Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest novel may not live up to her past books, but it’s still a great read –

I’ve long claimed that Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite author. Her newest release, “Atmosphere,” comes after her four New York Times bestsellers, which were all some of my personal favorites. So, when I got my hands on “Atmosphere,” my expectations were understandably high. 

I didn’t feel at all disappointed after closing the final page on this book, but I would say that the story seemed to shrink in the shadow of Jenkins Reid’s previous novels. At its core, “Atmosphere” is a story of radical love in unexpected places. And it’s a beautiful one. I adored the world that Jenkins Reid built.

Set in the 1980s, “Atmosphere” follows Joan Goodwin as she leaves her job as a professor of physics and astronomy to be one of the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. As Joan trains to become an astronaut, she discovers herself through unexpected challenges, locations and people, reorganizing all of her beliefs about herself and the universe she studies.

As she always does, Jenkins Reid crafted wonderfully interesting and complex characters in “Atmosphere.” Observant and reserved Joan Goodwin is accompanied by the easygoing John Griffin, cunning Lydia Danes, determined Vanessa Ford and endearing Frances Goodwin. Each character brings a unique personality and charming relationship to this story.

Though I dearly loved each character, there were a lot of them, and they came all at once. As I read the first few chapters of this book, I frequently flipped back pages and reread sections to remember who everyone was.

Once I got past the initial challenge of knowing each character, I was happy that there were so many of them. Scenes that showcased Joan and her niece’s relationship or focused on the group of aspiring astronauts hanging out together were ones I found myself smiling through. These scenes were full of fast-paced, witty banter and insightful dialogue, paired with superb scene description. The resulting character dynamics were worth pushing through the berating of names and job titles at the beginning of the book.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it felt rushed in the beginning. Apart from the slew of characters thrown at the reader in the first few chapters, I felt like the characters began having “meaning of life” conversations too quickly. 

It was clear that Jenkins Reid had things she wanted to say and themes she wanted to explore, and whether the characters were ready or not, she ensured they were addressed. The lack of character development leading up to these early conversations made me, as a reader, care about them less because I didn’t know the characters well enough. Even more, it made the dialogues themselves feel unnatural and forced because I didn’t feel like the characters knew each other well enough to justify the interactions. 

Although the presentation of some themes could have been better timed, the messages were beautiful. “Atmosphere” examined religion, identity, the stars, love and the hardships of being a woman. Each theme was vibrant and handled with care.