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4.54 AVERAGE
4.54 AVERAGE
It's the 1980s and Joan has entered NASA's space shuttle program, making her one of the first in a handful of women to have ever been invited. Between trying to maintain a relationship with her sister and niece as her schedule drastically changes, completing all of the training needed to become an astronaut and be assigned a space mission, and navigating a work environment in which all of the women are walking on eggshells to prove that they belong, Joan is balancing enough as it is. But when another woman in the program catches her eye, she begins exploring new facets of her sexuality while keeping the romance a secret from everyone, knowing that her sister will never support her and NASA will fire anyone who breaches their federal ethics rules.
This is my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I LOVED. IT. The only thing I knew about this ahead of time was gay astronauts and that was enough to have me sold, but everything about this story pulled me in.
I'm a sucker for a dual timeline and loved the use of it in this book. The present-day timeline is almost immediately chaotic and stressful and I thought the storytelling style was really effective - I was so eager to see the two timelines overlap and that made the pacing feel quite fast.
I'm not familiar at all with space, space exploration, NASA, etc. so maybe those more familiar would disagree, but I felt fully immersed and thought the author did a good job of creating a world that didn't shy away from the more technical and day-to-day experiences of people working in this field. I also really loved how the group of women in the program had conversations about how they each thought they should behave and present themselves in order to be seen as capable equals among their male peers.
If you like space exploration, horrible sisters, or like to have a big cry for four minutes at the very end of a book, this might be for you.
This is my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I LOVED. IT. The only thing I knew about this ahead of time was gay astronauts and that was enough to have me sold, but everything about this story pulled me in.
I'm a sucker for a dual timeline and loved the use of it in this book. The present-day timeline is almost immediately chaotic and stressful and I thought the storytelling style was really effective - I was so eager to see the two timelines overlap and that made the pacing feel quite fast.
I'm not familiar at all with space, space exploration, NASA, etc. so maybe those more familiar would disagree, but I felt fully immersed and thought the author did a good job of creating a world that didn't shy away from the more technical and day-to-day experiences of people working in this field. I also really loved how the group of women in the program had conversations about how they each thought they should behave and present themselves in order to be seen as capable equals among their male peers.
If you like space exploration, horrible sisters, or like to have a big cry for four minutes at the very end of a book, this might be for you.
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Highly recommend!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
I do wish we got more after the ending though aboutFrancis and Barbara and the rest of the crews family
I do wish we got more after the ending though about
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ARRRG I am so frustrated by this book~ I wanted so badly to love it but there are a few things that just didn't work for me.
1.) It starts SO GOOD but to the whole book's detriment. It starts off with such a punch only to jump back in time and meander there for a long time before jumping back to the "present". At this point we know the fates of several people, most of whom aren't super well developed (I mean also at this point it would be hard to get invested in them).
2.) Barbara. Every single time she popped in my blood pressure would skyrocket. I couldn't stand her and how abusive and manipulative she was. So yeah good writing there but seriously it had no major impact on the primary plot or the romance. Everything with Barbara and Frances could have been cut out. I guessed right away in the very beginning of the book that Barbara would abandon her daughter and Joan would have to step in and then the slow spiral into it actually happening was awful.
3.) SPACE where is all of the SPACE in the astronaut book!! Give me more details!!!
I wish the book had been linear and we spent time with Joan and Vanessa falling in love and their relationships with the rest of their future crew members instead of the family drama that didn't matter. Frances was an okay character, likable even, but she didn't add to the main 2 parts of the story that were enjoyable to read outside of showing how good Joan and Vanessa are as people. I really dislike how little we actually got of the IN SPACE action. *sigh*
1.) It starts SO GOOD but to the whole book's detriment. It starts off with such a punch only to jump back in time and meander there for a long time before jumping back to the "present". At this point we know the fates of several people, most of whom aren't super well developed (I mean also at this point it would be hard to get invested in them).
2.) Barbara. Every single time she popped in my blood pressure would skyrocket. I couldn't stand her and how abusive and manipulative she was. So yeah good writing there but seriously it had no major impact on the primary plot or the romance. Everything with Barbara and Frances could have been cut out. I guessed right away in the very beginning of the book that Barbara would abandon her daughter and Joan would have to step in and then the slow spiral into it actually happening was awful.
3.) SPACE where is all of the SPACE in the astronaut book!! Give me more details!!!
I wish the book had been linear and we spent time with Joan and Vanessa falling in love and their relationships with the rest of their future crew members instead of the family drama that didn't matter. Frances was an okay character, likable even, but she didn't add to the main 2 parts of the story that were enjoyable to read outside of showing how good Joan and Vanessa are as people. I really dislike how little we actually got of the IN SPACE action. *sigh*