This book was so cute! I loved that it was more than just a romance and had a sci-fi twist. The characters were so unique and real and I absolutely fell in love with all of them. We have lesbian, bi, and trans rep along with many drag queens!

The romance in this book was adorable. We have Jane, who is super sexy and tough, and we have August, who is cute and reserved. The two have eyes for each other instantly and it grows into teasing and banter which I love! Their relationship isn't always sunshine and rainbows however, which is very realistic and I'm glad that was shown.

And a special shout out to the side characters of this book AKA August's roommates and friends because they made me laugh so much!

The reason I didn't give this a full 5 stars is because it was a super long book and I feel like it could have been a little shorter. There were some moments where I was a bit bored. Other than that, it was great!

If you want a cute New York rom-com, then I would recommend this for you.

As expected, Casey McQuiston provides another winner- the only thing keeping it from a full five stars is plot elements that were not fully tightened up that distracted from the overall story.

4.5 stars. loved this!
I am obsessed with the way Casey McQuiston writes characters and friend groups. they are always just so fun and relatable and real feeling. the romance was really sweet and the sort of nervous anticipation of what was going to happen with the time travel aspect really kept the book moving, even though time travel is not a trope I typically enjoy reading about. will definitely continue to read from the author!

An amazing queer paranormal romance… yes, you read that correctly! McQuiston has such a magical way of writing realistic banter between the characters. I loved this one. My one critique was that I think it could have been 50 pages shorter.

“None of us know exactly who we are, and guess what? It doesn’t fucking matter. God knows I don’t but I’ll find my way to it."

One Last Stop, Casey McQuiston’s sophomore book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s hard to read an author’s second book and not compare to their first but One Last Stop was so different than Red, White & Royal Blue that idea of comparing left my mind pretty quickly - of course, the quick wit and clever writing is still the McQuiston we have come to know and love.

OLS is instant queer canon and will turn into one of those “wait you haven’t read this yet.” books, within the year. Within the first 65 pages, I wanted to move to NYC, find a family like Myla, Niko, Wes, and Isaiah to adopt me.

This is a romance, yes but it’s also about finding family, yourself, your purpose, and of course the complexities of stumbling into a space-time anomaly.

I don’t want to share too much about why I loved every moment of this book because I want y’all to discover how wonderful OLS is on your own.

Casey McQuiston is an auto-buy author for me now and I am looking forward to whatever they write next!!

P.S. if this book gets turned into a movie, dibs on playing Myla (idk if one can call dibs on a major motion picture part BUT I’M DOING IT)

Nonbinary author Casey McQuiston’s sophomore novel One Last Stop is a heartwarming story of found-family chock full of eccentric, colorful characters that jump off the page. Reminiscent of their critically successful debut novel Red, White & Royal Blue, McQuiston’s much-anticipated follow-up is another heartwarming rom-com centering around a queer relationship and set against the backdrop of nostalgic New York City.

This time, McQuiston expertly crafts a speculative twist, making the novel that much more magical.

August is a southern girl who moves to New York City alone to finish her last year of college. Having grown up as an only child with her single mother, she’s spent most of her life trying to track down her mother’s missing brother. Unsure and in need of escape from her upbringing in New Orleans, she quickly befriends a group of diverse, LGBTQ+ twenty-somethings: Niko, a transgender psychic; Myla, Niko’s girlfriend; Wes, a tattoo artist; and Isaiah, Wes’s crush and a drag queen accountant.

August moves in with her new friends, enjoying her life in New York City, working in a pancake shop, and riding the Q Train. Everything is going “absolutely fine” until August meets the butch, mysterious Jane Su on the Q Train one day. The two feel an immediate, impossible attraction to each other, and soon become inseparable.
But Jane has problems of her own: she’s become unstuck in time, perpetually confined to the Q Train since 1977. August, a selfless sleuth, makes it her mission to recover Jane’s memories in order to find out how she got “stuck” in an effort to return her back to 1977.

As the two fall hopelessly in love with each other, August unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery alongside Jane, finally getting to figure out who she is without the constraint of her mother’s grip on her life. August finally gets to experience a depth of love that she never knew existed: “Is this what it’s always like? To want someone and know they want you back? How in the world does anyone get anything done?”

Every page of McQuiston’s novel is so packed with hilarity that I found myself repeatedly laughing out loud as I read. At the same time, McQuiston is able to carry so much authenticity with each of their words. On one hand, One Last Stop is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and your chosen family, but on the other, it’s a complicated and expertly crafted mystery that had me unable to put it down.

Even more important, readers get to see queer characters come to terms with their identities, as McQuiston tackles serious issues of intersectionality and the very real struggle to find your place in the world. As they navigate their lives as queer individuals in New York City, each character gets their own fully fleshed-out narrative that depicts their struggles and triumphs with their respective identities.
But Jane has problems of her own: she’s become unstuck in time, perpetually confined to the Q Train since 1977. August, a selfless sleuth, makes it her mission to recover Jane’s memories in order to find out how she got “stuck” in an effort to return her back to 1977.

As the two fall hopelessly in love with each other, August unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery alongside Jane, finally getting to figure out who she is without the constraint of her mother’s grip on her life. August finally gets to experience a depth of love that she never knew existed: “Is this what it’s always like? To want someone and know they want you back? How in the world does anyone get anything done?”

But Jane has problems of her own: she’s become unstuck in time, perpetually confined to the Q Train since 1977. August, a selfless sleuth, makes it her mission to recover Jane’s memories in order to find out how she got “stuck” in an effort to return her back to 1977.

As the two fall hopelessly in love with each other, August unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery alongside Jane, finally getting to figure out who she is without the constraint of her mother’s grip on her life. August finally gets to experience a depth of love that she never knew existed: “Is this what it’s always like? To want someone and know they want you back? How in the world does anyone get anything done?”

Every page of McQuiston’s novel is so packed with hilarity that I found myself repeatedly laughing out loud as I read. At the same time, McQuiston is able to carry so much authenticity with each of their words. On one hand, One Last Stop is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and your chosen family, but on the other, it’s a complicated and expertly crafted mystery that had me unable to put it down.

Even more important, readers get to see queer characters come to terms with their identities, as McQuiston tackles serious issues of intersectionality and the very real struggle to find your place in the world. As they navigate their lives as queer individuals in New York City, each character gets their own fully fleshed-out narrative that depicts their struggles and triumphs with their respective identities.

Importantly, nearly every character identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community; the book boasts representation for transgender, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and many more diverse intersectional identities. Not a single central relationship or character in the novel could be identified as cisgender heterosexual, which I found both extremely refreshing and incredibly important for visibility.

I had the most fun time reading this novel, and I personally preferred it to McQuiston’s first release. It evoked so much more emotion for me than her first novel and even had me holding back tears of nostalgia at times. My only critique is that I felt that the time travel mechanic could be a bit too convenient. While the speculative element was creative and unique, it wasn’t completely fleshed out, so I was a bit “speculative” myself. Everything else, though, was extremely well done. 4.5 stars from me! This one is definitely a must-read for pride month, and McQuiston has successfully cemented their place as a hallmark writer of queer literature for many years to come.

Casey McQuiston is the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue, as well as a pie enthusiast. She writes books about smart people with bad manners falling in love. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, she now lives in New York City with her poodle mix and personal assistant, Pepper.

One Last Stop is truly one of the best books I have read in all time. It was everything I wanted and never knew I needed all in one story. Jane will forever have my heart. My one request is that everyone reads this book.

Original and different, plot was a little clunky for me at times but that wasn’t why I stayed. It was a little long and I ended up starting stopping and restarting this one. But the rep and queerness and community was so welcome and refreshing and what kept me in this book. The queer vibes carried it and made it feel like a good escape.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

August is a twenty-three-year-old college student with a lot of baggage. Jane is a mysterious stranger on the Q who also happens to be displaced in time. As the two try to piece together what is keeping Jane stuck on the Q, a friendship develops into something more.

The premise of this book was so intriguing that I just had to read it. Sadly, however, for me the book just doesn't live up to the hype. While August and Jane are decent characters, they lacked something that made them truly three-dimensional. I couldn't connect to them for some reason and I wasn't invested in their story.

The side characters, however, were spectacular! Honestly, if the book was strictly about Niko, Myla, Wes and all the amazing characters that colored in the edges of the story then it would have been pure magic. I think that Casey McQuiston was too focused on making this book a romance than focusing on what it truly was...a story of community. One Last Stop is more about found family than anything else. The community that August builds around herself is what made this book for me.

I was nervous about this one bc of the magical/sci-fi portion because I’m not usually a fan. But I liked this book a lot. Loved the cast of characters and the romance. The audio narration was fantastic.

This book made my heart full. A wonderfully queer romance full of longing for both places and people, centering around finding "home". I fell in love with August and her roommates and co-workers, as well as Jane and the city itself. Interwoven with bits of LGBTQIA+ history. I went in expecting mostly fluff but was deeply impressed by the moments of seriousness - it's just an excellently written book. Recommended for romance readers and time travel fans, as well as early millennials starting to finally come into their own.

This author is just the best! Such a unique story with wonderful characters. As much fun to read as Red, White, and Royal Blue.

I know this is an outlier opinion, but I just couldn’t get into this. I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue, but I think that was because of the insidery-ness around the president’s family and the royal family. This new book just didn’t have the same charm for me.

“𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒃𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑶𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐.”

One Last Stop was a fun and magical read for the ending of June and #PrideMonth.

August is used to being alone: she’s gotten through 23 years without being close to anyone, but a move to New York City and desperation for a place to live finds her with some weird roommates and a commute on the subway, where she meets a gorgeous girl… who happens to be displaced in time from the 1970s. Just August’s luck right? Will August’s new found family and love help her discover the magic that life can bring?

There were many things I liked about this book; Casey McQuiston has a way of creating groups of people that I want to hangout with! I wanted to be friends with everyone in Red, White & Royal Blue, and I felt the same here. I loved the “ragtag band of misfits” becoming friends, and each character felt well developed. The mystery element of finding out what happened to Jane was such a fun surprise, along with the references to Nancy Drew (both the books, and really the TV series with its link to “ghosts.”). The subway itself was like a whole other character, and this book felt like a love letter to it, especially the Q. Bonus: there was one scene that reminded me how much I love Mandy Moore’s underrated gem Candy. Although I liked August and Jane together, the romance was actually second to me over everything else, especially over the “found family” characters. McQuiston did a great job at featuring both the romance and the friendship that August discovered she’d been hiding from her whole life.

One Last Stop was a fun, delightful, romantic read (although I loved Red, White & Royal Blue more); I’ll gladly be on the lookout for McQuiston’s next book! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy!

"Oh my God. She literally shorted out the train because she was horny ... She's an icon. She's my hero."

Casey McQuiston has done it again, folks. They somehow diluted the essence of love at it's truest and created a 400-page-novel out of it. Reading this book felt like waking up next to the person you love on a lazy Sunday morning and revelling in the fact that they will be in your lives forever. And the side characters! Myla, NIko, Wes, Isaiah, Winfield, Lucie, Jerry, Billy.... everyone was so well fleshed out and felt so so real. And New York City. People always say NYC is a character rather than a setting and I've never felt that more than with this book. And of course, August and Jane were perfection. Gotta love the trope of queer love meant to be so badly that it breaks space and time.

This was unfortunately not my favorite. The overall story was good but there were a few questionable parts. I also am not a big fan of magical realism so that was a bummer too.

I loooooooooved Red, White & Royal Blue to the extent that I was really worried this one wouldn't have a chance of comparing. And really, it doesn't - but not in a bad way. It doesn't compare because it's so completely different. I have a feeling that McQuiston was aware that RW&RB had so much hype and got so much love and that's why they chose to go in a completely different direction here. It's still a romance, this time featuring two women. The main character, August, meets Jane on the subway in Brooklyn and is immediately drawn to her. She keeps running into her on the same train (the Q), and it slowly comes out that Jane has actually been stuck on the Q in what seems to be a time loop - her last memories of not being on the train are from the 1970s. I wasn't expecting this fantasy/sci-fi element and I really liked it. My main issue with this was that I didn't really like August that much. Or at least, I didn't like her as much as Jane or any of the "supporting" characters who actually stole the show. August is just kind of a wanderer, and she has basically spent her whole life trying to help her mom solve the unsolved disappearance of her mom's older brother, Augie, after whom August is named. She's got an interesting backstory but it's hard to compete with her roommates, especially Niko (a trans character who is a psychic) and Myla (his partner, a super smart engineer/artist). I think the rest of the characters just ended up outshining August a bit, so it ended up feeling slightly unbalanced for me.

Cute romance with interesting characters. The synopsis intrigued me but I found it hard to keep coming back to the book.

Things I Love: New York, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Unsolved Mysteries, Found-Families, Queer Representation, Diversity

Things This Book Had: All of that

I am speechless. I don't even know how to express how much I loved this book. I was nervous, because Red, White, & Royal Blue is one of my favorite books of all time, and I just couldn't imagine how Casey McQuiston could write another novel as incredible as that one was. She really did it though; I never should have doubted!

Every single character in this book is complex, raw, hilarious, and incredibly queer. I adore August and Jane's story, but I was just as invested in Wes/Isaiah and Niko/Myla. Casey is such a talented writer. Every character felt real and I found myself attached to every single one of their stories. Although RW&RB definitely felt finished after one novel, I can't help but feel like there is so much more to explore in the One Last Stop universe. I would absolutely love to read a story about Wes...or really anyone else.

One of my favorite things about how McQuiston writes is that her stories aren't surface level. I am such a sucker for contemporary romance novels, but she writes them differently. Her books are definitely about the romance, but it's never just that. There is always another story there that is just as interesting. Her books are meaningful and impactful, and I can't wait to see what else she conjures up for us.

Audiobook Lovers: I listened to this one and I highly recommend it if you prefer audiobooks. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, is AMAZING. She does such an incredible job that I honestly can't picture the characters sounding like anyone else anymore. 5/5 just for narration!

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian Audio for providing me with an arc (audiobook version) in exchange for an honest review (less)

One Last Stop is a fantastic sapphic romance novel complete with a cast of quirky and fun characters as well as an element of mystery. I found myself hooked not only on the growing feelings between August and Jane but also the mystery behind Jane's situation. The hype around this book is very well deserved and I'll be recommending it to literally everyone.