Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick cover art

Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick

A Love Story

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Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick

Written by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
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About this listen

 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

“Thrilling . . . heartbreaking . . . uplifting . . . the fast-paced, emotionally charged story of one ambitious young woman, finding both her voice and her passion.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

“NASA? Space missions? The ’80s? This is a collection of all the things I love.”—Andy Weir, author of Project Hail Mary and The Martian

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, NPR, People, Good Housekeeping, them, Marie Claire, Seattle Times, Book Riot, Library Journal, Chicago Public Library, She Reads, Denver Public Library

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 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.

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, it all changes in an instant.

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. Best of 2025 Editors Select Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Aviation Heartfelt Feel-Good

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What the critics say

“Thrilling . . . heartbreaking . . . uplifting. . . Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, Atmosphere, is the fast-paced, emotionally charged 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 in the 1980s. You’ll barrel through this electric novel, rooting for the women to not only succeed in the space program but to soar. A pitch-perfect ending . . . I loved it.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

“NASA? Space missions? The ʼ80s? This is a collection of all the things I love. . . . Great story, excellent research and accuracy, and a thrilling conclusion.”—Andy Weir, author of The Martian

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

All stars
Most Relevant
Absolutely incredible listen. I loved it and also want to read the physical copy!! Wow!! Just wow!

Wow!!! One of the best audios I’ve ever listened to

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I could not put this book on pause. I absolutely loved every sentence of this book.

LOVED

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Time flew listening to this story. Both of the narrators were excellent and keep you enthralled. Big ugly cry be ready for it.

Loved this story.

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I found the book to be enjoyable, but slow going for a while, to the point I was thinking of stopping and finding something else. Glad I stuck with it as the last couple of hours were the best! Narrating was spot on for both as well! One of my favourite narrators Julia Whelan! well done!

Slow going…..

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this book was incredible, the narrator was more than incredible... it the ending. why...I was so ready to finally have a book be raw and real. but nope, just had to make sure everything was ok. so angry.

why!?

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