Subgenre: Queer Contemporary Romance / Sci-Fi Light / Magical Realism
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.2 out of 5 stars)

Imagine stumbling upon a gorgeous stranger on the Q train
 only to discover she’s literally displaced in time. Welcome to One Last Stop, Casey McQuiston’s sophomore novel that delivers queer love, found family, and a magical subway mystery—with glitter, grunge, and a side of pancakes.

McQuiston, known for the hit Red, White & Royal Blue, trades royal protocol for underground portals, crafting a romantic adventure that’s one part Kate & Leopold, one part Rent, and one part your queer millennial diary (with better lighting and more diner coffee).

💘 Praise: The Love, the Laughs, the Layers

  • A Queer Love Story That Feels Like Home: August and Jane aren’t just a will-they-won’t-they; they’re a how-the-heck-will-they. Their chemistry sparks across decades, queer histories, and daily subway commutes. It’s tender, swoony, and wonderfully specific.
  • Found Family Goals: August’s ragtag crew of Brooklyn roommates—including a psychic, a performance artist, and a drag queen roommate who moonlights as a romance oracle—offer warmth and chaos in equal measure. It’s queer domesticity at its most heartwarming.
  • Time Travel, but Make It Soft: The sci-fi elements are light-touch, grounded more in emotion than mechanics. Jane's time loop isn’t so much a riddle to solve as a metaphor for what it means to be stuck—by grief, by history, by who we think we’re supposed to be.

Representation Matters (and Shows Up in Style):

This book wears its queerness with pride and joy, including BIPOC queer characters, trans representation, and a sincere tribute to queer activism of decades past.

đŸ„„ Where It Falters Slightly (Because Even Pancakes Can Be Overcooked)

  • Pacing Wobbles Like a Subway at 3AM: The first act takes its sweet time getting moving, and the time loop mystery occasionally stalls amid the roommate antics. If you’re a plot-driven reader, you may find yourself urging the train to pick up speed.
  • Science Lite, Emotions Heavy: Sci-fi purists might crave more rules, mechanics, or backstory on Jane’s temporal displacement. But this book isn’t trying to be Doctor Who—it’s trying to make you cry on public transit (mission: successful).
  • August’s Angst May Wear Thin for Some: While relatable, her introversion and self-sabotage can occasionally feel repetitive. But character growth? Check. Emotional payoff? Double check.

🚹 Potential Triggers (By Degree)

Mild to Moderate:

  • Grief and loss (August’s missing-parents backstory)
  • Scenes of mild peril related to subway shenanigans and isolation
  • Homophobia (past-era references, not graphic)
  • Discussions of transphobia and queer erasure (handled with care and resistance)

Overall, these topics are treated with tenderness and layered within a context of healing, love, and chosen family.

🚇 Final Stop: Is It Worth the Ride?

Yes, yes, and a thousand “Meet Me on the Q Train at Midnight” yesses.

One Last Stop isn’t just a romance—it’s a story about remembering who we are, honoring who came before, and daring to build something beautiful in the in-between. Yes, the plot might take the scenic route, but the view is glorious: glittering, gutting, and gorgeously queer.

Whether you’re here for the kisses, the queer history, or the diner breakfasts, this one leaves a mark—and maybe a lipstick stain.