Time travel is a really interesting premise that has been a little bit overdone in books. One Last Stop, however, has a fresh and unique twist on it, and that makes this book worth a read alone.

The queer romance aspect of it is adorable and sweet, and the layers of mystery are super interesting. I really enjoyed reading McQuiston's latest novel. The supporting characters are lovable and kind, and there's even a psychic. The main characters are less lovable for me, which is why I have to call it a 4 out of 5 stars. Worth a read.

Thank you Casey McQuiston, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

While on its surface, One Last Stop is a love story between a southern cynic and a golden-hearted activist trapped out of her time, it is the familial love and care demonstrated throughout the novel that leaves the biggest mark. One Last Stop captures the joy, freedom and belonging that comes with finding a queer community and building a home. It captures what it is like to be young, a little careless, and a little lost.

August moves to New York City hoping to exist in solitude; one face out of millions. She rents a room in an apartment with Myla (an engineer turned artist), Niko (a psychic and bartender), and Wes (a would-be architect turned tattoo artist), and all chances of a solitary life go out the window. August hasn’t yet acclimated to their chaos when she has a meet cute moment with Jane on the subway. And then another moment. And another. Jane, it turns out, has been thrown out of her own time in 1977, and is bound to the subway line August takes to campus.

The characters in this book are vast and wonderful. They are unapologetically queer, and equally unapologetic in their pursuit of their passions. August becomes okay with not having all the answers; she learns to be a little silly. Her world expands to include her coworkers and neighbours, and the whole rag tag group of queers had my whole heart.

The bisexual and trans rep was also incredibly pleasing; there are a lot of queer books out in the world, but transgender, bisexual and pansexual stories are still underrepresented. The casual inclusion is part of the gift of the novel. And while this book is so different from Red White and Royal Blue, the way Casey McQuiston writes family is reassuringly consistent. The camaraderie, the banter, the **relentless** roasting that only a sibling or a close friend can provide; they get it and they put it to paper. One Last Stop is an ode to the way the right group of people can pull you fully out of your shell when you take a risk and let them in. It is a story about growth and self acceptance and holding tight and letting go; it is a story where the magic of time travel and finding love on the subway take a backseat to the everyday magic of queer folks thriving.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-arc of One Last Stop in exchange for an honest review.

I’d been looking forward to loving this book ever since it was announced, and I loved the concept of it a lot, but something about the execution didn’t quite come together for me.

The writing was lovely, the dialogue snappy, the characters fun, the plot unique. I can very much see how it’s meant to sweep you off your feet and charm you utterly. Alas, although I was pretty well entertained, I was neither swept nor ultimately all that charmed.

My main issue is the book was trying to be a lot of things at once. We’ve got time travel, magical realism, romance, true crime, coming of age, found families, mystery/detective story, LGBTQ+ and societal issues, and a handful of other things. Some of the plotlines were very intriguing individually, some of them worked together really well, others not so much; for me, it never quite became a cohesive whole.

I read Red, White and Royal Blue not too long ago and instantly loved it and the way Casey wrote their story. So, when their next novel was announced, I immediately did what I could to get an early copy. Thankfully, NetGalley blessed my Kindle and Casey, once again, blessed my shelf!

One Last Stop is different from their other novel. It has a sort of supernatural-esque vibe with Jane being stuck on a subway train because she is in between her true time, the 70s, and August’s present time of now. When the two meet, it leads August, a newbie in the city, to become someone she was meant to be with her new roommates and this girl that brings out a new life within her instead of the old life she has with her mother, who constantly has her mind stuck in detective work with a case from the 70s. Oh, the irony.

The cast in this book is AMAZING. We’ve got drag queens, queer tattoo artists with moody personalities (but also in love hardcore), trans psychics, queer and black artist who is the best friend you could have, etc. Nobody in this book is bland. Casey gave everyone their own personality and their own way to stand out, so this has to be one of the first books I’ve read in a long time (if not, ever) with side characters that read like main characters and kept my interest.

August was a good character, too. It was interesting to see her evolution as a new girl in New York City. In the beginning, she was a mess. Then she met Jane and became enraptured by her and, even if she wasn’t aware at first, this mystery girl was changing her the more time they spent together uncovering Jane’s past. Jane, on the outside, looks like a tough girl. On the inside, she is so lost and just wanting answers. Imagine her relief when August unlocks those answers.

I like that the romance and attraction was obvious, but Casey took their time building that romance and keeping more focus on what Jane needed. Sure, they both need each other. However, the pace of their relationship was perfect in my opinion. There was flirting, some tension, wit. It kept things interesting.

There’s a lot of history in this story, too. The 70’s were an important time for the LGBTQ community and their growth. Not only that, but this was not too long after the Stonewall Riots. Tensions were still high and imagine how that was mixed with different races. There was also the discussion of HIV and AIDS. Bottom line, having Jane come from such an influential and dangerous time was pretty…I can’t even think of the best word to describe it. It’s one of my favorite decades to learn about, so I was eager to read the moments where Jane would talk about her time.

I want to quickly discuss the ending. So, what happens, I kind of expected it. Maybe I’m having Addie LaRue flashbacks and now THAT all ended, so I was pretty much taking it in and dealing with it. Then Casey throws in the curveball randomly and hits me in the face, knocking me unconscious because I didn’t expect THAT to happen in the end! Of course it made me heart soft, so no complaints here!

Overall, One Last Stop gave me high expectations when it was announced and it did not disappoint. I can definitely say it went higher than my initial expectations!

This book was the perfect summertime read for a healthy dash of escapism in my home away from home (aka my NYC apartment). McQuiston really knows how to live and narrate in the millennial mindset, and ONE LAST STOP shows that, with a drastically different pool of characters, she still knows how to keep her story engaging and deeply romantic. The Jane/August relationship was arguably a more complex story than Alex/Henry in RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE, but I didn't find myself as drawn to this book overall as RW&RB. Then again, it's hard to match such an iconic debut, and this book gets pretty close! A great read.

Casey McQuiston has absolutely become one of my must-read authors.

I'll admit right from the get-go that I don't get the sci-fi, time travel aspects of this story. I kept wanting to *understand,* but trying to figure out the puzzle started to ruin it for me. I ultimately gave up, actively suspended my disbelief, and continued to simply bask in the glory that is August and Jane's romance.

How do you not love a story about a rag-tag group of queer twenty-somethings trying to save a kitsch pancake house and a girl stuck in time? Throw in some drag queens, a seance, and some steamy scenes just for good measure. Clearly, McQuiston knows what they're doing.

I could go on and on about how much I liked this book, but instead of reading more about my thoughts, you should really just get a copy and see for yourself.

I enjoyed this one. I was in the minority of not liking RWRB but as this book did not have politics in it I wanted to give the author another go. This was a beautiful love story between August and Jane. The only problem is that Jane is stuck on the subway and from the 70s. August is determined to help her even if that might mean Jane will have to go back to her own time. I got teary near the end. How will it all work out?

"Why do you want to haunt a bathroom, man?
It's where people are most vulnerable."

"Sometimes the point is to be sad, August. Sometimes you just have to feel it because it deserves to be felt."

"I didn't save you. You're saving yourself. I've figured out you can't do that alone."

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
This has got to be one of the most unique contemporary romances I have ever read. It was sweet and relatable and I loved it! I would definitely recommend it to Rom com fans.

There’s a reason the “Missed Connections” message boards and newspaper ads attract so much attention. The idea that your soul mate could be the random person from the coffee shop or on the bus home is thrilling, like something out of a movie. Casey McQuiston’s latest hit novel One Last Stop takes this romantic comedy meet-cute to the next level. What if your missed connection wasn’t just a fellow commuter? What if they were from another time entirely?

Our bisexual heroine August is the type of cynic who would love the analytical challenge of finding a missed connection for someone else while internally scoffing at the idea of true love at first sight. New to New York City after leaving a series of colleges trying to find a place that fits her, she is closed off and lonely due to her childhood experiences with her Lorelai Gilmore-like mother (if Lorelai Gilmore was obsessed with solving a cold case). Hoping to escape her mother’s influence and make her own life, August gets a job serving pancakes at a classic Brooklyn institution while resisting the attempts by her quirky roommates (one of whom is a psychic) to become friends. But then everything changes when August is having a terrible day and a mysterious (and hot) stranger on the Q train gives her help just when she needs it.

Jane Su is breathtaking and instantly compelling for both August and the reader. Confident and representing everything August is missing from life, Jane quickly becomes August’s lifeline as they share the same commute each day. But the more time August spends with Jane on the train, the more it becomes clear that something isn’t right. Why does Jane flirt with her, then fail to make plans to meet outside of the Q train? Why does Jane only appear when August is on the train? And why are all her references from the 1970s? August realizes Jane is stuck out of her own time and trapped on the Q train, meaning she’ll have to use all her true crime skills to help Jane go home … if that’s what Jane really wants at all.


One Last Stop isn’t just a sexy (and I mean sexy) romance with heart sure to leave readers swooning. It’s a story about growing up and finding your community and being bold enough to take the things you want from life. August starts out closed off and unwilling to accept love from anyone, believing she’s not worthy of it. Jane has plenty of love to give, but is afraid of commitment. While August’s relationship with Jane pushes her to be bold and give love a chance, it’s the found family she forms and the roots she slowly puts down in Brooklyn that form the heart of the story. McQuiston is excellent at creating a vivid setting and populating it with unique, fleshed out characters, and the reader will find themselves wanting to live in August’s world as much as they will fall in love with August and Jane’s relationship. Fans of Red, White & Royal Blue will find a lot to love in One Last Stop, continuing McQuiston’s domination of the queer new adult romance genre.

One Last Stop is available now wherever books are sold.

When she moves to NYC, August carries her loneliness, cynicism, and pocketknife with her (because you never know when you might need to stab somebody). August “believes in nothing but caution and a pocketknife.” And love? Love is “a hobby for other people, like rock climbing or knitting.” But things are about to change. She takes a room in a Brooklyn apartment shared by generous, quirky roommates, lands a job in a pancake joint, and one day on the subway, meets the girl of her dreams. Trust and hope bloom in August as roommates and coworkers become her friends and Jane the Subway Girl becomes a definite romantic possibility—but can it last? That’s a mystery, and August is the perfect person to unravel it.

Although the publisher let the biggest cat out of the bag (Jane’s trapped in the mid-1970’s and stuck on the Q Train), I won’t get into more spoilers. The characters are witty, fun, sometimes over the top. The speculative twists work. And the growth of August’s trust and hope after a lifetime stuck in her mother’s obsessions (a nice parallel to Jane’s being stuck in time), along with Jane’s experiences as a gay woman in the 1970’s add heft to this otherwise light, steamy romance. I think the novel’s “New Adult Romance” marketing (for the 18 to 30 set) is spot-on given the explicit sex.

One Last Stop is a wonderful book in so many ways. Its my first Casey McQuiston book and I will definitely be reading Red, White and Royal Blue next! The writing was excellent and I really adore the found family trope. I absolutely LOVED Jane and August. Their chemistry could quite literally cause a blackout on the Q train. They are the literal definition of soulmates. When August discovers Jane is not just a cute stranger on the Q, but someone displaced in time from the 1970s, unable to leave the train line, she does everything she can to help her remember how she got stuck in the first place and find a way to get unstuck.

Unfortunately, this didn't live up to the level of McQuiston's first book, Red, White & Royal Blue for me. I think I was already slated to like it a little less because I'm not a fan of time travel/time continuum plots or magical realism at all really. But the major problem for me was that this book was, at times, boring. It was too long , and unfortunately, it felt it because I was zoning out quite a bit and not that excited about getting back into it. Sort of disappointed overall.

I thought Red, White and Blue was cute so I was looking forward to a new book by this author. In One Last Stop August moves to New York City basically to get away from her mother. Her uncle Augie had been missing since 1973 and her mother spends her life trying to find him. August is sharing an apartment with three roommates and gets a job at Billy's House of Pancakes. On the subway each day on the Q line she is attracted to a young Asian woman. Then she realizes that Jane is always on the train, no matter what time August gets on or which train she is traveling. She doesn't seem to have much of a memory of her past and it turns out she is stuck on the train. The love story was cute. I liked all of the characters, August and Jane. Myla was an electrical engineer but wants to be an artist, Niko is her boyfriend and Wes and his dog Noodles are only awake at night. They were quite a bunch but I loved the friendship. I really didn't understand much about why Jane was stuck on the Q line or the electrical stuff Myla planned to get her off so if that had been simplified and the book was shorter it would be perfect.

I look forward to more books by Casey McQuiston and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

So I went into this just knowing that I enjoyed the author’s previous work. But the book exceeded my expectations and ended up as a 5 star read for me. It was a unique story with a cast of characters that was easy to fall in love with. Also, as a historian and nerd, I love looking at our current place in the world through the lens of someone who hasn’t been apart of it. The romance was swoon worthy and I loved every minute. It lives up to the hype.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a little bit of everything going for it, sapphic romance, mystery, a heist, found family! By far one of my favourite books this year! I'm super excited to see what Casey McQuiston comes up with next!

One Last Stop is the sophomore novel of author Casey McQuiston. I think after the success of their debut Red, White, and Royal Blue readers were wondering if they would be able to follow up. Personally, I enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue more as a reader but, this is not to discredit One Last Stop in anyway as it had its own brand of magic attached to it. Honestly, these two books provide completely different experiences which is something that I love as a reader!

The first thing that caught my attention when reading One Last Stop was the diverse group of friends that August meets upon moving to NYC. I loved these characters. They slowly become more than friends to her but more like a found family. They support her and help her through all of her ups and downs and she does the same for them. Everything that she did with this group made me smile, and it was easy to visualize their conversations and hilarious antics from the pages. I wanted to attend one of their dinner parties, or go eat at the diner, or go to a show. It all seemed like so much fun!

With a diverse group of characters, it is sometimes hard to feel like they are all fleshed out but that wasn't the case in One Last Stop. I felt like all of the characters had their own personalities, their own conflicts, and their own growth. Alot of the focus is on August and June, their friendship, and then their relationship. I liked both of these characters. I did. But, I think I missed completely falling for them if that makes sense. There was a sweet chemistry and a connection but, I still felt like a piece was missing from their puzzle. This did not hinder my enjoyment of their adventures on the subway though. And I did want them to be together in the end even with the major obstacle that was standing their way.

The obstacle that I'm referring to is the fact that June is originally from the 1970s and has been stuck on the subway unable to get off. It is a mystery that is desperate need of solving and it is obvious that August and her friends love solving a good mystery (even if she does not want to admit it). There were a couple of times when I felt like I had to suspend my reality a bit to believe what was happening but, overall I did like how everything was interconnected together. I do think August could have done a better job at explaining the changes that had occurred from 1977 to present day in order to help June feel more secure in her surroundings. She had a tendency to make everything sound like it was so much better with racism, sexism, views on LGBTQA individuals/relationships and the world as a whole when in actuality it is not and there is still work to be done. Yes, it's nice to imagine a world where that is true however, it is not an accurate description and comes from a pretty privileged place honestly.

All and all, I enjoyed One Last Stop. I loved the popular culture references and the connections between the characters. There is alot of heart in this story, and I felt very invested in it. Personally, it just didn't pull me in as completely as I would have liked. I do know that Casey McQuiston is slowly becoming one of my "must-read" authors and I cannot wait to see what they come up with next!

A sweet story. A fun cast of lovable & Quirky side characters. The chemistry/"swooniness" felt a lot different than RWRB but overall I still enjoyed this one.

Hi, my name is Carlene and I have a big, fat crush on Jane and I think, though I hesitate to say it, that I liked (loved) this book more than Red, White, and Royal Blue. Casey McQuiston saw the sophomore novel challenge and said, let me just show you what I can do. She delivered a perfect coming-of-age, time travel, queer romance novel that was absolutely impossible to put down. I mean, I literally woke up and picked up my phone to keep reading. This is just one of the books of 2021 that I will never stop recommending. It's perfect. Forgive me now for saying perfect so much.

August and her band of merry friends are quintessential New Yorkers, from different places and perspectives with their bonds formed through the unique-to-New-York struggle to survive. The world building in this novel is perfection, taking us into modern day subway tunnels and the diners that never seem to change. Then there's Jane, the gorgeous punk girl who gives off 70's vibes, only she really is from the 70's and stuck in time. This would have usually turned me off from the read, but my word I could not put this book down if I tried. August's affections for Jane literally made me the cute watery eye emoji. Their journey to discover just what happened to Jane and what can be done to help is what turns August from a secondary character in her own life into the heroine.

With the novel's unofficial playlist on and my brain on pause from it's usual "I would never read this type of novel" turned off, I sat down to read One Last Stop and just did not stop. August is awkward, relatable, and totally stumped on answering the question "who are you and who do you want to be when you grow up?". She is just learning, trying to find her place, and New York seems like the place to do that, it's just big enough to get lost in. Except, her roommates become her chosen family and Jane, the Q train, and everyone at Billy's become essential parts of her world. She may not know her career path, but she knows the feeling of magic now. I just loved August, my word she was so relatable. She's a pessimist full of witty batter and I just could not stop highlighting her thoughts. My word can Casey McQuiston write a heroine. Plus, her bisexual, introverted, self-defined friendless, communication failure self is just...honest. She isn't this perfect character who has a perfect move and a perfect love story, but my word does that make this story...that's right, perfect. Jane is, on the other hand, not truly a full main character, but the story ebbs and flows around her, dependent upon her being on the train, on her finding her memories. She's this 70's punk feminist beauty and her desire to give is just gah.

I could probably go on forever, honestly. One Last Step is a longer novel, with a slow start, but the world building had to be there to make this novel work. August, Jane, Myla, Niko, Wes, Isiah, and the entire staff at Billy's are unforgettable. This is the sort of book that you can reread, the romance combined with the unique time travel storyline making it feel like a special sort of home. If you're looking for a romance read, specifically a witty, brilliant queer one, One Last Stop is the book to pick up.

I absolutely loved and adored everything there was in Red, White, and Royal Blue. The characters, the humor, the storyline, the emails…so much was great about that book. Does One Last Stop measure up in my opinion? No, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As another review wrote RW&RB *was* magic, One Last Stop *contains* magic. In the first one, there’s a fairy tale aspect to the relationship. In the second, it’s a time travel trope with a magical suspended-in-time element that I wasn’t prepared for. The synopsis gave no hint.

However, There were some fantastic characters in this book:

Niko - a trans male Catholic Latino psychic bartender who is dating Myla - a Pansexual black electrical engineer artist with adoptive Chinese parents. Their Jewish roommate is Wes - whose rich parents disowned him not because he’s gay, but because he won’t become an architect. Wes secretly loves Isaiah - a cross dressing Queen known as Annie Depressant who lives across the hall. Then comes our protagonist in the story - August - a recent transplant to New York, she starts renting the third room from Niko and Myla. August is bisexual. She is also a lonely college student not looking for connection. Her new roommates quickly cross every boundary and welcome her to the fold. Ever since she was a toddler, August has grown up helping her mom try to solve the cold case of her missing uncle. She’s been avoiding mysteries since she left her mom’s house to go to college. But then she finds Jane on the subway, falls instantly in love, only to find that Jane is suspended in time, a relic held over from the great New York blackout of ‘77.

“She can’t believe Jane had the nerve, the audacity, to become the one thing August can’t resist: a mystery.”

This book reads like an ode to the forgotten parts of New York. The parts where gentrification is taking over little by little. The parts that historically welcomed those who were marginalized and different. It’s an ode to everyone on the LGBTQI+ spectrum, and anyone and everyone who’s found family acceptance through community. Jane, a lesbian, is used to show the differences between the 70s and today in terms of gay rights, tolerance, acceptance and equality.

It sounds like a heavy read but it’s done in a light hearted romantic magical way that makes it an easy read. Niko and a Myla are the parental couple bringing the lost and broken under their collective wings to give them shelter and help them reach their great potential. They collect friends and contacts throughout the city that help with the over the top ending. Is it plausible? No way. But is it great fun anyway? Yes. This one is a more emotional, deeper, read with some darker feelings of angst, darker magical elements, more underbelly of NY, but it also has so much feel good about, too. Anyone who has struggled to fit in will find something to love about this book. Fans of RW&RB will find it’s a less humorous romantic comedy but will still find it to be a great read nonetheless. Authors often struggle with a second novel when the first is such a hit, but I don't think the author has anything to worry about with this book.

I really enjoyed this story. Time travel books are always interesting and this has a lot of twists which kept the book going. It has a lot of 70’s references which I like. The characters were all likable and each one’s personality made the story more intriguing. I look forward to reading other stories by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.