-altering friendships. Unfortunately, for 2 women, the depth of their love must be concealed during a time when any such relationship between same sex would have merited dismissal from the very elite program of which they sought their entire lives.Told in dual timelines looking back and on flight mission day, the tensions accelerate in rotations that increase much as would the return to Earth upon reentry. Like Apollo 13 film, the awareness of the strengths of NASA and all its scientists inspires as does this stellar love story.

As a lesbian who also had a career in a “Man’s World” (US Army) during those same years depicted in this book, I was disappointed that the book didn’t focus more on the struggles & challenges of female astronauts in the NASA space program. It focused more on the lesbian relationship of two women in the space program. I did like how the book opened with the crisis at hand, then did flashbacks.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is at the forefront of contemporary fiction. Her latest novel is ambitious, epic and dazzling. Time and time again, she creates four-dimensional characters and puts them in unique, creative storylines. I didn’t want this book to end. I wanted to continue savoring these characters and discover where their lives went next. This very well could be the best book of 2025.

I love books about space. I also think TJR writes a heck of a realistic story. This one was solid but a bit more of a like than a love read for me. It started off with a tragedy in space and then flashes back and fills you in on the characters on either side of the disaster, one on earth running the comms and one in space trying to figure out how to get home. It had great Apollo 13 vibes to start. But then it really becomes a queer love story set in the 80's about deciding how to live your life in the face of a society that will not accept you. This was well done but just didn't really capture me personally. The space parts were very Andy Weir and I enjoyed that right up until the end. One chapter less and I would have rated this one more highly.

TJR outdid herself! It's fitting that raving praise came in from Andy Weir and Kristin Hannah, since with this book she's a storytelling peer to both. But more importantly, Taylor J-R blew her own past works out of the water- er - the atmosphere.The best way I can describe this novel is "The Women" (Hannah) + "Project Hail Mary (Weir) + "Lessons in Chemistry" (Garmus).A 2025 best book. And it doesn't even have much competition, imo.

Such a wonderful read! The character development and story grabbed me from the first chapter. I was raised by a space nerd so it helped in understanding some of the pieces. My mom saved the front page of the paper the day Sally Ride went into space so I could have it for my office someday. The complexity and of life was there for the protagonist but the simplicity of the way she embraced so many firsts in her life made her endearing and relatable.

TJR is such a versatile author. I genuinely look forward to every book she writes! Atmosphere does a tremendous job of blending history, science, a unique narrative, and relatable characters you are forever rooting for. The love stories in this were just beautiful—whether it was the maternal love between aunt and niece, the love between colleagues, or the romantic love between partners who desperately want to be themselves in a world that won’t allow it—I just adored it all. So well done. I couldn’t help but think of Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy as I read. Thanks for all the feels, TJR!

Thank the stars for TJR! We need more stories like this. Stories about women like Joan, who quietly, but determinedly, strive for their goals and never give up or back down. Who are unashamed to be the brilliant woman they are. This one is set in the 1980s just as NASA began to look for female astronauts. Having always been fascinated by the stars, Joan decides to apply. This decision changes the entire course of her life. I loved her strength, her goodness, and her obsession and love for her work. The other people in Joan's life were equally layered and fascinating. There is a love story in here that is beautiful. I have never thought of myself as interested in science or space, but Reid made me fall in love with it all. This book opens with a scene that grabs you from the start. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen. I wanted to know more about Joan and those she cared about. I loved the pride I felt for the women who have come before. Reid's writing left my breathless and has me looking up to the sky more than I ever have. Easily my favorite TJR book, I cannot recommend this one enough.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of the best books that I have read this year. I actually immersion read Atmosphere, reading the kindle book version and listening to the audible version simultaneously, and the narrators were excellent, including the author. This is a story about women in the NASA space program during the 1980(s), their desire to go into space and their struggles to overcome discrimination and the cultural roles and restraints placed upon women during that time. It is also a novel about female love, and what it was like to be gay during the 80(s), and what it was like to be gay while being a female NASA astronaut. Reid has a way with characters. They are real and relatable. The friendships made among the men and women astronaut candidates were like found family, and even Lydia, the hyper-focused, competitive one is so recognizable in any friend group. Joan’s and Vanessa’s love story really made me think about how awful it must be to secret who you are from friends and family, to worry about being discovered and risk everything by loving a person of the same gender. I hope that the world has moved past such destructive thinking and is more accepting today. Frances was my favorite character and her relationship with Aunt Joan was incredibly heartwarming. Frances’ mother, Barbara, however, was my least favorite, and the things that she did and the way that she acted to be a part of “accepted society” were so disturbing. Perhaps that was the point. The world had to be upside down to accept a Barbara while rejecting a Joan and Vanessa. Additionally, If I had one criticism about the book it is that I wish there had been an epilogue. I would have liked to know what happened to many of these characters in the future, especially Frances, who also wanted to become an astronaut just like her loving aunt, but had the benefit of the inroads made by the women before her and a world that was becoming more accepting. 4.5 stars.

This was an amazing book that profoundly impacted me. l was growing up in the 1980s and remember the excitement of the space program. This story tells not only a beautiful human love story but also a love story for space and scientific curiosity. The protagonist Joan was a great character. One who was generous conscientious and kind but also powerful and vulnerable. A must read and one of the best books that I have read in a long time.

Write a 4 star review for atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins’s Reid . This book started out really slow for me but the fact that it’s set in Houston at the Johnson space center was very intriguing for me. The slow burn of Vanessa and Joan’s love story was totally worth the slow start for me. Going into it, I did not expect it to be a romance between 2 women, but as soon as Vanessa was introduced, i knew it in my gut. I knew that Joan was going to find that person to make her feel like she belonged in the world, in a world where she didn’t know how to fit in. Since this story takes place in the late 70s/ early 80s, It’s very sad to me that they had to hid their love for each other. Joan’s family dynamic was very well written and my heart yearns for Frances. I’m so glad that Frances always had Joan in her corner and the relationship Vanessa built with her even though she had no idea how to do it was beautiful. I was kind of upset that we didn’t get an epilogue. I would love to know what happened to them years later. I found myself holding my breath so much during the entire book because early on, we know kind of happens to the crew. We learn to love them through out the book because they build a found family dynamic going through the training of nasa together. At the end, I found myself crying and gasping for air at the unknown and it literally comes down to the wire and literally the last sentence of the book. Taylor Jenkins’s Reid intensive research on space and space travel and nasa in general definitely shows and I highly appreciate because she wrote it in a way that someone with absolutely no space knowledge could easily follow along with. The growing relationship between Joan and Vanessa was very well done and I could totally see this becoming a mini series that I would love to watch IRL. I saw how everything played out soo well. The story telling was very well done.Also, intertwine a little bit of the following synopsis in the review: Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.

This book was fantastic from start to finish! TJR has been a new author for me in 2025, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every book of hers I’ve read. This one though, is my favorite. What a cool and interesting story. I’ve never been interested in space, but she made it so exciting and captivating! I was hanging on for every word through the very last page. 5/5! Must read!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. Atmosphere is a masterclass in balancing romance, character depth, and rich storytelling, all while building a world rooted in the high-stakes realm of NASA and space exploration. Even though the world of rockets and mission control can easily get bogged down in technical jargon, Reid’s writing is so clear and grounded that I never felt overwhelmed. Instead, I felt like I was right there alongside Joan—heart pounding during launches, holding my breath during critical missions, and completely swept up in the orbit of her life.What really stood out to me was how seamlessly Reid wove together Joan’s personal life, her demanding career, and the high-tension present-day timeline. There was never a dull chapter—I was just as invested in her past as I was in the urgent mystery unfolding in the present. The emotional range in this book is wild: I laughed out loud, I cried real tears, and I underlined quote after quote because Reid’s writing just gets it. This book is a stellar (pun absolutely intended) blend of emotional depth, narrative tension, and romantic chemistry. I already want to reread it.

This book combines space history with 2nd wave feminism and philosophical questions about the meaning of life. Oh, and there’s a space shuttle disaster / mystery. You might think a book that’s trying to marry all these ideas might be dense but Jenkins Reid anchors it all with strong characters that we learn to care about and root for.So many of the people in this book are hurting or hiding and they hope that leaving the earth’s orbit will allow them to be free. We go on this journey with a group of NASA recruits as they train and then receive their missions. We see how no one else can understand their drive and passion for becoming an astronaut so they are drawn to each other. But in the early 1980s women are still expected to be happy supporting a husband and those that challenge the status quo can lose everything.Both Joan, the main astronaut candidate, and her sister Barbara are examples of the way the world treats women who don’t follow the rules. In fact, one way the story stays grounded amid the astronomy and science is through Joan’s relationship with her niece Frances. Jenkins Reid does a wonderful job showing how each generation of women has more options but only if given support and unconditional love.This book is weighed down with questions like Who is allowed to love? What makes a home? How are we connected to the stars and each other? And it soars into orbit when the characters see each other for who they really are when bravado is stripped away.

Joan and Vanessa are trying to navigate life in the second class of females accepted into NASA in the late 1970’s, early 1980’s. I happened to have already read the book about the first six female astronauts and this TJR book is very similar in historical accuracy to that book. I loved reading about Joan and Vanessa’s experience because of that.Joan also has a very selfish, single mom sister, Barbara. Barbara’s daughter, Frances, is a side thought to her mother but a main character in Joan’s life. This aunt-niece relationship is beautifully developed.And then there’s the relationship that develops between Joan and Vanessa. It’s slow, it’s heartbreakingly confusing and yet so simple, and it’s probably my favorite thing about this book. This author has a way of bringing out those deep emotions in a reader and I love her for it.

Taylor Jenkins Reid said in interviews that she did not know much about the Shuttle Program. You could have fooled me. With clear extensive research, TJR has created a Gen X, Space Shuttle enthusiasts’ dreams with her novel Atmosphere. Set in the early days of the shuttle program, the story gravitates around Joan Goodwin, a professor of physics and astronomy, and super Aunt to adorable niece, Francis. Like The Six who applied to NASA in 1978, Joan finds herself applying to and making the 1980 Astronaut class. We are introduced to full spectrum of characters who personify what NASA was really like in 1980. But this is not just a space story, it is also a story about finding oneself while also discovering love.TJR skillfully creates a new shuttle and a mission that didn’t ever exist except in her creativity. The astronauts personify the ones you can read about in books such as The Six, The New Guys, Challenger, Shuttle, Houston, and many others. You feel like a fly on the wall in conversations those first women had about how they need to act, be perceived, and be perfect. You can feel the attitudes, the comradery, and I think you can even taste the beer at The Outpost. You can also feel the status quo that was still a very strait-laced men’s world with traditional roles being the preferred choice among many at NASA at the time.After finishing the book, I realized it has even more emotional power to it as the story takes place between the late 1970’s and 1984. It’s a less than two years before the Challenger incident. The reader knows this. To anyone familiar with NASA and loss, January 27, 28, and February 1st are dates that NASA lost astronauts very tragically. Knowing their story and reading this book compounds the emotions of danger and willingly strapping yourself to thousands of pounds of fuel, the dangers in space, as well as the always stressful re-entry.This book is technical, historical, emotional, thrilling, heartbreaking, and joyous all at once. Taylor Jenkins Reid not only created such loveable characters; she immerses that reader in a passion for stars and space. While enjoyable for all, if you are an 80’s kid and loved shuttle launches, this book is for you.

5 blastoff starsTaylor Jenkins Reid has really grown on me. She picks unique backdrops for her books and really brings them to life. This time, she has tackled women in the space industry.We begin in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with Joan Goodwin as our strong female main character in this one. She’s an astronomy professor at Rice University. She’s picked that school so that she can be close to her niece Frances, who’s been a big part of her life since she was born. I really enjoyed this relationship in the book.Joan starts to hear rumors that NASA wants to get women into the space program. It takes a few tries, but she’s finally accepted and wants more than anything to go to space. She trains in Houston with fellow candidates and sees the divide early – between nerds and soldiers. The pilots all have military backgrounds.Joan has a calm, steady demeanor and really enjoys her time in Mission Control. As she continues to train, she’s finally tapped to go up on a mission. While a romance blossoms for her, life with her sister and Frances struggles. She builds strong relationships with her fellow astronauts, but there is also some friction and secrets.The book is masterfully structured with alternating scenes of Joan leading the team in Mission Control while a disaster unfolds in space. Then, the next section goes back in time and details how Joan made it through the program.I’m not a big science person, so I wondered if I would enjoy this one. There are not tons of detailed scientific explanations, so I wasn’t bogged down with that. This one does have the space program as a backdrop, but it is much more about human interactions, relationships, and the complexities of women entering spaces that were originally populated only by men. I applaud the tenacity of these characters!And my rule is that if a book makes me cry, it must receive 5 stars. If I follow that rule, this book would have to get 10 stars because I ugly cried!Thank you to Random House/Ballantine for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.