Products are independently selected by our editors.
We may earn an affiliate commission from links.
Five of her books in the past six years had made theNew York Timesbest seller list.
The US cover for Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new novel
It made sense that she might need a rest.
But that’s not why she did it.
Instead, she needed areset.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
They were great stories.
But she haddonethose stories.
She wanted it to be something she’d never done before.
I wanted to tell a grand, epic love story, Jenkins Reid says.
The main character inAtmosphereis Joan Goodwin, a female astronomer who works in NASAs Houston Mission Control Center.
Joan is CapComor, the astronaut on earth who communicates with the astronauts aboard NASAs shuttles.
One launch sees her love interest (whom Jenkins Reid is mum about) sent up into space.
There’s something beautiful to be found in this heightened moment.
Then, she studied.A lot.
She readThe New Guys, a book about never-before-told story of NASAs 1978 astronaut class.
Then, she dove intoThe Six, which told the story of NASAs first female astronauts.
Next wasShuttle, Houstonthe biography of Paul Dye, who was the longest-serving Flight Director in NASA’s history.
She also consulted Jeffrey Kluger, the author ofApollo 13.
(Its journey was covered by every major connection include MTV.)
Two years later,Sally Ridebecame the first woman to travel into space.
Meanwhile, in 1986, the world was sent into shock after theChallenger explosion.
It was a time where space captivated the minds, dreams, and sorrows of the American people.
So the atmosphere islife.
That’s what keeps humans alive here on Earth and thus is the meaning of life.
Atmospherepublishes on June 3, 2025.
It is available forpre-order now.
