By skyforbes 
Some stories don’t blaze in; they drift in like stardust — quiet, steady, unforgettable. Atmosphere is one of those. Set against the backdrop of NASA and the unreachable stars, this novel isn’t just about space — it’s about the women who dared to dream beyond the limits they were given. It’s about love that doesn’t look the way we expect, about sacrifice that no one claps for, and about the quiet, stubborn courage it takes to exist fully in a world that keeps trying to shrink you. Taylor Jenkins Reid gives us a story that feels both vast and intimate — like looking up at the sky and somehow finding yourself in it.
A sweeping, intimate novel about ambition, sacrifice, queer love, and the quiet courage it takes to reach for the stars—even when the world tries to keep you grounded.
Let’s get one thing out of the way:
This isn’t just a story about space.
This is a story about gravity—the kind that tethers you to Earth and the kind that tethers you to people.
📡 And sometimes, both feel like they’re pulling you apart at once.
The first 40-50%? Honestly ,felt like scrolling through my old physics notes and def. -I was nodding along like – Radiation? Been there. Orbit mechanics? Done that.Gravity? Knew it. Constellations? Done that. Radiation shielding? Please, I’m a physics girlie — this was General Knowledge 101 for me.but also kinda good flashbacks🤍
-BUT THEN… oh.
The second half showed up like an emotional comet outta nowhere. Boom. Existential dread. Poop logistics. Uterus debates. Capitalism in orbit.
And suddenly I was wide awake, scribbling notes, questioning billionaires, rethinking reproduction ethics in off-Earth colonies and whispering:
“Wait… I love this??”
Suddenly, I was engaged. Alarmed. Emotionally invested.
Screaming “THIS IS WHY STEM NEEDS ETHICS AND WOMEN.”
This was also my first ever Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. And my first ff(sapphic) nonfiction-adjacent adventure.
Who knew space could be so gay and so grounded at the same time?
This story is so layered. We get tense, high-stakes space missions. We get grueling astronaut training. But we also get single motherhood, quiet heartbreak, complicated sisters, makeshift families, hidden romances, and all the little ways women are told to be smaller, quieter, more palatable. And still—they fight. Joan and Vanessa both carry so much: ambition, love, grief, duty. And they carry it so well.
“Bravery is being unafraid of something other people are afraid of. Courage is being afraid, but strong enough to do it anyway.”and “You make my life worth something”
📌Character Development→
“Astronauts, Anchors & All the Spaces Between”
“Joan Goodwin. Astronomer. CAPCOM. Sister. Mother figure. Lover. Astronaut.”– The backbone of Mission Control and a reluctant heroine…
These titles orbit her like moons, and she wears them all with a quiet, undramatic elegance that knocks you flat. She isn’t loud, but my God, she is seismic.
I have never rooted harder for someone to scream in public.
“We were told the sky was the limit. This book reminded me the real limit is fear—and she broke past it.”
I read this as someone who’s wrestled equations into submission, fought vectors at 2 a.m., and found poetry in orbital mechanics. And let me tell you—Joan is one of us. She’s the girl who whispered to the cosmos and had it whisper back. Who chose velocity over vanity, who fell in love with motion and meaning alike.
NASA here isn’t romanticized. It’s brutal. It’s sexist. It’s a labyrinth of code-switching and silence. And yet Joan walks it—not unscarred, but unbroken. She calculates her way through pain, navigates grief like it’s a launch window, and proves that intellect and tenderness can coexist at Mach 25.
Vanessa Ford– A hotshot pilot with fire in her veins and secrets in her heart. Vanessa is bold, brave, and brilliant — a woman of steel, sky, and staggering heart.
She’s the kind of girl who walks like she knows she belongs in the stars — sharp, ambitious, and unapologetically focused. An aeronautical engineer and a pilot, yes, but more than that — a daughter carrying the weight of loss, a woman trying to earn her place in a world that demands twice as much for half the credit.
On the outside, she’s cool, composed, maybe even hard to read. But inside? There’s ache. There’s hunger. There’s a quiet grief that shapes her drive — like she’s always chasing something she can’t quite reach. And then there’s Joan. Vanessa’s connection with her isn’t just romantic — it’s liberating. It gives her permission to be soft, to feel deeply, without losing her edge.
And her defining moment? When she risks her life for someone else — not for glory, not for praise — but because that’s who she is. That’s what courage looks like when no one’s watching.Vanessa Ford is that rare kind of hero: brave in action, braver in love.
💬Side Characters You’ll Love (and Cry For)
Frances – Joan’s niece, a bright and curious girl raised in the shadow of shuttle launches and star maps. She represents the future—and the emotional center of Joan’s earthbound life.
Barbara Goodwin – Joan’s younger sister, whose choices leave Joan with impossible responsibilities and fierce protective love for Frances.
John Griffin, Lydia Danes, Donna Hsu– Fellow astronauts who form the backbone of the narrative’s emotional stakes. Their friendship with Joan adds warmth, banter, and, eventually, grief.
📌 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 :
“Liftoff: The Story That Took Flight”
⟢Now playing across the universe -by The Beatles🪐
-poetic journey through endless cosmic waves…⋆⭒˚.⋆🔭
Mission Control goes silent as Navigator burns. Vanessa is stranded. Griffin is dying. Only Joan Goodwin, the voice at CAPCOM, holds the line between Earth and oblivion.
But this isn’t just a countdown to rescue. No. This is the story of the woman who got left behind—the one who was smart enough to get to space but too queer, too quiet, too principled to be chosen. We go back in time, through dusty days, brutal training camps, and whispered affections between Joan and Vanessa that burn brighter than any thruster.
🗯️ Every flashback hits like a meteorite.
In a world where few women dared, she fought through doubt and challenge, finding strength in her silence and grit.Amid cold metal and harsh gravity, a hidden love blossomed between Joan and Vanessa—a secret as fragile as the cosmos.
When disaster shattered the mission, Joan’s steady voice was the tether holding her friends between life and the void.The story weaves sacrifice and courage, where every choice weighs heavy and every heartbeat counts.
It is a journey through loss and hope, revealing that even in darkness, the human spirit burns bright.
And in the end, under that same endless sky, they find that belonging isn’t about where you land—but who holds your light.
📌Atmosphere & Writing:
Cinematic yet intimate — like watching stars fall in slow motion.
Science meets soul.
Prose is soft, but every few lines? A quiet gut-punch.
Dual timelines ripple like gravity—slow, haunting, beautiful.
Space becomes metaphor: for love, loss, legacy.
A tone of ache and awe — like stargazing with a bruised heart.
📌Personal Reflection
Reading Atmosphere felt like discovering a secret constellation—both deeply familiar and astonishingly new. As a fellow STEM girlie and physics enthusiast, I was drawn to the authentic depiction of NASA’s shuttle program, the science, the precision, and the passion behind every launch. But what truly captivated me was how Taylor Jenkins Reid, my very first TJR experience, wove the harsh realities of space exploration with the tenderness of human connection and queer love. It wasn’t just about rockets and stars; it was about the gravity of feeling excluded, the courage to keep reaching upward despite the weight of prejudice.—and also my first time reading a female x female love story. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel going in. I’ve never really explored that kind of narrative before, and there were moments where I felt a little out of my comfort zone. But what surprised me was how much the story still resonated. At its heart, Atmosphere isn’t just about love—it’s about dreams, sacrifice, and belonging. It’s about the ache of reaching for something more, whether that’s a place among the stars or a space in someone’s heart.
Coming from a background that often celebrates logic and numbers, I found myself surprised by how much this novel touched my heart. It read like my first fanfic—raw, emotional, full of whispered dreams and stolen moments—yet it carried the polish and power of a literary masterpiece. It reminded me that even in the most technical fields, it’s our stories, our resilience, and our chosen families that keep us grounded.
Some moments completely stole my breath. The shuttle accident. The impossible decisions in orbit. The ten-minute reentry blackout where the world is holding its breath and Joan is just… waiting. Crying. Hoping. That was one of the most emotionally intense scenes I’ve read in a long time. And the aftermath? The way love survives disaster? God, it stays with you.
Atmosphere gave me hope—not just for the future of space exploration but for all women and queer people breaking barriers in STEM. It’s a love letter to the dreamers, the fighters, and the quiet heroes who never give up. And honestly? It made me want to look up at the night sky with new wonder and say, “This is for us.”
This book might not have been my usual kind of read, but it stayed with me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s bold, tender, and deeply human. And that’s what good stories do—they expand your orbit, even just a little.
📌 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗚-𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲
✔ Women in STEM who are brilliant but overlooked
✔ Astronomy as metaphor
✔ Queer love in systems built to erase it
✔ Sacrificing motherhood, softness, self for a seat at the table
✔ The cost of ambition in a patriarchal vacuum
✔ Found family, especially between women
✔ Grief in space—grief with no gravity
📌Storytelling elements:
✦ Dual Timelines
Past and present dance till they collide. Stakes rise. Hearts break. Everything connects.
✦ CAPCOM = Heartline
Joan’s voice? Lifeline. Between Earth and stars, she holds it all—grief, love, control.
✦ Symbolism
Stars, blue, Summer Triangle. Wonder meets warning. Beauty stitched with dread.
✦ Sacrifice & Morality
No easy answers. Just impossible choices and the ache of doing what’s right.
✦ Queer Love
Vanessa + Joan = joy and defiance. Love that dares, even in silence.
…Now playing: “Astronomy” by Conan Gray… -coz the cover is giving it!!🌠
👩🏻🚀S𝗧𝗘𝗠 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗘𝗺𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁
I came for the space tech and engineering drama.
I stayed for the crushing gravitational pull of women loving women under systemic pressure.
Also?? This book said, “Who needs a man when you’ve got trauma, competence, and cosmic sapphic tension?”
Science was done. Feelings were had. Equations? Unequal.
This is not just a love story, it’s an emotional launch sequence:
Countdown: 10, 9, 8…
Panic: Initiated.
Soft pining in zero-G: Engaged.
Emotional damage: Terminal velocity.
Reentry: We cry.
Landing: Staggered. Gutted. Lit up.
My heart? Currently floating somewhere near the International Space Station. I will retrieve it later. Maybe.
📌Highlights I LIVED FOR:
🔖Actual respect for technical language without dumbing it down
🔖Realistic space mission sequences that still feel high-stakes and heart-driven
🔖Women being experts in male-dominated fields and NOT having to apologize for it
🔖Queer longing communicated through data analysis and emergency protocol exchanges…
📍Final equation: Trauma + training + tethered hearts – men + Women -mutual understanding = ✨emotional transcendence✨
📈 Plot trajectory: steady build → soul-scorching payoff
💻 Technicals: flawless
💔 Feelings: fried
🧪 STEM girl seal of approval: ABSOLUTELY
If you’ve ever been the girl solving quantum mechanics by day and writing pining fanfic by night—this book gets you.
📌The poem: I wrote while reflecting on this story tries to capture that blend of cosmic vastness!!
🚀Whispers Beyond the Stars…
In endless void where silence reigns,
A fragile shell defies the chains—
Joan’s steady voice, a beacon bright,
Guides souls through dark, relentless night.
In orbit’s cold and starry sea,
A dance of fate and destiny,
Where science meets the human heart,
And courage plays its quiet part.
Beneath the stars, ambition burns,
With every risk, the cosmos turns.
Sisters, lovers, dreams entwine—
A fragile hope, a sacred sign.
Through pressure, loss, and silent tears,
They forge their paths beyond their
fears,
For in the vast and boundless blue,
They find what’s lost, and start anew.
-maddy🤍
📌Visual Moodboard (imagine this!)
-Deep navy and glittering silver, like the endless night sky
-Soft glows of distant stars and spacecraft panels lit in muted green
-Cozy, worn spacesuits and the quiet hum of mission control
-Warm embraces under cold, infinite skies
📌Final thoughts:📡 Final Transmission…
A story of wonder, survival, and legacy, Everything We’ve Been Given asks: What does it cost to chase the stars?bThis book made me cry like liquid oxygen exposed to vacuum. Cold. Immediate. Absolute.This isn’t just about making it to space. It’s about everything that must be given up to get there…
It is a love letter to women in STEM, to those who hold family and ambition in opposing hands, and to those who’ve loved in silence because the world wasn’t ready.
For every girl who looked up and saw stars—not ceiling tiles. For every woman who whispered “yes” to wonder, even when the world said “no.”For every woman who carried both love and ambition like contraband,For every STEM kid who wondered if humanity and science could coexist—
This one’s for you…
I see you. And this book? It saw us too.
📍Read this if you like slow-burns with astronaut suits.
Stay for the trauma bonding, interstellar yearning, and deeply earned kisses.
And if you love stories where women save each other in every way that matters—emotionally, professionally, cosmically—this is your orbit, babe.
4.5/5. My emotional O-rings are BURNT.
——————
ೃ ⁀➷Pre-view:🎯
🚀 Prepare for lift-off: an astrophysicist’s journey from classroom calm to cosmic chaos. A new frontier. A fearless crew. And a mission that will change everything.
🧲What’s Pulling Me In:
📚 Women in STEM excellence
🧠 Emotionally repressed nerd x dangerously magnetic fly girl
🫀 Slow burn so intense it might combust in microgravity
⚠️ Off-limits attraction — Astronaut Rule #1? Don’t fall for your crew
🔖Heartfelt found family dynamicsFound family of misfit astronauts (read: chaotic squad energy)
🎯 Dreams vs duty—can you touch the stars without letting go of who you are?
🌒 Queer longing through the lens of science and starlight
🔭NASA history meets personal heartbreak (yes, tissues required)
🚀 Space is vast. But love? It’s a whole new universe.
🧪 Science, sisterhood, secrets—and one slow-burn that might just defy gravity.that feels authentic because I’m living it in my lectures
🌌 The vastness of space, the intimacy of love: The observable universe shrinks when feelings get this big.
🧪 History + heart: 1980s NASA, where women broke the sound barrier and the glass ceiling.
💔 One mission. One mistake. Everything changes.
—
💬 Energy Levels:
Joan: “We orbit the same star but never collide.”
Vanessa: “Then let’s change the trajectory.”
Me: 📉📈📉📈📉📉🧍♀️
—
👩🚀 Found Family Roll Call:
🛩️ Hank Redmond — Top Gun dad energy. Gives ride-or-die big brother vibes.
🧪 John Griffin — chill lab girl who deserves the world.
🔬 Lydia Danes — so competent it hurts. She cuts through BS with her voice alone.
🧡 Donna Fitzgerald — warm, wonderful, hiding secrets, deserves a novel of her own.
🛠️ Vanessa Ford — chaos pilot. Engine queen. The crush you never saw coming but now can’t shake.
They train together. Fight together. Bleed together.
And they belong together.Yesss!!🖐🏻🧘🏻♀️🍿
—
🎬 The Vibe?
Cinematic. 1980s space program.
Sweaty simulators. Star maps.
Women changing the rules, falling in love, and risking everything.
> It’s the kind of book where love feels like physics: predictable in theory—
but in reality? Pure chaos.
—
🛰️ TL;DR:
If you’re a physics nerd like me, if you’ve ever loved space, science, soft longing, and found family—you’ll love Atmosphere..
It’s heartbreak in a vacuum, love under pressure, and a girl who just wanted the stars but found something even bigger: herself.
🎓 As a physics student? I’m about to devour this like it’s my last lab report before launch day.let’s go!!🤸🏻♀️