I read Casey's novel Red, White & Royal Blue earlier this year, and as soon as I heard about this book, I had high expectations. Casey met every single one of them. This book was dynamic, happy, sad, and just so beautiful.

The characters were all written to perfection. I had such a huge connection to every single one of them, especially Wes, Niko, and Jane. They all fit together so well. Along with this, the relationships were all LITERALLY TO DIE FOR. CASEY DID NOT MISS.

The plot was a HUGE strong point. It was so well thought out, and there were so many amazing plot twists. Half of the time, I was just sitting there with my jaw open. It was so crazy and just so smart.

Finally, the writing. I was kind of wary on this, as I personally felt that Casey's earlier writing was a bit mediocre, but this was 10 steps up. The writing was beautiful. So many of the quotes in this book just went straight to my heart.

Overall, One Last Stop was a highly anticipated read for me and many others, and I am here to confidently say that it completely lived up to the hype. An absolute gem of a book. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Summary: girl gets stuck in time loop. girl meets girl. girl falls for girl🥰 girl tries to save girl from time loop
Read If You Like: magic realism, time travel, lgbtq history, witty writing, interconnected plots, unpredictable suspense, sweet love stories

Review:
In a word, this book is IMMACULATE. I was completely hooked on page one!🥲

Casey's writing is unreal - hilarious, relatable, and witty as all hell. I really didn't know how they were going to top RWRB but the slang, the dialogue, damn is it good. It is SO current so it will be interesting to see if the book feels nostalgic or outdated in future reads. I read this with a friend of mine and we were literally reading the book back to each other, line by line, by voice note because every line was PERFECT :')

The love story itself was SO cute, I can't say enough good things about it. The magic, the reliability, the meet-cute of dreams, the absolute rocket of a love interest.. just trust me and read this book for yourself!

Casey somehow managed to write a story that educates on LGBTQ2+ history and struggle/strife but ALSO shows the love, the happy, the good, wonderful parts of a queer experience which is RARE to have both in one book and was beautifully done.

Casey also writes consent so BEAUTIFULLY, in both her books it is the best I've ever read. It is organic and natural and sexy - I can honestly only imagine how different things would be is we had all grown up reading/watching things like that.

My only piece of feedback is that I wish there was MORE! I absolutely cannot wait to see what Casey comes out with next, I am an absolute fan for life.

BUY THIS BOOK Y'ALL YOU WILL WANT TO READ IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

TY to Net Galley for the ARC!

Review Link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP_F8iLLamK/

Okay, don't attack me, but I didn't really love this one.

I'm an RWRB fan, so I was excited about Casey McQuiston's new book. I absolutely fell in love with the characters, but I really couldn't get into the plot. The sci-fi element seemed out of place in such a contemporary story. Everyone just accepted it? Listen, my friends would've gotten me professional help if I claimed to fall in love with a girl from the 70s stuck on the subway. They definitely wouldn't support me investigating her life or encourage the relationship. BECAUSE THAT'S CRAZY. I just really could not get over it.

I kept reading because I enjoyed the characters, especially the side characters. To be honest, I didn't really care for August and Jane, mostly because the whole thing was so weird. But Wes! Isaiah! Niko and Myla! An incredible cast of characters that made the story worthwhile.

Review copy courtesy of Net Galley.

I was very lucky to receive an epub of this title shortly before publishing. Although the cover looks very YA, I’d call this New Adult or even romance. There is A LOT going on here plotwise - setting aside the major mystery of why mysterious time-traveling Jane is stuck on the Q train - there’s also a twisted, long-standing mystery of protagonist August’s uncle’s cold case and a “let’s save the diner” plot, and most of the characters have backstories and complicated narratives weaving througout, so there’s really a lot to digest. It’s definitely readable, and very diverse-friendly (queer especially), but it just was overwhelming, so just get ready to have a lot to follow and read. The romance was sweet, although I was quite grossed out by all the many public subway scenes.

Thank you to St.Martin's Press for my copy of One Last Stop in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited for this one, mostly becuase I adored Red, White, and Royal Blue by McQuiston when i read it last year. Time travel romances are usually not my thing, but I was hoping that since I loved the author's previous work, this one would be different. Unfortunately it didn't help. I did find all the characters to be quirky and likeable enough. But I found the pacing to be too slow and the story felt like it was repetitive and not moving forward. I tried to put it down and pick it back up a few times, but gave up less than half way through. I think I have learned that any kind of time travel romace just isn't for me. I have seen so many friends rave and about this book, so I think I am truly in the minority here. I will not be sharing my review any where else besides NetGalley,


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Red, White, and Royal Blue is one of my most favorite books, so I was excited about McQuiston’s next book…. but I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical when I found out that it was going to be a love story with a subway ghost. To be fair, my curiosity was definitely piqued by this premise, so I went into my reading experience with any open mind.

August has spent her entire life helping her mother with a missing-person cases, and she’s grown rather resentful of this over the years. So, in some ways, it’s ironic that she becomes just as consumed with researching 1970s Brooklyn in her quest to help Jane.

This is a solid rom-com, but there’s a definite mystery element as well. Helping Jane recovery her story becomes a priority, with dual concerns: what happened to lead us to this point, and what’s going to happen next?

We only have August’s perspective in this narrative, and as much as it would have been nice to have Jane’s, it makes sense that we don’t. After all, Jane lives in the moment and doesn’t remember much of anything that happened to her before she ended up on the subway.

The development of the romance is exquisite. It’s certainly unconventional: how do you have a relationship with someone who can’t ever leave the subway? But somehow, they make it work.
I would absolutely recommend One Last Stop. I’m pleased to admit that my concerns were unfounded. This book was amazing and there are so many lovely heartfelt moments. It’s sweet and funny and poignant. I would read a spinoff book featuring any of August’s roommates. This book was so different from RW&RB, but they are both so lovely in their own way, and I’m already looking forward to McQuiston’s next book, no matter what it’s about.

It took me two days to finish just the first twenty percent of this book. It was quite the slow read in the beginning and once you hit twenty percent it’s like wham. The author hits you with this curve ball that is this huge twist in the story and gosh, it got so darn interesting. I had so many questions and just loved it from then on. August and Jane are brilliant, beautiful and just lovable. I adored August’s entire adopted family too and wish I could read each of their stories. This story is for the ages, quite literally too. I absolutely adored it and would highly recommend this book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

My GOODNESS this book was such a delight. As a bonus to the stellar, well developed, exquisitely crafted romance, ONE LAST STOP is a love letter to the NYC Queer community.

This book also took place very close to home for me. Figuratively and literally. And also, I LOVE that Casey McQuiston's two last novels have had bisexual protagonists. It makes me so happy to read just wonderfully written, fully realized bisexual characters.

A big thanks to Casey's publicist, who shared this e-galley with me. I can't wait to put this one on my shelf in print.

I ordered this book for an article for LitHub tentatively titled "Romance Novels for Hot-Everybody Summer." OLS is is one of eight romance novels I recommend for readers looking for books with characters who have agency over their choices and are leading full and complicated lives that aren't defined by their identity markers but enhanced by them. Here's my review of the book:

One Last Stop by queer writer Casey McQuiston features anxious college student and amateur sleuth August Landry who has instant heart-eyes for Jane Su, and while most love seems impossible, imagine having to overcome time and space with a woman displaced on the Q train since the 70s. McQuiston weaves in heart-thumping music, Strawberry Milkshake Pop-Tarts, LGBTQ+ American history from the last 60 years, and a queer ensemble cast who loves fiercely and openly as they celebrate joy and acceptance with their found families.

No link at this time, but I wanted to post feedback before the deadline!

Ultimately, I feel like this book is trying to do too much and does not give enough air to the plot elements to make them feel real. Because the story makes you keep jumping between things without settling on them long enough to get serious (except for a few moments later in the book), I felt like I was more aware of the setting since that was the only consistent thing. Basically, a lot of this book feels convenient and predictable and the way that it romanticizes New York City made me roll my eyes. I am a HUGE fan of the found family trope, but the idea that our character shows up to the city and finds the perfect apartment with a group of queer friends that are all indie movie quirky and yet somehow manage to afford rent just makes me tired. At one point in the book, August is neither going to class nor work for THREE WEEKS and yet there's never any issue. She just ultimately passes her classes and apart from one comment about her bank balance being in the single digits, she can still afford everything. Also, she's accepted back into her job instantly because she's the main character.

I get that this is romantic comedy logic and so won't bother other people, but I feel like it's indicative of my issues as a whole. Issues come up and then are solved conveniently and without enough effort on August's part. There are occasionally references to effort, but it felt like if the conversation couldn't be distilled down to a few snappy lines of dialogue then it was summarized instead of getting into the messy part. Because you are in August's point of view, you do get more depth there in terms of her insecurities and issues with her mother but even then <spoiler> I feel like she has a comment to recognize that she's doing this investigation the way her mother would and then she just moves on. I get that she's avoiding thinking about it, but also it feels like the book just doesn't have room for it, so ultimately it comes out in a conversation or two where things are neatly wrapped up.

In general, I was more interested in the potential of a lot of the other side characters than August herself, but mainly Jane/Biyu. I think that her life story had a lot there to talk about, but it's again largely summarized from August's POV. Jane is a big example of things being too convenient. Despite being trapped in a subway for forty years, despite everything in her past, you never really get to see her have negative emotions. In the one fight that she and August have, August does mention 'Jane has seemed conveniently chill about this whole thing' and I was felt like FINALLY we were going to have Jane be a whole messy person, but then that fight gets solved pretty instantly without things really feeling like they've changed. And I wasn't a huge fan of the fact that the traumatic events of Jane's past and losing friends in the horrific arson feel, again, more like August because she's focusing on her uncle. The same thing happens when Jane comes to the present - her unhappiness is mentioned but not really gone into. Because you never see these characters deal with serious things, I felt like I was being told they were in love more than experiencing it. </spoiler>

I could go on but yeah, that's basically it: to convenient, too saccharine, trying to do too much. I'm glad we're at a place in publishing where nb writers can just write out their id and have fun with it, but it didn't work for me.

This book is a cast of characters that you will love and hold on to forever. I really enjoy stories about created families (friends and neighbors that form a found family) and the New York City setting really lent itself to this theme.

August is finding her place in New York City with new a apartment, new roommates, a new job, and school. One day on the subway, she meets Jane and is instantly intrigued. Without giving too much away, the story has a time travel element that I was not expecting but really enjoyed. The relationship between August and Jane is so lovely and you will root for them to overcome all obstacles.

Overall this book is a love story about romantic love, love of friends, and love for yourself. I have not read McQuiston’s other popular title, Red, White and Royal Blue but reading One Last Stop has rocketed this title to the top of my reading list.

Thanks to Casey McQuiston, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book demonstrates love in so many different ways, I just want to give it a hug.

I loved August, her quirky roommates/coworkers/neighbors who become her found family, and Jane. August is one smart cookie, determined to help Jane remember her past.

Casey McQuiston’s bright, smart writing is balanced with shadowy mystery in both Jane and August’s story. The chemistry between August and Jane crackles, and the slow burn until they *finally* address their feelings (they aren’t just kissing for research!) is worth it.

Four heart soaring eagles!
🦅🦅🦅🦅

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Can you fall in love with someone that isn't really there?

That is the quandary that August Landry has when she runs, almost literally, into Jane on the Q train. Moving to New York to continue to change her degree and get away from her mother and her mother's obsession about finding her brother August finds herself drawn to someone on the subway in a way that she never wanted to be. Staying away from people keeps you from getting hurt. August initially thinks that Jane has rejected her when she doesn't want to go out for drinks but soon finds out that Jane cannot leave the Q train. She's not from this time and can't move off the line.

That is just the tip of the iceberg for this story that almost immediately sucked me in. There are also a myriad of fun roommates who all bring something new, unexpected, or simply different to the story. None of these characters are necessarily ones you expect to see in a romance novel and they bring so much life to this novel that it has free space in my brain from now on. I am excited to see what McQuiston comes out with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston.

This was such a cute book! The stuck in time aspect had me so intrigued and I just had to keep reading to find out what the heck was going on! The whole thing just had a bit of mystery to it, which really made it so much more fun as a love story! The way August and Jane loved each other was so beautiful. I also absolutely adored the found family part of this book and all of the side characters were just wonderful! They were all so sweet and funny. I just really loved this book!

I really wanted to love One Last Stop but it was a little too cutesy and cloyingly sweet for me. I loved the supporting characters and frankly, was more engaged with them than the two main characters. I commend the author for the diversity of the characters and I did think the time travel aspect was interesting. I think some editing would have helped bring the story together better. An enjoyable, quick read that I liked but didn't love.

I wasn't sure how much I would like this book because since their is a time difference between the two characters in love I automatically almost wrote it off and I'm so glad I didn't I loved this one

DNFed because I was unimpressed by the Chinese rep of the love interest Jane. The book is fine, I just cannot tolerate medicore rep.

I had no idea what to expect with this! I didn’t realize there was an element of sci-fi to it, what a delightful surprise! Great cast of characters, a little slow to start but once I figured out what was happening I couldn’t put it down! Loved!!

I loved this romance with a time-travelling twist! McQuiston has an accessible, witty, breezy writing style that sweeps you away. So much humour and love in every line. I adored the side characters just as much as the main characters - nobody was flat on the page, they all leap out at you. You also fall completely in love with New York and how the characters interact with and move through it. A feel-good summery love story that I couldn't put down. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

I absolutely ADORED this book. Yes, the sapphic romance was wonderful, but also the characters! They're all so well-rounded and interesting and exactly the sort of people you meet and live with in college. It reminded me of my college days. I wasn't in New York, but it was all so, so familiar. I love them all and I didn't want the story to end. I didn't think Casey McQuiston could top their previous book but I think I might even love this one more.

It was so unapologetically queer, and seeing Jane react to the differences in 1977 New York and 2020 New York in how queer people could be and were reacted to - it was beautiful and heartbreaking.

I loved the mystery of Jane and her past and how all of it tied into August's past. Just. So well-crafted.

I had the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook and it was so well done. The narrator's voice was perfect for the story, and she brought so much emotion to the characters and just brought it to life. I wanted to live inside the audiobook.

If you, like me, enjoy the found family trope then I highly recommend this book.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for providing an e-arc and audio arc for review.