This book has a lot going for it––I'm drawn to the prose and the religious backstory––but I struggled to stay "in it" due to the slow pacing. I know so many other readers are LOVING it, so I suppose I'm just not this romance's ideal reader.

I thoroughly enjoyed being along for the ride of Leaving the Station. Even though the main characters, Zoe and Oakley, are not reflective of me I liked them and was drawn into learning about them as individuals and as they interacted with each other. The “flashbacks” to Zoe’s college days helped us see and understand how she got to “now” so they were interesting and insightful but I enjoyed the storyline as it carried out on the train ride portion of the story. I became enchanted by the makeshift community created by the coming together of a handful of varied people sharing this standard time and place. I find I am almost always drawn to those unexpected communities that are forged based on common ground. It shows that people can come together and be a positive force even if between an unlikely group such as those that met and became a friend group on the train. Further, I appreciated the slow growth of the friendship between Zoe and Oakley as they got to know each other and perhaps themselves better along the way. The pace of the interaction matched the pace of a train making its way across the country…..having days that stretch on and yet they are only a handful of days. It took on a magical quality as I went along for the ride. I would like to take other rides with our main characters as they meet new sets of fellow passengers to see where those interactions took us. Fun. I’ll be watching for other stories by Jake Maia Arlow.

Okay so that was not what I was expecting by the blurb... It was deeper and a bit depressing and really heavy in religion but it was a peek into someone's story. It wasn't the light and fluffy meet cute I was looking for but it was still a journey. The writing was really good. 4 stars because I didn't necessarily connect with the characters and ended up kinda depressed lol despite the HEA.

This book was so cute and sweet! The characters were really well fleshed out and complex for a YA book. I am very impressed by this story!

There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but I found it simply wasn't for me. There is nothing wrong with it, it's more of a matter of my personal taste!

Jake Maia Arlow is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Their books are clever, incredibly thoughtful, and so relatable. Leaving the Station was no different--I felt immediately seen in Zoe and her story with Alden and Oakley. Every character we met felt like a real person, and the train as a setting was perfectly cozy and comforting. Arlow writes Zoe and Oakley coming together and using each other as queer safe spaces is delicate and intentional, as well as incredibly powerful. Thank you HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this incredible book!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Zoe’s life has gone off the rails. She’s abandoned her friends, skipped all her classes, doesn’t know what to think about her gender identity, and somehow wound up with an ex-boyfriend despite being a lesbian. When Thanksgiving break arrives, Zoe decides to take a cross-country train home in order to give herself time to think through her messy life and put off telling her parents that she’s dropping out of college and abandoning the pre-med track they’ve always expected of her. On the train, Zoe makes unexpected friends - including Oakley, who seems to have it all but is struggling with her own issues. The two grow close - first as friends and then as something more. Will the two have their lives figured out by the time the train arrives in Seattle? Or will life be as confusing and messy as ever?

I was excited to read Leaving the Station after thoroughly enjoying Arlow’s book How to Excavate a Heart and I’m happy to report that it’s just as good - if not even better - than it. The characters feel so real, their flaws taking center stage. I related so much to Zoe as she questioned her path in life and her gender identity. I was so pleasantly surprised to read a book that tackles the concept of gender envy! Throughout the book, Zoe realizes her attraction to her ex-boyfriend Alden is really her wishing she could be like him. I also loved Oakley as a character. She’s struggling to find community and with her Mormon faith, and challenges Zoe in all the right ways. I love a complicated and flawed female character and this book delivered with Oakley.

The novel succeeds in its mission to explore gender envy, leaving the Mormon faith, and struggling with one’s path in life. The epilogue was cute but felt unnecessary and there were a scenes that were a bit too cutesy or over-the-top for me.

I recommend Leaving the Station to readers who enjoyed How to Excavate a Heart and readers who are looking for gender exploration in their YA books.

I really wanted to like this one more than I ended up. Overall the story was good, but I felt that it lacked in final execution. The relationships didn't feel fully fleshed out, and left me unsure as they didn't feel totally believable. I enjoyed Arlow's writing, I just think this needed a little more of something.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storytide for a copy of this ARC!

Feeling pretty mixed on this one.

I liked the depth packed into such a short book. Zoe and Oakley’s journeys with gender and religion were interesting, and despite not being particularly religious, I still liked the discussions about faith and identity. The train setting also worked well since I feel like it adds to the theme of ongoing discovery.

That said, a lot of the character dynamics didn’t sit right with me. Zoe’s treatment of their friends and boyfriend was brushed over too easily, and the romance with Oakley didn’t fully land for me, especially with how she overstepped at times. The side characters felt flat, and some plot moments were just odd. There are strong elements here, but the overall execution didn’t quite work for me. I’m still open to reading more from Arlow, just not this again. I would be curious to see where they grow from here.

This book feels like a warm, introspective hug wrapped in the rhythm of a train ride—a journey that’s as much about self-discovery as it is about the people we meet along the way. Zoe’s story is deeply relatable, especially for anyone who’s ever felt lost or unsure of who they are or where they’re headed. Her struggles with identity, her failed attempts at living up to expectations (both her own and others’), and her messy, imperfect decisions make her feel so real, so human. You can’t help but root for her, even when she’s running from her problems instead of facing them head-on.

The cross-country train setting is such a brilliant backdrop for Zoe’s journey. There’s something inherently romantic and freeing about train travel—the way it forces you to slow down, to sit with your thoughts, and to connect with strangers in ways you never expected. And Oakley? They’re the perfect foil to Zoe’s chaos. Their confidence and mystery draw you in, but as the layers peel back, you see they’re just as lost and searching as Zoe is. Their dynamic is electric, full of tension and tenderness, and you can’t help but hope they’ll find their way—both individually and together.

What really stands out is how the book balances heavy, emotional moments with a sense of hope and lightness. It’s about love, yes, but also about friendship, self-acceptance, and the messy, beautiful process of figuring out who you are. The writing has this quiet, lyrical quality that pulls you in, making you feel like you’re right there on the train with Zoe and Oakley, watching the world blur past the windows.

If you’ve ever felt like your life has gone off the rails (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t?), this story will resonate deeply. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to not have everything figured out, that sometimes the detours and wrong turns are exactly where you’re meant to be. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve been on a journey too—one that leaves you a little more hopeful, a little more understanding, and maybe even a little more in love with the idea of second chances.

leaving the station book review

i really like how complex the characters are in this one.

this book really made me look into going on a cross-country train trip. i love how arlow described the experience and ambience of being on the train.

i really had a hard time with oakley as a character. i felt like (as someone who grew up in a church, not mormon, but still a church that wasn’t accepting of my sexuality) i couldn’t really understand why someone would want to go back, especially if that meant giving up any possibility of being with someone i really love. but i guess that is the point of literature, to challenge you.

books like these are so important because they help trans people feel seen. we need to protect these kinds of books because that is what the government is actively trying to ban.

[Disclosure: Thanks to Storytide and HarperCollins Children's Books for making this book available for early review via NetGalley]. This novel will have you scheduling a cross-country train trip. Arlow paints a vivid portrait of human connection, queer identity, and the weight of expectations. Zoe has spent her high school years living up to her parents' expectations, enrolling in Cornell with the goal of med school in the future, but at Cornell, she meets a host of people who encourage her to truly discover herself. Alden, a boy who offers her freedom and whimsy, inviting her on daring escapades and making her question her identity; and the "Tees," a group of queer individuals who establish a safe place for her in her first weeks at Cornell. But then Zoe leaves college behind. She embarks on a cross-country train trip for the holidays, where everything changes when she meets a young woman. The train and those traveling on it give the book its heart; the conductor, travelers, and snack cart operator create a colorful cast of characters who play different roles in Zoe's life. At its heart, Arlow's novel is a rendition of a young woman losing and finding herself, discovering the courage to follow her own path, and recognizing the harsh truth of resigning ourselves to losing what we love. A bittersweet novel, but an essential read for our times, this book should be read by teens and adults alike. It was a truly emotional read.

This was such a great book, and something that I think would be so valuable for queer teens about to head to college. A lot of media surrounding college emphasizes how fun and exciting it is, but in reality many people struggle in college to find their place, get motivation to go to class, and many realize that their major isn’t what they want to do. The discussion of struggling to find your community is so well down and I think the train setting served this story so well. Trains really are like a unique outer worldly place that allows people to be someone else for a bit, and meet people without the pressure of them knowing your whole past.

Seeing Zoe’s journey of discovering her gender, particularly through her ex was so compelling, and something I have really seen done like this in shows or books. I also really loved the development of her relationship with Oakley, because we got to see so many of their conversations and they learned so much about each other in such a short time. Their connection really shined through in this book and I love how they help each other work through their problems. The side characters were also very charming and funny.

wait this was so cute i love friendship and plants and gay people

ALSO leavenworth moment?

this was a really fun short y/a book! it IS a romance but i felt like it was equally a book about finding yourself in college and discovering who you are, what you enjoy, and what you want to do in the future. i'm the same age as these characters and i also took a nontraditional education path (gap year) AND i am moving across the country for college. so i felt like this was a very relatable read.

i liked the train setting a lot and felt like the side characters were really fleshed out as real people, not just there to set up the leads.

definitely recommend :D

Zoe boards a train from Cornell University to her home in Seattle, WA. Feeling lost and confused about who she is as a person, Zoe is going home and not return.ing. Her plans for her future to be a doctor, a plan she spent her whole high school career striving for, is turned upside down. She thought she was a lesbian, but now she is questioning that and even who she is in terms of gender.

Oakley boards the same train to go home to her mormon Family. She knows she is a lesbian, which she has been taught her whole life is wrong. She craves the community and sense of belonging she used to have within her church and family.

Tough topics of gender, religion, and sexuality rise to the surface as Zoe and Oakley strike up a friendship. The development of the characters within this story is so beautifully done. I connected deeply with Oakley and Zoe in the struggle to know who you are and the need for community.

I loved the flashbacks to Zoe’s time at Cornell with the passing of time on the long train ride to Washington. I appreciated that the story was told only from Zoe’s perspective. This created a natural pace within the plot and connected the tough topics to these characters in a refreshing way.

I wasn’t expecting to read this book in one day, but I couldn’t put it down!

This is a book I will be rereading because it is always good to get that reminder to live your life being the best version of yourself rather than what others may expect of you.

Overall, I did enjoy this book.
The book included a widely diverse cast of characters, which we love to see representation. Being on a train, you truly can meet anybody.
Deals with some religious background, which was in a way relatable to me. Slipping back for the familiarity and community is understandable.
I was confused with the flashbacks in the beginning. I wasn’t anticipating them and had to flip back and forth until I realized we had gone back in time.

For a story about a long train ride, I thought it would be slower-paced but the constant flashbacks make the main plot feel quite fast-paced, maybe to its detriment. It does make for a fast read that flows well and you still feel engross in this train coming of age journey.

I really appreciated the storyline deconstructing religion and gender, there's a lot to chew on and the secular [religion] perspective aligns with me. I was also interested in the perspective of a nonbinary lesbian who lives their gender differently from me. I never got the whole let's date a boy because I want to be him and I still don't I think there was maybe a missing link to make it flow better in the story.

I did appreciate the book, truly, there was a connection between the characters although calling it a romance is a stretch given how little time they're given to get to know each other. maybe a spark or a connection that will maybe go somewhere.

However the characters do feel a bit like mouthpieces at times in a way where they don't feel real? it's weird because I know people who would say this but the way it was incorporated in dialogues was maybe a bit off?

I just loved this book. I was jealous of that long train ride and enjoyed the cast of characters - those who seemed annoying but had their own strengths, those who seemed strong and revealed their weaknesses. I think the lessons learned were useful and not too heavy-handed.

Can I say that this was fucking adorable and sweet?

The fact that there was so much depth in the different stories, different lives in such a short book was amazing!

Zoe and Oakley were asking questions about themselves, their past and their relationships within the world and the religion aspect wasn’t what I expected but I like that they both spoken the meaning and the message translated to them.

Zoe, is a person who is trying to understand how to feel within themselves, their bodies as their heart.

Oakley is a free spirit but also very grounded. She wanted to feel safe and she learned that sometimes, finding a community is within yourself.

I loved that this took place on a train. It shows that you can learn so much as your grow and also, just learning everyday.

I will say that I wasn’t a fan with how Oakley pushed the issue in one are but overall, I really liked the conclusion.

I thought ending it with the fact they are young and they want to be together and to figure it out as they go.



Thank you so much NetGalley and Harpercollins for the chance to read this arc.

Really disliked this book at first. Too much angst. But I stuck with it and ended up being glad I did.
The basic plot is that a first semester college student has a terrible time adjusting to college and wants an escape. By taking a train ride home to Seattle for thanksgiving rather than a flight, the student has space and time to figure out their next steps. Along the way, they figure out stuff about friendships, romantic relationships, and gender. I liked the greenhouse aspect and that this was a queer romance without a lot of sex. I did think the relationships with the school friends and boyfriend wrapped up way too neatly.

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.