Romance, mystery, and finding family all come together in One Last Stop. Casey McQuiston’s sophomore novel brings a bit of magic to the New York City subway as August falls for a mysterious woman who has somehow slipped through time and is stuck on the Q line.

August comes to New York City looking for home. She’s a little lost, lonelier than she ever would admit, and somehow manages to find roommates who become family. Myla, Niko, and Wes, along with their neighbor, Isaiah, and the crew at the pancake place August works at become family and are my favorite parts of One Last Stop. From Myla’s blazing energy to Niko’s kind and knowing soul to Wes’s grumpy and scared heart to Isaiah’s patience and fabulous drag persona, everything about the people who become August’s family grabbed my heart. These folx came alive on the page and their vibrant personalities endeared them to me and made me miss them whenever they weren’t in a scene.

At the heart of One Last Stop are August and Jane. August has been a loner for so long it breaks your heart and I enjoyed watching her come into her own over the course of the story. Jane is a mystery I don’t want to spoil by delving into too deeply. She’s displaced in time, having somehow gotten stuck on the Q line since sometime in the 1970s. Jane is both porcupine and marshmallow. She will fight anyone who is bigoted or a bully but she also is tender at unexpected moments. The mystery of how she got stuck is just one of the many things you learn about her over the course of the story and I liked watching August peel back her layers. Their romance is solid, but for me it was one of the least interesting things about the book and I never felt truly invested. The chemistry just wasn’t there and I know McQuiston can deliver chemistry (Myla and Niko? Fantastic chemistry).

I’m torn on rating One Last Stop because there are a lot of things I like about it. McQuiston’s lyrical prose captured me at times and the love and support between August and the family she made grabbed my heart and didn’t let go. But the first half of the book was incredibly slow and if I hadn’t loved McQuiston’s debut novel so much I might not have stuck with this one. It did pick up in the second half but I still finished the story thinking I liked specific things about it a lot more than the book as a whole.

This book destroyed me, a little bit. Mostly in a good way. I have to say that I liked it even more than Red, White, and Royal Blue.

Some of my key takeaways are:
I am in love with Jane.
The Su Special sounds DELICIOUS and I wanna eat it.
The mystery and supernatural elements of the story were intriguing and had me invested.
The side characters were all richly portrayed and deeply lovable.
I was deeply invested in the romance, yes, but a large amount of the beauty in this book was in the queer community portrayed, which is not something we really got as much of in RWRB. It was New York and New York Community from Casey’s perspective, but it was also just...Queer Community, in the best sense of the word—warm, chaotic, accepting, and uninhibitedly itself.

Casey McQuiston's debut novel, Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my absolute favorite novels, so I admittedly had a considerable amount of anxiety about whether or not One Last Stop could live up to my expectations after that. For quite a while, fear of disappointment made me hold off on reading. However, (as is the case with much of my anxiety) the fears were unfounded. One Last Stop is truly the love letter to NYC that I had heard it described as, but it proved to be much more than that as well. This book is a glorious celebration of found family, bursting with love, and exploration of what it is to find one’s place and people. Safe to say, One Last Stop was everything I'd dare to hope or dream and beyond. This book is a difficult one to describe; it's a daunting task to properly convey the magnificence of it, but I will give my best attempt.

As a bisexual woman in my mid-twenties who has changed schools and majors multiple times, I resonated deeply with August. Her struggle to find a sense of belonging and self and her place in the world, the loneliness at rooted in her core, hesitance to hold onto things for fear of loss, the daunting uncertainty about so much in life, feeling trapped in her own head, grasping onto facts when she can't quite trust her emotions, her longings. These and many other things about August made me feel as though McQuiston was showing me a mirror that reflected back parts of myself I don't like to acknowledge. Yet in the end, I came away feeling that perhaps those scars and hurts and depths aren't so awful after all. Watching August come into her own, finding a family and her place in the city and new goals to pursue was such a gratifying and gorgeous journey. I adored getting to witness her brilliance at work, the power of her determination, and her confidence grow.

There were many characters to love in One Last Stop, but the one I fell hardest for has to be Jane Su. One of my favorite parts of the novel was getting to crack open the "unknowable" case of Jane, gradually filling in her story along with August. I adored everything about Jane, but most especially her fearlessness, how earnestly she loves, and her passion for life itself. While I aspire to be more like Jane, there's a great deal of her that I could relate to as well. I loved that she—like me—is a queer, Asian American woman from the Bay who is involved with community organizing. Underneath all of that, I could connect to her belief that people would be better off without her there to let them down. Her desire to see the world, but rarely feeling fully at home anywhere. As much as I admired her switchblade exterior, it's her cotton-candy heart that truly dazzled me. Despite the pain, grief, and fear weighing on her from the inside, she remained selfless and bright and full of fierce love.

Jane and August complemented each other beautifully, from the spark of their initial meeting to friendship with mutually frustrated pining/obliviousness and all that followed. Their dynamic was a kaleidoscope of tenderness, passion, selflessness, support, joy, banter, and more. I especially enjoyed how much they uplifted each other, encouraging the other to trust and feel and grow and live. They each had wonderful arcs of their own, but I also loved seeing the development of their relationship and how it shifted with their individual growth.

The cast of supporting characters also won my heart at once, from the residents of 6F (and 6E) to the crew at Billy's House of Pancakes. In each of them, I caught glimpses of fragments of myself, my friends, my own found family. McQuiston has such a talent for writing that even side characters are so fleshed out and whole that they imprint themselves into one's mind as vividly as a memory, turning lines of text into a near-tangible person. That being said, how could I not fall in love with each of August's roommates at least a little bit? And oh, did these characters and this book make me long to love and be loved. To be loved and known, not only in a romantic sense, but by friends who come to know me better than I know myself. Not to romanticize New York City any more than it has been across media, but that sort of city life is truly what I pine for. The romanticism of public transportation while also having a realistic loathing of it, settling into the day-to-day and all the struggles that come with it, but also being able to build myself a home + family with friends, and finding a bit of everyday magic along the way.

The mystery/sci-fi aspect wasn't major, but it kept me fascinated to find out more. Looking back, there were numerous clues that my sleep-deprived brain picked up on yet failed to string together. The prospect of being able to collect details and piece things together even more when I reread is an exciting one! Just as in their debut novel, Casey McQuiston was able to convey the experience of feeling in a way that's something adjacent to magic. The emotions of the characters reverberate off the page in a way that's palpable throughout my nervous system. McQuiston’s words somehow manage to seep into the safeguarded well of my emotions, breaking down the walls and allowing me to let myself feel.

My heart feels split open after reading One Last Stop, yet it has been instilled with warmth and hope. As though a book could peer into the very depths of my soul to pour in light and revive a bit of belief in magic. I will carry this story in my heart for a long time to come, with more hope than I had before and trust that maybe the universe has my back.

Endless thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion. While I loved the overall message of the book: that love can happen in any realm, between any people, no matter their history, I did feel like it took a very large percentage of the book to develop the relationship between August and Jane. I felt that it dragged because of this. Most of the book takes place on the subway and I started to get bored. Once it picked up and there was a change of scenery, I really enjoyed it. Her roommates turned family were a fabulous cast of characters and the pancake diner and “small” community feel in the big city were awesome!

This is the book where I fell in love with the note to reader and was already laughing in the first paragraph. Casey McQuiston has written a gem of a novel that will have you falling in love with her characters as well as NYC. August transfers to a college in Brooklyn in the hopes that the bigger environment will help her to find herself and who she is meant to be. She moves in with three of the most lovable characters I have ever read. I am obsessed with Wes, Niko, and Myla and want to move right in with them. They are quirky and funny and supportive and sweet and all the things you want in a friendship.

While there, she also meets Jane during her commute on the subway. It's an instant attraction for August which makes her notice Jane every day. She soon comes to realize that she doesn't just see Jane a lot but that she always sees Jane on her commute. Every single time. August realizes this has to be more than a coincidence and things spiral from there.

This book grabs you from page one. There is the vulnerability of finding oneself separate from the environment we grow up in as well as how we relate to others in the world. There is deep, true friendship. There is mystery and time travel. There is not just acceptance but a fight for that acceptance. There is love. The found family is fantastic. While this book couldn't be more different from McQuiston's debut of Red, White and Royal Blue, it solidifies her talent as an incredible writer. The words are almost lyrical and it flows well. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a coming of age novel and think that fans of Honey Girl would really like this one.

I could not connect to the characters and the writing style. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Three strikes, and I’m out. I REALLY struggled to connect to this book, but it’s such a highly anticipated read that I initially figured that it was just me. I set it down twice, and when I still wasn’t connecting on my third attempt, I started skimming. Things did not improve.

From the start, I struggled with the writing style. I don't usually have trouble with third person perspective, but there are so many characters that it adds another layer of disconnect. I felt like an outsider looking in, and I frequently struggled to understand who was supposed to be talking. And all of those characters? Make the story feel scattered - and SUPER LONG. I was bored. So, so bored. It takes a long time before the romance even starts developing, and by that point I had already disconnected. Add in a storyline that's pretty complex, kinda preachy, and not necessarily reality-based... and I was done.

I'm sure many readers will love this. I did like how unique it felt, and the representation is definitely there. The writing is technically good in a lot of ways, and there will certainly be an audience for this. Younger readers and those who like found families, coming of age stories, and fantasy/time travel elements will probably connect to it the most. I so appreciated receiving an early copy (and am voluntarily leaving a review), but this just didn't live up to the hype for me.

Oh, how I loved this book! This time-slip rom com was so much fun to read. It has everything in it, in a good way. Love, friendships, family, found family, jobs, LGBTQ+ history, New York City, community, and the best cast of supporting characters that I think I've ever read. It was representative and inclusive in a very natural way, as Casey McQuiston has a gift for seamlessly writing diverse stories that make you want to know the characters. It was funny and touching and full of everything that matters. Oh, and I loved Isaiah and wanted to eat pancakes the while time I was reading :) Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Casey McQuiston and St Martin's Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this one so slowly to saviour the beautiful relationships that are formed between all the uniquely different characters. I don't know that I have ever read a book with such diverse characters that are incredibly loveable. The premise of this novel is so fun and different from most romance novels and I kept turning pages to try to figure out if their plan was going to actually work. I was obsessed with August and her roommates and how quickly they turned into one amazing little family. Basically I didn't want the novel to end because I wanted to be a part of these characters family a little bit longer. I definitely recommend this one!

No rating for this one, but I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of this. This was a book I was highly looking forward to. I squealed when I was approved after LOVING Red White & Royal Blue; however, it didn’t quite hit the way I anticipated. It took a while of trying to read to figure out why I was struggling. This just wasn’t for me.

(Not included on Goodreads review) This was a learning experience for me. It took a while, but I figure out that I just couldn’t suspend belief to really care and get invested into the story. Unlike RW&RB, this wasn’t something I could believe could happen in the very much reality based settings. I have learned that realistic with just a touch of something else doesn’t work for me.

One Last Stop is about a young woman (August) who moves to New York City. One day she gets on the subway & meets Jane. Jane & August have an immediate attraction to each other. We follow the two characters as they run into each other daily on the subway. Their friendship (& attraction/connection) continues to grow.

However soon August realizes that Jane is on the subway every time she rides it; no matter what time day/night. We come to find out that Jane isn’t able to get off the subway & is trapped in this sort of time warp from the ‘70s.

After reading other reviews it’s very clear that I’m in the minority with my 2 star rating, but this book just wasn’t for me. This book had a fantasy quality to it & I’m just not a fan. Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC!

One Last Stop was an interesting concept and one that I have definitely not read before. I devoured McQuiston's Red, White and Royal Blue when it released and while this one didn't draw me in quite the way that one did, it was well written.

August has just moved to New York City to attend college. As she's getting settled in, she finds a home with a random group of people, Myla, Wes and Niko, who become her found family. She's got a Nancy Drew like streak in her that she learned from her Mom throughout her life. She meets Jane on the Q train during her commute to school and she realizes that Jane is literally displaced in time from the 1970's. It becomes the focus of August and her friends to free Jane from the train, whatever that means either going back in time or staying in the present.

While I didn't love the time travel part of the story, I loved the variety of characters, their varying backgrounds and all of the different quirks. While this wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I'll definitely look for whatever Casey McQuiston releases next.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
4.5 out of 5
Release Date 6/1/21


August Landry is new to New York City, and after countless moves and life changes, has given up on anywhere (or anyone) ever feeling like home. Her mom’s obsession with finding her missing brother has made it impossible to become attached to anything but deep diving through personal records. But when August stumbles upon Jane during her morning commute on the Q train, the one-sided meet cute turns into a chain of events that changes August’s life forever.

I think the one phrase that sums up my time with this book is “pleasantly surprised,” and not because I was surprised to like it, but the plot itself was totally not what I was expecting with this book. For those of you trying to not read any spoilers or synopsis bits (like I was), I’ll just say that I was not expecting the tiniest bit of science fiction in this (but completely required for the main plot). Aside from that, the relationships are of course the best part of this story, and are so well-written that it makes me nostalgic for a life I never even had.

The only reason this book is not getting a full 5 stars is because I just didn’t quite feel the all-encompassing passion that I felt when reading Red, White, & Royal Blue. I can’t quite pinpoint what it was that didn’t push it all the way to a five star, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t insanely enjoyable - just maybe not quite “un-putdown-able” as RW&RB. Regardless of that - go buy this book! Heartwarming and enjoyable to the end, it’s a perfect weekend rom-com read for the summer.

This book was so painfully slow that I finally just gave up on it and stopped reading around 50%. Maybe I'm just not a reader who connects with this author. I found her other book (RW&RB) to be overly frenetic in its pacing.

Her characters in this book are likable, but the pace was just way off for me.

I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This book sucked me right in and gripped me, and I found it hard to stop reading because I needed to know what would happen next. There's a bit of unnecessary third act drama, and I couldn't keep Wes and Niko straight in my head for half the time.

I love the casual diversity in this book. As a plus sized cis bi white woman, I can't really speak to how well the rep is written or if there are any problematic issues with it. Nothing jumped out at me as cringey, which I hope is because it's written well and not because my vision is too narrow. I can say that I love the casual descriptors that code August as plus-sized without her weight ever being a problem or her feeling like she needs to lose weight. How refreshing! And then August's roommates and coworkers are just this bright rainbow of wacky diversity, and it's great.

I am IN LOVE with Jane. *swoon* I love the chemistry between Jane and August, it's GLORIOUS. It's also really cool how they teach each other about the different viewpoints and events and media of their times. This book is like a love song to the 70's, breakfast foods, and found family.

I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by Natalie Naudus, and it was quite an enjoyable ride. Her voice is pleasant and the pacing is good. The only thing that annoyed me is apparently August is southern and the narrator is very NOT, so every time August said "y'all" it had a very jarring effect and pulled me right out of the story. Besides that, though, I loved how she gave everyone their own distinct voice, and I felt like she was really spot on with how I expected Jane to sound.

What do I say about this book? I’ve slowly been reading it over a couple months. Overall, I enjoyed it. There were moments it dragged. That’s when I would put it down and come back to it later. It didn’t take very long for me to realize this is a book that you just don’t know what is going to happen next. I did like that it was different. This book is full of interesting characters that I would love to meet and be friends with. It’s definitely an unexpected adventure that I’m glad I went on.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

August is naturally skeptical and basically a recovering child-sleuth. When she arrives in New York, she meets Jane on the subway and it turns out that Jane is quite literally displaced in time from the 1970's and can't actually get off the Q train. August and her new roommates set out to send Jane back in time or figure out a way to keep her in their own timeline.

This was... not what I expected. I guess I hadn't read the synopsis as thoroughly as I should have. I did enjoy it, but it was not a pull-you-in binge read like Red White & Royal Blue was.

I'm obsessed with August's roommates and wouldn't mind reading more about them - especially Niko and Wes. I love a found family and this was the perfect little group of random roommates.

Honestly, I could have done without the time slip plotline. I think Jane and August complemented each other but I just was not into the sci-fi adjacent plot. Maybe because I wasn't expecting it, but what can you do.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

First off I love this community for opportunities like this to read ARC!

Casey McQuiston is one of my favorite authors, I absolutely loved Red, White & Royal Blue so I was stoked to get the chance to read her new book!

One thing I wish I knew going into the book is that it is a FANTASY. Fantasy is not really my thing BUT I did really enjoy this story. One Last Stop follows August who just moved to NYC and meets Jane (her crush) on the subway. Jane is fun, mysterious, and has a 70s vibe. Why the 70s vibe… because she is straight out of the 70s and displaced in the current day!

All I can say is if you liked The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Red, White & Royal Blue you will like this!

Thank you net galley and Casey Mcquiston for giving me the opportunity to read and review One Last Stop in exchange for an honest review!

Run! Don’t Walk to Your Bookstore on June 1!

Waitress August is working her way through college, living in a tiny apartment with three roommates. During her morning commute to school, she meets a captivating young woman on the subway. They strike up a friendship, and August soon realizes Jane isn't what she appears to be. Can Jane escape the time slip she seems to be caught in—and can August bear to let go of the woman who's won her heart?

This book is about as different from RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE as it can be. It's an emotional and intricately woven story with unique and interesting characters. If you like magical realism and a joyous celebration of diversity, this book is for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Review goes live 5/28/2021 @ 8am EST

THE 411...

I will preface this review with first asking that you read this book when it hits the shelves next Tuesday June 1st! That it just so happens to be the very first day of Pride month makes this pure PERFECTION! This is a SUPER SEXY, Queer, time-slip Contemporary Romance filled with all the found family feels and New York City History. Specifically the history of the Queer community and the challenges they faced as well as the many strides made leading up to present day. We meet twenty-three year old August who is quite cynical and doesn't believe in much. She's spent most of her life assisting her mom in trying to crack a missing persons case and decides it's time for a change. Moving into a New York City apartment with three other queer roommates and working the night shift at a 24 hour pancake diner fast track August on becoming a true New Yorker. Always on the go. The chances of meeting the same girl on the Q train every day at the same exact time seem almost too good to be true. Yet there Jane is, on the exact morning that August is having a bad start to her day offering her a red scarf to help cover up a coffee stain. Jane, a Chinese Lesbian wearing a leather jacket with 70's pins. She's cool and laid back yet charming, sexy and mysterious AF! August CANNOT get her off her mind and thus begins her every morning routine ensuring she gets on the same car train at the exact hour of their first meet. This is NOT for the feint of heart Book Lovers! *turns mini desk fan on* 

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

I've been waiting to find a 6 star read this year and it being days away from June, I was breaking a sweat thinking it just wasn't going to happen. This book changed that and I'll be the first to admit I wasn't expecting it to. Although I enjoyed McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue I didn't exactly claim it as a favorite in 2019. One Last Stop however, was the EXACT level of romance, steam, and comedy that I crave whenever I pop into the Contemporary genre. This was also a love letter to NYC, the city I was born and raised in and was able to visualize while riding the Q train with these characters. I'll also never tire of the found family trope because it's one that I can relate to personally with my own group of life long queer besties. The side characters were also center stage and I loved this so much! they were each so deeply fleshed out and just what August needed as a welcoming committee to the city of NY. She's a Bisexual 23 year old paving her own way in life and that can be quite scary to do alone...except she doesn't have to do it alone. She has Niko, the Trans Psychic Latino who read her aura and pretty much decided she had a home with them from the minute they met. Myla, a queer electrical engineer/artist who has habit of inventing weird in-home games that often take a turn for the worse. Wes, a queer Jewish tattoo artist who is in love with their neighbor but can't muster up the courage to act on it. We get it all in this book! NYC, one hot steamy romance, time jumps to the 70's, pancake goodness and drag queens my luvs! I can go on for days but part of the fun is getting to know these characters and falling in love with each and every one of them. I'm ready for whatever McQuiston writes next! <3

P.S. for those thinking of giving the audiobook a go, I'd highly recommend it! the narrator was on point and I have a referral link to Librofm if you find that you're interested <3's!