Review: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
When I started Read & Wright, it took me a while to have the confidence to start requesting books from publishers. But when I learned about Red White & Royal Blue in People Magazine, I knew I had to take a chance. It was the first ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) I received and became an instant favorite. So, needless to say, I’m very attached to Casey McQuiston’s books.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my early copy of One Last Stop, which I might have loved even more. ONe Last Stop is available wherever books are sold June 1, 2021 and if you haven’t preordered your copy yet, what are you waiting for?
Synopsis: “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.” —From the publisher
What I Liked:
The Cast of Characters—The thing that McQuiston does better than any other contemporary author is create a believable sense of found family. I think for most Xillenials and Gen Z, we’ve discovered that our friends can become our family. I loved Jane and August, but I also loved Isaiah, Wes, Nico, Myla, everyone who works at Billy’s…it was just a warm and vibrant group of people.
The Time Travel Aspect—I am not normally a fan of books that use time travel, but I was so charmed but the entire book I didn’t mind. It also totally and equivokly WORKED. I loved how it allowed so much queer history to be weaved in so that this coming of age story also offered a history lesson.
The Setting—This book made me so homesick for the city. It’s rare that books can perfectly capture the feeling of * my New York * : sweaty subway ribes, late nights with loud friends, drag shows, hairspray, too much make up, and cramped apartments. That is the the feeling of this book and it made my heart happy and sad at the same time.
What Didn’t Work:
Gonna go out on a limb here and say…nothing. I know, typical of a gushing book review. But I really loved how McQuiston’s writing has grown since RWRB. The pacing was perfect, the steam was * chef’s kiss *, the characters were a delight. Cook me up a Su Special and call it a day.
TW/CW: Strained parent/child relationship, significant mentions of the AIDS crisis, grief, homophobia, ableism, alcoholism, death
Character Authenticity: 5/5 Steam Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 5/5