Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - One Last Stop

About halfway through this book I looked to see if this was written before or after McQuiston's other work, Red, White, and Royal Blue. To my complete shock this was written after RW&RB. Comparatively the pacing in this novel is all over the place, the first half drags on and on, then the pacing becomes okay, and then the end feels very rushed. While I enjoyed the concept I think the execution was way off. This has not put me totally off reading more of her work as I think they are fun palette cleansers in between heavier reads but I will be quicker to DNF.

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cryptofauna's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

im writing this review actively still crying if that helps you gauge how i feel about this book /pos. oh my GOODDDD AAIUUGHHHGGGH. WAAAHH. i just love gay people so much!!!!!!!!!!!!
i had a vague idea of the plot when i picked this up just from tiktok osmosis but i got only a little bit in and i was like oh lol i must have been thinking of a different book they're both normal theres no scifi PSYCH i got tricked so even tho i knew the plot at the beginning very loosely i was able to get the plot twist authentically
casey mcquiston is incredible at what she does.
perfectly written, i cared so much about literally every character, not only was the romance good (AND BOY WAS THE ROMANCE GOOD I LOVE THEM) all the other plot lines (as well as side character romances) converged perfectly and made sense alongside each other, and they also didn't feel like just a backdrop for the romance. obviously the romance is sort of the main part, so they got a little pushed to the side but they were all still so interesting on their own.
sometimes romance can be a little cringey for me (+ second hand embarrassment is common) but there definitely wasn't too much in this book even though there was a little the rest was good enough to ignore.
every character is vibrant and real and just the power of community in this is so beautiful. i think i sobbed for like the last like hundred pages just with the cumulation of everything happening.
every book i cry at gets five stars but honestly i think it would have gotten it regardless. summer read which is impressive enough but i literally read this AT WORK. i was locked in fr i was so hyped to get home tonight so i could finish it.
yet another sapphic love story on my 5 star list who am i becoming

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levesc17's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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? No

4.5

Really unique and immersive! I used to live in NYC and loved how gritty and real this book felt as a depiction of the city, while also being very loving. The found family trope is perfection.

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hales_1243's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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apileofcranes's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is my favorite out of Casey McQuinston's current books. I already like their writing a lot, but at times this book shocked me with how much it took the strong points from their other books and brought them to a new level.
No matter how small, every character seems so vibrant with their own story and interpersonal relationships with not only the main character but everyone else around them, which I feel is rare to find in a character. It makes the city it's set in feel that much more alive, and the plot to save a dying local diner that much more compelling. Add in a dash of magic that blends perfectly with the feeling of being a small part of a big city, an incredible found family, and a heist, and I'm not sure what could top this. And it also managed to make the subway romantic. I can't think of a single critique.
This book is so unapologetically steeped in queerness, both past and present, that it makes me want to cry. The emotional core of the story expertly weaves plotlines and history together in a way that had me sobbing. I loved this book.

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calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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madmayham's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.25

So this book was a little difficult for me to finish. It starts a little slowly and I thought it took a long time to get to the part that was most interesting to me. It's a great story, well written, but it didn't really interest me. When I started reading the book, I had some difficulty, so much so that I switched to the audiobook to try to read more dynamically. But I still couldn't finish it when I started. I took a long break from reading (about 6 months), until the moment I decided to finish reading. Another part of what also made me stop is the relationship between the two main characters, the way their relationship starts bothered me a little, but that's a personal opinion... After August started to have a bit of development outside the subway, it helped a little for me to get a rhythm to finish the story. I think the most interesting parts, (which I wish maybe had been explored more deeply) were about August's life, about the investigation into her uncle. This part of the story for me was much more interesting than the way their relationship was occurring on the subway. The book is good but it wasn't really the type of story I like, but I like mystery more, the investigation part and I thought it could have focused a little more on that area.

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montybonty's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.75

Crying happy lesbian tears as I write this review since I just finished reading (mind my "just finished reading" bias). One Last Stop is such a lovely and wonderful book. It was silly and relatable and emotional and so human. Any serious topic it approached, it did with grace and realness. This is the second Casey McQuinston book I've picked up and then finished within 24 hours. Her writing isn't ever too flowery or too straight forward, and although there were a few times I felt like I was reading a Tumblr interaction in terms of dialogue, it was never not good. If you want a sapphic romance that was written with pride and admiration for queer culture, this is the book for you. I don't care how unrealistic some aspects (aside from the whole stuck in time bit) of this book were, it made me so happy to read queer people living happy in their skin. The actual relationship was really nicely made too and anytime I thought McQuinston was going to pull a trope I didn't like (

like a third act breakup that thank god didn't happen- we love healthy communication

), she would steer it into a much better plot point or conversation. I think I'm rambling at this point but seriously, if you want an upbeat, sapphics are allowed to be happy, queer people are amazing and resilient kind of book, this one is for you.

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