As a huge fan of "Nothing to See Here", I was extremely excited to get my hands on this ARC. It has much of what I've come to love about Wislon's storytelling, with some new good into the mix. Wilson's writing has gotten stronger throughout the years, and it shows here with how well his descriptions transform the story and better help you understand the character's emotions, and also drive your own as well. I will say the characters weren't as engaging as I was expecting from him, but the plot itself helped the story move along well enough to a satisfying ending. If you enjoy weird, this is for you.

Fans of Kevin Wilson's "Nothing to See Here" and "The Family Fang" will be thrilled with his return novel "Now is Not the Time to Panic." It's about two misfit teens in the '90s who spend a memorable summer together and get find themselves inadvertently causing a national scandal. The story switches back and forth between the time of the events as well as more recently when the two protagonists are grown and their role in the controversy threatens to be exposed.

Wilson writes warmly about his characters. There is also a lot of humor throughout as fans of Wilson would expect. I happily tore through this book loving being part of this special universe Wilson had created. Wonderful.

Thanks to Netgalley which provided a galley in return for this review.

I loved Nothing to See Here and thought this one would be just as good. I decided to give up on this book because I felt myself wishing I was reading something else. I like his writing and the story had potential to be great…. But it felt like it wasn’t going anywhere. You get this flash to the future and you think some big thing is going to happen but it never really did. I wanted to love this book but I found that I didn’t really care what was happening.

This novel centers stone one key phrase. Frankie is a lonely teenager who doesn’t have friends, when she meets new-to-town Zeke. They form a connection, And decide to come up with an art project together. It becomes a poster with an odd drawing and the pivotal saying. They put it up all over town and chaos ensues. The story goes between Frankie’s perspective in current time frame and in the late 90s. .

This was a book I did not know I needed, but am very glad that I found. A quirky book about how art can manifest itself into change as well as lift us up above our everyday-blahs, this story focused on characters who were lively and interesting. I found myself wanting more of their stories and could totally see this as a series on a streaming platform. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and the twists and turns their lives took during their summer project. In the first pages, I was drawn in and couldn't wait to see where the story was going to take them.

I will definitely have to check out the author's other books.

If you’ve ever read anything by Kevin Wilson before, then you know he has a lot of strange things happening inside his head, and with his new book, Now Is Not The Time To Panic, he lets all that strange out to play. In the small town of Coalfield, teenage Frankie dreads spending the long, hot summer with nothing to do as her brothers are crazy and all have jobs, and her mom works all the time. Then she meets Zeke at the pool. He and his mom came to live with his grandmother for the summer while his parents contemplated divorcing. Frankie and Zeke are two outsiders who come together over their shared passion for art, and they create something — a piece of art — that takes on a life of its own. In Wilson’s own words, “It’s a book about friendship, about art, about memory, and about what it means to hold on to the person who we were, even as we become someone else.” This is a great coming-of-age story for the outcasts and artists who don’t always get a story, and how small moments from our teens really resonate and form our future selves.

Do you remember reading about The Coalfield Panic of 1996? No? Well that’s because it’s not a real thing. But Kevin Wilson’s writing will make you feel like it is.

It’s the summer of 1996 and mysterious posters with a strange, but catchy, phrase begin popping up all over town. No one understands where they came from or what they mean. The creators of the posters, teenagers Frankie and Zeke, watch as things start to spiral out of control. The posters and the phrase spread like wildfire and bad things start to happen. Is it too late for them to fess up now? Will their friendship survive? How will this teenage experience affect their adult lives?

Like Wilson’s Nothing to See Here, this book is an original story with deep themes running throughout. Some of his sentences make me laugh out loud. His writing is quiet, but clever and smart. The story feels heavy. Hard to put down but very bittersweet. It illustrates the way a secret can bog you down and the freedom that comes from allowing the truth to be revealed.

I found this one engaging and riveting but in an odd type of way. Not suspenseful, per se, but riveting for sure.

I’ll recommend this to readers looking for a unique story that will stick with you long after you’ve finished.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well written book. It has some fine lines, a few well conceived set pieces, a fair share of perceptive and insightful observations, and lean dialogue. That said, try as I might I found neither the characters, nor their situations, nor the overall narrative engaging enough to arouse or hold my curiosity and attention. As a consequence, it doesn't seem fair to write much more of a review, apart from encouraging inquisitive readers to give the book a try.

Kevin Wilson's latest novel, NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC, provides a quirky take on a traditional coming-of-age story. When Frankie, a lonely 16-year-old, befriends Zeke, a recent transplant to her small Tennessee town, what could have been yet another boring summer turns into a life-changing experience. The two collaborate on a piece of art that quickly creates an interest, then a panic, among the people in town, the repercussions of which follow them both for years.
Wilson's writing style is wonderful, and his depiction of Frankie's adolescent point of view is spot on. I personally wished that his author's note was at the end of the book instead of the beginning, because it does rest in the reader's mind throughout this story. That said, I've loved Wilson's other books, and this newest novel keeps him on my list of favorite authors.
Thanks to Ecco Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Kevin Wilson's Now Is Not the Time to Panic is perhaps most impressive for its authentic rendering of the American South/Midwest-- the existential angst and profound loneliness an artistically-minded teen may experience in the face of a homogenized, sanitized milieu. While the concept of 'otherness' is spoken about most widely in academic and urban settings, it is the middle of the country where this otherness may be most deeply rooted, and most deeply felt. Wilson captures that hollow feeling, that constant yearning for something greater, with Frankie and Zeke, offering them (and us) a temporary salve in the form of their friendship and artistic companionship. As I read, I was imbued with a sense of nostalgia for an era and a place I never lived, for people I never met, for a childhood rebellion I myself never really had. While the story isn't particularly plot-heavy, it does more than lure you into the lives of the characters; it transports its reader, physically and emotionally. The length is also spot on. Had it been any longer, I'd have tired of the lack of real events and grown sour on the idea that this one poster could've made such an impact on the town or on the greater culture. But there is just enough meat here to pose philosophical questions about the trickle down effects of cultural panic, about making meaning of art, and how we as humans can react to small moments in such drastically different ways, leaving some of us scarred for the rest of our lives.
For readers looking to dip a toe in something literary, without having to drudge through 400+ pages of drawn out, pretentious narrative, this book is for you.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson left me feeling much like The Family Fang did...cold, a little bored and creeped out by the odd characters in the story. I finished the novel just to see what happened, but I was not a fan. If you like your fiction weirdly creepy and with no repercussions for those who created a panic, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to the author, Ecco and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

My favorite part is that Kevin Wilson makes weirdness so disarming. And the dialogue is so good! Everything flows in such a delightful way. I feel so fortunate that Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a book out there in the world and that I got to read it.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date: November 8, 2022.

This book is fantastic! It completely played into my love of art and art history with the story of the method behind Frankie and Zeke’s creation and the public’s response to art. I love how a concept so abstract as a meaningless sentence can cause an uproar and the foundation for an entire plot. To me, that is beautiful. It means that there is beauty in the most mundane corners of life.

This is the first book I’ve read by Kevin Wilson, and now I cannot wait to read more. Thank you!

I could not put this down! Frankie is incredibly well written and I loved the 90s vibe. Wilson is funny and just a unique storyteller.

I’m a fan of Kevin Wilson. It started for me with The Family Fang, a quirky tale about a mother/father performance art duo who disappear, leaving their teenage children alone and wondering what was up. Then, it was Nothing to See Here, a funny but heartfelt story about two children who spontaneously combust whenever they get angry. Both books appealed to my desire for something off the beaten path, told with humor and warmth. All this is to say that I was pretty sure I’d like Now is Not the Time to Panic. The title itself indicated more quality quirkiness from Kevin Wilson.

NINTTTP tells of one summer in the life of 16-year-old Frankie and her new friend Zeke. Both are artsy and together they create a poster featuring an inventive quip. Frankie and Zeke make hundreds of copies of the poster and put them up everywhere. The poster takes off in popularity in their city and beyond, leading to unforeseen consequences. I enjoyed this book, which is saying something given my high expectations for Kevin Wilson. (It would have been easy for it to fall short.) It was a story that I could pick up and get engrossed in whenever I had time. As characters, Frankie and Zeke were interesting and believable. Their actions and emotions felt like what I, myself would have had at their age. It’s always enjoyable to “see” yourself in a character. It makes for a rewarding reading experience. Regardless of whether or not I can relate to a character, though, I can’t wait to see what Kevin Wilson comes out with next.

This is a coming of age story of two Tennesse teens in 1996. They create something that lives on when they want to be finished with it. When it started out, I thought the idea of the book might be intriguing. As the book progressed I felt the characters were rather flat and the story not stimulating enough. After the main ideas had been laid out it was rather repetitive.

Now is Not the Time to Panic is a coming of age story that centers on the impulsive action of two teens, and what that action sets in motion in their small town. The story is weird, the kids are weird, the whole feel of the book seems off somehow - these teens seem younger than their stated age, the build-up to their odd “act of rebellion” feels overblown and overly dramatic, the characters all feel a little flat, and the writing is good in places, but mostly it feels like the author is just trying to hard - to make the book feel bigger than it is, and in the end, it just doesn’t work.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Now Is Not the Time to Panic.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a story about an artistic, ambitious sixteen year old named Frankie Budge who meets an equally creative soul in Zeke one fateful summer, but it affected me more than I thought it would.

I think it's because Frankie reminds me of myself at that age; angsty, frustrated, artsy, not like everyone else, seeking something she's not sure what but it's greater than herself and the small town she's from

It's a coming of age story as much as a story about redemption, art, love and loss.

I really liked Frankie; she was her own person and she wasn't afraid to assert herself.

But what really struck me was how amazing and wonderful the adults in her life were; her mother, Hobart, Mr. Avery, her college professor.

It means so much to a child or teenager, anyone really, to have someone listen to you, to hear your voice, to acknowledge your feelings, to support and care and love you.

I also liked how Frankie reconnected with Zeke; I know some friendships don't last forever, they're only meant for a specific amount of time and the ones you have when you're young and idealistic are the best and most meaningful friendships you can have.

Now Is Not The Time to Panic is about self expression, forgiveness, and yes, art and the amazing and crazy things it can do to or for you, but mostly it's about the individual.

What do YOU want to do with your life? How do YOU want to change the world?

This was a great, thought provoking read and I appreciate the opportunity to read it early.

This book was weird in all the best ways. The main character, Frankie, is the perfect representation of what it's like being a teenager on the fringe. I related to her contradictory feelings, her desire for something more, and the complicated feelings she had for Zeke, her friend for the summer. She was perfect.

Sometimes, when the action centers on teenagers, the dialogue becomes whiney and the storyline becomes, as the teens would say, "cringe." Not so in Now Is Not the Time to Panic. The dialogue and plot were pitch-perfect and I thought my teenagers would love reading it as much as I did because the representation of kids in high school was never grating or annoying but always true and honest.

Art was a major theme of the novel and I thought Wilson did a great job weaving big questions about art and the effects of art between the lines of this story. Like with his previous work, Nothing to See Here, I found myself thinking, "This book is about two teenagers hanging up posters during the summer...but it's about so much more than that."

After reading this and Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson has become an auto-buy author for me. Now I'm going to have to go digging through his backlist until his next book comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. The book comes out in November but you can pre-order it now.

An unpredictable and jubilant coming-of-age story of two teen misfits whose lives are forever changed one summer through art, friendship, shared secrets and their search for purpose. Now Is Not The Time To Panic by Kevin Wilson is a quick and enjoyable read that leaves you pondering that one pivotable moment when your life forever changes.

I am grateful to Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Frankie, who wants to be a writer, spends another sad summer hiding from the world. Zeke, a talented artist and awkward product of a broken family, lives with his grandmother - he is a lost and lonely stranger in the strange land of a small and impoverished southern town. Their lives collide, igniting a creative spark that leads to the creation of an enigmatic poster that sets the town ablaze with rumors of Satanists and kidnappers, resulting in a series of murders, and what becomes known as the Coalfield Panic of 1996. Frankie's mysterious and unforgettable phrase - 'The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us,' takes on a life of its own as it quickly spreads way beyond their small town with heartbreaking consequences.

I enjoyed reading Wilson's book and believe it will engender some great discussions about life, art, love, and identity.