REVIEW: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last year, you may have heard of a little book called Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, one that was arguably the biggest romance novel of 2020. This is at least correct for me – I read it five times in lockdown and it single-handedly launched me into the romance genre. So when I heard Casey was back again with another queer romance called One Last Stop set on the New York subway — released in Pride Month no less — I was THRILLED.

Casey McQuiston

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.

One Last Stop is really something special. It’s a story full of hilarious charm and millennial shenanigans, a love story both sexy and adorable, with the most diverse and representative cast I have read in a long time.

There is something about how McQuiston writes her main characters that makes you want to be their best friend immediately. August and Jane shine through as the main story line with their witty banter and downright illegal levels of chemistry (not hyperbole, they probably need to remember they’re on the public transport system at some points). But the cast of characters supporting our time-jumping couple are a ragtag group of misfits that could each have a book of their own and I would read every single one of them. In fact, this is my official pitch to Netflix for a Friends-style sitcom starring Myla the artist/engineer, Niko the actual psychic, Wes the broody tattoo artist, and Isaiah — also known as Annie Depressant — accountant by day, drag queen by night.

At times sad, there is always hope — McQuiston doesn’t write conflict to upset or drama for the sake of drama — everything is so purposeful and layered to understand the characters a new way in every chapter. Most of all, this book was just so damn fun. I couldn’t recommend One Last Stop more (and trust me, I’ve tried!).

—One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out on 8 June.

One Last Stop

by Casey McQuiston

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...

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About the Contributor

Amy Evans