Monday Moments - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 1980s space program.   Anything was possible and women were finally admitted to the program.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid brings to life the intensity of the NASA Space shuttle program. 

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed by the stars forever.  She's admitted to the 1980 Houston's Johnson Space Center along with exceptional candidates - Hank, Griff, Lydia, Donna, and Vanessa Ford.  They all bring varying skills. 

Unlikely friends.  We watch them prepare for their first flights and learn to trust each other. Joan also finds a love she never imagined.

December 1984 - a mission changes it all (life as Joan  knows it) in an instant. 

Reid truly sets a great backdrop, offers us interesting characters, and a  very real plot line. 

What can happen beyond  the limits?    Read and find out.  

Finally Friday - After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 cover blurb: After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a love story about what happens when love fades. It's about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you've got. Above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game - and searching for a new road to happily  ever after. 

Lauren and Ryan's marriage is  out of sorts.  They decide to take a year off to figure things out. The only rule is NO Contact at all.   Lauren finds this very challenging. She's  questioning monogamy, marriage, romance, fidelity, love, lust, and more.  Key questions - what do you value?  What are you  willing to fight for? 

I enjoyed this story and it does make one think about the whole concept of marriage. Taylor Jenkins Reid writes a good tale and obviously liked her characters.  She's realistic with their flaws and helps them work through a tough year. 

A worthy reading journey. 

Whatever Wednesday - Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a very fun and entertaining read. I did figure out the twist before the end and that was okay. 

Evelyn Hugo is ready to tell her story - a glamourous and scandalous  life. She summons an unknown reporter, Monique Grant, to write  this tale. Why? 

Monique is fascinated. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Evelyn was ambitious, ruthless, and had a forbidden love (amongst seven husbands)   Who knew? 

This is a splendid journey through  old  Hollywood.  The author spins quite a tale and intertwines two women's stories so that  both face quite a truth. 

Book Review - Daisy Jones & The Six

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a really fun read. She presents it as if she really interviewed a band and got the back story many years after their super sharp rise and then shocking breakup. It reminded me a lot of the Fleetwood Mac sort of tale back when VH1 did Behind the Music.  (and yes, I'm showing my age. However, I loved any Behind the Music programming).

This is fiction. Daisy Jones is a gorgeous young lady in the late sixties with the rock star look, a whisky voice, and song writing skills.  Meanwhile, The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne, is getting noticed. 

back blurb:  Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will be the stuff of legend. 

Yes, this could have gone cheesy, but it does not. The different voices and perspectives of the band members is interesting. The author truly captures the seventies and the time of super groups.  She highlights the struggle of drugs and drinking (Daisy) with gone sober (Billy). She captures the strife of life on the road with a family (Billy), and the wildness of the others - some sleeping with band members, etc.

p. 80  ( Producer) Teddy said, "Daisy, someone who insists on the perfect conditions to make art isn't an artist. They're an asshole. "

Get your rock on and enjoy Daisy Jones & The Six.  I sure did.