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lunep's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, Hate crime, Cursing, Racism, Death, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Blood
compostbin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was really wonderful. It's hard to go wrong for me in terms of an uplifting queer romance that emphasizes community and the inherent right each human has to be unconditionally loved, but I nonetheless appreciated this story for encompassing that. (It was also lovely to get that kind of character-focused story packaged in a relatively plot-focused way, with a few fun [if predictable] twists). This was the kind of comfort novel that perfectly captures the magic/terror/suspense/wonder of falling in love and that, while not totally avoiding the tendency for romance stories to overly rely on maddeningly easy-to-address miscommunications to introduce drama, utilizes that trope in the least frustrating way I've ever seen it used. (A huge compliment from someone who loves romance novels but HATES plot elements that could have been avoided IF THEY JUST FRICKING TALKED... Point being: this book wasn't annoying.) I may not be rushing to reread this (it was sexy and lovely and emotional, but it didn't give me the vibe, necessarily, of offering something totally new with every reread), but I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a queer love story that's a fairly quick read (despite its bulk) and that still packs an emotional punch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Violence, Racism, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Cursing, and Car accident
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Hate crime, Vomit, and Transphobia
stacy837's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Minor: Homophobia
storykath's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I definitely understand the hype around this book! I loved the concept, and overall I thought it was well-done. The pace slowed down in the middle, but I was invested enough in the characters by then to keep going. I liked the combination of informal and poetic prose, but you have to be ready to fully jump in to the protagonist's mind to appreciate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Antisemitism, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Vomit
mypatronusisajedi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual content
wrensandroses's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Grief
Minor: Xenophobia, Racism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Death, and Hate crime
midnightbelles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the romance and just being able to see August grow more as a person and unwrap this case. Honestly I fell in love with Jane alongside august and the hopeless romantic in me would kill for even a little of this type of romance. I also really enjoyed getting to see the other romances within augusts friend group and I loved the relationship she had with them as well. I’m 100% going to read this again and hope to find my own subway girl :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Grief, and Homophobia
orchidd's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Racism
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I got there. I might be one of the last people in the world to read McQuiston's sophomore novel, but I got there. Does anyone else sometimes put off a book you know you're going to love, or at least strongly think you're going to love, because you don't want the reading experience to happen and then be over? Maybe? I sometimes delay finishing a series for this same reason. Anyways, I think I suffered a bit from that. Also, I loved Red White and Royal Blue so much that I was nervous about my expectations being unreasonable. And then the reviews were all so dang positive that that feeling just grew. And now here I am, the reading caboose on this one, as it were.
August moves to NYC content to be alone, convinced having no belongings and no people that matter to her will keep her life simple...there's just less to lose. But when she moves into an apartment with some rather off-the-wall roommates and starts working at a 24-hour pancake diner, she starts to make some unexpected connections. Friends. The kinds of friends that can become a family. And then she meets this girl on the subway. This spectacular, mesmerizing, attractive, there's-just-something-about-her girl: Jane. August plans her entire commute around being on Jane's train. Over time, the sparks between Jane and August grow, but something becomes clear. Jane doesn't just have an old school punk rock vibe, she actually is old school punk rock. She's been displaced in time, from the 1970s, and has been stuck on the Q train ever since. Something about their connection is making Jane remember, and August is realizing she'd do anything to help Jane remember, and find her way home - even if it involves some magic (which she doesn't believe in), sleuthing (she thought left that life behind), and losing the girl she's fallen in love with (excuse me, what?! love?!).
So I ask you, how is it possible that McQuiston has managed to write two perfectly swoon-y, compelling, full-hearted, with the exact right alternate reality/paranormal twist, in a row?? I do not know. But I am deeply grateful. My thoughts on this one are a jumble of a list of all the things that were so wonderful about it. McQuiston's writing is the perfect compelling contemporary narrative voice for the characters and the story. It's smart and snarky and real. I also love how all the characters are like normal "new adults" with normal jobs and attainable situations and aspirations and, let's be honest, issues. They're weird and special in lots of ways, but they're also so....genuine. It all felt recognizable and a little enviable. The enviable part being that, for most of them (other than August, really) they were all happy with the little part of the world they'd created and carved out for themselves - untraditional as it was. With that, the found family. Let me just say it again, the found family. That's about all I've got. It was everything. All in all, with the characters and the story and the setting(s) and the vibe (drag queens and diners and subways!) - it just all felt so quintessentially NYC.
Other things. More things! The mix of paranormal/supernatural and real life/tangible detective work was so freaking charming. And really, the entire displaced from time and stuck on a train and re-finding memories and sci-fi use of electricity to get Jane back to her own time was so original. This mystical take on the reality of electrical pulses as love/emotion/connection is super cool. There were a couple of steamy scenes that were like...hot damn
They were already, basically, but McQuiston is now an auto-buy author for me. I'm here for the fullness and the rep (oh hey, bi peeps) and the steaminess and the friends (and other side characters) and the love and the compelling story bringing it all together. Twice in a row, McQuiston has delivered a story with the perfect mix of contemporary/real and fantastical twist and a romance I want to read again immediately. I am in awe.
“Time. Place. Person.”
“…she’s going to need more notebooks. It’ll take a million to hold this girl.”
“August thinks distantly about her gradual stumble into knowing she was bisexual, the years of confusing crushes she tried to rationalize away. She can’t imagine always knowing something huge about herself and never questioning it.” (THIS.)
“…defiant by existing…” (I just loved this sentiment, thrown into/buried in a greater sentence, but holding so much alone, in just three words.)
“…you’re movies and destiny and every stupid, impossible thing…”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content