Atmosphere.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space. 

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 easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted 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. 

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. 

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

 🌷

 
Another beautifully written, yet heartbreaking story by Tayor Jenkins Reid. 

This book affected me in so many ways; there are so many emotions that are going through me now. I had a feeling I would enjoy this book, but I had no idea how much it would affect me. I'm still thinking about the story and what happened. My emotions were all over the place during the ending. I shouldn't be surprised because I've read a few of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books and haven't found one that I didn't love. Aside from The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, this is my favorite. I believe that Atmosphere is one of her most emotional books. I loved that it was about female astronauts in NASA during the 1980s. I enjoy reading science and space-related books, and this is already one of my favorites. There is a part of me that wonders what happened after the final page. I can't get this story out of my head, especially the characters, Joan and Vanessa. 

Dual timelines worked very effectively for this book. I adored them all; I enjoyed reading about both the mission and the process that led them there. I found myself almost holding my breath during the December 1984 timeline. There were so many emotions running through my mind as I was transformed into that mission; I felt everything the characters felt, including their fear and hope. I can't imagine having such a terrifying experience. When I was reading that timeline, there was no putting the book down because I was constantly on the edge of my seat. I loved reading the timelines that led to Joan, Vanessa, Lydia, Donna, Hank, and Griffin becoming astronauts, as well as the bond that some of them formed as a group. I was curious to see if they would end up on a mission together or separately, and who would be chosen first. 

I adored Vanessa and Joan's relationship. It felt very real and raw. They had a special connection from the moment they met. I liked how their relationship progressed and how they looked out for each other. I think they're one of my favorite couples. I was rooting for the two of them since the beginning. Besides their relationship, I adored the relationship between Joan and her niece, Frances. I smiled at the most scenes between the two of them. Frances needed someone like Joan. I enjoyed learning about stars and NASA's astronaut selection program. I felt like I learned a lot more just from reading this book. I even did my own research after finishing the book. This is an inspirational book that you won't forget.