Houston, Taylor Jenkins Reid's new Novel Atmosphere has Successfully Landed on the Shelves

When Taylor Jenkins Reid announced her new novel, Atmosphere, would launch in June 2025, it was a guarantee to cause a stir in the book community, online, and in real life.

Reid has undoubtedly been a guarantee of a bestselling novel and BookTok attention ever since her fifth novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a story about a Hollywood icon, went viral and has made Reid one of the most famous contemporary authors.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo did not only become a bestseller – it was a phenomenon. It was impossible to enter a social media platform or a bookstore without the book being displayed. In 2021, her presence and fame were cemented when her new novel, Daisy Jones & The Six, was selected by Reese Witherspoon for her book club. She simultaneously announced that she would produce an adaptation, which became an Emmy-winning show starring Sam Claflin and Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis. With a global bestseller and a Hollywood adaption under the belt, it was no surprise that Reid's following novels, Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto is Back, also became bestsellers and dominated BookTok.[1]

Within five years, Evelyn Hugo, the Hollywood star, made Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author, a literary star that neither the publishing industry nor Hollywood could ignore.

 

Her success is primarily due to the immense power of BookTok on the publishing industry and, consequently, a rising literary market that is driven mainly by women and written for them. This is also evident in contemporary women's fiction, where Reid is often listed, which ended 2024 with a nearly thirty percent increase over the sales of 2019. Not only has the publishing industry changed through BookTok, but it also brought about a selected group of authors that have become a guarantee for a bestseller and have established as the most important authors to generate online attention – namely Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry, Kristin Hannah, Sarah J. Maas, and Rebecca Yarros. These authors have become the ‘North Stars’ of the publishing industry, decided trope trends and not only hold their potential in print but also work across different sectors, as almost all of these authors have adaptations for the big screen either out or in the pipeline. The power of Reid becomes very clear when examining the numbers alone: her eight novels have sold more than 21 million copies in print, e-book, and audiobook formats in 42 languages. Furthermore, according to two literary sources identified by TIME, she recently signed a five-book deal worth $8 million per book.[2] Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that in time for the publication of her ninth novel, Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid has become the headline and made the cover of TIME magazine.

 

The Success of Writing a Novel Like a Hollywood Story

But what makes Reid one of the selected authors who have become the most dominating forces in the literary scene?

What ultimately sets her apart is rooted in her choice of storytelling and the topics she chooses to write about.

In her interview with TIME Magazine, Reid mentioned that she originally wanted to be in the movie business, which is arguably a significant presence in her novels and her greatest strength – writing movie-like stories.

 Like most popular movies, Reid's novels are very approachable, written concisely, and focus on the narrative and the arc of suspense without elaborate poetic language and lengthy descriptions. Instead, she focuses on dialogue and reader engagement. Reid says that her aim was always to write novels that could be binged on a weekend, just like a show or a movie. To her, writing a novel that is easy to read is difficult to write; on every page, she has to think about the perspective of the reader – to the TIME she explained, "I am chasing a feeling…maybe it doesn't matter if I am fancy. Maybe I am just fun.” [3]

Often, the topics Reid chooses to center on are fictional characters that are inspired by real-life events and people. Her most successful stories center on women from the upper class or celebrities. As these parallels are often very close, her storytelling feels immersive; she delves deeply into the world she builds and delivers all the gossipy details you want to hear, creating an atmosphere where it almost feels like you're reading a magazine in which all the gossip is spilled about one's favorite celebrity. But next to the class she chooses to write about, her novels also center on women and their ambitions in highly competitive fields, exploring how they manage to succeed and find their place in the world. Therefore, her characters are coming across as specific, bold, determined, and unapologetic.

Furthermore, one important factor is that Reid frequently chooses to write queer main characters – both Evelyn Hugo and Atmosphere center around two women who discover their true sexuality throughout the novels and find their true love. But this choice has also led to many questions why Reid, who is married to a man, writes about queer characters. To TIME, she revealed that she is a very private person. Still, for the publication of Atmosphere, she wants to be clear about something that people close to her have always known: she is bisexual. Through her novels, she discovers and explores this side of herself.[4]

 

Atmosphere is About all Faces of Love

Atmosphere, out June 3, is poised to be one of the biggest books of the year, with a movie adaptation already planned. The novel is likely a solid bet to be one of the most successful novels of the year.

The story follows Joan Goodwin, an astrophysicist, who joins NASA's space shuttle program in the early 1980s. There, she meets Vanessa Ford, a woman who challenges her understanding of who she is, and Joan begins to discover her true identity. Simultaneously, while Joan gets the chance to live her dream and find true love, she also struggles with her family dynamics. For her ninth novel, Reid studies the work of Andy Weir and reads about Apollo 13, as well as NASA documents. She was also assisted with the technical details.

This chapter offers a first glimpse at the most important characters: Joan, who is in NASA's control center, and Vanessa, who is in space during the accident and faces potential death. It already becomes clear that the characters share a special bond. Already on the first pages, Reid creates a dramatic arc of suspense and drama that suggests this love story might not end in a happily ever after but in a potential tragedy.

However, the accident is not described in detail; instead, the book jumps back and forth between events from 1980 onward, the accident, and the day of the accident in 1984. Jumping back and forth between Joan's story and this faithful day creates an arc of suspense that is undoubtedly a challenge for any modern streaming show that leaves with a cliffhanger – will the story of Joan and Vanessa be a rewarding love story or end in tragedy? Reid's decision to include the accident from the beginning is a deliberate choice to incorporate sequences of action and engagement, as the rest of the novel primarily tells the story of Joan's journey to self-discovery.

 

A Rocket Launch to Self-Discovery

After introducing the arc of suspense, the reader follows Joan on her journey to NASA. Joan, as a character, is undoubtedly a unique choice for Reid, who often writes bold and ambitious women who are loud and demand their voice and place in society.

Joan, however, works at a university, is bored with her job, and is described as shy and often overlooked by others; she spends her nights mostly alone and isolated.

After Joan is accepted into NASA, the novel follows her on her journey to herself on earth rather than her journey to space.

At NASA, Joan meets Vanessa Ford, a pilot whose character is the opposite of Joan's. Vanessa is sure about her sexuality, is vocal about her ambitions, and is unapologetic about it. In the past, she had already encountered personal difficulties, such as drug abuse and the death of her father. Through their differences in character, both begin to open up more to their environment. Vanessa learns to let people in, and Joan realizes that she is worthy of being loved, which leads her to develop more self-awareness and demand more about her needs and wishes. Therefore, the love story between Vanessa and Joan contributes to the development of both characters, as they complement each other's personalities.

In line with Reid's writing style, the love story is told instead in dialogue and sequences of conversations that do not necessarily contribute to the plot's development. Therefore, this plot is a sharp contrast to the action of the accident in space. Furthermore, the relationship develops rather quickly at the beginning of the novel, making it a constant throughout – the conflict evolves around the secrecy of both NASA and their colleague.

Since the relationship between Joan and Vanessa becomes very serious very quickly, their conversations do tend to evolve a lot around how much they love each other, which can be a tad cheesy from time to time, which can be exemplified in the following:

 

"Don't kill my dream. Let me think you're the best astronaut in the class. Can you give me that? Let me think that right now, the wrong woman won, okay? Let the world be as I see it just for tonight. Without too many gray areas and caveats. Where I know I'm mortal, but I'm not sure that you're not a god." (P.121)

 

Ultimately, the relationship between Vanessa and Joan is primarily driven by character development, as Joan discovers her true self and becomes more vocal about the things she wants from life. Ultimately, it is Joan's journey toward community and away from isolation.

 

The Collide of Different Galaxies

Joan's development in response to her demands is also crucial for the most interesting development of the novel: the dynamics between Joan, her sister Barbara, and her daughter Frances. This plot stands out, especially since it develops in a different direction than the other subplots – from closeness to alienation between Joan and her sister. Especially the sister dynamic illustrates the strong character development of both Joan and Barbara very vividly.

At the beginning of the novel, Frances cares for her niece like a second mother and helps the single mother, Barbara, wherever possible, without demanding much in return. Consequently, Barbara relies on her sister as if she is another parent – making this side of the family Joan's biggest constant in life. Although the sisters are close, they recognize their differences but unite in their love and care for Frances. Especially Joan bends to the demands of her sister and seldom questions her behavior, even when she lets 10-year-old Frances wait outside in a parking lot for Joan to pick her up so Joan won't be late for a dare. Or, as Frances mentions, she does not feel wanted by her mother. When Joan doubts her sister, she usually dismisses them.

As Joan becomes more self-aware of her environment and herself, she begins to recognize Barbara's behavior. She calls her out, especially when Barbara undergoes significant changes after getting married, and wishes to send Frances to a boarding school to move to London with her husband. This presents a breaking point for Joan when she decides to let her sister be and take in Frances indefinitely, leaving the conflict with her sister mostly unresolved at the novel's end, which is a strength in keeping the story realistic.

Throughout the novel, the dynamic between these three characters poses the most significant conflict the main character must resolve and demand the most drastic decisions from her. And, unlike other developments, love cannot resolve this complex family dynamic. 

However, even though this subplot is the best-written and fleshed-out of the novel, it nevertheless leaves a bitter taste in some respects. Barbara is, to a certain extent, one-sided in her motivation to neglect her daughter, as she wants to move and gives up on trying to resolve conflicts with her daughter when her behavior becomes more difficult. Rather than exploring the side of a woman who discovers that she cannot be and does not wish to be a mother, her motivations are rooted in her wish to live her life without respect for her daughter's wishes and her husband's wish to remain childless, and to resolve this conflict, portraying her also cold and selfish. The complexity of such an erupted mother-daughter relationship remains, therefore, underdeveloped.

 

Do We Have Contact with Space?

As already mentioned, this novel is not about traveling to space; space is merely part of the main character's professional life. It becomes a plot device rather than part of the plot. Therefore, it is essential to note that the book does not provide a comprehensive examination of NASA in the 1980s.

However, Joan's relationships are fleshed out throughout the novel. Still, her time at NASA becomes a descriptive part that lacks substance and contributes little to the novel's exploration of space travel.

It would add depth to the novel to learn more about space travel and science in the 1980s, with special regard to astrophysics – Joan's profession. Furthermore, the wider public's perception of science and the space shuttle program is not mentioned, even though she and her colleagues are present at press conferences and schools; however, what happens at these events is left in the dark.

However, when Joan talks about her job, it is mainly reduced to her lifelong love of the stars. Furthermore, the demanding training required to become an astronaut and the consequences for one's personal life are often overlooked, failing to fully illustrate the consequences of choosing such a challenging, life-altering job. Therefore, even if Reid created an arc of suspension with the accident of Vanessa in space, Joan's travel to space suffers from the lack of it. After she has trained for five years for her space travel, the actual life-altering experience is less than ten pages long. It consists of Joan's wish to return to earth to be with Vanessa and Frances. Of course, the focus of the novel is to present the development of Joan on Earth; therefore, it cannot be expected that Atmosphere becomes as accurate as an Andy Weir novel. However, if the character happens to have one of the most demanding professions, it would have added depth to the genre of women in space and space science if it had gained more attention.

Furthermore, when Reid takes the time to delve deeper into Joan's time at NASA, her writing often shifts from scientific to rather preachy, with Joan explaining how she connects her science to God, which comes off as a religious awakening and an underlying Christian message about the universe. Regarding NASA, this is often paired with a touch of American Exceptionalism, as the space shuttle program is presented as one of the most outstanding achievements of humankind, declaring astronauts as heroes who think and act altruistically for the benefit of humanity. There is no doubt that the space shuttle program has been a tremendous scientific achievement; however, in this regard, it is necessary to contextualize that the 1980s saw another escalation of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, particularly in the arms race and the space race. Without contextualizing the time of American exceptionalism within the Reagan era, we risk repeating a narrative driven by a fight over spheres of influence rather than a purely scientific achievement.

 

With her new novel, Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid has delivered a book that explicitly focuses on the love between Joan Goodwin and her colleague, Vanessa Ford, as she learns to accept herself and builds the life she wishes for herself. However, it also presents the dynamics of a family that continuously grows apart due to different life paths and character developments, highlighting the limits that love confronts and can leave unresolved conflicts – something that everyone must encounter in real life.

Atmosphere shines when it comes to presenting the complex ways and limits that love can encounter on earth, but simultaneously lacks ambition in its portrayal of science and space travel in the 1980s, particularly in its impact on the characters and their environment.

Nevertheless, despite its weaknesses, Reid has remained truthful to her loyal readers in delivering a fast-paced novel about love with all its faces.

 

Sources

[1] Feldman, Lucy. "How Taylor Jenkins Reid Became a Publishing Powerhouse." TIME Magazine, May 15 2025.

[2] ibidem

[3] ibidem

[4] ibidem

[5] ibidem