One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, is an enjoyable, youthful summer read . McQuiston is well known for her 2016 novel, Red, White and Royal Blue. Based on social media, fans of her previous work were eager for this new release about a new adult romance, with sci-fi components.  

The story follows August Lambry, a student in her early 20s who has bounced around the states before settling in New York to complete her last year of college. She moves into an apartment with three roommates, and must soon adapt to the eccentric nature of her new life. While on the subway, she meets Jane Su and a crush soon develops. 

Characters deal with realistic and raw struggles; feeling disconnected from family, struggling with sexuality, and difficulty communicating with others. August and his roommates are all well-developed characters with individual personalities and traits. While the story focuses on the romance between August and Jane, readers learn about the other romances and friendships in the story as well. The main cast demonstrates a found-family dynamic, with characters the reader grows attached to throughout the duration of the novel. 

McQuiston uses a unique writing style, beginning each chapter with a different excerpt of media, ranging from blog posts, article clips, and radio transcripts, painting a picture of the story, and enhancing the reading experience. The writing is easy to read and comprehend, with some intervals of a sluggish plot.  

If you are reading this novel with hopes of a rich sci-fi story, however, you might be disappointed. Throughout the novel, the romance aspect takes the reins, neglecting much of the sci-fi elements. The sci-fi time travel plot is confusing and lackluster. From a rom-com standpoint, however, the story delivers sappy romantic moments, and comedic banter.

McQuiston manages to create references to current social media trends to which readers  can actually relate. The lingo used by the main characters is similar to the way people actually speak, and jokes used by characters provide genuine comedic appeal. 

A notable success of this story is its diversity, for not only representing lgbtq+, but representing various minorities. The main story follows the relationship between a lesbian and bisexual couple. Other characters are gay, transgender, African American, Chinese, immigrants, plus-sized, and the list goes on. The novel never makes this inclusion seem forced, but rather a natural display of the culmination of diversity in the world. One Last Stop grapples with important topics such as homophobia and racism, but deals with them in a tasteful way. 

At 432 pages, One Last Stop is nothing if not an amusing, sappy read. Those who enjoy happy, pining couples and a story that is well-written yet still understandable, would find interest in One Last Stop.