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Atmosphere

A Love Story; The breathtaking bestseller from the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

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Atmosphere

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Kristen Dimercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
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***THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER***

An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

In the summer of 1980, Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston's Johnson Space Centre, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Atmosphere is a soaring story about the transformative power of love - this time among the stars.

'The read of the summer' SUNDAY TIMES
'A richly drawn page-turner' OBSERVER
'Beautifully written, immersive' THE TIMES
'Our favourite TJR novel yet' COSMOPOLITAN
'I absolutely adored this' BRYONY GORDON

©2025 Taylor Jenkins Reid (P)2025 Penguin Audio

 20th Century Best of 2025 Editors Select Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Women's Voices Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking Aviation
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Editorial Review

You can’t deny the gravitational pull
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s talent is awe-inducing: both her ability to tell deeply human stories, and the research and detail that she pours into her novels, effortlessly orienting the listener in time and place. In Atmosphere, we are in Houston in the 1980s, embarking on NASA’s space exploration program with its first wave of women scientists and pilots. Joan, an astronomer, is eager to become one of the first women in space, but she’s also enjoying the ride of discovering her own capabilities and growing her relationships with her fellow candidates. We jump between Joan’s early time in the program and December 29, 1984, when Joan is on the ground in Houston serving as capcom on a space mission, and something goes horribly wrong. The alternating timelines drive the suspense, as does the blossoming relationship between Joan and fellow candidate Vanessa, who is on the shuttle in 1984. Performed by Julia Whelan and Kristen DiMercurio, this book won’t let you go once you’ve entered its orbit. —Katie O., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

Tipped as the read of the summer
A richly drawn page-turner ... It would take a stony reader to turn away from its pleasures ... Melding action thriller emergency with star-crossed romance ... I'd be lying if I said my eyes weren't wet by the end
Quite possibly our favourite TJR novel yet ... Even if you're not a big space fan, you can't help but fall for this cosmic tale
A breathtaking, quietly staggering tale of female empowerment, desire, and our place in the universe
Is there a popular fiction writer alive who conveys falling in love better than Taylor Jenkins Reid?
You'll see this one on every sun lounger this summer
An ambitious novel that explores human limitation, sacrifice and the essence of love itself
Takes you on a journey to show the lengths we go to for love. Sure to be a must-read
Atmosphere is at once epic and intimate, heart-wrenching and hopeful. It's an escapist novel of the best kind with a final few pages that will leave you utterly breathless
Moving, pacey and a read that will stick with you
All stars
Most relevant
woman, in NASA innthe 80s I adore this story. The love the characters, even the awful Barbara. my only fault is I want more. I want Lydia's story, I want book 2 and 3 and on and on....

fantastic read

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A brilliant combo of (what I presume are) facts, wonder, forbidden love and team work. Just wish there had been an epilogue. I think it finished too abruptly but then again, what do I know! Fantastic writing and narration.

Captivating

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Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. This one is just another example of her great writing and beautiful imagined and nuanced characters. So beautiful to set a love story against the wonder of space. Great narration. This story filled me with hope.

A beautiful story about love

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Captivating.
For me, the depth of the 'performance' by the readers involved here, painted such vivid characters in my mind's eye that I crave a sequel....
what happened to these female astronauts beyond the 80s space program?
A love story like no other.
TJR's work is ideally suited to audiobook and if you loved listening to Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo, Im sure you'd enjoy this too.

Sublime

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Another enjoyable read/listen from TJR! Great character development and an overview of a challenging journey of how society’s expectations can really impact those who just want to be, free and loving. Would recommend!

An eventful gripping listen

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