Taylor Jenkins Reid never misses. This book is emotional and unique and powerful and I utterly devoured it. Her writing is explosive and expressive and I could read it all over again and still feel as blown away by it as I did the first time.

TJR has done it again! She is one of my auto-read authors and Atmosphere did not disappoint. Set in the NASA space programme of the 1980s, we follow the lives of the crew members but mainly Joan & Vanessa. There is romantic love, platonic love and familial love and I couldn't get enough. I loved all of the characters, especially Joan & Frances - they're relationship was heartwarming. Will highly recommend this to everyone.

ugh, this is a confusing one for me. on a macro, structural, thematic level, this is a really, really beautiful and meaningful book. like yes it is top gun with space lesbians, but it is also just a really thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a person looking for a place, a home, and meaning in life, love, space, science, etc etc, especially when the world is prejudiced against you for things far out of your control. it’s truly lovely, i think a lot of people (myself included) will find meaning in it, i bet it will work a bit better on audio, and i cannot wait for the inevitable tv/film adaptation.

unfortunately, it is simply baffling on a line level. i’ve read and enjoyed most of taylor jenkins reid’s previous work, and never remembered her sentences and dialogue being *this* clunky. everyone says exactly what they think in the most strangely stilted, through google translate and back again, paragraphs. no one uses contractions. exclamation marks abound. it’s the 80s, we don’t need to be going for old timey Ye Olde English. and then every time i wanted to run up a wall and put this book down and read something that didn’t make me want to tear my skin off, she’d drop one of the most beautiful paragraphs i’ve read in a minute. are her previous ones like this and i just didn’t notice?? what happened here????

additionally, some of the themes were a bit repetitive and heavy handed, side characters stilted, the ending a bit abrupt, and there was a strange harping on God/religion that was at first lovely (how do you have faith and also be a scientist? is a gorgeous conversation) but eventually felt a bit uncomfortable for me—but the overall strength of narrative and joan as a character would easily have offset these if not for the really, deeply strange prose.

also: i am deeply, violently, existentially afraid of space, so i was definitely not setting myself up for success here.

~ I am so incredibly grateful to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for giving me the privilege to read this book in exchange for an honest review ~

"A love, and a life, beyond the confines of her imagination"

Wow. Again another masterpiece from the goddess Taylor Jenkins Reid herself. I will forever be in awe of the dedication that TJR puts into each one of her creations. I can only begin to imagine the countless hours that must go into preparation and research before she begins writing. Somehow TJR is able to take a topic I'm not overly interested in and leave me completely enthralled (I am now a big tennis fan thanks to Carrie Soto). Placing this love story amongst the stars allowed TJR to produce some beautifully poetic and mesmerising passages. I will however note that this book has left me devastatingly heartbroken, and I have words for Ms TJR.

"Well, we are the stars," Joan said. "And the stars are us. Every atom in our bodies was once out there. Was once a part of them. To look at the night sky is to look at parts of who you once were, who you may one day be."

Atmosphere follows the story of Joan Goodwin who is training to be an astronaut at NASA in a world still coming to terms with the role women can and will play in society. It showcases the daily struggles women faced while attempting to be considered even remotely equal to men.

"It's 1981, and I'm done pretending sexist jokes are funny just so men will give me a chance at something I'm probably better at than they are."

It is not just a romance. It's a love story to the planet, to science and invention, human endeavour, and to friendship. It's a story of what can be achieved through courage and determination.

"Bravery is being unafraid of something other people are afraid of. Courage is being afraid, but strong enough to do it."

The anticipated release for this novel in June is a perfect ode to the struggle of hiding ones true self for fear of rejection. It takes courage to remain delicate in a world so cruel.

Well. I don’t think I can read anything else this year. ATMOSPHERE has broken me, ruined all other books for me, nothing will compare to this one. This is TJR’s best by far and I thank her for the severe ugly cry it gave me.

In between reading this book it utterly consumed my thoughts and I stayed up late into the night to finish it. I will think about this book, and the characters for a very long time - the relationship that Joan has with her niece honestly shines so beautifully and really resonated with me. I shed many tears throughout this story and if you ask any of the colleagues in my store they will tell you how ensnared I was while reading!

This is a story that focuses on space and the extraordinary people that have the courage to explore it, but on a deeper level it is a story of human connection and having something on earth worth coming back down for.

The main character Joan's growth within this book is stunning, she begins as a woman unsure of her place in the world other than her unwavering love for the stars. She is fascinated by love but never thinks that she will have it for herself. By the end Joan, and other characters, are willing to give up everything they have worked so hard for just to have more time with the people they love and I found this so moving.

I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but please take my advice and read this stunning book when you get the chance - you won't regret it.

I will recommend this book forever and it is undoubtedly one of my favourite books I have ever read. Thank you so much to Penguin for allowing me to read it early.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is, without a doubt, one of the greats. Even if some of her books didn't quite hit the mark for me, Seven Husbands was so phenomenal that all is forgiven. But here's the rub: we can't help but compare her novels to her past masterpieces.

Atmosphere tells a beautiful love story of two people who want to be together but are thwarted by societal prejudices. It’s warm and full of feeling. Yet, the story arc sometimes lacks momentum and feels a bit slow.

However, the ending? Absolutely captivating. I was glued to the last 80 pages while waiting at the vet for my dog to come out of surgery. That’s a testament to Reid's storytelling skills.

So, while Atmosphere may not be Seven Husbands, it’s a poignant, absorbing read that showcases Reid’s ability to create compelling narratives.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again, another absolutely incredible book from my favourite author.

The storyline was quite a departure from the quartet of faux-Hollywood tales that I previously loved from TJR, but I was invested in the story of Joan just as quickly and still found myself in tears towards the end.

Admittedly my knowledge of NASA in the 80s is incredibly non-existent, but as someone who knew nothing about it, it felt like it was very thoroughly researched and TJR managed to explain all the technical terms in a way that was not only clear, but gave the story more credibility.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, TJR is truly for the girls and the gays! This is another book of hers I'll hold close to my heart and recommend to anyone who'll listen.

I will INHALE anything TJR writes. I LOVED this!!! Such an interesting setting, and having just read Orbital it was so great reading more about astronauts and their training. Drama, incredible women, thrilling jeopardy. Tick, tick, tick. Thanks to Cornerstone for the ARC.

I was desperate to read this as soon as I heard about it - Taylor Jenkins Reid IN SPACE! Atmosphere is the most gorgeous book. It’s thrilling, sexy, thought-provoking and wildly romantic. I couldn’t put it down, it made me cry more than once and, at one point, I thought I was going to have to put it in the freezer like Joey in Friends. It left me breathless. I can’t wait to see what the brilliant TJR does next.

Let me start by saying that my expectations for this book were sky high. Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favourite authors and I’m obsessed with anything to do with Space and NASA. Well, Atmosphere blasted those expectations into infinity and beyond.

The stakes are set at the very beginning and you have little choice but to frantically turn the pages to see how the plot develops whilst simultaneously wanting to take your time and absorb every beautiful word.

The 80s slice of life Astronaut training facility was so fascinating to read about, woman being fiercely obsessed with their goals and dreams is one of my favourite tropes and Reid is the master of this sub genre.

This story sure did take me through it, I feel like I’ve experienced every emotion possible in the last 24 hours. I don’t want to give anything away but be prepared for an exhilarating, out of this world love story that will leave you looking up to the stars for many nights to come.

Like with Reid’s other books, the characters felt so familiar and authentic that I kept reaching for my phone to google them. The two main characters melted my heart in every way but the supporting cast were outstanding too, definitely developed a soft spot for Lydia.

I cannot wait to see Atmosphere all over social media, to recommend it to my customers and to read it again and again.

I went through all the emotions while reading this book. A real rollercoaster! I couldn’t put it down! My favorite author wrote another masterpiece. I will definitely re-read it in june to underline and annotate my favorite parts (which are a lot).

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. A book that hooks you from the start with characters you cannot not like. I found the setting very intriguing, an intresting topic that I didn't know much about before. I like how she captured all the different aspects of what it takes to be an astronaut. But of course with any books she writes it comes to live through the characters she creates. They're all (or at least most of them) likeable yet flawed so still realistic. And to top it all of we got a queer romance story with just the right amount of heartache.

This book tore me apart and put me back together again. My only criticism is that I can’t keep reading it forever - because I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to normal books after this!

This is the sapphic love story I’ve been searching for - something that celebrates the mundane, the normal, the everyday, but with a setting that tells us it’s so much more than that. I genuinely thought every part of this story was perfect - from the unassuming beginning to that beautiful, clever, brilliant ending which had me sobbing so hard I could barely see.

I immediately went and ordered a special edition of this because this is one of those books I simply have to own on my bookshelf. I adored it.

I was very intrigued by this book. Initially I was disappointed to move away from the world that Taylor had created. However, I eat my words. I have never read anything like this before and it did exactly what I go to fiction for- escapism.

Loved the story telling and was very engaged from page to page- what a treat.

I just finished reading this book minutes ago and I am speechless.! The ending was wild, just wow. This book had me in such suspense! TJK stroked again with wn bother amazing Novel. I was not expecting this book to be sapphic as it’s not tagged anywhere but it was a great surprise. I adored the romance in this book. I loved the space theme and that the main characters are astronauts- very cool. I have not read much fiction about NASA and space so this was a bit different which I really enjoyed. TJR never disappoints and this one may be up there as one of my favourites of hers! I definitley recommend this one!

Oh, what a treat this was! That isn't at all surprising, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a forever fave, but I was having a hard time imagining how any protagonist could top my love for Carrie Soto. Enter Joan! I love space in the sense that I know absolutely nothing about it but cry every time there's a space launch because I'm happy for the scientists, so it felt in so many ways like this book was made for me - the sharing of actual scientific information was handled in such a way that it was digestible and didn't affect the momentum or flow of the plot at all, and while the characters were the star of the show, as I'd argue they are in all TJR books, the pacing and plotting was also really great - always exciting, never veering too far in to an info dump of the things we needed to understand to really grasp what was happening. My one comment would be I wanted more of the real time POV - Vanessa in the shuttle was *so thrilling* to me and while the lead up was really important for context, I would have liked to spend more time up there! That said, the final 20% was executed so perfectly that I wept pretty solidly throughout. I honestly couldn't tell which way it was going to go. When I grow up I want to be Taylor Jenkins Reid, as anyone who has ever heard me speak at a book event will know because I say it at all of them - this only confirmed that further. My favourite so far.

For me, this did for space what Carrie Soto did for tennis i.e. made me care about something in which I have zero interest or experience. It's not her best by any stretch, but a solid, positive read throughout, with a tense, excellent ending.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has proved that she's a versatile writer who gives readers books that they don't want to put down - and Atmosphere is another such! It calls itself a love story, and at its heart that's exactly what it is: but not just a romance. It's a love story to the planet, to science and to invention and human endeavour, to friendship and, being a bit grandiose, it's a love story to humanity.

That said, it's also pretty straightforward in the storytelling, we have two narratives, one where the main protagonist, Joan, is the CAPCOM on Earth, monitoring the crew in space on a mission, and an older narrative where we find out how she becomes a NASA astronaut.

The book is set in the early 1980s and I found it really fascinating to notice how much the world has changed since then, especially for gay people and for women. The weight of expectation on the female aspiring astronauts was phenomenal -and the lengths that gay people had to go through to hide their relationships - it's timely to reflect on the sea changes that take place over decades.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.