Taylor_Hughes_8501

Ben never wanted to write a book. Being autistic, troubled, and the fourth child? It just doesn't sound like a very interesting story. That doesn't stop his therapist, Dr. White, from giving Ben a blank journal. And when Dr. White's mysterious (and slightly annoying) daughter, Julia White, blackmails Ben into joining the therapy program, Ben finds he has no choice but to testify.  

So, he starts at the beginning: the day he stole a water bottle. From there, it only seems right to discuss his entrance into the group therapy program, his obsession with chocolate chip waffles, and the ever-crippled relationships with his parents and brothers. As Ben navigates his own life and works tirelessly to get himself out of therapy, self-discovery backfires in the worst way imaginable: he may not want to leave.  

Not a Bestseller is a YA contemporary absurdist novel about a young boy burdened by society's labels. In a Great Gatsby meets Wimpy Kid style, it tackles its story head-on with healthy doses of sarcasm and a lot of love.

Not a Bestseller

When my head stopped pulsing long enough for two hours of sleep, I had a dream about going on a date with Julia. We had gone to her hometown but were interrupted by a corpse of a little boy shouting "I SEE DEAD ELEPHANTS." I was thinking about writing the dream in more detail, but I didn't want to. The whole chapter was ruined.


And now I haven't slept in days. I have never been so tired.


I should've put together the terrible situation I had agreed to with Valerie. Valerie has six friends that I know of: Julia, Leah, Alexander, Joey, Brooke, and Paige. Of those friends, four are female, and two are dating others in the friend group. 


If life was on my side, I could count on a nice date with Leah and Joey. They would talk during the movie, sure, but it's not like I care. 


But, when we walked up to the theater, I found myself face to face with the cropped hair, fit little prince charming that had stolen Julia under the spell of popularity and a smile that is somehow different from all other smiles. Next to him, everyone's favorite little gem.


I'd landed myself a double date with Julia White and Alexander I-don't-care-what-his-last-name-is.


One