Review: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Title: One Last Stop

Author: Casey McQuiston

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Paperback, 432 Pages
Published June 2021

Summary: 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.

Ever since I read RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE back in 2019, I fell in love with Casey McQuiston's quirky, sassy, hilarious rom-com writing style. So when I found out about ONE LAST STOP, I knew I had to add it to my TBR. And then so many of our blogger friends were Tweeting about how great the story was, and how much they loved it, and how excited they were that they got to read ARCs of it, and I just found myself more and more excited. And then I was actually near Books Are Magic in Brooklyn on the book's release day, so I decided to pop in and just see if the book was there or not. Not only was it there, but it was signed -- so I took that as a sign that this was a book I needed to buy right then and there. So I did, and I also got a cute Pancake Billy's tote as a celebration, and it was just a really nice day all around. And then I started the book on the train ride home, and I ended up falling into a story that I loved so much! 

As the summary explains, August moves to New York City, and she's a pessimist who doesn't believe in things like fate or true love or anything like that. She spent most of her life trying to help her mother track down her long-lost uncle who just vanished one day, and constant dead ends leave her bitter and tired. So she certainly wasn't expecting to meet -- and then fall for -- the mysterious, sarcastic, elusive, attractive Jane Su on the Q one morning. But lo and behold, she does -- and as her and Jane's relationship unfolds, more secrets come to light. Like the fact that Jane doesn't just dress like a retro 1970's punk rocker, but she actually is from there. And she can't leave the subway, no matter how hard she tries. So now, not only does August have to wrap her head around falling in love after believing nothing of the sort for so long, but she has to decide if she believes Jane's situation -- and if so, how to help her. 

I really loved reading this book! It's a contemporary story with a bit of a magical sci-fi twist that requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but that's really what I enjoyed about it. And as I mentioned, Casey McQuiston is a master of writing witty banter between characters. Part of what took me so long to read this book (almost two weeks, which is pretty slow for me) is the fact that I spent so much time stopping to take Snapchats of funny, sarcastic, or shocking lines to share with my boyfriend. He hasn't even read the book, but he pretty much can say that he has since I've sent him almost 90% of the book's quips and quotes anyway! 

My favorite character in this book was absolutely Jane. Not only is she mysterious with a fascinating backstory, but I love how fiercely she lives her life -- embracing everything, trying new things, using her voice, exploring the world, never shying away from expressing herself, etc. She wasn't just a fun character to read (who made some pretty hilarious or blush-worthy comments), but she just felt so vivid and alive, like she was going to jump off the page at any moment. As someone who is a writer myself, I aspire to create characters that feel as real and as three-dimensional as Jane. Niko was also hysterical, with his third eye wisdom and the little quips he'd make when he was two steps ahead of August all of the time. And seeing Niko and Jane interact together as friends? Forget it -- I was over the moon! I seriously loved them both so much and enjoyed every single second that they were on the page. It was also really great to see the way that August's character arc changed throughout the story, and how incredibly different (in a good way) she was by the end of the novel. Overall, it was brilliant work writing-wise! 

**MAJOR spoilers in this paragraph -- skip to the next one to avoid them!** We also need to talk about that ending, because it had me smiling and crying happy tears to see August and Jane finally get the life that they both dreamed about. At first, when it seems like Jane wasn't saved or was instead sent back to the 1970s, my heart sank a little bit. I know that's where she belonged and everything, but I was really hoping that they'd end up together. And then, for a little while, you think that they don't get that. But when she walks through the door at Billy's, I actually cheered out loud and was smiling so big that I couldn't stop myself. I was so glad to see them get their happily ever after, and getting to see the glimpse of their life together made my heart so fluttery and happy. And I even love the way the book leaves off, wondering how Jane's family and August's mom will take the news about everything. Normally, I don't love when books end on cliffhangers like that, but in this case, I feel like it left it open-ended enough to make you wonder, but all of your major questions (mainly about August and Jane's happiness) are answered. 

Overall, I loved ONE LAST STOP and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to pick up a hilarious, quirky, adorable queer romance story to read poolside this summer. I spent so much time reading instead of doing the other things I had to do (such as school assignments, blog work, etc.) because I was so drawn into the story and just didn't want to put the book down to return to my daily life. Casey McQuiston's writing is definitely something that I can say with certainty that I love the writing style of these books, and will definitely picking up more of Casey's books in the future.

Did you read ONE LAST STOP? What did you think of it? Comment down below and let me know!