jeodal 's review for:

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

3.5

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ah… i think underwhelming is the word i would describe this book.

there was just so much word vomit for the first half that i was almost tempted to drop. i couldn’t see myself getting attached to any characters and i was right: everyone who wasn’t joan or vanessa was just so… one-dimensional. i really couldn’t bring myself to care for anyone for that matter. and then most of the dialogues between the characters felt so… off and unnatural, too calculative and reads like a screenplay instead of a book.

i also reallyyyyy didn’t like this one particular part:

The world clicked into place for Joan then: why men were obsessed with women’s bodies, why they made so many mistakes just to get closer to one.

ICK!!

despite that, i am a softy at heart and did cry during the last few pages. i’m just glad the author

didn’t go for the bury your gays

trope or this would have been a Big-with-a-capital-B disappointment. joan and vanessa rlly do deserve better, and reading their struggles in the big year of 2025 gives you so much retrospection. queer women has come so far, and yet there is still more that needs to be done. i love you queer women!