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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."
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
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
katierobertsonshaddix's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
What I love most about NOW IS NOT THE TIME is how it takes adolescence seriously, a period in which the world seems big and small all at once. We see Frankie and Zeke chase what makes them feel alive—and, honestly, don't we all do that, in our own big and small ways? I really enjoyed this and will be recommending it to everyone I know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Death, Medical content, and Infidelity
Moderate: Kidnapping and Panic attacks/disorders
emmasbelovedbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Classism, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity
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