While Red, White, and Royal Blue is one of my favorite books of all time, if not the favorite, I liked One Last Stop without much of an emotional connection to it. Split the difference and my expectations for Shara were adjusted. Especially since it was also YA and not necessarily a romance? But every single expectation I have or didn’t have was blown out of the water by Ms McQuiston with this book. Right away, we are hit with trademark CMQ humor, clever and quick, sometimes sly and often times openly roasting Alabama and all similar conservative pockets of America where being different can be a curse, teenager or otherwise.
But this isn’t just an Alabama roast, nuh uh. This is a coming of age novel about teenagers trying to find a place in their world and figuring out their identities, even as they try to navigate it with BIG feelings and haywire hormones. A story which excavates beneath social hierarchies and the bravado of youth to find that under it all, we are all just trying to survive, and survival for different people means different things. Primarily told through the eyes of an over-achieving, sassy, confident (seemingly) senior, who learns a lot about herself through the course of the story. I’m as far removed from the experience of a queer high school student in the Bible Belt as it is possible to be, but I do know something about conservative societies, and the way the author tells the story makes it relatable to everyone. The cast of characters is diverse and delightfully queer and well, colorful, each so vivid and well drawn that their personalities sparkle off the page. And the moms! Just.
Chloe is smart and uptight and cool and self admittedly b-tchy and a little self absorbed and totally obsessed with finding answers and getting to the bottom of this treasure hunt she’s been reluctantly (?) recruited to. To the detriment of everything else she holds dear. It’d be easy to hate her, but then you’re reminded that she’s just being a regular, if high strung teenager. Rory is the emo anti establishment rebel with a poet’s soul. Smith is the serene, soft spoken hot jock with a heart of solid gold. Shara is an enigma, either the perfect Angel as everyone knows her or an evil genius as Chloe sees her. Or neither or maybe a bit of both? Freaking cinematic Shara Wheeler. None of them are just the one thing, and peeling off each of their layers is immensely satisfying.
The tension between the principle couple, let’s call them Character A and B, is so immaculate you can’t guess for a long time if the rivals will turn into lovers or if they’re actually planning to destroy one another. Both slightly Machiavellian, hyper competitive perfectionists racing to outwit one another, so different on the surface yet so similar at their core. And one of them isn’t even on page for most of the book, let alone having any kind of interaction with each other! It’s all in the ghostly presence, and the author’s storytelling prowess. That tension remains until the end, even if transformed into something new, each feeding off of the other’s competitiveness, so you never know whether they want to rip each other’s throats out or kiss each other’s face off. Okay maybe a little dramatic, but I’ve been in teen world too long now. There are several little secondary romance plots, and one of them especially is so utterly romantic and pure there were little cartoon hearts in my eyes.
CMQ’s writing style is just so engaging, brilliant without being tedious. Their metaphors are genius and I could write an essay on those alone; or not, because I’m not that gifted. It all plays out like the updated ‘22 version of 90s high school movies, with all the fluttery feelings and dramatic moments, but make it queer and way cooler. This book is like a monster turducken! IYKYK. I’ve been unimpressed by the final acts of a bunch of books lately, but tbh this one gets even better in about the last 40%. The last third or so of the book is delightfully heartwarming and uplifting and I needed that in my life. I haven’t been so refreshed and moved by contemporary YA in a while. Brb crying in wholesome.
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Popular Highlights in this book
“Call me old-fashioned, but a man’s place is in the basement, preparing vocal exercises for his more talented wife.”Highlighted by 808 Kindle readers- “Chloe, we’re gay. We can’t do math.” “Okay, well, next time I’ll come and make a spreadsheet.” “This is why we need you,” Georgia says. “Once in a generation, there is born a bisexual who can do math. You’re the chosen one.”Highlighted by 627 Kindle readers
- “Oh my God,” Chloe says out loud. Her brain is overheating, probably. “I’m in love with a monster turducken.”Highlighted by 570 Kindle readers
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Kunde
Ein tolles Buch 🇩🇪 / A great book 🇺🇲
Reviewed in Germany on August 9, 2023
Hope Freed, UK
I’m not the target audience but…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2023
Ilona
Fun read!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on February 1, 2023
Ilona
Reviewed in the Netherlands on February 1, 2023
The story itself was really fun and I didn't know how the book was going to go, I just got it because I heard it was about 2 girls falling in love 😂
So it was a nice surprise that it was not just a regular love story but something different. The MC really found herself and I loved reading about it.
This is one of those books I wish I had when I was in high school myself!
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