Midyear Favorites Roundup

Since we’re nearly halfway through the year, I thought I’d do a quick roundup of my favorite reads of the year so far. And since I’m terribly indecisive, I ended up with top 6 new-to-me and top 6 rereads.

New to Me:

1. The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
2. The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
3. A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark
4. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
5. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
6. Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson

Hmmm. Now that I’m thinking about it, these are all very queer.

• Chosen and the Beautiful – bisexual lead, queer and straight relationships, cast of queer characters (who are also terrible people)
• Witness for the Dead – gay lead, some brief allusions to past relationship and hints of potential future relationship
• Master of Djinn – lesbian lead and relationship
• Queer Principles of Kit Webb – gay lead and relationship
• One Last Stop – bisexual lead and lesbian relationship, cast of queer characters
• Broken – OK, this one isn’t queer so much as about mental illness (depression and anxiety mostly)

Rereads

1. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
2. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
3. The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
4. Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
5. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn-Jones
6. Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

ARC Review: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I absolutely ADORED this book. Yes, the sapphic romance was wonderful, but also the characters! They’re all so well-rounded and interesting and exactly the sort of people you meet and live with in college. It reminded me of my college days. I wasn’t in New York, but it was all so, so familiar. I love them all and I didn’t want the story to end. I didn’t think Casey McQuiston could top their previous book but I think I might even love this one more.

It was so unapologetically queer, and seeing Jane react to the differences in 1977 New York and 2020 New York in how queer people could be and were reacted to – it was beautiful and heartbreaking.

I loved the mystery of Jane and her past and how all of it tied into August’s past. Just. So well-crafted.

I had the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook and it was so well done. The narrator’s voice was perfect for the story, and she brought so much emotion to the characters and just brought it to life. I wanted to live inside the audiobook.

If you, like me, enjoy the found family trope then I highly recommend this book.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-arc and audio arc for review.