Tag: 2025 52 book club challenge

Book Review | The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Posted December 15, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet, is one of the most beloved classics of our time. Published in 1923, it has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American editions alone have sold more than nine million copies.

The Prophet is a collection of poetic essays that are philosophical, spiritual, and, above all, inspirational. Gibran’s musings are divided into twenty-eight chapters covering such sprawling topics as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, housing, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #17: Told in verse)
The Classics Club


The Reason

It was my in-person bookclub’s BOTM for November.

The Quotes

“You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts.”

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself”

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

The Narrator(s)

Riz Ahmed. It was good, no notes.

My Thoughts

This book was one of my bookclub member’s favorite book and she chose it for us. I listened to it twice on audio because it was such a short book and I really resonated with a lot of the ideas in the book, but I feel like this is one book that should be savored. Listening on audio, I didn’t get a chance to sit with a lot of the ideas, and I tried to mitigate that by listening twice back to back but I still think I will reread it again on print, slowly, and take time to pause in between sections and think about the ideas more.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

Posted December 15, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

A dying billionaire sends one woman and a cast of dreamers and rivals on a citywide treasure hunt in this irresistible novel by the author of Bellweather Rhapsody.

Tuesday Mooney is a loner. She keeps to herself, begrudgingly socializes, and spends much of her time watching old Twin Peaks and X-Files DVDs. But when Vincent Pryce, Boston’s most eccentric billionaire, dies—leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe—Tuesday’s adventure finally begins.

Puzzle-loving Tuesday searches for clue after clue, joined by a ragtag crew: a wisecracking friend, an adoring teen neighbor, and a handsome, cagey young heir. The hunt tests their mettle, and with other teams from around the city also vying for the promised prize—a share of Pryce’s immense wealth—they must move quickly. Pryce’s clues can’t be cracked with sharp wit alone; the searchers must summon the courage to face painful ghosts from their pasts (some more vivid than others) and discover their most guarded desires and dreams.

A deliciously funny ode to imagination, overflowing with love letters to art, from The Westing Game to Madonna to the Knights of the Round Table, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts is the perfect read for thrill seekers, wanderers, word lovers, and anyone looking for an escape to the extraordinary.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #48: Related to the word “puzzle”)


The Reason

I needed a book for the puzzle prompt and this book turned up and I was intrigued!

The Quotes

“Tomorrow you could be anyone. Imagine that.”

“Maybe this was how adult friendships happened: by accident, embroidered over time, visible only from the height of years.”

“Don’t cheat your friendships. Don’t ask them to mean less to you than they do, or think they only have value if they’re a stop on the way to a *real* relationship. All relationships are real. Friendship can be as deep as the ocean. It’s all a kind of love, and love isn’t any one kind of thing.”

The Narrator(s)

Lauren Fortgang. I loved it, no notes!

My Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I’ve had some bad luck with recent books and I tried to manage my expectations for this one. I’m also really into stories about solving puzzles within the books and I’ve read a few that ended up quite disappointing, so I tried to be neutral with expectations going into this.

To be clear, I don’t think the puzzle-solving portion here was the most brilliant thing, but I loved the story and the characters. I really love the characters! Tuesday Mooney is such an interesting, paradoxical character. I like how she’s presented as a mystery and a loner, but she’s got so many people caring about her from the start, and she actually cares about them too, even if she pretends not to. I expected her to be this strong, proper, stoic person, but she does some questionable things, which actually makes me love her more because they make her so much more human.

I love the other characters as well; Dorry, Dex, Lyle, and Archie. They are so vibrant and colorful, and I really want to learn more about them, spend more time with them, be friends with them! I love one of the messages of the book shared in a quote above, about how friendships are important relationships too. I believe very much in platonic love, and they are just as important as romantic and familial love. What a wonderful read!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Posted December 15, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #15: Includes Latin American history)


The Reason

I needed a book for the Latin American history prompt, and I love vampire stories. I saw this book listed as a possible fit for the prompt and was immediately intrigued!

The Quotes

“He was a man of dust who served men of silver: it was impossible not to know his place in the world.”

“She became more and more tightly bound by the ropes of womanhood; he roamed free, unburdened by responsibilities.”

“This creature, whether it was made by God’s hand or the Devil’s, whether it was born of its own foul will in the shadows of the chaparral, would feed as it had been born to feed. That alone did not make it evil.”

The Narrator(s)

Jose Nateras, and Krysta Gonzales. The narrators did a really good job!

My Thoughts

This might be one of my least favorite books of the year. I had high hopes for the book; I mean, vampires in such a rich cultural setting! There was so much potential and I really wanted something good! But it was just so disappointing.

Some people have mentioned being disappointed because it seemed like it was more of a romance story than a horror one, and I agree because it really seemed like the vampires were barely there except as a weak plot point because in the end, the vampire storyline really fizzled out and the way it was resolved seemed like such a cop-out. But let me tell you, I have been craving romances and I wouldn’t have minded that if it was a good romance story, but it wasn’t that either!

This book is about two very immature adults (I couldn’t believe they were freaking adults and not children!) having a really long, drawn-out argument about something that happened when they were children, that honestly shouldn’t have been as big a deal as they made it. It was the same argument, over and over and over again throughout the book, and I was so sick and tired of them! The only reason I finished this book is because I’m really close to finishing the 2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge and wanted to cross this prompt off my list. I’m not sure if it was worth it or if I should’ve just tried to find another book for the prompt.

My Rating

⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher

Posted December 10, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher

A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #20: A fairy tale retelling)


The Reason

I love fairy tale retellings and I’ve loved many of the author’s books!

The Quotes

“The problem with being rich is that you simply have no idea how expensive it is to be poor.”

“Hester was no hero, but there was nothing in her that would allow her to turn away from a person who had been dropped on her doorstep. Even if that person had brought Doom along with her.”

“I had a terrible feeling when I saw her. You know how people talk about love at first sight? This was like… fear at first sight.”

The Narrator(s)

Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens. They were great, I enjoyed the narration immensely!

My Thoughts

I’ve loved several of Kingfisher’s books and I love fairytale retellings in general. I wasn’t familiar with the original story this retelling was based on (Goose Girl) but the description of the book caught my interest. I believe the book first came to my attention back in May during Mother’s Day season, and there were a few books that featured mothers. The mother in question in this book is not a good person; she is an evil sorceress and the MC, her daughter Cordelia, is helpless against her.

I read this in between Dungeon Crawler Carl books, and since I was coming out of my DCC stupor, I expected to take some time to get into this book, but the moment I started reading it, I was completely sucked in and I couldn’t put it down. I was surprised by how hard this book hits and how intense everything was. I loved the characters, and I love how each of them stood out to me in their own ways; Hester, Penelope, Alice, Imogen. A book that vilifies the MC’s mother, but showcases the strength, resilience, and nurturing qualities of the many other female characters. There is so much I love about this book and it reinforces why Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Crêpes of Wrath by Sarah Fox

Posted August 7, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Crêpes of Wrath by Sarah Fox

When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it–and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely week or two in Wildwood Cove, the quaint, coastal community where she used to spend her summers, but then Cousin Jimmy is found murdered, sprawled on the rocks beneath a nearby cliff. After she stumbles across evidence of stolen goods in Jimmy’s workshop, Marley is determined to find out what’s really going on in the not-so-quiet town of Wildwood Cove. With help from her childhood crush and her adopted cat, Flapjack, Marley sinks her teeth into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned by a killer who’s only interested in serving up trouble.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #1: A pun in the title)


The Reason

I was looking for books to fit the prompt for the 2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge with a pun in the title. This title caught my attention, and the rest of the series have similarly fun titles too!

The Narrator(s)

Marguerite Gavin. She did a great job, I think I like the book more than I would if I was reading on print because of her narration.

My Thoughts

I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries but I love reading the occasional one when I come across them. This book caught my attention because of the brilliant title, and I thought I’d try it. It was quite fun and entertaining, and the narrator was also very good and made listening to the story very easy. However, I found the characters a little two-dimensional and didn’t connect with them as much as I wanted to. I also thought the plot itself was a little flimsy, and in the end, I don’t like the book enough to continue with the rest of the series.

One thing to note, that I both like and dislike, is that the MC constantly calls the detective every time she has any new information. I dislike it because that sort of removes the MC as the unofficial sleuth in this genre, but I like it because the practical, cautious person in me is like, finally! A portrayal of what an actual, smart person should do if this was a real life situation; let the professionals handle this and never, ever keep important clues to yourself or decide to investigate on your own!!

In any case, it was an entertaining read and I enjoyed it.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Revival by Stephen King

Posted August 7, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Revival by Stephen King

A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It’s a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #28: A crossover (Set in a shared universe))
The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge


The Reason

For the The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge and because I’ve heard amazing things about this one in particular.

The Quotes

“That’s how you know you’re home, I think, no matter how far you’ve gone from it or how long you’ve been in some other place. Home is where they want you to stay longer.”

“People say that where there’s life, there’s hope, and I have no quarrel with that, but I also believe the reverse. There is hope, therefore I live.”

“Religion is the theological equivalent of a quick-buck insurance scam, where you pay in your premium year after year, and then, when you need the benefits you paid for so—pardon the pun—so religiously, you discover the company that took your money does not, in fact, exist.”

“This is how we bring about our own damnation, you know-by ignoring the voice that begs us to stop. To stop while there’s still time.”

The Narrator(s)

David Morse. It was perfectly fine and I enjoyed it very much.

My Thoughts

I liked it very much but I’d hope to like it more. I’d heard so many people hype it up so maybe I went in with overly high expectations. The story itself was really good but not what I expected. I thought it was going to be some kind of church horror in the vein of the movie Midnight Mass, but it wasn’t. Which is completely fine, I like where the story went too!

It was very slow burn, taking fifty years to come to fruition, and it was very interesting to see the characters develop over that time; the way they grow up and grow old, the way their beliefs and values evolve, everything they do to bring them where they end up. I’ve said it before that one of the reasons I love SK’s books so much is because he’s so good at character study. This book was amazing for that, and it’s still one I really enjoyed reading, even if I don’t love it as much as SK’s other books.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino

Posted August 7, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is a marvel of ingenuity, an experimental text that looks longingly back to the great age of narration—”when time no longer seemed stopped and did not yet seem to have exploded.” Italo Calvino’s novel is in one sense a comedy in which the two protagonists, the Reader and the Other Reader, ultimately end up married, having almost finished If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler. In another, it is a tragedy, a reflection on the difficulties of writing and the solitary nature of reading. The Reader buys a fashionable new book, which opens with an exhortation: “Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade.” Alas, after 30 or so pages, he discovers that his copy is corrupted, and consists of nothing but the first section, over and over. Returning to the bookshop, he discovers the volume, which he thought was by Calvino, is actually by the Polish writer Bazakbal. Given the choice between the two, he goes for the Pole, as does the Other Reader, Ludmilla. But this copy turns out to be by yet another writer, as does the next, and the next.

The real Calvino intersperses 10 different pastiches—stories of menace, spies, mystery, premonition—with explorations of how and why we choose to read, make meanings, and get our bearings or fail to. Meanwhile the Reader and Ludmilla try to reach, and read, each other. If on a Winter’s Night is dazzling, vertiginous, and deeply romantic. “What makes lovemaking and reading resemble each other most is that within both of them times and spaces open, different from measurable time and space.”


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #25: Breaks the fourth wall)


The Reason

This was the BOTM for my in-person bookclub, and one of our member’s favorite book.

The Quotes

“What harbor can receive you more securely than a great library?”

“Reading is going toward something that is about to be, and no one yet knows what it will be.”

“Every new book I read comes to be a part of that overall and unitary book that is the sum of my readings…if you need little to set the imagination going, I require even less: the promise of reading is enough.”

The Narrator(s)

Jefferson Mays. The narration was fine, I had no issue with it.

My Thoughts

If you are reading this for the first time, please do not read it on audiobook. I was so confused! It was only during our bookclub discussion that I realized the overarching story was interspersed with little short stories in between. I didn’t realize that and couldn’t understand why the story was jumping all over the place. Subsequently, please take my review with a grain of salt since I’m sure I missed a lot.

The things that I did get and understood; I like that it was meta. It reminded me a little of The Shadow of the Wind, which I enjoyed very much. I like that there was a focus on the reader and reading experience, but interestingly, the part that interested me most was where there was focus on the writer and the writing experience. That part made me want to write!

I’m pretty sure I missed out on a lot by listening on audio instead of on print, but either way, I feel like this is a book that gets better with more rereads. I like rereading so I’ll get to it again eventually, but probably not anytime soon.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Posted August 6, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #22: Found family trope)


The Reason

I need more Katherine Center books in my life!

The Quotes

“Reading love stories isn’t frivolous. It’s profound. It’s not escape, it’s the opposite. Trust me, and trust yourself: love stories are the best kinds of therapy. They aren’t shallow, they’re deep. Start looking and you’ll see it, too. Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love of course, means getting better at life.”

“The funny thing about the internet is that it is basically a collective hallucination. If you don’t join in, it doesn’t exist.”

“Every time you have to be brave, you get to be a little braver next time. That’s what life is for.”

“If you don’t reject the harsh things people say to you, then I guess, at some point, that means you accept them.”

My Thoughts

This was so perfectly charming and fun to read! I love Katie and Hutch’s chemistry, and I love the story and how their relationship unfolded. Katie was adorable and awkward and so relatable. I couldn’t help but love her. Hutch was portrayed as the strong, silent type, but he’s just as awkward and I love it! It was such fun reading this, I even learned some things about helicopters and how rescues work.

I also love that there was a found family element to the story with Rue and her friends. Katie was being cared for and I love that for her. I didn’t like Cole so much, I thought he was wildly unprofessional and what he did was basically workplace sexual harrassment. It might not have been so bad if they were friends, but as he was Katie’s superior at work, I really didn’t like that part of the story.

The main part of the story was sweet though, and I love the dog. He was the funniest wingman! This was such a fun and enjoyable read, and just what I needed.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Swept Away by Beth O’Leary

Posted August 6, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Swept Away by Beth O’Leary

Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend’s daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #52: Published in 2025)


The Reason

I’ve enjoyed many of the author’s works.

The Quotes

“Sometimes the biggest moments in your life are disguised as nothings.”

“If you’re the sidekick for long enough, you forget how to lead your own life.”

“Life is full of extremes right now. Either I’m doing absolutely fuck-all for hours on end, or I’m dashing around panicking.”

My Thoughts

This might be my least favorite of all the author’s books. I can’t go into detail without spoiling it, but there’s a lot of big traumatic stuff casually thrown around like it’s nothing. If you’ve read the book or don’t mind spoilers, you can click on the arrow below.

Spoiler
It’s not really lighthearted romance, it’s quite serious and traumatizing, tbh. Also, the MMC having sex at 16 with a 28yo for two months, and then numbing himself with sex with 65 partners for years afterwards. And Penny getting pregnant with his child 4 years ago and never telling him, with no remorse on her part and yet it was just…forgiven? This is a whole lot of fucked up shit.

I have no issues with serious topics being covered in a romance, if it’s done right, but in this case, it’s the fact that they are presented as normal. Also, I usually really enjoy the forced proximity trope, but the circumstances were just too scary in this book. I feel like this at this point, the story should’ve been categorized under survival fiction or drama, and the romance shouldn’t be a part of it at all. More care should’ve been given to the sensitive topics, imho.

My Rating

⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Posted August 6, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #31: Audiobook has multiple narrators)


The Reason

It’s a TJR book, plus Julia Whelan narrates it. Of course I’m reading it!

The Quotes

“Happiness is so hard to come by. I don’t understand why anyone would begrudge anyone else for managing to find some of it.”

“You are what you are, and I like what you are. Anyway, nobody is one thing all the time.”

“In all of her time spent watching others, she hadn’t picked up on this part of falling in love, that someone could look at you as if you were the very center of everything. And even though you knew better, you’d allow yourself a moment to believe you were worthy of being revolved around, too.”

“So when you look out at the sky, the farther you can see, the further back you are looking in time. The space between you and the star is time.”

The Narrator(s)

Taylor Jenkins Reid, Julia Whelan, Kristen DiMercurio. TJR narrated the Author’s Note. Julia Whelan and Kristen DiMercurio read the different timelines of the book. They were both great, and of course, everyone knows I love Julia Whelan!

My Thoughts

This book packs 100% emotional damage. I know it’s a little dramatic but I was genuinely emotionally wrecked at the last part of this book and I was sobbing so loudly the night I finished it that my husband was completely perplexed. He asked me the next morning, hesitantly, to tell him about the book because he wanted to know why I was crying so hard, and so I told him the summary, and started crying again!

I don’t know why the book hit me so hard, I can’t even say it’s my favorite TJR book, and I do have issues with the storytelling/time jumps and feeling like they spoil the story for me. It’s just that the whole scene at the end was so emotionally powerful. It was hit after hit after hit, and a KO punch at the end!

Well, now that we’ve established that I’m a huge crybaby, let’s move on. I loved the story; I love reading about how life might have been like for female astronauts breaking into a male dominated space. I love seeing the women navigate their environment, and I love that different coping methods were represented, not all good ones. Times are different now, I know, but I like that Lydia’s reasoning for why she does that was discussed, because I can see her pov as well. I also love how Lydia learned and grew as a person. Not saying that I like her as a person, but I love her character!

Overall, I loved the story, and I guess I loved being emotionally destroyed, but as I said, I’m not sure I like the timeline edits, and I’m also on the fence about where the story ended. I feel like it ended there for maximum emotional impact, but I also feel like the story is unfinished. I wanted to know more about everyone else; there were other characters’ stories that felt unresolved and I needed more. I feel like it might have been better served with an epilogue. Still a great story by one of my favorite authors!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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