Leaving the Station
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-06-307877-2 (ISBN)
Description
Nina LaCour meets Alyson Derrick in this cross-country journey of identity, love, and friendships as Zoe tries to figure out her life, one train stop at a time.
Zoe's life has gone off the rails.
When she left Seattle to go to college in New York, she was determined to start fresh, to figure out what being a lesbian meant to her, to experiment with clothes and presentation away from home for the first time.
Instead, she lost touch with her freshman orientation friend group, skipped classes, and failed completely at being the studious premed student her parents wanted her to be.
But the biggest derailment of all? Her newly minted ex-boyfriend-and the fact that she had a boyfriend to begin with. When she met Alden, he made her feel wanted, he made her feel free. He made her feel . . . like she could be like him, which was exciting and confusing all at once.
So, Zoe decides a second fresh start is in order: She's going to take a cross-country train from New York to Seattle for fall break. There, no one will know who she is, and she can outrun her mistakes.
Or so she thinks until she meets Oakley, who's the opposite of Zoe in so many ways: effortlessly cool and hot, smart, self-assured. But as Zoe and Oakley make their way across the country, Zoe realizes that Oakley's life has also gone off the rails-and that they might just be able to help each other along before that train finally leaves the station.
Zoe's life has gone off the rails.
When she left Seattle to go to college in New York, she was determined to start fresh, to figure out what being a lesbian meant to her, to experiment with clothes and presentation away from home for the first time.
Instead, she lost touch with her freshman orientation friend group, skipped classes, and failed completely at being the studious premed student her parents wanted her to be.
But the biggest derailment of all? Her newly minted ex-boyfriend-and the fact that she had a boyfriend to begin with. When she met Alden, he made her feel wanted, he made her feel free. He made her feel . . . like she could be like him, which was exciting and confusing all at once.
So, Zoe decides a second fresh start is in order: She's going to take a cross-country train from New York to Seattle for fall break. There, no one will know who she is, and she can outrun her mistakes.
Or so she thinks until she meets Oakley, who's the opposite of Zoe in so many ways: effortlessly cool and hot, smart, self-assured. But as Zoe and Oakley make their way across the country, Zoe realizes that Oakley's life has also gone off the rails-and that they might just be able to help each other along before that train finally leaves the station.
Reviews / Votes
PRAISE FOR HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART: "A tonic and a testament for the times. Warming as hot chocolate in a blizzard; a familiar favorite made fresh from scratch." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)PRAISE FOR HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART: "This dialogue-rich narrative, told from Shani's simultaneously biting and sincere first-person perspective, expertly conveys two romantically unconfident girls' hesitancy to act on their feelings despite boundless chemistry. May and Shani's clever banter, coupled with their myriad relationship ups and downs, make for a cozy and sharply funny confection." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
PRAISE FOR HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART: "A hysterically funny book. Any romance fan will immediately be charmed by Shani and May's instant chemistry, but it's Shani's witty asides that set the novel apart from even the most swoon-worthy YA romcom. Arlow's latest is bound to become a holiday classic that readers will pick up whenever they need to be reminded of the magic of a snowy day." - Booklist
PRAISE FOR HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART: "For any readers who love to read sharp banter as much as they love to swoon." - School Library Journal
"Profound, romantic, and evocative, LEAVING THE STATION feels like talking to a friend about all of the big questions that cloud our adolescence. Reading this book will take readers on a deeply felt journey through love and identity that they'll never forget." - Camryn Garrett NAACP nominee and author of Friday I'm In Love
"Leaving the Station captures the messy, confusing, and perfectly natural complications of trying to find a way forward in a world that doesn't always give you an easy track to take in this sweet romance layered with very believable complexities around gender, sexuality, and faith." - Tanya Boteju, author of Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens and Messy Perfect.
"Jake Maia Arlow possesses the kind of authentic voice that most contemporary authors can only dream of. Organically balancing bold and nuanced discussions of sexuality, gender, religion, and purpose alongside hilarious beats of kooky but dimensional characters and campy hijinks, LEAVING THE STATION reads like a once-in-a-lifetime ride where the journey truly matters more than the destination." - Racquel Marie, award-winning author of OPHELIA AFTER ALL
"Filled with humor and heart, Leaving the Station is a delightful romance, a thoughtful exploration of self-discovery, and an honest, nuanced journey into the complexities of faith and identity, all rolled into one perfect package. Being a passenger on this whirlwind ride is a joy". - Katie Henry, critically acclaimed author of Heretics Anonymous and This Will be Funny Someday
"Explores religion and faith, gender identity exploration, and what it means to fail (and to keep going), all wrapped up in a delightful journey. A beautiful example to queer readers that every new day is a new opportunity." - Booklist
"A captivating romance that examines queer, religious, and personal identity." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Target group
Young adult
US School Grade: Ninth Grade and over, Interest Age: From 14 to 99 years
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
354 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-307877-2 (9780063078772)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Jake Maia Arlow is a Stonewall Honor author, podcast producer, and (reluctantly) Amtrak's number one fan. They live with their girlfriend and loud cat in the Pacific Northwest.