The Stray Reader

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Author:	Casey McQuiston
Genre(s):	➡️Fiction ➡️LGBTQIA+ ➡️Contemporary ➡️ Science Fiction
Series?	❎ No
Goodreads Rating:	⭐3.95 (Goodreads) (207.3k ratings; 32.8k reviews)
Personal Rating:	⭐ 4 / 5 Overall 🌶️2 / 5 Spice

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🛑 Spoiler Warning 🛑

I might be recounting events, characters, and themes so THIS MIGHT BE FULL OF SPOILERS.

If you’d like to read a review with the spoilers hidden, kindly scroll to the bottom to read my spoiler-free review or head to my Goodreads post. You don’t need an account to read it. 🙂

🖋️ DESCRIPTION (SPOILER-FREE) 🖋️

‘One Last Stop’ is the love story of two queer women in their early 20s unraveling in the city of New York fated by a scientific anomaly.

August just moved to New York to establish a life away from her mother and finish her college degree. As many New Yorkers do, she uses the subway to get around. And like many New Yorkers there do, she meets the very charming Jane in her signature 70s punk rock look – tattered jeans and leather jacket. Despite being raised to guard her heart against any attachment, courage takes a little slip and she asks her out. Unfortunately, Jane couldn’t go out with her. No, she literally could not step outside the subway. Why? Read to find out! That’s one of the best parts. 😉

🌟Review (4/5) 🌟

Plot

A fresh, sci-fi, LGTBQIA+ romance that I was fully on board with!

I purchased this book as part of a set so I had no idea what it was about (other than it’s a romance) and that made the whole reading experience so much better. I don’t usually read sci-fi because I get so lost in science, but the time-travel aspect of this romance was executed well. The scientific anomaly surrounding Jane’s situation had an explanation I was able to digest; and it did not need some long, heavy exposition to be understood. It unraveled bit by bit and the discovery journey to get the full picture was fun! It gave a nice, mystery layer that I could not put the book down.

The pacing was right. The book starts with August moving into this new city and finding a place to live. I was able to place myself in her pragmatic shoes and had no problem taking in her journey – from the way she started opening up to her unique roommates, to the tension and mystery buildup when the sci-fi element kicked in, up to the romance’s climax and happy resolution.

The two best plot aspects of the book for me are (a) the plot surprises and (b) the way the characters’ paths intertwine. Not being aware that this had time traveling involved, the revelation came to me as a pleasant surprise. Plus, a quality of a really good book for me is not just having characters as accessories but actually having value to the plot and I think it was achieved in this instance.

Writing Style

The novel is written in the third-person limited omniscient point of view. The narrator follows August and is told in a way that most 20-year-olds speak in the 21st century. There were some times when I felt that the words were too ‘teenager-vibe’ but they were rare. For the most part, the narration really helped me connect with the characters and not make the sci-fi aspect too heavy to follow. As someone who doesn’t usually read sci-fi, that worked to my benefit.

Characters

Even though the story is centered around August and Jane, the novel has a good balance of subplots without taking away from the main plot. Every character was established. They had their own personalities and quirks, and their dialogues and actions were distinct. The novel had enough time to address their lives and romantic conquests to fluff the book more which I really adored.

I absolutely love ‘found families’ arcs and this is one of those families I like. In fact, it was so good that it was more difficult to suspend the illusion of disbelief in this aspect rather than the science fiction of the novel. I mean, how am I supposed to believe that there’s this group of really interesting and accepting queer people living in one apartment that was able to provide August her job and her apartment all in one day? But, I was starving for a feel-good novel so I ate that up. Plus, I love strong friendships built on sarcasm and witty banters.

“And you dated him because…?”
“Look,” Myla says, “we all make mistakes when we’re young. Mine just happens to be six-foot-three and look exactly like Leonardo DiCaprio.”
“Revenant or Inception?”
“You really got me fucked up if you think I’d settle for anything less than Romeo + Juiet.”

–page 342

If there’s one minor criticism I can give and I understand it’s nitpicking that it doesn’t really matter, but it’s just this one scene where a character ‘criticizes’ August for being a Virgo and the latter mishears it as her being a virgin. It was a funny joke but it’s inconsistent because, in the beginning, August introduces herself as a Virgo.

Spice

🌶️ 2 out of 5 spice rating. There were 2 heated romance scenes in there. They weren’t fade-to-black but private body parts were not mentioned. They were written from a very passionate, emotional angle rather than a physical description of what’s happening. However, there were enough physical descriptions to spark a wild imagination. That’s usually a 1 out of 5 spice rating for me. The added spice is for the extra rush of these encounters happening in a public subway station.

Final Thoughts

Pick this up if you’d like a quick, light, feel-good read. There’s a variety of queer characters but it’s refreshing to read stories like this where they’re empowered and proud. It’s definitely not going to be one of those reads where someone’s struggling with their identity and sexuality, but there were elements of social commentary inserted so subtly well.

I especially love reading it from the exclusive Illumicrate version with August and Jane’s image on the cover. With their images right there, the scenes played in my head like an animated movie.

Check out the book from Amazon!

FAVORITE QUOTE(S)

August Landry does not trust people, but she trusts fried chicken.

— One Last Stop

“Does it ever, like… I don’t know. Make you lonely? To love somebody who can’t meet you there?”
“Sometimes. But, you know, that feeling? When you wake up in the morning and you have somebody to think about? Somewhere for hope to go? It’s good. Even when it’s bad, it’s good.”

— August and Annie, One Last Stop

“Maybe you’re meant to be. Love at first sight. It happened to me.”
“I don’t accept that as a hypothesis.”
“That’s because you’re a Virgo.”
“I thought you said virginity was a construct.”
“A Virgo, you fucking Virgo nightmare. All this, and you still don’t believe in things. Typical Virgo bullshit.”

— One Last Stop

“Just because you can’t run doesn’t mean you can make me do it for you.”

— August Landry to Jane Su (August felt like Jane was pushing her to break up and end the relationship)

“I just… he’s so… he deserves the best. And that’s not me.”
“You don’t get to decide that for him.”

— Wes and August, One Last Stop