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jkneebone's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Casey McQuiston tackles time-travel romance in One Last Stop. August is a new arrival to Brooklyn, a wanderer trying to distance herself from her mother - and her mother's obsession with the cold case of her brother's disappearance forty-plus years before - who still hasn't found a place to settle down. On the Q train, she meets Jane Su, a 70s-style punk lesbian...who's actually from the 70s. She's trapped in time, and August is ready to use her deeply engrained investigative skills to figure out who Jane is, where she came from - and how to get her back where she belongs.
Things I adored about this book: The side characters - all of August's coworkers at Pancake Billy's, and especially her roommates-slash-found family-slash-band of misfits. The descriptions of NYC and especially Brooklyn. August's complicated relationship with her mother. Jane's backstory, and the window it gives into queer history. The simmering, sultry relationship between Jane and August, and how we get to see it develop. The side plot about fighting gentrification. How aggressively queer it is (the cast of characters are almost entirely LGBT, and August & co frequently attend drag shows etc).
Things I struggled with about this book: The fact that it is explicitly set in 2020 when it was published in summer 2021 (I know it was probably already written & edited pre-pandemic, but changing the dates would have been - to me - a good use of time). The pacing (it drags at the beginning). The genre combo/overlap of sci-fi(?) and romance (usually in romance, you know the characters will end up together, and I spent way too much time worrying because I didn't know *how* that could possibly work out).
Although I ultimately really enjoyed this when I finally finished, it took me a looooong time to get through it. I kept starting, getting distracted, reading ahead, then putting it down and not wanting to come back to it. I didn't realize going in that it was a time travel book, and I was really having trouble reconciling the romance conceits I would usually expect with the unfamiliar, how-to-get-Jane-unstuck plot that felt at times very uncertain. I don't think this is a fault or a failure of McQuiston's - if anything it's a failure of the way we market books - because it was a cool idea that was pulled off really well in the end. But I did dock a half-star from my overall rating since it was so hard for me to get into the book at first.
Things I adored about this book: The side characters - all of August's coworkers at Pancake Billy's, and especially her roommates-slash-found family-slash-band of misfits. The descriptions of NYC and especially Brooklyn. August's complicated relationship with her mother. Jane's backstory, and the window it gives into queer history. The simmering, sultry relationship between Jane and August, and how we get to see it develop. The side plot about fighting gentrification. How aggressively queer it is (the cast of characters are almost entirely LGBT, and August & co frequently attend drag shows etc).
Things I struggled with about this book: The fact that it is explicitly set in 2020 when it was published in summer 2021 (I know it was probably already written & edited pre-pandemic, but changing the dates would have been - to me - a good use of time). The pacing (it drags at the beginning). The genre combo/overlap of sci-fi(?) and romance (usually in romance, you know the characters will end up together, and I spent way too much time worrying because I didn't know *how* that could possibly work out).
Although I ultimately really enjoyed this when I finally finished, it took me a looooong time to get through it. I kept starting, getting distracted, reading ahead, then putting it down and not wanting to come back to it. I didn't realize going in that it was a time travel book, and I was really having trouble reconciling the romance conceits I would usually expect with the unfamiliar, how-to-get-Jane-unstuck plot that felt at times very uncertain. I don't think this is a fault or a failure of McQuiston's - if anything it's a failure of the way we market books - because it was a cool idea that was pulled off really well in the end. But I did dock a half-star from my overall rating since it was so hard for me to get into the book at first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Fatphobia
piphux's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Biphobia, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Racism
lucyeanderson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
this was one of the most refreshing and special books i’ve read in a long long time. i feel like the whole cast of characters are my own friends, the whole story and people gave me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. i loved rwarb and this book was the most wonderful follow up. as a bisexual woman, the queer joy and positivity in this book means more than i can express - a sexually positive, diverse, unbury your gays book is exactly what i needed. i also love that this book was about young adults living their life happily while simultaneously not having their shit together - i love love love reading about this as someone at the same stage in life. the magical and time travel aspects of this book also flowed perfectly, they were believable, thoroughly explained and well researched and thought through, they don’t take you out of the story at all which is great for a low-fantasy book set in the present day! overall if you’re looking for a wonderful ride with a beautiful cast of characters then pls read this book - it has my heart <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Death
idreamofdragons's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.0
A marked improvement from Red White and Royal Blue for me. The chemistry and stakes felt real but be warned August's inner dialogue can be mildly transphobic. Commenting on characters lack of genitals and making sweeping judgements on how binary bodies look. It's jarring and feels out of place everytime it happens but it only occurs a couple of times.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
brianneh's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Homophobia
akvolcano's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Fuuuucccckkkk, this book was such a fantastic queer story! Treasure the first time you read it, so cute!
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? No
3.0
I don’t know how to feel about a sci-fi romance like this, if I’m being honest. The premise felt unrealistic and a bit difficult to wrap my head around with all the space time continuum stuff going on but the characters are beautifully written, unique, and loveable as all hell. The love stories are sweet & strong. The found family in this book is so genuine and real. I just wish the main thread of the story wasn’t about traveling through time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Classism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Transphobia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Biphobia, and Bullying
a_win_in_clear_rain's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The first sapphic book and the first romance book I read, and it pulled me into a whole world of these books, so I'll always love it (take this with a grain of salt because I know I'm biased)!
Great diversity and representation too!
Great diversity and representation too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing and Hate crime
Minor: Death, Transphobia, and Alcohol
jazdono's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is super cute and well written. It took me a bit to get into it because it starts pretty slow, but once you meet all the characters and get the plot established, it picks up. The book has a great cast of characters with casual queerness (i.e., queerness that isn’t the focal point of the character’s story) sprinkled in, which is always nice.
Towards the end, I started to get worried that we were getting another queer tragedy where the main characters didn’t end up together, but then the plot pulled a nice bait-and-switch, which was a relief. The ending feels almost like a feel-good fanfic with how nicely it wraps up, but after seeing so many queer tragedies in media, I’m always happy to get a cheesy happy ending for my sapphic characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Racism, and Homophobia
kalmia31's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, Biphobia, Religious bigotry, Addiction, and Death