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Atmosphere: By Taylor Jenkins Reid (Book Review)
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Jun 19, 2025
Atmosphere: By Taylor Jenkins Reid (Book Review) Today, we’re launching into the cosmos with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest novel, Atmosphere. Released June 3, 2025, this sweeping romance-thriller dives into NASA’s 1980s Shuttle program with the emotional resonance Reid is known for—and with a queer love story at its core.” Buy Now: https://amzn.to/4e6OKwq
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welcome back to Bookicious the podcast
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where we review latest books novels and
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graphic novels Today we're launching
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Into the Cosmos with Taylor Jenkins
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Reed's latest novel Atmosphere Released
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June 3rd 2025 this sweeping romance
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thriller dives into NASA's 1980s shuttle
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program with the emotional resonance
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Reed is known for And with a queer love
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story at its core 1980 Johnson Space
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Center Joan Goodwin an astrophysicist
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and professor finds herself accepted
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into NASA's second ever cohort of women
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astronauts Among her peers are the
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devoted pilot Hank Redmond and the
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enigmatic engineer Vanessa Ford Reed
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opens with high stakes mid-m mission
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tension between mission control and
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shuttle navigator keeping you hooked
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from the jump But this isn't just a
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space adventure It's a slow burn romance
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Joan and Vanessa's relationship unfolds
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quietly their connections simmering
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beneath the surface of strict NASA
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protocols Critics agree Reed conveys
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falling in love with rare authenticity
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I feel like I could know you forever and
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still be curious about what you're going
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to say next Their secret rendevous are
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charged not only by passion but by
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impending risk The novel doesn't shy
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away from the sexism and homophobia
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embedded in 1980s NASA Space suits and
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training gear built for men the
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necessity to hide the relationship for
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career preservation Joan Muse says the
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meaning of life had to be up there
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somewhere This fragility of identity
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balancing science career love is the
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emotional gravity at the core of
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atmosphere The tension ratchets when a
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missionritical accident strikes aboard
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the shuttle triggering a tense back and
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forth between past and present Critics
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call it a heartpounding race against the
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clock and praise Reed's skill at
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blending thrill with intimate character
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work What critics say The Every Girl
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Reed's most heartbreaking book yet with
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mundane moments like coffee orders and
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takeout TV carry just as much weight as
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orbital feats Kirus reviews "A novel
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that's impossible to put down thanks to
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its kinetic pace and emotional core
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Financial Times Good old-fashioned
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storytelling shines here even if some
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social context feels sentimental and
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simplified The Times UK offers a
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dissenting voice a critique of tone
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calling it like eating broccoli in space
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But that quip tells us atmosphere is
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stirring conversations not stirring
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sleep So is atmosphere a must-read for
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fans of emotional character-led romance
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set against highstakes drama it's a
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deeper more intimate ride than her
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previous Life of the Stars tales
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Reviewers like Starcat Books praise its
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creative and captivating pros Its
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greatest strength may lie in Reed's
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skill at making something as vast as
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space feel accessible But if you're
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seeping a nuanced take on 1980s social
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struggle or a less polished literary
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style some critics say it leans toward
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polished emotional storytelling over
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gritty realism
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Personally atmosphere left me thinking
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about the quiet moments handheld glances
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and mission control midnight
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philosophical chats and then hit me with
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heartache on re-entry Whether it's
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Reed's most powerful work is subjective
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but it certainly lands with emotional
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force So my verdict is Liftoff It may
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not be everyone's ultimate beach read
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but for romance and space fans with a
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taste of emotional gravity it's well
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worth the journey Thank you for tuning
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in to Booklicious Join us next time as
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we travel somewhere less cosmic Until
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then keep turning the pages
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