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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Stars: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Series: Stand Alone
Steam Level: Not Steamy
I read this for the 2025 Sapphic Book Bingo Micro-Tropes reading challenge for the prompt Only One Bed.
I did not know what to expect with this book. I love Natalie Naudus as a narrator but I didn’t know how I’d like her as an author. Turns out, I love her as an author as well.
Quick Thoughts:
- When I read the synopsis, it felt like just another run of the mill story of a kid raised in a super religious family realizing they’re queer. And yes, the story is predictable but there’s an air of authenticity not usually found in these stories and it made a BIG difference in how I read it
- This is all from Valerie’s POV
- There’s a joke about the narrator of One Last Stop as just being alright that had me giggling
- The hiding of queer books, using library resources to hide what you’re researching, and finding people outside your little sphere to connect with, are all pretty universal experiences for queer kids so it felt familiar even without growing up with religious trauma
- No third act break up!
- I am super close to my brother (he’s the first person I came out to and we ALWAYS have each other’s backs) so how the brother in this book acted really, really bothered me. I wanted to smack him upside the head
- The ending was satisfying. I was worried the book would just end with Valerie escaping but it continued on a little bit after that so you get a tiny taste of Riley’s and Valerie’s life together (though I wouldn’t object to a short story set a several years down the road HINT HINT)
- Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job reading this and since she wrote the book also, she had inside knowledge on what emotions to portray where and did a wonderful job doing that. It is a crime that I keep forgetting how great she is until I start listening to a book she reads
Overall I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this book and I’m sincerely hoping that Natalie Naudus continues writing along with being a wonderful narrator. Either way, I will be picking up more of anything she does.
emotional
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:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Like the dedication says:
To everyone who was served hatred and told it was love: We deserve better
Sweet and impactful. Well-paced and easy to get into.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Outing
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism
Minor: Vomit
challenging
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
While an important topic to cover- unaccepting families caught up in a religious cult, the novel itself had too many things happen at an unrealistic pace. Valerie and Riley falling in love so quickly? Valerie using the term "heteronormative" after one trip to the library? Fully accepting all realizations without internal conflict?
I think the story had potential, but its execution seems unrealistic.
I think the story had potential, but its execution seems unrealistic.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Be ready to cry like a baby.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book felt so real to me as someone who grew up in evangelical Christianity. Thankfully the religion I grew up in wasn’t quite as strict as the cult in this book but I know the author wasn’t exaggerating about anything in the book. I thought it emphasized nicely the importance of finding community while acknowledging that it can feel next to impossible to do so or to know who is safe for people in communities like these.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
A heartbreaking yet hopeful story about finding your way when everything you know turns out to be harming you. I felt this story deeply. While I cannot related to growing up in the Bill Goddard cult I do know what it's like to grow up and around evangelicalism and how it can harm instead of provide solace and guidance. I felt like a proud older sister listening to Valerie discover herself, her sexuality, and the world.
Her mom helping her leave left me such a mess omg.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry