Reviews with content warning for Death - Now Is Not the Time to Panic

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

19 reviews

kelly_e's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Title: Now Is Not the time to Panic
Author: Kevin Wilson
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: November 15, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Accessible • Witty • Thoughtful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge—aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner—is determined to make it through yet another sad summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s unhappy house and who is as lonely and awkward as Frankie is. Romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, and when the two jointly make an unsigned poster, shot through with an enigmatic phrase, it becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it. The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.

The posters begin appearing everywhere, and people wonder who is behind them. Satanists, kidnappers—the rumors won’t stop, and soon the mystery has dangerous repercussions that spread far beyond the town. The art that brought Frankie and Zeke together now threatens to tear them apart.

Twenty years later, Frances Eleanor Budge—famous author, mom to a wonderful daughter, wife to a loving husband—gets a call that threatens to upend everything: a journalist named Mazzy Brower is writing a story about the Coalfield Panic of 1996. Might Frances know something about that? And will what she knows destroy the life she’s so carefully built?

💭 T H O U G H T S

Now Is Not the Time to Panic is my first foray into Kevin Wilson's work. I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting, but what I got wasn't it. What this was for me was a quick, forgettable coming-of-age story that was solid on audio.

From the very beginning, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The pacing was slow through the first half, picking up through the second half but I just couldn't bring myself to care. The writing was decent, so I am thinking it was just the story itself. I will say after reading the author's note I had a little more appreciation for it simply because of how personal writing this story was for him.

Now if Not the Time to Panic is awkward and unsettling read focusing on young love, a sense of identity, the power of art and artistic collaboration, and the secrets that haunt us. For me, it was nothing memorable, and while I still might give Nothing to See Here a go at some point in the future, I just don't think I am the intended audience for this author's work. I can understand why so many connect with it though.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Kevin Wilson enthusiasts
• fans of the coming-of-age story

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"We’d created meaning where there was none, but, I don’t know, isn’t that art? Or at least I think it’s the kind of art that I like, where the obsession of one person envelops other people, transforms them."

Content Warnings

fkshg8465's review

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I liked the basis for why he wrote the book, but I think I was disappointed because I liked Nothing to See Here so much. I also really disliked the main characters in the book. The only characters I really liked were Frankie’s mother and husband. Otherwise, she almost presents as someone in mental crisis. Maybe that’s hope the author thinks young girls are like as they embrace teendom, but it wasn’t anything like my experience, which made it hard for me to relate to her. Would’ve also liked more insight into how Zeke grew up and what led to his demise.

Content Warnings

thebowandthebook's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Really interesting read, a bit slow to start but things picked up. Was a very mental book, small town, focused more internal versus external events. Captures teen years well but the adult Frankie didn't seem to have changed much at all 20 years later. Sexual references

Content Warnings