Love, Legacy, and the Truth We Hide: Two Powerful Stories by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This post contains detailed plot points and character development from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you haven’t read these books yet and want to experience the stories without spoilers, consider bookmarking this post and coming back after you’ve finished reading!

The first book I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Set in the 1950s, the story follows Evelyn, who is now older and living in New York, as she recounts her life to journalist Monique Grant for a memoir. Evelyn’s journey from rags to riches is raw and unfiltered – she shares the sacrifices, heartbreaks, and secrets that shaped her rise to fame.

What makes Evelyn’s story unforgettable is its emotional depth. As a bisexual Cuban woman in a time of intense social repression, Evelyn’s relationships are complex and deeply human. Her love for Celia St. James, the woman she could never publicly love, is the heart of the novel. Their devotion, despite societal constraints, is tender, painful, and real. Reid weaves historical events like the Stonewall Riots, grounding Evelyn’s personal story to a broader struggle for identity and acceptance. It’s more than a romantic historical fiction – it's a story of self-love, truth, and the cost of hiding who you are.

“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘you’re safe with me’ – that’s intimacy.”

Published: June 13, 2017
Read: January 2024

After finishing Evelyn Hugo, I tried Daisy Jones & The Six, but couldn’t get into it. Carrie Soto is Back, and Malibu Rising are still on my list, and maybe I’ll give Daisy Jones another shot after those. But when I heard Reid was releasing a new book, I was excited – and Atmosphere did not disappoint.

Atmosphere is a moving queer romance that blends historical fiction with emotional intimacy. Joan Goodwin, the protagonist, is a NASA trainee in the 1980s, fiercely devoted to her niece Frances, whom she helped raise. Their bond is central to the story, but everything shifts when Joan meets Vanessa. Their love story is breathtaking – quiet, powerful, and deeply emotional. Reid balances the romance with Joan’s relationship with Frances, never letting one overshadow the other. Instead, both stories elevate each other.

“I was circling two hundred miles above the Earth, and all I wanted was to get home and see you. Do you understand that? Do you understand that I don't care how big or small this world is, that you are the center of mine? Do you understand that, to someone, you are everything that matters on this entire planet?”

The dual timeline - Joan’s NASA training and a spaceflight disaster in 1984 – adds tension and realism. Reid’s research shines through, making the technical details compelling even for someone who’s never been drawn to space stories. Joan and Vanessa must keep their relationship secret to stay in the program, and the emotional weight of that secrecy is palpable. The ending left me breathless and in tears. At first, I wanted more – a longer ending, an epilogue, a traditional wrap-up. But then I realized: their story was never traditional, and the quiet moments throughout had given me the closure I needed.

Published: June 3, 2025
Read: October 2025 (Audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan and Kristin DiMercurio)