Read on audio. Really liked the beginning and middle but the end became a bit…much. Authors note redeemed it. A lovely book about friendship, first love, growing up and art. My favorite from Kevin Wilson by far.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

The first Kevin Wilson book I read was Nothing to See Here, and while much different from what I normally read I really enjoyed it, so I was very excited for Now is Not the Time to Panic. Two teen artists Frankie and Zeke with similar lives become friends and create an unforgettable poster that causes a lot of commotion.

Flash forward to 20 years later and a reporter calls Frances because they are writing an article on the Coalfield Panic of 1996. I don't want to give away spoilers so I will stop there.

I really like a coming of age story, and I really liked this book. I love Kevins writing style and his stories seem so original. The cover is unique and is easily spotted at a bookstore which I really like.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Two lonely, awkward teenagers, trying to survive another summer in rural Tennessee, find commonality in art and together create an anonymous, cryptic poster that they distribute in secrecy around their small town. Helped by social media, the poster becomes the subject of wild speculation, conspiracies and unfortunate unintended consequences. This is a poignant coming of age story, told in Kevin Wilson’s witty and compelling style that explores issues of identity, truthfulness and the way in which a factual void quickly becomes accepted misinformation.

A love letter to summers in the southern US, to pre-internet boredom, and to big awkward teenage feelings.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic is about the power of art and meeting the people who enter our lives at just the right time and place to be a part of shaping who we are. Now and Then, Stand By Me, and Judy Blume all came to mind (which is the highest compliment) while devouring this short, but impactful novel that made me question why I had never read Kevin Wilson before.

This is an excellent coming of age novel. Frankie Budge and Zeke create posters with the enigmatic phrases, "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us." This incites panic and fear amongst the people of Coalfield. Later we follow Frankie as an adult when a reporter contacts her to discuss the events from long ago. This is a great, quirky little tale that asks, "Are we responsible for other people's actions after we put things out in the world?" How much culpability do we have?

3.75. The authors note about the phrase should have been included in the beginning, as it would’ve given this book so much more depth! Not my favorite of Wilson’s but will definitely continue to be an auto buy author. Heartwarming and weird if a bit slow at times

Okay first of all, I LOVE a coming of age story. The start of this story though...it was a bit slow for me. Starting off with two bored teenagers isn't the easiest way to get me invested. Now, once the book finally took off, I found that Frankie and Zeke are both such insanely likable characters. They're weird, but charming and treat each other and life with such tenderness. Never a bad thing. I also love the power that these two teenagers have over their town, literally just from hanging up these simple posters with a simple saying across them.

Overall, loved the story and the concept from Kevin Wilson. His work is always so thoughtful and intriguing.

Best-selling author of Nothing to See Here and the Family Fang returns with a new book. In Kevin Wilson's Now Is Not The Time to Panic, two lonely kids form a bond and create a poster that upends their community. Years later, one is a successful novelist, but a secret from that time threatens to upend her world.

A call out of the blue brings it all back. Were you the one who started the Coalfield Panic? She is instantly transported back to 1997 Coalfield, Tennessee. She's a young girl who wants to impress a boy. Then she is a teen, an outcast, and a fugitive when she meets the boy again. Finding a stolen photocopier in their garage, they decide to make art that shocks the tone. Originally started as an art project and a prank, thingsget out of hand as the parnoid townspeople this its froma cult, a biker bang, Satnatnists or even worse. The town goes wild and gets nationwide attention for the posters. When people start being kild from tehpanic they panic and Zeke ends up leaving town. IT is only the reporters random discovery that ends up brin them back together.

"The edge is a shantytown filled with goldseekers, we are the new fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.

It is a good combination of 80s Satantic Panic phenomenon and 90s punk counter culture. The part when they are living through the panic is packed with so much imagery. It is sort of a let down when it takes place years later. The reconnection is important for the author as it resembled a friendship he had growing up but had'nt been able to reconnect.

I became a Kevin Wilson fan after I read "Nothing to See Here," because I loved how he could mix real emotional grounding with more absurd/heightened scenarios. "Now Is Not The Time to Panic" is another excellent book in this vein, which explores art, teenage years, friendship, and the unexpected twists and turns life can take. It left me feeling melancholy and introspective, which believe or not, is a great feeling to have after a satisfying read! It's a strange book, but once that I already know is going to stick with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader's copy of this book.

This book has a lot of interesting things to say about art and friendship, but I don't think I'm as impressed with Kevin Wilson's weird line that he created this book around as he is. That said, he's a skilled writer and I'll read anything he writes.

Absolutely as quirky and thought-provoking as you'd expect a Kevin Wilson novel to be, focused on the story of two misfit teens making art and (perhaps inadvertently, perhaps on purpose) some trouble along the way with ramifications far beyond what they could ever imagine. An ode to the power of art, words, and friendship to shape a life and lives.

I grew up in this era (both geographic and chronologic) so this was enjoyable and nostalgic. An engaging story, at times frustrating.

I loved loved this one! It was sooo good! Not at all what I was expecting it to he that is for sure!

A great coming of age story that captures the "angst" of the main characters, teenagers Frankie (a writer) and Zeke (an artist). The plot follows the characters for a summer in a small town.as they combine their talents in an effort to leave their mark. Fast forward 2 decades and Frankie is suddenly pulled back to that summer.

Kevin Wilson is a unique author with completely creative ideas written into his novels. Now Is Not The Time to Panic is no exception. Taking place mostly over one hot summer between two high schoolers, Frannie Budge and her new friend, Zeke. The two kids explore just how much trouble they can create (mostly inadvertently) in just a few months. As events start to get out of hand, the small town must determine where lines are drawn and Frannie and Zeke challenge their friendship.

Wilson's wit and humor come shining through in this novel, and I found it to be a joy to read. Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco Publishing for allowing me a copy of this book.

Every once in a while a book comes along that feels like it was written *just for me*. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC felt like one of those books.

Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge is facing another boring summer when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s house for the summer and who is as lonely and awkward as Frankie is. Romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, and they have no idea the lasting impact the art they’re about to create will have.

I have a request: more weird books about weird art, please

And also more books about the delicate awkwardness of being a teenager, of what can happen when we don’t worry about the repercussions and just create. Kevin Wilson did an amazing job of tapping into that time between childhood and adulthood when everything feels possible, but also impossible due to a lack of control, power, money, etc. This book brought up a lot of nostalgic emotion in me. I felt so powerfully for both of these characters, I wanted to give them a big hug.

This one is so unique, I don’t know what to compare it to. I think it reads like a John Green book, but if a John Green book was written from an adult perspective and is just as much about art as it is about love.

I usually don’t give much to books that are really about nothing, but this one, this one soothed something.

I easily jumped into Frankie’s space and this moment in your adolescence that changes you and the fear to let go because of how much it meant, but knowing you have your life to look forward to, everything else in front of you.

Kevin’s books are just always comforting in some way.

An enjoyable book about a teen art/prank project that goes awry. It felt as if the author was writing about his own books and how they could be interpreted in ways he might not have intended. There was a slightly overwrought quality about it in that even if the posters were deemed Satanic, they probably would not have caused that much fuss. Still, Frankie and Zeke are strong characters and I liked the structure of the book.

This started off really slow but then picked up towards the middle and end. While I loved his other books this was still an interesting listen.

I absolutely love this author and was so delighted to get a chance to read his newest book! It was everything I hoped it would be! Kevin Wilson has this wonderful way of creating totally unique stories with very quirky yet somehow very realistic characters.
In Now Is Not the Time to Panic readers are introduced to Frankie, a 16 year old who is pretty much left to her own devices for the summer. She meets Zeke who is new to their small, boring town at the pool, and the two quickly become friends.
To fill the long hours of the day, they decide to combine their talents and create art, which they photocopy and hang in secret. Their simple message soon captivates the entire town and then spins out of control.
I absolutely love this portrait of bored teenage angst!