One Last Stop

‘One Last Stop’ by Casey McQuinston (author of bestselling novel, ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’) is a wonderfully endearing and heart-warming romance between August , a university freshman finding her place in New York City, and Jane, a mysterious and enticing woman trapped on a train line and in time.

The novel is light-hearted and keeps its humour throughout; it’s comedy can perhaps be seen as too reliant on pop culture which can become quickly outdated, however, it can also be seen as one of its strengths due to its focus on time and the experience of a young adult in the modern day. Despite its humour, the book also has great emotional depth. The themes include: home, family (biological and not), identity, belonging, and, most importantly, love.

August and Jane had incredible chemistry and a well paced development of their relationship; I found it delightfully easy to root for them and yet the author maintained the differences in the characters with their respective times. Furthermore, I liked how McQuinston balanced the fantasy elements of Jane’s entrapment on the train line with the realism of August’s experience in New York.

As a sapphic book it is defiantly unafraid in its queerness. There is the great inclusion and celebration of openly queer characters and spaces within August’s experience along with the recognition of Jane’s reality of the fight that was required to reach the amount of freedom queer people have today. It truly encompasses what it means to have pride leaving you with a renewed feeling of hope and gratitude.

I would also like to note that the novel is also racially diverse and explored elements around pride for your ethnic background using the symbol of names.

Overall, I would recommend this book as a hilarious and equally comforting adult romance.

Written by Pm.