Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

As a huge fan of RWARB, I was really excited for this book to come out. I think I was expecting a somewhat of a grounded story like RWARB and was caught off guard by the time travel aspect of the book (I didn't read the synopsis to keep it a surprise) and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the time travel aspect of it. Typically with romance novels, I like to keep otherworldly aspects separated from it but this worked very well. The love story between Jane and August was heartwarming, intimate and sweet and this book celebrated friendship just as much as it celebrated romance. Wonderful read!

Young, cynical August is new to New York City and trying to find her way. While she knows exactly what she does not want for her future, she has yet to figure out exactly what she does want. Her mother, a bit of a conspiracy theorist, pushed her early on to solve a decades old mystery she herself has little interest in pursuing. New York City feels like a fresh start, and August finds more than she bargains for in the big apple. With a new group of eclectic roommates and a 24 hour pancake diner, what more could a girl ask for? On her morning commute on the subway, August keeps bumping into a mysterious stranger, one she names subway girl. Subway girl turns out to be Jane, a girl who has been stuck on the subway since 1970. In order for August to help Jane, she must return to a past she has already rejected in order to reach for the future she never knew she needed.
One Last Stop is a wild ride and truly captures at the heart of the story what it means to be young, fall in love, take chances, and to be lost and then found. Part Nancy Drew mystery, part time traveling romance, One Last Stop contains many unique elements you often don't find in one story. But somehow they work together to form a uniquely charming and comical story that is sure to have reader's eagerly anticipating her next release. Set in what is often portrayed in literature as one of the hardest cities to find kindness, August instead is able to find a family of her own that is just as unique, diverse, and loving as she is. While the story mainly centers around August and her quest to save June, there are plenty of characters with their own drama unfolding behind the scene, that readers can't help but find themselves invested in as well. The incorporation of the unique time travel element allows for the inclusion of fascinating bits of history and shameful events pertaining to the LGBT community such as the 2016 Pulse club shooting. While relatively new to the romance author scene, her smash hit debut novel as well as her outstanding sophomore release hes earned her a place among the must read romance authors list.

I felt like this was the perfect book to read during PRIDE month. I'm glad that this genre is becoming mainstream in literature circles. It was truly wonderful!

OLS is the grimy, rough-edged cousin of the flashy RWRB. It's a w|w love story filled with magic, found family, and humour. It's also a love letter to New York and a reminder of the importance of queer history. Don't expect a replica of RWRB but trust the author and you'll be rewarded.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My overall thoughts on this book is that it’s okay. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. There is a lot about this story that is endearing. This is the second sapphic story I’ve ever read with the first that actually got into the specifics of a sapphic romance, so this book is probably going to become nostalgic for me.

That being said, there are some things about this book that I didn’t like so much. The beginning of this book was near impossible for me to get into, and I think it is because August fell so flat for me. She feels like the female version of Alex from Red, White and Royal Blue. Normally, when authors have characters who feel the same, it isn’t an issue, but I find that personality type unsettling. It’s that people-judge-me-for-who-i-am-but-i-judge-everyone-too mentality. I can see how people think that is funny or quirky, but I’m not a fan. It made me very uninterested in August and her whole story. That’s fine, not everyone will like character personalities, but there was little else to draw you in when the main character fell flat.

The story didn’t pick up for me until Jane became more consistent in the book. I like her personality and the mystery surrounding her situation. Wes, Myla and Niko, and Isiah are interesting characters but they all felt like the same exact person until later on in the story. Nothing really set them apart at first, all coming of as witty and quirky. It helped as the story progressed to see their differences.

Ultimately, the first half of this book was hard to get through. The writing style isn’t my taste and I didn’t end up liking August until halfway through. It picks up towards the end and becomes more interesting and enjoyable.

I think, despite my own opinions, most people who read sapphic books would like this story and would enjoy August as a character. If you’re a fan of the author’s writing style, this will probably be an enjoyable read for you!

I have to admit, I was not expecting this book when I read the first chapter. It was nothing like Red, White, and Royal Blue and not that it was a bad thing, just unexpected. I love magical realism, and add to that a lost in time/Back to the Future element, and I was sold. August is so broken and vulnerable the reader can't help but root for her. Jane is, well, Jane. Fabulous, strong, and just the type of person who could travel through decades and still be the coolest girl around.

This was solidly in the Rom-Com category, but it had a lot of meat, just like Red, White, and Royal blue. The characters are strong, the friends are fantastic, and you feel like you are in the book. I never doubted that I would love the sophomore book by McQuiston, but I was so happy that she included many elements that make a perfect read for me.

Wow what an amazing book. I am normally not one who gravitates towards books with this much mystery but I found myself hooked from the beginning. August the protagonist is relatable and I found myself rooting for her in so many ways throughout the story. Having ridden the subway in New York many, many times I found myself relating to the many people who are on the subway. I adored this story of Jane and August and found the ending perfect. I give this book 5/5 stars thank you netgalley and publisher for the early read.

Red, White, and Royal Blue, the authors previous book, is one of my favourite books, so I was sooooo excited to read this one and I was not disappointed. This one follows August, who has spent her life with just her mom, trying to solve the mystery of her missing uncle. She has few friends and romance was not even a thought in her brain. She decides to move to NYC for school and move in with Niko (a trans psychic and bartender), Myla ( a queer engineer and artist), and Wes (a queer tattoo artist and previous trust fund kid) and she also meets Jane on the Q train and finds out that Jane has been displaced from the 70s and has forgotten everything about her life. While trying to send Jane back to her time, August learns about friends, family, and experiences a romance she never thought was possible,

This book leans very heavily on magical realism and, while I enjoyed it, I can see some people maybe not enjoying the book because of it. But if it is your jam, you will also enjoy the many amazing themes present in this book! There is some great discussion about family, both blood relations and chosen, what it means be friends with people, finding/discovering yourself, and of course, the idea of love and what that means. This book is also incredibly diverse in all the best ways. There were no token characters and every persons identity was essential to their character and the story. The plot of the story was also very quick and sweet. It had a good mix of magical realism and romance and I thought the author worked both together very well.

The characters though were really the stars of this book. As August goes on her character development journey, all these characters were there to support her in any way that they could. They were all supportive, and August formed a familial bond within the confines of her NYC apartment. Each character also got backstory, which I really appreciated, no matter how "minor" they seemed. Our whole cast was well fleshed out and I really loved each of them.

This book, overall, was a fun romance story about finding your place in life and I would highly recommend it!

I feel bad just admitting that I haven't read Red, White & Royal Blue. Yes, I read LGBTQ fiction, and I don't live under a rock, and I did see that title everywhere two years ago. I'm just not that into new adult fiction.
So, six out of five stars. One Last Stop is the best new adult I've ever read.
August is flawed, but extremely likable. She is entirely fleshed out and not just a walking ball of angst, as NA characters sometimes are. She still has a couple of the main NA struggles, namely finding her place in society, and in her social circles, but she's down to earth about it. Jane is a little mysterious right to the end, because of the circumstances and because we never hear from her perspective, but she's still a very solid character.
Speaking of Jane, ahhh a Cantonese lesbian! Never seen that represented in LGBTQ fiction before! I'm sure there are others out there, but I'm betting this would be the book with the biggest reach out of them. I was pretty impressed at Jane's background, because the author doesn't just leave her ethnicity as a piece of trivia, and it was perfect.
I don't think the plot ever slowed down too much for me. There was always enough to drive the story forwards, even when there was downtime between mystery-solving and big revelations. I loved how it all fit together, though there was one plot hole that I didn't notice until another reader pointed it out. I also thought the ending was a little unlikely: August and Jane used the exact same words? The book involves time travel and psychic powers, so I guess it's funny that this is where I stopped suspending disbelief.
There was just so much to like here, and the love story has this vivid, monumental feeling throughout. I sat for a few minutes after finishing the book just thinking about every emotion it put me through. It was so easy to fall into this world, not the least because there's an incredible cast of side characters. Surely it's impossible not to connect to this book on a meaningful level, because I don't think you need to believe in August, or August and Jane, in order to believe in everything August stands for.

I started One Last Stop with no expectations other than for an enjoyable quirky romance read with fantasy and/or paranormal elements, and I was treated to that and so much more! It’s one of the sweetest, quirkiest, humorous, most imaginative, entertaining, and romantic romances I’ve read in a really long time, possibly ever. McQuiston’s description is so vibrant and colorful that it puts you right in each moment, drawing you into the story, making you care about the characters, their lives, and their world so quickly and deeply that while you are anxious to see how things turn out, you are not ready for the novel to end when it inevitably does.

Cynical, distrustful, practical, self-protective, and reserved, August is a bisexual, perpetual college student who is especially gifted at research, investigation, and observation of the world around her. August’s backstory is kind of tragic and sad and has left her unable to believe in things like magic, happily ever after, love stories like in the movies, that she can have good things in life – that she can even have a normal life in which she isn’t alone. Escaping the life forced on her by a mother obsessed with the past, she lives a life of solitude, self-restraint, and reserve. She moves to New York hoping to get lost in the big city, but instead finds herself, home, family, and belonging among bizarre roommates, neighbors, and co-workers with larger-than-life personalities, quirks, and stories of their own, who draw her reluctantly out of her protective shell.

Unexpectedly, she also stumbles upon the potential for love with the girl of her dreams, on the subway one day, developing a friendship with on her daily commute. There’s just one huge problem – her dream girl is from the ‘70s and is trapped in the present. Jane is August’s complete opposite in so many ways. She’s Chinese, gorgeous with an old school punk rocker vibe, friendly, charming, full of mystery, brave, adventurous, open to life, always ready to experience love, hopeful despite her situation and past, and while she doesn’t belong in August’s time, she easily finds a place within August’s family by choice. To August’s surprise all those things she learned, and all those skills honed from her childhood to the present, along with her own innate gifts, used in furtherance of her mom’s obsession that she’s been trying to put behind her can help save Jane. Jane who, along with her new friends, has made her want to start believing in something, again. Things like love, trust, maybe even…magic?

.
One Last Stop’s diverse cast of characters both main and secondary, who are all distinctive and full of personality, are well developed, as are their relationships. August’s and Jane’s interactions are filled with chemistry, emotion, and intimacy and not only develop their characters but also further the story, as do their love scenes. They share some of the sweetest and sexiest moments, kisses, and love scenes I’ve read even though they are not overly detailed. August’s interactions with her roommates, neighbors, and mother are just as well-written. I love how the tone shifts so smoothly from humorous to angsty, back to humorous to dark, to romantic and sexy etc., without any notice and it’s not awkward at all. McQuiston’s prose, storytelling, characters, and story all flow together so seamlessly that regardless of what crazy thing is happening it just feels right.

One Last Stop is a riveting novel about learning to love and accept yourself, using your past to grow without letting it hold you back, and that it’s okay to believe in magic and love and still be practical. Readers looking for an original, off-beat, feel-good, sweet, funny, sexy, and romantic queer romance can’t go wrong with One Last Stop!

An unexpected delight! I didn't realize this would be a time travel romance but it worked so well! Casey McQuiston can obviously do no wrong with her stories and I devoured this one in nearly one sitting! LGBTQ readers are going to love this one!

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A warning: this book will make you crave pancakes.

This book will also make you crave other things: from strawberry milkshake pop-tarts to specialty diner specials to owning plants with adorable names and listening to the radio late at night before falling asleep. Improbably, it will make you crave riding the subway (even if you’ve never ridden it). And of course, this book will make you crave New York City. There are few books that fully embody New York City in every page and that are written with love and authenticity like One Last Stop. From the near-magical subway scenes on the Q train, the moments set at a 24 hour pancake house (Pancake Billy’s House of Pancakes) written so well you could smell the batter, and the eclectic, charming cast of characters that all call the city home, somehow, even though Casey McQuiston isn’t a Native New Yorker, she manages to capture things that feel quintessentially New York.


Macmillan
Its also one of the most romantic books I’ve read. But I think that’s a Casey McQuiston specialty. Her bestselling debut, Red, White and Royal Blue set the bar pretty high in terms of contemporary romances and I think she managed to raise it higher with her sophomore novel.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the most buzz-worthy book this season, a little summary: August Landry is a prickly hedgehog of a young woman, who moves to the city hoping to escape from a loneliness she’s felt her whole life. She doesn’t expect to find a home there, but she hopes she finds a reason to stay. Her entire life has been mostly centered around a cold case—before she was born, her mother’s brother disappeared without a trace. August was raised on a steady diet of self-defense, lock picking and investigative tactics. Her mother moved them around so the two never settled anywhere that August felt like home. Twenty-three and aimless, she flees to finish out college in NYC in the hopes of never thinking about the case again. Its there that she meets Niko, a psychic, his brilliant girlfriend, Myla, and their insightful and sensitive roommate Wes. Before long, they’re the found family she didn’t know she needed and her job at their local place, Pancake Billy’s House of Pancakes, offers her stability she desperately needed.

On her way to one of her classes, she has a devastatingly charming meet-cute with a mysterious stranger who offers her a red scarf to cover the spilled coffee all over her. The seconds encounter before she gets off is enough to make an impression and August begins looking for this extremely good-looking, kind woman every time she steps on the Q. It isn’t long before they become friends. Jane is enigmatic and August is drawn to her, the way she carries herself and how she goes out of her way to help other passengers. But it becomes quickly apparent that there’s something odd about Jane’s presence on the subway and the good luck that August has in always being able to meet up with her, isn’t a coincidence. Beyond all reason, Jane is stuck on the train. Every time she gets off she gets zapped back. And she remembers almost nothing about her past or herself.

Despite August’s vow to never get involved with cases again, she uses her past-detective experience to look into Jane’s history. A history that starts decades earlier. Jane has time traveled from the 70s and has gotten stuck in the present. Doomed from the start, August tries to deny her feelings for Jane, knowing that if they crack the case, Jane could return to her own time.

As a Cis White woman I can’t comment directly on whether or not the representation was done well other than to recognize that I enjoyed reading a book that was happily inclusive. It felt very New York, another reason to love this book. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t recognize problems for the Queer community even in a city like New York. It was refreshing to read an author deftly handle both Queer joy and acknowledge past pain—especially in moments that could have ended up a lot worse.

Though sad at times—you can really feel August’s loneliness—the moments where she schemes with her friends and relishes in her found family in her apartment and at the diner, make this book shine. Its easy to believe while reading this book, after the solitude of the pandemic, that with a little luck you can find your people. And that’s really beautiful to read. You will laugh, full on snort and giggle and grin excitedly as you read about Jane and August’s adventures on the Q. Jane—big-hearted, unafraid and fiercely loyal and August—prickly, anxious, afraid to let people in—complement each other so well. Their journey, literally, is one of the best parts of the book, second to the mystery of Jane’s time travel.

I read this book slowly, savoring it and letting it settle like a spectacularly filling pancake breakfast. I was left feeling warm and hopeful for a world where books like this exist—books where people find each other and then find ways to stay together, despite time travel and other improbabilities. Read this book while eating pancakes or your favorite comfort food.

E-ARC graciously provided through NetGalley

Wow. This book was capital-a Amazing.
I fell in LOVE with every character that graced these pages, even August, who I wasn't sure I would like. Her romance with Jane is about as crazy as it gets, you'll never find another couple like them! Maybe I want to be Wes and Myla's best friend and marry Niko... I'll never tell.

"Time-travelling lesbians" is what everyone says when they want to describe this book. It's a LITTLE misleading. One, August is bisexual, as she tells a random, very annoyed man on the subway. Two, only one of them does time-travelling of a sort. It's not like, folding-the-fabric-of-reality time-travelling. No "Dr. Who" shit here.

This book was so much more than a romance though. It was a million storylines falling into place. This book was romance, mystery, a dash of sci-fi, found family and gay people in Brooklyn all wrapped up into one incredible book.

I think I flew through this book so fast that I didn't retain as much as I would have liked, BUT the bright side to that is this: I can reread it very soon and not be bored, it'll be like I haven't QUITE read it yet. Like I know the basics, but the devil is in the details, my friends, and I haven't got the memory for them the first time around.

That is to say, I'll be back to OLS very soon, and I am already desperate to hear more about Casey McQuiston's book no. 3!!!

*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*

This book was just one giant LGBTQ+ love fest and I was HERE. FOR. IT. It was a quirky, charismatic read filled with drag shows, bold characters, time travel, eccentric roommates, and a romance that even being trapped on a subway can't stop. But the story is so much more than a mystery and a romance, and here is where the book truly sucked me in and enchanted me.

The beginning of the novel starts off with August as an isolated loner; floating and drifting along in the sea of life with no one to cling to. Over the course of the story, August not only has a journey of self-discovery and finds love in the most unconventional ways but she finds family. She finds friends who tether her, forms bonds, becomes vulnerable, and finds her people in life. This was the true underlying plot and it was beautiful. Found family can be just as important or more important than blood relatives. Watching August trust in Niko's psychic abilities, relate to Wes' self-destructive, isolative tendencies, and accept Myla's mothering was so endearing that my grinchy heart grew three sizes while reading. 

Past that there are so many love stories in the book that I wanted everyone to have their own novel. August tries to unravel the mystery of Jane stuck on the subway, while simultaneously falling in love, we get glimpses of everyone around her finding or thriving with love. Niko and Myla being a steadfast couple, showing that love can last and flourish. While Wes dances around Isaiah and eventually finds it in himself to be vulnerable. Honestly, I was as invested in the Wes/Isaiah romance as I was the August/Jane romance. 

And while August and Jane do have their sizzling moments, I find this story to be more endearing and wholesome than anything else. This book had a captivating, rich plot with a driven, peculiar heroine; what more could I want? As my first F/F romance, I am glad I wait to give this particular V-card to Casey McQuiston. I can't wait to read what she writes next.

One Last Stop is outrageously hilarious, cleverly written, and incredibly romantic. The entire novel is written with such vivid imagery, some of which is so ridiculous that it shouldn’t work–but it somehow does. It feels like every second line of this book is quotable, like the author could take a line at random and plaster it on the cover of the book and sell thousands of copies for that reason alone.

Now that I’m done gushing about the writing style, it’s time to gush about the characters. August is lonely, witty, a little pessimistic, and an extreme minimalist. She’s an introvert, and she’s quite reserved. She spent most of her childhood helping her mother search for her mother’s brother who went missing in the 1970s, and as a result, she’s basically a grown-up child detective. This personality trait comes into play at various times throughout the story–mostly when she’s trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Subway Girl.

August is a reserved person, but when she sees the gorgeous girl on the subway, she suddenly doesn’t want to be that way anymore. Jane is outgoing and optimistic, and she regularly makes friends with complete strangers on the subway. They’re opposites, and in many ways August and Jane complete each other. Jane doesn’t have any memories, but she knows exactly who she is. August has her memories but she doesn’t know who she is. They’re two sides of the same coin, yin and yang, dare I say, soulmates. Sigh.


The entire book is from August’s point of view, and the majority of the character development is on her end. I particularly enjoyed the side plot of her relationship with her mother, though I would have liked for it to have been explored a little further. Her mother is obsessed with finding her missing brother, and as August becomes more and more obsessed with “fixing” Jane’s paranormal problem, she realizes that she has more in common with her mother than she originally thought. Most of the book is about August’s journey as a character. That said, by the end of the book, Jane isn’t the same person she was in the beginning. August has changed her for the better. The plot of the story has quite a few fantastic twists and turns, and it’s far from just your run of the mill paranormal romance.

The beginning of each chapter has a little epistolary-style snippet. They almost seem irrelevant at first, but it quickly becomes obvious that they all relate to Jane–and her predicament–in some unique way. The snippets get increasingly clever, and the final one made my heart swell.

This book is beyond fantastic with the worldbuilding. It’s clear that McQuiston either time traveled into the seventies or spent many nights buried in research on the era. Among the numerous things she talks about are the gay rights movement, 70s pop culture and music, and dynamic descriptions of different cities during that time period. Their cultures and customs come into play, and I learned quite a bit. For instance, I didn’t know about the old New Orleans birthday dollar bill tradition. Want to learn more? Read the book to find out! (Or use Google.)

All in all, this book was a jaw dropping follow up to Red, White, and Royal Blue, which in my opinion, surpasses her debut in originality, writing, and lovable characters.

One Last Stop is about twenty-three year old August (bi-sexual), moving to New York for school. She luckily finds an apartment with three new friends, Wes (queer tattoo artist), Myla (queer Black electrical engineer), and Niko (trans psychic). August is taking the subway to school on her first day when she meets "Subway Girl," who gives her a scarf to cover her coffee stain. August cannot stop thinking of Subway Girl but believes she will never see her again. Next train ride? There she is. Every time August rides the Q, she seems to be there. After awhile, we learn she goes by Jane and the story unravels for why Jane is always on the Q.

This book was full of love and friendship between unlikely pairs. I fell in love with everyone and their unique story. This book is so important and I highly recommend it for anyone in need of a little romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and author Casey McQuiston for this ARC!

*****This review contains spoilers ****

Oh I wanted to love this book! Red, White and Royal Blue was one of my favourite reads. Unfortunately, I can't say that I loved One Last Stop. The first 60% of this book was a real struggle for me, I just couldn't get into the story, this wormhole/time travel(?)/stuck in the in-between was NOT my cup of tea. I did however love the characters and their back stories. I am looking forward to Casey McQuiston's next book though!

This was a very middle of the road book for me. I really loved McQuiston's last book and believed that I would love this similarly. However, this book was not nearly as tightly paced or made as much logical sense as Red, White and Royal Blue. The whole sci-fi element felt underdeveloped and certain characters' motivations were hard to understand. I also felt that the story would have been way more effective had it stayed firmly in a single genre. The August parts seemed like they made a light rom-com while the Jane parts seemed like they belonged in a much more serious novel. I also felt that Jane's trauma went largely unaddressed and her character seemed to lack agency. Overall, it was an interesting enough story, but I felt like it tried to do way too much.

This is such a fun romance! The timeline plot was a bit of a surprise, even with some of it given away by teasers ahead of time, and it had me hooked from the first moment we met Jane. The highlight for me, though, was definitely all of the found family content as August finds her community (Myla SUPREMACY). Her friends and coworkers all felt so real and lovable, I just wanted to wrap myself up in their love and support. I've heard other people criticize the humor as being too "millennial" for them, but I was living for it. McQuiston's writing style and sense of humor made them one of my favorite authors when I first read Red, White, & Royal Blue, and I loved those aspects of One Last Stop as well. It loses a star for me in how it deals with some serious issues, simplifying or glossing over them, but because it's a lighthearted romcom, I still found it a mostly fun, lighthearted read.