2 months ago
30
14
Posted On: September 16th 2026, 10:26 pm
Book Club pick ☄️🪐🔭🌙💫
📖Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid
⭐️Average rating: 8.2/10
🧑🧑🧒🧒Ashlyn, Ami, Emily, Olivia, Lauren, Sam: 8/10
Lianna: 9.5/10 (she loves women in STEM!!)
📌 Synopsis
In 1980s Houston, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin is chosen to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program, where she forms intense bonds with her fellow astronauts and falls in love along the way. But as the mission draws closer, the dream of space begins to collide with a devastating danger that could change everything.
💭Our thoughts:
We all really enjoyed the characters, especially Joan and Vanessa. We thought the whole space element was done well, as it wasn’t overly technical where the story felt inaccessible or dry, but it was well-researched and as a reader without much knowledge on space / astronauts, it still like the stakes were high.
My personal take is that the marketing of this book does it a disservice. It’s not a love story. It’s a story and there is love in it, but it’s a story about discovery, women pushing boundaries, the pressure that comes with that, a story about duty, complicated relationships with family, and grief. It’s touching and interesting and well written - it’s pretty rare that everyone in our book club likes a book unanimously.
The one thing we disagreed on is the jumping timeline. While I normally LOVE that, I actually felt like this story would have had more emotional impact if it was told linearly. Most of the book club gals thought how things were revealed early through the past/present chapters fit the story.
❔If you’ve read this one, I’d love to know if you liked the switching back and forth or if you would have preferred a linear timeline?
📖Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid
⭐️Average rating: 8.2/10
🧑🧑🧒🧒Ashlyn, Ami, Emily, Olivia, Lauren, Sam: 8/10
Lianna: 9.5/10 (she loves women in STEM!!)
📌 Synopsis
In 1980s Houston, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin is chosen to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program, where she forms intense bonds with her fellow astronauts and falls in love along the way. But as the mission draws closer, the dream of space begins to collide with a devastating danger that could change everything.
💭Our thoughts:
We all really enjoyed the characters, especially Joan and Vanessa. We thought the whole space element was done well, as it wasn’t overly technical where the story felt inaccessible or dry, but it was well-researched and as a reader without much knowledge on space / astronauts, it still like the stakes were high.
My personal take is that the marketing of this book does it a disservice. It’s not a love story. It’s a story and there is love in it, but it’s a story about discovery, women pushing boundaries, the pressure that comes with that, a story about duty, complicated relationships with family, and grief. It’s touching and interesting and well written - it’s pretty rare that everyone in our book club likes a book unanimously.
The one thing we disagreed on is the jumping timeline. While I normally LOVE that, I actually felt like this story would have had more emotional impact if it was told linearly. Most of the book club gals thought how things were revealed early through the past/present chapters fit the story.
❔If you’ve read this one, I’d love to know if you liked the switching back and forth or if you would have preferred a linear timeline?
Comments (14)
2 months agowhattemilyreads
i didn’t mind the switching back and fourth!! i thought it added to the story more! but i can see your pov too!!
2 months agocathreadsalot
Omg I read this on the train home from work and cried at the end!! I don't mind switching back and forth periodically if it leaves me guessing about things and gives the present day narrator a voice that makes me feel connected to them better with their hindsight applied, but I don't love a constant back and forth 🙈
2 months agoaudrielles_library_
Great review! I feel like sometimes linear storylines make more sense too
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