Coming off of RWRB, Casey McQuiston had a lot to live up to, and One Last Stop delivers. In true fashion, August is joined by a whole cast of characters that are unique and wonderful, including the love interest, Jane.

Unlike McQuiston's previous book, this book has a strong fantastical thread that runs through it. It added a layer to the romance that I appreciated, giving it an other-worldly feeling that gave it drama so that the relationship itself could breathe a little without constantly being pulled apart.

My only mild complaint is that it was a little long. There were some moments toward the end of the first half that felt a little repetitive, and probably could have been cut or shortened without sacrificing anything in the book. But it was a small thing in a book filled with a million things that brought me joy.

August has just moved to New York to start fresh and finish college. She moves in with several quirky roommates and gets a job at a 24 hour pancake diner. On the first day of her commute she meets a beautiful stranger. And then she sees her again...and again...and eventually she realizes that no matter when she gets on the train there she is...there's Jane. What unfolds is part mystery, part sci-fi adventure, but mostly love story.

SPOLIERS AHEAD!

I liked this book a lot. The story was like nothing I've ever read before. As I went through the book page by page I couldn't help but try to form my own theories about why Jane was stuck on the Q train. Was most of this totally unrealistic? Yes...so as long as you go into this book with suspended disbelief you won't be disappointed. Another thing I liked about this book was all the fun characters. I would 1000% read spinoffs about August's roommates. It was cool the way August's mother's story and Jane's story connected and I was left hopeful at the end that Jane would be able to reunite with her family. My only gripe (and it's very tiny) is that the chapters were TOO long. I like short chapters...they make me feel accomplished. lol But yes...Casey McQuiston does it again!

PS- This book was nothing like Red, White, and Royal Blue :P

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Finally a book that depicts Queer BIPOC! I thought the story was just about August, but all of the characters introduced into the story. August’s life had be consumed by the past, but her roommates support and unconditionally love who she is today. It was freeing to see August become who she’s always been. Loved this book so much and cannot wait for others to read it and feel seen in (any) of the characters.

This was a cute book but my brain power couldn't hold onto the way I wanted it to. It was really slow going for me personally but the characters were so relatable that I pushed through. I'd def recommend it to people and hopefully can enjoy it more another day.

For starters let me just say that this book was Absolutely Incredible. I listened to it on the train home from New York City and it was such perfect timing. I feel like there isn't enough WLW representation in literature let alone enough Bisexual representation! August was such a wonderful character and I loved how she used the skills from her past to help Jane figure out her story.

Part time travel mystery/part romance novel One Last Stop truly has it all. I am a huge lover of Red, White, and Royal Blue so I was so excited for OLS to come out and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Everyone has heard the legend of the NYC subway system - a liminal space, not the cleanest, and your new best friend is a rat. OLS took that and ran with it, because who hasn't fallen a little bit in love on public transit? (That's like the best part duh).

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun romance set in New York - ESPECIALLY if you love a bit of mystery as well. Oh. And pancakes.

Casey McQuiston has yet to disappoint, her writing style is beautiful and the way she tells stories is just incredible.

One Last Stop is truly the epitome of the found family trope. It features this trope in literally every possible way— from friendships, relationships, past lives and finding new people that fit who you’re becoming— it truly has it all and does it in a heartwarming yet also heartbreaking way all at once.

I listened to the audiobook version of this as I kindly received the audio arc via Netgalley, and the narrator did a fabulous job. They really made sure to emote and sound different with every character so it was really easy to follow the story and everyone’s plot lines! Definitely recommend this as the way to read it!

As for the actual story, I loved the found family aspects but the rest of it was kind of a letdown. It wasn’t a bad book! Just not my particular favourite. It featured a few tropes that I don’t tend to enjoy and the relationship wasn’t as passionate and full of chemistry as I would have liked. I liked August and June together but I just didn’t feel quite as much of a spark as I wanted to feel.

This is still a super solid read with tons of important and beautiful messages about self-growth, about being queer now and how it was to be queer years and years ago— it’s full of 1970s references and lingo mixed in with modern notes. It has mystery elements and a fantastical twist! So if any of this sounds interesting to you, pick this one up. It might be the gem you were searching for!

3/5 ⭐️

[CW: prejudice and violence against queer people, death, homophobia, anti-Asian hate crimes]

How do you romance someone on your subway commute? Especially when, she is lost in time and trapped on a train? And especially, especially when you want to help her return to her time in the 1970s?

"One Last Stop" is said to be a new adult, queer, magical realism spin on Kate & Leopold. This is a whimsical story that allows you to imagine the train as a world unto itself. You descend down under the surface and rise up to the surface on the train while sitting for a period of time with a bunch of strangers, most unrecognizable. But during that time, all your senses are trained on the people around you — who you imagine them to be, what you presume their facial expressions reveal about their lives, their personalities. Once you leave the train, you cannot envision these people outside that milieu.

I loved McQuiston’s "Red, White & Royal Blue," so I had been anticipating "One Last Stop." It has been a heartwarming and thoroughly entertaining read. I can’t wait to see what she will do next.

Full Review: https://frolic.media/book-of-the-week-one-last-stop-by-casey-mcquiston/

This book was much too slowly paced. The first half of the book saw almost nothing happen. I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

In all fairness, I went into this book blind. I prefer it that way, but in this case I probably would've skipped it had I read the description first. I saw an add on Facebook that I swear mentioned that Oprah loved this book so I had to read it.

This is touted as a must read for summer and I just don't get it. However, I think this will live up to the hype for many people.

What I Liked:
August - likeable enough even though I did feel sorry for her too.
Roommates & Neighbors - I loved them!
Co-workers - I liked how they became an integral part of the story.
The understanding that we all get lost at times in our life and how we find our way.
Jane

What I Didn't Like:
While I liked Jane's character the whole premise of Jane was too unrealistic. I love a good dystopian or fantasy book, but this book isn't that so it just felt out of place.

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
This was one of my anticipated reads for 2021. While “Red, White, and Royal Blue” wasn’t a total fav of mine, I wanted to give it another shot. Thank you to @netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy.
💜 What I liked:
The community of people in the book is supportive and connected, which is one of my favorite things in books. There is also a mystery aspect which kept me reading along.
😱 What I didn’t like:
This was a slow read for me. As much as I loved the characters, I almost DNF’d this book. But halfway through it started to pick up speed and I was so glad I ended up finishing it.
💁‍♀️ The Characters:
August meets Jane on the subway not long after she moves to New York. But Jane seems to exist ONLY in the subway. August’s roommates Myla, Niko, and Wes help to discover who Jane really is.
🚦 My face at the end: 😹😻

💭 5 Reasons to Read:
Characters that are diverse and quirky
Mysterious plot points
LGBTQ+ representation
Feel good motivations
Get some tissue handy

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

August and Jane are a sweet pair that make for a heartwarming story about finding yourself wherever you find yourself. A satisfying read with a satisfying ending.

Casey McQuiston releases her second novel with One Last Stop. This book has a different feel from her previous work and focuses on August’s life. August is new to NY and, at first, she doesn’t think the people that she meets will become friends, much less her family, but that is what happens. The secondary cast here offers great support to August and are as important to her story as Jane is.

The plot of this story has to be taken with a credible amount of suspension of disbelief. It really didn’t give off magical vibes to me or specific paranormal vibes and Jane’s situation is one you have to be willing to go along with and maybe not fully understand it by the end.

The story has a depth to it as we understand where August came from and what she’s trying to distance herself from. Jane doesn’t remember much about her life at first, but August is the catalyst to everything that comes next for Jane. When August realizes that Jane can’t leave the train, her reaction seemed sort of subdued to be confronted with that situation and everyone else goes along with it as well. The book is current with August’s roommates, but it didn’t all hit the marks for me and the story gave me a vibe of moving where it thought it was supposed to go to fit in. I found myself waiting to be entertained more than I was. The side characters were interesting and sometimes I thought their stories were more interesting than August’s.

The book is long and while there was the mystery to find out Jane’s story, it wasn’t a book that I was racing through to finish. I knew at some point it would all come out, but I wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be to see the how and why of Jane’s story come together. And, due to the nature of Jane’s story, there were things left unexplained along with a few plot holes to deal with and I didn’t find the magic I was promised.

One Last Stop is certainly a different story to what’s currently out there and may be worth a look for some mystery, music, found family, and two girls stepping out of time.

A very cute and fun premise but the writing is pretty cringey! I've always hated when books overuse modern slang.

Happy belated birthday, One Last Stop!! This was the perfect book to start Pride month with! I know it’s one that has been highly anticipated, and clearly for good reason. I’m now thinking I’ll buy a copy to have on my shelf after reading an e-arc of it first.

This book was incredibly unexpected. I knew it was a romance that took place on a train, but I had no idea it included science fiction elements, bending time, and time warp concepts! It definitely kept me hooked (although the first chapter or two was a bit slow, but after that I could NOT put it down!!).

For some reason I always happen to love stories that involve time travel or time warps, even though I’m not the biggest fan of most sci-fi. And this book was no exception for me.

Without giving anything away, just consider this: you’re on a train when you lock eyes with someone – a special someone – and you soon come to realize they are always on the same train as you. On the same car. In the same clothes. At the same time. Without fault. Then you find a photo of her at your place of work, only to discover it’s from 45 years ago and she looks EXACTLY the same.

I told you you’d be hooked.

Please pick up a copy of this book. If you like romance AT ALL, if you like subway stories, if you like time warp/travel stories, if you like LGBTQ+ stories… please grab this one! You won’t be sorry!

I wanted to read something out of my wheel house and so when I saw this one available on NetGalley I requested it. I'm glad I did. I found the beginning sucked me right in. I got so many feels while reading this. It was humorous, without being silly and the characters were so loveable.

One Last Stop was a swoon-worthy queer new adult romance with a hint of speculative fiction! I really enjoyed this book and was rooting for August and Jane to get a happy ending for the whole story. It was very different than Casey's debut, RWRB, but I really enjoyed it.

The romance is between August, a 23 year old, and Jane, a woman stuck in time on a subway line. I loved this creative, inventive romance and I especially loved how much queer history was woven into the story. As a librarian, I also really liked that August's mother was a librarian and uses her skillset to research her brother's disappearance.

I will say that I found some of the plot points/revelations to be a bit predictable, but that definitely didn't stop me from enjoying the story. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Casey writes next!

I could not love this story more. It is stunning. Delightful, hopeful, funny, clever, and inclusive. So much representation woven with a unique story. Not just a queer romance. A touch of science fiction, just enough to move the plot along, but the romantic aspects make you believe in love. I will be recommending this book for years!

OH MY GOSH, THIS BOOK. I already knew I loved Casey McQuiston, but this book really sealed the deal. It was unique, funny, exciting, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and everything in between. I couldn't put it down, and now I'm mad at myself for reading it so quickly because I'm sad it's over.

Casey McQuiston's One Last Stop is here and I cannot think of a more perfect summer read. This book is packed with so many things that I love: a strong focus on found family, the exploration of what it's like to feel like you have to figure out your entire life in your 20s, a look at queer history and activism and joy, a touch of magic, and love conquering all.

It follows August, who is lost and wary of being hopeful, and Jane, who is literally lost in a pocket of time and trapped on the Q train. From the smell of syrup to kissing practice to radio song swaps, these two brought me so much joy. August is endlessly relatable, and I'm so excited for Jane to take her rightful place as a top tier book girlfriend (seriously my initial review notes for this were: Jane, Jane, Jane). They find the magic in each other, in the ordinary, in those they surround themselves with, and it's impossible as a reader not to feel touched by the spell they cast.

Wow! Just Wow! I absolutely loved this book! This was a book I was super excited to read because I have read the author’s previous work and loved that.

In One Last Stop, we follow August who recently moved to New York to go to school but without any other plans. She moves in with three lovable weird people and gets a job at a pancake dinner. On her way to her first day of school, August is having a series of bad luck but that all stops when a beautiful woman named Jane offers her some help on the subway. Jane is cool, mysterious, and edgy and August cannot stop thinking about her. They always seem to be riding the subway at the same time and soon, a friendship develops. But there is one big problem, Jane cannot leave the subway because she is somehow from the 1970s and is trapped on this subway. Now August, with all of her investigating skills and the help of her roommates, are trying to uncover why Jane is trapped on the subway and how to set her free.

This was a beautiful book filled with LGBTQ+ representation, a great mystery, and overall heart warming. I loved every second of it and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this book.