Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Atmosphere

By Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’ve always been fascinated by space…the planets, the stars, the pull of astrology. But my brother took it to another level. He was obsessed with NASA, absorbing everything he could about rockets and space travel. One spring break, the world’s greatest mom (mine) packed us into the car and drove to Huntsville, Alabama, for Space Camp. We suited up for a mock mission to the moon, and although the details are fuzzy now, I remember one thing clearly: my brother was ecstatic. He talked about that trip for months.

Because of that lifelong tie to space, I was excited to read Atmosphere. I’ll say upfront: it’s far more a love story than a novel about NASA, astronauts, or the cosmos. Jenkins Reid frames the book in the world of the 1980s shuttle program, touching on the uphill battle women faced in gaining acceptance within NASA, but the heart of the story happens on Earth…where a romance slowly deepens into love. The book opens with drama, then slips back in time to show how the characters arrived at that pivotal moment.

One quote in particular stuck with me:

“I was circling two hundred miles above the Earth, and all I wanted was to get home and see you. Do you understand that I don’t care how big or small this world is, that you are the center of mine?”

It’s December 1984 when newly qualified astronaut Joan Goodwin becomes CAPCOM at the Johnson Space Center in Houston…the voice in Mission Control communicating directly with the shuttle crew. When disaster strikes during a spacewalk, the lives of everyone on board hang in the balance. They are people Joan cares about deeply: friends, found family, and one person who means more than anyone else.

The love story between Joan and Vanessa is quiet and charged…full of restraint, longing, and slow-burn intensity. Their connection feels earned, and it hits even harder because it has to stay hidden in 1980s America.

We don’t actually get much of Joan as an astronaut. Instead, we see her as a caretaker, a guardian to her niece, a partner, a sister’s anchor. These roles are meaningful and often moving, but they overshadow her ambition. The setup hints at a story about chasing a dream in a world determined to hold you down…but that thread never quite comes together.

In the end, the book is less about space travel and more about the emotional gravity of exclusion, about fighting upward through the weight of prejudice. Atmosphere is a story of love, but also of sacrifice and belonging. It’s about the ache of reaching for something more…whether it’s a place among the stars or simply a place where you are seen and loved. It’s a journey through loss and hope, a reminder that even in darkness, the human spirit burns bright. And under that same endless sky, the characters ultimately discover that belonging isn’t about where you land…it’s about who holds your light.

It feels like a love letter to dreamers, fighters, and the quiet heroes who refuse to stop reaching.

That said, the book fell short of a must-read for me. And it made me wonder: what earns a book five stars for you? Is it that you find yourself crying during a dramatic confession of love? A fresh kind of love story? The ongoing narrative of women being dismissed or underpaid? Strong character development? Surprising plot twists? Or simply the depth of emotion you feel when you turn the final page?

I’m genuinely curious…what are the markers that make a book unforgettable for you?