From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.

I was late to the TJR train and didn’t read my first book by her until a couple of years ago. I’ve only read three of her books (well, now four), and I really enjoyed them for the most part. That said, I’ll admit it took me a bit to settle into this one. When I started the book, I thought I was diving into a space-centered, high-stakes survival tale. Instead, I got a love story that orbits around space rather than blasting straight into it. Once I adjusted my expectations, I found myself enjoying the ride.

The story takes place in the 1980s, a time when NASA was beginning to integrate more women into its astronaut program. It’s a smart backdrop. The limitations placed on women weren’t just societal—they were systemic. Add the fact that our female leads are also lesbians, and you get an added layer of complexity. The U.S. wasn’t exactly gay-friendly in the ‘80s, especially not in a male-dominated government program.

Joan Goodwin is our anchor. She’s a physics professor turned astronaut candidate. She’s brilliant, quiet, and deeply driven, and doesn’t scream for attention. She works hard, watches everything, and carries a quiet hope that she might be good enough to reach the stars someday. One thing I loved about her was her relationship with her niece, Frances. It felt tender and layered, and every scene between them rang true.

Then there’s Vanessa Ford. She’s all grit and focus, and she doesn’t take crap from anyone. Watching her and Joan build something real in a world that would rather crush it felt honest. I believed their love. I also believed how devastating it would be when your job—which also happens to be your biggest dream—doesn’t support who you love.

What impressed me most was the restraint. The 1980s setting serves a purpose and isn’t just a throwback aesthetic. Reid doesn’t flood the book with dated slang or neon-drenched nostalgia. She focuses on the real stakes for women like Joan and Vanessa. The story includes just enough ‘80s references to root us in the decade, but the attention stays on the politics and the pressure of the time.

Reid also does a great job grounding us in the characters’ lives without letting the details overwhelm. There’s enough NASA training, cockpit simulation, and mission prep to keep us centered, but then it pivots into the heart of the story. The disaster teased in the opening chapter unfolds slowly, woven between glimpses of Joan and Vanessa’s growth and their evolving relationships with the other astronauts.

Speaking of the other astronauts, they shine too. Hank, John, Lydia, and Donna all feel like fully developed people with their own arcs and stakes. None of them feel like filler. They aren’t just orbiting around Joan and Vanessa, they matter.

That said, I think some readers might wish for more literal “space” in the space book. The cover and premise hint at something high-concept and orbit-bound, but the narrative stays mostly grounded. That’s part of why it took me time to find my rhythm with the book. Once I let go of what I thought it should be, I saw it for what it is: a slow-burning, emotionally rich love story about two women daring to dream bigger than the world around them allowed.

If you’re familiar with Taylor Jenkins Reid, you know she writes complicated people. Here, she proves she can do that in a jumpsuit and helmet just as easily as in a cocktail dress. If you’re looking for a survival thriller set on a space station, this isn’t that. But if you love character-driven stories that pack an emotional punch, this book is for you.

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