Book Review: No Parking at the End Times by Bryan Bliss

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No Parking at the End Times
Author: Bryan Bliss
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Expected Release: February 24, 2015
Review Source: Greenwillow Books

Abigail’s parents have made mistake after mistake, and now they've lost everything. She’s left to decide: Does she still believe in them? Or is it time to believe in herself? Fans of Sara Zarr, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell will connect with this moving debut.

Abigail doesn't know how her dad found Brother John. Maybe it was the billboards. Or the radio. What she does know is that he never should have made that first donation. Or the next, or the next. Her parents shouldn't have sold their house. Or packed Abigail and her twin brother, Aaron, into their old van to drive across the country to San Francisco, to be there with Brother John for the "end of the world." Because of course the end didn't come. And now they're living in their van. And Aaron’s disappearing to who-knows-where every night. Their family is falling apart. All Abigail wants is to hold them together, to get them back to the place where things were right. But maybe it’s too big a task for one teenage girl. Bryan Bliss’s thoughtful, literary debut novel is about losing everything—and about what you will do for the people you love.

When I read the blurb of this book on Goodreads I thought it sounded interesting. At the time I was reading a lot of Sci-Fi and Romances and I needed something different. Something that would make me think differently about the world we live in...and that's what it did. And then after visiting Bliss' website and reading his story on how he got his book published, I instantly felt a connection with him. I too am trying to get a book published, and his journey is inspiring.

What would you do if your parents decided to sell all of your possessions and leave the only home you've ever known, all because some whack job told them the world was going to end and they believed him? I'm not sure what I would've done. I mean, you want to believe that your parents know what their doing and wouldn't do something this crazy unless they truly believed, right? I guess someone has to be in a pretty desperate situation to believe a guy who says the word is ending.

Abigail knows that what her parents did was stupid, she get's that, but it's her job to hold the family together. Her brother Aaron isn't any help, he's practically checked out of the family. Would I have enough strength to keep it together for the sake of my family? Would I be able to forgive them for ruining everything? I don't know if I'd be as forgiving as Abigail. Throughout the whole novel, I just wanted to stick my hands into the pages and pull her out of that situation...give them some money, a place to live, and some food to eat. They even have to brush their teeth in the van they live in.

It was a touching story that had great characters and a different, but interesting plot. The haven't cried at an ending like this in a long time. He ended it in the most perfect way. Sometimes I'm mad at the way authors end their stories, but this one was perfect. Bliss had a long journey to get this book published and I'm glad he got this one through to HarperCollins. I would love to see this one as a movie one day!!