3 reasons Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a must-read for Pride Month

Pride Month is nearing its end, but readers have one last chance to squeeze in some LGBTQ+ stories this June (and let’s be honest, we’ll be reading them well beyond this month anyway).

If you’re on the hunt for an addicting romance novel, look no further than Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop. After McQuiston’s successful debut, Red, White & Royal Blue, her second novel has received plenty of hype over the past few months — and the good news is, it’s completely warranted.

A romance between two women who meet on a New York City subway line, One Last Stop masterfully blends magic and romance in a narrative that’s as entertaining as it is clever.

Opening with 23-year-old August packing up her life and moving to New York City, the novel wastes no time throwing her into the life of Jane, a mysterious woman she meets on the subway who proves to be far more than she appears. Jane isn’t simply eccentric; she’s quite literally from another time:

"“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.”"

Of course, Jane’s predicament doesn’t stop August from falling for her, or from trying to help her uncover how she got displaced. As the two set out on a journey to get Jane unstuck from the Q line, their feelings get more and more complicated — making for an exciting romance narrative readers will devour.

If the story’s description still hasn’t hooked you, though, here are the three biggest reasons to pick up One Last Stop this month.

One Last Stop is a genre-bender

What sets One Last Stop apart from other rom-coms is that it mixes your typical contemporary romance with the fantasy and mystery genres. With its stuck-in-time element, McQuiston’s story keeps the supernatural alive and well, setting August on a mission to solve a seemingly impossible case — something her mother has been preparing her for her entire life.

Casey McQuiston crafts a compelling, sexy romance

If you’ve ever read Red, White & Royal Blue, you’ll know McQuiston has a knack for crafting relationships that are fluffy, sexy and totally compelling. You won’t leave her books questioning why these characters would even want to be together, but rather, you’ll probably be wondering if you’ll ever get to see them in a sequel.

(That’s not to mention that every one of her side characters is worthy of their own story, giving readers ample opportunity to get invested in her novels.)

The book captures New York City magnificently

The setting of One Last Stop plays a huge role in the story, and McQuiston captures the eccentricities of New York with ease. Whether she’s describing a trip on the subway, a night out at a drag bar or pancakes at a vintage diner, readers will fall into the city effortlessly — and maybe start to feel the same sense of “home” that August does there.

Are you planning to pick up Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop? Have you read it yet? Share your thoughts in the comments below!