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

A good book will end with a satisfying conclusion, something that will stick with the reader for ages, make them cry, smile, anything. If you know what's good for you, you will stop reading. You will remember the book Not a Bestseller as an odd yet humorously delightful coming-of-age story about a boy, ending with a resolved conflict about a water bottle. This ending is satisfying. Delightful. Memorable. 


But I'm a bad liar. I warned you: real life makes a terrible story. If you keep reading? Your faith in humanity may never be restored. You should end the book at "Goodbye" and fan fiction yourself a fairytale. Believe in happy endings as I once did. 


Look, if this book was called A Bestseller, I'd change fate. I'd have Kyle show up at that gas station. I'd have my family dinner. Julia and I would trade friendship rings or something. I wouldn't try to throw you off course with some stupid plot twist.


If I had that kind of power, the power of a real writer, I'd end my story now.


But you've stuck it out with me this long... You deserve to know the truth. What happened after the gas station.


A Message from the Future: Caution, The Book Ends Here