Casey McQuiston blew everyone away with their debut novel Red, White and Royal Blue and I can confirm that the same can be said for their sophomore novel, One Last Stop. A sapphic time travel romance set in New York! Who wouldn’t love that premise?

August is 23 years old and doesn’t have much in the way of plans for her future, aside from moving from university to university and being a constant student. She decides to go to school in New York, hoping that this move will inspire a change in her, having left behind her mother who dedicated her life to solving the disappearance of her elder brother back in the 1970s, a feat she has forced August into as well. In New York, August meets a close group of eccentric queer friends and forms a deep bond with them, thinking that she may have finally found a place where she belongs. Then, she meets a mysterious girl on the subway, a girl who doesn’t seem to be able to leave the Q train, and August’s carefully controlled life suddenly becomes upended.

The characters in this book are so incredibly relatable, which is one of McQuiston’s wonderful writing strengths: making characters seem larger than life. August is probably the one I connected to the most: she is deeply unsure of herself and her future, she is a bisexual disaster, and is generally insecure of herself, even though she has all of these amazing support systems. Yeah, a bit too real there, McQuiston.

Then we have the incredible Jane, the Chinese butch lesbian love interest every sapphic wishes they had in their life and/or can be. Jane is such a sweet and fun character and makes One Last Stop shine. She has no idea how, but Jane has spent the past 40 years on the Q train in a New York City subway. She has forgotten every aspect of her life before the train … until she meets August, who uses her investigative skills, honed by her mother, to help Jane remember the life she left behind in the 1970s. And when August and Jane begin to develop feelings for each other as they’re hunched over old files, searching for Jane’s past, there are actual fireworks. The chemistry between the two characters is visibly apparent on the page, and felt so deeply by the reader. And the yearning! It’s really too much.

I also adored the side characters, August’s roommates, whose lives the reader can’t help but be drawn into. There’s Niko, a trans Latino psychic who also moonlights as a very bad bartender; then there’s Niko’s girlfriend Myla, a Black engineer who turns to working on her art as the science life was destroying her; and finally there’s Wes, a Jewish tattoo artist who is desperately in love with the lovely drag queen who lives across from them but doesn’t believe he is worthy of love and is too awkward to do anything about it.

While I didn’t understand a single scientific and time travel element of this book, that was ok because I was really in it for the vibes — the book is very hopeful and fun, and just so inspiring. All of these characters delve deep into the reader’s soul and nestle themselves there. I don’t think anyone could come out of this novel not falling in love with it.

I highly recommend One Last Stop. If you loved Red, White and Royal Blue, undoubtedly you will love this book just as much!

There's always a tremendous amount of pressure on the followup for a really popular debut, and this one doesn't disappoint! The full cast of clearly written and lovable characters, amazing found family, lovely romance, and strong sense of place, there's plenty to love. Although I did sometimes feel as if August's backstory felt a bit distant, and I didn't really pay much attention to the in-universe explanations of Jane's situation, it's overall a warm, wonderfully done story which fans of McQuiston's past work, as well as those who enjoyed Morgan Rogers's Honey Girl, should seek out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Casey McQuiston and St. Martins Press for the ARC review.

I liked this book and would rate it 3.5 stars! I had liked Red, White and Royal Blue a lot so was excited to try out One Last Stop. It didn't disappoint, however, I also didn't LOVE it. One of the things I really enjoyed in this book were the characters. All of the characters were unique and fun, and I liked reading about them, especially August's housemates. I also liked the idea of this book (with the "sci-fi" time travel aspect). It was very unique! However, this also made the book a bit repetitive. The point of the book is that Jane is stuck on the subway, so I get there wasn't a lot to work with, but it got very repetitive with August and Jane only hanging out on the subway. This made the book drag a bit in the middle, until it began to pick up again in the last quarter. The other thing I didn't love about this book is that it all seemed very lucky the way things worked out. I know its supposed to be a fun, romance book, but many of the "problems" were solved quite easily and seemed a bit unbelievable. All in all, I would still recommend reading this book as it was a unique, fun, and an easy read with good characters.

One Last Stop is about a NYC transplant named August who falls in love with a stranger named Jane on the subway. August discovers that Jane is quite literally a part of the subway - she has been stuck in time on the Q train since the 1970s and cannot get off. August and her found family do everything that they can to try to save Jane from this time loop!

I really enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue, so I was beyond excited to read One Last Stop!

What I loved:
- Every single character was fascinating and well-developed in their own right! There were no throwaway side characters
- I love the "found family" trope and loved how so many unique personalities came together. It was also great to see the family grow over time
- The sci-fi aspect!! It had very Back To The Future vibes, so don't expect anything realistic, but it was a fantastic twist to a contemporary romance
- The sleuth/mystery aspect. It was fascinating to learn more about Jane and about August's family as the story went on
- It was entirely FEEL GOOD!
- August is a phenomenal MC. She was extremely likable and easy to root for
- HEISTS!!

What didn't work for me:
- I thought it was a SMIDGE too long. I found myself in the last 25% or so wishing we already had a resolution
- There are definitely constraints on the spicy parts of this book - namely that the vast majority of the time that August and Jane are together, they are on a public subway. There were so few explicit scenes that the ones that were there felt out of place in a book that otherwise felt more YA (despite having characters that are in their mid twenties or older). I wish there were either significantly more of them (like RW&RB) or none of them at all

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Especially to folks who may not normally read romance. This is more of a contemporary sci-fi/mystery with a hint of romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

I adored this book! I was a fan of Red, White & Royal Blue because the adorable love between the characters in that story was so heartfelt! One last Stop has its own lovely blend of sweetness that I couldn't put down. I have said this once, and I will repeat it, but found family is the greatest trope, and that is what I think always makes a love story amazing; both platonic & romantic love given to the main character.
I adored the diversity, representation, time travel and seeing myself and so many people that I love in this book. I felt like I REALLY saw Jane and August fall in love and share in the adventure with the gang. Can I get a short story with the gang?!

My only concerns were when August told Jane that Racist things didn't happen anymore, and giving what we are all seeing very publicly and behind the scenes for POC, we know that isn't true. So it showed August's white ignorance, and it was tone-deaf, and I don't think anything bad was meant by it; I think they intended for it to be a white lie comfort, but it wasn't ok. So many POC creators have mentioned how this wasn't in good tastes, and we have to remember that their voices on matters that affect them are important to listen to.

My first book by Casey McQuiston and I really enjoyed it! I loved by Jane and August and found their love story so much fun. Cant want to read more by this author!

Despite the first page having a rent listing that says "no libras," I loved this book dearly! I didn't read the description entirely before reading it, so I had no idea about the more magical/sci-fi aspects of the book. That came as a huge plot twist to me about a quarter of the way in, but I really enjoyed it.

This book is a beautiful romance, an incredible mystery, and a lovely story of found family. And I knew going in that it was gay, but I didn't expect it be so *queer*. Like, fuck cops, fuck landlords, riot-level queer. I loved it.

A couple minor things that kept it from being five stars for me:

The narrator repeatedly described August as being bad at making friends, and as things like "cranky" when it comes to adjusting to having friends. But this didn't come across at all in the dialogue, as she seems witty and confident and casual. There's this narrative that was pushed that she's a cranky loner who will begrudgingly have amazing friends by the end of the book (no spoilers, I wrote this only 15% of the way into the book), but it felt super forced when there was pretty much no evidence to support these claims. She seemed to have settled into having friends quickly and painlessly. I get the feeling the author couldn't help having fun witty dialogue, but it just felt weirdly mismatched, and took me out of the story at times.

I also did genuinely feel bad for Gabe. Like yeah he's kind of a dick in some ways, but the only times at actually see him, he's being helpful and earnest. The protagonists don't just use him to the extent they need to, but seem actively mean at times.

Overall though, I loved this book. Its twists and turns, its beautiful writing, its politics and themes and sex and characters. I can't wait to read more by Casey McQuiston.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to review this ARC.

This book was an absolute joy and pleasure. I loved the characters as well as the different representation within the book. Casey McQuiston has done it once again with this wonderful novel. As soon as I finished the ARC I bought a copy of the book for myself.

This was perfect. I warned myself not to be unfair walking into it because I loved Red, White, & Royal Blue so so much and I didn't want that to color my perception of One Last Stop. But man--I was wrong. These characters are such a fun combination of chill, funny, and relatable. The found family that's represented with August, Myla, Wes, and Niko is so comforting and I want to live in their apartment and be a part of their world. I absolutely love the way McQuiston writes--she's witty and funny and sweetly emotional simultaneously. I really just loved everything about this book.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - 5/5 stars*

August moved to New York City under no illusion that it would be like the movies. She’s also sure her diner job and tiny apartment full of bizarre roommates will do nothing to persuade her otherwise. What she doesn’t expect is the beautiful girl, Jane, on her morning commute. She also doesn’t expect that her subway crush will end up literally being from another time, put in her path for a reason neither of them can explain.

So I AM August… I’m a queer, fat, university senior with a resistance to be anything other than alone (which I am working on). I grew up on true crime and use my amateur detective skills on public transit strangers. I also look like the cover art. We even pay the same amount in rent every month in cities we fled to from our hometown hoping to live our urban dreams. I’ve never had sex on a subway but I mean… I’m still young.

While I knew this was a rom-com vibe going in, it is so much more than that! It’s just as good at being a fantasy/mystery as it is being a romance and it made my heart happy! I’ve also read Casey McQuiston’s other book (Red, White and Royal Blue) and they have remained consistent in creating a lovely and full cast of characters. While the romance between August and Jane is definitely at the forefront of this novel, the found family that are August’s roommates is SO GOOD and one of my favourite parts of this book.

My one criticism is that, in the latter half of the book, August says "people aren't usually like that anymore" in reference to racism and homophobia experienced by Jane. Although this does seem to anger Jane, this comment is never properly addressed as both 1) a factual inaccuracy and 2) an inappropriate thing for August to comment on as a white woman (when one element of the experience was anti-Asian hate).

*Rating system for reviews is as follows:
5/5 - I would recommend this book to anyone and I plan to read it again (likely a book I would call my favourite)
4/5 - I would recommend this book to anyone
3/5 - I would recommend this book if it fit the specific genre/trope/style you were looking for
2/5 - I would not recommend this book, but I will not discourage others from trying it
1/5 - I would discourage you from reading this book

This romance between Jane and August is everything. The range of the 'side characters (which honestly are just as much main characters and I'd love for each of them to have their own books) is beautiful. While I am not a fan of super long chapters it is everything I wanted it to be and after Red, White and Royal Blue I had some extremely high expectations.

Thank you to Casey McQuiston, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ One Lost Stop by Casey McQuiston caught me off guard. I did not read ahead about the plot, the story, or anything. What surprised me was…well, I’ll get to it in a minute. I thought the characters in this novel were very well done. I LOVED the roommates, the neighbors, the drag queen/accountant, and all the extra characters in the story. You really develop a good feeling for the people in this story and they are so wonderful. I especially fell for August, the lead protagonist, as she is trying to discover a purpose in life after leaving New Orleans where she was stifled as her Mom’s detective sidekick. August moves to New York to build a life and luckily finds the most unique people as her roomies which opens her mind to other possibilities. Then, she meets Jane on the subway train. Every day they travel together and every day their friendship becomes more until the WHOLE story becomes clear and August helps Jane find her way. The surprising part of the story was time travel. Once it became clear a lot of the book made more sense to me. The author writes, “But, you know, that feeling? When you wake up in the morning and you have somebody to think about? Somewhere for hope to go? It’s good. Even when it’s bad, it’s good.” This story was loaded with hope and I liked it. It was also crafted well and told a moving and unique love story. Bravo. #lgbtq #pride #loveislove #OneLastStop #thereissteam #s-e-x @netgalley @casey.mcquiston
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. Thank you to NetGalley and for this free ARC, but my thoughts and review are my own and without bias.

What a fantastic story! As a fan of Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue, I went into One Last Stop with high expectations and they were absolutely met and exceeded! I expected a good love story with unique and relatable characters and got so much more -- unsolved mysteries, 1970s history, drag queen parties, and Doctor Who levels of timey wimey strangeness.

I adore all the characters. August is a prickly minimalist who carries a knife in her pocket and expects the worst from the universe. Her new roommates - Niko the psychic, Myla the artist, and Wes the antisocial tattoo artist - give her a welcoming home and soon become her found family and entry into a diverse and queer network of New Yorkers. I loved the way their backstories are gradually revealed and how all of them help each other grow and flourish. And then there's Jane, a butch bombshell who has inspired a host of missed connections entries from dazzled subway commuters. Her story is absolutely incredible and offers a unique insight into queer history and resistance, as well as Asian-American history. And of course there's New York, a character unto itself, whose energy suffuses each page. Pancake Billy's House of Pancakes also deserves a mention as it is a major locus of the story and will make you crave breakfast foods at all hours. The plot is excellent and I enjoyed every twist and turn and shocking revelation.

One Last Stop offers a superb cast of characters and star-crossed love stories while diving into the struggles and complexities of new adulthood. I can't recommend this book enough!

This was so cute. I really enjoyed this story with a main character who acts way too much like me (it's quite embarrassing actually), a love interest I could easily fall in love with (I'm a sucker for women in ripped jeans and leather jackets), and a found family that warms my heart. This reminded me of other timeloop/time-travelly romances I've read, but queer, which makes it better.


* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

For all the hype surrounding One Last Stop, I was fairly certain that I knew what I was getting into - cutesy sapphic romance, small-town-girl-moves-to-the-big-city, twentysomething coming of age... all of which are included in the story, but I had absolutely no idea at all that there would be such a strong sci-fi element in the main plot, Even so, One Last Stop mostly delivers as a fluffy romcom with hints of serious topic matter (racism, homophobia, struggle with identity) while maintaining an overall light and airy tone.

Initially, I was disappointed with the bait-and-switch nature of the ending - I think it would've perhaps been a braver choice for McQuiston to have ended the story differently, and perhaps that different ending would've better demonstrated the theme of how someone can come into your life and totally alter your perspective forever, whether or not they remain a part of it. However, I do understand why she made the choice to end the story as she did, and I do appreciate that both main characters were afforded the right to closure with some of their personal/familial issues and that we got the all-too rare happy ending for a sapphic couple.

This was not my normal type of book, but I am so glad I gave it a try. Normally if I see a description that involved something with time travel, I’d skip the book. But, it was done in a way that was believable and interesting. I loved Jane and August, and felt for their characters and the challenges they faced. I also had a soft spot for Wes, and his struggles. As I read the book, I wasn’t sure how it would end, and struggled to think about what ending I was rooting for. I was really pleased with how the book ended. This was a really unique and interesting book. I received an ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

A beautiful story about coming-of-age, finding your place, finding your family, and finding first love. McQuiston does an incredible job capturing the essence of a place. Atmospheric, romantic, and sweet. A rare concept with excellent execution.

This was one of my most anticipated releases this year!

Moving to NYC in her early twenties, the city was supposed to prove to August how cynical the world she knows is. August moves in with the most interesting roommates, starts working at a 24-hour pancake diner and keeps running into a beautiful, outgoing stranger on the Q train. Subway Girl, Jane, is breathing a little magic back into August's life.

There is just one problem, Jane is not just some hipster in love with cassettes and old rock, she’s literally stuck on the Q train since the 70’s.

This book was an absolute delight. I love the mystery/time-travel mixed with romance and a dash of steam. One Last Stop has some seriously amazing supporting characters! McQuiston has a way of writing characters that feels deeply genuine and I fell in love with all of them. McQuiston writes truly impactful queer stories and I could not recommend her more!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue so much, it's a favorite, so I couldn't wait to read Casey McQuiston's newest novel and had really high expectations going into it...once again she delivered. One Last Stop is such a charming, remarkable, yet offbeat novel that I couldn't help but enjoy it although it's quite a bit different from her first novel. This one is a lot more quirky and a lot of suspension of disbelief is needed with this one to follow the plot but the payoff is worth it.

August and Jane are the main characters in the book, and they were great. I loved watching their romance unfold because it was sweet, sexy, and just amazing! Yet, I didn't feel the same connection with them that I did with the secondary characters Niko, Myla, Wes, Isaiah, whom I really just fell for! I loved how they were written, how they were just so human, so authentic, and so emotionally intelligent. I would love another book just about those characters, to be honest! And that's not to say that I didn't love August and Jane and their love story because I did, but I think the whole plot with the time slip (as I said, you REALLY have to suspend your disbelief here, and I'm a huge fan of time travel romances) and how Jane was stuck on the subway took away from all of that because it made the story drag in places. None of this is meant to take away from the book in any way at all because I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

What I really loved about this book though was the amazing cast of diverse characters that McQuiston has given life to with characters who are gay, queer, bi, trans, lesbian, drag queens, of various cultures and religions, and more. It's so inclusive, and I just loved that. I also love how the book as a whole had a family vibe with all the characters--they were friends who became family and created their own community, and it was just amazing to read!

This is a sweet romance, full of love, youth, the importance of finding yourself, finding your place in the world, and is the perfect read for Pride Month or any month!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

Back in 2019, I was driving from Texas to California and needed an audiobook to help pass the hours on the road. I had just returned from a vacation in London, so I was instantly drawn to Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue. That slow building romance between the President's son and a Prince of England instantly drew me in and had me longing to read more from McQuiston. It has been three years, but she's finally released a new work. Fortunately for me, her publisher was kind enough to send me a copy of it.

Like most young people her age, August has moved to New York City intending to pave her own path in the world. At home in New Orleans, her life was mostly tied to her mother's obsessive search for her long-lost uncle. While August gained an abnormal proficiency in the art of investigation, that is by no means her own passion. She's got a degree of her own to finish, and New York seems like the perfect place to start anew. Her apartment, a small place that towers above a Popeye's Chicken of all things, comes with a band of quirky roommates who instantly accept August as their own. She lands a job bussing tables at a local diner. Life isn't glamourous by any means, but August feels good about the place she's in.

Each day, August rides the Q to work and school. If you've ever ridden on a New York subway, you'll know about the interesting cast of characters that you usually find riding with you. August tries to mind her own business during her daily commute, but she can't help but notice the gorgeous girl who is always on the train. Jane is everything that August isn't. She's effortlessly cool with a vintage style that is all her own. She's confident and kind, not afraid to step in and help out a complete stranger. As August continues her daily ride on the Q, her crush on Jane grows and grows. The pair strike up a friendship that begins to veer toward romance, but a relationship isn't exactly in the cards for them. You see, Jane has ridden these rails since the 1970s, frozen in time as the world has moved on around her. She is bound to this train, unable to leave or travel anywhere else. August might be the only person who can help her escape this phenomenon, but she risks threatening their relationship in the process.

Casey McQuiston follows up her hit debut novel with One Last Stop, another captivating romance that will instantly draw you in. McQuiston excels in building chemistry between two characters, and I found her writing of the brimming relationship between her two main characters to be the highlight of this novel. You can't help but root for the two women and dream of them being able to come together. McQuiston fills the story with a supporting cast that represents the diversity of the city she's writing about, a move that I'd love to see more fiction authors follow. Having characters of different nationalities, ages, genders, and sexual orientations added a richness to this story that others in the genre usually lack.

Strong characters aside, I just couldn't fall in love with this book. I really wanted to love it, but the plotting surrounding the story's central mystery just fell flat for me. I think it came down to a lack of balance between the "frozen in time" hook and the actual relationship between the characters. So many pages were devoted to a plot point that just didn't pay off for me. As the ending approached, I was enthralled by the relationship, but frustrated with a twist that was all too convenient. Even the ending seemed unsure of which way to close the story. As the novel concluded, I was left feeling that the individual elements of the novel were more satisfying than the story as a whole. There's much to love about One Last Stop, and I seem to be in the minority of reviewers on it. While I didn't love the book, I still think it is a worthy addition from an obviously gifted author. I'll still be the first in line to read whatever Casey McQuiston comes up with next.