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Page 18 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM November 2025
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By BRittany amalfi
When I found out that Tay- lor Jenkins Reid had released a new book, I immediately headed to my local bookstore. If there’s any author whose work I’ll read without question, it’s hers. As soon as I heard about Atmo- sphere and what it was about, I knew I had to get a copy. Reid’s stories always pull me in from
Book of the Month: Atmosphere By Taylor Jenkins Reed
the very first page, and this one was no exception. There’s something about her characters and the worlds she creates that feels both cinematic and deeply personal, and I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Joan Goodwin has always looked to the stars, but when NASA opens its doors to women astronauts in 1980, her quiet life as a physics professor suddenly shifts. Selected for the Space Shuttle program, Joan trains alongside a group of ex- traordinary men and women who push her to her limits—and challenge her sense of who she is. As friendships deepen and unexpected love takes root, Joan must confront what she will risk for her dreams.
Atmosphere is such a stand-
out read, and it’s the characters that make it what it is. Joan, Va- nessa, Hank, Griff, and Lydia each jump off the page with their own quirks, flaws, and to- tally believable personalities. Taylor Jenkins Reid does that magical thing she did in The
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo—she makes you forget these people aren’t real. Joan’s all quiet determination, Vanes- sa’s got that cool-girl magnetic energy, Hank’s the kind of stoic you secretly root for, Griff’s qui- etly brilliant, and Lydia’s pure warmth wrapped in ambition. Their chemistry is off the charts, and watching them train, clash, and connect is just so satisfying. Honestly, by the end, it felt less like reading a novel and more like saying goodbye to a group of friends I didn’t want to let go of.
One of my favorite things about Atmosphere is how Reid bounces between Joan’s early days as a calm, slightly awkward physics professor and the high- stakes chaos of NASA life in the
’80s. The back-and-forth time- line totally works. It’s like watch- ing two versions of the same person learning how to be brave in completely different ways. And then comes the Decem- ber 1984 mission, which is pure Reid drama: tense, emotional, and impossible to put down. The disaster sequence had me absolutely reeling.
At the end of the day, Atmo- sphere is one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish it. Between the high-stakes space missions, the swoon-wor- thy moments, and the brilliantly complicated characters—Joan, Vanessa, Hank, John, and Lydia—it’s impossible not to get
completely invested. Taylor Jenkins Reid has this uncanny ability to make you care about every single person on the page, while keeping you on the edge of your seat with heart-pounding tension. It’s funny, heartbreak- ing, inspiring, and ultimately up- lifting all at once. If you’ve ever dreamed of space, ambition, or just brilliant storytelling, this book is the one for you. You will not be disappointed.
Paul V. Fleming & Sons LLC
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