One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Narrated by Natalie Naudus
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Rating:5/5


One Last Stop is such a wonderful read! I love romance and when I read the novel had elements of time travel...I was sold.

First, the audiobook is fantastic. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, perfectly captures the different character voices. The pace felt very accurate with perfectly timed slight pauses when August is struggling. The narration is intimate and really captures the characters emotions.

One Last Stop has an interesting plot line but the characters are what make the book shine. Each character is so expertly and intimately written, it’s impossible to not feel the connection. The story focuses mostly on August and her journey with Jane. Set in New York City, August takes the subway (her home, the Q train) and meets Jane. Jane, August learns, is displaced in time from the 70’s. Jane is full of self-doubt and struggles with finding her place as a young, bisexual newly living in New York City. Jane is mysterious, warm, funny and just what August wants and needs. August’s roommates bring so much to the story, they are the type of characters that are more than secondary.

One Last Stop is a rom-com, time travel, found family book that everyone needs to read. One last stop has an extremely diverse cast that makes this found family trope so significant. I highly recommend. Even if you don’t like romance. Just read it because I’m not sure how this book could not be loved.


Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audio in exchange for my honest review.

I love Natalie as an narrator and really enjoyed revisiting this story that I had read previously. The story still felt strange to me, but I did have a good time wiht it.

Loved getting another queer book from Casey. Such a fun read. The way Casey writes is humorous while also being incredibly engaging. I can't recommend their books enough!

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Rating: 8/10
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥/4
Narrator: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio / St. Martin’s Griffin

One Last Stop is not a typically contemporary romance. It’s more of a paranormal romance; regardless, I loved it! This is an unconventional, intelligent, refreshing, and original story set in New York City with many historical references and LGBTQIA+ pride. August meets Jane on the subway, and instantly August begins to fall for Jane. After many highlights of seeing Jane on the subway, August realizes Jane is actually displaced from the 1970s. Soon August discovers she needs to work with her friends, releasing Jane from the time trap if she can. All of the characters in this book were well developed and enjoyable. I didn’t want this story to end! The narration was excellent. I would highly recommend this version of the book.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and LibroFM, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is so authentically, joyfully queer in a way that kind of wrecked me.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has felt quite as much like it was written for and about people like me - queer adult women in their early to mid 20s. The heroines - August, a 23-year-old white bisexual woman who just moved to NYC, and Jane - a 24-year-old Chinese woman from the 1970s who is stuck on the Q train - are, both together and individually, an absolute revelation. They are smart and sexy and1 hilarious.

The book tackles an impossible conflict with beautiful, complex characters and a stunning romance. It is so loving, messy, and vulnerable. It's intense, intimate, and mature, with a great, expansive cast of characters that feel both integrated and integral to the romance without overtaking the central story. Both August and Jane are jagged and hopeful in the best of ways as they learn how to love both themselves and each other. The story doesn't hinge on one or the other of them coming out or discovering their queerness and while their trauma is important and central to the story, joy and light truly do reign in this book.

One specific aspect I particularly appreciated was the representation of August's virginity. She's a mature virgin in her 20s navigating what having sex means to her, and that felt really real to me in way that I rarely see in romance, today or in the past. Another highlight: KISSES FOR EVIDENCE GATHERING.

This book also deals with queer history in a way that feels so reverent and necessary. Because Jane is a lesbian from the 1970s, she lived through some of the most revolutionary times in queer American history. This means that she lived in a time that was both wonderful and scary, transformative and ordinary, and Jane asks both August and the reader to confront what we owe our ancestors who fought for us then. I am both moved and impressed by the way this book melds past and present on the warped continuum of time.

One thing I do want to note is that it does feel disconcerting to read a book set in New York City in 2020 that does not address Covid-19 at all. I imagine this book was written/drafted before the pandemic hit, but I found this alternate timeline, especially in light of the great attention to precise history and events in both NYC and elsewhere, strange.

Natalie Naudus's narration is fluid and intimate and all together spectacular.

I laughed, I cried, I thanked my queer ancestors. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

CW: missing persons, homophobic family, death of a family member, homophobic violence/hate speech (off page), police violence (off page), racist violence (off page), arson, historic hate crime

A heartwarming queer romance! One Last Stop made me laugh, cry, clutch my chest and reminisce about NYC and falling in love in my 20s. The main character is a 23 year old bisexual woman named August, who moves to NYC and keeps running into a punky retro girl named Jane on the Q train. After more encounters than could reasonably be a coincidence, they figure out that Jane has somehow been transported here from the 70s and cannot leave the train. The rest of the story unfolds as they try to figure out what happened and how to get Jane unstuck. Along the way we meet an endearing and diverse cast of characters, and uncover a few mysteries from their past. I love the character development and the friendships and found-family that are built throughout the story, and the humour and compassion in Casey McQuiston's writing. Natalie Naudus's narration of the audiobook was divine, and gave the story a dreamy quality that made me want to leave my everyday life behind and just get lost in this magical story. The only negative is I found the premise of the story a bit too unbelievable. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy fiction, but I have loved Casey McQuiston's previous books so I was looking forward to reading this one anyway and the magical romance of this story far outweighed the challenge of suspending my disbelief.

Did I just stay up until 1AM to finish this audiobook? ...Maybe.

I am a HUGE fan of RW&RB, McQuiston's debut M/M royal romance, so when I heard she was penning a second novel with St. Martin's press I was SUPER excited. However, when I heard it verged on paranormal, with some elements of time travel, I was... hesitant. As a rule, I do not read fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, horror, or really anything that's not "realistic." But due to my love of RW&RB and being provided an advanced listening copy, I still gave this one a try.

And oh. My. God.

The audiobook for this blew me away. One, the narrator is fantastic. She's a true voice actor, and each chapter felt like a true scene, instead of just a book being read. Her voices were fantastic, her show of emotion... stellar. And the story. I was so invested in what happened to August and Jane. I mean, I'm still not a big fan of the supernatural, so I really had to to suspend a lot of disbelief, but I did, and I enjoyed the story. This one is a true LGBTQ+ manifesto, in the best possible way, and while I identify as straight, I can see this book making a lot of people feel seen, and it does a great job of integrating some LGBTQ+ history into it's romantic tale. It's mainly a romance, with some mystical and mysterious elements, and all around a wild ride. I can't say that fans of RW&RB will necessarily like this one, since the plots are so different, but I know that I will always read McQuiston's books from now on. Her voice, writing, and creativity are just off the charts.

Thank you to Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio for my ALCs! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

I went into reading One Last Stop with very little information: my friend read it and absolutely loved it, and that it would be some sort of MTA meet cute between two girls.

One Last Stop introduces us to August who moved to New York to seperate herself from her mom and to live her life a bit. The story starts with her finding an apartment to live in along with meeting her new roomates.

This book felt like such a warm welcoming adventure. Much like August who came to the city with very little attachment to anything, the more you read through the book, the more you get attached to every single aspect of the story. I love the trope of found family between her and her roomates. No one judged her as she explained her revelation about Jane, and they fully supported her and helped her out with her new found relationship with subway ghost girl.

Having read Casey's first book Red, White, Royal Blue; I was wondering One Last Stop would hold up, and it definitely did not disappoint. Both books have their charm, though I do have a bit of a preference for One Last Stop as I found more in common with the cast of characters.

Being queer, being someone in their 20's trying to figure themselves out, someone who overthinks at times, and someone who has a supportive group of friends (though, sadly we aren't roomates... just internet friends miles apart); being able to relate to the story while not making certain aspects of these characters a personality trait (Jane being asian, being LGBTQ+...) made it even more enjoyable. One moment in particular was when August had a question to ask Wes and Wes assumed it would be about being trans but was delighted to find it was a question about being a phychic.

All that being said, since I read this in its audiobook format, this felt like a comfort to listen to. As the big finale started to approach, I couldn't help but imagine everything so vividly in my head as if a movie were playing. A true testament to Casey's wonderful writing, Natalie Naudus' easy to listen narration, and the general enjoyment I had for this story.

One Last Stop isn't typical. It was a love story about two lost women and friends that are supporting each other. It gets real about queer history and the pain that many queer people had to live through. I loved how it discussed history and time as well as new friends.

I loved this warm and heartbreaking queer book. I cannot recommend this one enough.

I enjoyed the narrators voice, it fit the characters and it was easy to discern different characters. I also enjoyed being able to speed up the audio and that I was still able to understand what the narrator was saying. It was easy to follow the plot and I didn't find myself rewinding to catch anything that I missed.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the chance to listen to this audiobook, narrated by Natalie Naudus!

August is 23 years old, cynical and she doesn't believe in magic and love. She trusts herself and she thinks the only way through life is alone. When she moves to New York in a place filled with weird roomates, starting to waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner, everything changes. Above all when the train she starts to take let her meet a gorgeous and funny girl, Jane. Jane is charming, brilliant and perfect. There's only one small problem: Jane is displaced in time from 1970s and she only can exists on that train. In an impossible rush against time, August is forced to believe in magic, love and bonds to save her love.

One last stop is hilarious, brilliant and so so original! August is a wonderful and complex main character, with her fears and doubts, her logic and dreams and I love her so much, above all her interactions with her peculiar roomates, that make her feel loved and accepted right away, creating an heaven safe and sound, filled with understanding and laughter. Jane is another brilliant character, stubborn, funny and her bond with August is truly strong and beautiful.
One of the things I loved the most is the amazing queer found family. Myla, Niko, Wes and Isaiah are wonderful characters, very different from one other, intriguing and complex.
I also loved how the author talked about the time displacement, their plans to save Jane and basically everything in this book!

Listening to this audiobook was such a pleasure, because the narrator made me feel like I was there with them, listening to their conversations, August's thoughts and moods, laughing at their jokes and games, feeling at home with them and in love with August's and Jane's love.

One Last Stop is an extremely smart, refreshing, unconventional, exhilarating, truly original with its remarkable historical references, quirky, unique, extremely likable characters!

It's crammed full of eccentric characters and mid-twenties-life-crises and queer found-family and a mystery about a magical girl tethered to a subway in New York City.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author!

“There’s a five-foot-tall sculpture of Judy Garland made from bicycle parts and marshmallow Peeps in the corner,” and you are being asked to submit to a vibe check; you are looking for an apartment and your potential new roommate is a...psychic? Maybe? August doesn’t believe in psychics.

That’s really a weird foot to start off on, and the rapid-fire quirky dialogue and fascinating decor choices don’t really let up from there. This is a weird one. It’s hard core a rom com, but it also leans hard into an off-kilter artsy New York aesthetic that really should be overpowering, but manages to fall somewhere closer to overwhelmingly charming—if I was looking for a comparison, I’d say it sets a colorfully weird tone a bit similar to the show Pushing Daisies. I am in love. Sometimes the coincidences of plot were so blatant that my disbelief lost suspension, but it wasn’t really a loss. This story is like candy, it’s sweet and sugary and it will give you what you want and bring together plot lines that have no real business fitting together other than the fact that it is fun to watch them intertwine. It’s a candy book, one you read for the pleasure of consuming it. It’s fun.

The whole story is something adjacent to magic in a way that you don’t see very often in a modern comedy setting, genre-wise, but it suits so very well. This story holds its magic in parallel to the mundane, every day acts of moving to a new town and falling in love, and it is perfect. The funny thing is, it is at heart a story about a girl unmoored from time, but it is also a story inextricably rooted in the history of moments and movements. August is irreparably marked by the tragedy of being a child in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. Jane may be person out of time, but she is also a punk lesbian who was deeply invested in the activism of the 1970s, who was there for protests for gay rights, for protests against the war in Vietnam, worked to combat anti-Asian racism, and who was there to watch as the creeping beginnings of the as yet unnamed AIDS epidemic began to take the lives of her friends. This story is grounded in the contemporary struggle against gentrification, trying to save Pancake Billy’s From falling to rising rents and trendy restaurants. This story is about moments in time and the people who belong to those moments.

The narrator of the audiobook does an excellent job! It really adds to the atmosphere of the book, with a great performance from Natalie Naudus.

Some character notes:

Jane - look, Jane is great and I mostly love her, but I was ready to go to blows with a fictional woman trapped in perpetuity on a subway train when she started slamming Watership Down (“I feel like I’ve read it a dozen times trying to figure out what people like about it. It’s a depressing book about bunnies. I don’t get it.”) I *love* Watership Down and honestly it would be one of my top five people cos if <i>I</i> had to be trapped with the same book for fifty years. Just saying. Not even in an “oh let’s analyze it for allegories” way, it’s just a great funny story about a society of rabbits who like to tell each other fairytales and I love it. Just saying. But then, I *did* read that scene while wearing a Watership Down shirt, so I am probably biased.

August - Ok, so it might seem unrealistic that she finished her degree and didn’t realize she had enough credits to graduate the next semester...but I totally did that. I maybe sort of on purpose didn’t do the math on my credits and then when I finally did, I realized I had met all the requirements for my English degree the *previous* semester and was six credits away from having enough credits from having my minor become a second major... so like it *is* possible if you are ignoring impending adulthood hard enough. I felt called out. (“I can graduate next semester, if I want.” “Oh, hey, that’s great!” she says. “You’ve been in school forever!” “Yeah, exactly,” August says. “Forever. As in, it’s the only thing I know how to do.” “That’s not true,” Jane says. “You know how to do tons of things.” “I know logistically how to perform some tasks,” August tells her, squeezing her eyes shut.)

Side note: I did have to have a late night giggle-spiral about Horror frogs after August was teasing Wes about them. I now posses some fine cursed frog trivia to spice up conversations.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced listening copy of this!

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have high expectations for One Last Stop, but Casey McQuiston has far exceeded them!

One Last Stop follows 23-year-old August as she settles into New York. Having transferred to more than one college, August is trying to find a place she can call home. Her roommates help her land a job at a local pancake house, and when she stumbles home after a long night at work spilling coffee down her shirt, a beautiful out-of-this-world girl is there offering her scarf.

As August runs into Jane again and again, August knows something is different about her. Turns out, she's literally displaced from the 1970's, and she's stuck on the Q.

The premise of this is interesting, and I wans't quite sure how it would play out, but DANG. Everything about this was fantastic. Wonderfully written with humor, found family, wonderful rep and all the queerness in the world, One Last Stop is an instant favorite.

I just want to hug this book and travel to New York to ride the Q with these 2. Sexy and sweet and heartbreaking, this is a must read! The audiobook is well paced, and Natalie Naudus does an absolutely wonderful job as the narrator!