Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick

ByTaylor Jenkins Reid

Release Date: 2025-06-03
Genre: Fiction & Literature

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 2,272 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

“Thrilling . . . heartbreaking . . . uplifting . . . the fast-paced, emotionally charged story of one ambitious young woman, finding both her voice and her passion.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

“NASA? Space missions? The ’80s? This is a collection of all the things I love.”—Andy Weir, author of Project Hail Mary and The Martian

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, NPR, People, Good Housekeeping, them, Marie Claire, Seattle Times, Book Riot, Library Journal, Chicago Public Library, She Reads, Denver Public Library

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.

Reviews

Atmosphere
3
By Cini kc
Good story but the ending was abrupt. I felt a little cheated.
Did not deliver
3
By ssofty
Three stars.
I’m not with the majority on this one.
Started off awesome! Into it! Then the story lines stalled and came across as not quite fully developed. Good main characters, Complex ideas, but not complex story telling. Almost like how a teen targeted book feels to read.
The best part was the Female Astronaut story line. An Interesting, intelligent woman becomes an Astronaut and faces all of the challenges of job discrimination in the 1980’s.
Relationships of the other astronauts, secondary characters rang as central casting…most were likable but nothing unique.
The awakening of the main character’s sexual orientation evolved in repetitive conversations…very tedious. EVERYONE around her knew she was gay…she is in her mid- 30’s, but she “hadn’t figured it out yet”
I liked her and her lover’s characters…but their simplistic dialogue and slow boil story line left me with an eye roll.
It was hard writing this review, because I wanted to LOVE this book like so many have loved it! I don’t know…maybe a good beach read?
Soooooo so so good
5
By LiterateLez
Wish I could delete my memory and read again.
Loved it!
5
By pink dreams
I was sad when it ended as I couldn’t put this one down. A great read with characters I completely related to, beautifully written with a great pace. Second novel I read by this author and I look forward to picking up another book by her.
Good Not Great…
3
By Blueyeraven
I found the book to be slow in developing the story direction. I thought the story was going to be about women overcoming prejudice and discrimination at NASA. Although the book touches on that briefly, its real focus was a love story between 2 women in the 1980’s and the discrimination they face.
Great Book
5
By College2045
I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job with the characters bringing them to life on the page. She described the love between two people and the love of a child in such a way that I could feel it in my solar plexus! Well done!
Historical Love Story?
3
By Mcb717
Ms. Reid put a lot of research into this book. At least the first half of it. Learning about NASA during the ‘80’s time frame. However, the book’s focus turned into a love story between two female astronauts. It began to focus too much on their lives, their struggles as people. A little too much. Had it not been for this ongoing chatter back and forth with about and between these two characters (forgetting that the story started out about NASA), I would have given this book 4.5 stars. But, I could not…
Roger That!
5
By JudiJae
Thank you for writing this book. This story is more important now than ever! EVERYONE deserves to live their life without fear of who they are and who they love!!! Thank you for making that clear!
Excellent!
4
By ABQBlythe
When an excellent book. I enjoyed this very much.
Surprised
5
By MHumm82
I know the title says a love story, but the depth of feelings described by this author went far beyond my expectations. Thank you for your words. I am grieving my mother’s recent death, and this story seemed to soothe me. It allowed some reframing of my thoughts about her passing.