One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

One Last Stop
by Casey McQuiston
Published June 1st 2021 by St. Martin's Griffin

From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks...

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. 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.

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

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Review

5 Stars

Hi, my name is Carlene and I have a big, fat crush on Jane and I think, though I hesitate to say it, that I liked (loved) this book more than Red, White, and Royal Blue. Casey McQuiston saw the sophomore novel challenge and said, let me just show you what I can do. She delivered a perfect coming-of-age, time travel, queer romance novel that was absolutely impossible to put down. I mean, I literally woke up and picked up my phone to keep reading. This is just one of the books of 2021 that I will never stop recommending. It's perfect. Forgive me now for saying perfect so much.

"The hottest girl August has ever seen just took one look at her and said, 'Yikes.' That's it. Today is the day August will finally cry."

August and her band of merry friends are quintessential New Yorkers, from different places and perspectives with their bonds formed through the unique-to-New-York struggle to survive. The world building in this novel is perfection, taking us into modern day subway tunnels and the diners that never seem to change. Then there's Jane, the gorgeous punk girl who gives off 70's vibes, only she really is from the 70's and stuck in time. This would have usually turned me off from the read, but my word I could not put this book down if I tried. August's affections for Jane literally made me the cute watery eye emoji. Their journey to discover just what happened to Jane and what can be done to help is what turns August from a secondary character in her own life into the heroine.

"She kisses her like she's making a reputation."

With the novel's unofficial playlist on and my brain on pause from it's usual "I would never read this type of novel" turned off, I sat down to read One Last Stop and just did not stop. August is awkward, relatable, and totally stumped on answering the question "who are you and who do you want to be when you grow up?". She is just learning, trying to find her place, and New York seems like the place to do that, it's just big enough to get lost in. Except, her roommates become her chosen family and Jane, the Q train, and everyone at Billy's become essential parts of her world. She may not know her career path, but she knows the feeling of magic now. I just loved August, my word she was so relatable. She's a pessimist full of witty batter and I just could not stop highlighting her thoughts. My word can Casey McQuiston write a heroine. Plus, her bisexual, introverted, self-defined friendless, communication failure self is just...honest. She isn't this perfect character who has a perfect move and a perfect love story, but my word does that make this story...that's right, perfect. Jane is, on the other hand, not truly a full main character, but the story ebbs and flows around her, dependent upon her being on the train, on her finding her memories. She's this 70's punk feminist beauty and her desire to give is just gah.

I could probably go on forever, honestly. One Last Step is a longer novel, with a slow start, but the world building had to be there to make this novel work. August, Jane, Myla, Niko, Wes, Isiah, and the entire staff at Billy's are unforgettable. This is the sort of book that you can reread, the romance combined with the unique time travel storyline making it feel like a special sort of home. If you're looking for a romance read, specifically a witty, brilliant queer one, One Last Stop is the book to pick up.