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No Parking at the End Times

Bryan Bliss

3.25 · Rating details · 1,354 ratings · 262 reviews

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 267 pages

Published February 24th 2015 by Greenwillow Books

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Apr 20, 2015 Jeff rated it really liked it

Disclosure up front: I am a pastor of an Evangelical Church.

In my opinion this book fairly represents the delusional misplaced zeal that characterizes a portion of the American Church.
History not included in the Book (no spoilers)- The "end of the world scenario" that is conveyed in this book is fairly new as far as the last 2000 years of Christian History go. No Christians fathomed this craziness until the 1800's, where a deluded soul named John Darby started a cult around this belief in Scotl ...more

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Jan 10, 2015 Brittany rated it did not like it

This... wasn't the book for me. But I can appreciate that other people are going to love it. I read it quickly, maybe because I was determined to finish a book after so many comics. I'm not sure. But I personally did not love this. And I'm kind of sad about that. I've had pretty rotten luck with new release books this year.

So here's the thing: The blurb literally tells you pretty much everything you need to know. There is not a big mystery to figure out here. There is not some deep, emotional p This... wasn't the book for me. But I can appreciate that other people are going to love it. I read it quickly, maybe because I was determined to finish a book after so many comics. I'm not sure. But I personally did not love this. And I'm kind of sad about that. I've had pretty rotten luck with new release books this year.

So here's the thing: The blurb literally tells you pretty much everything you need to know. There is not a big mystery to figure out here. There is not some deep, emotional problem to be solved. Instead we are dealing with a family who used to be wonderful in many, many ways. And suddenly one day the family was split down the middle, with the kids on one side and the parents on the other. The father, Dale, loses his job and decides that his mediocre faith needs to be kicked into overdrive. Luckily, a mysterious "Brother John" is waiting in California for the chosen ones to come and watch the world end. All you have to do is send him all of your money and the money you get for selling all of your earthly possessions! It's all pretty standard cult happenstances, and this is NOT the first cult book I've read or heard about that have 2015 release dates, so apparently this has become a seriously hot topic. Anywho. The end of the world comes on (or around) Christmastime. ONLY IT DOESN'T COME! And thus begins our story.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! I have said all that I can say about this book without them, and this is where they enter***

I had a lot of problems with this book. And most of them stem from the relationships in this dysfunctional family. Starting with Aaron and Abigail. They're twins, I get it. But Abigail's attachment to Aaron felt almost incestuous at times (bring on the pitch forks, I'm prepared). I am probably the only one with this opinion, and that's fine. But I'm sorry, when someone comments on how attractive MY brother is, I don't immediately look at them like a monster. And seriously, as a teenager, if you're weirded out by your brother having his HUNDREDTH girlfriend, maybe you need to back off just a tad. Abigail also has flashback chapters, to show how life was "before" Brother John. And in these chapters she never mentions one friend of hers, and always focuses on her relationship and emotions towards her brother. She even gets angry with him when, whilst at a party, he tells her he's going to get a drink, and she becomes angry that he had the nerve to "leave her". This girl needs to CHILLAX. I know she's in a really tough, dark time during this book. But instead of clinging to her brother, getting angry at him for having a girlfriend, getting pissed that he is doing something without her, maybe she just needs to go with the flow a bit more.

My biggest concern, though, were their parents. Their mother's undying love for Dale surpasses anything found in a normal relationship, at least in my eyes. Throughout the entire book she goes along with whatever Dale says, which is ultimately what Brother John says as well. She does offer up blankets for the children instead of keeping them for herself, but that's where her parenting stops. She defends Dale's decisions at every turn. "Your father got us two day old croissants for breakfast for free! What a provider! He's trying so hard to take care of us!" "I know that we're living in our van, and the reason we are is because we voluntarily sold our house, but boy is your dad keeping us together as a family!" "The van was TOWED?! That's cool, you're dad says we'll be a-okay, kiddos!" And then, when she finds out that Abigail and Aaron are leaving, she admits that she wants to leave, too. What is her reason for not doing so? "Listen, Abs. I love your father for reals. He's such a good man even if he's just A LITTLE confused right now. He just loves God so much and I love him so much that I have to stay with him. But you kids go jump on a bus, ride across country to your Uncle Jake, and ask him to take care of you because your father and I are too busy living in a cult even though I see exactly what is going on while your father is blind. Oh, and CALL ME SWEETHEART!" WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK?! I cannot continue on this particular subject. Because I originally thought that Dale would be my biggest problem in this book. But it turned out to be their mother. Even after the conclusion of the story, I think that she's a selfish bitch who wants to be with the guy she loves more than she wants to take care of the children she SELFISHLY brought into the world. And I say selfishly because if she can give them up this easily, it's clear that she never loved them enough.

I am really mad now. I didn't realize how much I hated that bitch until I started writing about it.

Other problems? There is an unnecessary bad guy. He's basically there to ensure that Aaron ends up in the hospital and thus give their parents and ultimatum. Not to mention Aaron's girlfriend who seriously serves no purpose. And their friends, E and Silas, he was just along for the homeless ride. The only parts of this book that were even remotely well done were the parts surrounding the church. But even those were iffy. Because this "church" is never called a cult. Not once, by anyone. And that's CLEARLY what this is, and these are not unintelligent kids. Ugh. On top of that, how did Brother John become a name in their house when there are only thirty something members? How much money could those people possibly provide when there are billboards and radio broadcast and rent for the church and not to mention Brother John's fast food and muffins (BECAUSE THE GODLY MAN CANNOT GO HUNGRY EVEN THOUGH THE CHILDREN ARE!) How did a family in North Carolina say "Screw being Methodist! There's this guy, BROTHER JOHN in CALIFORNIA who says THE END IS NIGH! Let us give him everything and go be homeless to honor God and Brother John!"

By the way, Brother John is an obvious piece of shit. He just walks around saying "Dude, do you wanna piss off the big guy? Because THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE HEADED, YOU HELL FIEND!" And he starves people until they pass out and then he claims they received a message from God. I am so PISSED ABOUT THIS BOOK.

I cannot really continue. The relationships were the major killer. I couldn't connect with any character in this book. And the situations seemed forced most of the time. But before I REALLY start ranting (hahahah too late) I'm going to stop. Because like I said before: A lot of people are going to like this. I just didn't.

(My mood seriously changed from when I started writing this to when I finished. I actually thought about it for an hour before publishing the first time and went from two stars to one because I just couldn't justify two stars after realizing how much I HATED this book) ...more

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Feb 17, 2015 Debbie rated it did not like it

Shelves: boring-as-hell, contemporary, february, forced-myself-to-finish-this, what-the-hell-did-i-just-read, beware-bad-rating, i-don-t-even-know, female-pov, ebook, disappointments

Look, let's just get straight to the point. Was I mad by the end of this book? Not quite. Did I still have a lot of questions, like how some loser conned more than two dozen people into giving him pretty much everything? Fuck yes. But more than that, I was disappointed. I felt so underwhelmed by every aspect of No Parking at the End Times, even during the parts where there should have been a lot of religious insight,fuck, any kind of insight, I got nothing. You're better off skimming a pamphlet Look, let's just get straight to the point. Was I mad by the end of this book? Not quite. Did I still have a lot of questions, like how some loser conned more than two dozen people into giving him pretty much everything? Fuck yes. But more than that, I was disappointed. I felt so underwhelmed by every aspect of No Parking at the End Times, even during the parts where there should have been a lot of religious insight,fuck, any kind of insight, I got nothing. You're better off skimming a pamphlet on the 'New World' rather than read this book.

Why? Because nothing happens. And when something does happen, it's 77% into the book, where no shits are given anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love a good build-up, leaving room for nothing but suspense however this is ridiculous. And when you pair a boring book and awkward writing that's full of unnecessary words, well, the outcome isn't pretty. Moreover, for a novel that has so much on the Now, there's almost nothing on the Then part. The book is mostly surrounded on the decisions that Abigail's father has made and still making, how his mistakes have caused the family to lose greatly. So when I was reading and found close to nothing, honest to God, nothing on what made him switch gears and decide to listen to Brother John, I couldn't help but scream. Adding onto this, the characters aren't fleshed out. Abigail, I could understand for the most part because I could relate to her but only to a point. Halfway done, I stopped caring about her as well as the other characters. They just don't stick out, especially Brother John, who is supposed to be this magnificent man sent down from God. Obviously he's not but I did not see the appeal of him. He always gave generic answers, didn't read any fucking verses from the Bible despite always having it on hand, and all around, didn't even act like he was really into it. As a con artist you have to at least fake to have your heart in it, this guy gave no fucks. Now, does that sound like a man two relatively responsible adults with two children would give everything to? It doesn't to me, I still don't understand where Bliss was going with him.

Nonetheless, there are some mediocre things that I didn't mind. One of them being the Before chapters albeit short and mostly pointless because they tell only snippets of what happened, of how they got to California rather than giving the whole picture.

No Parking at the End Times might have been great since most books about the Rapture don't really go into after the 'event', only about two weeks later. What made me even more disappointed is the fact that the beginning is so good. Like, guys, it's so good. It's intense, mysterious, and exciting. I was giddy with pleasure (that died like two or three chapters later). Would I recommend this novel? No, like I said before, I got more information from a pamphlet, hell, even the damn internet than I did on the actual Rapture, or on anything religious. This should tell you something about how badly this book is written when I have to complain multiple times about the religion aspect of it. And I don't even like religion.

...more

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Jul 03, 2014 Kelly added it

Shelves: read-in-2015, ya-fiction

This is an EXCELLENT read about family and faith. It's exceptionally respectful and thoughtful and Abigail's voice is outstanding. This explores homelessness in a really unique way, along with poverty and belief.

More to come, but this is a stand-out debut novel. Pair it with Blake Nelson's The Prince of Venice Beach, Melissa Walker's Small Town Sinners, and also Holly Cupala's Don't Breathe a Word.

(The comparison to Rainbow Rowell in the Goodreads description is painfully off-base. The one to ...more

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Jul 10, 2014 Miranda Lynn rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, library, contemporary, 2015-books-read, standalone

1.5 stars

Well, that was...unexpected.

I did not quite realize exactly what I was getting into with this book! It was almost entirely focused on religion and God, and that is not something that I personally am interested in reading about in my fiction, so I was quite surprised and disappointed when I realized how God-y it was going to be.

The blurb makes this book sound a lot better than I personally think it is. I thought it was going to be one of those "cult" books, which is typically something ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Kirsty-Marie Jones rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, ya, dear-god-help-me, heaven, hell, edelweiss, february, go-away, jackass, borderline-abuse

That was...different? Not exactly bible-bashing, but kind of bible-bashing.

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May 09, 2015 Lara rated it it was ok

Shelves: royal

What happens when your dad loses his job, becomes obsessed with religion, sells everything, packs up the family in the van and drives across the country so that you can join Brother John and his congregation when the Rapture occurs? That is exactly what twins Abigail and Aaron are wondering now that they are penniless and living in their van, post-Rapture (or more specifically, post-non-Rapture). Their parents are still convinced that the world is about to end and they have to remain in Californ ...more

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Aug 26, 2014 Adele rated it it was amazing

Shelves: advanced-review-copy

Bryan Bliss’s debut novel opens after a predicted rapture fails to happen (which, refreshingly, sets No Parking at the End Times apart from apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic premises so popular in young adult fiction today). Since 16-year-old Abigail’s family sold their belongings and moved across the country in anticipation of the end times, they are effectively homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Abigail is torn between relying on the judgement of her parents—who still trust the guidance o Bryan Bliss’s debut novel opens after a predicted rapture fails to happen (which, refreshingly, sets No Parking at the End Times apart from apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic premises so popular in young adult fiction today). Since 16-year-old Abigail’s family sold their belongings and moved across the country in anticipation of the end times, they are effectively homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Abigail is torn between relying on the judgement of her parents—who still trust the guidance of Brother John, the preacher whose prophecies came to nothing—or following her twin brother’s call to strike out on their own in order to survive.

Being let down by a doomsday cult may not be a common coming-of-age scenario. However, feelings of powerlessness against the decisions of parents and other adults in authority is a universal experience in youth. And when these adults are religious leaders, disappointment can deepen into spiritual disillusionment. So readers of all ages will likely see parts of their own lives echoed in Abigail’s journey of “disconnected” faith and confusion (to use her words: “the inescapable feeling that I can’t control a single moment of what’s happening to all of us.”)

As Bliss explores the tenuous ties of family loyalty and the hard work of staying hopeful when life’s securities fall away, he wisely makes Abigail a highly reliable narrator. Her authentically restless voice is filled with questions as well as expressions of love for her family—even for her parents, despite their mistakes. It is painful for her to lose the easy certainties of childhood, but in her time of lonely crisis she is led to seek community in places she might otherwise have overlooked. She also gains confidence in her own instincts—particularly about Brother John, who her own parents seem to consider beyond reproach.

The dialogue in No Parking is impressively strong—pointed, with believable bursts of humor and sarcasm; Bliss is clearly attuned to how teenagers actually talk, which is an essential gift for any writer of young adult literature. This excellent novel will be an especially worthwhile and poignant read for young adults, parents, and anyone who gives guidance to youth. (Review originally published in The Banner - http://www.thebanner.org/tuned-in/201...) ...more

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Sep 06, 2014 Sarah (Head Stuck In A Book) rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copy, owned-and-read, contemporary, arc, young-adult, 2015-february, greenwillow-books

No Parking At The End Times was an interesting and intriguing story of a family who's Father sells all of their worldly possessions to make their way from North Carolina to San Francisco to join the congregation of a Brother John whom they donated all their money to and who believes the world is about to end, when that doesn't happen the family find themselves poor and living in their van, having to line up for free food wherever they can, in-between praying and mass with Brother John.

Twins Abig ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Book Riot Community added it

Shelves: young-adult

No Parking at the End Times is Bryan Bliss’s debut novel, and it’s a knockout. Where many stories of the rapture in YA happen prior to it happening, this takes place after the failed event. There’s been a really interesting trend in YA lately with rapture stories — perhaps because it’s a realistic and natural progression after the wave of dystopians — but this isn’t really a story about the rapture. It’s much more a story about family and togetherness, with a unique take on homelessness. This is ...more

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Sep 14, 2021 ~Madison rated it really liked it

Shelves: underrated

ive read 500+ books but this is unlike anything ive ever read before. I read this because I didn't think I would like it (because I HATE books set in cars or road trips) and I just wanted it to get off my TBR but oh wow.. didn't know I would end up loving it like I do.
Its such a small book but the characters were so well built that it felt like ive known them forever.
I loved everything.
Its not 5 stars because it didn't give me that feel and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, would've loved ...more

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Nov 03, 2018 Donna rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, best-bitten, contemporary, issues

There’s nothing that isn’t compelling about this book. It starts in a very awkward place: the day after the world was supposed to end and this family was supposed to be “saved.” And now they’re left living out of a van in San Francisco and the parents are getting strung along by this guy named Brother John who requires all sorts of tithing and provides nothing in return while the brother and sister slowly collapse under the conditions they’re in.

Dad is the one driving the family forward and keep There’s nothing that isn’t compelling about this book. It starts in a very awkward place: the day after the world was supposed to end and this family was supposed to be “saved.” And now they’re left living out of a van in San Francisco and the parents are getting strung along by this guy named Brother John who requires all sorts of tithing and provides nothing in return while the brother and sister slowly collapse under the conditions they’re in.

Dad is the one driving the family forward and keeping them maintaining faith and he really just needs a good slap. And so does Mom as she goes along with it despite her better judgment. Aaron’s already cracked and isn’t buying any of this, but Abigail is hanging on by her fingertips because if she lets go there’s nothing left. All that’s keep them together is this faith and she’s trying to be the bridge between Aaron, who’s too far gone, and her dad, who’s still really clinging on to hope. But she’s slipping and she continues to slip throughout the book.

Despite my own personal opinions on religion, especially on this kind of fundamentalism, I did like how Abigail clung to it, even if on a superficial level. Maybe superficial isn’t the right word. She still clung onto religion, but the old religion she grew up with, not this new fundamentalism that had her parents selling everything they owned and driving them across the country. Which she hated, but she had a lot of faith in her parents so she grudgingly accepted it. Until that faith started to slip.

And she tries so hard to hold on. So incredibly hard and as a reader I was rooting for her. I had that same shred of hope that maybe something good would come of this. But everything has a breaking point and sometimes things have to get really bad in order for them to break.

I do think NO PARKING AT THE END TIMES is a story about hope and good intentions and even those with the best of intentions can get lost. Doesn’t excuse crappy decisions, but it at least provided insight as to why some of these decisions are made, and why they’re made to the detriment of everyone involved. Didn’t make it any easier of a pill to swallow, but it’s still a pill nonetheless.

The book’s moving and gripping and incredibly compelling. You won’t want to look away as Abigail and Aaron navigate this life their parents have forced upon them and come to grips with their reality and their religion. I do think the ending was a little too positive and I think the reality of the situation would have been different, but the story needed the ending it got, otherwise the reader would just spiral into sadness and not come out of it. Even for me, that’s not the ending I would have wanted even though it’s one I would have expected. Glimmer of hope and all.

4 ...more

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Oct 03, 2015 Kinga rated it liked it

Shelves: erudite

This will be officially my 1000th book on GR!!! (There might be more as I haven't listed nearly half the manga I've read but...maybe another time)

So, let's cut it short as I've got to study. I'm a born catholic and I might not agree with eveything I hear in church (when I go occasionally that's it).

This got me quite hard. I'm used to having hardcore discussion about christianity mostly with my father but even my very believer father rejects the idea of fanaticism. Which is exactly the main them ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Kathy Martin rated it really liked it

This is a story about a sixteen-year old girl named Abigail. Abigail's parents sold everything they owned in South Carolina, packed a van, packed Abigail and her twin Aaron, and headed to San Francisco following the call of a preacher named Brother John who is preaching the end of the world. Their father is the most fervent in his support of Brother John. He didn't lose faith when the world didn't end as Brother John predicted.

The family is living in the van and going from church to church for t ...more

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Jan 20, 2015 savannah chandler rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2015, review-book

SPOILER FREE
Abigail is in a tough place. Her mom and dad have just sold there house, furniture, and there stuff, got in their van and drove off to New York with nothing but a little money, her parents and her brother so they could join this Doomsday cult.
When you first meet Brother John, right off the bat I could tell he was "off". I do have religious beliefs, so I know how pastors act and this definitely isn't the way. He was shouting and dancing but then right out of the blue he just drops. S ...more

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Jan 29, 2015 Jen Ryland added it

I enjoy reading books that explore issues of faith and that's why I picked this. But this book wasn't so much about faith as about a family victimized by a con artist preacher, a guy who convinces people the world is coming to an end and that they need to give him all their money. This isn't religion, just fraud.

Perhaps I'm just cynical, but given the information the book offered, I found it hard to accept the underlying scenario: two seemingly rational adults (the POV character's parents) give ...more

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Jan 29, 2015 Sheryl rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adults, first-reads

I won this book through goodreads and I'm glad I did. It's an interesting read regarding a family of four, the parents and a set of 14 yr old twins, a boy and a girl. The father decided that he had a calling from the Lord through a questionable radio evangelist, Brother John, that they needed to get from North Carolina to San Francisco before a certain time because the end was coming. So they sold all their belongings and took only the bare necessities and headed to Brother John so they wouldn't ...more

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Apr 07, 2016 Lynn Vroman rated it it was amazing

Beautiful book, excellently written, about family, survival, and the power of forgiveness. I would recommend this book to everyone.

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Mar 21, 2019 matti larsen rated it really liked it

Shelves: norris-reading-challenge

No Parking At The End Times by Bryan Bliss
“He went to talk with Brother John. He’ll be back in a little while” (Bliss 41). This is one of the many time Abigail’s family went to Brother John for help. Abigail’s dad is especially faithful towards the church and their crazy beliefs. I would give this book four stars because it was good but not the best book I've ever read. The reasons I rate it four stars are because it’s suspenseful, it gives a new perspective, and it shows how everything can cha No Parking At The End Times by Bryan Bliss
“He went to talk with Brother John. He’ll be back in a little while” (Bliss 41). This is one of the many time Abigail’s family went to Brother John for help. Abigail’s dad is especially faithful towards the church and their crazy beliefs. I would give this book four stars because it was good but not the best book I've ever read. The reasons I rate it four stars are because it’s suspenseful, it gives a new perspective, and it shows how everything can change quickly.
I said this book was suspenseful. Some of the reasons I think this is because there’s always something new happening in every chapter. Abigail, her brother, and her parents left everything they had for Brother John and his preaching and no matter what happens, I never expect it. One example of this is when Bliss writes about Abigail's life turning around right after she believed she could escape.
This book also gives a new perspective that I haven’t completely thought about. That is that abigail is homeless and living in a van parked wherever. They’re like that because Abigail's parents dropped everything for the “end of time” which is what Brother John preaches. An example of this is throughout the book, Bliss describes Abigail trying to find food or money or something to entertain her for at least a little while.
This book also shows how everything can change quickly. Abigail had a nice home in a nice neighborhood and went to a good school, until it all changed. They sold everything they had and gave the money to the church. They moved into their van and went from place to place trying to find somewhere to park for the night. In the book, Bliss does half of the chapter talking about Abigail’s life before the move, and half of the chapter is what is happening right then. That is an example of how this book goes back and forth for a comparison of Abigail’s life and how she’s changed.
I do think this book is good because of those reasons. I don’t think I would recommend this book because the ending isn’t very good and the book in all isn’t as entertaining as I would’ve liked.
...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Jessie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2017

3.5 stars.
What a weird little story. This book was not what I expected, I really thought I was getting a story about a family traveling across the country. I had no idea this book was going to talk so much about faith and God. I personally don't have a strong faith, I respect that do so this book kind of taught me a lot about how much people really cling to their faith. How it some people take faith and use it for their personal gain. It was very interesting, thought provoking and actually real ...more

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Apr 08, 2021 Stephanie Fitzgerald added it

Shelves: jumped-ship-dnf

DNF at 45%. Didn’t seem like there was much of a storyline to follow.

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Dec 09, 2020 Kat rated it liked it

First half was boring. Second half was a little all over the place. Not terrible but lacked enough to keep me invested completely in the story and in the characters.

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Mar 05, 2015 Richie Partington rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Richie’s Picks: NO PARKING AT THE END TIMES by Bryan Bliss, Greenwillow, February 2015, 272p., ISBN: 978-0-06-227541-7

“Chapter six and verse eleven
If you want to get to Heaven
You’ve got to ask the man who owns the Property
Ya gotta dance your dance
And do your act
And get His Big Attention that’s a natural-born fact”
-- Todd Rundgren, “Eastern Intrigue” (1975)

“I am not surprised this is where we found them, but I cannot square it in my mind. When would’ve they realized it had been hours since they’d ...more

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Aug 28, 2015 Cesar rated it really liked it

3.5 stars

When I think about those who are less fortunate, I'd wonder how it happened to them. What made them be homeless? It's true we take life for granted. Not only that, but more often than not, we take for granted what we have that others need. Food, water, heat, a bed. The list goes on.

For Abigail and her family, they have hit rock bottom. And by that, I mean they're living in their van, washing themselves in restrooms, having to go to church to get meals, and to top it all, they're stuck i ...more

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May 30, 2015 Brandon rated it really liked it

Abigail and her family had recently sold their house due to a decline in money. But what the parents had done made Abigail's brother, Aaron, angry. They had given their money to a pastor named brother John. In which they went to his Chechen every night. Aaron left every night, which worried Abigail. But one day she decided to find out where he went every night. She came with him, and when they reached their destination, there was a bunch of teenagers around Aaron's age. Apparently Aaron had a gi ...more

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Feb 14, 2017 Marie rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 10, 2015 Crystal | decorating.reader rated it liked it

Maybe a 3.5. Intriguing topic, loved the sister/brother relationship.

I received a lovely finished copy of this book in the mail from Harper and honestly it wasn’t one I had been interested in previously, BUT after reading a few reviews and my intrigue in cultish behavior. I decided to give it a try. It’s a fairly shorter YA so I thought what could it hurt? While this wasn’t one that I LOVED I still immensely enjoyed it! I really enjoyed the relationship between the sister and brother, their bon ...more

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Aug 29, 2014 Sarah Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, netgalley-edelweiss, r2r-complete, read-2014

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

This was a thought-provoking story about the way some people use people’s faith against them for their own gain.

I liked Abigail and Aaron and I felt so sorry for them. The way their father had taken everything from them, and still wanted to take more was so frustrating for them. In my opinion they did well to put up with their parent’s eccentricities for as long as they did ...more

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Sep 28, 2015 Carmen Liffengren rated it liked it

Abigail and Aaron never thought that the End Times would mean living homeless out of their parents' van in San Francisco. Since (shocker!) the Rapture doesn't come when the doomsday cult leader, Brother John predicts, Abigail is torn with loyalty to her parents and the spiritual disillusionment resulting from a con artist preacher. Abigail's struggle to continue have faith in her parents who should know better is heart-wrenching. She ultimately has to take responsibility for herself even if she ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Taylor rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-releases

Unfortunately, I could not connect to these characters at all. The voice sounded the same among all of them. There wasn't anything really unique to set them apart. This bothers me a lot since the blurb says this book is for fans of Sara Zarr, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell who are brilliant writers of emotional connection. Bryan Bliss touches the subject of homelessness that is not talked about enough, but links it with an extreme form of religion that seems a little skewed. Everything you n ...more

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About Bryan Bliss

Bryan Bliss

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Bryan Bliss is the author of No Parking at the End Times, Meet Me Here, and We’ll Fly Away, which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award. He lives in Saint Paul, MN with his family.

You can visit him online at www.bryanbliss.com and on Facebook and Twitter. ...more