One Last Stop
Casey McQuiston
June 1, 2021


August Landry arrived at the apartment of Parkside and Flatbush Avenues hoping the ad for the apartment on top of the Louisiana Kitchen was still available. She starts at Brooklyn College the next week before classes begin and housing is filled to the brim. The ad requested the prospective room-mate be single, OK with living in a 3 bedroom on the 6th floor. They must be fine with dogs and fire - no Libras - $700 per month. Call Niko
When she arrives, she meets Niko, a man full of tattoos. The house was full of antique furniture, antique being yard sale period pieces. After meeting 2 of the 3 room-mates, she concedes that it will do, piles her 5 boxes into the empty room available and settles in.
She begins work at a pancake house despite never having waited tables before. Her roomies convinced the manager that she was best for the job. Who knew?
While riding the metro to school on the first day she eyes the most beautiful woman dressed in holey jeans and a black leather jacket. Each morning she finds ‘Subway Girl’ riding in a different car. She in turn is called ‘Coffee Girl’ after spilling her morning latte down her shirt the day before. This vlog is filled with August’s confusing life with her strange roommates, Landry gives us a diary run of her work at Pancake Billy’s as well as conversations with Myla, Niko and Wes.
It took awhile but I did discover interesting facts about Jane Su, aka ‘Subway Girl’. It is funny at times as well as somewhat confusing listening to the dialogues of the principal characters.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group and will be released on June 1, 2021. I appreciate St. Martin’s allowing me to read and review One Last Stop via Netgalley. Most will find this a joy to read, howling at the collegiate humor. Could be my age, but I found this a tough one to follow. That’s on me readers, you could really find it a gem, laughing out loud. Do enjoy.

This book was so much fun. I really loved Red, White, and Royal Blue and this one was the same mix of heartwarming and lovable characters, but with a very different setting. I loved seeing New York through the eyes of this book and the subway. Being trapped on a Subway line for decades is such an intriguing concept and I really liked how it all played out.
One of the small things that I really loved about this book were the small snippets at the beginning of each chapter from people who also fell in love with Jane on the subway throughout the years. August and Jane's relationship was so sweet and I love how they worked to be together.

What a bizarre story.
Not in a bad way.
Just in a "Alex, we are not in Red, White, and Royal Blue anymore.

I have a bad habit of not reading about books before I read them. I go through so many stories that I just let them take me somewhere (hopefully) new. Which means, I had no idea what I was in for. Which makes it fun. Especially when you don't realize the romance is between a modern-day girl and a 1970's punk girl who has been stuck on the New York subway for 50 years.

📚 You probably knew it was coming with this review, but basically my review is QUEER SCREAMINGGGGGG!
📚 Jane and August are a couple for the ages - opposites attract, and the chemistry leaps off the page. They feel completely distinct and real and whole, and also meant for each other.
📚 ONE LAST STOP is also very much about love and family, especially queer found family. August's roommates and the others in their orbit are the kind of people who make being queer so great.
📚 It's also about the wonderful incidents of serendipity that can happen when one lives in a big city, which I loved. The corner of New York occupied by Billy's and its family was the kind of city institution that feels like a decades-long hug.
📚 Even knowing that this was a romance novel and thing were going to turn out okay, I still held my breath through much of the book, and cried more than once at the idea that things MIGHT go sideways for August and Jane. Oh no, I'm crying thinking about it now and I've read the dang book!

There's a lot of hype around One Last Stop, and I get it. Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. I loved the bi-rep in the story and the characters were quirky in the best way, but I couldn't get onboard with the whole physics element. I don't even know if that's the correct term. The scientific, but also supernatural elements to August's and Jane's relationship really just threw me off. I wanted them to be together and the ending was cute, but I was lost in the science. The book isn't set up as a supernatural story, but it's definitely an important element to the novel.

Thank you Netgalley for my eARC!

Casey McQuiston has done it again. Red, White, and Royal Blue was my favourite book of 2019 and now One Last Stop is my favourite book of 2021 thus far.

I love a found family trope, and this one was one of my favourites. I always love McQuiston's characters, and this book just gave me a whole new cast of characters to love. They were all so unique and had such clear and distinct personalities. I truly loved every single one of the characters in this story.

It was also genuinely laugh out loud funny at parts, but also had some heartbreaking moments, too. I don't know how McQuiston can have me laughing to myself in one moment, and almost in tears in the next, but it happened.

I adored the love story and how we see August move from being cynical and so independent that she refuses to trust anyone, to gaining this family that she truly loves and trusts beyond anyone else.

Also, the time loop was done so well. I find that sometimes time travel/time loops can really tricky to pull off in a satisfying way but I found that anytime I started to question how it all worked, an answer would be given within a few pages or the next chapter.

Overall, this was such a fun read and I can't wait to get all of my friends to read it, too, so that we can laugh and cry about it together.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is one of my favorite reads of 2021 so far. The protagonist of the story is 23-year old August, who has moved to New York City because she has become cynical about everything to do with her life and feels like New York is the perfect place for her to embrace her cynicism and go through life alone. August’s new roommates, however, have other ideas. They help her find a job, show her everything that is wonderful about New York, and basically adopt her into their little found family and it’s the cutest thing ever. Think “Friends” but with a much more diverse cast, including a drag queen who lives across the hall and a lovable extended family at the 24-hour pancake diner where August ends up working.

August is also taking college courses and encounters a young woman named Jane on the subway one morning when she spills coffee all over herself and Jane comes to her rescue. August is attracted to Jane right away and it seems like Jane feels the same way. They meet on the train every morning and evening and grow closer with each encounter. August even starts thinking that maybe she doesn’t want to be alone after all and decides to ask Jane out. Every time August asks Jane to go out, Jane tells her she can’t come. August is confused by the mixed signals Jane is sending until she finally figures out that something very strange is going on. Jane has somehow been displaced in time from the 1970s and is trapped on the subway line. She can’t go out with August because she’s literally stuck on the train. August loves Jane and is determined to figure out how to set her free, even if it means sending her back to her own timeline and never seeing her again and she calls on her roommates to help.

I don’t want to give anything away about how this all plays out, but wow, I just fell so hard for this entire lovable, quirky cast of characters and I also loved how unique the overall premise of the story is. Sometimes magical realism doesn’t work for me, but I thought McQuiston used it perfectly here. It was like Quantum Leap with a side of romance set in the subway. One Last Stop is such a refreshing and original read and I just loved every page of it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5 stars) -- I had to wait a while before writing this review just to make sure I wasn’t still on a reader’s high. Since then I’ve even managed to re-read most of this one because the characters are just 😘👌 *chef’s kiss*.

Dang, I love Kate and Leopold as much as the next early 2000s gal, but that description does not even come close to how fun this book was. Even with the hype, I was somehow still not quite prepared for what was coming.

One of my favorite things about the romance genre is just how inclusive it can be. It’s important to me that everyone can see themselves reflected in positive and affirming stories. Especially in the past few years, I feel like we’re getting many more opportunities to see such a broad array of people get their happily ever after.

From the moment I read the want ad on the first page, I was hooked. Casey has such a way of painting an image with words. You really feel like you’re there awkwardly sitting on that beat-up old brown couch in a cramped, Brookly plant jungle claiming to be an apartment. It’s a sticky, humid day and you’re smelling Popeye's chicken wafting up from downstairs as a stranger claiming to be a psychic “reads” you while you stare at a confounding sculpture of Judy Garland made up of marshmallow Peeps and bicycle parts.

I absolutely adore Casey’s writing. They do a phenomenal job of creating characters with whom you would absolutely want to hang out and shoot the shit. At the same time, they are all so precious (yes, even Wes) that you just want to wrap them in a hug and protect them like a stray baby kitten that’s already seen too much. They’ve been through some shit but this family they’ve created is just so heartwarming and beautiful.

It’s difficult to do justice talking about this book without revealing any of the spoilers and surprises that Casey left for readers. There are so many fun tidbits to talk about but I don’t want to say too much. You already get a fair bit just by reading the book’s summary blurb.

Besides their phenomenal characters and the way they always seem to punch me in the feels, I really appreciate the way they manage to drop in little gems to educate readers on important and fascinating aspects of queer history. As a history lover, this was one of my favorite things about Red, White & Royal Blue and I’m glad to see that it’s back.

Another thing I really treasured was the way Casey conveyed certain important and empowering messages to the reader that they may have grown up needing to hear. In that sense, certain aspects felt reminiscent of Rosie Danan’s The Intimacy Experiment (in the best way possible).

I heard a rumor that Casey is already at work on a third book. I can’t wait to see what comes next. So far they’ve been hitting them all out of the park.

August Landry moves to New York City, just another stop among many in her quest to prove that she's fine being alone. Everything she owns fits in five boxes, and she sleeps on an inflatable mattress. She belongs nowhere and needs no one. But NYC feels different to August: her diverse group of roommates, who adopt her immediately; her job at an all-night pancake diner; and the subway. Because the subway brings Jane: beautiful, enigmatic, leather jacket-clad Jane. Then August realizes something; Jane is always on the subway because she has to be. She's trapped and displaced in time from the 1970s. It seems as if August--and her new band of friends--may be the only one to save her. Can August believe in something, someone, enough to free Jane?

"Truth is, when you spend your whole life alone, it's incredibly appealing to move somewhere big enough to get lost in, where being alone looks like a choice."

I've put off writing this review because it's hard to see how I can do McQuiston's beautiful romance any justice. This book is such a romantic, sexy, and heartwarming read. August is an excellent character. She's spent most of her life in her uncle's shadow, working with her mother to try to solve his missing person's case. August eventually declared herself done--done searching, done with mysteries. But then this beautiful woman appears on the subway, and she offers the biggest mystery of all to August. Why is Jane stuck on the subway and how can August help?

"And she can't believe Jane had the nerve, the audacity, to become the one thing August can't resist: a mystery."

McQuiston gives us the most amazing, diverse queer novel one could ever wish for. August is bi and Jane basically every lesbian's dream. It's impossible not to fall in love with this gorgeous Asian subway vision. Even better, through Jane and other events, it's a tribute to those who came before our generation. Jane was a (incredibly sexy) activist / riot girl in the 1970s, yet is shocked that you can typically be openly gay on the subway now. She comes to everyone's defense there. She's amazing. As for August's roommates, they are beautiful and diverse, including trans and gay characters, with the lovely Myla taking care of the group. There are several drag queens given legitimate, true storylines. To say how meaningful this is to the queer community--it's hard to even explain. All of these characters--roommates Myla, her boyfriend, Niko, and Wes; neighbor Isaiah; coworkers Lucie and Winfield--are real and treated with care. They are funny, flawed, and create the most amazing found family ever.

"Jane doesn't age. She's magnetic and charming and gorgeous. She... kind of lives underground."

As for August and Jane, this is a romance for the ages. This book is swoony and sexy. It will make you laugh; it will make you cry. McQuiston has written a lesbian character for us lesbians to ogle for years to come, and a romance to stack all other romances against. It's funny and heartwarming. There's magic and mystery. There's pancakes. It's a beautiful ode to New York City, the subway, and falling in love. There's seriously nothing not to love.

So yes, I loved this book. I love McQuiston's way with words--the humor, the romance, the way she allows the queer community to have meaningful love stories in our world. This book is flowing with passion, with beauty, and magic.

Casey McQuiston never disappoints. I enjoyed this one even more than Red, White, and Royal Blue. The characters and story are captivating.

If you're looking for a queer romance read for the summer, look no further! You'll want to read One Last Stop over and over. I am very grateful to have received an ARC from Netgalley. Big thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in advance of the publication date and then get to GUSH about it. This is the ultimate diverse book with people from all different religions, cultures, ethnicities, genders and sexualities and it doesn't feel forced. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! This past year has been horrible for everyone. This allowed me to escape the stresses and travel to NYC, meet amazing characters, and experience the subway (I've never been to New York City, but this made me feel like I have).

Title: One Last Stop

Author: Casey McQuiston

Publication Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Romance, Sci-Fi

Rep: Asian, lesbian, bisexual, trans, Latino, Black, Jewish, Chinese, Drag Queens

Triggers: Alcohol, amnesia (memory loss), some blood, death of loved one, mentions homophobia, mentions hate crimes , mentions racism, sex, mentions trauma.

My Review
› Twenty-three-year old August has moved a few times, attended different universities and switched majors the past few years. She doesn't believe in psychics, love, friendship, or owning a lot of stuff. Her mother's been obsessed with finding her older brother since he went missing in 1973. Now August has found a new New York City apartment with an amazing group of roommates and landed a job waitressing at a pancake diner while trying to finally finish her degree.

August's new roommates are a couple, Niko and Myla, and Wes who owns a poodle named Noodles. Niko is trans, Latino, psychic with dark hair and tattoos. Myla, is a queer Black girl with an engineering degree, curly hair and a friendly face who recently discovered her love and talent for art. Wes is a queer, Jewish tattoo artist with a crush on their neighbour, Isaiah, who is called Annie when dressing as a woman.

On her first commute to school "Subway Girl" Jane gives "Coffee Girl" August a scarf to cover the coffee stain on her shirt. Jane is a Chinese lesbian with amazing cheekbones, golden-brown skin, and short black hair wearing a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket. It doesn't take August long to notice how strange it is that every single time she steps on the Q subway line, Jane is there, wearing the same thing. After some investigating, August discovers the love-of-her-life is from the 1970s and is somehow stuck on this particular subway line. Jane can't remember anything from her past. August is determined to figure out a way to help Jane, even if that means giving up the person who she thought might be her last stop.

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 10

› Atmosphere: 10
I can picture every single setting in my mind. I want to hang out at their Apartment, I want to eat the Su Special at Pancake Billy's House of Pancakes, and ride the Q subway line.

› Writing Style: 10
The BEST conversation about virginity I've ever read: "The whole idea is based on cissexist and heteronormative and quite frankly colonial-ass bullshit from a time when getting a dick in you was the only definition of sex. If that's true, me and Niko have never had sex at all."

› Plot: 10
Super exciting at the end with a bit of a heist-situation.

› Intrigue: 10

› Logic: 10

› Enjoyment: 10

Average 10 *** I don't know if I've ever given a another book all TENS!!!

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• One Last Stop is a poignant, MUST-READ, coming-of-age SEXY, QUEER romance, about LOVE, and HOPE, and believing in the impossible, and embracing friends who become family. This is not just a sexy, queer romance, this story also talks about the many hardships and horrible events that have happened in the queer community, in particular to queer people of colour. I wish I could give this 16 stars. I want this to become a movie!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.


*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*

After Red, White & Royal Blue, I knew I would always read anything by Casey McQuiston and One Last Stop didn't change my mind. At all. Written firmly in the New Adult genre, both by the characters' ages and McQuistion's perfectly unsubtle approach to the saucy scenes, One Last Stop is a found family, first love, time travel, drag show romp celebrating life in your twenties and finding your people.

A book about the people and places that make you believe that love (and magic) is possible, and a sort of coming-of-age story for 'new adults' who are still figuring life out and feeling cynical about student loans. It's funny and sexy and wears its heart on its sleeve, and I adored every page.

As in Red, White, and Royal Blue, McQuiston never shies away from in-the-moment cultural references, and that's part of what makes the setting of this book shine through so well (I remember laughing at a description of someone's Pickle Rick pin). Impossibly witty side characters form a delightful found family, and snippets of queer history are interlaced throughout. The mystery/ science-fiction parts don't take themselves too seriously, but they hold up well and build toward a satisfying emotional conclusion.

I look forward to revisiting Jane and August's story often.

“BIG DICK ENERGY IS GENDER NEUTRAL.”

This will be a spoiler free review of One Last stop by

First off if you know me you know that I love Red white and royal blue and that it’s one of my favorite books. So I was overjoyed when I received a ARC of this book. This beginning of the book was a little slow for me, it took a bit for me to get completely hooked but once I did I fell in love. Not only does this story have a beautiful LGBTQ romance and representation it has a found family troupe. August is new to New York living with a bunch of people she doesn’t know or wants to get to know. But then Jane pops into her life, mysterious, gorgeous, and utterly perfect! The only problem is that she is from the 1970s and that might complicate things. Will love truly conquer all? This story made me feel every possible emotion in the most passionate ways, I cried, I laughed, I felt like I was part of the story. I devoured this book and I can’t wait to read it again! Overall this book was 4.5/5 stars, and I would recommend this book to everyone especially fans of Red white and royal blue Boyfriend material. This story was different from Casey McQuintons first book, because of the paranormal/sci-fy twist. Yet the author did an amazing job of keeping all the romance in love tied into the story.
4.5/5 stars

An Arc was exchanged for a honest review.

Indisputably, Casey McQuiston is an extremely talented writer. The way One Last Stop flows, from beginning to end, just took my breath away. Ms. McQuiston goes deep inside August, and the way she grows over the course of the novel is beautifully done.

What astonished me most, and kept me coming back for more, is the clever way everyone’s stories are tied together. Without giving too much away, there’s something tying Jane to August, a reason why they connect in the first place. As the entire tale unfolds, amazing nuggets in time are uncovered, and it just gets better and better.

As a time travel romance: spectacular
As a hurt/comfort romance: perfection
As a humorous look at a slice of life in modern day Brooklyn: fantastic
Do I need to go on? One Last Stop is a gem, and I loved every minute of it!

August would just happy just surviving after arriving to NYC. But after moving in with colorful roommates and running into a time-traveling punk on the Q train, her life becomes more than she expected. I really got swept away with the story in the best way possible. The missing connection posts were great. I was impressed when the past was woven into the story and also the moments on the subway. As a New Yorker, I will say Casey McQuiston definitely knows the Q line! I really enjoyed the writing and found myself rereading some sections over again. I would definitely recommend this book!

Love this and this book is the perfect LGBTQ love story in NYC. This was so creative and fun, light and sweet, and the perfect beach read.

I went into this book with crazy high expectations because I LOVED Red, White & Royal Blue. This one was slightly cheesier, and didn't have the banter I loved in RWRB, but I still really enjoyed it. The most special thing about this book is it takes a total 180 about 25% into it, something I wasn't expecting at all. I loved how creative and unique the story is: it was a great love story and a great ending.

Can't wait to see what Casey McQuiston writes next!

This book had an amazing blurb. I’ve never read this authors work before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, it was brilliant it was sexy it was fun and I can’t wait to see what Casey has for readers next!

Casey McQuiston is a phenomenal author. This is so different from Red, White & Royal Blue, but not in a bad way! If you are looking for a sweet, low angst sapphic rom-com, this isn't it. The romance takes a big step back in this novel, and this is A LOT more science fiction like than I expected it to be.

At its core, this book is about finding yourself. It's a coming-of-age story at the age of 23. It's for the people who are almost out of college and don't know where the future leads or what you want to do with life. I'm grateful I read this when I did because I deeply related to August.

The strongest aspect of this book is the found family. The bonds August has with Myla, Niko, and Wes were just wonderful. And the bond August had with the people at Billy's. It was a joy to read. It was nice to read a book that focused on friendship just as much as romance.

That being said, Jane and August- adorable. The slow build of their relationship was endearing, and their tension was immaculate.

This is so different from Red White and Royal Blue, so don't count this out if you didn't like it!