I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, but I didn't absolutely love it. 

This is an alternate history story, and for all that it involves a meteor and a plan to colonise space, large parts of it bear a distinct resemblance to the real space programme. This is pleasing in one way as it feels like a realistic depiction of what the 1950s would have been like in the midst on an extinction-level disaster.  However I did have mixed feelings as there were times when I found myself wishing that it were either more different from reality (more blatantly science fiction) or that it could actually be historical fiction and just strip out the "alternate" part entirely. 

The inclusion of the civil rights movement is a strength of the book. The book is focused around the women involved with the space programme and the struggles they go through to be allowed to be astronauts, but the author does not neglect the issue of racism either and how much longer it takes women of colour to be included. The aftermath of the Holocaust is also felt here, with a Jewish main character. 

The main character also suffers from anxiety and I appreciated this representation, as well as to the acknowledgement that many other characters also had mental health issues following a world war and an extinction-level disaster. 

The relationship between the main character and her husband is a joy to see, I loved how supportive he was and how they understood each other. I could probably have lived without so many sex scenes, usually using rocket-related double entendres. 

The writing is strong and easy to read, but I have to admit I was not keen on the audiobook narration (the book is narrated by the author, who is I believe also a professional voice actor). 

Overall this was a decent book, worth reading, but not a new favourite.