Atmosphere

A Love Story; The Number One Sunday Times Bestseller

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Narrated by: Kristen Dimercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid

***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

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

Stunning

Such a beautiful story with so many emotions. This is my first book from the author and I was totally hooked. The subject matter was very real and touched on so many themes and it was beautifully written. The narrators did very well too. One day I will forgive the author for not giving us an epilogue, but this is not that day 😂

Perfection

I had the most emotional reactions to this story. Brilliantly beautiful, a true masterpiece. How lucky are we to get to experience this book.

Exquisite - don’t miss this!

A fearless, intelligent, powerful, passionate love story about being human … and astronauts … do not miss it. Superbly narrated and written. My first Taylor Jenkins Reid so I’m now excited to read all the backlist.

Atmosphere is fascinating with wonderful characters, laugh aloud humour, heartbreaking honesty, wonder and intellect, deep but seemingly effortless research, kindness and compassion … and being women at NASA at a time when astronauts were all men …
all combined into a magnificent love story - and a longing for us all to simply love who we are and to give each other full permission to love who we love … on this rare blue watery ball we fleetingly call home. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

So original and yet so familiar

I absolutely loved this audiobook. I loved the setting of the book, an inside peak into NASA that felt like it was very well researched but the underlying love story that society foreboded was just formidable.

Exquisite book

I could not stop listening and didn't want it to end. I loved the narration and the writing style. The story was so moving. probably the best book I've listened to this year.