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4.54 AVERAGE
4.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
This one is complicated for me, because I’m a huge space/NASA nerd, so everyone kept telling me how this book was “made for me.” And it’s great, you can tell she really did the research on what it’s like to be someone who would be ok dying to go to space. It was wonderful to feel like I was going through NASA training with Joan.
But I really feel like it’s actually a book about motherhood. Even more than the love story, which is also good (I loved whenVanessa REFUSED to be broken up with! ) And motherhood is not my jam. So while it was beautiful, and very bittersweet, it’s not my favorite TJR read. Which I think is going to shock my book club.
Also: fuck Barbara to the ends of the earth.
But I really feel like it’s actually a book about motherhood. Even more than the love story, which is also good (I loved when
Also: fuck Barbara to the ends of the earth.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Holy cow, this nearly killed me. A fantastic, heart-wrenching read.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
I am going to be honest...I really hadn't planned on picking this one up. Taylor has been kind of hit or miss for me. But then one of my good friends Ginger proclaimed that this was in fact one of her top 10 books she had EVER read. I was like well OK then- let's see what this is all about. Yall I LOVED this book. First off, I have come to the conclusion that I might just love everything that Julia Whelan narrates. The woman is just absolutely amazing. So to say I got sucked in without really knowing where this story was going is the understatement of the year. I was completely HOOKED yall. I feel like I now want to go and study space. The premise of this book was unlike anything I have read. You have the nostalgia of the 80s. You have women trying to get into NASA. You have a behind the scenes look at NASA itself which was just mind blowing. And all woven into that is an EPIC love story. Not just between Joan and Vanessa but between all of these astronauts and pilots with the end goal of getting into space. I loved Joan and Vanessa though. Vanessa was sooo confident. She oozed it. She was so unlike Joan who still hadn't come into her sexuality. I loved watching their love unfold. Loved watching Joan become comfortable with who she was as a person. As a woman. And how she fit into her role at NASA. It was hard to read how they had to be so secretive of their feelings because almost everyone knew it was happening. I also enjoyed Joan's role as an aunt turned mother. Her transformation in this book was epic! And then Vanessa also transitioning into somewhat of a family woman. Add another layer of dual timelines WITH the terror of a mission gone wrong. I was absolutely glued.
Joan realized she wanted to be an astronaut when she was YOUNG. And then wouldn't you know it NASA was letting women to apply. Which is how Joan found herself in Texas learning how to become an astronaut. How she met Griff and Vanessa and Lydia and Donna. And then Hank and her professors. All were on the same path. Everything about NASA opened her eyes to the amazing things she knew she wanted to experience while also exposing her to people. Joan had never been one to have friends growing up and now it was like she had a whole other family. They traveled together. They celebrated together. And when Vanessa started to catch Joan's eye more than normal, Joan realized there was more to herself than she had ever realized. And so began their relationship that they had to hide behind closed doors. Yet Joan had never felt more alive. More supported. just MORE. All of this while her sister is on the hunt for a husband and keeps leaving her niece behind like an afterthought. So when the time comes Joan steps in. She wants her niece to be a part of this because it is official Joan is going to space. She is going to be among the second wave of women to go. And it is beyond anything she thought it would be in not the best way. But now Vanessa and Griff and Hank and Lydia are going. And Joan thinks she has found her niche as the controller. She will be the voice they here. Everything is as ready as it can be but then everything goes wrong in the blink of an eye. And Joan realizes how quickly things can change. How much she wishes she had done things differently. How much she wants to HOPE for what will be.
This book made me feel empowered. It made me proud for all of the women who have done the hard things before me so that I can experience what I can today. I absolutely BOO HOO cried at this one! I was on the edge of my seat for all of the chapters involving the current disaster and then found myself following all of these people at the start of their careers. I was INVESTED in these people. So again I BOO HOO cried for so many things. But OMG that ending- the HOPE and sliver of a crack of possibility that Taylor gave us was worth it all. I legit can't recommend this one enough! Get ready for a roller coaster of emotions but who doesn't love feeling things when you are reading am I right??
Joan realized she wanted to be an astronaut when she was YOUNG. And then wouldn't you know it NASA was letting women to apply. Which is how Joan found herself in Texas learning how to become an astronaut. How she met Griff and Vanessa and Lydia and Donna. And then Hank and her professors. All were on the same path. Everything about NASA opened her eyes to the amazing things she knew she wanted to experience while also exposing her to people. Joan had never been one to have friends growing up and now it was like she had a whole other family. They traveled together. They celebrated together. And when Vanessa started to catch Joan's eye more than normal, Joan realized there was more to herself than she had ever realized. And so began their relationship that they had to hide behind closed doors. Yet Joan had never felt more alive. More supported. just MORE. All of this while her sister is on the hunt for a husband and keeps leaving her niece behind like an afterthought. So when the time comes Joan steps in. She wants her niece to be a part of this because it is official Joan is going to space. She is going to be among the second wave of women to go. And it is beyond anything she thought it would be in not the best way. But now Vanessa and Griff and Hank and Lydia are going. And Joan thinks she has found her niche as the controller. She will be the voice they here. Everything is as ready as it can be but then everything goes wrong in the blink of an eye. And Joan realizes how quickly things can change. How much she wishes she had done things differently. How much she wants to HOPE for what will be.
This book made me feel empowered. It made me proud for all of the women who have done the hard things before me so that I can experience what I can today. I absolutely BOO HOO cried at this one! I was on the edge of my seat for all of the chapters involving the current disaster and then found myself following all of these people at the start of their careers. I was INVESTED in these people. So again I BOO HOO cried for so many things. But OMG that ending- the HOPE and sliver of a crack of possibility that Taylor gave us was worth it all. I legit can't recommend this one enough! Get ready for a roller coaster of emotions but who doesn't love feeling things when you are reading am I right??
emotional
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No