McQuiston does it again, this time with a lesbian time-slip romcom that starts slow as all the characters are teed up, but then takes off like a game of Rollybangs. Everyone supports and roots for August to find love with Jane, the woman trapped out-of-time on the Q train, trying the mystery of why she’s trapped there, not knowing if helping August will lead to a Happily Ever After, or heartbreak. Everyone working through their own stuff helps them grow and moves the book forward, not distract or overpower. And McQuiston knows how to break out powerful prose:
...Jane likes to be kissed every kind of way: like a secret, like a fistfight, like candy, like a house fire.
It’s great to see another gem and that her writing is still going strong.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a delightful romantic comedy about August and Jane. August has just moved to New York and is getting used to taking the subway when she sees Jane on the train. She quickly develops a crush but then realizes that something is different about Jane. Jane is displaced in time! She's stuck in the 1970s! Can August and her friends figure out a way to help Jane into the now? This story was so much fun to read, and I really enjoyed all the references to the 1970s. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Let me just put it this way:

Not every author can pull off a time travel romantic comedy the way Casey McQuinston just did with One Last Stop. I mean, you have read time travel romance before, I'm sure, but NOTHING can literally compare to the brilliant that is this New York love story.

I've said it over, and over, and over again thru the years: THE BEST love stories have New York City as a background. Everything in the city makes up for a fantastic setup, and we see this reflected even in the smallest of apartments shared by strangers, where our dear protagonist August Landry ends up when deciding to give it a try, live her life to the fullest and move cross country to the ultimate concrete jungle at 23, she realizes, some things are as hard as she imagined, but so worth it.

From the 24 hour pancake diner where she gets a job, to the 'Subway Girl' that haunts her dreams, August is THE MOST PERFECT MC I HAVE READ IN A BOOK IN A LOOOOOONGGGG TIME. Trust me on this. She has any and all elements you look in somebody as realistic and down to earth. The ensemble cast of supporting characters are a thing out of this world. Any more perfect, they win a SAG. In fact, I would absolutely option this book for a TV show ASAP.

Tho the writing in third person is def not my cup of tea, I made a huge exception for Casey since I loved, LOVED RW&RB so much, and I was right doing so cause nothing from this story bored me. I loved it so much that I admit shedding a tear or two at the end.

What a FANTASTIC start for this wonderful Pride Month 2021! Cheers for more #queer love stories like this not only celebrating #pride, but every single day of the year, celebrating LOVE! 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️

Casey McQuiston did it again. I fell in love with Red, White and Royal Blue when I read it and was thrilled to receive an ARC of One Last Stop.. McQuiston has the ability to tell a story, create characters you can't help but invest in and weave it all together with the perfect amount of humor.

What I wasn't expecting with this book was the sci-fi time travel aspect. That said, I didn't mind it. I actually found it to be quite clever. August, our main character, has been subjected to her mother's obsessionsher entire life. Her mother's obsession -- finding her long lost brother - - or at least finding out what happened to him. Trying to solve this mystery has literally been her mother's main focus for all of August's life. In attempt to free herself from her mother's ongoing drama, August moves to New York.. She moves into an apartment with several other people - - which are total strangers to her - - and ends up finding her "family." Then the day arrives when August meets Jane on the subway. Their chemistry is almost instant. Yet, their relationship slowing develops over time with small encounters here and there. All the while, emotions and attraction are building as anticipation ramps up. Not only did I really enjoy seeing the Jane and August's relationship develop, I was also really attached to August's friends as well. The bond they all shared and the way they supported one another was incredibly special and just what August needed.

McQuiston blends the various character's storylines together in a way that shows how their lives are all interconnected Some stories will overlap in ways the reader doesn't expect which only makes the reading experience even richer. When August realizes there's a mystery surrounding Jane and her presence on the Q, the story really takes off. In addition, McQuiston does a great job of bringing the reader's attention to how difficult and dangerous it was for the LGBTQ community in the 1970's. Obviously, these accounts are difficult and painful to read. But they are critical to this storyline in order for the reader to fully appreciate the sacrifices made in the past that lead up to the present day events.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

From an author I will always love, we get a brilliant sapphic story about love that travels through time. This is chock-full of incredible rep, the absolute BEST side characters and a public transportation system that almost feels like it’s own character.

August moves to NYC to branch out and live her own life away from her zany investigative mother. Finding a group of people who become like family to her and a job in a place that kind of feels magical, she happens upon a stunning girl on her commute to school... the only problem is that she may not be from the here and now.

I really loved this sweet and romantic story about love and found family. This solidifies that McQuiston is one I will be a forever fan of!

RW&RB is a hard book to follow up; One Last Stop definitely makes an attempt.

August can't seem to find her place or her people until she lands in New York. She winds up with overwhelming roommates, an unexpected job, and Jane, the girl from the Q. August is used to doing things alone and she's never felt like she's belonged anywhere. She most definitely doesn't believe in magic, psychics, or time slips, yet here she is; racing against time, trying to save Jane.

My favorite parts: the characters, the setting, the detailed queer history, the laugh-out-loud moments and witty quotes, the unexpected turns the story takes, and the amazing tropes.

I had a hard time getting through some of the denser descriptive sections and found some of the love confessions a little cheesy.

Such a great read. Went in completely bind on the fact that I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue. I wasn’t disappointed. Not what I would have normally picked but loved the characters and relationships. A great read for summer.

I've not loved a book this much in a very long time! Casey is such a great writer and knows how to make the readers fall right into the book and not want to come back out!

Thank you St. Martins Press for the gifted copy.

Wow, right off the bat I have to say the inclusion in this book is phenomenal. Characters are gay, bi, trans, pan...then you have drag queens, biopic, asian...it's probably one of the most inclusive books I've read.

The second thing that I loved about One Last Stop was all of the references to Louisiana and New Orleans. Living here, I feel like I picked up on things, or maybe understood references, more than others might, which was pretty cool.

This is a VERY different book from RW&RB, and I don't think it's fair to compare them. The plot is unique - who exactly IS Jane and WHY is she stuck on the Q? As the mystery is unraveled, and the characters come together to try to get Jane back to where she belongs (whether it's the past or present), I got totally invested in not only the crux of the problem (what happened to Jane), but in the love story between Jane and August, AND in the mystery of what happened to Augie.

I'm going to find it close to impossible to write this review without swooning like a fangirl, but I'll give it my best shot.

In One Lost Stop, we follow 23-year old college student, August, who has recently moved to New York City.
Amongst the hustle and bustle of the city, August is on a journey of self-discovery. She's on her own for the first time and is a little desperate to find her place. Securing a room in an apartment with three other people and taking a job at a 24-hour pancake diner seem like steps in the right direction.

August is establishing herself as a functioning adult, no matter how meager her resources, yet she still feels alone. The stars align one day, however, as she meets a girl on the Q. The sexy and mysterious, Jane, gives August a scarf in her hour of need. After that, August cannot get her out of her mind.

Subsequently, she runs into Jane every time she is on the train and a relationship develops. It very quickly becomes clear that something about Jane is a little off. Jane's not just a random punk rocker, razorblade girl with a cotton candy heart, taking her style inspiration from the 1970s. She's actually from the 1970s, and somehow, someway, finds herself trapped on the Q-line.

I know this seems like a bit of a trippy idea, but it was such a phenomenally fun and creative way to frame this story. August coming to the revelation that Jane cannot leave the train and trying to figure out what exactly that means and why; it was bloody fantastic and so incredibly entertaining.

August's roommates, Myla, Niko and Wes, all become involved in the relationship, as well as their neighbor, Annie. Together this vastly diverse group of souls evolve into one of the most beautiful found-families that I have ever read. Each person had their own unique story, voice, personality and contribution to August's growth and maturation. I absolutely adored the way they interacted and supported one another. Friendship goals, for sure. McQuiston packed so much into this book and watching the evolution of August's character was immensely satisfying.

There were so many moments when I laughed, a few when I felt my heart-breaking and times where I was just left contemplating this thing we call life. The release date for this book coinciding with the 1st day of Pride month, couldn't be more perfect!

The representation includes a plethora of Queer identities and romances. I particularly enjoyed how OLS is just a story of Queer individuals living their lives in the way they choose. It didn't really have individuals having to hide who they were, or having to come out to anyone in a dramatic way.

They all just were living their day-to-day lives in New York City; dealing with family, work, relationships, LIFE. There was a certain sense of peace to be found in that, even when the narrative got a little crazy!

I think August learned a lot from her new friends. Particularly how to open up, be herself and allow herself to need other people in her life. That it was okay if things were complicated, what with her love interest being trapped in time and all.

Jane was a fascinating character as well. I loved how her life was pieced together through her continual interactions with August. It was particularly clever how McQuiston used Jane's character, in a way, as a plot device to compare the experiences Jane had, as a Queer woman, in the 1970s, versus the experiences that August and her friends have in the present time. It felt like a subtle, respectful nod to those who came before.

At the end of the day, this book has it all. If you enjoyed Red, White & Royal Blue, you should love One Last Stop. It's next level. This book made me overflow with feeling!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I greatly appreciate the opportunity!

A new favorite!!!

What more can I say about this book? Everyone's been saying to pick it up and almost everyone gave it a full 5-star rating and I'm just here trying not to expect too much but was still mind-blown. One Last Stop screams P.R.I.D.E and queer. It's a story of friendship (and I'm talking the I-got-your-back-forever kind), love, and belonging. The characters, the prose, the romance and the banters were all so well-done! I am in love with the found family depicted in this book and the diverse cast with different cultures, sexualities and religions. It's overall wholesome and amazing.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

August is a cynic who doesn’t believe in things like magic or love at first sight, but all that changes when she moves to NY and meets Jane on the subway. The only problem? Jane is literally displaced in time and it’s up to August to help her.

Don’t ask me how, but I honestly missed the part in the description that reveals the supernatural/sci-fi element of this book, but that just made it even more enjoyable! The characters leap off the page: each is clearly their own person and I loved meeting everyone. I also loved the diversity of the characters. It’s refreshing to read about people who feel completely unique and real. It felt like these people could exist somewhere in the world.

The story itself (aside from the notable twist in the description) was pretty predictable. While most of the basic story was a little predictable, there was more than enough twists and surprises woven in to keep me interested and make for a really great story.

Well worth the read!

One Last Stop is being called a romantic comedy, but I didn't get that at all. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful and romantic, but I'm not so sure on the comedy.

It's a magical subway sapphic time slip romance. With pancakes. And a knife.

August has moved to New York to continue college and get further away from her mother's obsessive investigation into the disappearance of August's uncle in 1973. She finds a room with three quirky, queer, sweet people (one of whom is slightly psychic), across the hall from a drag queen. The found family in this book is So Very Good. Plus there's Pancake Billy's House of Pancakes, which is another part of the found family.

More importantly, there's Subway Girl/aka Jane, who share August's commute and is totally fascinating to August. Jane is a woman out of time. Literally.

A lot of the early portions of this book have an almost meditative quality. Then there are slightly more wacky bits, usually to do with pancakes or roommates or wild parties. And there is so much here that's just.... really heavy. August's family, her search for her uncle, her drive to find out more about Jane. And toward the end it gets really bleak. I was genuinely concerned that there wouldn't be an HEA.

It's a beautiful and moving story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

August is determined not to attach herself to anyone or anything in her life. But things are about to change when she meets Jane on the train. Things become a lot more complicated when August soon realizes that Jane may also be displaced and stuck on the subway from the 1970s. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the e-galley of One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston via NetGalley.

What a ride! (Unintended pun right there, but what works works.) One Last Stop was such a different contemporary romance in all the best ways possible. I don’t read a lot of science fiction (never really been into the genre) but in this particular case, I liked the sci-fi elements to the story. I thought it was really interesting to have Jane as a displaced individual from the 1970s and how it all worked into the plot. The story even had a little bit of mystery and intrigue to it as Jane was trying to remember her past and life- while at the same time, we understand that August’s mom has been searching for her long lost brother for years. Just felt like a perfect meld of all those different genres coming together to create this story - romance, mystery, science fiction.

I also really enjoyed the group of roommates and coworkers that August has around her who contribute to her change and growth, just as Jane does. It felt very Friends-like but way more diverse and queer to say the least. I was rooting for Jane and August the entire time and they need a hashtag - may I suggest #Jagust ? I’ll work on it or I’m sure the inevitable fandom for this couple will.

I was an avowed hater of Casey McQuiston's first book, Red, White & Royal Blue, so I had fairly low expectations going into One Last Stop. I'm happy to say I found this LEAGUES better than RWRB, though it does suffer from some similar issues.

Maybe I am heartless or just a negative Nelly, but I consistently find McQuiston's ~quirky~ characters to be one-note at best and deeply irritating at worst. It sometimes feels as if she draws weird traits out of a hat and applies them to her characters with abandon. I feel like this would work for me if I were a teenager with no personality, but unfortunately I am an adult with no personality so I just find it annoying. In general, there were fewer of these types of characters in OLS than in RWRB, which I appreciated. Instead, McQuiston has chosen to apply these quirky traits to New York City as a whole, turning the city into a mythical place where drag queens are magic and you can hook up on the floor of a subway car without worrying that you're lying in piss or rat poop. The New York of OLS does not exist; it is as much a fantasy as the romance at the center of the story. Again, maybe I'm just not the right reader for this book, but that fantasy really kept me from enjoying the story, especially because the few moments that take place in New Orleans did actually feel real.

I also struggled with the mystery at the center of the story about August's uncle Augie. Not only did I just not really care about him, I had a serious problem with McQuiston's co-opting of a real-life hate crime (the UpStairs Lounge fire) for emotional capital. It felt cheap, and as this story is in some ways meant to celebrate queer history, I couldn't help but be left with a bad taste in my mouth regarding the use of this relatively recent tragedy, especially considering that Augie ends up not even actually being a victim of the fire. It simply felt thrown in to communicate, like, "being gay back in the day was hard" and to again provide an easy emotional punch that was really lessened by the reveal of Augie's actual fate. That coupled with the multiple all-too-coincidental turns that unfolded the mystery and Augie's connection to Jane lessened my investment in the book.

And let's talk about that ending--I know Happily Ever Afters are more or less required for romance novels, but I just could not believe that Jane actually was able to stay in the present. I was very moved by the part after the whole plot to break Jane out of the subway in which August goes through the city without her, to the point that I actually cried, but when Jane showed back up it was like all of that emotion was immediately undercut. And for what? To add a few more sex scenes? I don't get it. It's been over a month since I finished this book and yet when I look back at it, I mostly find frustration with the ending. I get that McQuiston's whole thing is giving queer people happy endings, and as a queer person I truly do appreciate that, but COME ONNNNNNNN it was just so cheap to have Jane magically show back up, and her family magically still be alive and contactable, and everything magically work out. UGH. I would have much preferred Jane to be sent back to her original time and August to go on without her. Maybe romance as a genre just isn't for me.

HAPPY PUB DAY TO THIS GEM OF A BOOK!

But also, like, don’t be like Sabrina and read the synopsis first 😂

I didn’t and I got halfway through before I gave in and read the synopsis. It explained a lot 😅 I think if I didn’t it would have changed my rating for the book.

But I did! Therefore, I loved the book and thought it was super cute!

I’m not a big sci-fi person, so I didn’t like it as much as her last one but it was still such a sweet and wonderful read.

Loved the romance and the LGBQT+ characters of course. Niko was my favorite out of all of them. His comments had me constantly laughing 🤣

Definitely recommend and you guys should pick this book up today!!

Also, it’s the first day of #flattenthenetgalleys so make sure you head to my highlights for the templates and tag me in the all posts!

A complete 180 from Casey McQuiston's debut Red, White, & Royal Blue less glamour and unlimited funds and more skating by the skin of your teeth trying to make it in life while still enjoying life. But it's also just as well written with similar overall vibes of embracing queerness and uniqueness and timely humor. June and August's love story is beautiful and wonderful. It's a great second novel and I hope it receives as much acclaim and accolades.

Thank you @netgalley & publisher!

This book was such a fun and unexpected surprise!
This is about a f/f romance that is set in the train station and it has some time travel elements to it. It does have a mystery feel to it but it doesn’t take away from the romance.

Anyways, this book is amazing and such be read ASAP!

HIGHLIGHTS
~pancakes
~subways are Romantic now
~psychic roommate
~drag queens!!!
~every woman should own a pocketknife
~assembling a bed = sexy AF

I want to write love letters to this book. I want to write it terrible poetry. I want to buy a copy for every one of my friends and shove it in their faces. Hells yes, this is the book to kick off Pride! There cannot possibly be a better way to start Pride Month than with One Last Stop!

Where am I supposed to even start with the gazillion reasons that you need to read this book???

If you’ve already read Red, White, and Royal Blue, then you don’t need me to tell you that this is awesome – it’s another Casey McQuiston novel, of course it’s awesome – but if you haven’t. Well.

What if I tell you that I got sucked into the worst depression spiral I’ve had in months – and One Last Stop was still able to make me laugh? Gave me such a shot of serotonin, in fact, that I was back to my normal self – better than my normal self – after just two chapters?

I mean. Don’t stop taking your meds, folx. But One Last Stop is pure serotonin in book form.

August is an absolute delight of a protagonist, in huge part because she is not, in fact, the most delightful person. She’s not sweet and nice and friendly (at least at first glance); she’s awkward and suspicious and finds other people confusing at best, and she always carries a pocket-knife, and she Makes Plans for everything because she doesn’t know how to deal if she doesn’t. Before I even made it to chapter two, I adored her.

August, a suburban girl with a swimming pool of student loan debt and the social skills of a Pringles can

It doesn’t hurt that McQuiston has you cracking up at least once per page; I swear I almost broke my ereader with all the highlights of bits I had to read out loud to the hubby – and then repeat them because I was giggling too hard for him to make out what I was saying. SOCIAL SKILLS OF A PRINGLES CAN. Gods, it’s equal parts hysterical and relatable.

No worries August; there’s a reason everyone loves Pringles.

One Last Stop opens with August arriving in New York (from where, we do not yet know) and finding herself a room. With New York prices, that means a roommate. In fact, it means several roommates, all of whom seem utterly bizarre in very human ways; the kind of weird that immediately makes a character feel like a real person, because surely no one can make this up. One’s psychic, one’s an artist, one is… Wes.

Her mental field guide to making friends is a two-page pamphlet that just says: DON’T

It’s fine, everything’s FIIIIIIIIIIINE.

Anyway. She gets a job and her classes start and then…the subway.

The hottest girl August has ever seen just took one look at her and said, “Yikes.”

The subway – the Q – is where she meets Jane. Who is gorgeous, and ridiculously cool, and open-handedly kind.

And is stuck in some kind of subway-related time-slip. She’s supposed to be in the 1970s, and she’s…not.

It’s a thing. And it’s not fine.

One of the (many) things that surprised and delighted me was how quickly One Last Stop revealed its supernatural elements; yes, Jane’s situation is described in the blurb, so it’s not a surprise, but I thought it would take longer for August to figure it out.

“Wait. Holy shit. She is always wearing the exact same thing.”

“You only just noticed she has one outfit?”

“I don’t know! It’s ripped jeans and a leather jacket! Every lesbian I’ve ever met has that outfit!”

But that was me underestimating her. She figures it out, and then…then she’s gonna fix it. Solve it. Help Jane.

It really has nothing to do with Jane being breathtakingly wonderful. August would help her regardless.

…But the being breathtakingly wonderful doesn’t hurt. Except for how it does, because August is falling for her and that doesn’t complicate things at all.

Jane laughs, which is rocketing straight up August’s list of favorite sounds in the universe. She’s gonna trap it in a shell like a sea witch. It’s fine.

I don’t often get super-invested in romantic arcs. In a lot of Fantasy, it’s an afterthought or an extra, not usually integral to the overall story; here, of course, the romance is the story, and the fantastical elements are…well, they’re super important, but they’re also not the point. The point is the love story, and I mean, there shouldn’t be so much anticipation building and building throughout the book when you know they’re going to get together. Because of course they are! But McQuiston did it beautifully in Red, White, & Royal Blue and has done it once again: presented a romance I cannot help but fall for.

I am in love with August and Jane’s love. There, I said it. AND I REGRET NOTHING!

August is an MC who I think almost everyone can identify with; and those who don’t see themselves in her will still adore her, because she is so believably, humanly odd, and anxious, with her pocketknife and her notebooks full of field notes about Other Humans. She is so capable, and she has so much grit, and she has a prickly outside but only because she is raw and soft inside her shell. We love her because she’s us.

And then you have Jane, who is so much larger than life, who is a hardcore, honest-to-the-gods punk and definitely knows how to make and use a molotov cocktail. She’s sexy and confident and brave and unselfconscious. She’s dazzling. She’s the love interest who makes us swoon. And she is not a damsel in distress, but she does need rescuing, and something about the juxtaposition of that – the strength and need, the confidence and the vulnerability, the badassery and the fear of what she’s trapped in – I am not used to analysing love interests, but I think McQuiston nailed it. We love August because she’s us; we love Jane because we want to be her. And help her. And maybe kiss her. PERHAPS.

August thinks she’s going to need more notebooks. It’ll take a million to hold this girl.

The dynamic between them, the way the relationship develops… I mean. I wanted to cackle and also to cheer and there was definitely some swooning going on. There are some Delightful Tropes. There are moments of silliness. And there is so much heart in this; not passion (although there’s that too) but, just…caring. Both of these girls have such huge hearts, and so much kindness and compassion to give, to give to each other. Watching how that – that kind of intrinsic trying-to-be-a-good-person-ness – evolved into romantic love? Is beautiful.

And so, so funny.

And, I mean. I’m ace, so I hope that gives a bit more weight to my declaration that oh yes, the sexy is here, there, and everywhere. It’s so well done??? I shouldn’t have been surprised after Red, White & Royal Blue, but still – wow. It’s hot and wonderful and there’s all the emotion and giggles and it’s just genuinely *chef’s kiss* brilliant.

she grabs August by the chin and kisses her hard and brilliant, an open-mouthed exhale, shotgunning summer sunshine.

Zooming out from August and Jane for a minute… This is a romantic comedy; there is romance, and there is a lot of comedy. But it’s also deeply and profoundly a queer book, a book about modern queerness and queer history, about the queer experience, about the found-family so many queer people end up building and forming and falling into. The one we make, not necessarily because our blood-family is bad, but because there is something special, a relief and a joy, in finding Our People, in forming a pack of People Like Us. It’s more than ‘oh, you’re not cishet either?’ I’m ace, but I don’t magically click with every other ace person on the planet. It doesn’t work like that. It’s not about the specifics of your sexuality and/or gender identity matching those of the people around you. It’s about being queer. Queerness as an identity. As a philosophy, as an outlook, as a way of existing in the world and interacting with it. It means something slightly different for everyone, but it always means community. It always means family.

And that’s a huge part of One Last Stop. The romance is at the center of it all; of course it is. But the romance wouldn’t work without August’s support network, without the family she’s managed to find in New York. Without them teaching her how to let people in, I don’t see how she could ever have reached out to Jane, and then we wouldn’t have this book, and that would be a tragedy.

August and Jane are incredible – but so are the rest of the cast. The roommates, oh, the roommates!!! The drag queens, the fry cooks, even August’s mother – they all feel so real, like they’ll step out from the pages at any moment, or like you might step in, and either way you’ll be laughing till you cry because gods, they are all just awesome.

“I wish I were never born,” August moans into the floor.

“Retweet,” Wes says solemnly.

And I have to take a sec to mention how McQuiston quietly draws a line that goes Queer Past –> Queer Present. We don’t get taught queer history in school, and a lot of us don’t know much about it, and one of the most poignant moments in the book has got to be when August realises that this beautiful, glittery, celebratory event she’s at wouldn’t exist without the people like Jane having come before them and laid the groundwork, going to war for it. Without the rioters and the steel-toed boots and the demonstrations and the people who fought for it. There are many parts of the world still fighting – hells, who am I kidding, we’re all still fighting, the fight isn’t over yet. But we’ve come a long way from the 1970s, and I get to live the life I want because of all the people who came before me, and that is precious, it matters, and it was wonderful to see it acknowledged. I hope it inspires people to read up on and research our history. It’s important.

There is so much to One Last Stop. It has layers and layers like a stack of pancakes and there is so much syrup and everything about it is perfect. It’s about finding your feet and finding Your People and finding a romance for the ages. It’s about being weird and awkward and how there are people who will love you anyway, who will love you because of your weirdTM. It’s about blood-family and found-family and taking notes and Making Plans. It’s about finding your teeth and your laugh and your power, the power of being yourself, and yes I know how cheesy that sounds but deal with it, just because it’s cheesy doesn’t mean it’s not still true.

This is a book that will light you up inside, that will make you smile and grin and laugh out loud. It’s a book that makes the rest of the world disappear, drags you in and wraps you up and magics all the aches and pains and exhaustion away. It is indulgence; it is escapism; it is a delight. One Last Stop is a defibrillator that will shock your heart full of pure ridiculous fierce joy, and it is perfect. It is perfect.

4.75 Stars. This was lovely. It always feels good when a book, with a lot of hype and highly anticipated, is about as great as you could have hoped for. The hype surrounding this romance is definitely real. If more New Adult stories were written like this, I’d be reading this genre constantly. This is my first time reading McQuiston, but what she is doing for queer fiction, as one of the authors helping to make it more mainstream, is just so appreciated and wonderful. I think of all these young queer readers that have easy access to the kind books that I never did, and it just makes my heart happy.

I do want to mention, encase other readers have the same issue, that it did take me a little while to get into the book. While the book was interesting right off the bat, the writing style took a minute to get used to. This is written in third person but only one POV. I’m not a fan of this because I figure why not just do first person. The other issue is that this was in present tense. Third person, present tense, with only one POV is rare and as a reader you need time to acclimate to it. But, everything will click into place and once it does, the story really takes off and you don’t even realize you are reading a different style anymore. My suggestion is to give this book time, it deserves it, and I think you will be really happy that you did.

This is a long book, almost twice the size of a normal romance, but it doesn’t feel like it. There was only one time around the 40% mark that I felt like the book was starting to get a little slow, but the second half really picks up and I found myself wanting more when the book was done. While I thought the ending was well done, and not rushed, I just wanted to keep reading. While I love romance, I’m the kind of person that loves something else with their romance. This book has this delightful hint of sci-fi -or is it magic?- which took this book to a whole other level for me. Who is this mysterious woman that August can’t stop thinking about? Is she alive? Is she a ghost? What is this secret about Jane and can August have her love story anyway?

The unusual twist in the plot was really well done. I’m not going to get into specifics for spoiler reasons but this was such a different but adorable romance idea. And while I loved the plot, I’m a character driven reader at heart and this book hit that part out of the park. All the characters, even the secondary characters with very small rolls, where so well written. All of the characters were unique, diverse, and just fully formed people. Of course Jane absolutely steals the show, but I haven’t been this impressed by so many different characters in a long time.

There is plenty I would love to talk more about but I don’t want to ruin a thing for new readers. This book will be in the running for best feel-good romance of the year and I hope everyone reads it. You may be wondering why I didn’t give this a full 5 stars. Am I being a little picky? Yes, but the only reason is that I’m not sure I would reread this again. Because I read 200-300 books a year, to separate them a bit, my rule for the past few years is that full 5 star reads are saved for books I would reread if I had the time. While this was a truly epic romance book, I don’t feel like I would need to read it again. However, I would read a sequel or a spin-off in a heartbeat. It’s impressive how after only two books McQuiston is taking the book world by storm. I would easily and happily recommend this to any romance fans. This is a book you won’t want to miss.