QUICK TAKE: Wilson does slice-of-life storytelling (with a twist) well, and after SMALL WORLD and NOTHING TO SEE HERE, NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PANIC is no exception. probably my least favorite book of his, I still enjoyed the read even if the mystery at the center wasn't that compelling. He remains an auto-buy author.

Such a weird little book that I absolutely adored. Kevin Wilson's writing is so easy to read and enjoy. This book follows a friendship of two teens one summer in a small town with nothing to do but make art. And for some reason, that art caused a whole lot of panic — and later a weird cultural phenomenon — all while being the secret of these two teens.

Read if... you love a Wes Anderson movie and was a weirdo teen yourself.

I loved NOTHING TO SEE HERE, but this one just left me confused.

Two awkward teens, Frankie and Zeke, find friendship with one another and spend long lazy summer days together. One is an aspiring artist, the other an aspiring writer. They begin making posters with the words:

"The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us."

At first it just seemed to me like a silly thing a couple of teenagers would do, and I found it endearing. But then it goes viral nationwide and creates serious unintended consequences. The “Coalfield Panic” is born. This is where the wheels fell off.

Really? My rational brain wouldn’t think, “wow those words are so profound. It’s amazing art!” “or, omg, what can this mean? It must be some kind of satanic cult thing”. My only thought would have been “WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING???

Unfortunately, this nonsensical phrase is repeated frequently throughout the book. The author explains in his note where the phrase comes from and the meaning it has for him, but that information was not enough to save the story for me. I really dislike nonsensical metaphors and phrases and this was no exception. It just seemed silly and not worthy of an nationwide obsession that follows Frankie into adulthood.

The ending was a massive letdown, and I failed to find the purpose of the story, which sealed the 2 star rating for me.

A solid 4.5 stars! Goodness me I love the way Kevin Wilson's mind works. This story was wild, poetic, beautiful, enigmatic, and wholly unique. I loved the coming of age aspect, the art, the creativity, and the obsession. Wilson built a world where I really could understand how a single summer - a single moment - could shape entire lives.

I did this book on audio and it was stellar. Ginnifer Goodwin hit it out of the park and I am eager to listen to more books narrated by her.

If Kevin Wilson writes it, I will read it. He is quickly moving up as a favorite author for me and I love that he is totally his own brand. His books are nothing like anything I have read before and it's refreshing and genuinely just makes me feel good.

I recommend reading/listening to the author's note at the end (Kevin narrates it himself on the audio!). It was profound and added quite a lot of depth to the already incredible story.

If you read Nothing to See Here, I know you'll love Now is Not the Time to Panic. It's entirely different but still gave me those same "WTF is this? This is incredible and I can't get enough" vibes. I do think I enjoyed Nothing to See Here more and I think that will stick with me more than Panic which is why I can't quite go to 5 stars, but man, this was good.

Totally recommend!

Thank you to Libro.FM, NetGalley, Ecco, and Harper Audio for the copy of this wonderful novel.

This book was SO good! I flew through it in a day. This is my first book by Kevin Wilson, but know I will soon be reading more.

Two lonely teenage. One boring summer. And a piece of art they create that will forever change their lives. This is pre-internet days. For fun these teens went to the pool, watched TV, created art, and wandered around town hanging said art on any surface they could find. And they had zero clue the impact it would make.

Frankie wants to be a writer one day. She meets Zeke, an artist, at the pool. Zeke's parents are separated and he is living at his grandmother's with his mom. They are both lonely. Frankie comes up with a saying on a poster, Zeke creates the art work, they seal it with a drop of each of their blood and makes copies on the Xerox in Frankie's garage. They post the copies all around their small town. People start to talk, rumors spread on who has done it, and then some unfortunate things occur.

Now it is twenty years later, Frankie is married with a daughter. She's an author and life is good. Until she gets a call from journalist, Mazzy Brower, who wants to write about what happened way back when. Frankie is conflicted on whether to talk with her. No one knows it was them besides her and Zeke. She needs to talkt o him and others.

And ... I can't tell you more as it would spoil the book. But know this book was fantastic and well written and I was so drawn in to this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is the first Kevin Wilson book I've read but it won't be the last. I really enjoyed this offbeat coming of age story. These characters were just quirky enough to conjure up comparisons to John Irving but with a much faster pace than most of John Irving's. A quick but enjoyable read. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco publisher for an advanced reader copy

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

I can’t put my finger on what about this book captivated me the way it did. Maybe it was the author’s note at the beginning of my advanced reader copy (which I don’t believe made it into the beginning of the final copy) that explains the real history of the phrase that drives this story. Maybe it was the teenage nostalgia that feels sewn throughout. Maybe it’s the way the story feels so uniquely real but also very unreal, a special thing Kevin Wilson seems very good at cultivating with his writing. Mostly it seems that Frankie and Zeke are just two kids you want to hug, and you can’t quite let go until you know their story. Surely it’s a mix of all of the above, and it gets a solid 3.75 stars from me.

I just love Kevin Wilson’s stories. Nothing to See Here is a book I recommended and even loaned to people. The characters are met with these weird situations and they go with it. We have something like that again but then nothing like it. The feeling is still there. This is a Heathers type story of rumor and the way things spread before the internet was a thing we cared much about.

Now is Not the Time to Panic is about The Panic of 1996. What can a couple of creative bored teenagers cause with some art and a copier? They create posts before social media. Copies and copies and copies of what they have done are put everywhere. Then, in true going viral fashion, it gets out of their control. There are conspiracies. People steal and repost what they have done. People are inspired by their work to make their own statements.

But people are also hurt. Some people fear what they don’t understand. They have no way to figure out who is doing this, so they create their own backstory. The mirror being held up to us is harsh in here. I was left thinking about how we difficult it was to get information in the days before the internet. You had to work hard to get noticed, to learn new things, to expose yourself to anything outside of your own small piece of the world. Things we thought were wonderful or important may never reach enough people to truly be important. Remember how far you had to travel just to hear a good band?

Even worse, we now live in a time that is easy. We can find real information with just a small amount of effort. Yet, we seem to know even less that we did before. It makes me sad. And scared.

I’ll admit that part of the appeal of the entire story, besides the characters I could over-identify with and the relationships that they shared with those around them, was the nostalgia. I was a teenager in the late 80s and most of my contemporaries are very much living in that past. Not me. I have a special affection for the 90s. Those years when I became more aware of the entire world. I was in college. I had my children. I started using Usenet groups to find art, music, religion…anything I could use to expand my mind.

Come for any of those things and you will not be disappointed.

“The edge is a shanty town filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.”

Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a coming-of-age story about two awkward teens who create an art project that becomes the impetus for panic in a rural town in Tennessee.

During the summer of 1996, Frankie and Zeke, two 16-year-olds who bond over their fathers’ infidelities, come up with the idea to create a project. Frankie is an inspiring writer, and Zeke is an artist, and together they create a poster with a message that results in chaos.

The project becomes the defining moment in Frankie’s life, and through her narrative, the reader learns not only how it came to be but also how it came to define Frankie.

The narrative alternates between the summer of 1996 and 2017, all told through Frankie’s eyes. I loved her character, and Wilson perfectly captures the emotions of a 16-year-old girl, especially of one who feels like she doesn't fit inside her own skin.

Wilson transported me back to the 90s when the internet was new, google wasn't a verb, and social media didn't exist. The music, the boredom, and the displaced energy of the time permeate the pages.

I liked the first half of the book, but I honestly didn’t love it until the second part. Frankie’s obsession with the project and with Zeke became a little overwhelming, but I came to understand what both meant to her, especially viewing it all from the perspective of adult Frankie.

Wilson nicely balances a tone soaked in despair with humor. This is a unique story, and I enjoyed the journey it took me on. I can’t stop thinking about it, which is always a good sign. I recommend it to those who are looking for something a little outside of the norm--it is a quirky and oddly heartwarming story.

Don’t miss the author’s note to learn more about Wilson’s inspiration for this novel!

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and Ecco in exchange for an honest review.

"...it made me feel, for the first time, that maybe it was dumb to be embarrassed about weird things if you were really good at them. Or not good. If they made you happy...."

I am not going to spend time on the plot of Now Is Not the Time to Panic. Plenty has been written on that...the book's heart, richness and quirkiness. What I love about Kevin Wilson is his exquisite writing. I do not highlight text in books, but I couldn't stop myself when I read Now Is Not the Time to Panic. So many phrases, sentences, paragraphs resonated,

This is just a beautiful piece of writing with fully-fleshed characters and setting, a bittersweet, often funny and odd, look at teen angst and the creative spark that can change lives with an ending that felt right.

If you are a fan of Nothing to See Here, be sure to check out Kevin Wilson’s newest book, Now is Not the Time to Panic. This one has alternating timelines (one in the late 90s and the other in the present) and follows the comedic story of mass hysteria in a small town.

HIs writing and stories just get better with each book. How I loved this coming of age tale about 2 awkward teens and the repercussions that come with one summer deed. Just lovely.

Sharp, sweet, and a little heartbreaking, this charmer from Kevin Wilson is a lovely little book about friendship, imagination, and the struggle to let go of the past.

I loved the premise of this book and felt Wilson demonstrated a terrific understanding of the concept of coming of age and the view from a place where you feel like you just don’t quite fit in.

I loved his characters and the ways they interacted (successfully and not so successfully) with one another. The chain reaction set off by the posters felt like a character in and of itself, as though the art had a mind of its own. And that’s perhaps the best part of the story: Did the Art take over the characters’ actions so much that you might almost argue for its sentience? Or was the collective reaction to the art just make it appear that way? It’s an interesting thought to ponder when faced with any sort of mass panic or folie à deux , whether real or imagined.

I didn’t love the ending of this book, particularly with regard to Zeke’s character, but that’s really my only criticism of this story. I didn’t like it quite as much as Nothing to See Here, but that’s a pretty high bar, and this is a delightful novel in its own right.

A phone call from a reporter is where it all begins. Her questions send Frankie back in time, to the middle of nowhere Tennessee and the summer she was 16.

Frankie and Zeke, two bored teenagers, found each other that summer of 1997. And together, they made something bigger than both of them.

This book completely nailed the weird bubble of growing up in a small town in the late 90s, of finding out about things like grunge music through magazines or bootleg tapes, of having to really WORK to discover your teenage obsessions. The world was a lot smaller then.

Frankie positively pulses with the tender intensity of being a teenager. She’s confused and awkward and smart and bold. I loved her, and she’s such a fascinating, complete character.

Zeke is also compelling, in his own way. In fact, all of the characters are so richly drawn; that’s one of this author’s strengths.

I loved this book. After also loving Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson is now an auto read for me.

Thanks to @harpercollins and @netgalley for the e-ARC.

Check out this book if you like authentic character studies, or just want to relive the sweetness and trauma of adolescence.

Kevin Wilson is always fresh and never cliche. His stories never go quite the way I think they're going to go, but the surprises are gently handed over. He writes about weirdos, and the weirdo parts of normal people. They're always sweet, and charming, but never saccharine or cloying. I just can't get enough. Always such a nice time. Loved this story of a couple teenagers who make a piece of art that spurs a Satanic Panic in a small town, but I didn't connect with it as much as his last novel.

I've read a few of Kevin Wilson's books, and his characters are always quirky and interesting - and this book was no exception. Frankie and Zeke meet when he moves into his grandmother's house for the summer. They're both awkward 16-year-olds who find they don't fit in with other kids their age. On a whim, they make a poster containing a phrase Frankie can't get out of her head, along with Zeke's artwork. When they discover an old copier in Frankie's garage, they start making copies of the posters and hanging them all over town. Suddenly everyone is talking about the posters, and no one knows where they've come from. Is it the work of satanists? Terrorists? Kidnappers? Fast forward 20 years, long after Frankie and Zeke have lost touch, and a local reporter is writing a story on the Coalfield Panic of 1996. She contacts Frankie to ask about her involvement, and Frankie is worried that her carefully built life is going to fall apart. This is a gentle story and slow-moving in the best way. Frankie and Zeke are odd and understandable, and I was happy they found each other. This was a coming-of-age story about kids we've all known, and it was good to have some sort of closure at the end of the book. What really made this for me, though. was the forward the author wrote. Sometimes I skip over those, but this one was a must-read; I read it both before and after reading the book. It explains so much about this story and about others Mr. Wilson has written. Many thanks to NetGalley, Mr. Wilson, and Ecco for the ARC of this title.

I loved Kevin Wilson‘s book "Nothing to See Here" in which a slightly overwhelmed babysitter takes care of combustible children - a fabulous found family story. So when I saw that Kevin Wilson had another book coming out, I had to request it on @netgalley and got lucky.
"Now Is Not the Time to Panic," is a fast read. Frankie, now a successful writer, doctor‘s wife and mother is suddenly forced to remember the summer when she was 16, an awkward kid with no friends but the desire to make art through writing and how she found another lonely artist and things got out of hand ...
The book is full of quirky characters facing unusual situations. The writing is exquisite and the plot interesting, so is the question of responsibility for unforeseen consequences and how you deal with those - a coming of age conundrum.
Kevin Wilson is a masterful storyteller, i loved listening to a podcast episode with the author where he tells a bit about the background and inspiration that went into this story.

“To be a teenager, it takes very little to think that someone else might actually know who you are, even as you spend all your time thinking that no one understands you.”

This quick, immersive book caught my interest and held it right away. I haven’t yet read anything else by the author, but now plan to.

This is such a unique story to me that it is hard to describe succinctly. It is a coming-of-age tale, and yet so much more. It’s about the power of art, and secrets. The need for community and being seen and known. The story is simple, and yet complex. The suspenseful aspects of “what is going to happen!?” Push you forward. Wilson writes about the 90’s in away that I had nostalgia for aspects of my own childhood.

An interesting read, that is worth your time! Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5 Stars

Kevin Wilson, author of “Nothing to See Here,”  is back with his fourth novel of literary fiction, “Now is Not the Time to Panic.”  Sixteen year-old social outcast Frankie Budge lives in the small, sleepy town of Coalfield, Tennessee and meets a boy named Zeke who has just moved to town over the summer. Frankie is an aspiring author and Zeke is a passionate artist. Bored, they combine their artistic talents to create a piece of artwork - a poster with an unsettling mantra - and develop an obsession with hanging copies of the poster all over town. The town’s reaction to the poster spirals in an unexpected, soon uncontrollable direction that takes a dark turn, and Frankie and Zeke must reckon with the consequences.

In classic Wilson style, this book’s premise was extremely unique, and it asks interesting questions about morality and the power of art. I enjoyed Frankie as the nerdy but assertive narrator who is unapologetic about what she has created. Wilson shares in his foreword the autobiographical inspiration for this story, which was fascinating to think about when reading. So definitely don’t skip the foreword!

With that said, as a huge Kevin Wilson fan, I found this book to be lacking the same level of humor that he normally brings to his books, and certain parts of the story felt rushed while other sections felt unnecessary. For that reason, it wasn’t my favorite Wilson novel but it was nonetheless a very entertaining read and a great entry point into his work if you are interested!

Kevin Wilson is a great writer. His last book was great and this one is even better. I love the quirky characters and the unique situations in his books. This is a fast read, with crisp prose and likable characters. I'm still thinking about it a couple days after finishing.