"A sweeping romantic drama with a touch of magical realism. ...Cleeton's ability to pull readers in quickly and deeply through her storytelling makes her a go-to author for an immersive reading experience. ...Vivian and Joe's love is unforgettable, and so is Cleeton's writing."*
When an astronaut is lost in space, his wife relives their epic love as she attempts to unravel what truly happened to him, in this sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes .
When Joe Mitchell launches into space, the world is watching. It's 1968, and the country waits with anticipation and excitement for another successful mission, another celebration as America sets its sights on the Moon. And then comes the knock at the door.
Joe Mitchell's spacecraft has lost contact. He and his fellow astronauts onboard are feared to be dead. It's his wife Vivian's worst nightmare come to life, her grief suddenly taking center stage as the nation waits and mourns. In her quiet moments, Vivian relives their memorable story, unable to accept that this is the end to a love that felt as though it was written in the stars.
As the investigation surrounding Joe's lost spacecraft intensifies and the mishap is written off as an operator error, Vivian is determined to clear her husband's name and uncover the mystery of what happened in space. When someone starts sending Vivian messages--messages she believes only Joe could send--she begins to wonder if their love is stronger than space and time, and she'll do whatever it takes to bring her husband back to her.
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Library Journal Review
The latest historical novel from Cleeton (following The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes) opens in 1968, with Vivian Mitchell learning that her astronaut husband, Joe, has lost communication with ground control during the Cold War's Space Race. No one is sure if Joe and the other two American men on the spaceship are alive. In flashbacks, readers learn how Vivian and Joe's love story started and bloomed. Cleeton's deft storytelling shows all the tangible and emotional sacrifices the astronauts and their families make. In this 1960s setting, women in the workplace are treated as if they won't last long or are there only to support men's achievements, but trained journalist Vivian is smart and curious, and the pressure on her to conform to society's expectations for how astronauts' wives should behave rankles her feminist inclinations. As always, Cleeton brings the historical details to life. VERDICT For readers looking for a good romance tested by daunting circumstances, this fits the bill. Historical fiction aficionados will appreciate Cleeton's exploration of a segment of history that hasn't yet been mined too often.--Leah Shepherd
Publishers Weekly Review
Cleeton (The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes) delivers a heartrending yet hopeful story of an astronaut's wife holding on to her husband's memory in the wake of a mission gone wrong. In 1968 Cape Kennedy, Fla., Vivian Mitchell faces her worst fear: her husband Joe's Moon-bound shuttle has lost contact with mission control. As Vivian struggles to come to grips with NASA's report that he and the rest of the crew are lost in space, she seeks to counter suggestions that Joe, the mission's commander, is responsible for its failure. To that end, she agrees to an on-air interview with TV news anchor Graham Carlson, whom she once dated when she was a budding journalist in Washington, D.C., and explains that she hopes to prevent future mishaps by holding NASA accountable. Meanwhile, Vivian begins finding mysterious handwritten messages that seem to be from Joe. One of them reads, "Wait for me," prompting her to seek answers from a scientist who has written about wormholes and time travel. Cleeton drives the narrative forward with her well-crafted time travel conceit and touching depictions of Joe and Vivian's once in a lifetime love. Readers won't want to miss this. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (July)
Booklist Review
With the enthusiasm generated by the Artemis II mission, Cleeton's latest historical tale, following The Last Story of Eva Fuentes (2025), will be an easy add for all collections. This charming exploration of romantic entanglements during the Space Race features the romance between Vivian and Joe, a love story with a Heaven Can Wait twist. Told from Vivian's point of view, the novel alternates between their meeting and falling in love in 1960 and 1968, when Joe's spaceship disappears while on a mission to the moon. Cleeton vividly depicts the challenges facing women during that time. Vivian struggles as an entry-level career gal at the TV station in D.C., where she deals with rampant sexism. The astronauts' wives are confronted by unrealistic expectations while living under a microscope and managing life for their celebrity spouses. When odd things start happening--a note that says "Wait for me," Joe's voice on the squawk box, his boots appearing outside the closet--Vivian questions her perception of the time-space continuum. Infinite indeed! Author's notes and a reader's guide enhance the draw of Cleeton's richly appealing novel.
TextPublisher: New York : Berkley, [2026]Description: 352 pages ; 21 cmContent type: