October ‘25 Pick
Book Recap: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Set against the daring ambitions of NASA’s early shuttle era, Atmosphere follows astronomer-turned-astronaut Joan Goodwin as she navigates the pressure cooker of training, a secret love that risks everything, and a catastrophe unfolding in space. When disaster strikes during mission STS-LR9, Joan faces the hardest choice of all — bearing witness from Earth while fighting to save the woman she loves among the stars
Get Atmosphere here:
Week 1 Discussion Questions (Chapters 1–7)
What were your first impressions of Joan? Did anything about her surprise you right away?
How did the opening scene make you feel — curious, tense, inspired?
Which character stood out to you the most so far, and why?
What do you think the author is trying to set up or make us notice in these first few chapters?
Were there any lines or moments that stuck with you after reading?
Week 2 Discussion Questions (Chapters 8–13)
How does this section explore the idea of identity shaped by external validation, and where do we start to see her reclaim her own narrative?
How do the settings in these chapters mirror the protagonist’s emotional state, and what scenes illustrate this parallel most vividly?
Where do we witness the protagonist beginning to establish boundaries, and do you feel those boundaries are empowering or reactionary in this section? Why?
How does the author use memory and perspective to complicate the truth, and what effect does this have on your trust in the narrator or supporting characters?
Do you think the protagonist is reinventing herself out of necessity, trauma, or ambition? What moments in these chapters best support your interpretation?
Week 3 Discussion Questions (Chapters 14–19)
1. How do the characters shift once the “truth” starts to unravel in these chapters?
2. What moment made you question a character’s version of events the most?
3. Reid often uses tension and emotional distance to show when a relationship is breaking down. Which relationship felt the most strained in this section, and how did Reid show that strain?
4. What “avoided truth” stood out to you the most in these chapters?
5. Atmosphere asks: What happens when the life you built no longer feels like your life?
Week 4 Discussion Questions (Chapters 1–19)
1. Throughout Atmosphere, characters struggle with who they really are versus who they’re expected to be.
Which character do you think is performing the most—and why?
How does that “performance” shape the choices they make and the relationships around them?
2. Taylor Jenkins Reid often explores how people rewrite their own stories to survive.
Where in the book do you see a character bending or reshaping the truth?
Do you think they’re doing it to protect themselves, someone else, or simply to avoid uncomfortable change?
3. The book explores emotional distance and how two people can live the same moment but experience it differently.
Which scene highlights this the most for you?
What does it tell you about communication—and miscommunication—between the characters?
4. Many characters in Atmosphere hit a point where they confront the life they built versus the life they actually want.
Who do you think is closest to a turning point—and what moment signaled that shift for you?
Do you think they’ll choose comfort or honesty?
5. Reid uses tension, silences, and subtle emotional cues to reveal what characters are afraid to say.
What is one thing you wish a character would say out loud—and to whom?
Do you think the relationship would improve or fall apart if they said it?
