I cannot even begin to express how thoroughly impressed I am by this book or just how much I love the entirety of this story. This felt like a complete and utter love letter to the queer community and I am living for it! This had everything I could have asked for; love, romance, friendship, family, drag queens, snark, mystery, steamy sex, and an epic adventure between friends that left me feeling nostalgic for times gone by and heartbroken that I never quite had an adventure like theirs.

The utter diversity of this book was just beyond amazing. Fat, trans, queer, bisexual, Latinx, Jewish, Black, Chinese. The only group not represented, that I could tell, was the disabled community, but I have to sing high praises for just how inclusive Casey was with her characters. Not only was the representation there but each character had a distinctive personality and a fleshed out storyline arc that was shown on the page. None of it felt forced or shoe horned in either. Each and every bit felt flawless and effortless.

I honestly just can't say how much I loved this book. It was so well written, so well thought out and executed, and I felt such joy at riding along with August as she found a family, opened up, and grew as a person not just individually but within this group and with her partner. I laughed so much reading the snark and humor included. It had just enough modern day vernacular to keep it relevant but not so much that this book will become dated.

I read this thing in less than a day and even though I just finished it, I already want to reread this story. I want to return to the apartment in New York and play a round of Rolly Bangs, ride the Q, eat a stack of pancakes at Billy's, and get a hug from every character there. I just want to be apart of this story forever.

One Last Stop is the book version of Psych mixed with Veronica Mars. This book follows the secretly soft-hearted August as she moves and tries to make a place for herself in New York; we watch as she (against her better judgment) makes friends and connections and gets involved in the mystery surrounding the girl in the subway. I have to thank Casey McQuiston because they never fail to write beautiful, realistic, and compelling love stories. The thing I adore the most about this book is the found family aspects and just how "full" every single character feels. They all have their own fears and things they need to work towards, and I loved watching August build a family. One Last Stop is hilarious and full of pure honesty. This book reminded me that not only is being queer beautiful, but it is something to be embraced. It broke me in the best way possible, and I cannot wait for it to be published so I can talk about it non-stop,

This is not a good book. Everything I loved about Red, White and Royal Blue - witty dialogue that made me laugh out loud, a flawed but fascinating protagonist and a love story to root for - is missing from this book. It’s hard to imagine this is written by the same author. So disappointing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

It's a love story about New York and public transit, chosen families and drag shows, pancakes and cold cases. I could read McQuiston all day. Her representation is fantastic, her writing so damned clever.

Each of the characters' growth arcs was so well done - Jane moving from just this side of a manic pixie dream girl to a fully fleshed character, August navigating the early 20s drift, Wes and Isaiah's relationship, which I stan intensely (am I slanging that right?). Jane and August's historical contexts were such an interesting juxtaposition, highlighting how far rights for the LGBTQIA+ community have come since the 70s. The scenes in which Jane got to experience and enjoy what she had worked so hard to achieve were delightful.

A thousand BFF charms to the roommate crew and their amateur heist, but also a slight caveat - the book is set in 2020 but doesn't address any of... well... this. The ARC doesn't include McQuiston's acknowledgement section, which was fabulous in RW&RB, but knowing that she's previously written an alternate timeline made me curious whether or not this was a conscious choice.

“Subway Girl is a smile lost along the tracks. She showed up, saved the day, and blinked out of existence the second August stepped off at Avenue H.”

Anyone who knows me at all knows that Red, White, and Royal Blue is one of my all-time favorites. I picked it up from the library on a whim, and fell in love. It was one of the most joyful, ecstatic queer romances I’d ever read, and there was zero doubt I would run to anything Casey McQuiston writes.

One Last Stop is a very different story than RWaRB, but at its core, it’s a similar story—about found family, destiny, and the power of love. One Last Stop gives us August Landry, a recent transplant to Brooklyn, in many ways running away from her history. She meets Jane, a butch dream, on the train, and starts to realize at the same time that she’s falling for her that something about Jane just isn’t…right.

This is a very different story from RWaRB, but not in a bad way. I felt like RWaRb grabbed me right away and sent me careening down a steep drop. One Last Stop is a few gentle hills up for a while, but it picks up momentum all the way until the end. The characters here are real, expertly drawn, and you want to root for them. And the central relationship between August and Jane has chemistry that sizzles right off the page. And this, more so, is a fundamentally queer story, that draws in queer past and present, and celebrates and centers the queer experience. And it’s an unabashed love letter to New York which makes you feel really grounded in the place.

What was the same for me as my experience reading RWaRB is how much I wanted to lose myself in Casey’s writing. There were so many passages that I went back and re-read right away, just so I could revel in them. I know that people could want to throw away these stories based on just the descriptions, but the writing reminds you that you’re reading something vastly elevated by a writer who can make you feel, and make you step back and marvel at what they can do.

This is a perfect book not just for RWaRB fans, but for anyone who wants a well-written, queer, complicated, sweet love story, full of flawed, real characters you can fall in love with too.

“She felt like everything. She felt like a long winter, then a nervous spring, then a sticky summer, and then those last four days you never thought you’d get to, the ones that spread themselves out, out, out until they feel like they go on forever. So, August is a person.”

I had very high expectations of this book, having absolutely adored McQuiston's first book, Red White and Royal Blue. One Last Stop was cute, though not as good as its predecessor (which I think I enjoyed for the higher stakes elements of the romance). I did enjoy this book, and I liked the undercurrent about your found family. As for the story, the romance between August and Jane was believable, and I was anxious to see how their story would end. I'll be recommending this to my friends who are looking for a NA or romance novel. Also, like one of the characters in the book, I will definitely be making a cross stitch ASAP that says "Big Dick Energy is Gender Neutral".

However, as a lifelong New Yorker, I had a few silly qualms with the book (perhaps that can be edited before publication?) First, no one moves to New York to attend Brooklyn College - you only go there if you're already living in Brooklyn. Second, as the daughter of a Brooklyn College alumna, no one calls it BC. Any time it is referred to as BC in the book, please change it back to Brooklyn College if this is a change that can be made. Third, one small plot point that I think should have been addressed if the author was trying for consistency with NY history - the characters ride the Q train to 96th street, but at the time that Jane got stuck on the subway, the Q did not go to the Upper East Side. The 2nd Avenue extension only opened a few years ago! This took me out of the story, that there was no acknowledgement that she used to be able to ride the line all the way to Astoria in Queens. Also, parts of the line were definitely shut down for a few weeks after Lower Manhattan lost power after Hurricane Sandy, so I kept wondering what would have happened to Jane during those times, too (I realize this story is fictional and I'm just harping on these details because I am from Brooklyn).

Casey McQuiston has written something really special here with "One Last Stop". This is a book full of queer joy and love and loneliness and the result is something beautiful. The plot is clever, the setting is beautifully illustrated and the characters are all fantastic. The main character of August is absolutely lovely, and I loved the way her character evolved over the course of the book as she grew into herself in new ways and as her relationship with Jane and with her new friends grew. Her internal fears about the future, about herself and about love were so incredibly real. Jane was also such a brilliant character and I absolutely loved learning more about her past and seeing her connection with August grow throughout the story. August's other friends consisted some of my favorite ensemble of characters ever. All of them were absolutely amazing. This story is such a testament to love and found family, but also to New York itself and the energy of this city. I also loved the edge of science-fiction added in & it certainly adds more magic to my own commute as I look around at all the people I encounter each day on the New York subway. One can only wish to find someone as wonderful as Jane. I can't recommend this book enough.

"August doesn’t believe in most things, but it’s hard to argue that Jane wasn’t put on the Q to fuck up her whole life."


Red, White & Royal Blue was one of my favorite books of 2019. I was able to get a very early ARC of it, and I fell so deeply in love with this alternate reality I so desperately wanted to live in as a queer biracial with a hopeless romantic heart. Casey’s prose, characters, romance, banter, and (obviously) themes were everything to me, and I knew that they would take the book world by storm with their expectation-shattering debut. But then when they announced their next book would be sapphic Kate & Leopold, with an Asian love interest? Be still, my entire heart and soul. So when I tell you that I ignored every single ARC I needed to read and review before this one for the next eight months, I say that with my whole chest because there was no way I could stop myself once it hit my kindle.

One Last Stop is a story about a twenty-three-year-old bi girl named August who has moved from university to university, state to state, looking for a place that will feel like a home she has never known. Her whole life, her mother has expected her to assist in solving a missing person case from the 70s, but August just wants to find herself, her own way, and wants to feel like she finally belongs somewhere. At the start of this story, she has made it to New York where is she going to finish her degree, and thanks to a questionably placed looking-for-roommates advertisement in a Popeyes she starts to feel like maybe she could eventually call this city and these roommates home.

The Roommates:
➽ Niko – trans Latino psychic (good) bartender (not so good)
➽ Myla – queer Black electrical engineer turned artist (has an adoptive Chinese mom, who really added to the story so beautifully to me, so I am mentioning it here too!)
➽ Wes – queer Jewish tattoo artist

Oh, and I am fully in love with all three of them and the found family depicted in this book is so heartwarmingly perfect, I promise you! There are even more side characters who will easily steal your heart, too, and there is also a big emphasis on New York’s drag scene, and how queer people of color are still paving the way in 2020. This book has a very diverse cast, and we see so many different cultures, sexualities, genders, religions, and more. (There is for sure bigger body representation with August, but I’m not sure that I would say it is fat representation. I will edit this and quote an ownvoices reviewer mutual once they read and review! Also, it is brought up a couple times that August’s mom conceived her via in vitro fertilization, and I just feel like we don’t really get to see that a lot in books and I really loved that too!)

But on August’s very first day’s commute to school, where she takes the Q train subway line, she is having a bit of bad luck and an exceptionally large coffee stain. But all that luck seems to change right before her very eyes, when she meets a girl who gives August her red scarf without hesitation. She can’t stop thinking about the girl who saved her bad day, and the low chances of her being at that exact spot when she needed someone in a city that is so busy second meetings never happen, especially on the subway. That is, until she sees the girl again, and again, and starts to realize that she not only is on the Q every time August is on it, but in the exact same train car.

Oh Jane, where do I even begin? Jane is a Chinese lesbian who is displaced from the 70s in some kind of magical timeslip, where she can’t remember much of anything about her past, only what she carries in her bookbag. That is, until Jane seems to be the only person who helps her remember, while also being the only person she can’t seem to forget. Oh, and come the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag? Every sapphic in the book community with have Jane Su as their fictional crush. On God and on everything else. When I tell you Casey McQuistion wrote most everyone’s sapphic dream, I say it honestly.

But basically, since August has been taught her whole life how to solve missing persons cases, and because she is very gay and can’t stop thinking about the incredibly swoon worthy girl on the train, she decides to do whatever it takes to help not only figure out Jane’s past, but to try to rescue her from the subway she is tethered to. Even if helping her means lots and lots of kissing, maybe especially so actually.

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


The romance in this book? A tier above. I feel like One Last Stop gave a new definition to the word “yearning” if you want my very honest opinion. Truly, this is the type of book that will make even the most cynical of readers believe in love. The emotions (and tears) it was able to evoke from me was nothing short of astounding. And now I will be forever longing for someone to have a notebook filled with me. Like, this book is truly so goddamn romantic, and the one-liners left me utterly gasping and fully quaking.

"but none of those girls were you."


On top of the fact that the sex scenes were probably the best I’ve read in any f/f book in my entire life. The range of sexual acts, the different kinds of sex that queer people are extra blessed to have if they want to have sex, the learning of your partner’s wants and needs and body in general; it was all just so perfect, so sexy, and so realistic. And this book was so sex positive, especially when you are in your early twenties and learning what you want and like! Also, there was a very important (and seamlessly woven in) discussion on virginity and how the concept is truly something of dated myth, especially in queer communities.

"She read about San Francisco, about the movements happening there, about Asian lesbians riding on the backs of cable cars just to show the city they existed"


Casey McQuiston constantly pays homage to the lgbtqiap+ community (especially queer people of color) who came before us, who paved the way, and who are the reason that we in present day have so many more rights and freedoms. And they do not shy away from talking about the costs so many paid with heartbreaking loss.

The UpStairs Lounge fire happened in the 1973 and was the largest gay mass murder prior to the Pulse shooting in 2016. The Stonewall riots in 1969, where people refused to be silenced and erased by the police or anyone else, and in return gave us some many civil rights advances. To HIV and AIDS activists who had to live during the Carter and Reagan administrations who not only encouraged hate with racism and homophobia, but who heartlessly let so many die, while also eventually administrated drugs that would lead to toxic overdoses, simultaneously promising a vaccine that would never come. Victims had to wait until 2003 for baseline adequate help after so many had already been lost because of the virus.

There are so many challenges still with being unapologetically who you are in present day, but it is so important to honor and remember all of the lgbtqiap+ activists (again, especially the people of color) who came before us and made what we do have today possible. And Casey McQuiston truly keeps that at the forefront and makes it the heart of this story.

"two different generations of messy, loud, brave and scared and brave again people stomping their feet and waving hands with bitten nails, all the things they share and all the things they don’t. the things she has that people like Jane smashed windows and spat blood for."


And surrounding yourself with people who see you, amplify you, support you, celebrate you, and love you unconditionally and unapologetically is so important, too. I think it’s always really important to mention that even though Casey honors the past, they filled me with so much hope for the future, and for future generations of marginalized voices who will more easily be amplified, more easily be heard, and so much more easily be seen.

Friendly reminder, if you haven't found a place that feels like home yet, or the people who uncondiontally love and respect you, I promise you will and I promise are never alone in the meantime. Putting yourself and your safety first will always be the most important thing in all the different stages of life. And just know I see you, and I'm proud of you, and I'm cheering for you, always. But if you ever need extra help The Trevor Project and PFLAG can be wonderful recourses.

Overall, this book just meant so much to me, and I know it is going to mean so much to so many. 2020 has been so hard, so fucking hard, on so many, and this book was the 2020 escapism that I want to fold myself into forever. I haven’t left my home’s property in eight months, but with One Last Stop I got to feel whole and happy and seen on a New York subway, while watching two girls fall in love and carve out the lives that they want, unapologetically. Truly, this book made me even more proud to be a queer Asian, I only wish I was half as cool as Jane Su.

"you’re the first thing I’ve believed in since—since I don’t even remember, okay, you’re—you’re movies and destiny and every stupid, impossible thing, and it’s not because of the fucking train, it’s because of you."


Oh, and this will probably be my favorite 2021 publication. Happy reading!

Trigger and Content Warnings: talk of loss of a loved one, talk of death, talk of anxiety and anxiety depictions, talk of the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, alcohol consumption, talk of homophobia in the past, talk of racism in the past, talk of hate crimes in the past, mention of gentrification, and brief mentions of blood.

Clever and infinitely romantic, One Last Stop is the perfect follow-up to RW&RB. I was swept up in this time-slip story from page one and loved every second of it. The writing is perfection and the characters are quirky and impossible not to adore. What an absolute delight of a book.

This was an enjoyable read. The author had well developed characters and a solid storyline. I loved the premise of the book. I would suggest for new adult and above.

When I was notified that access had been granted, I was so beyond excited. One Last Stop is magical. It is special. I had to FORCE myself to read it slowly to get the whole experience, I didn't want to rush it. Mcquiston does such a good job at immersing the reader in her words. One Last Stop made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me almost sick with longing. Why? Because McQuiston writes about found family in a way that made me wish I had a family like August found.

After Red White and Royal Blue, when I heard that McQuiston was writing a time bending novel I didn't know what to think. I knew it would be great, but didn't know HOW great.

I truly have nothing but good things to say about One Last Stop. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Casey McQuiston, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was the pick me up I needed after a rough few months/weeks.

This has be THE most delightful read of 2020 and we all know what a spectacularly *fart noise* year it has been. I could not put my phone down to the point where I had my phone propped up against my laptop screen so I could work and read simultaneously. Jane and August have such an organic and exciting relationship. The emotional build up is the serotonin I look for in romances. Myla, Wes, Niko, Isaiah, Winfield, Lucie, and everyone in the supporting cast were also so lovable and endearing. I was rooting for every single one of them and wishing for their happiness. The elements of fabulism are such a classic trope of romcoms and Casey McQuiston executed them with flawless perfection. I was drawn in even further with the glimpses of queer history that were sprinkled throughout the book, making me want to research more into queer history as a queer person myself. As an a-spectrum person, having an emotional foundation is my buy in to any and all romances and this book really roped me in. The smut was *chefs kiss* made all the more excellent because I was emotionally invested in the characters. I also greatly appreciated that they explicit scenes were not as graphic as the romance genre tends to lean into. I was comfortable reading the book through every page. Even the mystery elements were really well played out and the Veronica Mars vibes were immaculate. I can guarantee that this book is going to be reread within the month. Loved. It.

First off, I'd like to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and are based on an early version of the book that can differ from the final, released version.

If you're just expecting RWRB V.2 but f/f, you'd better alter your expectations. One Last Stop is fantastic in its own ways, but its strengths vary drastically from McQuiston's first novel. I expected this going in (most authors don't exactly like writing the exact same book over and over), but people who go in expecting the same sort of novel as RWRB might be disappointed.

One Last Stop, as a whole, feels like a softer, sadder romance, while still having many aspects that made me love McQuiston's first book: a strong found family, a flawed, yet likable, main character, and a romance that both entirely grabs the reader's interest and serves as a way for both the main character and the love interest to grow. But again, even with these similarities, One Last Stop differs when it comes to the specifics. The humor in this book is more subtle, the found family is established within the story rather than before the story (as well as consisting of a much wider range of characters, in all aspects), the romance itself takes a much different path, and the MC, August, feels like the opposite of Alex in some aspects, she's a lot more protective of herself, a much 'rougher' character to those around her, though at her core, the same love of the world and people around her exists. These differences lead to a much different story, and while just as (if not more) enjoyable, it definitely requires the reader to be wanting something different than just a cute, funny rom-com.

One Last Stop, while reading, gave off vibes similar to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, in my opinion. It carried the same undercurrent of longing, of patient sadness, of coming to grips with how terrible the world can be and learning to find the beauty in small things, the good things that survive despite it all. It made the story overall feel slower than RWRB, and while I still loved reading it, it was less of a desperate rush to see what happened next and more of a slow unfurling of more story, more time and space for the characters to grow and learn to love again.

Overall, I genuinely really enjoyed this, and I loved seeing the range that McQuiston has, and all the potential for a rich variety of queer stories that we have yet to see from them. I highly recommend this, whether you enjoyed RWRB or not, and can't wait to see what they write next!

Where to even begin with this book? There's truly so much I loved about it, but I think the highlight of Casey McQuiston's books is the characters and the authenticity that comes with them.

This book follows August, a 23-year-old "reformed girl detective" (as put by her roommate) who has just moved to NYC in the hopes of finding a new city, a new school, and a new version of herself to fall in love with. August was a fantastic main character, and is easily a new favorite of mine as well as one that I found to be extremely relatable as a 21-year-old about to graduate college. She's cynical and full of dry, millennial humor (which I loved) that is clear from the beginning. She also struggles to connect with other people and puts up walls when it comes to making new friends, which is what I think I related to the most. This book explores the loneliness of not finding 'your people' while growing up and the feelings of being miles apart from fellow peers, and watching them go on with their lives while seeming to know exactly what they want to do. This is definitely a theme that I can relate to, and I'm so glad to see in books, but especially in New Adult books where the main character is already an adult.

Then there's Jane, the lesbian love interest of my dreams. I absolutely fell in love with Jane's character and the mystery that came with her. She's a punk lesbian displaced in time from the 70's, who isn't afraid of rioting and protesting for her rights, but she's also basically a golden retriever in human form who isn't afraid of starting a dance party on a broken-down NYC subway. I think my favorite part about Jane's character was getting to see the glimpses into her past - what it was like growing up in Chinatown in San Francisco during the 60s, and seeing her so involved in the queer scene of the 70s. The duality of her character was just fantastic, and the way that both sides were shown without diminishing the other was so good. She's suffered so much pain as a punk lesbian in the 70s, but she's also so hopeful and loving, and I love her. Not to mention that the mystery surrounding Jane FLAWLESSLY intertwines with her relationship development with August - it was truly so good.

But along with this great duo of main character and love interest, there's such an amazing cast of side characters in this book who are so diverse in sexuality, race, and personality. I'm a sucker for a good found family trope, but this messy found family of queer misfits was something else (in a good way). The celebration of queer identities in this book warmed my heart so much! Not only is there a bisexual main character and a lesbian love interest, but there's also gay, trans, and queer side characters. And several drag queens! There's an almost entirely queer cast, and I loved how so many different experiences of queerness were shared.

I don't usually talk about setting with contemporary or romance books, because it's not usually necessary, but the setting was definitely important in this book. For a book that took place on the subway a lot, I think it's incredible that NYC was described in such vividness and detail. McQuiston's New York feels like a real New York, from the sense of community to the gentrification of neighborhoods and restaurants. I've been to Manhattan (aka tourist trap central), but I've never really explored the other boroughs of NYC, and I could really start to imagine places like Billy's Pancakes on the corner, and the apartment above a Popeye's restaurant. And the detail taken in describing the psychic shop alone?? It was incredible. McQuiston takes these seemingly ordinary places and makes it feel so real. The way that NYC is described, from the subtle magic of the city in the eyes of a new resident hoping for the best to the harsh reality of shitty apartments and gross subway trains, was so realistic.

This book is really something special, and something I can see myself rereading over and over again when I need something to feel hopeful again. I felt so seen in this book, and I know a lot of other people will too. It's full of queer joy and celebration, found family, and finding your place in the world with the charm of NYC and young adult mischief. This is a book about love, in every sense of the word.

can you tell i loved this book?

Um.... this book is incredible. I was blown away when I read Red, White, and Royal Blue -- and Casey McQuiston does not disappoint! This is a completely different story -- I mean, it's a "new adult" genre romance, with two fascinating protagonists, so that's the same... but this one has a little blip in the time space continuum! And two women that are falling in love despite being from different time periods! And drag queen performances!

I don't want to spoil too much because it's such a treat to just experience the book itself. Much like its predecessor, it feel like an escape from our current moment, and a chance to fully live in a world (or New York City specifically in this case) that is free from the pandemic and election stress that we deal with every day. I'm the type of person that would rather read a contemporary that has lots of parties, and hugs, and greasy breakfasts in diners, and epic scenes of celebration rather than one that mediates on the realities of this situation right now. So if it will be an issue for you to read a book set in 2020 that doesn't deal with face masks -- this isn't for you (go find a nice dystopia instead).

A few of my random thoughts about One Last Stop:
--There are some mystery elements to this story! The protag-- messy, bisexual August -- has been brought up sort of like a little Veronica Mars, and displays the traits of a little detective with unusual skills such as picking locks and digging up information. I'm always here for little noir teenagers.
--There are so many delightful side characters! I love them each, and there is a lot of strong queer representation throughout the book that feels genuine, rather than individuals trying to represent entire identities. If you know anything about my reading preferences, it's that found family is always at the top of the list! Platonic love and the importance of friendship are highlighted here, right next to the central love story.
--This book always found ways to surprise me. I loved that every moment felt emotionally weighted -- not like it was a required narrative choice. Ugh, my heart! THE FEELS!!

Finally, I just want to say that this book is just so -- happy. And kind. And our world needs a lot of that. I'm excited to welcome this book to my shelves and share it with all my friends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy, all opinions are my own.

3.75

Here's all the things I loved about this book. The representation. The friendships. the f/f romance that you rarely every see. New York basically being another character. Did I mention the friendships?
I did really truly enjoy this book, but I don't think it stands up to McQuiston's Red White and Royal Blue.

I mean, to be fair, she set the bar SO high for herself.

The characters are ultimately the best part of this book and each one is so well formed and thought out that I can clearly see them. Also, oh man, I want to be friends with them. However at times I thought it was trying just a tad too hard and felt just a tad off. Ultimately though it was a beautiful story and I enjoyed the journey.

Smart and funny and sexy and poignant and unexpected. I usually worry about sophomore novels but this one really knocked it out of the park. Every character had so much dimension; truly delightful. Cannot wait to see what Casey McQuiston writes next.

This book. THIS BOOK. Casey McQuiston has unequivocally done it again. I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of ONE LAST STOP, and truly could not do anything but power through it. I wanted to climb inside the pages and be friends with these characters. It made me miss New York like something bad, made me swoon and yearn for the early days of dating my husband and falling in love for the first time, and made me 100% sure I will read anything McQuiston writes in the future.

Much like RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE, ONE LAST STOP is a rom com that is full of life, brimming with fantastic dialogue and well-written characters, and a plot that plows forward in ways that will make you keep turning the pages like a madwoman. Our heroine is August, a 23 year old woman who has moved to NYC to finish up her college degree. She moves into a Brooklyn apartment with 3 wonderfully weird and loving young characters. Things get interesting when she falls head over heels for a women she meets on the subway. I don't want to spoil too much, but let's just say if you love magic, sprinkled with a little BACK TO THE FUTURE, you will adore where this love story goes. It's crazy romantic and fun and will truly just make you feel happy inside. I can't wait for everyone else to read it too.

Unpopular opinion time: lacks the magic of Red, White & Royal Blue

All the boxes were checked: great representation, time travel, and a HEA. The dialog was whity and the sex scenes hot, just like RW&RB.

BUT something was off. I never bonded with August. She was so standoffish that McQuiston made it hard for the reader to bond with her. I kept reading for Jane rather than August's story. Even the roommates had more charisma than August.

The story was slow. I thought I was towards the end, but then checked my kindle and was only at 35%. Nothing much happens until the end and when something happens it wraps up many storylines at once. Almost too conveniently too. I had no problem believing the First Son and Prince of England would fall in love, so I know McQuiston can make me believe anything. Not sure what happened here.

I think my expectations were too high. It's still a good book and I'll recommend it to friends looking for a YA romance.

I waffled between three and four stars for this one and settled on four because McQuiston never fails to provide a memorable, heartwarming gay romance. But McQuiston had an astounding, wonderful, life-changing, best-book-of-the-year debut, and her latest, One Last Stop, to be released May 2021, is just not the next Red, White & Royal Blue.

One Last Stop centers around two twentysomething female characters this time (its first, best, most redeeming quality), one bisexual and one lesbian: August is a New York City transplant who’s never found anywhere she quite felt like she belonged (until now, of course). She’s riding the subway one day on her way to class when she runs into Jane, a mysterious, beautiful, smirking character for whom August immediately falls.

August begins running into Jane every. single. morning. on her way to class and every. single. night. on her way home — it’s not suspicious at all. It’s not a spoiler because it’s spoiled in the publisher description: Jane was born in the ’70s and is trapped on the subway, 50 years in the future.

My issues with One Last Stop began there. I won’t fault McQuiston for wanting to throw some fantasy/magical realism into her writing, but she took what could have been an inspirational love story for commuters everywhere and turned it into a bit of a mess.

One Last Stop feels like McQuiston had an idea that then evolved into something completely different and she should have let the original idea go but didn’t. I wanted to love it deeply, but the black hole (?)/time slip (?)/ time traveling (?)/psychic (?)/ghost (?)/wait-I-need-an-overview-of-the-physics-of-electricity aspects just didn’t work for me. I wanted a realistic, this-could-happen-to-me! love story, and instead I just got confused.

I might revisit this review after this read has simmered a bit, and I’ll for sure reread it down the line, but overall I was a bit disappointed. I’d still recommend this one to gay fantasy lovers (who are looking for fantasy) and fans of Something to Talk About.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.