Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August's day when she needed it most. August's subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there's one big problem: Jane doesn't just look like an old school punk rocker. She's literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it's time to start believing in some things, after all. Synopsis from Goodreads PERSONAL REVIEW Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Red, White & Royal Blue (review here) is hands-down one of my favourite books. I talk about it all the time, I often wish I could recommend it to my students (but I can't because I teach high school and it's just a touch to sexual for that age group), and it’s a book that I’ve reread countless times since I first received it. So of course I was thrilled to find out that Casey McQuiston was coming out with a new novel, and I liked that this book is completely different in that there’s a fantastical element to the love story. I’m thrilled that I was given an advance copy because I don’t know if I could’ve waited any longer to read this book! Happily, I loved it as much as I loved her debut novel. Amazing Characters I absolutely adore the characters that McQuiston created in this book. While August took me a second to warm up to, I promptly fell in love with her by chapter two. And a big part of that was with the help of her roommates - Myla, Niko and Wes - who help August come out of her shell, with both them and with the reader. All the characters in this book are so much fun to read about, in a large part because they are giving us the opportunity to see characters and people we don’t normally see in mainstream love stories. The way that characters are portrayed - their different genders, sexualities, and personalities - is so beautifully and seamlessly done that I honestly feel like I know these characters and I wish I could be friends with them in real life. This book is educational in that it shows that there is no one "right" way to be. It’s all about being who you truly are and finding your people who will be there to support you no matter what. Fun Mystery One of the best things about this book is that I really didn’t know where the “Jane is from the 19070s” storyline was going. It’s usually pretty easy to tell how contemporary romances are going to end, and I love that because I want the happy ending. But in this case, the mystery around why Jane is stuck on the subway and how she ended up here genuinely takes a lot of the novel to figure out and there’s no clear answer as the reader for how this will play out. And I love it! August has literally trained her entire life to be able to help someone in this situation and figure out who Jane truly is. It was really fun to read and see their story (and their romance) progress. It’s clear McQuiston had a lot of fun writing this book, and I can’t imagine how much research she would’ve had to do to figure out the scientific logistics of it all! But it makes for a really fun read and a solid contemporary/romance/pseudo-mystery novel. Love the Little Details There were so many little things I loved about this book that helped to make it what it is. Things like the beginning of every chapter, where we’re given newspaper blurbs and missed connection ads that slowly help us piece together some of the mystery around Jane. Likewise, the details given to background characters (aka all the other employees at Billy’s) is excellent because it makes the story come to life. We’re given so much about August’s world and I honestly felt like I could go to New York and have pancakes at Billy’s and see these characters there. But the best details about this book is the insight given into what it was like to be LGBTQ+ in the 1970s. And it’s heartbreaking in so many ways. As August leans what it would’ve been like, we also realize just how far (and honestly, there’s still so much more work to do) we’ve come as a society. But also how cruel the world was to people who didn’t fit into the heteronormative restrictions of the period. It made me further appreciate everyone who has had to fight for their right to live the life they want even when everyone around them tries to tear them down. This book is going to be another high recommendation from me! It has great characters, a fun storyline, and it’s just such a wonderful and entertaining book to read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun contemporary romance or to those looking for LGBTQ+ characters in romance novels. McQuiston has once again created a beautiful love story and I am so excited for this to come out so that we can all keep talking about it! One Last Stop comes out June 1st, 2021 and I'm so excited for everyone to get their hands on it! FINAL RATING: 5/5
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About MeHi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband. Follow Me on Instagram@AllCharactersWanted
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