Actual rating: 3.5 stars

McQuiston's writing is just phenomenal. I fell in love with her writing, as most people did, I'm sure, when Red, White, and Royal Blue was released. She writes her characters really well and makes her settings so vivid. I enjoyed this book, but I did think it moved slow in parts, especially the middle chunk. It's hard to write a captivating story when one character is stuck in one place for almost the entire book, but McQuiston did manage to make it varied. Still, I thought the plot dragged a bit, and it took me a week or two longer to finish this than it normally would.

Sooo happy that One Last Stop met my expectations after falling so hard for RWRB by Casey McQuiston. This is a f/f love story featuring many characters in the LGBTQ+ spectrum. There are aspects of found family which I enjoyed. The humor was so good and on point to the 20-30 somethings of today. The speculative/ paranormal elements to this story added to the narrative rather than detracting from it. If you love gays winning, ghosts, and drag queens.....put this on your TBR immediately. *ARC provided by NetGalley for review.

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

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 This is an unconventional, intelligent, refreshing, and original story set in New York City with many historical references and LGBTQIA+ pride.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

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

This book is inventive and full of characters that are different from the norm, strange, endearing, and ultimately loveable. There is representation of all sorts, a strong "found family" theme, and elements of time travel and magical realism. Perhaps this book is not for everyone, but Casey McQuiston is definitely an author to watch.

I had such high hopes for this one. I LOVED Red White and Royal Blue, but this was missing all the elements that I loved in that one. That one was laugh out loud funny, witty, and made my heart ache. I was really excited for the time travel elements of this one and I think that is what kept me reading, but I was a little let down. The ending was expected, the love connection was expected, and it didn't give me the laughs or feels that I had expected from Casey.

This was a very cute, sexy, funny and unique romance book. I think a lot of fans of Red, White & Royal Blue will be checking this one out, to see if McQuiston can deliver another home run. I think she gets mostly there. I did like Jane & August, but I didn't LOVE them like I loved Alex and Henry.

I know it's not fair to continually compare the two the books, because they are totally, separate entities. But when an author debuts with a such a beloved book (see also Sally Thorne), comparisons are inevitable. And I'm really curious to see if people adore this book in the same way or not. I know I didn't, but it didn't make this not enjoyable either.

McQuiston writes another fantastic side group and I loved the B Plot of figuring out what happened to August's uncle. There's a lot of great discussion about what makes a family and what it means to create your own.

Obviously, there's a bit of science fiction involved with the time jump, but otherwise it's very rooted in contemporary.

There's a lot to enjoy here and McQuiston will be an automatic read for me every single time. While this one was a 4-star for me, I still would very much recommend it.

This book is funny, and sweet, and devastatingly wonderful. The characters are so warm and real that you want desperately to know them, and the romance - god, the romance. This book is absolutely incredible, and is just all around perfect. Reading it is like curling up in a cozy sweater on a rainy day, and feeling perfectly happy.

This was fun to read. The found-family aspect, LGBTQ+ representation, and time-shifting mystery all grabbed me and kept me interested to the end. It will definitely be one I recommend to customers.

I was eagerly anticipating Casey McQuiston’s newest novel, and this sure is adorable. I absolutely loved the wide queer representation in this book, and the characters are incredible lovable.

The roommates and the employees at the diner we’re so great. The two love interests definitely had chemistry. I had a hard time with some of the logistics with time and how the story shakes out in the end. However, if you’re open to suspending your disbelief I think this is a fun, adorable romance.

Casey McQuiston’s ‘One Last Stop’ is ethereal, wonderful, magic encased in humor, heart, and all of the other feelings. It’s the kind of novel that will have you laughing out loud one moment, shaking an angry fist the next, and maybe shedding a tear (or ten) by the time you’re finished.

August has always felt a sense of impermanence. Leaving her mercurial mother behind, August decides to come to New York, and somehow stumbles upon an unlikely set of roommates who take her under their wing. And there’s Jane, the mysteriously beautiful woman on the subway that makes August feel literal sparks when they touch. But Jane isn’t just any woman, she’s a woman stuck in time, somehow tied to the subway line she’s always riding, not remembering exactly who she is or where she came from. Or when. Luckily, August is great at investigating. As they delve into Jane’s life, August realizes that she’s not just enamored with Jane, she’s in love with her. And that they might be more connected to each other than either could have guessed.

Honestly, this book sort of rocked my world… in the best of ways. It was nothing that I expected, but everything I needed, if that makes sense. Narratively, it’s quite a departure from McQuiston’s last book, but all of the brilliant and witty writing, the beautiful nuance of emotions, and the broad scope of love in all its forms is still very much present in this story. Oh, how I loved it, and all of the characters, all of whom are artfully crafted and delightful to read.

There were moments I laughed out loud and others that I cried. And all of it was beautiful. This is a love story in all the ways… romantic, platonic, and familial, and it makes you appreciate how far we’ve come in accepting all of these beautiful forms of love, and how far we still need to go. I loved the bit of magic that’s infused into the story as well; it takes you to an alternate 2020 that I would love to visit.

This is, hands down, one of the best books I’ve read this year, and probably ever. Trust me, you’re going to love it!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Everything you’ll want in a romcom, plus great representation and an astoundingly intriguing plot. While it’s becoming more common to see more LGBTQ romance novels, the amount of Asian representation was impressive. I think we all knew Casey McQuiston was a genius but the way she weaves together romance and the subtle mystery is fantastic. McQuiston follows up her hit debut with this masterpiece of contemporary romance.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I loved McQuinston's Red, White and Royal Blue and I feel like I may have had overly high expectations for this. It was cute, and by the end I liked most of the characters, but honestly I couldn't really get into the love story between August and Jane. The story itself felt contrived. I really just wanted to hear more about the supporting characters, like the story behind Wes and Isaiah, or even Lucie at the diner. I liked the inclusivity of the story and characters and loved some of their side adventures but I found the beginning and middle to be boring. I think it comes down to August. I just didn't really like her or connect with her, and i'm not sure why.

Representation: Bisexual plus-size MC, Chinese-American love interest, sapphic romance, multiple queer supporting characters across the spectrum,

August is a cynical twenty-three-year-old that moved to New York City to get away from her mother’s obsessive and all-consuming search for August’s missing uncle. She moved to New York to prove that being alone is the best way to go through life, true love and magic is all made-up. August ends up getting a job at a 24-hour pancake diner, even though she has absolutely no experience, thanks to her weird roommates. And she doesn’t expect her subway commute to be anything but boredom, full of strangers, and electrical issues. Until one day, August sees this gorgeous leather-jacket-swoopy-hair-soft-smile girl on the Q. She quickly develops a crush, and learns her name, Jane, and falls for her charming, mysterious persona. August tries to learn more but Jane evades almost any questions about her past, and August eventually discovers that Jane doesn’t just look like someone from the 1970s, she *is* someone from the 70s, trapped on the Q line. August decides she has to help Jane get unstuck, and ends up having to call upon all the skills and knowledge she tried to leave behind with her mother. A whirlwind of a pancake fundraiser slash drag show slash heist planning goes down to help Jane get to where she’s supposed to be.

Rating: 4.5/5 I loved Red, White & Royal Blue and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS. August and Jane are wonderful, I love their relationship and banter, but I also loved the whole supporting cast. August’s roommates, who don’t blink an eye when they’re told Jane is a girl out of time, the neighbor who is also a drag queen, the colorful characters who work at the diner, and just everything. This is a book full of queer characters across the spectrum, with a sapphic romance between two completely useless people at the center. It’s full of aching loneliness in a city full of millions, people finding each other and creating little families out of love, self-discovery, and of course, so much food. There’s a lot that happens in here and I really don’t want to spoil anything! I absolutely recommend this amazing book.

One Last Stop isn't your typical romance or contemporary. It's a story about two women who are lost and up against time, what with Jane being from the 1970s and seemingly trapped on the metro. Which feels like it would be too fantastical, but it works wonderfully in this setting.

CW: death (mentioned), anxiety, homophobia, racism, hate crimes

This is a wonderful story about friends becoming family and support systems. I loved all of the characters that were wild, quirky, and welcoming. One Last Stop gets real about queer history and the pain that many queer people had to live through. It is a book like no other in the best way possible.

I was hooked from the beginning and loved this warm, heartbreaking, whimsical, queer book. I could not put this one down and I cannot recommend this one enough.

I am a huge fan of Red, White, and Royal Blue, so I was ecstatic to receive an early copy of this. There was a lot of aspects that I loved, specifically the representation for people who fall in love with strangers in public. Any book with references to Twilight, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, and Mamma Mia is a book after my heart. McQuistion plays around with genre here, and I had a lot of fun diving through romance to sci-fi to mystery to heist novel. It's a lot, for better or worse. Not every subplot hit for me, but I appreciate the ambition. I prefer contemporary books, but I honestly found the writing to be a little TOO modern sometimes and it took me out of the story. I am not full fledged obsessed or in love with this one, but I enjoyed the story and the world while I was in it. It has an excellent cast of queer characters, and I loved how real life queer history was weaved throughout. I found the lessons to always appreciate the little moments and memories in life truly beautiful.

I almost can't believe this book is better than McQuiston's first, which I adored. The characters' voices seem so real, and I was fully immersed in the story from about page 5. I don't want to say too much, because I benefitted from not knowing anything about the story and feel like everybody should read it without knowing what's in store for them. Read this!

Headlines:
From odd to quirky
MCs to invest in
Never getting a subway ride again

One Last Stop was very different to my expectations, so much so, this non-blurber went back to look at the blurb and that helped to be honest. This story is LGBTQ+/speculative fiction with a slice of time slip. All this is in the blurb, so no spoilers here.

Things I liked about this book were the two main characters, August and Jane. They stole the show and they were meant to, I'm sure. Both these characters were not immediately lovable but I did grow to like them more and more as the story evolved. Jane in particular was a character slowly revealed.

The story was...odd, it took me ages to get on board with the whole premise for what was going on and even then, it was a bit wacky for my taste. The side characters were just okay for me when I think readers are supposed to love this crew of flatmates and co-workers; I just didn't. I did enjoy the finale of the story but it felt like a long story to get there. However, I was cheering for this couple.

Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy.

I love Red, White & Royal Blue, but, unfortunately, One Last Stop missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed the concept and the mystery of Jane's background, but it felt like there were too many moving pieces that didn't quite come together. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it had been edited down more. Additionally, while I love McQuiston's incorporation of LGBTQ+ representation, the characters' dialogue often felt trite and stereotypical (particularly in the case of Isaiah/Annie).

After reading Red, White and Royal Blue, I fell in love with this author. That story was sweet, funny, cute and with some angst. This story seemed heavier, a bit darker and is just so much more than I expected! I’m an older, straight, white female and yet this book resonated with me whether it was about friends, falling in love, finding your place in the world and more.

August moved to New York City for school and found the most perfect roommates and I fell in love with all of the side characters. They had such unique personalities and talents and gave August a family and the acceptance she needed after being lonely most of her life. I was just so immersed in this story and invested in the compelling characters.

As the story begins, August is rushing to the Q train and meets Jane on the train. She is immediately captivated by her and as they manage to be on the same train over and over, August just thinks its timing or luck. When August realizes that Jane is around her same age but she last remembers the 1970s, that begins numerous conversations to help Jane remember where she was, what she was doing, how to find her family and more. August and Jane have such chemistry that just a kiss is enough for Jane to start remembering bits and pieces. August uses her extensive experience helping her mom with research while growing up and becomes almost obsessed with finding out more and more about Jane.

I could just feel the longing August felt for Jane and yet she tried to keep that to herself to focus on what Jane needed. The sheer intensity of the love and caring was just incandescent, and I felt every emotion.

There is so much going on in this book, I don’t know how the author kept everything together with all of the intricate details. It kept me flipping the pages on my Kindle, reading faster and faster. At times, I was so afraid what might happen, whether in the present or the past, and how it would affect the future.

The history of the 1970s and how the gays were treated wasn’t glossed over and from Jane’s experiences, it was brutal with riots, being cut off from family along with sacrifices, lost lives and fighting for rights.

It was somewhat difficult to believe the paranormal aspects, but it was unique and has such a beautiful ending. The author has written a lengthy novel, but I still wanted more. An epilogue or even two!

It’s a brilliant and magical story and one I won’t forget. I don’t recall the last time I gave five stars for a book, but this has definitely earned as many stars as possible!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read this beautiful story.

This book was queer, found-family perfection and I loved it with every single fiber of my being!!!!!!!!! It was the perfect mix of hilarious and heartwarming and horny as heck and I just really, really loved it and I cannot wait for all of you to fall just as much in love with August and Jane as I did. Brb while I swoon to the moon and back bc this book was absolutely EVERYTHING