Is this space book really about space?

This episode's pick: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid—a book that is rumoured to have made her an $8 million dollar advance but may have come at the price of her personal privacy. Part space epic, part love story, part unbelievable side characters and strange snacks. We blast off into TJR’s most interesting book yet.

In this episode, we cover:

Why Atmosphere is a love story that took us by surprise

How the high stakes created good tension

Why we felt we were ‘told’ how the secondary characters felt about each other

Was Joan just too goody-two-shoes for us?

How difficult being gay would have been for two female astronauts

Was it media or reader pressure that forced TJR to come out as bisexual around the time of the novel’s release?

💋 And, of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry?

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: hair disasters, Kununurra trip, The Lucky Sisters tease03:02 – Book reveal: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (spoilers)05:51 – Why this pick + TJR reading history08:58 – TJR bio theory + Goodreads stats10:27 – Quickfire worst reviews12:09 – Kiss, Kill, Marry ratings reveal14:53 – Our ratings explained18:18 – Ending breakdown + epilogue debate24:18 – 1980s setting, taboo love, NASA culture28:01 – Gender politics in space31:00 – Romance vs love story discussion📖 Coming up next:

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👉Next Ep we’re chatting to Pamela Cook about State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

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