One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a f/f romantic comedy that also brings some mystery and magic to the table. August is new to New York City and meets Jane on her subway commute. She quickly develops a crush but then realizes that Jane is actually lost in time.

This book was such a fun and pleasant surprise for me! I really enjoyed it, and the magic of Jane being stuck in time was a delightful change from the typical rom coms that I enjoy. The romance was both sweet and steamy, and the author did a wonderful job of showing the romantic progression from friends to more. I loved the character development for August and the way the story unfolded in terms of pacing and character revelations. I also loved each of the side characters and the roles the played in August and Jane's story.

The audiobook of One Last Stop is 12 hours and 11 minutes long and is performed by Natalie Naudus. She does a wonderful job of voicing each of the different characters in a unique way and giving the story life. It was well paced and fantastic to listen to. I was completed drawn into the audiobook! I would highly recommend the audio for those who enjoy listening!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC of this title which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

*MINOR SPOILERS* (but not really)

“My IUD would’ve shot out like a party popper”

The second I started reading I knew this was going to be phenomenal. I absolutely adored Red White and Royal Blue but somehow One Last Stop is MILES BETTER.

To start off I LOVED August. I’m biased though because I really felt like I saw so much of myself in her.
To describe August in three words Her character was resilient, kind and hopeful.
I loved the fact that August was a chubby bisexual woman who was 23 and a virgin. Often times we don’t see characters like this represented in the media but we should because this reigns true for so many people like August.
I truly adored how we watched August do for Jane what her mother did for Auggie. I feel like that alone showed us how much August loved and cared about Jane so genuinely almost immediately.
To say the least, August is one of my new favourite Characters

I don’t have too much to say about Jane however I love her back story. It’s such an important one and I think it would be cool if Casey wrote a book or a novella about Janes life before getting stuck on the subway. I really appreciated the fact that she was an Asian lesbian and I can’t even begin to imagine how much that will mean to people who are actually Asian lesbians/Asian WLW. As we get to know Jane we see how much of a cool and badass character she is but also how big her heart is.

My favourite part of this book had to be the whole part of the story where August discovered that Jane was from the 70s. The fact that the first thing she assumed was that Jane was a vampire had me giggling. The whole section where August and Nico were thinking that Jane was a Ghost was probably one of the best parts of this book!

I loved how many different types of queer people were displayed throughout the story. So many of the queer stories I’ve read have More straight people than queer ones. It’s usually a queer main character, their love interest and then maybe one or two others and I just couldn’t adore this book more for not doing that and having a mainly Lgbtq+ cast.

The final 20 percent of this book really had me on my toes and the outcome did not disappoint.
I won’t say too much not to spoil anyone who hasn’t read One Last Stop yet however the ending definitely played with my emotions MAJORLY.


Overall this book was absolutely fucking everything. From the representation to the New York setting I don’t think anything could make this book more perfect than it is. The messaging in this book really had me thinking about all of my life story’s that make me me. It had me feeling grateful for every single thing I could remember. Both bad and good.

To say the least, this is definitely a new all-time favourite and comfort read!

Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for letting me listen to this book. I was not disappointed! The narrator was outstanding and I was hooked right from the first chapter. It was such a beautiful yet heart wrenching story. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, it was so worth it!

One Last Stop
I was one of the few remaining holdouts on bookstagram darling “Red, White, and Royal Blue, but after falling in love with that book earlier this year, I immediately added this title to my TBR. I’ve read a lot of books in 2021-like more than 100 so far, and this is a serious contender for my favorite book of the year.

It just made my heart burst with absolute joy on almost every page. One Last Stop is absolutely full of romance, to be sure, but it’s SO much more than that. There’s a mix of fantasy, mystery, humor, and the best pieces of contemporary fiction in this book.

August is 23, fresh to NYC, and trying to figure out “what comes next” in her life. She finds an apartment that comes with charming roommates and neighbors, a job waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner, and isn’t sure what path her life is going to take. She meets “subway girl” during a spilled coffee mishap on the train. Jane-a leather-jacket clad, tattooed, slightly mysterious, old soul who is utterly charming-saves the day for August. After a few more seemingly coincidental subway meetups, August starts to suspect something’s not quite right with Jane’s situation and she's determined to find out why and how to fix things.

It’s just a purely magical story. One of the BEST parts of the book are the side characters. They might be my favorite cast of characters I’ve read about in a long time. They’re loveable and likeable, and you can’t help but root for everyone involved in the story. You will believe in anything after you read this, but especially the power of love and friendship.

I listened to the audio via MacMillan audio on NetGalley. (Thanks for the ALC!) It’s narrated by Natalie Naudus and is about 12 hours long. I loved her narration so much. She also voiced Cool for the Summer, which I also loved recently.

I’m not one to reread books very often, but I’m going to have to own a copy of this book ASAP.

One Last Stop was a refreshing love story about Jane and August that has a little sass, and a whole lot of heart. The story itself is refreshing and well laid out. The pace flows and keeps you engaged, although it did feel a little long. I loved how almost all of the loose ends were neatly, yet soul crushingly, tied up at the end. Overall I really enjoyed!

The Narrator was fantastic. They portrayed the many characters very well and really made the story come alive. I could also easily listen at 1.5x and still sounded lovely.

When 23-year old August moves to New York, she moves into an apartment with a rag tag group of people who she's never met before. One day, while on the subway, she meets a gorgeous girl named Jane. As they get to know each other during each commute, August's crush on Jane grows stronger. When August discovers that Jane is actually from the 1970's, and somehow stuck on the Q, she decides to take it upon herself to save her from the subway time loop.

I was so excited for this, after reading and loving RW&RB by this author, and I must say I was NOT disappointed. I am OBSESSED with this book and these characters! I think there are so many gems in this book, and I loved every single one of them. The roommates who August lives with are so unique and fun, with amazing personalities. Niko, Myla and Wes each shine in their own way and bring such an awesome found family dynamic into the story. There's also a drag queen who lives across the hall, named Annie Depressant. Isaiah (Annie out of drag) was such a delight and I loved his character as well. There's also a few scenes featuring the NYC drag scene, which I LOVED. I love how they instantly took August into their group, accepted her and allowed her to be truly herself with them. I'm also a BIG FAN of the love interest, Jane... She was such an intriguing character, and I loved learning more about her as the story progressed. I was definitely crushing hard on her pretty quickly into the story. I loved the romance between Jane and August, it was just *chef's kiss*, perfection.

There is just so much representation in this book that made my heart so happy. August is a curvy bisexual, Jane is a Chinese lesbian, Niko is a Latino trans-male, Myla is a Black queer, Wes is a Jewish queer, Isaiah/Annie is Black and a drag queen. This is a book for the queer community, and I loved every second of it. There's a lot of discussion about how queer people of colour fought for their rights and freedom, and ultimately gave us the life we are able to live today, and I really liked that exploration in this.

I also really enjoyed the mystery behind the cold-case of August's uncle and how that was incorporated into the story as well.

I just really loved this book, and I can't wait for more people to read it.

Found family, queer with a touch of sci-if? Definitely an interesting combo for a romance, but I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t expecting the time travel aspect of this, but I liked it. It was unique that’s for sure!

This is about August who moves to NYC and meets a girl on the Q after tripping and spilling an entire coffee down herself. She instantly falls in love with her without even speaking to her. August didn’t think she would ever see her again, until she is there the next day, and the next. She finally speaks to her and finds out her name is Jane but why is she always on the same train as her?

I loved all of the characters in this. The psychic roommate, the drag queen across the hall, the Russian coworker. They are all so great and are the best parts of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the early review for my honest review.

This one I ended up putting down and DNF. I wasn’t invested in the character and the writing just felt a bit immature to me.
This is no fault of the author or her writing talent, I was just in the mood for something a bit more engaging and not so meet-cutesie.

I have seen quite a bit of buzz on this title though, so I’m sure there are honest reviews out there. This one just wasn’t doing it for me, and I’d rather read a book I’m more excited about.

One Last Stop was a wonderfully written LBGTQIA+ story with so many unforgettable characters. Even though I finished the book, McQuiston's story is going to stay with me for a long time. The author did a great job of setting the scene for New York in 2020 and was able to weave in magical realism aspects seamlessly. It was so impressive that as the reader, I was completely convinced that the events in the story actually happened.

The narrator also did an amazing job with the book! I was very impressed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2021!

I loved this book! The romance between Jane & August was so well written and felt real—and this is especially impressive since all of their interactions are on the subway or over the phone! I also loved August’s friends & roommates. The time travel logistics and the mystery were just ok for me, but the characters and romance made it so worth it! Now I just need to try a Su Special 😊

Snapshot
Cynical August meets mysterious Jane on the subway train, but their budding romance goes awry when August discovers Jane has been displaced by time.

💖 Rom-com
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA representation
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Found family
🗽 New York City setting

TW: Drinking, light drug use (weed), semi-public sex, depression, anxiety, memory loss, familial estrangement, familial death, grief, missing persons, homophobic violence and hate speech, police violence, the AIDS crisis, racism, childhood neglect, arson, historic hate crime resulting in loss of life

Thoughts
A heartwarming, character-driven romance focused on found family, positive LGBTQIA representation, and a captivating mystery. The audiobook is phenomenal! It's amazing how one narrator can create different personas and voices for such a large and diverse cast of characters. Unfortunately for me, time travel is my least favorite trope. I thought if anyone could cure my dislike for time travel, it would be Casey McQuiston, but I thought wrong - my hatred for time travel knows no bounds.

This book has made me want to read Red White & Royal Blue which I haven't already read (don't kill me) I appreciate how this was a fun read while tackling really tough subjects like Homophobia, Racism, and Body image. But anywho this was MAGNIFICENT!


Plot
One last stop follows August a 23-year-old who has moved to New York City to attend university. She has to move in with new roommates who are far from normal but August's life isn't done with the abnormality yet. August meets 24-year-old Jane who is incredible, beautiful, magnificent, and impossibly stuck on a train. August discovers that Jane has a problem: she can't age and she's stuck in a train that won't let her leave. August tries everything she can to get Jane out of that train but she also needs Jane's help to do so, unlucky enough Jane does not remember anything. All she remembers is her name which is plastered on her leather jacket. Turns out Jane is actually from the 1970s. Every time they kiss, it brings back a memory from Jane's life but that's not only what it brings. With all the memories and new feelings coming in, frustration has started building up. August's entire life has been dull and with no magic but this one lady has changed it all.

So there is definitely more to the plot but I'll just leave it at that for you guys to enjoy it more.

August
We just can't help but root for August. She's an honest character that I really want to see more of. Hopefully, we get another book because this story has potential, and by this story I mean AUGUST 👀

Jane
I LOVE JANE. I love the fact that she didn't know anything about this current world though I still don't completely understand how she doesn't remember anything. She's just that brave, hot character that you like seeing in books. (I know I do) But she also has a warm side, especially when it comes to August.


Overall
As my first Casey McQuiston book this was impressive I loved almost everything about this book, and as much as I loved the plot of the book, the characters really brought out this book in a magical way. On that note- I also love how magic tied up in this story. I only have one concern which is that this book has a lot of offensive language to Christianity but I guess that's that. I am thankful to have read this book and I can't wait to read my second Casey McQuiston book which I promise will be Red White & Royall Blue!!!


A special thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for sending this incredible advanced reader's copy of the audiobook my way in exchange for an unbiased review!

Ok. Romantic supernatural stuff can go wrong quickly, but I thought Casey McQuiston did a great job at bringing the two together and actually making the supernatural stuff feel realistic. I found myself following along and believing that it all could happen. That really impressed me.

PROS:
*The supporting cast. Obviously the story is about August and Jane, but I thought the supporting characters were marvelous and I was so pleased about how much they appeared in the book. They were significant and crucial to the storyline and to August and Jane's relationship and I was happy they weren't only mentioned in passing but we the reader actually got to know and appreciate them. Also, there were a lot of them so great job making them all memorable. I thought this was the key to making this story believable.
*The fact that this book had a beginning, middle, and end was amazing. I say amazing because a lot of times after the main climactic scene there is an end. I thought the author gave us a little more by going into what happened after the climactic scene and where is everyone involved now. It was nice to know. Felt like closure.
*Thank you for having strong LGBTQ characters. I love that all the characters already knew who they were and were in a happy place with who they were. It was refreshing and I thought made the story stronger.

CONS:
*I thought the narrator did a wonderful job, especially because she gave everyone a different voice; however, I thought Jane's voice was horrible and didn't match the character described/what I pictured in my head. Because of this, her character fell flat for me and I actually liked her least.
*Could have cut back on August's past/ relationship with her mother. It was significant to the story, but I thought brought up a little too much throughout. Just the explanation in the beginning was enough, in my opinion.

Overall, I think it deserves 4 stars just for the great characters that made an unrealistic story real.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting…

Since I had read Red, White and Royally Blue last year, I was expecting a linear romance for this second release from Casey McQuiston, and what I got was a time shifted mystery romance…

First of all my over all feelings on this book made me give it a 4 star rating. I loved the characters, August and Jane were well developed and once the time sift was revealed, I started to really like them. Even better was the cast of side characters. This award of genders, identities and personalities really carried the book. They brought a fun and lightheartedness to an otherwise intense story.

Secondly, if I was rating this book on the romance alone, I would give it a 3 star rating because, while Jane and Autumn and their care for each other and their love is a continuing theme, to me this book didn’t read as a romance. The mystery of August’s missing uncle, to the time shift dilemma, to the rescue mission of the landmark pancake dinner all took precedence over the romance in my opinion.

The narration of this book added to the story greatly, though the excellent voice work provided by narrator Natalie Naudus. I found the voices she used very appealing and a good fit for the different characters. The pacing of the reading was pleasingly done and easy to listen to.

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook recording, but the time sifting was a hard element for me to get over as a reader.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is scheduled to release June 1st, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#OneLastStop #CaseyMcQuiston #Audiobook #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

If sapphic love and time travel aren't enough to grab your attention, the heart and wit of the story will pull you in.

This was a really fun romcom with an interesting mystery. I was fully not expecting the bit of sci-fi, maybe I didn't read the blurb well enough, but it was so well done it felt completely real. The writing was fantastic and transports you to this different time and place. It's witty and filled with great descriptions. My favourite part was the characters though and the amazing representation - the leads are bisexual and lesbian while the side characters are an array of queer identities.

August and Jane were great and honestly who wouldn't have fallen for Jane on the subway? August's quirky roommates and neighbours were so much fun and were so accepting of everyone. This is a queer found family that makes me so happy.
I loved loved how queer history was covered. There's references to actual events that keeps this story rooted in reality, despite the time travel.

The narration by Natalie Naudus was fantastic. She did an amazing job capturing the characters and their personalities.

August has recently moved to NYC, found a place to stay with a group of quirky roommates and neighbors, and it stubborn about not letting any of it get too close to her heart. But then she meets Jane, a gorgeous and captivating girl displaced from the ’70s and trapped on a subway line. August is immediately drawn to the mystery of Jane, which she is desperate to solve, but she begins to fall for her as well.

Everything about One Last Stop made my queer heart so happy. The writing was beautiful and visual, creating scenes that I felt fully absorbed in. The characters were deeply engaging and created one of the most beautiful queer found families I have ever read about. Even the smaller side characters who appeared only briefly felt like full realized people who left me wanting to learn more about them. The plot elements kept me engaged in the story at every turn and were weaved into the characters’ relationships and development so gracefully. The fantasy elements felt so believable and the characters' reactions to them felt realistic as well. Queer history and culture was weaved into the story elegantly, there are many references to real events from the ’70s and beyond. The entire book felt like a love letter to the queer community. On that note, this book had so much representation. The main character is bisexual with a lesbian love interest. The side characters cover a wide range of queer identities (trans, lesbian, gay, pansexual, etc.), and drag culture is prominently featured. The characters are from various cultural backgrounds as well. There are some F/F sex scenes that are so well-written and beautiful. You will fall in love with the characters and stay for the raw and emotional exploration of love, life, and the people we choose to spend it with.

One Last Stop was creative, interesting, and I love McQuiston's writing style.

That being said, this one just took me forever to get through. I made it to 60% before I need to DNF it. I'm not sure if I have to be in the mood to get into this one or if it just isn't for me?

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not expecting the paranormal aspect in One Last Stop. This sounds like a cute romcom, so I was all in!

Cynical August moves to New York City and starts serving tables at a 24 hour pancake diner. But then she meets a girl on the train - Jane. Except Jane isn’t a normal girl. She’s stuck in time.

This was a cute book and I really liked August and her growth. Especially her contentious relationship with her mother.

I definitely found there were too many characters in this book. Maybe it was because I listened to this as an audiobook that I couldn’t keep track of all the characters.

I also found some scenes were dragged out and could have been shortened a little bit.

All of that said, this was a fun romcom and mystery to solve with August and Jane. I also had a mad craving for pancakes while listening to this!

I enjoyed the narrator Natalie Naudus, who had a great voice and perfect pacing for this book.

I listened to One Last Stop thanks to an ALC from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio.

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 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.