5/5

The Q train is a place and a person, and for August Landry it’s proof that there is a bit of magic left in the world. Moving to New York City at twenty-three was supposed to prove to her the exact opposite, that the world is indeed just as cynical as she expected; but with a weird new group of roommates, her new job at a 24-hour pancake diner, and the gorgeous stranger who keeps magically reappearing on her morning commute, August is far from being proven right. Subway girl is Jane, and Jane is everything August could possibly want. There’s just one problem: Jane is not just some girl swept up in the nostalgia of old school rock, she’s literally been stuck on the subway since 1970. Having been confronted with the impossible, August is more than ready to help Jane get off the train, but doing so means returning to a past she promised would stay buried. Something that may be precisely what she needs in order to find a future worth believing in.

One Last Stop is marvelous, full of all the wit and charm that McQuiston brought to their first debut Red, White & Royal Blue. This book could be pitched as Nancy Drew meets a time travel romantic comedy, which are two things I never expected to be mashed together in a contemporary novel. When it comes to Casey McQuiston however, I have learned to expect the unexpected. Their previous book is proof of that. In her sophomore novel, McQuiston crafts a heartwarming testament to the queer community, wrapped up in 70’s nostalgia and breakfast food. The characters shine through in the same way that those in Red, White & Royal Blue did, yet there is a realness to the space in which they occupy that is wholly different. Set in the backdrop of New York City, this story brings together a diverse group of people, creating one of the most wholesome queer found family’s I have read in a long time. Though most of the plot deals with August and her quest to save Jane from the subway, there is a lot going on in the background with the side characters and their own lives. I can again report that I have formed an unhealthy attachment to certain characters that aren't the core focus of a novel (Nora Holleran and Wes I am looking at you). There is just something about the way that McQuiston writes her characters, how genuine each of them comes across on the page, and how I begin to feel for every single one without fail. The variety of relationships portrayed in this novel make it shine even more so. Casey McQuiston is clearly becoming a force to be reckoned with in new adult romance, an author I know I can rely on for impactful queer stories. I'll never stop being grateful for everything they have done, present and future. This book is straight up magic, a love letter to beginnings, endings, and finding your path by way of the past.

Trigger warnings: racism, hate crimes, homophobia, anxiety, death of a loved one, blood

One Last Stop was captivating and delightful; it was everything I hoped it would be. I felt so lucky to receive an ARC! As soon as August met Jane on the subway, I literally couldn’t put the book down and read it in two sittings. I found myself deeply curious about the mystery of why Jane cannot leave the subway, the lives of August’s many roommates, and of course the magical love story at the heart of it all.

I don’t know how McQuiston has managed to pen experiences and emotions that feel so specific yet relatable. The witty banter and references were scarily accurate! They perfectly capture the sense of being young in a big city and finding a chosen family, while reaching for impossible love. The supporting cast creates a fantastic sense of community and acceptance. Readers will find themselves drawn into a wonderful LGBTQ+ family along with August.

One Last Stop is the type of book that will constantly occupy your thoughts when you aren’t reading it. This book steams with the warmth of summer, fragrant sweet pancakes, and hungry kisses in the dark. I highlighted so many quotes! All the truths and jokes combine into a beautiful and compelling prose. Against a sunset-drenched skyline, McQuiston brings the heat and longing of an unlikely love to a scorching crescendo.

August and Jane quickly stole my heart and I can’t emphasize enough how much you won’t want to miss out on this love story! I highly recommend this book to everyone- especially anyone who’s ever wondered about a cute stranger on public transportation. One Last Stop releases June 1, 2021. Thank you so much to Casey McQuiston, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

I’ve been reading romance novels for almost 30 years, and this is a different kind of romance. There are a lot of layers to this book so even if you aren’t a typical romance reader I still think there’s enough here to keep you interested. The diversity representation is through the roof (Asian, Black, Latino, bi, queer, trans, pan - there’s maybe 1 white cishet person in the whole book). I love August’s roommates for how supportive and accepting they are. I particularly love Myla, she is so witty and funny. And she introduces August to Joy Division, one of my all-time favorite bands, and this wonderful passage “... and it starts to make sense. The music, and why it might mean so much to someone.” The chemistry between August and Jane is stellar! One of the few things I wasn’t a fan of in this book is actually the sex scenes. Don’t get me wrong, these are some of the best f/f sex scenes I’ve read in a book. But they focus much more on how August is feeling emotionally during the encounters, as opposed to how she’s feeling physically. They are written in a very poetic lyrical manner, and sometimes it was hard to tell what was even happening during the scene because it lacked descriptions of the physical acts. Other than this small complaint this is a really special book, and I would highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

August thought she'd left her investigative work behind when she moved to New York, leaving her mother (and her mother's lifelong obsession with finding her missing brother) in Louisiana. But when August gets to know a mysterious hot lesbian on the subway and finds out there's something otherworldly about her, it takes August's whole new queer friend group to figure it out.

What a weird and wild and heartwarming ride! I went into this book without fully reading the publisher copy, and whew, was it full of surprises. August is such a refreshing protagonist, and her relationship with Jane is a delight. Casey McQuiston is truly the master of writing quirky, queer, lovable weirdos, and One Last Stop is full of them. This is quite a different story from Red, White & Royal Blue, but it draws you in just as quickly.

**ARC from the publisher/NetGalley**
◾This book is fantastic! I'm in love! This is entirely different from Red, White and Royal Blue, but also, it's the same vibe, the same amazingness.
◾Casey McQuiston is now an auto-buy AND auto-read right away, or rather in advance 😅 That's something!
◾So many queer characters!!!! And they're all so special and wonderful and interesting!
◾I also discovered I love reading about friends living together in an apartment. So fun!!!
◾The things she says, they're so crazy and silly and awesome and random, it's just plain beauty. I LIVE for the inner thoughts of her main characters.
◾The sex scenes in this book are just as freaking mouth watering as RWARB. Holy shit. Hot, sexy, thrilling, precise, just afsjdjfhsm.
◾The highlighting I did on my Kindle for this book was major 😂

OMG guys!!! This is definitely going to be on my top ten for 2021! I was lucky enough to read an ARC thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author. Casey McQuiston’s second book is a total home run! Unlike anything I’ve read before its like a smashup of Ghost/Veronica Mars/Gilmore Girls/Frequency/ and Ocean’s Eleven and I loved every second. I don’t know what it is about this book that makes me think of movies and actors but in my head the two main characters, Jane and August are played by Samira Wiley and Patricia Hobart. The premise is a little far fetched - meeting a girl from the 70s who is stuck on the same NYC subway line (but don’t overthink things too much like how can Jane eat and never need to use the bathroom or how does she wear the same clothes for 45 YEARS - talk about needing fresh undies!). Reality aside, this book is full of LOVE in all its messy and beautiful forms - love of family you’re born into and the ones you make, love of friends who love you for who you are and first loves and all the hope and magic involved. There is an AMAZING cast of secondary characters in this book - a wide spectrum of positive LGBTQ2S+ people living their lives in their close knit Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush. I can’t recommend this book enough and I REALLY hope someone makes it into a movie! Do yourself a favour and definitely add this to your TBR or better yet pre-order it immediately. You will NOT be sorry!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Ok after much thought and consideration...this is the best book i have read thus far in this year. it took me a while to read not because it was boring but because i did not want it to end but it did and i feel...emotions.

5 star read, lets get that out of the way. Not only did i connect to almost every character, but each character now holds a special place in my heart. This story may be a work of fiction but i don't think i have ever read anything more real. The romance? 10/10 The intricate plot? 10/10. My emotions? all over the place. There were many feel good moments, cute moments, emotional moment, and heart touching moments that had me shedding actual tears. Don't be fooled, this ain't a sad book. It's just the rawness and emotionally driven characters got to me. Have you ever had a book made you feel safe? Well this was that book for me.
i cannot wait to talk about it more when it releases June 1st 2021!
Pre-Order Now!

tiktok review:
https://www.tiktok.com/@aymansbooks/video/6950345996442422533?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6933083509267613190&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Casey truly did it again! What an absolutely fantastic and enthralling novel. This novel may contain a girl stuck in time, but you’ll get stuck in time reading it. This was un-put-down-able. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. It was so easy to fall in love with August, Myla, Niko, Wes, Jane and Isaiah. Plus the whole Billy’s Pancake House crew. What a fantastical, well done found family. I loved the dynamics, Niko’s ability to read August like a book, Wes’ distant but charming personality.. it all comes together like a warm hug and i love every single one of them.

I wish I could put into just a review how much the concept of this is so enthralling and how much it’s impossible not to love it. Maybe it’s the true crime junkie in me that loves and relates to August and her desire to solve every mystery, or maybe it’s Jane’s quirky, alluring but secretive personality. Either or, I want to either be with them or be their friend. This was so well written, with twists and turns always keeping you on your toes. The pacing was fantastic. The character dynamic was beautiful done and the entire book was just a giant hug. It was very gay, very much filled with love and very much everything my gay, true crime loving heart needed. Seriously, pick this up. You will not regret it!

I was highly anticipating this book, and was so excited for a queer romance. I loved parts of it, and other parts left me wanting more or didn’t really work for me.

One thing that I loved was August (the main character)’s relationship with her roommates. The found family aspect was so heartwarming. There were also some descriptions of being a young adult and not knowing what you’re doing that were just so spot on.

What didn’t work for me was the whole time travel plot line. It was underdeveloped and I just could suspend disbelief for it. This made it hard for me to believe in and root for The main relationship, which is clearly a problem in a romance book. So many parts of the plot just seemed to work out too conveniently for me. How August can not attend to any of her other responsibilities and it just works out fine.

This was a fun read, but not a favourite for me.

Wow. My love for One Last Stop far exceeds that of Red, White & Royal Blue and that is saying a lot! This book was utter perfection. It was so soft and romantic, funny and sexy. Sweet and spicy. The entire array of characters had my heart and I could have continued reading this book for several more hundred pages. I love books with a speculative spin and this one was so well done and kept me riveted and unsure where it would lead. This author is not only a masterful storyteller but a phenomenal writer as well. I can't wait for book 3.

One Last Stop: 5/5

Thank you, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGallery, for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

"That's the way it happens on the subway-you lock eyes with someone, you imagine a life from one stop to the next, and you go back to your day as if the person you loved in between doesn't exist anywhere but on that train. As if they never could be anywhere else."

This is the kind of book that makes you re-evaluate the meaning of five stars. This is the kind of book that every book must now live up to. It was complete and utter perfection.

Premise:
One Last Stop follows a girl named August. Age: 23, sexuality: Bi. She has repeatedly moved universities and states, careful never to have too many belongings, as she searches for a place in the world that feels like home. This is largely due to her mother, who is has been obsessed with solving a missing person case from the 70s and expects August to follow suit, but all August wants is to find her own path.

The book opens with August moving to New York City and starting, yet again, at a new university. She gets thrown into a questionable apartment thanks to a well-placed roommate advertisement and finally starts to think, maybe this is where she belongs. On her first day of class, August decides to take the Q train, where a girl with short dark hair, ripped jeans, and a leather jacket catches her eye, after promptly giving August her red scarf after August spills coffee on herself. This is a missed connection until August sees the girl, Jane, day after day, on the same Q train, in the same train car.

Little do we know, Jane is displaced from the 70s due to a magical time slip and lost her memory. August takes it upon her sleuthing self to solve the case of Jane and return her home. Unless feelings get in the way...

"It’s probably going to break my heart, and it’s still worth it."

Writing & Plot
Wow. I was a huge fan of Red White and Royal Blue and really enjoyed McQuiston's writing style. This was no exception. McQuiston knocked it out of the park with this one. The plot, banter, characters were executed flawlessly. This book is by no means sad, but I cried throughout the last 70% of it because it was so emotional.

One Last Stop can't even compare to Red White and Royal Blue because it is so different, and I really appreciated that. McQuiston is probably now one of my top five favorite authors ever.

Not only does One Last Stop touch on important and topical, current issues, but it pays homage to the people who have fought so bravely in our past to have a better future. She beautifully paints the picture of BIPOC LGBTQIAP+ people and their immense sacrifice and contributions to the inclusivity we see today. I don't think this book could have come at a more impervious time.

"The assurance that the other person is right there in your orbit, always waiting to be tugged back in."

Characters:
Flawless, truly. The roommates are all so special to me, and I think I'm in love with them all. The diversity in this book is such a breath of fresh air. We are met with an extremely diverse cast of characters, and it made the book all the more engaging.

If you want a found family trope, here it is:
Niko: Transgender Latino psychic and bartender
Myla: Queer Black artist with a background in electrical engineering. (Also Niko's soulmate)
Wes: Queer tattoo artist who needs to learn to love himself

Genuinely I fell in love with each of these characters with all my heart and soul. Don't even get me started on Jane. She is probably one of my favorite characters of all time.

Jane: Chinese Lesbian from the 70s, repeatedly described as "God."

Jane is one of the most dynamic characters I have ever encountered in a book. She is funny, complex, romantic, everything you could ever want. As Jane's story unfolds, so does your heart. Be warned.

The romance between Jane and August is godly. Not only is it swoon-worthy, but the buildup and slow-burn actually made me cry. It is so emotional and heartfelt; this is romance at its peak. The sex scenes were so tasteful, and their range kept it interesting and engaging. It wasn't just there for smut, but it was there because the romance needed it. It was sexy, realistic, romantic, and everything you could want in a sapphic romance. This is perfection, and I don't say that lightly.

"I fell in love with you the day I met you, and then I fell in love with the person you remembered you are. I got to fall in love with you twice. That's - that's magic."

Conclusion:
This is exquisite. Superb. I don't know how else to describe it, except that this book feels like home. I think everyone can benefit from reading it, and if you haven't pre-ordered it already, what are you doing.

This is my top read of 2021 thus far.

God I loved every word of this magnificent time-loop WLW romance so much. I can’t believe I let Casey McQuiston ruin my life like this.

Here’s what I loved: everything. The protagonists. The side characters (Myla and Niko are the absolute lights of my life). The subplot. The plot! How absurdly funny it was. How sad it made me. The found family. The ode to New York City. All of it! I loved everything about this book.

People expecting this to be a redux or Red, White, and Royal Blue may find themselves disappointed, but I felt like the best elements of Casey’s debut come forward in this one- the side characters, the intense queer longing and careful documentation of queer history, the way the internet and pop culture is woven into every line. This book rectified what I found most annoying about the debut— the weird politics and the sloooow conclusion.

I loved it I loved it I loved it!!!!

Thank you to the publishers + NetGalley for the ARC!

I read and listened to the author’s first book “Red White and Royal Blue” and thoroughly enjoyed it. I I was looking forward to this book as I thought it would be just as good. I am sad to say that I did not enjoy this book and struggled to finish it.

This book was a bit of a rough start at first. I went in blind and was turned off once I realized there was a paranormal-aspect, however... I decided to push through and found myself so pleasantly surprised! It was very, very different from RW&RB but it held a lot of the same charm. Every character, from our primary MCs to the roommates to the neighbors, were absolutely exceptional. I loved that they (similar to Alexis Hall's writing style) bordered the line of being realistically quirky and unrealistically strange. I could picture each and everyone one of them and would have loved to have befriended them all. Bonus: the diversity of the cast and the normal way it was handled (especially Niko's being trans) without showboating the diversity of the characters, but rather showcasing them. Eventually I was so won over by the book and invested in the Jane's story and our heroine's journey to self-discovery that I went from reading the book in starts and fits to bingeing the remainder of the book in one night. And isn't that all we want from a book?

August Landry has recently moved to New York City to attend Brooklyn College for her last few terms. She begins to get into a rhythm in her new city life, with her motley crew of roommates and her new diner waitressing job. That rhythm is thrown askew from the moment she sees, Jane, a mysterious and sexy woman on the subway. Day after day, she runs into Jane on the train and eventually their conversations turn from a comment here and there to full on get-to-know-you conversations. August finally works up the nerve to ask Jane out and Jane has to decline. Their relationship will be impossible - Jane is displaced from the 1970s. But August is determined to help her figure out what's going on.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! It had some major Outlander and Time Traveler's Wife vibes and those are two of my all-time favorite books. I love the idea of a love story that is up against an impossible hurdle of time constructs. The concepts of Jane's displacement in this book is outlandish, mind blowing, and it totally works!

Casey McQuiston does a fantastic job of writing a book with a diverse set of characters. They are all colors of the ethnic rainbow and the LGBTQ rainbow and they were a beautiful melting pot. The big group scenes in this book were hilarious! They are all quirky, a little crazy, and wildly inappropriate and I loved every single one of them.

Jane is such an enigmatic character. She is mysterious, smart, charming, sexy, and she had great energy. It's no wonder that a lot of people were falling in love with her as she traveled on the train every day. Only someone as cool and collected as Jane could endure the time displacement with the grace and humor that she did. The chemistry between August and Jane was intense and I loved every moment of them together.

Bravo to McQuiston for writing an original and imaginative story with so much heart and humor!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: homophobia, death of a relative

***ARC Review***

Casey McQuiston took New York and turned it into a book. Every page filled with the sights and sounds and smells and feelings. And, perhaps most importantly, people. Turn a corner and find a little coffee shop or pancake house or an apartment filled with wacko roommates (who make the story brighter in every possible way) or a club stuffed with drag queens eating aforementioned pancakes. There’s a soundtrack essentially written into the book (seriously, the music references are awesome) and constant descriptions of food that made me hungry while reading (I want to make literally every recipe mentioned in this). It really feels like the author wrote a story filled with everything they love about an amazing city and it’s such a wonderful book to read.

One Last Stop has the vibes of Red, White, & Royal Blue— but from Henry’s perspective crossed with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue— but from Bea or Sam’s perspective which is just literally the best possible combination ever.
That being said, it is NOT either of those books and absolutely stands on its own as an equally incredible story, for those who are wondering how it compares to McQuiston’s debut. (Also, this is much less fan-fiction-esque, the author’s writing style has improved a lot)

The characters in this book are beyond incredible. While there are, of course, two main characters whose story this is, the cast is really an ensemble of amazing and unique characters with their own stories. From August’s roommates to family members to coworkers to people lost back in time, every single one has a story and a life that is beautifully integrated into August’s story and it is truly a joy to read. Also, all of McQuiston’s characters are (lovable) idiots, it seems, and they will most definitely make you laugh.
In terms of the main characters, they’re amazing, to say the least. I love the contrast between Jane and August and their chemistry is perfect. I loved following their stories as both distinct individual characters and, of course, their love story. They will send you on an emotional rollercoaster that will tear at your heartstrings and make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. Theirs is the kind of love story you never want to stop reading.

Aside from the romance, the plot is intriguing and full of more twists than one would expect from a rom-com. With multiple mysteries and a constant hunt for an answer, the rush of a case, interspersed with multiple adorable love stories, friendships, moments of life that simply fit into place, and the buzz of NYC, there is never a dull moment on these pages.

All in all, this book is truly stunning, well written, atmospheric read that will transport you to New York City and make you never want to leave.

I’m crying the happiest of tears, what a book. This is the sapphic romcom time slip story I never knew I needed this much.

ONE LAST STOP is a book I want to live in, that I want to wrap myself up in. The queer found family is everything and authentic. The bi rep is spot on, the song references have prompted me to make a Spotify playlist in between reading sessions so I can listen and dream even more about this book. I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world, and I’m especially excited for the world to fall in love with August & Jane as much as I have.

Thank you to St Martin’s and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

“there’s a kindness she doesn’t understand and evidence of things she convinced herself weren’t real. and worst of all, for the first time since she was a kid, she wants to trust in something.”

the only way i know how to start this is by talking about red, white & royal blue. i know red white & royal blue very intimately, with a lot of it committed to memory. i would know casey mcquiston’s words anywhere.

from the first few pages of one last stop, i knew this familiar voice: singing a new song, spinning a new tale. it felt like coming home, even though i've never been here before.

there's a risk that comes with anticipating reads. when you have expectations and hopes. what if it doesn't live up. what if you hate it. what if you let yourself down?

for me especially, loving red white & royal blue so much. for that book to be my favorite book of all time. for that book and the characters in it meaning so much to me to the point where i say it changed my life.

reading one last stop left me with an overwhelming sense of joy and relief. this book i have been waiting to read for so long met every expectation and soared above it.

one last stop is the story of august–a 23 year old who has just moved into a new york city apartment with people she's just met, leaving behind the mystery her mom is chasing. she doesn't believe in magic. but then she meets jane on the subway–an impossible girl who seems to have been displaced from the 70's. so maybe there is magic after all.

in the span of one novel, casey mcquiston has crafted the most incredible cast of characters. while august and jane are our two leads, they are framed with a diverse group of friends. sometimes i read books and by the end i still feel like i don't even know the love interest or the narrator. here, i felt a connection to every character. and i loved all of them so much. i was invested in every background plot. i could read about them forever.

casey dedicates this book to queer communities past, present, and future. this book is definitely a celebration of that. it is an ode to the queer folks who came before us. it's about how they fought for everything we have now. how we continue to fight for the kids who will come after us. it's about being a twenty something who doesn't have it together, but living with your friends that you love like family. about how you could all be so different, but you share your queerness and you build your community around that. because sometimes that's the thing the world wants to take away and there is strength in standing against the world with those you love.

this book is about feeling. feeling magic, feeling love, feeling friendship. allowing yourself to feel sadness because it deserves to be felt. you learn to understand why you close yourself off, and you become brave enough to let others in. you realize the only reason why the walls are up is because you put them there.

this book is about home. about new people and new places becoming home. about your home being a diner that needs to be saved, an apartment where the floor isn't level, a train where every time you get on you see the one person who matters most. about how one of the biggest, wildest cities in the world becomes home after years of searching for the place you belong.

this book is so extraordinary. it's gonna stay with me for a long time. i'm so glad it exists. i'm so excited for the world to read it. i'm trying to hold myself back from rereading it right this moment. I want to wait until i have the finished copy in june.

Loved the book and Loved the characters! The relationships between the roommates were amazing - the Kate and Leopold story line did not really do it for me, but as a study in characters this was perfect!

I love all the characters in this book. I didn't read the whole synopsis before starting. I like everything about the book except the whole time difference thing. I wasn't a fan of that and tried to wrap my head around it. I know it is the focal point of the book but i had powered thru it. I loved red, white and royal blue and was hoping it that same direction ish. Still good :)

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.