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4.54 AVERAGE
4.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Lesbophobia
Minor: Drug use, Vomit
The story follows Joan Goodwin, who has loved the stars for as long as she can remember. When she is accepted by NASA to become one of the first female astronauts and part of the Space Shuttle program, her life begins to shift in extraordinary ways. The novel unfolds across two timelines: one set in December 1984, where Joan works in Houston as cap com (the only voice from Mission Control able to speak directly to the astronauts during mission STS-LR9) and another tracing Joan’s earlier years of training at NASA, her relationship with her niece Francis, her journey of self-discovery and finding love. These timelines gradually weave together into a moving conclusion.
This is a beautiful, tender story. Joan Goodwin is instantly easy to love, and the supporting cast is written with such depth that you care about each of them in their own right. While some books might allow the grandeur of space to overshadow the narrative, Atmosphere keeps its heart firmly rooted in humanity. It’s a story about ambition, resilience, and connection, set against the backdrop of the NASA.
A moving, human-centered novel that lingers long after the final page.
This is a beautiful, tender story. Joan Goodwin is instantly easy to love, and the supporting cast is written with such depth that you care about each of them in their own right. While some books might allow the grandeur of space to overshadow the narrative, Atmosphere keeps its heart firmly rooted in humanity. It’s a story about ambition, resilience, and connection, set against the backdrop of the NASA.
A moving, human-centered novel that lingers long after the final page.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed!!!!! Some things didn’t feel super developed but so fun (sort of) and easy to read that idgaf that much
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ll give the book this, it did make me cry and I mostly liked the ending. Trouble is, I just don’t think the main character had any flaws. To me it felt very beautiful smart shy girl doesn’t realize she’s beautiful. On a different note, I could have sworn she was asexual at the beginning of the book, but she acted the way I (as an ace person) acted about it early in college despite her being a full adult. The story was good, I just felt the characters could have been done better.
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes