Download Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid – The GMA Book Club Pick That’s Reaching for the Stars

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Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Atmosphere: A Love Story” has captured readers’ hearts and imaginations as a GMA Book Club Pick for June 2025, delivering another emotionally charged bestseller from the author behind “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and “Daisy Jones & The Six.” Set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program, this epic novel tells the story of one ambitious young woman finding both her voice and her passion as she fights to become one of the first female NASA astronauts.

The novel follows Joan Goodwin, a reserved physics professor at Rice University, who unexpectedly finds herself selected for NASA’s first class of female scientists in space. With Reid’s signature emotional depth and cinematic storytelling, “Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Love Story” explores themes of ambition, identity, courage, and love in the most extraordinary of settings—among the stars.

For readers who have followed Taylor Jenkins Reid’s journey through her previous bestsellers, “Atmosphere” represents both a continuation of her masterful character-driven storytelling and a bold new direction into the world of space exploration, historical fiction, and LGBTQ+ romance.

Taylor Jenkins Reid: Crafting Emotional Epics

Taylor Jenkins Reid has established herself as one of contemporary fiction’s most beloved authors, known for her ability to transport readers to iconic times and places while crafting deeply human stories about love, ambition, and self-discovery. Her previous works—including “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” “Daisy Jones & The Six,” “Malibu Rising,” and “Carrie Soto Is Back”—have all achieved bestseller status and garnered devoted fanbases.

What distinguishes Reid’s work is her exceptional ability to blend historical settings with intimate character studies. She doesn’t just recreate a time period; she makes readers feel the texture of that era while exploring universal human experiences that transcend any specific moment in history.

Reid’s novels often feature strong, complex female protagonists navigating male-dominated industries or challenging social expectations. Whether it’s a Hollywood icon, a rock star, a surfer, or a tennis champion, Reid’s women are ambitious, flawed, passionate, and utterly compelling.

Her writing combines accessible prose with emotional sophistication, creating page-turning narratives that also offer substantial character development and thematic depth. This balance has made her work appealing to both literary fiction readers and those seeking compelling entertainment.

The 1980s Space Shuttle Program Setting

Historical Context and NASA’s Female Astronauts

“Atmosphere” is set during a pivotal moment in space exploration history—the 1980s space shuttle program when NASA was finally opening its astronaut corps to include women scientists and engineers. This historical backdrop provides both authenticity and dramatic tension as the novel explores what it meant to be among the first women breaking these barriers.

The space shuttle program represented a new era in space exploration, moving beyond the Apollo missions to create a reusable spacecraft that would make space travel more routine. The inclusion of women and civilian scientists marked a significant shift in who could become an astronaut.

Reid’s meticulous research brings this period to life with scientific and historical accuracy. The novel is scientifically and historically detailed, making astrophysics and aerospace engineering accessible for readers without expertise in the subjects. The technical aspects never overwhelm the human story but instead provide authentic texture and heightened stakes.

The 1980s setting also allows Reid to explore the social and cultural attitudes of the era, including gender discrimination in professional settings, evolving attitudes toward women in non-traditional roles, and the beginning of conversations about LGBTQ+ visibility that would accelerate in subsequent decades.

NASA Training and Astronaut Camaraderie

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 easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted 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.

The ensemble cast allows Reid to explore different personalities and backgrounds among the astronaut candidates, showing how people from diverse paths came together in pursuit of a shared dream. The relationships between these characters provide emotional depth beyond the central romance.

The training sequences likely showcase the intense physical, mental, and technical preparation required to become an astronaut, from survival training to learning spacecraft systems to preparing for the unique challenges of living and working in space. These details immerse readers in the astronaut experience.

The camaraderie that develops among the team becomes central to the story’s emotional impact. In addition to the relationship between Joan and Vanessa, the novel highlights the camaraderie between the entire team of astronauts. These bonds of friendship and mutual support create a found family dynamic that resonates with readers.

Joan Goodwin’s Journey of Self-Discovery

From Physics Professor to Astronaut

Joan Goodwin begins the novel as a reserved physics professor at Rice University—someone who has built a successful but perhaps constrained life within academia. Her selection for the astronaut program represents an unexpected opportunity that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself and her future.

The character arc from reserved academic to confident astronaut provides the framework for Joan’s personal transformation. This journey isn’t just about acquiring new skills or achieving a professional goal; it’s about discovering aspects of herself that she had suppressed or never had the opportunity to explore.

Reid excels at creating protagonists who must reconcile their authentic selves with the identities they’ve constructed to meet others’ expectations or navigate challenging environments. Joan’s journey follows this pattern as she discovers passions and desires she never imagined.

The professional challenge of succeeding in the demanding astronaut program parallels Joan’s personal challenge of embracing her true identity. Both require courage, determination, and the willingness to be vulnerable in ways that feel terrifying but ultimately liberating.

Embracing Her Queerness

A significant aspect of Joan’s journey involves coming to terms with her sexuality. The author, Taylor Jenkins Reid, recently came out as bisexual. What did you think of the way that she portrayed Joan’s journey of embracing her queerness? This personal element adds additional layers to Joan’s self-discovery.

The novel explores what it meant to be a queer woman in the 1980s, particularly in a high-profile, traditionally conservative environment like NASA. The social attitudes, limited visibility of LGBTQ+ role models, and professional risks associated with coming out created significant challenges that the novel likely addresses with sensitivity and historical awareness.

Joan’s journey of self-acceptance intersects with her professional ambitions in complex ways. The question of whether she can be fully herself—both as an astronaut and as a queer woman—creates tension that many readers will find deeply relatable regardless of their specific circumstances.

A theme of the book is having the courage to be fully yourself, to go after your own dreams and not to bend to societal pressure. In what ways is this struggle still relevant today, forty years after the novel is set? This thematic resonance gives the historical setting contemporary relevance.

The Love Story: Joan and Vanessa

A Romance Among the Stars

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. The relationship between Joan and Vanessa Ford forms the emotional center of the novel.

Vanessa is described as magnetic and mysterious—an aeronautical engineer who can fix any engine and fly any plane. This competence and capability make her an appealing character in her own right, not simply defined by her romantic relationship with Joan.

The development of their relationship likely unfolds gradually against the intense backdrop of astronaut training and preparation for space missions. The high-stakes environment adds urgency and intensity to their connection while also creating obstacles and complications.

Were you rooting for Joan and Vanessa? What made them a good couple? This question suggests that Reid creates a romance that readers find compelling and worth investing in emotionally, with chemistry and compatibility that feel genuine.

Love in High-Stakes Circumstances

The subtitle “A Love Story” signals that romance is central to the novel’s identity and purpose. The full title of the novel is Atmosphere: A Love Story. What do you make of the subtitle, A Love Story? Do you think it’s only referring to Joan and Vanessa’s love story, or something more?

The “love story” may encompass multiple forms of love beyond romantic connection—love of space and exploration, love among the team of astronauts, love of one’s authentic self, and perhaps love of humanity’s potential for achievement and connection.

The professional context adds complexity to Joan and Vanessa’s relationship. Navigating a romance while training for and participating in space missions likely creates unique challenges around privacy, professional boundaries, and the risks inherent in their work.

The 1980s setting means Joan and Vanessa must navigate their relationship in an era before workplace protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and with limited visibility of same-sex relationships in public life, particularly in traditionally conservative institutions like NASA.

The Pivotal Mission: STS-LR9

December 1984: When Everything Changes

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant. This cryptic reference suggests a dramatic turning point in the story, likely involving a crisis or disaster during a space mission.

The novel’s structure apparently cuts back and forth between this pivotal 1984 mission and Joan’s path to arrive there. What did you think of the novel’s structure, cutting back and forth between the disaster in 1984 and Joan’s path to arrive there? This non-linear structure creates tension as readers know something significant happens but must wait to understand the full context.

The reference to a “disaster” suggests that the mission goes tragically wrong in some way. This creates emotional stakes that go beyond personal or romantic concerns to include survival, loss, and the physical dangers inherent in space exploration.

Space missions involve genuine life-or-death stakes, and the history of space exploration includes tragic losses that affected not just the astronauts but their families, colleagues, and the nation. Reid likely uses this historical reality to create authentic tension and emotional impact.

The Emotional Impact

Let’s talk about the ending. First off, did it make you cry (and how much)? How else did it make you feel? This question suggests that the novel’s conclusion is emotionally powerful and likely bittersweet or tragic in some way.

Reid is known for endings that feel both inevitable and devastating, where readers can see the trajectory but still feel the full emotional weight when events unfold. Her ability to create catharsis through her conclusions is a hallmark of her work.

The combination of romance, high-stakes space missions, and the reference to a disaster in 1984 suggests that readers should prepare for an emotionally intense experience. The novel likely explores themes of sacrifice, loss, legacy, and the price of pursuing extraordinary dreams.

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

Themes and Contemporary Relevance

Courage to Be Fully Yourself

The novel’s central theme involves having the courage to pursue authentic selfhood despite societal pressure and expectations. This theme manifests in multiple ways throughout the story—Joan’s journey to embrace her sexuality, her ambition to become an astronaut despite gender barriers, and her willingness to love openly despite professional and social risks.

The theme resonates particularly strongly given that it’s set in the 1980s but published in 2025, allowing readers to reflect on both how far society has come and how many of these struggles remain relevant. In what ways is this struggle still relevant today, forty years after the novel is set?

The astronaut program setting provides a perfect metaphor for reaching beyond limitations—both the literal limitations of Earth’s atmosphere and the metaphorical limitations of social expectations and self-doubt. Joan’s physical journey into space parallels her psychological journey toward authentic self-expression.

The novel likely explores how pursuing your true self requires both individual courage and supportive communities. The relationships Joan builds with her fellow astronauts probably illustrate how finding your people—those who see and accept you fully—makes authenticity possible.

Women in Male-Dominated Fields

“Atmosphere” continues Reid’s exploration of women succeeding in male-dominated industries, from Hollywood to rock music to tennis, and now to space exploration. The novel examines the specific challenges women faced as pioneers in these fields.

The 1980s setting allows Reid to explore a pivotal moment in women’s professional advancement when opportunities were opening but discrimination and skepticism remained pervasive. The female astronaut candidates likely face both overt sexism and subtler forms of bias.

The novel probably explores different strategies women employed to navigate these environments—some conforming to traditionally masculine norms, others maintaining their distinct identities, and many finding ways to support other women while succeeding personally.

The ensemble cast of female astronauts allows Reid to show diversity among women’s approaches and personalities, avoiding the trap of creating a single narrative about how women succeed or what female astronauts should be like.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Signature Style

Cinematic Storytelling and Historical Detail

Reid has a gift for creating cinematic narratives that play out vividly in readers’ imaginations. Her descriptive prose and scene construction create visual, immersive experiences that make her books natural candidates for screen adaptation.

The space exploration setting provides spectacular visual opportunities—the awe of seeing Earth from orbit, the technical marvel of the shuttle itself, the intensity of launches and landings, and the stark beauty of space. Reid likely captures these moments with prose that does justice to their grandeur.

Her historical research grounds fantastical elements in reality. While the specific mission and characters are fictional, the context of the 1980s space program, the training procedures, the technical details, and the social atmosphere are all carefully researched to create authenticity.

The combination of meticulous historical detail with compelling fictional characters allows Reid to illuminate historical moments through personal stories, making readers feel emotionally connected to events they might only know as headlines or statistics.

Complex, Flawed Protagonists

Reid excels at creating protagonists who are ambitious, talented, and driven but also flawed, vulnerable, and sometimes their own worst enemies. These characters feel real because they contain contradictions and make mistakes while still remaining fundamentally sympathetic.

Joan Goodwin fits this pattern—a brilliant physicist who has perhaps played it safe in some areas of her life, who struggles with self-acceptance, who must learn to open herself to love and vulnerability. Her journey involves both external achievement and internal growth.

The supporting characters also receive three-dimensional treatment rather than serving simply as foils or sidekicks. Each astronaut in the ensemble has their own motivations, challenges, and character arcs that contribute to the overall story.

Reid’s characters are memorable long after readers finish her books because they feel like real people rather than types or archetypes. Their specific quirks, speech patterns, and perspectives make them distinct and unforgettable.

Critical and Reader Reception

GMA Book Club Selection and Bestseller Success

“Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author behind the No. 1 New York Times bestselling books “Daisy Jones & The Six,” “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” “Malibu Rising” and “Carrie Soto Is Back,” is our “GMA” Book Club pick for June. This selection provides significant visibility and credibility for the novel.

The GMA Book Club has become influential in shaping reading trends and bestseller lists. Being selected as a Book Club pick typically leads to strong sales and widespread reader discussion, particularly given Good Morning America’s broad viewership.

The novel has already achieved #1 New York Times bestseller status, continuing Reid’s remarkable track record of commercial success. This achievement reflects both her established fanbase and the novel’s ability to attract new readers.

The partnership with Little Free Library to distribute free copies demonstrates the book’s cultural reach and commitment to accessibility. This month, we are also teaming up with Little Free Library to give out free copies in Times Square and at 150 locations across the U.S. and Canada

Reader Responses and Book Club Discussions

“Atmosphere” is being widely discussed in book clubs and reader communities, with many readers sharing enthusiastic responses to the novel’s emotional impact, historical setting, and romantic storyline.

The availability of detailed discussion questions suggests the novel provides rich material for conversation. Atmosphere: A Love Story was released on June 3, 2025 and is quickly shaping up to be one of the hottest book club books of the summer

Readers who loved Reid’s previous work have embraced “Atmosphere” as another example of her storytelling strengths, while the novel’s unique setting and LGBTQ+ romance have also attracted readers discovering Reid for the first time.

The emotional impact appears to be a consistent theme in reader responses, with many noting the novel’s ability to move them deeply. The combination of epic scale (space exploration) with intimate personal story (romance and self-discovery) creates a reading experience that feels both grand and deeply human.

Comparisons to Reid’s Previous Work

Evolution While Maintaining Signature Strengths

Have you read any other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid? If so, how did “Atmosphere” compare? This question suggests that while “Atmosphere” explores new territory, it maintains the qualities readers love about Reid’s work.

Like “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” “Atmosphere” features a reserved protagonist discovering their queer identity while pursuing extraordinary professional success. Both novels explore how public life and private self can come into conflict.

Like “Daisy Jones & The Six” and “Malibu Rising,” the novel features an ensemble cast of vivid characters whose relationships and individual arcs contribute to the overall story while maintaining focus on a central protagonist or relationship.

Like “Carrie Soto Is Back,” the novel explores a woman excelling in a competitive, male-dominated field where ambition and determination are essential for success. Both novels likely address the specific challenges and biases women face in these environments.

New Territory: Science and Space

“Atmosphere” represents Reid’s first venture into space exploration and hard science territory, demonstrating her versatility as a writer. The technical details of astrophysics and aerospace engineering show her commitment to research and accuracy.

The 1980s setting is Reid’s most recent historical period to date, allowing her to explore an era some readers remember personally while still providing distance for historical perspective and dramatization.

The explicit LGBTQ+ central romance represents another evolution in Reid’s work, though queer characters and relationships have appeared in her previous novels. “Atmosphere” centers a same-sex romance in a way that feels both timely and historically significant.

Reading Experience and Recommendations

Who Should Read “Atmosphere”

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s previous work will almost certainly enjoy “Atmosphere,” as it delivers her signature combination of emotional storytelling, historical detail, and complex characters while exploring new territory.

Readers interested in space exploration, NASA history, or the space shuttle program will appreciate the authentic details and fascinating setting. The novel makes technical material accessible while honoring the complexity and danger of space travel.

LGBTQ+ readers seeking representation in historical fiction and romantic stories will find Joan and Vanessa’s relationship compelling, especially given the thoughtful approach to queer identity in the 1980s context.

Book clubs will find “Atmosphere” provides rich discussion material about themes of courage, authenticity, ambition, love, and the price of pursuing dreams. The historical setting and emotional ending create plenty of conversation opportunities.

Content Considerations

Given Reid’s previous work and the novel’s themes, readers should expect emotionally intense moments, particularly around the disaster that occurs in 1984. The ending is described as potentially tear-inducing and emotionally powerful.

The novel addresses discrimination and prejudice faced by women astronauts and by LGBTQ+ individuals in the 1980s. While Reid handles these topics with sensitivity, readers should be aware these themes are present.

The space exploration setting involves genuine dangers and life-threatening situations. Readers sensitive to stories involving disasters or loss should be prepared for these elements.

The novel’s length and pacing make it an engrossing but substantial read. Reid’s accessible prose and short chapters make it a fast read despite its scope, but readers should plan for emotional investment and potentially staying up late to finish.

Conclusion: A Soaring Achievement

“Atmosphere: A Love Story” by Taylor Jenkins Reid represents another triumph for one of contemporary fiction’s most beloved authors. The novel combines Reid’s signature strengths—emotionally rich characters, meticulous historical research, compelling romance, and cinematic storytelling—with a bold new setting that challenges both her protagonists and her readers to reach for the stars.

The story of Joan Goodwin’s journey from reserved physics professor to confident astronaut, from closeted to openly queer, from alone to loved, provides both inspiration and emotional catharsis. Reid’s ability to make readers feel deeply invested in her characters’ journeys ensures that Joan’s triumphs and struggles will resonate long after the final page.

The 1980s space shuttle program setting offers both spectacular visual possibilities and profound metaphorical resonance. Joan’s literal journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere parallels her psychological journey beyond the limitations of fear, shame, and societal expectations. The stars become both destination and metaphor for the heights humans can reach when we have courage.

The romance between Joan and Vanessa provides the emotional heart that grounds the epic scope of space exploration in intimate human connection. Their love story reminds readers that even among the grandeur of the cosmos, the most powerful force remains human connection and the courage to love authentically.

As a GMA Book Club Pick and #1 New York Times bestseller, “Atmosphere” has already achieved the commercial and cultural success that readers have come to expect from Taylor Jenkins Reid. More importantly, it delivers the emotional satisfaction, thematic depth, and memorable characters that make her work so beloved.

For anyone seeking a novel that combines historical fiction, space exploration, LGBTQ+ romance, and profound emotional impact, “Atmosphere: A Love Story” offers an unforgettable reading experience that truly reaches for the stars.