Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (June 3, 2025) – Thank you, @prhaudio and @ballentinebooks for the #gifted advanced listening copy of this book that left me in ruins (in the best possible way)! #prhaudioinfluencer
Joan Goodwin, a professor of physics and astronomy, has always loved the stars. She lives a quiet life, teaching and helping to raise her niece, Frances. Then she learns that NASA is opening its applications to women for its shuttle program, and, for the first time in a long time, she feels the pull toward something bigger. In 1980, she is selected for the program along with Hank (the top gun), John (always cool under pressure), Lydia (watch your back), Donna (a woman with secrets), and Vanessa (the aeronautical engineer who can fly anything). They become more than friends. Family. People who, if called, will have to rely on each other to get to space and back. But for Joan, it is a journey that is as much about space as it is about identity, courage, found family, and the powerful gravity of love. Then, in 1984, everything on mission STS-LR9 goes terribly wrong.
I jumped into this book, and within the first few paragraphs, I was utterly engrossed. There have been a handful of stories in the last several years that have consumed this deeply. I’ve always loved the way TJR writes, but without question, this is my favorite of her books. The blend of science, history, and raw human emotion is extraordinary. Reid doesn’t shy away from the realities of the 1980s (sexism, homophobia, and societal expectations), and the way these issues intertwine with ambition, sacrifice, and connection is both powerful and heartbreaking. It made me think about how far we’ve come and how much further we’ve to go as a society to achieve true equality. The shifting timelines (anchored by the gripping first chapter) keep you reading furiously. I loved it. I cried uncontrollably for the last 75 pages, and I am so happy to have read it.
🎧 Audiobook Notes 🎧 Kristen DiMercurio and Julia Whelan deliver one of the best audio performances I have ever experienced – and I don’t say that lightly. The amount of emotion they pack into the big and little moments of this book perfectly encapsulates the subtle and dramatic emotions that grip you and rip through you throughout the story. It was stunning. Just wow. Wow. Wow.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Audio Performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Smart Kate 