ARC Review: One Last Stop

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

Casey McQuiston's previous book, Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my all-time favorite reads (and re reads). RWRB feels like one of those magic books where quite literally everything works, a book I find myself returning to, especially during 2020, because it is wonderful and beautiful and gives me hope for a better future for the world. Just thinking about Alex and Henry makes me smile.

So I was crossing all my fingers and toes that One Last Stop would also be full of McQuiston's magic, and it absolutely was.

Our main character, August, has learned to keep herself closed off, and she thought moving to New York City would solidfy that. Instead, she's immediately adopted into her roommates' found family, and meets Jane on the subway. As she becomes closer and closer to Jane, August discovers that Jane is actually from the 1970s, somehow stuck in time and stuck in the train.

McQuiston makes this premise work so well. As a reader, I completely bought into it from the first page, no questions, no hesitations. There is a reason behind Jane's predictment, but I didn't need to know it to lose myself completely in the world McQuiston created. New York comes alive through the most vivid prose, almost its own character, and Jane makes the New York of the past come alive as well.

Every character in this book is fantastic, from August's group of roommates to the drag queen accountant down to the hall to her coworkers at the diner. I cared so deeply about every single one of them and their relationships and their lives. I was so invested in every single bit of this book, and McQuiston's incredible writing made me feel like I was right there with them, in a dirty subway car, at an epic drag show, in a booth at the diner.

This is absolutely a favorite read of the year, and I cannot recommend this book enough. I can't wait to read McQuiston's next magical story.