Member Reviews
Thank you to MacMillian for the auto-approval, and for Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. I have only heard good things about this book and was so excited to get into it. I have not read Red, White, and Royal Blue so this is my first book by the author.
One of the things that I loved about this book was having an opportunity to become friends with the narrator on Tik Tok. Nicole is so nice and I can't wait to read more books that she has done because she made this book so much more interesting. She just did a wonderful job as August and kept me engaged the whole time. A narrator can really make or break for me, so thank goodness for her!
One Last Stop did catch me by surprise on what it was about since I normally don't read the synopsis. There were some things that were brought to my attention that I didn't agree with so that did make this book go from 5 stars to 4. It was an overall good experience, and I would definitely read it again.
When two women meet by chance on the subway platform, sparks instantly fly for one of them. Can Subway Girl and Coffee Girl find true love? It's complicated. Funny, thoughtful, and charming in equal measure.
I really tried to enjoy this audiobook, but I just couldn’t get into into it. I felt there was way too much dialog and not nearly enough happenings. On a positive note, I did enjoy the eccentric and interesting characters scattered throughout the story.
***A huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
This book was everything that I hoped it would be! I was such a fan of Red, White, and Royal Blue so I already had high expectations and Casey McQuiston exceeded them! I'm not sure why I didn't realize I'd need to suspend reality a bit, so it caught me off guard at first. But in the end, it totally worked for me! Great for fans of In Five Year by Rebecca Serle! And this narrator was fantastic!
23 year old August is new to New York City, and everything is new. New roommates in a not-quite-up-to-code apartment, a new job at Pancake Billy's 24-hour diner, and (another) new college. August has never really settled, and her mother's singular focus on August's uncle's disappearance in the 70s has made August a little jaded and distrusting.
And then August meets Jane on the Q. And keeps seeing Jane on the Q, but only on the Q. In her same 1970s punk look. When the pair discover that Jane is actually displaced in time- stuck on the Q and somehow never having aged since 1976, August sets out to help her solve her own mystery. T
This book was everything. Those of you who know me well know that my absolute favorite trope in fiction is a time loop, and while One Last Stop didn't have a classic groundhog day-esque loop, it delivered with the rift in the time/space continuum. was so invested in this story from the beginning. loved Jane and August, and was interested in both their individual stories and was rooting for them the whole time. Jane's particular...situation gave McQuiston the ability to explore queer history and shifts in public perception in ways that a purely contemporary storyline couldn't. This book had fantastic representation, including a full of chararters confident in their including a full cast of characters confident in their sexualities and gender identities.
This one does get steamy, but it's not just romance. It's a fun romance/sci-fi/romance hybrid.
I listened to this one, and absolutely adored Natalie Naudus' narration. struggled a little bit with the voice for Myla initially, but once was invested in the storyline stopped noticing. Naudus' ability to differentiate the voices for a cast this large was impressive.
I've been sleeping on Red, White and Royal Blue, but plan to pick that one up immediately, and will be picking up anything McQuiston writes in the future.
Big thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an advance listening copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
All the ingredients of this book were wildly appealing to me: New York City setting, especially Brooklyn (even a part of Brooklyn I’m quite familiar with!), romance, a paranormal twist, an author whose first book I loved. Unfortunately it just didn’t thrill me. I loved the focus on “found family” but I never wound up really caring about the main characters. Some of the side characters were more interesting than August and Jane.
I loved McQuiston’s first book, Red, White and Royal Blue, but this one fell flat for me.
Natalie Naudus did a great job with all the voices on the audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advance readers copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
This book was a fun mystery with a supernatural twist. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and it was so exciting to hear about the 1970s through Jane's perspective. I, a middle aged woman, was a little disenchanted by the electric chemistry between Jane and August, though, because it was just chemistry and not really well developed about why they liked each other so much (maybe I'm just nervous about that Prince Charming stereotype that love is instant and magic and forever). I also don't love open door romance scenes (also, middle aged woman creeped out by PDAs on a subway while I'm driving to work, but I digress), and this was a bit much for me (thank you for the fast forward button), but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the overall story. A great look at how NYC has changed with some really fun events with a celebration of being yourself and finding/creating your family.
I loved Red White and Royal blue. There is just something about this author. Their voice is so new and original and refreshing and realistic. They have a knack for creating and growing characters that readers can connect with. I loved this one as much as the first book. The audiobook was fantastic, super quality and the narrator was awesome. I was sucked in right away.
Excuse me while I ugly cry. This is the type of book that when you read it, you know you may never stop screaming about it. Or when you listen to it, you want to slow it down to let it simmer in your brain. Oh and queer found family.
is there anything better than casey mcquiston's pacing??? oh yeah, casey mcquiston's character ensembles! literally, everyone rounding out august and jane's worlds is so charming and likable and true to the imagination, they're so obviously an auto-buy author
I attempted to read/listen to this book three times and just couldn't follow to get into it. I absolutely love the concept and the LGBTQ diversity and inclusion portrayed in this story. But this audiobook just didn't draw me in. I will definitely set this aside and pick up a physical copy of this book to read because often even if the audiobook isn't a good fit for you, that doesn't mean the text option wont.
I absolutely loved this book! I could not stop reading it and I could not start anything else until I finished it! Highly recommend it!
What an interesting plot to me! I was initially drawn in by this notion that Jane can't leave the train. How did she get there? What becomes of her? I loved the stuck in time element and the push for August to help her get off the train. And the connection towards the end, that was a good twist, but almost seemed too convenient. While I didn't mind the romance of it (I realize it is categorized as romance), I would have loved it even more as just sci-fi. The narrator was great. There were times when I thought Wendie Malick was the narrator, so that kind of made the narration even better.
A mystery within a romance; how fun! Made you want to hang out with the gang as they shared adventures and searched for answers. The love story had me rooting for the girls and wishing their story didn't have to end.
This book is absolutely lovely. There are a number of things that Casey McQuiston did incredibly well in Red, White & Royal Blue that I hoped would continue on in her writing. One of them was creating a sense of family. While August starts off the book a loner, the characters that become her family are fully developed, and have complex lives of their own. The crush that starts off the story developing into a relationship feels earned, and the mystery of it all keeps the book flowing smoothly. This is one of those books where everything feels interconnected but it’s not the reader’s job to figure it all out. The reader just has to enjoy the ride. And there’s a lot to enjoy here. I listened to the audiobook book which was performed excellently with a lot of humor and good voice acting by the narrator.
I gave this book 4.5 Stars.
It was amazing and super close to being a 5 star read for me! There's was just a little something missing to get it there, but overall? Beautiful Book.
The characters are just so well-built and developed and you just fall in love with every single one of them instantly.
August for one, as a fellow Virgo, is one of the most relatable characters I've read from.
She was such a vibrant character to me, her fears and beliefs and insecurities are so real and they resonated with me. A big part of that has to do with how I relate to where she is in life. But also her ambission as well as her determination to help Jane was amazing.
Jane as well was just such a solid character, but in a completely different way. With her we were just thrown snippets of her life, a life that though short, was very well lived and full. It was a great way to see how she had already grown, how she was continuing to grow with August and how as she remebered more and more you could see that growth seeping back into her.
All the secondary characters were also wonderful and I would absolutely love to read their stories. The snippets we got of their love stories just had me more intrigued.
Coming off of RWRB, Casey McQuiston had a lot to live up to, and One Last Stop delivers. In true fashion, August is joined by a whole cast of characters that are unique and wonderful, including the love interest, Jane. The audiobook sparked the most for me during scenes with dialogue, snappy and humorous in a way that McQuiston is starting to be known.
Unlike McQuiston's previous book, this book has a strong fantastical thread that runs through it. It added a layer to the romance that I appreciated, giving it an other-worldly feeling that gave it drama so that the relationship itself could breathe a little without constantly being pulled apart.
My only mild complaint is that it was a little long. There were some moments toward the end of the first half that felt a little repetitive, and probably could have been cut or shortened without sacrificing anything in the book. But it was a small thing in a book filled with a million things that brought me joy.
Natalie Naudus did a WONDERFUL job bringing McQuiston’s world to life. Each character’s voice was distinct, the pacing was accessible, and I had a really fun time listening to August and Jane’s story again! Thank you so much for the advanced copies!
One Last Stop is truly the epitome of the found family trope. It features this trope in literally every possible way— from friendships, relationships, past lives and finding new people that fit who you’re becoming— it truly has it all and does it in a heartwarming yet also heartbreaking way all at once.
I listened to the audiobook version of this as I kindly received the audio arc via Netgalley, and the narrator did a fabulous job. They really made sure to emote and sound different with every character so it was really easy to follow the story and everyone’s plot lines! Definitely recommend this as the way to read it!
As for the actual story, I loved the found family aspects but the rest of it was kind of a letdown. It wasn’t a bad book! Just not my particular favourite. It featured a few tropes that I don’t tend to enjoy and the relationship wasn’t as passionate and full of chemistry as I would have liked. I liked August and June together but I just didn’t feel quite as much of a spark as I wanted to feel.
This is still a super solid read with tons of important and beautiful messages about self-growth, about being queer now and how it was to be queer years and years ago— it’s full of 1970s references and lingo mixed in with modern notes. It has mystery elements and a fantastical twist! So if any of this sounds interesting to you, pick this one up. It might be the gem you were searching for!
3/5 ⭐️
This story was so so cute with a lot of queer representation! I loved it so much!
I really enjoyed August and Jane's slow burn relationship. It felt sweet and believable regardless of the magical realism happening around it, which I also really appreciated. Usually, I'm not a fan of magical elements in my contemporaries because I almost always get let down by their poor execution, but Casey McQuiston managed to pull it off completely in my opinion. The magical twist gave the story a mystery element that tied nicely with the romance plot and the characters' personas. It never felt overdone or clumsy, and it resolved in a way that felt credible and satisfying. Overall, I'm very impressed by McQuiston's ability to build a compelling and solid narrative that kept me entertained from start to finish. The only thing I'll say is that the middle part of the book dragged a bit too much for me at some point, but the pace quickly picked back up right as I feared getting bored with the story.
I also loveeee that there are drag queens in this book! I want more stories with drag please! I loved it so much!
As for the audiobook, once again, Natalie Naudus really delivered with her voices and her narration. Every character felt distinct and real, which I really enjoyed. Although, as a fast reader, I sometimes got annoyed at the slow pace of the reading, which I fixed by altering between the audiobook and digital copy depending on my mood. Still, I would recommend this audiobook to anyone that enjoys this format!