Patricia Dunn presents an extraordinary picture of an Italian American family from the Bronx. Narrated in the first person point of view, readers get an insight into Angela’s conflicted personality: “In LA, I was the Bronx Girl – stubborn and tough- an activist with only three days to stop the war from happening. In the Bronx, in Pelham Bay, I was the sister who ruined her brother’s life.” Once she gets to New York, the first sign that she is not ready to return is her lack of a coat, which she had long ago donated to a homeless shelter. While she does not have a good view of her mom “Dad was the dreamer and Mommy was the sledgehammer who smashed those dreams into smithereens,” she still refers to her as ‘Mommy.’ The characters are complex, relatable, and well developed and the action flows easily from chapter to chapter. Using a combination of humor and drama, the author keeps it from being an overly depressing and dramatic tale of family bonds and obligations. Angela’s family is no doubt dysfunctional but they are also loving, supportive, and most of all, forgiving. In focusing on the life of one anti-war activist, “Last Stop on the 6” brings a Bronx neighborhood to life with all its complexities and humorous mis-adventures. It is recommended for readers who appreciate stories centered around strong families and the joys and pitfalls of growing up and growing wise.

Very interesting read. I don't tend to read a lot of literary fiction but I really enjoyed the family relationships in this book.

Set in the early 90's (such a nostalgic time frame for me!) in the Bronx (another nostalgic location), Angela is returning home from the West Coast after a ten-year, self-imposed exile for - she believes - causing the accident that put her brother in a wheelchair. She's immediately transported into old family relationships (ahem, dysfunction) and has to navigate her way through issues old and new.

I really enjoyed Angela's internal dialogue and watching her grapple with coming home and catching up. The book was light hearted and sweet, but still dealt with difficult issues such as patience, forgiveness, and acceptance. And I *loved* the setting of this book - the Bronx really comes alive.

Angela Campanosi fled her home in Pelham Bay, the Bronx, 10 years previously after an accident left her brother, Jimmy, paralyzed and she now lives in Venice Beach, Ca. Her mother (or "Mommy" as Angela refers to her) sends her a plane ticket to return to Pelham Bay for Jimmy's wedding. Things in the Marchesi-Campanosi-Petrolli household are totally chaotic and the members of this extended family are very unique.

This book takes place in the early 2000s and was a really good book, well written with believable characters. Kinda like the Brennans only with an Italian-American flair and a lot more dysfunction. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and still others that will tug at your heartstrings. For those of you (like me) who don't know, the title refers to Pelham Bay being the first or the last stop on the number 6 subway line between Pelham Bay and Manhattan, depending on your direction of travel. The book is a fairly fast read and covers many issues including opposition to the Iraq war, drug addiction, rape and alcoholism but mostly it's about family and love. There was some repetition of Angela's belief that Jimmy should not be getting married which annoyed me after a while but that's a minor quibble. I would rate this book a 3.5, rounded up to 4 in deference to the author who spent 20 years writing this book.

Although I personally wasn't offended by it, there are a lot of f-bombs in the book!

Thanks to Bordighera Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Angela Campanosi fled her home in the Italian-American enclave of Pelham Bay, the Bronx, after an accident left her brother, Jimmy, an up-and-coming actor, paralyzed. Now, ten years later, on the eve of Jimmy’s wedding, anti-war activist Angela returns home from LA to grapple with the guilt, secrets, and idiosyncrasies that make family, family. What could possibly go wrong?

I tore through this book during my late night breaks this week. This family drama set in the early 2000s was a deep dive into a house divided by secrets. The writing is quirky and fresh, led by a main character who had an amusing take on her Italian family. It was relatable, emotional and unique. It was a quick read that I highly recommend.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Last Stop on the 6 introduces readers to Angela Campanosi. First impressions might be cliche but this tough born and raised Italian American represents everything a native New York would be proud of.

After an accident leaves her brother paralyzed, running away from guilt and her past, Angela finds herself at an emotional crossroads when he is given a one way to come home. Fast forward, the day of reckoning comes when she finds out her brother is getting married. Angela returns to her past, facing hardships with pain dealing with the secrets of her past, unsettled familial angst and unspoken truths.

Just the title alone brings back memories of the area. For the time I lived in New Rochelle, I can remember taking the 6 all the way to where the setting of this book takes place. It's a reminiscent feeling when a setting can resonate with you. The author took me to a place that I recognized and can appreciate. One of the highlights of the book that I found endearing was the resilience of Angela. Her exterior may be tough but she has been through some things that have definitely made her stronger and shaped who she is.

Much of that strength came from the experiences of her past, her neighborhood and family. Her family definitely had its flaws like any other with some complicated obstacles thrown in the mix. The author created an authentic narrative that was honest, had moments filled with heart break, humor and showed the good, bad and ugly of what could be any family.

Forgiveness for yourself and for others can truly change a person's life. The relationship evolution of Angela and her brother and independently with her mother are two important narratives in the book that really dove deep for these characters. You feel the foundation of their family blended with the influence of the heart of the community. There's something special about books rooted from communities such as this. It has a different vibe and voice that commands your attention to be heard. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and thought it was a nice read.

Last Stop on the 6 is a realistic fiction novel set in NYC during the 90’s. I am sure that for a specific group of people, specifically millennial Italian-Americans, the neighborhood and personalities will be very familiar. For me, it was not nostalgic but did remind me of movies or other pop culture media from that era.

The story follows Angela, as she returns home for her brother’s wedding after moving away and not speaking to her family for years. Coming back to her family home, she has to confront the pain and trauma from her childhood. As such, the book has quite a few flashbacks, especially in the first half.

The characters were very well developed and the story is fine. I enjoyed it, but didn’t feel that it was great. I would probably not recommend it to a friend.

“Can you ever really go home again?”


Okay, confession time first!

From the very first page, this storyline reminded me so much of one so very similar, written by an author who hailed originally from New Jersey (not a million miles away from The Bronx), and which I was fortunate enough to review some years ago. That book, was by the author’s own admission, part fiction, part autobiography and part self-actualization, so I made some rather rash assumptions and spent copious amounts of time trawling Patricia’s website and any interviews she had given, for any inkling that Last Stop On The 6 might be in any way personal to her.

Oh! How I wish I had read the very, very last page of my download first, as the question which had been hanging in the air from the moment I read the first words of the story, would have been answered right away and I could have stopped torturing myself, wondering how I could objectively do true justice to any review of quite so personal a story.

From the very first sentence, this story hit the ground running and the adrenalin fuelled levels of angst and ‘what the f***’ ( that word is used quite copiously throughout, but always in keeping with the usual language and behaviour of the characters and never gratuitously) action never let up until the ‘fat lady had finished singing’, or in this case, until the wedding of the year had been successfully conducted, and for once the lights went out on a peaceful scene of domesticity – but I suspect only until the next time, which I’m sure won’t be too far away!

I laughed ’til I cried. Then cried ’til I laughed, and all the emotions in between, sometimes without ever really knowing why, but possibly just because my senses were on such overload and so flooded with the narrative and dialogue surrounding this surely one-of-a-kind, original, quirky and very dysfunctional family and their day-to-day comedy of errors, called life. Their troubles are heartfelt, and take on serious fundamental issues, but at the same time they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously, it really is all just so much ‘noise’ and posturing. Although I think that just about every family has a tale to tell, or maybe more than one, which resonates with at least some of the multitudinous issues which Angela, her family unit and circle of close friends have to deal with, to have this many catastrophes all come together, in a pressure cooker environment which always sounds fit to explode at any moment, really does just beggar belief and had me suspending all sense of reality in the situation, whilst unable to stop reading and not being able to turn the pages fast enough, to see what happened next! It seemed as though just about every one of the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins were all broken at the same time, in a vast kaleidoscopic image of fractured pieces! A terrible life-changing event from the past, threatens the potential for a brighter future, unless Angela can come to terms with the fact that she has the power to shape and change her own destiny, rather than follow the deprecating path of self-doubt and guilt she has set for herself, especially when she learns that her brother Jimmy, the subject of her guilty conscience, has a flipping huge secret of his own. Given Angela’s random thought processes and knee-jerk actions, when she knows the truth, whether Jimmy will live long enough to make it to the altar, is anybody’s guess!

This was a multi-layered, highly textured and tactile, intense storyline, which despite its seemingly haphazard construction, was in fact thoughtfully and seamlessly structured, fluid, fluent and beautifully rich in atmosphere. At times sad and poignant, it asks the question, “do we ever really leave home, yet can we ever truly go back?” I was totally immersed in the day-to-day life of the characters, invited into their world like a long lost friend, as the visuality and depth engendered by the author’s words brought them to life and lifted them from the pages. Wonderfully quick-witted, penetrating, unconventional and unique, replete with numerous observational, descriptive and anecdotal everyday incidents, this was real-life storytelling at its very best, told with consummate ease and authority, but always from the heart.

The package however, would be nothing without its cast of disparate, colourful and highly emotionally charged, larger-than-life characters, who each have an important and pivotal role to play in the eventual end game. Each is well drawn and defined, complex and volatile, raw and passionate and are not quite always reliable witnesses with a good code of ethics. However they are also addictive and amusing, vulnerable and searching for a sense of belonging, have a great dynamism and synergy between them and are generally genuine and believable behind that bluff exterior. The constant sniping and feuding is like an unconscious normality for them, they just can’t help themselves, so used to it have they become. But deep down, although they have often been beaten by the injustices of life and circumstance, they still have the one quality which Angela is about to discover conquers all – Love!

I look at the svelte image of author Patricia Dunn and have to assure her, that I’m sure I am not alone when I admit that we women of a certain age and expanded girth, like Mommy, still keep a small handful of those ‘slutty’, slinky size 6 & 8 little numbers, tucked right at the back of our wardrobes, as a reminder of way back when and what might be again when we shed the excess stones and can get back into them!! Okay! I will admit that the Dallas, Dynasty style shoulder pads, which did come back into fashion again briefly a couple of seasons ago, were finally consigned to the vintage online shop of my local hospice charity and I now have the balls to admit that the chances of me ever seeing size 6 again, is a pie-in-the-sky fantasy dream, but along with Mommy, I still covet those one or two items, for old-times sake!

Whilst my own, and possibly not too many of my fellow readers’ own personal experiences, could quite mirror or live up to the extremes of life in the Marchesi – Campanosi – Petrolli household, this book definitely took me on a totally unique and individual rollercoaster journey, which left me feeling a little battered, bruised and slightly queasy. So I recommend you read this one for yourself and see where your journey leads you!

What could be more appropriate as we quickly approach the holiday season than a book about family. In Last Stop on the 6, Angela left her extended Italian American family ten years ago vowing to never return. But after being guilted into returning for her brother’s wedding, she discovers (a) why she left and (b) why she should stay.

Last Stop on the 6 is a heartwarming tale of why family is important and why running away is never a lifelong solution. Angela’s big Italian family has the foibles of all of us while also being occasional laugh-out-loud funny or sincerely poignant. Sometimes, it’s both at once! Don’t miss this quirky comfort read. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Bordighera Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Angela Campanosi left Pelham Bay in the Bronx after an accident left her brother Jimmy paralyzed. Ten years later, Angela returned from LA for Jimmy's wedding, but the groom disappeared and left behind a cryptic note. Angela’s mother won't tell Jimmy’s fiancée, her father goes on a bender, her ex-boyfriend runs the family exterminating business, and her stepfather just wants to feed everyone. It's up to Angela to find Jimmy, learning about herself and the family she left behind.

I was honestly drawn to this by the title, because I used to ride the 6 train all the time. This is New York City of 1991, and I can practically hear the cadence of Angela's speech as she talks and moves through her old Bronx neighborhood. Her family doesn't talk about any of the changes that had happened in the ten years she's been away, so she clung to her guilt for the entire time. This leads their secretive behavior to be interpreted in the worst possible way. She's sure that her brother doesn't want to get married. Or he owes the mafia money. Or that someone is dying. Discovering her family's actual motives undoes a huge portion of her sense of self, because she was always sure she had helped to ruin her family. Believing it was her fault her brother had an accident, she crossed the country, never returned, and dove into being an activist. Angela didn't fear getting arrested, she only feared being close to family.

The characters here are exactly that: characters. I say this in a good way, because they're memorable. Angela always refers to her mother as Mommy until told otherwise, while her father is Dad and her stepfather is Mike. The superstitions of the Italian Catholics are funny in a way, because I've known people with similar ones, and they never make sense when you try to explain them. In the manner of most kids in the 70's, Angela, Jimmy and Billy essentially raised themselves by playing out in the streets and hanging out; which is partly why they never really learned how to lean on adults when in trouble or discuss things. It didn't help that Dad wanted so badly for Jimmy to make it in Hollywood, and Angela felt that work was the only way to get his attention. Real trouble got swept under the rug, and it's only when Angela's fed up and lets all of her thoughts out that her family's truths can be discussed.

I enjoyed seeing this dysfunctional family at work. It's a bit of a train wreck, in that you can't look away from what you know isn't going to work out, and I wanted to shake some of them to have them talk to each other. But that's me in 2021 wanting to affect 1991 characters, and culture has changed in thirty years. Still, I liked seeing this look at the City and the state it was in at the time, as well as this slice of life.

Normally I shy away from books that fall into a category I label “misery of the human condition.” I would rather read non-fiction and any fiction would lend itself to be more of what others might term escapist fare. However, something in the description of this book caught my imagination, although at first I cursed myself for choosing this book, especially when the main character was deeply involved with the politics of America in 1991. On pages in, I was determined to slog through the story and hate the book.

And then something happened. I began to understand the character of Angela as well as her motives, and the emotional crisis she battled caused by returning to her family after 10 years. Author Patricia Dunn chose to handle this in a serious way while allowing Angela’s personality to tilt the presentation with a healthy dose of everyday humor. Angela’s sometimes-rambling train of thought meshed within conversation is a perfect view of how our brains work – not always in a linear fashion, and many times thinking the exact opposite of the conversation. This works well when she is interacting with her family. There is disfunction in every family, and Ms. Dunn exploits this while still presenting her characters in a manner that endears them to us.

I finished the story quickly, and while the ending was not how I thought it would be, I was satisfied. The entire plot was engaging, and although the author could have created a much more dramatic (translation: depressing) story, I appreciated the humor throughout that kept a serious subject on the light side. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Meryl Moss Media for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

This one wasn’t for me. I’ve seen reviews that stated it was sweet and funny. I’m wondering if we read the same book. It was odd, quirky, and kind of a mess!

Thank you Bordighera Press, VIA Folios and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the Last Stop on the 6.

A daughter flees to the west coast, leaving the Bronx and her tight knit Italian family, believing this is what is desired from her to right her wrongs. She especially believes her brother intends to leave her out of his life until she gets invited to his wedding back in NYC.

The Last Stop on the 6 is the story of ones women's saga that is fresh, a bit quirky at times, funny and full of emotions. The reader gets drawn into the family saga and its crazy cast of characters, so much so you can't stop reading.

Learn what family means in this drama. I want to join this family at the dinner table to simply that gravy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a story about an Italian-American family living in the Bronx in the early 90s. The main character Angela left her family home 10 years ago after an accident broke her brother’s spine. When she goes home 10 years later Jimmy is about to get married, but Angela doesn’t want him to and she is going to try to stop it. I loved the Campanosi family so much! Each character had a strong personality and an even stronger sense of family. Marrying into an Italian family the way they all interacted reminded me of the holidays and other family get togethers. There’s always drama but there is also love. Reading about the Bronx and the Italian neighborhood was really interesting. My father in law grew up there and has told me a lot of stories which sound similar to some themes in the book. This book also reminded me of We are the Brennans, another strong family story, where the daughter goes away to California for a period of time but then returns back to her roots. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny, and the cursing is so appropriate, I can just imagine my family saying very similar things! A great read overall!

This book is one of the few books I've read this year that is going on my 'comfort book' shelf. These are the books that I periodically pull out to read to give myself a lift or soothe myself. This was also a quick read, one that you could probably do in a day or less. As an added bonus, if you have Kindle Unlimited it will be a book that you can read under the Unlimited rules.

This book is filled with what some may feel is inappropriate language. It is set against the backdrop of the start of the Gulf War. This book also deals with some very serious issues that may be hot buttons for some. Drug addiction, rape, and alcoholism, to name a few.


I loved this book tremendously! I don't know if this is because of my Italian heritage; well, Italian Hungarian (almost the same thing family-wise!!!)

This is a growth story, a story about what happens when we run away from our troubles and what happens when we lie and/or assume too much.

This story was funny, sad, exciting, and frustrating but primarily amusing. At least it was funny if you know anything about this type of Italian enclave.

I could visualize these characters without the author getting overly wordy. I could smell the gravy bubbling on the stove without a lot of descriptive terminologies. Instead, the author writes with a conciseness that I very much appreciate and love.

This is one of the best books I have read lately, and my kudos go out to the author.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Bordighera Press, the author, and NetGalley.

Witty, fun, coming of age story. Street smart characters that are entertaining and relatable. A fast paced and thought provoking read. Overall this novel was well executed and was an enjoyable read.

Not my cuppa --- here's why:

1) It's mostly dialogue. The author has the main character Angela jumping around in her dialogue, she starts to say one thing, is reminded of something else, and interrupts herself often to go elsewhere, consistently. Very frustrating and intrusive to the flow of the novel.

2) Language. Seems no one (even "mommy") can finish a thought or sentence without "F---ing" off. Overkill, and got on my nerves. Yes, I do realize that is common in the Bronx and Jersey, is that supposed to make it realistic?

3) "Mommy" is how the main character Angela refers to her mother, constantly, even though she is an adult she comes off needy and childish. She doesn't even like her mother much so this handle doesn't seem appropriate in these circumstances. Mommy is a strange person, actually most of the characters are weird, with the exception of Angela's step-dad Mike.

4) This tries too hard to be funny and fails, though it does seem silly at times. It also tries to cover too many bases like rape, bullying, political rallying, religion and other social and domestic dilemmas.

I was awarded a complimentary e-copy of this novel to be released Nov. 9th by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own. My thanks to them for the opportunity.

This novel was too much over the top for my taste. It tried too hard to be funny while dealing with serious issues like the gulf war, rape, family secrets, addiction, guilt and forgiveness.

In this gritty tale of the Bronx, Angela has returned home in the early 90's amidst the turmoil of the protests against the war with Iraq. A decade before, she ran away from her family after a tragedy she is certain she is to blame for. She discovers her brother is getting married, but is it too rushed? And now, he's disappeared.

Angela is on a mission to find her brother and to uncover many secrets surrounding his disappearance and the estrangement she may have caused ten years prior. Along the way, she is reunited with her dysfunctional family, and some unsavory neighborhood characters. The dynamics between the main players sometimes would have your head spinning, but Patricia Dunn beautifully laid out the story with these fast-talking New Yorkers and their antics. The characters are quirky and would fit right in with any of the players from The Godfather or Goodfellas.

I was offered the opportunity to read an advanced copy, and the opinions expressed are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Bordighera Press for the ARC.

Last Stop on the 6. Dunn truly manages to paint a picture! An obviously dysfunctional family, Italian and not surprisingly "In the Bronx." Nothing in the book was as I thought it would be. So many hilarious twists and turns. I only gave it 4stars because of the unnecessary overuse of the f bomb.

I very much appreciated being given the opportunity by Net Galley to read an advance copy of Last Stop on the 6 by Patricia Dunn .in exchange for my honest opinion

I loved this book. Don’t shy away from it because it takes place in “THE BRONX” or because it is about a Catholic family, and you are not Catholic. It could take place in any city, anywhere, and could be about anyone, so long as it is in an environment with a bustling life, nosy neighbors and lots of conflict and dysfunction! The characters could be interchangeable with characters of a multitude of backgrounds.
This novel is about the ordinary/extraordinary Campanosi family. The matriarch is skilled in the art of instilling guilt and love, both at the same time. She is well versed in the art of suffering, until she gets her way, that is; then she makes a miraculous recovery and no longer retires to languish on her bed. She is dominant, controlling and sometimes insufferable, but she is loved and respected. The patriarch, a sometimes-reformed alcoholic, is obsessed with making his son Jimmy a famous actor. It could be his ticket out of the Bronx. Jimmy, however, would rather play soccer. And then there is Billy, whom both parents embrace as their own when his life is torn asunder. He is the son and brother from another mother. Enter Mike, husband of the now divorced matriarch. He is a kind man and a fabulous cook who tolerates this odd combination of humans, including living with the sometimes-reformed drunk, ex-husband, too. The main character, Angela, is indomitable, though guilt ridden. She is a vegan, she is motivated to do good, to bring peace to a troubled world, but for ten years, she has run from herself. She is broke and wants to crawl out from under the shadow of her sibling. After her brother’s tragic accident which left him in a wheelchair, she ran toward the California dream her dad once had for him. When her mother invites her to her brother’s wedding, she is determined to be his savior again and to save him from making the mistake of marrying a woman, Julie, who is going off to war. She has not spoken to him for a decade, but true to herself, she jumps to her own conclusions believing she knows what is best, and she is determined to do her part. From California, she returns to “the” Bronx and with her, brings mayhem and madness. It will be impossible for a reader not to find a character, or some part of one, to identify with, and to recognize, as a part of themselves or their own family.
This is a story about family and what it means to be a part of one, in a magical place called “the” Bronx, beginning with a childhood world that is filled with challenges, and continuing up until the time of the first Gulf war, when additional challenges had to be faced. Told with the light hand of an author whose staccato sentences spill out with humor and insight, the novel is hard to put down. Still in spite of the wit, it also clearly presents the angst of family life, and life in general. Some of those moments are more apt to signal tears than laughter. What are the limits of family loyalty, guilt, devotion? How far should one go to escape shame or show love? All of these concepts and more are explored deftly as the characters come of age, even if it is a bit late in life. Who among us has not made a false assumption leading to faulty decisions which have altered the course of our lives? Who has not experienced grief, loss or any kind of tragedy? Who has not had a recalcitrant relative who was either unwilling or unable to reform their ways? Who was never bullied or abused? Who has not been against war and supportive of peace? Once, they were called flower children; today they are called activists or community organizers. There are none of us that can lay claim to a perfect life.
Nothing in this book is one dimensional. Do not be fooled. It is funny and a joy to read, but it also has profound messages. So pick up this book and walk down the memory lane of your own life or of your ancestors. You will not regret it. We have all walked some part of the way in Angela’s shoes or Jimmy’s or Mike’s or Billy’s or any of the others’ footwear. You will love this book, no matter where you hail from. Humanity lives large on every page.
“Last Stop on the 6”, takes place in a unique borough, the only one that that has an honorific in front of it, “the” Bronx”, but it could also have been Brooklyn, maybe even Queens or any other place that was thriving at the same time, that had that same kind of volcanic personality. The book was really nostalgic for me. I am from Brooklyn, and my husband is from the Bronx. My tennis racquet fell off the proverbial truck. Without that truck, I would not have learned to play tennis. Racquets were luxuries. We sat on stoops and consoled each other. We played pranks on people and played stickball in the street. Busybody ladies confiscated our balls when they went astray. My dad climbed to our roof, once a year, and rescued the balls that landed there, throwing them down to their “rightful” owners. My home was a two-family with a basement apartment making it an illegal three. One thing the author didn’t mention was tar beach. They were the apartment rooftops that everyone climbed to in order to cool off. Some slept on fire escapes. There was no universal air conditioning. People actually met outside and talked.
My husband and I beat the odds. We were considered G.U., geographically undesirable, but we courted and married. When I return to the area, I always go to Arthur Avenue, a haven for Italian culture. I could taste the bread, the pastries, the special olives and marvelous burrata when the author brought it up. The magnificent movie theaters, the elevated trains, they were all part of my life. I was my own brother’s savior, and for years, we too, did not speak. When Angela’s mom told her to marry a Jewish man because although he would cheat too, he would take better care of her, I remembered my husband telling me a story about a friend who wanted to go into business with him because he knew Jews were all successful in business. The stereotypes were rampant. The charm of the story and its characters is that they are totally, superlatively real! The story explodes with humor on every page. The dialogue is animated and alive, never boring. The novel is infused with so much humanity and reality, you will find your own self somewhere, on some page, as the characters touch your heart. Immerse yourself in it and enjoy.