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aliandjupiter14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
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."
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Suicide attempt, Cursing, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
thebowandthebook's review
- 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
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
aharper's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Death and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Infidelity
alywise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
hinkleh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Infidelity
Moderate: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Pregnancy
Minor: Medical content and Panic attacks/disorders
noveltay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Car accident, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death
katierobertsonshaddix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Death, Medical content, and Infidelity
Moderate: Kidnapping and Panic attacks/disorders