Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the story of Joan Goodwin, a college professor of physics and astronomy whose life changes when she applies to be one of the first women scientists in NASA’s space shuttle program.
Told in a dual timeline structure, Atmosphere alternates between Joan’s journey of finding love and family in the place she least expected while trying to break the glass ceiling in a field that never welcomed her. Meanwhile, a present-day crisis where a catastrophic space incident leaves you holding onto the book for dear life, desperate to know if the crew will make it home alive.
I was hooked by Joan’s quiet strength and the way she sees the world. She’s strong, perceptive, and proves kindness can be one’s strongest asset.
In this post, read our full summary and review of Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This post contains spoilers.
Atmosphere
Description
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.
Tropes
- Friends to lovers
- Slow burn
- LGBTQ+
- Found family
- Historical fiction (NASA’s space program)
- Forbidden love
Review
Overall Impressions 😊
As a person whose favorite books of 2025 were historical fiction (see Broken Country and Spectacular Things), I wasn’t surprised by how much I enjoyed Atmosphere. I liked it, it had me at the edge of my seat and made me irrationally angry at times (mostly at Barbara and Jimmy).
While the love story and Joan’s self discovery were great, they weren’t what blew me away. It was Joan. The way she navigates the world while not giving up who she was made me stay the entire time.
I wasn’t as blown away as I was with my other favorite historical fiction reads, but I loved how Joan’s relationships displayed different parts of her character. Vanessa, Griff, Frances, Lydia, and even Barbara (who is still on my shit list days after finishing the book) were all windows into her strength and kindness and I couldn’t get enough of her.
Plus, as a STEM person myself, I loved the focus on space exploration and the realities of being a woman in the workplace in the 80s. There was very little to complain about in this book. My only critique is that I found the ending a bit Hallmark movie where Joan and Vanessa speak through the mission control where they don’t know if they’ll see each other again.
That being said, I loved this book, its characters, the subject matter (spaaace) and the found family aspects.
Perfect For Fans Of… 🌟
If you love emotional stories about women carving out space in technical fields that never expected them, this is for you. Joan knows she’s breaking barriers, and that awareness shapes everything. It’s about proving yourself, finding your footing, and doing the work you were meant to do even when the world keeps telling you no.
This scratches a different itch than Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Project Hail Mary is hard science fiction with technical details. Atmosphere is character-driven drama with space as the backdrop. Both are great in totally different ways.
If you loved historical fiction like Broken Country and Spectacular Things, this fits right in. All three are about strong people overcoming huge obstacles while navigating love and identity. Here’s my honest take though: those books had me in a chokehold. I couldn’t put them down. Atmosphere was more of a slow burn. I wanted to keep reading, but I could enjoy it in moderation and come back to it. What hooked me most was Joan’s workplace relationships with Lydia, Donna, and Griff, the found family vibes, her devotion to Frances, and hate reading about Barbara.
This is NOT for you if you’re looking for spice (it’s all closed door), hard science fiction, or a book that’ll ruin your sleep schedule. This is drama with space, not an unputdownable thriller.
Characters 👥
I could write on and on about the strong female characters in this book. It probably came across already, but I am such a Joan Goodwin fan. I want to be a Joan. The way she conducts herself in every facet of her life is admirable. Unfortunately, I’m more of a Lydia Danes than a Joan. Someone who’s cutthroat and isn’t afraid to show it, but is terrified of appearing soft because it might make me look weak.
Joan is soft, clever, and ambitious. She makes it clear to everyone around her that kindness is strength, and it’s what moves her forward ahead of an exceptional group of fellow candidates. I loved her iron strength presenting as mellow, calm confidence.
Vanessa Ford was okay for me. I found it hard to believe someone with her background would make it into a space program. Second chances like that are hard to come by. Maybe the reason I wasn’t as invested in Joan and Vanessa’s relationship is because Vanessa felt more like a plot device than a main character. Maybe I was just so invested in Joan that I wasn’t ready to make space for another character.
Loved Lydia and Donna Fitzgerald. What this book does great is show there are different ways to be a strong woman. The scene where Lydia comes to Joan’s apartment and they talk about how Lydia’s aggressive excellence is being perceived, and then Lydia actually takes that advice? And at the end when Vanessa goes to bat for Lydia? Such a strong depiction of friendship and found family.
I would die for Frances. What a sweet, inquisitive child. She’s written so realistically. She’s not one of those weird fictional children that acts like an adult in a child’s body. She has tantrums, questions, and grows throughout the story. When she suffers you worry for her and root for her to succeed.
Men like John Griffin (Griff) don’t come across pages anymore. He goes from adoring courter to best friend with a very reasonable approach once he realizes Joan’s rejection isn’t about him. Barbara can rot in garbage. I haven’t had a fictional character make me this angry in a very long time. She constantly acts like she’s alone when Joan has been more of a parent to her and her daughter than Barbara ever has.
If characters like this are what I can expect from a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, I’ll be a lifelong reader.
Plot 🗺️
I’m a sucker for the dual timeline structure, especially when we’re dropped in the middle of a crisis and then spend the entire book learning how we got there. It’s especially effective when by the end of the book I want to go back and reread all the present timeline interactions to see if I think of them differently. Atmosphere does this very well.
The pacing worked well. We go from the first day Joan sees an advertisement in the paper all the way to the space shuttle incident and the years that stretch between. There are some time jumps which I think is clever so we don’t have to read filler chapters. It also made the progression of relationships feel realistic. Books like this sometimes try to cram everything into two weeks and you’re left thinking what the hell just happened.
The mix of space and drama is well balanced. I really enjoyed reading about the characters’ relationships within the space exploration program.
There was a surprising amount of ambiguity at first about who Joan is going to be interested in. Then there was a lot of sitting at the edge of my seat about how she’s going to end up going to space, what will happen to Frances, and whether the shuttle Vanessa and Griff are on is going to make it back to Earth safely with the crew alive.
While the plot kept me engaged, the ending felt a bit Hallmark movie to me. There’s an extended conversation between Joan and Vanessa from mission control to a space shuttle in danger, and it goes on for a few chapters. There are a lot of private conversations aired out to the entire NASA mission control room, which felt unrealistic and like it was itching for a grand movie third act.
It felt inauthentic to what the book was trying to convey and dragged on too long. Also, I for sure felt like I knew how the book was going to end, then got faked out, so definitely get ready for some twists and turns.
My Favorite Quote 📣
“Because the world had decided that to be soft was to be weak, even though in Joan’s experience being soft and flexible was always more durable than being hard and brittle. Admitting you were afraid always took more guts than pretending you weren’t. Being willing to make a mistake got you further than never trying. The world had decided that to be fallible was weak. But we are all fallible. The strong ones are the ones who accept it.”
Taylor Jenkins Reid, Atmosphere
Writing Style and Narration ✍️
Since this was my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book, I don’t know how to compare it to her other works, but I found Joan’s inner voice very compelling. The prose felt like waves that ebb and flow. Seemingly accessible, everyday moments are followed by gut-punching scenes with introspection that really make you think about those mundane moments differently.
I read it in audiobook format, and Julia Whelan nails everything she narrates (still am not over her as Nora in Book Lovers). She did a fantastic job conveying the emotions and stakes of Atmosphere. The audiobook also has Kristen DiMercurio narrating Vanessa’s POV, which I love in a dual POV story. It makes different perspectives more immersive, so I really appreciated that.
I loved the dialogue between the characters, especially Frances. Occasionally it veered towards over the top dramatic and a bit corny (strawberry milkshakes at the diner and mission control scene at the end) but I kind of get the desire to have those emotional scenes.
I have a ton of quotes that stuck with me. Vanessa’s “I would’ve given you anything if it wouldn’t cost us everything” and Joan’s conversation with Lydia about her perceived superiority will forever live rent free in my head.
Which Atmosphere character would you want as your best friend?
Which Atmosphere character would you want as your best friend?
Synopsis
Joan Goodwin Applies to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program
Joan Goodwin is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University in Houston. Joan is quiet, secluded, and keeps to herself. Her life consists of exploring her love of stars and space and spending time with her young niece Frances. Being an aunt is a big part of Joan’s life, and she practically co-parents Frances since her sister Barbara became pregnant as a teenager and is a single mother.
While on the phone one day, Barbara tells her she’s seen an advertisement for NASA accepting applications for new astronauts who are female. Joan applies. Her initial application gets rejected, but her second one is accepted. She becomes one of the 20 final candidates to be NASA’s next group of astronaut candidates.
Joan attends her initial briefing presented by astronaut instructor Steve Hagan and director of flight Antonio Lima. Most of the candidates are men, but a woman with big brown curly hair catches her attention immediately.
NASA is beginning reusable shuttles which should transform space exploration. These shuttles are designed for space experimentation, which Joan is very excited about performing. She attends physical and mental fitness interviews. Two months later, Antonio Lima calls her and offers her a spot in the next astronaut candidate class.
Joan quits her job at Rice University and everyone is surprised that “she pulled this off.” Even her sister Barbara is surprised and shocked, especially because Joan has to move farther away from Frances, whom Joan’s been very involved with sincte Barbara got pregnant as a teenager. Joan reassures Barbara that she’ll always be in Frances’s life and moves to be near Houston’s Johnson Space Center.
The Astronauts Begin Their Training
Joan moves to an apartment complex near the space center. She finds other candidates also residing in her building: scientist John Griffin, warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, and mission specialist Lydia Danes. And while Donna, Griff, and Joan become friends quickly, Lydia’s cutthroat, selfish, and off-putting personality keeps her apart.
One evening, Joan is eating alone at a nearby bar and the curly brown haired woman joins her and introduces herself as Vanessa Ford. Vanessa, the mysterious aeronautical engineer, is one of the few women in her class and she lives in a bungalow away from the campus. They immediately hit it off over their passion for space.
Vanessa and Joan begin becoming friends, while Griff seems to have developed an attraction to Joan which Joan has experienced before and dreads the day she’ll have to reject him.
Donna and top gun pilot Hank Redmond begin flirting and spend time together. Joan, although perceptive to all the hooking up around her, has never been interested in romance.
Their training at NASA includes history and practicals. They learn about past failed missions in order to learn the danger they’re putting themselves in. Men, especially the pilots, dismiss the women quite easily. They begin training in water survival and other physical elements. They also begin flying in the jets, and Joan is paired with Hank.
When Barbara and Frances visit her, Barbara notices Joan’s happier. She assumes Joan has finally met a man, but Joan is just happy to find where she belongs and her unlikely friends.
One night Joan is playing the piano in her apartment and Vanessa asks her to check on Donna because she’s been drinking. They discuss her prowess at piano, and Vanessa asks her to help her get better acquainted with stars. They drive out to the Brazos Bend and Joan teaches Vanessa how to navigate the stars.
They discuss the pressure on them to show little girls women can become astronauts. They talk about their past and worst mistakes. Joan admits getting her sister in trouble because she’s always gotten her way while Vanessa admits to acting out because of her father passing away as a fighter pilot.
The training continues and they learn to adjust to microgravity, something Joan struggles with. When Lydia and Jimmy criticize her, Hank reassures her. He also keeps flying Joan in his flights so she can get her hours and he admits he likes her as a scientist whom he used to find intimidating.
Lydia begins worrying about which one of their class will get to go on a mission first.
Joan and Vanessa Become Close
Griff and Joan begin spending more and more time together. Studying, eating, traveling and more. Joan worries about Griff eventually wanting to take the next step.
Lydia gets sent to study a robotic arm which is one of the indications NASA believes in her. Vanessa accuses Joan of being a peacemaker, probably because she’s had to deal with Barbara her whole life. They go out and discuss past lovers, where Joan mentions she never wanted anyone’s attention.
The group goes to New Orleans for training and extend their stay one day so they can spend the night on Bourbon Street. Joan buys a dress and looks gorgeous, getting lots of male attention. She drinks too much. They go to a strip club where Joan is mesmerized by a female stripper. Vanessa calls it a night early. Joan realizes the reason she never found men interesting is because she finds women interesting.
When she wants to go home, Griff walks her home. On their way there they share a moment and are about to kiss. Griff stops them, telling her he wanted to kiss her for so long and doesn’t want their first kiss to be a drunken one. Joan ignores him and kisses him anyway. She immediately regrets it, putting distance between them. Griff is heartbroken, but understands, having his suspicions about Joan.
The next morning, Vanessa comes by her room and teases her about being hungover. She finds pictures of the female stripper Joan has drawn, and she tells Joan she now knows her.
Joan picks Frances up the next day. She finds her alone, waiting in the front yard, which is dangerous for a seven year old. They spend their day together. Joan confronts Barbara, but she lashes out at her, claiming Joan’s calling her a bad mother.
The astronauts go to a camping trip which Joan takes Frances to. The women are made fun of by the men, which Lydia laughs at. Joan tells Lydia she shouldn’t encourage them, to which Lydia says this is the way they break the glass ceiling. They agree that women should be more involved in space exploration, and they’re just fighting about how they should get there.
Griff tells Joan he’s had enough space and he’s ready to be friends again. He also gives her a cryptic warning about being in unconventional relationships in NASA, despite the fact that he’s very supportive of her. Joan realizes she has feelings for Vanessa.
Joan graduates as an astronaut. Hank and Donna are engaged. Lydia gets drunk and tells the other women she didn’t believe they had what it takes, but now she thinks there are things she can learn from them.
Vanessa drives Joan home, and they go into Joan’s apartment to talk. Vanessa talks to Joan about how she feels like she could wait forever for her, and Joan tells her she doesn’t need to. They kiss. They go away together for a weekend, getting in a relationship. After they have sex for the first time, Joan breaks out in hives out of happiness.
Joan continues spending time with Frances. She and Vanessa have their relationship in secret. When Joan invites Vanessa to come pick Frances up from school, Vanessa says no.
Barbara Gets Married and Joan is Selected for a Mission
One night, Barbara shows up with Frances asleep in her arms and tells Joan she needs her to take her for the weekend. She’s met a new man, Daniel, who’s taking her to New York. Joan reluctantly agrees and confirms that Barbara will pick up Frances from school on Monday.
On Monday, Frances’ principal calls Joan and asks if she can come pick her up. Barbara is nowhere to be found. Joan picks up Frances and takes her home. Frances has been spending quite a lot of time in the principal’s office and she throws a tantrum asking for her mother. Joan calms her down and puts her to bed. When Barbara comes, they have a fight. Joan tells Barbara she can’t miss any more flight hours. Barbara accuses her of valuing her job more than her family.
Several days later, Joan is with Vanessa and late to pick Frances up. Vanessa joins her picking her up, despite her being nervous, but Frances is very easy to like. They go to a diner, and have peanut butter sandwiches and strawberry milkshakes.
Vanessa and Joan spend quite a bit of time apart due to their busy schedules. One day, Vanessa flies Joan in a small plane over Big Bend National Park.
Their relationship settles. They continue seeing each other in secret and train to become astronauts. The first women astronaut goes to space and returns.
NASA hosts the Bicentennial Balloon Meet, which Barbara and Frances join Joan for. Daniel has asked Barbara to marry him. Frances doesn’t like Daniel, which Barbara doesn’t seem to care about.
Joan is selected for a mission, she’ll be the first woman in Group 9 to do so. Lydia is devastated it’s Joan and not her who’s selected. She asks for advice, to which Joan tells her that she should be more worried about the team than herself, something Antonio praised Joan for and is a reason she’s selected.
Barbara doesn’t send Joan a wedding invitation because she knows she’s going to be coming alone. Joan is taken aback by this but doesn’t show it. Daniel however talks some sense into her and Barbara tells her she’s free to bring whomever she’d like. Joan decides to invite Vanessa, as a friend. They attend the wedding together, and Frances loves spending time with Vanessa.
After the wedding they put Frances to bed and Vanessa tells Joan she would give her all of this if she could. Joan agrees.
Vanessa, Griff, Steve, Hank and Lydia are assigned to fly on the next shuttle.
Joan Goes to Space and Frances Goes to Boarding School
Joan begins training for her mission which means she’s spending less time with Vanessa and Frances. She’s asked to be put in Mission Control to get more communication experience. Antonio agrees.
Frances asks to spend the whole weekend with her, telling her Barbara and Daniel are out almost every night and she’s always alone. When Joan confronts Barbara about it, Barbara tells her Frances is rude and behaves poorly around Daniel. Joan takes Frances to a movie with Vanessa.
Donna becomes pregnant.
Barbara tells Joan she owes her an apology. She’s never given her enough credit for Joan parenting Frances with her. Daniel and Barbara have decided Frances should go to boarding school. Joan is outraged that Barbara could even think about sending a 10 year old away. When she asks Frances about it, Frances tells her she’d rather go to boarding school than be alone.
Frances reluctantly leaves for boarding school while seeking reassurance from Joan. After she leaves, Joan is angry and devastated.
One night when they’re with Donna, Joan realizes she knows about her and Vanessa and doesn’t judge them. She loves Donna even more for her acceptance.
Before Joan enters the quarantine for her mission, Barbara calls her and tells her Frances wants to stay in school for Thanksgiving with other kids. Joan doesn’t believe her but Barbara tells her Daniel is taking her to Europe. When Joan confronts her, Barbara tells Joan she’s always taking Frances’s side because she’s a child herself and never had an adult relationship on her own.
Joan goes to her space mission. She vomits the entire time. Her reaction to disorientation from being in orbit is severe. She realizes her life on earth means a lot and Vanessa and Frances give it meaning.
Barbara Abandons Frances
Joan returns home to a voicemail full of increasingly distraught messages from Frances. When she finds out there are no kids at the school and Frances is spending Thanksgiving alone with the professor, she rushes to Barbara’s house. She confronts Barbara about abandoning her own child.
Barbara accuses Joan of not having an understanding of having a terrible child. She tells Joan she and Daniel are moving to Europe. Daniel has never wanted kids and he doesn’t want Frances around. Joan is in disbelief at her sister’s selfishness. She composes herself despite Barbara lashing out at her and calling her names, and tells her she’ll take care of Frances. She realizes it was always Barbara’s plan to have Joan step in and take Frances’s care into her own hands. She doesn’t want to reward her horrible behavior, but she’s not willing to have Frances suffer one more minute.
She drives to Frances’s boarding school and picks her up. She tells Frances she’ll live with her from there on out, which Frances is delighted about. She breaks down crying that Joan wants her around. Joan tells her when she left Earth all she could think about was coming back to her and she’ll never be alone.
She goes to Antonio’s office and tells him she wants to be assigned to Mission Control for good. Antonio is disappointed because they wanted her to go back to space a few more times, but eventually agrees. He, however, tells Joan that NASA astronauts with security clearance can’t have any issues in their lives that can be used against them. Joan realizes NASA knows about her and Vanessa.
Joan ponders what to do. She tries to break up with Vanessa, using Frances as an excuse. Eventually she gives in and tells her the truth. Vanessa is devastated, and so is Joan. Joan tells Vanessa she knows flying a space shuttle is everything she’s ever wanted and she doesn’t want to take that away from her. Vanessa tells her Frances and Joan are her dream. They decide to somehow make it work after a long argument.
Atmosphere Ending Explained
One day during Vanessa’s mission, Joan is in Mission Control. The crew is supposed to launch an observation satellite. Griff and Vanessa finish a spacewalk to manually deploy the satellite. They arrive back at the airlock and leave the door open so they can watch the satellite deploy.
The satellite deploys. However, something goes wrong and the satellite explodes. Debris hits the ship, causing pressure to drop. Griff is hit on his spacesuit with a piece of the satellite. Vanessa closes the hatch but Griff falls unconscious.
Hank, Steve, and Lydia begin looking for the leak. They all fall unconscious as well, but Lydia manages to find and seal the leak before doing so.
Hank and Steve die. Lydia is unconscious but her vitals are dropping. She’s saved their lives.
The latches on the shuttle have malfunctioned and Vanessa has to manually close them before they can deorbit and reenter Earth’s atmosphere. Joan tells her she gets to fly the space shuttle after all.
Vanessa realizes the door has warped and begins work. Mission Control observes that Griff’s life is in danger. Griff dies. Jack, the Mission Commander, tells Joan not to tell Vanessa.
Vanessa works on the latches but they’re not all closing. When Joan asks her to keep trying, Vanessa refuses, saying Griff and Lydia’s lives are in danger. Jack tells Joan to inform Vanessa that Griff has died. Vanessa asks how much longer Lydia can survive.
Joan hesitates to answer but she eventually admits that if they miss another revolution around Earth, Lydia won’t make it. However, they’re not sure if they deorbit now whether the warped door is closed enough for anyone to survive.
Vanessa doesn’t want to die. She wants to be with Frances and Joan, but she’s refusing to let Lydia die without her trying to save her. Vanessa disobeys orders and begins deorbit procedures.
They deorbit easily but the real danger is when the shuttle reenters the atmosphere. Vanessa asks Joan to tell everyone she’s sorry and to tell Frances she has so much to live for and she’s not doing this because she has nothing.
Joan begins crying. Jack realizes the two women’s relationship and tells Joan to tell Vanessa what she needs to hear. They confess their love for one another as much as they can on an open NASA line.
The shuttle enters the atmosphere and they lose connection. Moments pass. Everyone thinks Vanessa and the crew died upon reentry. Joan begins sobbing, devastated in her grief.
Just as they’re all about to lose hope, Vanessa’s voice crackles over the line, letting them know they’re alive.
How do you feel about the ending?
How do you feel about the ending?
Spicy Chapters
How Spicy is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: 🌶️🌶️
Atmosphere FAQs
What brought you to this Atmosphere review?
What brought you to this Atmosphere review?
Is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid spicy?
Sort of, Atmosphere is not really spicy. There are adult relationships in the book, but it’s all closed door.
Is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid LGBTQ+?
Yes, Atmosphere features an LGBTQ+ romance. Joan Goodwin develops a relationship with fellow astronaut Vanessa Ford. The book explores their romance in the context of 1980s NASA, when such relationships had to remain secret.
Is Atmosphere based on a true story?
While Atmosphere is fiction, it’s inspired by the real history of NASA’s space shuttle program and the first women astronauts in the 1980s.
Do Joan and Vanessa get together in Atmosphere?
Yes, Joan and Vanessa become a couple.
Did Vanessa survive in Atmosphere?
Yes, Vanessa and Lydia survives. Hank, Steve and Griff die.
This book will take you to space and back (emotionally speaking). Get it here. 🌌💫
Atmosphere was an out of this world experience (lol sorry), with its character development, found family between characters, and the nostalgic space exploration setting. Joan Goodwin might be one of my favorite main characters of the year and I can only aspire to be as kind and strong as her. The ending does feel a bit corny to me and did take away from my overall reading experience, but it was spectacular nonetheless. It made me think about it a few days later and let me reflect on my own life, which is all I can ask from a book.
How did you like Atmosphere? Was the ending very Hallmark movie-ish for you too? Let us know in the comments! Follow us on socials or sign up for our newsletter for all of our future coverage!
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