One Last Stop

• Author: Casey McQuiston
• Genre: Romance
• Publication Date: June 1, 2021
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Thank you to libro.fm for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. I am providing my honest opinion voluntarily.

CONTENT WARNING: racism, homophobia, death

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.

I know that Casey McQuiston has developed kind of a cult following, but I can now confidently say that I’ve joined those ranks. She’s got a fun, hilarious, quirky, and completely unique style of writing that had me hanging on every word while simultaneously desperate to find out what happened next. In addition, this story had elements of a love letter to New York City, which won me over. 

The audiobook version of this was absolutely fabulous! The narrator, Natalie Naudus, was the perfect choice to voice August, and truly brought the character alive in exactly the way I would have pictured her in my head. 

Going into this, I really didn’t fully understand what I was in for. But once I started reading, I was hooked right away. August is the kind of character I could easily picture as a real person. She’s got so many issues and thinks that New York is where she can fade into the background and just lose herself. However, that isn’t what happens at all. Between her weird roommates, a job in an iconic yet strange 24-hour pancake diner (Pancake Billy’s House of Pancakes), and a chance encounter with an enchanting woman on the subway, she’s slowly drawn out of her comfort zone only to realize the entire world of possibilities that she’s been missing out on!

Up until now, August’s world has been consumed with her mom’s relentless search for answers, and her desire to escape from that. She’s finally starting to do that. She falls in love with Jane, the girl from the train, but discovers there’s more than meets the eye. Jane isn’t just dressed like a punk from the 70s — she’s displaced and IS from the 70s but somehow got trapped on the subway in some weird sort of limbo. Just like that, August has to learn how to rely on the support of her new friends in a desperate quest to save Jane as she realizes she has to let down her walls, let people in, and rely on all the skills she’s tried to leave behind. 

I truly loved seeing August grow and come into her own throughout the story. It was incredibly moving, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that I cried towards the end of the story. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of times throughout the story that I laughed, because it was absolutely HILARIOUS! There’s a lot of queer/bi representation, with a trans character and some really awesome drag queens that factor into the story. But it was really intriguing to see the evolution of gay life from Jane’s time to August’s time, especially since it was a major culture shock for Jane, going from the 70s to present day in the blink of an eye. 

This was such a great book, and I will be shouting about this to everyone and anyone. Also, I’m definitely going to have to pick up Red, White, and Royal Blue, since everyone has been talking about it and how great it was, and I honestly have no idea (or excuse) or why I haven’t yet, but I clearly need to!

If you’re interested in picking up this incredible audiobook through Libro.fm, which supports local, indie bookstores, click here.