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

i am such a kevin wilson stan. this book was brilliant, the writing of being a teenager was so well done and relatable. my only qualm is that the ending was underwhelming. i guess there’s not much of another way it could’ve ended, but (and this goes for pretty much all of his books) i wish he could’ve found a way to end somehow else. his writing just…. ends. there’s not much more to say.

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noveltay's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.5 rounded up. I thought the story was very odd, and I don’t quite understand how in invoked a whole world wide panic but I guess the Satanic Panic did too irl. I did not find any characters loveable besides the neighbor maybe. I think this was a great fast YA read though, which is out of my regular genre’s.

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em_likes_books's review

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mysterious 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

4.0

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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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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.

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danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I have mixed feelings about this one! Two teenagers accidentally set off a small town moral panic via a Toynbee Tile style guerrilla art thing. It was a lot of fun. The characters were specific and compelling. My two issues were that the moral panic was external, meaning the characters had little agency over the unfolding events and were always reacting. Second, there was a kinda not great depiction of being bipolar.

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rachel_from_avid_bookshop's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Having myself been a teenager in a small insular southern town that felt a few years behind the times, Kevin Wilson's protagonist Frankie felt familiar. Now is Not the Time to Panic uncovers the mystery of a moral panic that starts small but becomes a world-famous cultural event. Frankie's dad has left, her triplet brothers are a whirlwind, and Frankie wants something (anything) to happen this summer. Making friends with a new kid in town who also has a father issue is life-changing as they recognize themselves in each other: friendless socially awkward creatives who are desperate just to be seen. This is a story with a great big heart that will not disappoint.

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