It’s hard to believe I’ve never read a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. She’s one of today’s most celebrated authors, a fixture on bestseller lists, and a favorite among my book blogging friends. But for whatever reason, I’d just never gotten around to her work—until now. My sister-in-law called me recently, absolutely raving about Atmosphere. “You have to read it!” she insisted. Normally, our reading tastes couldn’t be more different—she loves romance and fantasy, while I tend to reach for thrillers—but I decided to give it a shot. A couple of days later, I closed the book and realized she was right. Atmosphere completely won me over, and I’m officially wondering what took me so long to read Taylor Jenkins Reid.
"Though I'd like to look down at the Earth from above, I would miss all the places and people I love." — I Don't Want to Live on the Moon, sung by Ernie on Sesame Street, written by Jeff Moss
Joan Goodwin works as CAPCOM at Mission Control, her voice calm and steady as she guides her colleagues through each careful step of their mission. She’s spent her life devoted to space. Once a professor of astronomy and physics at Rice University, Joan’s path changed in 1980 when she saw an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s shuttle program. From that moment on, she was determined to make it.
And make it, she did. Joan navigated the politics of the program, the egos, and her own quiet doubts to earn her place among the stars. But once she was up there, she realized that the wonder of space came at a cost. Like the Muppet in her favorite song about the moon, Joan missed the people she loved—the family waiting back on Earth, and Vanessa, the fellow astronaut who had captured her heart.
Now it’s 1984, and Joan is back where she feels most at home, on the ground, in Mission Control. But when disaster strikes aboard the shuttle carrying her friends—and Vanessa—Joan must draw on every ounce of composure and courage to bring them home. In a moment where every second counts, love and duty collide, and Joan must confront what it truly means to reach for the stars.
In Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid immediately places readers in the middle of a space disaster. It’s tense, cinematic, and the perfect opening for this story. We meet the characters amid the chaos, even learning some of their tragic fates before we truly get to know them. Then, Reid transports us back in time to the moment they all first came together.
The novel unfolds as part historical fiction, part queer romance, made all the more emotional because we already know where these people will end up. Some of the middle sections land more effectively than others, but it all builds to a conclusion that’s as thrilling as it is gut-wrenching. Atmosphere is a bold novel, confident in the story it’s telling, and you can’t help but be pulled along for the ride.
For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2025, 88)
