Scan barcode
A review by brooke_review
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
4.0
Nothing lasts forever. This is the theme of Jeff Zentner’s new novel, Rayne & Deliah’s Midnite Matinee, a coming of age story about two best friends who host an old-school horror film show on public access television.
It’s hard to believe that a pair of high school seniors could pull it off, but Josie and Delia host a weekend creature feature TV show that is broadcast in several states. While the viewership leaves something to be desired and the girls doubt that anyone would recognize them in public, “Midnite Matinee” gives them an outlet to work toward their future goals and come to terms with their past and future.
Delia, AKA Delilah Darkwood, is the one who is really passionate about low-rent horror flicks. She and her dad used to watch VHS tapes of the films before he abandoned their family when Delia was just a young child. Josie, AKA Rayne Ravenscroft, doesn’t care about scary movies the way that Delia does. She is hoping to make a name for herself in television someday, and Midnite Matinee is helping her get closer to her dream.
However, as senior year comes to a close and the girls start contemplating their futures, they find they are being pulled in different directions. Delia can’t stop thinking about her father and how she never got closure after he walked out on their family all those years ago. With every broadcast of Midnite Matinee, she hopes that her dad is out there, somewhere, watching and that he is proud. Josie’s parents are pushing her to accept an internship at Food Network, which would put her in college far away from Delia and the guy who has recently caught her eye, Lawson. Torn between the world she loves and the world she dreams, Josie feels that with whatever decision she makes, she will be letting someone down. In this last fateful summer before their adult lives begin, Delia and Josie hang on desperately to their pasts while making way for their futures.
Rayne & Deliah’s Midnite Matinee is heartfelt, introspective, and thought-provoking. Jeff Zentner captures perfectly how it feels to be on the cusp of something great, but afraid to leave everything you have ever loved behind. This story is even amusing, with the production of Midnite Matinee bringing on lots of laughs. Zentner takes two issues that many young people face - coming to terms with family struggles and making major life decisions - and presents them in a way that is relatable and engaging.
While the majority of this novel is very good and readable, the story takes an odd turn when Delia and Josie attend ShiverCon, a horror convention. Here the story becomes outlandish, the tone not gelling well with the rest of the book. Had it not been so over the top, my overall impression of the book would have been much higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
It’s hard to believe that a pair of high school seniors could pull it off, but Josie and Delia host a weekend creature feature TV show that is broadcast in several states. While the viewership leaves something to be desired and the girls doubt that anyone would recognize them in public, “Midnite Matinee” gives them an outlet to work toward their future goals and come to terms with their past and future.
Delia, AKA Delilah Darkwood, is the one who is really passionate about low-rent horror flicks. She and her dad used to watch VHS tapes of the films before he abandoned their family when Delia was just a young child. Josie, AKA Rayne Ravenscroft, doesn’t care about scary movies the way that Delia does. She is hoping to make a name for herself in television someday, and Midnite Matinee is helping her get closer to her dream.
However, as senior year comes to a close and the girls start contemplating their futures, they find they are being pulled in different directions. Delia can’t stop thinking about her father and how she never got closure after he walked out on their family all those years ago. With every broadcast of Midnite Matinee, she hopes that her dad is out there, somewhere, watching and that he is proud. Josie’s parents are pushing her to accept an internship at Food Network, which would put her in college far away from Delia and the guy who has recently caught her eye, Lawson. Torn between the world she loves and the world she dreams, Josie feels that with whatever decision she makes, she will be letting someone down. In this last fateful summer before their adult lives begin, Delia and Josie hang on desperately to their pasts while making way for their futures.
Rayne & Deliah’s Midnite Matinee is heartfelt, introspective, and thought-provoking. Jeff Zentner captures perfectly how it feels to be on the cusp of something great, but afraid to leave everything you have ever loved behind. This story is even amusing, with the production of Midnite Matinee bringing on lots of laughs. Zentner takes two issues that many young people face - coming to terms with family struggles and making major life decisions - and presents them in a way that is relatable and engaging.
While the majority of this novel is very good and readable, the story takes an odd turn when Delia and Josie attend ShiverCon, a horror convention. Here the story becomes outlandish, the tone not gelling well with the rest of the book. Had it not been so over the top, my overall impression of the book would have been much higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.