Leaving the Station, Jake Maia Arlow
Leaving the Station, Jake Maia Arlow
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Leaving the Station

Author: Jake Maia Arlow

Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky

Unabridged: 8 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Storytide

Published: 08/19/2025


Synopsis

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.

About Jake Maia Arlow

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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Angie on July 19, 2025

A wonderful queer romcom that tackles some deep content while also being descriptive, sweet and relatable. Sure to be one of the top sapphic romances of 2025. Zoe is escaping from their first semester in New York, they are figuring out if pre-med is right for them. In fact, they're figuring out a lo......more

Goodreads review by laurel! on February 05, 2025

wait this was so cute i love friendship and plants and gay people ALSO leavenworth moment? this was a really fun short y/a book! it IS a romance but i felt like it was equally a book about finding yourself in college and discovering who you are, what you enjoy, and what you want to do in the future. i......more

Goodreads review by Nev on June 16, 2025

I’ve pretty much loved every book I’ve read from Jake Maia Arlow. They have such a knack for creating complex, messy queer characters who go on interesting personal journeys. Leaving the Station is a beautiful story about two characters, Zoe and Oakley, connecting on a cross country train ride as th......more

Goodreads review by Mimi on December 26, 2024

2.5 ✨️ I know a lot of people will absolutely love this and while there were aspects I loved as well (the two timelines, the gradual exploration of gender and how to express what and how you feel when you're not sure if you want to be *with* someone or just *be* like them, the way the first semester......more

Goodreads review by Shannon Leigh on August 17, 2025

Did this author split my soul into two pieces and name them Zoe and Oakley? It sure feels that way! Zoe, after a disastrous end to their first semester at college, has decided to take a cross-country train trip home to Seattle for Thanksgiving break. We get to experience both timelines throughout the......more