The Age of Adaline mixed in with quirky roommates, LGBTQ+ representation, pancakes, and a cynical girl. The story follows 23 year old August Landry who has just moved to NYC and moved into an apartment with strangers: a psychic, an artist, and a tattooist. August is trying to find herself, after moving from place to place, and on a subway train ride, while having the worst day ever she meets Jane. Jane, a gorgeous and mysterious girl who helps everyone, is funny, and sweet, and just happens to always run into August on the train ride. August starts to notice that Jane only ever stays on the train, and to her surprise Jane is actually displaced from the 1970s and stuck on the train. Now its up to August and her roommates to find a way to help Jane, even if it means saying goodbye to the girl that August is starting to fall in love with, sometimes you just have to believe things will work out. A super sweet and romantic story filled with quirky and adorable characters. I loved getting to know each of August’s roommates and all their relationships. I adored Wes and Isiah/Anne (seriously they were AMAZING). Niko and Myla are just relationship goals and so funny. August and Jane’s story was a wonderful and delightful read, it really builds the yearning and the romance, and the question of what do you do when you find yourself falling in love with someone who has to go. It was PERFECTION.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I am completely overcome with emotion right now. This was such an incredibly beautiful story, complete with characters that I grew so unbelievably attached to within the span of a couple of days. I know a lot of people are going to be comparing ONE LAST STOP to RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE, but I'll just say this: I went into OLS thinking that I was going to love it because of how much I loved RW&RB, and I was completely blown out of the water with how this story and these characters connected with me. OLS was truly phenomenal. I spent the last 45 minutes of reading completely sobbing (happy and sad tears).

Now, the details:

ONE LAST STOP follows 23-year-old, cynical August, who comes to New York City planning on staying on her own path. However, a job at a 24-hour breakfast joint, a group of (quirky) roommates, and a mysterious girl on a subway will soon change everything.

First, let's talk about the characters. Each and every one of them was characterized wonderfully and their stories were told so authentically. I loved the little ways in which Casey McQuiston developed each of the characters' personalities, whether it be the way their rooms are decorated or the games they play on Friday nights. I feel in love with all of their stories, and I think I've found my platonic soulmates in this little found family. I want to give them all a hug. The main character, August, just seems so real and genuine, which is why I was able to relate to her on such a deep level. She struggles with anxiety, her identity, loneliness, and the idea of home, which I can definitely relate to. I also connected with Jane, the main love interest, because she is the embodiment of the idea that you're on a train going so fast and you can't get off. Time is a topic that always crowds my brain, and Jane and her journey really resonated with me. AND THE ROMANCE! Jane and August are such a beautiful pair, as are the other couples in the family, such as Myla and Niko (aka Mom and Dad), Wes and Isaiah, and Lucie and Winfield. PS: I would go to a drag show with the roommates, no doubt about it. I would say I'd play Rolly Bangs with them, but I don't know about that one; I'm a bit physically fragile.

Second, the representation. The cast of characters was extremely diverse, each of them having come from completely different backgrounds, and they create such an interesting family of characters that I think anyone could relate to. I also loved the bits of LGBTQ+ history that Casey McQuiston incorporated into the plot, as well as the discussion of Jane growing up as a lesbian and POC during the '70s. Something about the representation/characters in OLS that really hit home for me was how Jane is Chinese-American, and Myla's adoptive parents are Chinese. It warmed my heart to see the bits of Chinese culture incorporated into the story, whether that be Lunar New Year gifts from Myla's mom or Jane talking about eating fah sung thong as a kid. The characterization of Myla's mother specifically made me feel really connected because Myla mentions how her mother would attempt to make Myla dishes like jollof rice to make her feel connected to her heritage, which my mother, if in the same position, would 100% do.

Finally, the plot. The plot of OLS really threw me for a loop. I thought I knew where it was going, and then I didn't, and then I found my way back again. It was the definition of an emotional rollercoaster, and I loved every minute of it. The time travel aspect of the plot was fascinating, and I think it added a very unique element to the novel. I will admit, it was a bit slow in parts, but I think the characters and their personalities were able to carry the book during the parts where the plot slowed down. Something I really enjoyed about the storyline of OLS was how everything came full-circle. Each of the conflicts gets its own resolution, and I liked how although there were multiple conflicts, they all were interwoven with each other. Moreover, there were phrases or specific descriptors used at the beginning as well as the end, which is a small touch that allows you to see the characters' growth and the story's development over time.

ONE LAST STOP is a book I don't think I'll ever forget. 100% recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is extremely smart, refreshing, unconventional, exhilarating, truly original with its remarkable historical references, quirky, unique, extremely likable characters!

MCs are August: raised like forced Veronica Mars meets Nancy Drew style to search for the disappearance of her missing uncle with her hyper, hoarder, conspiracy theorist mother and Jane: vintage chic, friendly hipster, a true old soul, wait a minute she’s truly 70: stuck in subway and her only desire is returning back to her own timeline to leave a permanent mark on the life she’s experienced!

But in this different reading journey: you’re not introduced to these unique, peculiar MCs. The eccentric, quirky roommates stole the entire show at some chapters! They were like living in their own unique planet and they were truly living proof that being different could be so much incredibly entertaining !

Myla; queer Black engineer, graduated from Columbia, changing her major, pursuing her passion in arts, putting mouse traps in every corner of house, trying to create art with awkward object choices, quickly connects with August, helping her to fight against her insecurities! She’s such lovely friend! ( her relationship with her adoptive Chinese mother and her heartfelt contribution to this story are also most meaningful parts of the book.)

Niko: trans Latino psychic, reciting Neruda poems to plants, inventing original games in household, trying to be bartender but he didn’t achieve his goal yet!

Wes: depressed Jewish tattoo artist, concentrating on his daily hobby to disassemble and rebuild a piece of IKEA furniture, living like a ghost, lurking around the apartment.

Let’s not forget friendly, entertaining, drag queen accountant neighbor Annie who has been in love with Wes for years!

The book is not only great representation of LGBTQ community by presenting us a various characters from different genders, sexualities, it also helps us to learn more about different cultures, religions, philosophies.

The book also sheds light to some of the most devastating, shameful events of the history including gay mass murders that occurred at Upstairs Lounge fire, 2016 Pulse shooting.

August is raised to find missing people when 70 years old Jane who is Chinese lesbian has no idea why she’s trapped in subway, she thinks she has to find a way to solve her problem. But lots of tender kisses, blooming feelings will not help them to find a proper solution.

This is heartbreaking impossible love story centered around civil right movements, well crafted clever characters with thought provoking writing style.

I enjoyed this book and I liked the historical time travel helps us to learn our lesson for being more respectful to the diversity, becoming more open minded, acceptive, kind, understanding people!

I am not still so sure about the science fiction/ time travel premise of the story but overall the characters, the originality, the well researched parts drag you into story, you don’t want to leave it and fully enjoy your unique experience!

Millions of thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this incredible digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I couldn't get into this book. I tried and that shouldn't discourage anyone from reading it. I originally picked this because it was in one of my book clubs. I am grateful that netgalley let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

If you loved her last book, Red, White and Royal Blue, you will LOVE this book! It's totally different because it has a sci-fi time travel element but it is a really fantastic romance, hot and heavy at times. As with RWARB the characters are great, the writing is quick and captivating and the story moves very quickly. My book club will be reading this for sure!

𝙄𝙣 𝙖 𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡: A sapphic-found-family story, with just enough of a mystery in it that you can’t help but anxiously turn every page.

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: 23 year old August has never been able to find her niche.
After growing up with a mom that forced her into a Nancy-Drew-like childhood, her only skill seems to be uncovering the next big mystery.
With her move into the Big Apple, and an apartment filled with unique roommates and a busy job- she’s not exactly sure how to feel about ‘what comes next.’
Until she meets Jane. The mysterious hottie on the subway station. August figured Jane just had an old soul- with her love of cassettes and 70s music- only to find out that Jane’s soul is actually old. 70 years old to be precise.
Jane has been stuck on the subway for 40 years- and it’s up to August to figure out why.

There is so much to love about this book. The writing flows smoothly, you’re transported to New York and a life filled with subway rats in just a few pages.
The book is tied together so nicely, that there’s never a dull moment in what happens next.
Along with that, Casey intertwines important historical moments that members of the LGBTQIA+ community had to go through in the past. There are things I learned from this book, that I was never truly educated on in school.
One of my absolute favorite things, was the little snippets of the past that you would read about. Chapter headers that broadcasted moments when Jane would leave her mark. I found myself excitedly waiting for each one.

The characters are quirky and amazing. You’ve got a curvy August, reluctant detective in the making. Jane, mysterious past and a penchant for causing trouble. The roommates: Niko, Myla, and Wes- all eccentric and bringing to light a new background and quickly becoming some of your favorite characters.
Every character has a story- something about them that is important enough to be remembered later on in the book and it’s beautiful.

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣: If you are wanting a diverse-queer-coded read, that wraps you in from the very first page and keeps you yearning for more, then you are going to LOVE this book.
Please, do yourself a favor and buy this book the moment that you can- you won’t regret it

((A HUGE thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is officially my favorite book of 2021 and I am so thankful for getting the opportunity to review it

Casey McQuiston has done it again, taking a pretty wild concept for a romance and making the story between the characters feel extremely grounded and genuine. A sapphic romance between a woman displaced from the 1970s who is stuck on the subway and a new arrival to New York City who is trying to figure out what to do with her life? Sign me up!

One of my favorite tropes is when a character from the past is somehow transported to present day. It provides a fun and interesting way to comment on how society has progressed and unfortunately what things still need to be changed. I loved all the moments in the book that brought up queer history and what life was like for Jane in the 70s compared with August’s life in the present day. Seeing the past and present queer communities represented in the book was lovely.

Something that I think Casey does really well is create an amazing cast of supporting characters outside of the main couple. I end up caring just as much about all the friendships and side romances as I do with the main one. I was instantly swept away by everything in this story. The romance, the mystery, the friendships, and the personal journey that August goes on. There are funny moments, heartfelt moments, and super steamy moments. Definitely check this one out!

This is amazing. this story is one about finding your way in the world and accepting the person you are!
This is like a romance with science fiction elements, and a sprawling family story novel!
Its beautiful, bright, very well written!

I went into this book completely blind, other than it was the same author as Red White and Royal Blue. I really enjoyed that book so I knew I wanted to read this one. But this is the first book in a long while I have had to sit with to figure out how I really feel about it. While I did love the diversity of this book, it feels like Casey threw it all in just to have it in there. All of the plot points felt very convenient for August and it seemed like she could do no wrong. But I did get invested in the story and for a book heavy on time travel (which is not my thing at all) that says something. I don't know how to rate this.

This book wasn't for me. I am not a fan of time traveling to sci fi. that was my hurdle to over come. I

This was pretty sweet! Reminds me a lot of some of the better romcom films with a magical realism bent. I thought the romance was sweet if a little rushed and I thought the characters were realistically quirky considering the rest of the story. There were times when I felt that there was a lot happening and there were threads that I thought tied either too quickly or not well enough. Overall it is a fun sapphic read that I'm excited for everyone to get to read it. I'd say I like it equal amounts to liking Red White and Royal Blue.

This was a damn good book. The story is believable even with the fantastic elements. The found family is lovely. The queer representation feels good.

This has to be one of my all time favorite books. I knew I would love it from the moment it was announced, not just because I loved Red, White and Royal Blue, but because the concept of a sapphic book with magic and time traveling all based in the city I live in was something I never knew I needed until I heard it. All of the characters are phenomenal. August's roommates, Nike and Myla and Wes, all have my heart. I've come to love Billy's and the Q line along with August and I came to love Jane in the same way. This story is incredible and I think everyone needs to read it.

One Last Stop by the author who brought us Red, White, and Royal Blue was not a let down. I enjoyed every minute of it's will they/won't they romance between two women in modern day New York City. I found both August and Jane to be believable characters who I wanted to know more and more about. I thoroughly enjoyed their romance and was very satisfied with the ending of the book. Overall, I would highly recommend.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a story about discovering yourself. The main character, August, moves to New York City knowing no one and with few possessions. It doesn't take her long to start questioning her solitude as she finds a network of people and falls in love. Except there's something strange about the woman she falls in love with after meeting her on the Q line. With a background in solving problems, August is determined to figure this situation out!
I really enjoyed reading this book, particularly the cast of characters and all of their quirks. Family, love, and friendship is at the heart of this book, and it was a perfect read for the time.

After reading Red, White & Royal Blue two years ago, I’d been keeping an eye out for what Casey McQuiston’s next book would be, hoping to maybe get a preview copy. It just so happened that I was lucky enough to win an advance copy of her upcoming One Last Stop in a Goodreads giveaway late last year. Currently slated to hit book stores at the start of Pride, One Last Stop is both a queer romance and an exploration of the LGBTQ community and its history.

August has spent the better part of her life helping her mother search for a long-lost uncle and the skills she learned as part of that search have left her more than a little socially uncertain. She’s transferred colleges several times and the latest switch means a move to New York City where roommates and a job are a necessity. Despite her efforts to remain a loner, she realizes her new roommates are becoming her friends and there’s a girl on the subway who’s become the highlight of August’s commute. But she soon learns there’s more to Jane than just coincidence or an overlapping commute that keeps them running into one another on the Q train. August is determined to help Jane, even if it means putting herself through the emotional wringer.

Without giving too much away, One Last Stop is really a celebration of how far the US has come in terms of LGBTQ rights. As August delves into Jane’s identity and history, the lives and dangers faced by those in the queer community during the 1970s are thrown into sharp relief when compared to the life August leads in her new home where diversity in race, gender, and sexuality are part of everyday life. Yet even as the novel celebrates how much progress has been made, it also acknowledges that there are still threats, that there’s still a lot of hate and danger out there. It shows that there are a lot of gaps in how the history of the LGBTQ movement is taught and remembered (I don’t remember ever hearing about the UpStairs Lounge fire until I saw it in this book and looked it up to learn more).

One of the things that One Last Stop captures so brilliantly is simply the magic of friendship, especially as it strikes in your twenties. Reading this book made me incredibly nostalgic for my college days and the friendships forged on campus – the nights spent playing board games by the emergency lights when the power went out or the collective scramble to pull together food, transportation, and tables or chairs for a friend’s art show. From the teasing to the collaboration, McQuiston has created a vibrant group of friends who leap off the page and welcome the reader into the fold along with August. A (perhaps selfish) part of me is dying for her next book to revisit and tell the story of one of the other couples in this friend group. Whatever McQuiston does next (and whenever she does it), I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled and my ears open for news of it.

One Last Stop will be available June 1, 2021.

*ARC provided courtesy of the publisher*
Casey McQuiston, you brilliant author, you've done it again. I haven't felt the rush and warmth and comfort of a book like this in months. I loved the characters, their development, and how everyone felt so real. I feel like I could fly to NYC, hope on the subway, and bump into all the people in this book. I loved the romance and I loved reading about August as a young, confused bisexual. I loved how real and raw the story felt and how all the puzzle pieces fell into place. Thank you for writing stories for us. Thank you, Casey.

I absolutely loved this book. It was fast paced and August was so so funny. I loved the paranormal spooky vibes of it all. Of course, I appreciated the steamy scenes but what I loved most how they cherished and valued their friendships. I loved the characters banter with each other. Jane was such a special character and I loved the love that developed between our protagonists.

Come for the time traveling mystery, stay for the amazing characters and found family trope! (But almost leave after the sex scenes in unhygienic places because NOPE, THE SUBWAY AIN'T THE PLACE FOR THIS, LADIES. Neither is your bathroom floor, get it together!!)

This book was the right amount of cheesy and predictable, with a good dash of mystery thrown in. The characters really make it stand out, though. August and Jane felt real, even in this less than realistic circumstances, and August's roommates and co-workers run the gamut of personalities, from serious and melancholy, to loud and bright. I don't know what it's like to be a 20-something in college, broke and trying to figure things out on your own, but OLS made this experience feel very tangible.

I haven't wanted to think too much about the whole time-traveling plot because I know it might all fall apart if looked at too closely, but I really enjoyed it and I was super invested the whole way through! I just really love Casey McQuiston's writing and after this and RW&RB, she's officially made it into the list of authors whose works I will read, no matter what

ATTN: I highly recommend going into this book without knowing much about it besides it is the most adorable F/F romance with the most amazing cast of characters. I say this because the mystery of Jane is better left unknown so you can uncover it with the rest of the characters as you read!


With that being said, readers beware going forward. One Last Stop follows August, a young woman who has just moved to New York and is just trying to find her way. August is such a relatable character because she gets to New York and pretty much has nothing and no one. She is sharing an apartment with three other people who basically force her to interact with them, but it is clear that August is nervous and scared to make these connections. Thankfully August and her roommates get close and it leads to the most beautiful friendships and little found family. Speaking of August roommates, they are all so diverse and the amount of beautifully written representation in this book is remarkable.

Aside from August’s roommates, our most important other main character is Jane, a mysterious girl who August meets while on the train and who she constantly runs into during her commutes. I could talk about Jane for days, but as I said earlier it is best to get to know Jane and uncover her past with the rest of the characters as you read. All I will say about her is that I love how Jane breaks August out of her shell and we get to see a whole other side of August throughout their interactions.

Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was New York City itself. I feel like the setting adds so much to the book. I often feel that New York City is its own character in books, movies, tv shows, etc. and that was really present in One Last Stop. We see New York alive in the community surrounding Billy’s, in the issues with the train, in Jane’s past and August’s present. New York City is such a big part of this book and I love how much it adds to the story.

All in all what I have to say is read this book! It’s beautiful, funny, and heartwarming, it’s basically a warm cup of hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream and marshmallows. One Last Stop will absolutely be in my top 3 favorite books of the year and will forever be one of my favorites. I will be rereading this as soon as it is released so I can gush over it with everyone else!