Cover Image: One Last Stop

One Last Stop

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Member Reviews

Thank you for this review copy! I absolutely devoured it.
As a fan of Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston I was very excited to see what she would write next, and this one definitely did not disappoint. The way McQuiston writes broke Millennials is so deeply accurate, especially broke Millennials in New York City. August's roommates were consistently a blast to read about, from psychic premonitions, to Rolly Bangs, to lavish blow-out parties.
This book swept me into August's just-off-of-reality world and I was just as interested as her in finding out June's past and how to get her off the subway.
A well-written fast and romantic New Adult read, perfect for these stressful times. I will absolutely be recommending it to many.

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Is it too early to declare my favorite book of 2021?

Typically I’m drawn most toward character-driven stories, and this one was that but SO much more. How can I begin to describe this wonderful whirlwind of emotions? We start off with August coming to New York with barely anything in hand and no connections to anyone, and as the story unfurls she discovers more than anyone can imagine in NYC.

The novel starts off a little slow, but once the thick of it begins, it doesn’t stop until the very last page. August’s prickly personality definitely grows on you, as does Jane’s mystery. The entire diverse cast of characters is hilarious, beautiful, and oh so lovable in each of their own ways.

Also, can we just talk about how fantastic Casey McQuiston is at telling queer stories? Honestly, what put this one at the top for me is the depth of the queerness in this story. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading about happy queer people falling in love and living life, but there is so much self-awareness and history layered into the entire novel that really sets it apart.
This will be a major must-read of 2021. I’ll be putting it on my bookshelf the day it releases!

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Casey McQuiston did it again! I loved how this romance had time travel/paranormal elements but was set in the real world. Delightful, distinctive characters.

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I'm not even sure how to start this review. McQuiston has such a real and authentic voice and that was no surprise after reading her first book, but this book feels different, more special maybe. I knew every one of these characters and I found myself in all of these characters as well. I have been to the parties that August goes to in the book. This book lets LGBTQ+ people live and not have to justify their existence or explore their trauma. Even better having a character who lived back when there were riots and protests for gay rights and right before the Aids epidemic allows for amazing history that enhances the story.
The relationships in this book are so amazing. They are sincere and healthy. The relationship between August and Jane is truly magical. McQuiston knows how to write relationships, how to make you fall into them with the characters. August's hesitations and nerves are so real and raw. I am in awe at how well the intimate scenes are written. Similiar, to their last book, they are not that detailed but still somehow so hot and steamy.
Overall, One Last Stop is the book I needed right now. A book suspended in time where you can live as queer 20 somethings in New York, just trying to save your time traveler girlfriend and fight against gentrification.

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It took me a little while to get into this one. I was a little skeptical of the premise. But I ended up not being able to put the book down until I knew what was going to happen to Jane! ONE LAST STOP is a smart, dreamy, heartwarming love story with unexpected and delightful twists.

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first of all, let's talk about that cover! it's so STUNNING i'm in love.
second of all, it's a sapphic romance with a time traveling aspect to it! SIGN ME UP!!

i was so fascinated by the premise of this book! i loved the ~mystery~ and the representation was just GREAT.

i absolutely adored august's friends!! it was so nice to see how she adapted to suddenly having people to depend on and how quickly she blended into the group. their antics and banter was hilarious i wish i was their friend. every single relationship was just great and so wholesome.

the way august and jane immediately connected is something that can be so special. i was rooting for them from the moment they laid eyes on each other. they have my whole heart.

the only reason i didn't give this 5 stars is because the first half of the book was so SLOW but everything else was behind perfect.

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Faith in humanity restored.

Was I scared to read to Casey McQuiston's newest book? Yes. I was afraid that the magic of Red, White, and Royal Blue may have been a one time phenomena. But I am so happy that I was wrong.

I really needed this book and had no idea until I started sobbing 70 percent through. Books that make you break down in happy tears are needed right now. Books that highlight love, acceptance, the LGBT community and the world I want to live in, are NEEDED. It made me feel hope and love. It made me see the world I want to live in.

23 year old August has just moved to New York City to find a new life. Her life has been hallmarked by taking care of her mother and helping her track the cold case of her missing uncle. August doesn't know what she wants out of life or who she wants to be, but is hopeful New York will be the place to lose herself to.

Then August is on the Q train and runs into Jane. Instant sparks. Jane is amazing and an instant connection feels set between the two of them in the form of an electric current of emotions. But Jane never leaves the Q line but is also on every train that August boards. Weird coincidence? Is Jane just a ghostly hot girl in August's mind?

I will not talk too much about the plot because it is an experience. But what this book succeeds in doing is creating a found family that you wish was your own. It creates a place full of people you wish you knew. It creates a sense of belonging and drags the readers into a world of love and laughter.

It is a love letter to the LGBT community of New York City. It is a love letter to queer culture and history. If you need to feel found read this book.

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Casey McQuiston's latest book is absolutely gorgeous. August, our tough, loner heroine, falls head-over-heels in love with a girl she meets on the Subway... who just happens to be displaced in time from the 1970s. August has to figure out if she should follow her heart; her head; or maybe even both. With a lovely cast of charming characters, this book is perfect for a cozy stay at home night or a beach read. Thank you SO much to netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for this beautiful ARC!

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Impressively imaginative, but I wasn’t crazy about this one (I don't read much speculative fiction, so I blame myself, not the author!). Overall, it is a funny, interesting, and readable book with an extremely lovable cast of characters, and I think it would do well as a movie.

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Representation is so important, and I'm so excited to have another LGBTQ+ affirming book to recommend to older students!

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I love this book. It wasn’t quite RWRB-level for me, but RWRB was one of my absolute favorite books ever, six stars out of five, so OLS definitely deserves the full five. McQuiston is so good at writing atmosphere and I just loved the world she created here, queer and loving and supportive and full of drag shows and people showing up for each other. The dialogue was, as I was fully expecting from McQuiston, perfectly rendered and relatable, no sour notes at all. Oddly, despite the premise of the story, I didn’t really need to engage in active suspension of disbelief - I just fell into the story and was passionately invested in how it played out. The romance, of course, was the crux of the story and it was complex, fun, hot, and engaging. I also really loved the friendships she built, and I especially appreciated that unlike most time travel books, people weren’t keeping secrets from their most important friends - instead they were all in it together. The characters and relationships were all beautifully developed, messy and complicated and delightful. The whole book just exuded positivity, its world is warm and loving and accepting even as its characters grappled with real shit. As expected, the writing was top notch, the pacing was on point, the story was compelling, the whole thing was funny, and I couldn’t put it down. Another winner from McQuiston.

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This book means so much to me, as I'm sure it will for many other queer young people. The love story within these pages is heartwarming, complicated, and perfect. It is the perfect combination of messy and idealistic. Casey Mcquinstion did a spectacular job of capturing the reality of queerness, found family, and the whirlwind headiness of first true love while still telling an unbelievably compelling story about a girl lost in time. The way they managed to make the subway seem like this incredibly magical place is a feat in and of itself and I am now desperate for a version of 2020 where we could just ride the subway all day and night.

As a character August truly means so much to me. I remeber the first time I saw the cover for this book and realized that August looked just like me. It truly brought tears to my eyes, and reading the way she felt about her body truly mai justde me feel better about the way I looked. (This isn't the most articulate but I hope I am getting the point across).

This is truly my perfect book and I'm just so grateful it exists.

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Loved the characters in this books so much, devoured the book in an afternoon. A lovely story with a sci-fi/fantastical twist. A wonderful follow up book to Ms. McQuiston’s first novel

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I've been desperate to read this book since loving Red White and Royal Blue last year, and I was even more excited when I found out the main character was bi and it involved a ff romance

We follow August, shortly after she's moved to New York for college. Soon after moving, August spots a beautiful, butch Asian woman on the subway who she instantly falls in love with. She soon realises that there's something strange about the woman, Jane, and that perhaps Jane doesn't belong in New York, in the 21st century, at all...

I really appreciated all of the queer rep in this book, they were all chaotic and I loved it. I liked that the story wasn't about the sexualities and genders, they just happen to be bi/gay/trans etc. I loved Niko and Myla and would read a book about their meet cute and general day to day life

Even though August looks like me I felt a bit of a disconnect. I don't know if it was the way it was written, and possibly written on purpose as she is a person who keeps others at arms length, but I never fully warmed to her

I can't put my finger on why...but this book just didn't fully work for me, and I'm sad about it. A LOT of the plot points were super convenience (like "hey, my friend knows that guy who owns that place that we need access to") which really started to bother me. Also I didn't feel like the speculative element was...thought out very well. It didn't make much sense to me, and I think suffered from being over explained to the point where it gave itself holes in the concept

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Authors, particularly those whose debut novels made a splash, face a career-defining dilemma with their sophomore novels. I impatiently started this book, hungry not only for story, but also for an answer to how Casey McQuiston would evolve as a writer. Would she give us Red, White, and Royal Blue redux, or would she offer something different, which doesn't necessarily equal good?

She gave us different. I miss Alex and Henry. They are larger-than-life characters on the archetypal quest for identity. I experienced the joys of falling in love with them as they fell in love with each other.

But One Last Stop is a damn good novel. The premise is fantastical and mysterious, but these characters provide a comforting, warm familiarity. McQuiston's technique is stronger; at times, her lyricism is somewhat reminiscent of Fitzgerald. Similarly, New York City is as much a shibboleth in One Last Stop as it is in Gatsby.
In short, Casey McQuiston is not a one-trick pony. She's growing as an artist. She mentioned on Twitter that she has finished her third novel while in quarantine. I look forward to seeing where she'll take herself and us on her next stop.

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She did it again, folks 🏆😭⁣

I requested ONE LAST STOP fully expecting to be denied, but since it’s how I first discovered RWRB, I hoped. And it worked! Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. ⁣

This book is SO different from RWRB, but McQuiston’s skills are even better: hilarious dialogue, deeply built characters, and feels for days. There’s a diner in ONE LAST STOP that’s described as having a magical energy, and that is exactly what this book is, too. ⁣

I don’t want to spoil anything, just know you need this book in our life when it comes out next summer. ⁣

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (really just infinity stars for this one)

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Thanks to St. Martin and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was obviously a delight! Though her two books are different, it seems one of Casey's true talents is writing an ensemble cast. I remember rereading <i>RWRB</i> and thinking how much FUN they all were and how much FUN they all have in that book. This one has a similarly wonderful group of friends and lots of fun times (sob, miss my buds).

August and Jane are lovely protagonists, the time elements held together for me, mostly, and this was just a lovely world to sink into. Also, there are pancakes. And enough drag queens for a whole season of drag race. Finally, because one of the characters has a lot of experience with queer history, this history is present in this book more than in <i>RWRB</i>. If you liked <i>RWRB</i>, I think you'll get into this one.

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I don’t think I can coherently articulate my full thoughts quite yet, but this book simultaneously broke me and pieced me back together. I went into this book excited for the sapphic romance of my lesbian dreams-- and, don't get me wrong, it delivered that-- but One Last Stop also gave me so much more than that.

In so many ways, it feels like a love letter to queer communities both past and present, and to the found families we choose. It's a celebration of queer love and queer joy. It's a love letter to New York City, one that recognizes the particular magic of the city while also not shying away from the ugly side of it. It's a gentle hug for people who are or have ever been just trying to figure out life and love in their mid-twenties. AND it's a beautiful romance.

I'll attempt to better articulate my thoughts closer to release, but for now, preorder this book! I felt very seen by August's story, and I know lots of other people will, too. I cannot wait for One Last Stop to be out in the world.

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*Spoiler free, 4.75 stars*

My love for Red, White, And Royal Blue is no secret. I've been excited for McQuiston's next book since I finished it. And finding out that it would be f/f only made me all the more excited. I was a bit nervous about the time travel aspect of the plot, only because I haven't read a lot of books set in the real world with a slight magical aspect that I've liked. But a f/f book by Casey McQuiston was something I was willing to go out on a limb for.

This book is very different than RWRB, but I loved it all the same. It's a different kind of love, but love all the same.

I've talked a bit before how I've been surprised about books making me actually like New York City, since I'm not a huge fan (it's weird I know, and complicated). But with this book, it did not make me fall in love with the city. And I mean that as a compliment! This book shows New York in all it's gritty, grimy glory from muggy nights and rats on the subway. It felt like the real New York, flaws and all. But, it didn't turn me away from the book or give me the anxiety I usually associate with anything to do with the city. It was subtle, but I could see what people like about New York. I could see why people revel in the busyness and fast past, of trying to take something from a city that has so much to offer, of trying to find a place somewhere that has so many. It's a great backdrop to this story and it fits August and her journey.

I don't think it's ever explicitly talked about in the book, so this might just be how I read, but I really liked how mental illness is portrayed. Maybe it was just the character's emotional journey, but I felt like there were hints of depression and anxiety in August. It wasn't something that was front in center, more something that was slipped into her actions, how she talks, and the way she interacts with the world. I dunno, it just liked how it felt like something in the background, but it was there, and it was just the way the characters were and how they took on the world. It made this book seem a bit heavier than RWRB, but it made it wholly it's own. It also made August such a fantastic main character. She feels like a clementine to me. Sweet, but slightly tart and with an orange tinge.

Oh gosh, is this book a found family book. It's a fantastic found family book. The way that these characters come together and go from reluctant roommates, to friends, to family. They're all really weird, but they work together, and I loved how they all came to love each other.

And they're all really freaking queer. I knew this was going to be a queer book, but this book was SO casually queer while also being super freaking queer at the same time. It was wonderful.

Let's talk about Jane. She is, wow, I think I got my break knocked out of me multiple times reading about her. She has a LEATHER JACKET and one dimple and a smirk.

Jane is Asian, and I think that's all that's specified. I can't comment on that other than it was there.

The time travel aspect of this book was actually really cool. I don't want to say too much so I don't spoil anything, but I will say that it was such a cool mystery and plot point. It wasn't just something happening to one character. It tied into August's emotional development, which tied into a side plot, which tied into the overall story, which tied into all the characters. Plus, it was just really cool.

One Last Spot was a book about family, about love, about New York, about the subway, about finding how and where you fit, about queerness, and it's just very, very good.

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This was, I don't even know how to say it. Not only magical, it was calm. Yes, that's it. It was a calm in the New York chaos. Two girls living the most peculiar love story, surrounded by a very diverse and caring group of friends. There's no unnecessary drama. Things just happen, and they do for a reason.

You could almost smell the story. Full of pancakes, poptarts, improbable special sandwiches, but also of sweat, and subway pee. Because that's New York, and it's portrayed perfectly in this story. You could close your eyes and be there, joking with Myla, Niko, Wes, August, Jane, and all the side characters who gave actual life to it all.

It's a journey. Somewhat wild, often quiet. Like life. It felt just like life. From feeling like you don't belong to having the most amazing found family you've never ever dreamed of.

And all of it mixed with a pinch of magic, of unusual, with a girl out of her time, with a story to uncover and a way home to find. But what is home if not the experiences and the people that fill your life?

I loved it a lot, the story, every single character, the atmosphere, the ordinary and the extraordinary, the magic, the tears, the laughs, the emotions. Cried and laughed, invested from beginning to end, this story will definitely be loved by many!

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