I literally joined NetGalley for the chance to get to read this book early... and it did not disappoint. After I finished Casey's Red, White & Royal Blue I was all in to make sure and grab any other books she released... and when I heard about OLS, I knew I couldn't wait for it!

OLS is a love letter to NY told through one of the most NY things ever- the subway. It is not glamorous or maybe what you think of first when you think of NY... but it is absolutely the most perfect setting for this story.

I don't know how to explain this story much without giving it away- but I think the "Missed Connections" references is kind of the best way. Who hasn't gotten on the subway before and looked up to someone who you wished you knew. One part romance, one part love letter to NY and one part magic... this story captivated me from the start. I loved August and Jane. I loved their merry band of misfit friends. There are some stories there that I am hoping will get told!

OLS is the perfect romance, with a side of magic thrown in. I am in love. Can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars. Effervescently chaotic, a beautiful, intersectional romp through a young woman’s first love, complicated by a time travel storyline. This is for nerdy people who love fully realized characters, fun and quipped dialogue, and the biggest, realest love you can find. I adored August and Jane’s romance, the found family of August’s roommates, and the love letter that this book was to Brooklyn and the MTA. One Last Stop is only very loosely based on Kate and Leopold, in my opinion, and I would probably categorize it as fluffy magical realism. I loved how the mystery of Jane and her circumstances (she is literally stuck in time) dovetailed and created a foil for the very unpacking of Jane and August as characters. It was just such a clever mechanism for a gorgeous, lush romance, and I really fell into it.

At times, OLS felt highly cinematic to me. There were a lot of moments when I genuinely could see scenes in my head as a movie, and I think it would lend itself to an adaptation so effortlessly. One of the things that Casey does so well is party scenes, somehow perfectly conveying the euphoria of iconic moments in a character’s life with the realization of that moment, and balancing the sheer number of people on the page to boot. It’s definitely a gift, and it’s one that really made the found family so real to me. I seriously wish these people were my friends.

I should mention that I read this book on audio for the most part, and I thought the narrator did a really good job distinguishing all the voices in the novel. I especially liked how she pulled off all the party scenes, because again, there are a lot of voices who show up. She also did a really fantastic job with the love scenes, which are very sexy and very hard to do on audio without feeling like you're intruding into someone's private moment.

Did I love One Last Stop as much as Red White and Royal Blue? Probably not, but it did not disappoint. In fact, I think with One Last Stop, Casey McQuiston has cemented themselves as an LGBTQIA romance writer with a very relatable, quirky vibe that feels fresh every time. This is a writer who is always going to knock you out with her concept, and then reel you in with her characters. I’m so here for it.

It’s Pride month!!!

Loved this book & the characters! Really enjoyable and different! I am trying to get more into the romance genre & after reading this, I am more excited to read romance.

I really enjoyed the setting and the main characters job setting! I love when a book goes into a good job description!

The reason I gave it 4 stars is because I found it lengthy!

I was so surprised by this book! I was expecting a cute contemporary read about two girls that fall in love on the subway. I didn't even read the synopsis before reading the book because it's by the Casey McQuiston. The plot was so interesting and always kept me on my toes. The science fiction parts of the story were so cool and they added a lot of depth to the story. And the characters!! Oh gosh, they're so lovely. They're the epitome of found family. I love how unique they are and their interactions with each other. I'll miss this story now that I'm done. I can't wait for more books by Casey McQuiston!!

⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars
August Landry is twenty-three and has arrived in New York City to attend college. She rooms with Myla, Niko and Wes all might be described as ‘misfits’ and soon become a family.
August travel to school on the subway and see Jane a 70 year who has displaced in time and has no idea why she has been and has been trapped in the subway for the past 40 years. (Surely this has you curious?)
I was excited about this story. It is magical.
In addition to this file, I also received “The Book Club Kit”. This is a perfect companion to the book. It includes a 'Letter from the Author' as well as an 'Interview with the Author' both are additions I always enjoy reading~ an inside scoop into what inspired the author's writing!).
There is also a warning about the content of the story ~ as we know not all stories are for everyone.
The Discussion questions are great.
Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ St Martin’s Griffin for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Date was June 1, 2021

This is possibly one of the most popular releases of the year, and I understand why. After reading McQuiston’s first release, I knew they would go on to write even more great books. This novel definitely did not disappoint. I loved so many parts of this. The friendships that August made seemed very genuine. The mystery of why Jane was stuck on the line continuously kept me interested. And the romance was swoon worthy. My main criticism, and why I only gave it four stars, is that it felt too long. I can’t explain exactly what dragged on, but looking back after I finished the book, it was hard to comprehend what happened in the novel that needed all those pages. But this is coming for someone who has always preferred shorter books, so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. I also felt as though the relationship was a little to insta-lovey at the beginning. I never really understood what drew they together, but after awhile I fell for their relationship. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel, and I can see a lot of people loving it.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the adorable read!

3.5 stars.

This book is sweet story about love, identity, and time. August is a 23-year-old who moves to New York with a chip on her shoulder. She has spent her life constantly looking to start fresh but is never able to plant the roots she needs. One day, she hops on the Q and sees her: Jane. Jane is beautiful, enticing, but mysterious beyond comprehension. In time, August realizes there is a reason Jane seems so magical, because her very essence is something of magic.
While this book is adorable and August and Jane’s story is tender, I felt like it dragged on more than it needed to. I actually took a break about halfway through because I was just ready for it to wrap up. But I’m so glad I came back, as it’s a sweet read with amazing representation, acceptance, and love.

BOOK REPORT for One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Cover Story: Missed Connection
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Swoonworthy Scale: 9
Talky Talk: Ain't No Sophomore Slump
Bonus Factors: LGBTQ+, Found Family
Relationship Status: MFEO

Cover Story: Missed Connection
There's something singularly magical about spotting someone intriguing on the subway just before the doors close, whisking them away to their own life and out of yours. This cover captures that feeling to great effect, and I love how the two characters aren't your still-way-too-typical skinny white folk.

The Deal:
August Landry has just moved to Brooklyn to find a new life. She's not there to make friends; instead, the thing she loves most about the city is the idea of getting lost in the crowd. But fate has other plans, and the moment she gets on the subway, covered in coffee and smelling like her new job at Pancake Billy's House of Pancakes—a job she got thanks to her new roommates, a couple who are very much not interested in leaving August alone—and locks eyes with the stunning Jane Su, all those plans go out the window.

And then she figures out that Jane's stuck on the Q … and from the 1970s.

BFF Charm: Heck Yes
August is a fascinating woman. She grew up with a single mother who was obsessed with the cold case of her missing brother and while teaching August all of her skills also used her to get more information. (Lots for August to unpack with a therapist there.) She's got a very clinical mind and—thanks? to her mother—is very good at investigations. She's a little closed off at first, but if you can earn her trust and make yourself a fixture in her life, she'll reciprocate. I'd love to have the chance to break through her walls.

And when she starts teaching Jane about the present—

"August grins as the train stops at Union Square and commuters start piling off, freeing up a few spaces on the bench. 'All right. Sit down. I'll tell you about the Fast and Furious franchise. That'll take a good hour.'"

—I knew she was definitely BFF material.

Swoonworthy Scale: 9
McQuiston knows how to bring the swoon—and the sexytimes. One Last Stop is as hot as Red, White, & Royal Blue, with one caveat: A lot of said sexytimes happen on the subway. I've been on the subway. It's not a place I'd want to shuck my clothes and get down to business, even if the object of my carnal desires is as hot as Jane is. And I'm not talking about the very public nature of a subway car.

The grime, y'all. THE GRIME.

Talky Talk: Ain't No Sophomore Slump
From the very start of McQuiston's debut, I had a good feeling that they were an author to watch. But there's no telling what might happen between book 1 and book 2 (or any subsequent books); what seems like a sure thing could turn out to be … not. I didn't need to worry, though—One Last Stop is just as delightful and perfect as Red, White, & Royal Blue, and even with the magical/science fiction elements, it feels even more real. The characters are brilliant, the settings convincing, the story full of little details that make it easy to get lost in the flow. I could smell Pancake Billy's, feel the bass of the drag shows at Delilah's, and hear the rumble of the subway cars as they left the station. The book is a love letter to so many things, and it made me love them all, too, without noticing it was happening but grateful for it in the end.

Bonus Factor: LGBTQ+
There are a variety of queer characters in One Last Stop. August is bisexual, Jane is a lesbian, other characters are gay and trans.

And it's not only the characters that make the book delightfully queer; there is a lot of history in the book, thanks in part to Jane being an activist in her time.

Bonus Factor: Found Family
When August answers an ad to become a fourth roommate, she's more interested in the somewhat inexpensive rent than she is in making friends. Thankfully, her new roommates are all about drawing August out of her shell. Myla is a brilliant artist. Her boyfriend Niko is a psychic. And Wes is a nocturnal tattoo artist. Together they make a misfit family of the very best kind, and August immediately fits, even if she doesn't want to admit it.

Relationship Status: MFEO
No one asked you to come into my life and make me love you, Book, but that's exactly what you did. There's no going back now. I hope you realize that you're stuck with me forever!

I adored this book so much! The characters, the romance, the family made of friends, the time travel element. It was all so much fun, yet had so much depth and heart. I really loved the pop culture and NYC setting- it really came alive and seemed almost like its own character in the book. This was my first read from McQuiston and I can't wait to read more.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I definitely enjoyed this book but I didn't love it and seem to be in the minority, although it wasn't horrible it wasn't everything I had hoped for. I loved the writing style and the way the story flowed. I was just unable to connect to the storyline.

This book is what it's like to be moving through life on your own, figuring it out, with heaps of queer history from the 70s, oldie music, mysteries in New York, and a story where everything is somehow connected. I adored this book, it's going to hold a special place in my heart.
August, a 23-year-old college student in New York, moves into a run-down apartment with 3 other queer roommates and gets her life changed when she meets Jane on the subway. It's so hard to see well-developed queer women, especially women of color, in books, and Casey does it wonderfully. The side characters were wonderful, I loved that there were drag queens and pancake jobs, and the ending felt so good but so nostalgic. The mystery was fun to read, and the connections between August and Jane were well thought out. I loved all the bit of history and little newspaper and article clippings at the start of each chapter, it felt so real. It's more than a love story, it's a story about family, not just blood, and about learning to let yourself love.
There was one specific part that irked me when Jane brings up a homophobic-racist attack and August's gives a naive response which isn't brought up again. I also think the pacing in this book could be a little better, but other than that, I would definitely read this again.

I absolutely loved this book. I'd been looking forward to it for so long and was thrilled to receive an e-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher. Reading it just made me feel really good. It's a love story that transcends time and space, as well as a mystery. There was so much I enjoyed. The two primary characters, August and Jane, were actually not my favorite characters in the book, though. I absolutely fell in love with the friend group as a whole. The subway was almost a character in itself, and the time travel slant was done really creatively. This was a quick, easy read that left me feeling happy and warm. I wish there had been LQBTQ romances similar to this this when I was growing up, entering adulthood, and finding myself, but I am so happy it exists now.

This story assembles an incredible cast of characters in a love story that transcends time and subway stops. I’ve never highlighted so many quotes before, but the pop culture references were so spot on and hilarious, “Bella Swan, eat your horny little Mormon heart out.” and “Comatose in California is my favorite Lana Dey Rey album. Absolute perfection and had me rolling. This love story combines with some mystery and time travel, for good measure. This on was a a five star read, perfection in a book.

Casey McQuiston does it again! This book has everything. Casual queerness! The most perfect love interest of all time! True love! Light sci-fi elements that are sort of hand-waved away because who cares, there's kissing! Discussions of the hairy horror Wolverine frog!

All in all, another slam dunk. 4 strawberry milkshake pop-tarts out of 5.

This was so fun!! I absolutely loved this cast of characters, the descriptions of New York, Subway Girl, and the magical/sci-fi twist to the book. The romance is adorable and the pieces on family and how lgbtq+ rights have changed were really well-written, interesting, and emotional. This was a delightful read and I can't wait for more from this author!

One last stop is humorous, worry, and full of all the charm that we have come to love from McQuiston. The characters are vibrant and will have you rooting for them and begging to find out what happens. A must read novel!

1.75 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

The original premise of One Last Stop excited me. However, it never really stood out as something out of the ordinary. A time travel love story is something I see a lot within the science fiction genre. I was actually quite interested to see how the plot would be executed. On top of that, I was very eager to read the book due to all the hype surrounding it. Unfortunately though, One Last Stop fell extremely flat.

Saniya, how could you?! Yes, yes, I know, it’s a popular book and I am very happy for the author. No one wanted a 2> star review for One Last Stop. BUT, this was dare I say, really bad. Before you scream at me in the comments, allow me to explain myself…

Let’s start with the characters. Our two MCs August and Jane felt very two dimensional, and had an even more superficial relationship. Aside from Jane liking punk rock music, the two seemed to have no personality. Because of this, I was unable to root for them. One major problem I had was with August and Jane doing the nasty on a subway..in public. People can do whatever they want, and I love how unapologetically sapphic this book is. But it made me feel incredibly uncomfy when they started doing it in public.

Luckily, I enjoyed reading about Myla! She was eccentric and book smart, which is one of the best combinations possible if you ask me. The other side characters didn’t keen my interest at all though. Thus when almost 80% of the book was August interacting with the side characters, I couldn’t bring myself to care about their conversations. Furthermore, I also felt as though there were too many people being introduced into the story. Henceforth why I quickly became overwhelmed as more characters were introduced.

In addition, the dialogue was one aspect I had a tough time with. August and her roommates seemed to talk about rather pointless things that added nothing to the plot. I would have been completely fine with this if the dialogue was actually amusing or intriguing. However, the snarky remarks came off as odd and unfunny instead.

The writing is where I had another huge issue with. There was an abundance of rambling that added nothing but ~length~ to the story. The chapters were also incredibly long, and it felt like a chore to push through the book. The time travel aspect also made absolutely no sense at all. This led to me being confused and uninterested.

Overall, One Last Stop was an unenjoyable read for me. The story dragged on way too much, and the jokes just weren’t funny. Despite disliking the book, I recommend this to all the Casey McQuiston fans out there.

--Overall--
Age Rating: 16 and up

TW: Drinking, depression, anxiety, familial death, familial estrangement, missing persons

Final Rating: 3.5/10 or 1.75 stars

This book was a bit of a roller coaster for me. I started off really invested and eager to read but, towards the middle, I found myself somewhat bored and felt as if the plot was going very slowly. Towards the end, it picked up for me again.

One Last Stop is the story of a young, twenty-something, August, who has recently moved to the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. She moves in with Niko and Myla, a couple, and Wes, a sullen tattoo artist. August is coming to terms with her bisexual identity and her lack of physical experience with either a man or woman. She's left behind her mother in New Orleans. Her childhood was spent helping her mother try and crack the case of her uncle who disappear before August was born.

On her regular commute on the Q, August meets and begins to become enthralled with Jane, another twenty-something who always seems to be on the same train as August. We later find out that Jane is not able to leave the Q and she is not in fact 20-something but a transplant from the 70s who has somehow become stuck. This is where adds a science fiction element I was not expecting.

The plot continues as August and Jane try and figure out Jane's history all the while August begins to fall for Jane. What really tied me to the story were all of the supporting characters: August's roommates, coworkers at Billy's Pancakes, and the drag queens she is introduced to. McQuiston did an amazing job of creating so many characters I found my invested in and who could have whole books written just about them and their lives. Throughout the book, I couldn't stop thinking about how lucky August was to have such a great "family" of people in her life.

Overall, I really liked One Last Stop. I did think that there were times when the story seemed to stall but the plot was something so entirely unique, I kept reading because I needed to know how it would end.

Red White and Royal Blue is one of my absolute favorite books EVER. Needless to say, I was SUPER excited for One Last Stop!

It was unique, light, and inclusive (there are drag queens, a transgender person, and a lesbian relationship, PERFECT!)

I know this book is a romance and Jane and August are the focus of the story. But to me, what I loved the most in this book was the friendship. Friends who are willing to do anything to help, and are always there for you, to make you feel loved and be yourself. This is gold.

The one thing I didn’t like very much were the chapters that felt a little bit dragging, and I just wanted to get to the plot. But I’m sure for some people, this book will be a gigantic 5-star-read!

3.5 stars

McQuiston’s knack for writing humor and charm is on full display here. (I would totally be up for a game of Rolly Bangs. But maybe only once.) The unfolding mystery of it all was really well done. It’s a pretty brilliantly written book. Clever, smart, and paced well. But it was really the characters that got me invested. I wanted to see what happened to Niko & Myla, and Wes & Isaiah, and Billy’s. They were a very enjoyable part of the book.