Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy of ‘One Last Stop’ by Casey McQuiston. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Of course I adored ‘Red White and Royal Blue’ by Casey McQuiston so you better believe I slammed the request button for ‘One Last Stop.’ I was not disappointed. There were fun characters to root for and love, laugh out loud humor, so many delicious food descriptions and so much heart. Casey McQuiston is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

I felt like I wanted more of an epilogue with what the characters were going to do at the end. I wanted to keep reading and find out what would happen but the story was over. I was also a little put off by the partying and drug use. Overall I did enjoy the story I just wish it hadn’t ended where it did. It felt like there was more of a story to tell and wrap up about what came next.

4/5 stars

What a great story! I thought this was going to be a cute love story between sweet but quirky characters but it ended up being so much more. The "mystery" is presented so well and brings the whole book together. I didn't want to put this book down.

I was really excited to read One Last Stop after having read Red, White & Royal Blue. I liked the idea of the story (it was unlike anything I’ve read before) which is why I chose to read it. While I did enjoy it, I would say this book was only good, not great and took me longer than usual to listen to.

At times it felt hard to follow with all of the characters and their stories. I will say that for as many characters as there were, I felt they were well developed and all had a back story. I loved the diversity in this book. At times there were lulls that made it hard to push through and I think the many storylines, constant back forth between Jane and August, and being stuck on the Q played into this. I liked the subtle sci-fi elements and how real life events were built into the story.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

I think my biggest impression of this novel is just how full of love it is. Casey McQuiston poured their heart and soul into this story and it really shows. 💖💖💖💖

Casey McQuiston is just so good at creating a sense of community. Of course the romance is great--Jane is such a charismatic character, it's virtually impossible not to love her as much as August does--but the side characters bring so much life and vitality to this novel. It's testament to how well McQuiston develops them that you become as invested in them as you are in the main characters. Also, where I found Red, White and Royal Blue too plot-heavy for my taste, I thought One Last Stop had just the right amount of plot: just enough to give the story momentum, but not so much that it detracted from the romance.

I loved this a lot, and I'm sure a lot of people will, because it's just really, really good.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

Casey McQuiston's One Last Stop is a celebration of what it means to be queer.

One Last Stop follows a woman in her mid-twenties who has always been on the run, terrified of what would happen if she were to put down roots. She has spent her life friendless, with very little family, digging through archives with her mother in search of a ghost. After moving to New York City into a tiny apartment with a set of quirky but loveable roommates, August starts to find a routine to her new life, one that involves a daily trip on the Q train. This is where she meets Jane, a short-haired, punk rock, Chinese-American lesbian who looks like she came right out of the 70s. Which, as it turns out, she did. Jane is an impossibility, having been stuck in time and place on the subway for over 40 years, with no memory of who she is, how she got there, or why. Jane and August start trying to figure out the mystery of Jane's very existence, all the while trying desperately not to fall in love.

This is easily one of the gayest books I have ever read, and it was beautiful in every way. Every character plays such an important role in One Last Stop, all coming together to form this gorgeous mosaic of some of the different ways to be queer. August and Jane's experience of joining this family and becoming part of their world is something that I have longed for in my own life, and I'm sure is so relatable to every young queer out there. This book is a beautiful example of how we make our own families within this community, which is my favourite thing about us. This has such a richly diverse cast of characters, all so different but still the same in all the ways that matter. One Last Stop will feel like coming home to all the queer folk who have ever felt lost, alone, or had no one to turn to. It reminded me that, no matter where we go, all of us have a family who are always ready to welcome us home, even if you're a complete stranger. That was the family that August and Jane found in this book, and it was such a beautiful thing to read. As much as I loved the plot of this book, with it's fascinating concept of being stuck in a blip of time and somehow ending up tethered to to a single moment and all the complications that come with that, it was truly the characters that were the heart of this book. I loved reading about Jane's experience of being an LGBTQ+ activist in the 60s and 70s, the mentions of our history, and all the badass heroes that we have to thank for having the freedoms we do today. This is the perfect book to kick off Pride month! I'm so thankful that books like this exist, and even more thankful to all the people that made it happen!

From the author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes Casey McQuiston’s sophomore novel One Last Stop. Set in Brooklyn, August who recently just moved there, meets Jane on the Q line on the subway. There is an instant attraction between them, but after meeting several times on the line, August starts to realize something is not right with Jane’s situation.

Surrounded, by her new friends, August starts to investigate why she only sees Jane on the train, and discovers Jane is stuck in some type of time loop and cannot get off since the 1970’s. As Jane and August having their budding romance on a subway, they are also trying to figure out how to get Jane out of this loop, and what is Jane’s connection to August.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer, however this totally did not live up to all my expectations. Where her first novel was just so funny, this one how me thinking that this is just slightly weird. I had some trouble buying into this scenario. Also there were some lulls that made it difficult to push through at times. Overall, it was a satisfying read, but it was just missing that extra sparkle that I wanted so badly.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One Last Stop is a time traveling romance. Mixed in is some of the coming of age, living with weird people story you are probably familiar with from so many other books. How the author put them together had a lot to recommend it. I liked the roommates. Though it seems at first that they are pretty eclectic, they really aren't. The entire group seems to accept every strange occurrence without any skepticism. There is a mystery here. How did this all happen. And how it happened was a really interesting take on the time traveling romance. If there was more of that, I would have loved it.

The things that made it more average than extra have mostly to do with the cliches. Here is a student who never seem to need time to do any college work. She just had time to ride the subway all day without failing or losing her job and always has enough money for rent and life in New York. I still don't think I've read a story that matches the actual college experience my friends and I had. Also, like grades and money, everything just kind of came to her. She didn't have to search for much. When the time came, she just knew. Finally, while I don't mind sex scenes in books I don't understand why we get almost nothing put into the description of the actual mystery here but the sex scenes just went on forever. I found myself skimming. Yeah, we got it. Public sex on a train. Good for you guys. Can we move the story further now?

The book was good. It wasn't great but I did want to see what happened with Jane-how did she get here, why was she stuck, and will she get out? As long as you don't expect too much, you can have fun reading and/or listening to the story.

Big thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.


Wow.

That's where I need to start this review. Wow, wow, wow. One Last Stop absolutely swooped in and stole my heart. This is the best book I will read all year (most likely ever) and I couldn't be happier with the revelation.

The story follows August who moves into a small apartment above a Popeye's Chicken in NYC and as she slowly falls in love with the city, her heart is stolen by a mysterious but helpful stranger on the Q train. This novel is at its foundation a romance between two women but involves so much more. There is a magical element, a sprinkling of true crime, and a beautiful commentary on what it means to be in your early to mid twenties.

As August falls head over heels, I did just the same. I love the version of NYC that Casey McQuiston invites us to explore. It feels so intimate and welcoming. Everyone is friendly and family (and most likely a member of the LGBTQIA+ community). This audiobook was incredibly addictive and made these characters come to life.

This book is the new standard for queer representation in books. All the characters are complex and complete, all existing in the authenticity and realness that I wish appeared in more novels.

This book will make you sob uncontrollably and make you beg on your knees for it to break and remake your heart over and over again. You NEED to read this book.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the free audio ARC of this book!

The first few chapters had me a little bit confused.
I didn't read what the book was about. Which is why I was wondering where the story was going and what was happening.
I just saw that Casey McQuiston had a new book coming up, and since Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my favorite books, I basically wanted their book ASAP.

When we got to the part where (spoiler?) we figure out Jane is stuck in some weird time loophole, I dreaded the book a bit and started praying to the Gay Gods it wouldn't end up too Sci-Fi-ish. I am not someone who likes things about time traveling and such.
The concept usually freaks me out, and I find that authors often make it very complicated and it makes me loose all intrest.
Luckily, it wasn't the case. It was kept simply, and I enjoyed that.
I ended simply loving how August and Jane fell for each other. The more steamy parts were really well written and not too much. It was realistic, which I can say as a lesbian women, was very nice to read.
The ending made me cry. Oh, boy it did. Which is usually a very good thing. You just really end up rooting for the characters. They all are so loveable in their own ways.
Did I love it as much as RW&RB? No. But it comes to a very close second place.

The narrator of the audiobook was perfect. I enjoyed her voice, the pace and the slightly different voices she used for different characters. Which made it easy to follow who says what when it was a conversation.

Bottom line, One Last Stop was amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy when it gets released.

5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook-arc!

God was this amazing! Secondary characters such as Nico and Isaiah just makes this book so much better as, unfortunately, August wasn't the most fascinating. The rep also felt flawless and didn't hinder the book in any way. The queer rep and history was fascinating, as it was partially seen through the lens of a queer chinese woman during the 70s. The descend of this novel was done right, something that I'm not able to say about most romances i've read. It felt genuine and played with previously insinuated characteristics of the characters. Wes and Myla and the others were amazing as well. HAVE I TALKED ABOUT ALL THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS?? This was definitely where the book felt short. But, if we must sacrifice August's personality with Nico's then i'm very fine with that

It's hard for me to overstate how much I freaking loved Red, White & Royal Blue. (That being said, I read it once and haven't re-read it for fear that it won't live up to what my memory told me it was.) I enjoyed this book too, but I have to say it didn't live up to the hype or my inflated expectations from RWRB. But it's entirely possible that I just loved the tropes in that book more than I love the tropes in this one - I'm more of an enemies-to-lovers, royalty, pining across the pond gal than a love-at-first-sight, ragtag group of misfits, time travel gal.

Casey McQuiston's sophomore book has a lot of the same charm, queer millennial/zillennial pop culture, humor, and lovable characters that RWRB had - just with two women, and a fun, unexpected stuck-in-time twist that adds a bit of low-stakes plotting to the mix as well. It's basically romcom heaven, with all the ingredients to a fun, friendship-centric novel: a beloved New York pancake diner institution that's basically a character in and of itself, drag queens, wacky friends, and a subway-fueled romance. On paper, it's everything good in a romance.

But frankly, I didn't find myself as enamored with August and Jane's relationship as I was with Alex and Henry's. The chemistry, banter, love, and lust between them didn't capture my attention and give me that full-heart feeling that many of my other favorite romance couples do. (And look, maybe it's unfair to compare McQuiston's two books, but I always judge a romcom on if the main couple make my heart do that thing. Their other book just made my heart do that thing more than any other queer romcom in recent memory.)

So, a really fun, well-written book that will probably make any queer twenty-something-year-old who's lived in a big city feel seen - but not my new all-time favorite. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the ARCs via Netgalley!

The girl-on-the-train idea gets lighter in this tale centered on an NYC subway meet-cute. Read this ASAP!

I read an e-ARC of this so I'll add my thoughts on the book itself at the bottom of this review.

For the audiobook: Amazing! Every time I think I can't love a Casey McQuiston book more, the audiobook proves me wrong. The narrator was wonderful and I think she really pulled off the feel of the characters and brought forth their personalities in the best way. Casey McQuiston writes books that always make me laugh and the audiobook for OLS amplifies that.

Natalie Naudus did a phenomenal job and made me fall in love with the characters even more.

Thoughts on the book itself:
First, I really loved August and a lot of the things that she felt or thought are things that I related to so hard. But all of these characters are amazing. I loved all of them, The entire gang is so fleshed out with their own quirks and relationships and how they interact with August is so personal to each. The found family in this book is STRONG and if you've ever longed for a queer found family of your own, I highly recommend picking this up because it'll give you all the warm feelings. And Casey McQuiston comes through again with the witty banter, which is always my favorite character interactions.

This is not what I expected but it was absolutely perfect! I loved the idea of having a woman stuck on the train for years. This couldn't have been more beautifully written.

I went into this one skeptical because I didn’t like RWARB, but omg this book is just perfect. A gay time travel romance with a found family aspect! The friend group in One Last Stop is adorable and the romance is somehow equally cute and steamy. This book is not only a romance, but also about discovering yourself. Very coming of age and perfect for recent college grads or anyone just feeling a bit lost. I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read this book! Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audiobook ARC.

This is fantastic!
There are all kinds of fun characters and interesting storylines in here.
Did I mention there is a cutie romance too?
Well there is!
I did the audio and it just added some extra feels while reading.
Much love to NetGalley & MacMillan audio for my ARC.

While I enjoyed One Last Stop, I did also find it hard to get into. Lots of characters to keep track of, in my opinion. It was a nice story but not my favorite. I did enjoy the narrator Her tone and pacing was perfect for the story.

I'm so torn on how I feel about this book and how to rate it. I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but I'm ok with that. I really hope others love and enjoy this story!

Let's start with the good. The ✨vibe✨ of this story is wonderful. I love the whole mood and the feeling of it. The city (though it was very Brooklyn-centric), the representation, the found-family, the history, everything. Absolutely delightful! There were also some beautifully written lines that I loved, and I can see why so many people will fall in love with this book.

Now for the bad. Plot? What plot? There was so much going on in this story, too much honestly. And somehow the pacing still dragged. I usually enjoy sci-fi elements in books, but it bogged down the plot even more. So much time was spent on things that didn't matter, and plot points that started to bring everything together were just glanced over. I'm also a huge fan of falling in love with a random stranger you see during your commute, but it fell flat in terms of the romance in this book.

The supporting characters were wonderful, and the audiobook narrator seriously brought this story to life, better than I think it would have been in print. There is a lot to love in this story, but put everything together and it didn't work for me.

Bummer. There’s been so much hype about “One Last Stop.” Especially on the heels of Casey McQuiston’s breakout hit, “Red, White & Royal Blue.” So of course I had high expectations.

But the creative premise (a queer girl who’s stuck in time—on a subway train) just didn’t work for me. Parts of the story are funny. And parts are sexy. But I found myself fast-forwarding through the audiobook to reach the end. Not a good sign of an entertaining summer read.

Despite not loving plot, I think the narrator, Natalie Naudus, is excellent. She had a lot going on with so many characters to portray. I’m rounding up my 2.5 stars for her.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of the audiobook via the NetGalley app. This is my honest review.

Because I loved Casey McQuiston's last book, my expectations were high. This failed to meet them. The whole premise didn't work for me. Punk girl displaced in time meets a girl from our time on a New York subway, and they fall in love. I got really tired of the New York subway. I'm already tired of the romanticization of New York in the media. I'm already tired of a character having a bad parent, and one conversation makes everything better. Her mother has been looking for her missing brother (the main character's uncle) before the main character was even born. The main character is even named after him, August. I got shivers when this was revealed.

The side characters are lovely, and the prose can feel like hot chocolate for the brain.

The narrator did a good job dealing with all of those voices.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.