Casey McQuiston has done it again with One Last Stop! Much like their debut, this is an emotion packed romcom that takes you on an adventure!

I had the pleasure of listening to an advanced audiobook copy as well while reading it was delightful. The two main characters, August and Jane, deserve the world and I love them so much. I thought it was really neat to have the whole time travel sort of element even though it is a romcom, it added for a really unique story!

This book was equal parts funny and romantic and it had me laughing, swooning and in tears! I love when a good makes me feel this way! The spicy elements were really realistic and just perfect for the situations and I loved seeing that. Overall this was just a fantastic read and I immediately wanted to re-read it when I was done!

When I received the email that I'd been approved to read One Last Stop, I was incredibly excited. I'd already seen people hyping the book, and read and loved Red, White & Royal Blue. So I went into this book with very high expectations. And while I'd say they were generally met, it wasn't quite as good as RW&RB. But! To be better than that book was a challenge, and should not discredit this book.

That being said, if you liked the snappy banter and the diverse and vivid characters of RW&RB, then you'll be pleased with One Last Stop. OLS and RW&RB use a similar narration tactic of following through close third person one half of the the primary romantic couple. August, much like Alex before her, was vivid, relatable, lovable, and a bunch of other positive adjectives. She wasn't perfect, but she felt real. Conversely, the love interest, Jane Su (view spoiler) came across a bit too unrealistically perfect for me. Like, her main flaw is that she's a bit of a rolling stone, and she regrets her decision to leave her family, but honestly those felt like flimsy attempts to add some kind of depth to Jane when she was, by and large, characterized as an entirely good person who was always doing good things and helping others. It didn't help that August too did quite a bit of idolizing of her and even at their third act argument felt like she was immediately in the wrong and Jane wasn't (but Jane of course felt the same way because she's so ~perfect~. I think a lot of this just derives from the book not being from Jane's POV and her generally being a passive character since she's stuck on the subway, so we get to see her make very few decisions compared to August.

The secondary characters by and large I really enjoyed, and that might be an area where I felt improvement from RW&RB. The group dynamics in this book were great. It's a big wish-fulfillment thing, that dream you find a bunch of like-minded queers and get to live a bohemian life (but not without some real-life downsides), but this was a romcom, so that kind of idealistic group relationship worked really well and made me happy and more than a bit envious.

McQuiston's got a great language style, humorous and fun. There were definitely a few moments where it felt like the characters were talking in outdated (by 2-3 years even, which feels like a lifetime these days) slang, a little bit of millenial cringe, but I think considering I'm on the younger end of the book's target demographic I may be a bit biased. It was interesting to see how the book, since it has such a historical focus, firmly puts itself in 2020, but a COVID-less 2020. I haven't read any novels that were explicitly in 2020, and I think it'll be interesting to see how other authors deal with it. I didn't mind McQuiston's choice at all, but did think it was noteworthy.

The time travel part was interesting. It was a pretty simple concept, which is good for a novel that doesn't have the time travel as its main focus. In fact, most parts felt more like a ghost story than a time travel as far as the tropes and format of it (something the characters themselves even pick up on). I appreciated the inclusion of queer history, especially the bit about the UpStairs Lounge which is definitely sometimes not taught about as much as, say, Stonewall. The fact that (view spoiler) But, that's not a major hangup.

Anyone who loved Red, White, and Royal Blue , loves queer romance, or just wants to have a good times will want to check out One Last Stop.

I adored everything about this book. I didn't know exactly how Casey McQuiston could top RWRB, but they managed to do it! It was heart-warming, heart-breaking and everything in between, with a cast of characters you can't help but root for every step of the way.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would love this book. I’ve had an ARC of this book since December but I’ve been saving it for the right time. I adored Red White and Royal Blue in 2019. I’m so thankful that I’ve had the privilege of getting an ARC of both of these books.

Found family, New York City, diverse representation, sapphic romance, time travel.

One Last Stop follows August, a 23-year-old bi girl who has spent her whole life looking for a place to call home. She’s originally from New Orleans but has moved to different states and universities and has finally settled on New York City as a place to finish her degree. She finds a questionable-looking roommate ad and ends up finding her people.

The roommates include Niko, a trans Latino psychic and bartender, Myla, a queer Black electrical engineer who is now an artist with a Chinese adoptive mom, and Wes, a queer Jewish tattoo artist. August also meets a neighbor named Annie, drag queen by night and accountant by day who is called Isaiah when dressed like a boy and is hopelessly in love with Wes.

On her first day of school August gets a coffee stain on the entire from of her shirt, A girl on the Q train gives her a red scarf to cover it up, and August wonders if she’ll ever see her again. She keeps seeing this girl Jane on the Q train and it’s always in the same train car.

Who is Jane? Jane is a Chinese lesbian from the 70s who is trapped in this time slip. She doesn’t remember much about her past, only the things that are in her backpack. She is the most swoon-worthy love interest.

August who has learned how to solve missing person cases all her life because her mother has been searching for her missing brother and roped August into doing the same, decides that she’s going to figure out Jane’s past and get her out of this subway time-warp that she’s stuck in.

Casey McQuiston has done it again! Exquisite prose, characterization, witty banter, and the swoony romance. Everything was immaculate. Every character felt genuine and important and they all capture your heart. The friendships and side romances were just as important as the main one. The depiction of different identities, cultures, religions, and the representation of past and present queer communities in this book was extraordinary.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher via Net Galley.

This book stole my heart and I can’t even complain. Casey is so good at writing a world that feels real to the touch - so layered and textured it feels like a place just at the tips of your fingers. OLS is overflowing with humor and love and heartbreak and all the things you want in your favorite novel. I’m so grateful that Casey graces us with her writing - she’s a talent that I will never stop reading from.

** spoiler alert ** I'm gonna hover between a 3 and 4 on this I think. It was fun. I loved how August found a "family" that fit her in New York. I just had a really hard time suspending my belief about whether Jane was alive/dead/both. And in the historical coincidences that brought them together.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the e-ARC of One Last Stop, out June 1st.

Former kid detective & loner (August) moves to NY and meets a tough but sweet girl (Jane) on the train! Jane’s from the 1970s but stuck in 2020!

This will be a huge hit and I’m so happy that a f/f romance is getting so much buzz. but ughhhhhh I’m sad because I really wanted to love this, and it really missed the mark for me.

Jane remembers nothing about her past and has to relearn everything about herself. Through this process, she is forced to relive so much trauma from her life as a Chinese-American lesbian in the 1970s, as well as the trauma of being torn away from her existence thru a time travel incident. It takes a long time before any of this gets even briefly addressed by August. Jane has no agency in this situation and I don’t think it was ever adequately handled. August’s view of Jane is pretty infantilizing: she thinks Jane’s cute for disliking cops & laughs about how Jane can’t believe gay people can hold hands in public now, rather than seeing her as a real person with complex emotions. They also just never really talk about how, despite the fact that they’re both technically in 20-something year old bodies, they kinda have a huge age (/time?) gap. While plenty of romance novels don’t bother addressing things like this, I think that a book that presents all of these issues should also take the time and space needed to address it.

Other notes:
-I was very invested in the relationship between two side characters!!
-The found family stuff with August’s roommates was cute but relied on a very romanticized version of New York and so much cheesy dialogue
-I just really wish the electricity time travel plot was wrapped up sooner, since it was such a big part of the book, made very little sense, and meant that there were too many subway sex scenes. I would have preferred if we had been able to move on sooner and seen more of August & Jane together in the real world.

Instead of just handling a few issues really well, way too much was attempted for one romance novel, and a lot of it was not satisfyingly wrapped up. All of this took me away from the cute moments between our main couple (which is kinda the point of a romance novel!!) and honestly made this book somewhat of a struggle to get through.

TW: homophobic abuse, racism, death

Thanks so much for this Arc! I’ve heard great things about Casey McQuiston and her writing did not disappoint.

August seems to be sort of lost in her life. She ends up in NYC, trying to make her way. She’s shy and figuring out who she is. She ends up having a “love at first sight” moment on the subway. That’s when she meets Jane. They have an easy automatic friendship- both trying to figure out if it is something more. The issue is Jane is from the 1970’s and stuck in a time loop on the subway. She can’t get off. August helps her figure out who she is while kindling the electricity between them. This becomes August’s project hoping to help Jane. But the more she learns the more she likes Jane. How can she have a relationship with someone who is stuck in time? Who is Jane and how did this happen? What will happen to her if they can break the loop?

This was very well written. McQuiston has a way with words that just flow effortlessly. The characters were charming and enjoyable. I loved getting to know August & Jane and their friends. I think this would be a great YA story & also beautiful for the queer community. So much of this was about the characters discovering who they are. It was natural and accepted and I loved that piece. Personally I am just not a fan of time travel stories. I can’t quite get past the logic of it. Because of that I struggled with this story. I did love some of the twists and ways the story overlapped. The concept just seemed far fetched for me.

I had a feeling I would absolutely adore this book with my entire heart and I was RIGHT. First things first though, I have to call out the absolutely fantastic audio narration. Natalie Naudus did an incredible job brining these characters to life and if you have the opportunity to consume this as an audio book, I highly recommend it. Thanks SO MUCH to libro for this ALC!! It’s out June 1st, and I have so many things I want to say about it, that I don’t even know where to start.

In my review of RWARB I said, “McQuiston captures the essence of a moment better than anyone I’ve ever read and their descriptions are a completely tactile experience” It was true of that book and if possible, they did an even better job in OLS. The way they perfectly describes all the quirks of an NYC apartment from the tilt of the floor to the temperamental shower and her ability to make you feel like you’re standing in Billy’s diner breathing in the sickly sweet scent of pancake batter and bitter coffee while your feet stick to the floor. McQuiston’s entire cast of characters is larger than life and place this genre blending mystery, timeslip, saphic, romance a tier above the rest. It’s incredibly diverse and queer and full of heartwarming found family, hilarious roommate antics, expert level banter, queer history, a heist!, clothes incinerating steam, and so much yearning.

August is a curvy, bi, 23 year old who has just arrived in NYC intent on finishing her degree. Her life up to this point has been mostly dedicated to helping her mom solve a missing person’s case from the 70s and she’s ready to distance herself from that and find a place she truly belongs. After responding to a roommates advertisement, she ends up moving in with Wes, an intensely private, queer, Jewish tattoo artist, Niko, a trans, Puerto Rican-American, physic who moonlights as a bartender, and his girlfriend Myla, a queer, Black, electrical engineer turned artist who immediately befriends a bewildered August. Typically a loaner, August reluctantly allows her new roomates to drag her to celebratory dinner at Billy’s diner, where some creative lying lands August a job right before she starts a new semester at school.

On her very first day of school, she’s running late and covered in spilled coffee when she sees Jane Su—outgoing, cool, Chinese-American, lesbian—for the first time while riding the Q train. Jane is tall and gorgeous and confident and wearing a leather jacket and looking sexy AF when she offers August her scarf. August cannot get Jane out of her mind and is delighted—and then suspicious—when she keeps running into her on the same train, in the same car, over and over again. No matter when August takes the Q, Jane is there with her backpack and a friendly, “Hey coffee girl” greeting. August begins to use the skills she’s honed for years looking for her missing uncle to try and figure out who Jane is. She eventually learns that Jane has been displaced from the 70s and is stuck on the q train in some sort of timeslip and has no memory of how she got there or who she is. August makes it her mission to help Jane remember and find a way to free her from the Q and get her back to her time before it’s too late.

This book is so fucking fantastic. I’m calling it now as my favorite of the year. I’m barely scratching the surface with this review. I really wanted to highlight the diversity and abundance of queer representation along with some of my favorite aspects of the story. I hope you will all read it and if you already have, please come gush about it with me!!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a great book about finding love in unusual place. I loved this LGBTQ+ book.

When I started Read & Wright, it took me a while to have the confidence to start requesting books from publishers. But when I learned about Red White & Royal Blue in People Magazine, I knew I had to take a chance. It was the first ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) I received and became an instant favorite. So, needless to say, I’m very attached to Casey McQuiston’s books.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my early copy of One Last Stop, which I might have loved even more. ONe Last Stop is available wherever books are sold June 1, 2021 and if you haven’t preordered your copy yet, what are you waiting for?

Synopsis: “For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.” —From the publisher

What I Liked:

The Cast of Characters—The thing that McQuiston does better than any other contemporary author is create a believable sense of found family. I think for most Xillenials and Gen Z, we’ve discovered that our friends can become our family. I loved Jane and August, but I also loved Isaiah, Wes, Nico, Myla, everyone who works at Billy’s…it was just a warm and vibrant group of people.

The Time Travel Aspect—I am not normally a fan of books that use time travel, but I was so charmed but the entire book I didn’t mind. It also totally and equivokly WORKED. I loved how it allowed so much queer history to be weaved in so that this coming of age story also offered a history lesson.

The Setting—This book made me so homesick for the city. It’s rare that books can perfectly capture the feeling of * my New York * : sweaty subway ribes, late nights with loud friends, drag shows, hairspray, too much make up, and cramped apartments. That is the the feeling of this book and it made my heart happy and sad at the same time.

What Didn’t Work:

Gonna go out on a limb here and say…nothing. I know, typical of a gushing book review. But I really loved how McQuiston’s writing has grown since RWRB. The pacing was perfect, the steam was * chef’s kiss *, the characters were a delight. Cook me up a Su Special and call it a day.

TW/CW: Strained parent/child relationship, significant mentions of the AIDS crisis, grief, homophobia, ableism, alcoholism, death

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Steam Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

I don't even know where to start with this book. It has taken the coveted spot of my favorite book. If I could, I'd give it 10 stars. It's everything this world needs right now. I liked Red, White, and Royal Blue, but this.... this was just a whole new level. The F/F romance was a breath of fresh air in the YA world. And I loved the magical elements. It wasn't a "magical" book but it had just enough in it to make the book something super special.

The one thing that got me the most was the characters, they are absolutely amazing. I want to be friends with each and every one of them. Each and every character was diverse in their own way and brought together made the storyline that much more awesome. I think the characters tied the perfect bow on top of the theme of staying true to yourself and surrounding yourself with people who make you feel special.

I can't wait to buy this book for all of my friends!

“It was never just research.”

From the author of Red, White & Royal Blue, this story is full of mystery, fantastic characters, F/F romance and a very intriguing touch of magical realism. Each aspect ended up containing a lot of depth that completely surprised me already making this a great book to discuss with a few other early readers.

I was incredibly captivated by this storyline. There’s the mystery of Jane, a girl who appears to be stuck on the subway and from a different decade. I loved watching August figure out this dilemma and slowly help Jane remember tiny facts about herself so they could vaguely pieces together her past. This part successfully balanced a lot of emotions, while also providing some humor as the two educated one another of their own pop culture references. They have an opposites attract, slow burn romance that was sweet to watch unfold. Their relationship was full of longing and some really great sigh worthy lines. Don’t worry, they definitely provide some steam as well!! There’s an extra side story about a missing uncle that contains some shocking twists and also connects both girls. The author provides several discussions and historical LGBTQ events including the UpStairs Lounge arson that showcases the differences between the two decades as well as show how far our society has changed yet continues to still need to grow.

What made this book for me, was the incredibly diverse supporting cast. Each character was fantastic and helped move the storyline along. They provided humor and plenty of emotional support. They tied together this wonderful underlining theme of centering yourself around people that make you feel comfortable to just be your true self. Many have to seek this approval from a patchwork of friends vs family, but it shows how your mental health is positively affected once you find that place where you truly belong.

Overall, this was a hopeful story that highlighted queer identity and found joy. It will make a fantastic selection for many book clubs. You’ll smile and remember these characters when you smell pancakes, see the Manhattan Bridge, spot candy hearts and hear certain songs.

Casey McQuiston has done it again. I was fully prepared to not like this book because of how much I enjoyed RW&RB but this book was better. Please go and preorder this book right now.

After reading Casey McQuiston’s debut novel two years ago, I knew I would read anything this author writes. One Last Stop had such a unique concept and the most lovable and wonderful group of friends/found family.

August and Jane meet on the subway. Cute ‘meet cute’, right? Well, it’s a little more complicated that that. August is 23 and a student in Brooklyn. After meeting Jane a few times, she realizes Jane is from the 1970’s. Yes. You read that right. I’ll be honest and say it did take me a bit to get into this one. The first 30% or so I wasn’t sure if I loved it or not, but I’m so glad I kept going because I ended up truly loving this one.

Once August and Jane’s romance picked up this book became everything for me. The romance was lovely, and I couldn’t adore August’s roommates and some of the other secondary characters in this book more than I did. Seriously, they made the story. There was so much love in this book. Not just the romantic kind, though there was that in spades. Though this book wasn’t relatable for me in a lot of ways, I think it will be to so many people and it’s so important to have stories like this told.

If you’re looking for an original romance with a diverse cast of characters you need this book in your life! Found family is one of my favorite things in books and this truly had one of the best! The romance took me a bit to be invested in, but once I was I was hooked. The last half of the story especially was my favorite. I loved all the revelations and learning more about the characters, specifically Jane and her past. This one made me smile so big and was such a heartwarming and beautiful story. Highly recommend!

“she can’t believe jane had the nerve, the audacity, to become the one thing august can’t resist: a mystery.”

magical. weird? lovable. gentle. warm. fierce. one last stop was everything.

casey mcquiston is able to craft such a realistic cast of characters, and they master the found family trope wonderfully. this book follows august, a 23 year old trying to survive life in new york, unsure of her place in the world. it also follows jane, a chinese-american woman in a leather jacket that august keeps seeing on the subway, and who also happens to be displaced in time from the 1970s. the relationship between these two characters is beautifully formed. i loved the care that august had for jane, and the love that jane reflected right back.

like i said, mcquiston writes found family like no other. in one last stop, we meet august’s hilarious and wonderful roommates right away. niko, a trans latino bartender/psychic, his girlfriend myla, a black electrical engineer with a passion for unique art projects, and wes, a jewish tattoo artist who also shares similarities with a vampire. we also meet a variety of drag queens (!!!!) and some friendly pancake house employees. the interactions between everybody were so heartwarming and friendly, and somehow felt so so special. the assurance and support that these characters gave each other was so valuable, and especially seeing august grow amongst their presence was amazing.

i went into this book comparing it to red, white, and royal blue, and stopped immediately. please don’t compare the two. i want people to read this book because it itself is wonderful, and deserves to live on it’s own.

one last stop isn’t your typical contemporary. it’s a love story between two young women lost in the world, and also between friends learning how to best support each other. it’s a testament to queer history, to the pain that so many people, just like jane, had to endure. it’s a love letter to love and history and time and space and new friends and pancake houses. this book releases on june 1, and i truly hope that everybody gets a chance to read it!! it’s well worth every second of your time.

content warnings: death (mentioned), anxiety, alcohol consumption, homophobia, racism, hate crimes (past), blood

While I didn't completely fall in love with this story, I think so so many people will. I laughed and even shed a few tears while reading this, but part of me felt like I was being held at arms distance away from these characters. August is a great character, but she's difficult to follow as a romance protagonist. She's spent her entire life building walls around herself to protect herself from getting hurt, and while I do value that in a character, it made it difficult to connect to the romance of this story for the first 50-60% of the book. There were a few moments where I felt like I got to glimpse what August was really feeling, and in those moments, I really was able to see what McQuiston was going for with these characters.

What makes me really fall in love with a romance book are those moments with the main protagonist where they bare their soul out for the reader, and because of who August is a character (and because McQuiston lets her main character be a little messy and a Disaster Bi™ without forcing August to change into a completely different character by the end of the book), I felt like those moments were missing. I think that it's a trope that I would enjoy more in a movie than reading in a book that is solely from August's perspective.

There were a few moments while reading this book that I could see influences from books that I've read and loved and it forced me out of the story a little bit. But this book is compulsively readable (I read most of it in a single day) with characters that are interesting and complex and relatable with real emotions and issues. I think if you liked Red, White & Royal Blue, you'll enjoy this book; I think if you like Taylor Jenkins Reid, specifically Maybe in Another Life & The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this one will be really up your alley.

I hope we get more sapphic books from Casey McQuiston because I desperately need more sapphic romances in my life. And regardless of what they release in the future, I really want to read it and see where they go and what characters they create.

3.5 stars.

Casey McQuiston's upcoming novel, One Last Stop, proves that love can flourish in even the most mundane of places, like the Q train on the NYC subway.

For the longest time it was just August and her mother against the world. But helping her mother with her obsessive need to find her brother, who went missing in 1973, became too much to bear, so she left New Orleans to go to college.

She bounced from place to place, school to school, and finally lands in Brooklyn. She figures it’s a big enough place to be on your own and not connect with anyone. But she soon finds an apartment and a job, and becomes part of a circle of friends for the first time.

After a disastrous start to her morning on her first day of school, she sees her on the Q train. Jane is everything August is not—sexy, brash, outgoing, helpful, and utterly confident, the type of person who could start a dance party on a crowded subway train. August starts planning her morning commute in the hopes of seeing Jane—and she invariably always does.

But little by little, she realizes Jane isn’t your typical subway encounter. And it’s up to August, with a lot of help from her friends, to see if they can fix Jane’s “situation.” But what would that do to the potential of a relationship with August?

You can get more information if you read the plot synopsis, but I didn’t know anything about One Last Stop when I started it. It’s a very unique twist on a love story which will require suspension of your disbelief. (Or maybe this happens all the time on the subway, lol?)

I liked the chemistry between August and Jane, and I loved the diverse supporting characters. I just felt the whole concept of the story took so long to unfold and solve, and at times it dragged the pace of the story down for me a bit. But that’s not to say I didn’t get teary-eyed at times, because, well, I’m me.

McQuiston's first book, Red, White and Royal Blue was my favorite book of 2019, so certainly my expectations were high for this one. But I wasn't expecting her to write the same book, and that wasn't my challenge with this. I just felt that the whole wasn't as great as the sum of its parts.

NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

One Last Stop publishes 6/1.

If you are a fan of Red, White and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston will steal your heart again in One Last Stop!

The story follows August, who just moves to NYC and during her first morning commute, she meets a kind and attractive passenger, Jane, who August soon finds to be crushing on. However, August soon finds that the punk hipster she thought her crush was, turns out to be stuck in a time warp from the 70’s!

Can August help Jane? Find out! I loved this book because it was queer, quirky and a quick but great read! Be on the lookout for this book June 1!

Happily- I loved this! It’s a good thing too- I don’t know if I could have showed my face on Bookstgram if I didn’t like it. That said, the synopsis didn’t appeal to me and I’m glad I read it without reading that first, because otherwise I might not have gotten to it. August is the worlds biggest skeptic who has no luck in love. She’s been in college for ages and isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life, and she’s dealing with her mom who never got over her brother going missing when they were younger. She moves to Brooklyn for a fresh start and gets a great collection of new roommates and falls head over heels with a beautiful girl she meets on the subway. The dialogue was funny and it’s a very unique story- you also get a great collection of roommates/friends- including a drag queen across the hall, a psychic, and an electrical engineer meets hippie. If you liked Red, White, and Royal Blue- you’ll like this.