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A review by liamliayaum
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
5.0
Content warnings: Death, graphic sexual scenes, homophobia, loss of a loved one, parent issues, racism
One Last Stop is the story of August, who in an effort to find her own story away from the one that has consumed her mother's life and the entirety of hers, who decides to move to New York City. She immediately is met with NYC's charm, quirkiness, and eccentricity through her new roommates and a delicious 24/7 pancake dinner. August is determined to not let the city change her cynicism, minimalism, or much about her but the city has other plans when one day taking the Q train to her classes, August meets Jane. Tongue tied and dumbfounded by the beautiful and badass stranger, August finds herself falling for this mysterious girl on the Q train. August soon finds out that not only Jane has been stuck on the train since the 1970s but that she has fallen madly and deeply in love with her. Will August and Jane, with the help of her roommates and a few others, solve the mystery?
What's not to love about this novel? It's a delicious recipe of romantic comedy, science fiction, mystery and cheers to the queers with characters so lovable that you're heartbroken when you realize that they aren't real. The romance between August and Jane is sugary and sweet and makes you want to squeal with cuteness.
There is a plethora of LGBTQIA representation and while their identities are integral to who they are, it is not the only identity and McQuiston has written all of the characters in ways that showcase their entire person, that the character is more than one dimension. August is bisexual, and a virgin (which wasn't fetishized or romanticized), who has been trained all of her life to be analytical and dig for clues. Jane is an Asian lesbian gay rights activist from the 1970s and the explorations of how those identities intersect and diverge is excellent. Niko is one of August's roommates and is a Latino transgender man who is a friendly physic. Myla is Niko's partner (also a roommate) and is a queer Black electrical engineer who is a bubbly artistic nerd. Wes, the third roommate, is a gay Jewish man who followed his dreams of being a tattoo artist instead of what his parents' wanted and is secretly in love with their neighbor but refuses to acknowledge it. The additional characters are also fabulous and each unique in their own right.
While it is not explicitly mentioned, the discussion of found family is wonderful. How all of these vastly different characters have come together and act as a family, fiercely in love and protective of each other, is downright heartwarming. Family is not just blood; it is the folks who are held closely to your heart and that you actively build relationships with. Related to family, a minor thread throughout the story was the struggle relationships with parents. August, Jane, and Wes all had varying issues that are real and complex. Those scenes made me feel seen.
Lastly, I connected with Myla on so many levels and I felt understood in her eyes. I am an electrical engineer and a creative person, and those two often battle each other. The super nerd in me was so geeked at the connection with the NYC 1977 blackout. And Myla summed it up perfectly for me, with an excellent follow up from August:
"'The science [electrical engineering] is super interesting, and I'm good at it. Like, really good But engineering as a career kind of murders your soul, and my job [not in electrical engineering] pays me enough. I like doing art more for right now.'
'That's...' August's worst nightmare, she thinks. Finishing school and not doing anything with it. She can't believe Myla isn't paralyzed at the thought every minute of every day." (page 32)
Read this and you won't be disappointed.
One Last Stop is the story of August, who in an effort to find her own story away from the one that has consumed her mother's life and the entirety of hers, who decides to move to New York City. She immediately is met with NYC's charm, quirkiness, and eccentricity through her new roommates and a delicious 24/7 pancake dinner. August is determined to not let the city change her cynicism, minimalism, or much about her but the city has other plans when one day taking the Q train to her classes, August meets Jane. Tongue tied and dumbfounded by the beautiful and badass stranger, August finds herself falling for this mysterious girl on the Q train. August soon finds out that not only Jane has been stuck on the train since the 1970s but that she has fallen madly and deeply in love with her. Will August and Jane, with the help of her roommates and a few others, solve the mystery?
What's not to love about this novel? It's a delicious recipe of romantic comedy, science fiction, mystery and cheers to the queers with characters so lovable that you're heartbroken when you realize that they aren't real. The romance between August and Jane is sugary and sweet and makes you want to squeal with cuteness.
There is a plethora of LGBTQIA representation and while their identities are integral to who they are, it is not the only identity and McQuiston has written all of the characters in ways that showcase their entire person, that the character is more than one dimension. August is bisexual, and a virgin (which wasn't fetishized or romanticized), who has been trained all of her life to be analytical and dig for clues. Jane is an Asian lesbian gay rights activist from the 1970s and the explorations of how those identities intersect and diverge is excellent. Niko is one of August's roommates and is a Latino transgender man who is a friendly physic. Myla is Niko's partner (also a roommate) and is a queer Black electrical engineer who is a bubbly artistic nerd. Wes, the third roommate, is a gay Jewish man who followed his dreams of being a tattoo artist instead of what his parents' wanted and is secretly in love with their neighbor but refuses to acknowledge it. The additional characters are also fabulous and each unique in their own right.
While it is not explicitly mentioned, the discussion of found family is wonderful. How all of these vastly different characters have come together and act as a family, fiercely in love and protective of each other, is downright heartwarming. Family is not just blood; it is the folks who are held closely to your heart and that you actively build relationships with. Related to family, a minor thread throughout the story was the struggle relationships with parents. August, Jane, and Wes all had varying issues that are real and complex. Those scenes made me feel seen.
Lastly, I connected with Myla on so many levels and I felt understood in her eyes. I am an electrical engineer and a creative person, and those two often battle each other. The super nerd in me was so geeked at the connection with the NYC 1977 blackout. And Myla summed it up perfectly for me, with an excellent follow up from August:
"'The science [electrical engineering] is super interesting, and I'm good at it. Like, really good But engineering as a career kind of murders your soul, and my job [not in electrical engineering] pays me enough. I like doing art more for right now.'
'That's...' August's worst nightmare, she thinks. Finishing school and not doing anything with it. She can't believe Myla isn't paralyzed at the thought every minute of every day." (page 32)
Read this and you won't be disappointed.