Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Love Story Hardcover – June 3, 2025

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.