This book was exactly what I thought it would be, adorable. I love the storyline, I’ve never read anything about friends making a TV show together. It was pretty interesting to read about the behind-the-scenes stuff going on.

I thought Rayne in Delia‘s friendship was one of the best portrayed friendships I’ve ever seen. I love that they each came from different backgrounds and help each other through all of the trials and tribulations that each we’re going through. I didn’t like either of them more than the other which was fun so I enjoyed seeing each of their views on life.

I enjoyed that it was lighthearted yet dealt with some heavy topics. If you are looking for a quick read that would kill will keep you entertained I would absolutely pick this book up. I believe this is the first book that I’ve read by this author but it absolutely will not be the last.

I have been a huge fan of Jeff Zentner since his debut and Morris Award winner novel The Serpent King. His first two novels dealing with grief and complex family dynamics were heavy and thought provoking. His latest novel, Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee is much lighter in comparison though it too has important themes such as mental health, depression, abandonment, and chasing your dreams.

The story rests on the shoulders of best friends Josie and Delia who dedicate their Friday nights to recording their public access TV show, Midnite Matinee, about old terrible horror movies (think Svengoolie). The tv show means different things for each of the girls. Josie sees it as a stepping stone towards a career in the TV industry while Delia has a more personal connection. Delia views the show as her one last connection to her absentee father. Unlike Josie, Delia simply wants things to remain the same even if that means holding Josie back from her dreams. Delia sets up a meeting at a horror convention in Florida. Little does she know, the whole future of the TV show rides on this convention.

Zentner has crafted a female friendship centric book that surprisingly feels authentic and organic as it discusses relationships and the future. Josie and Delia feel real and their deep bond with one another is realistic. Their humor and personalities balance one another and it is evident with how they react to one another even in nonverbal moments. While it did take me some time to understand how their relationship worked, I soon struck a chord with these two young women. Promises, secrets, and betrayals fuel the relationships in this narrative, but they are not of the catty kind which is often associated with women. The girls do want what is best for the other, but there is envy and privilege infused in their relationship. While there is drama and tension in the story it is not overly melodramatic. Josie begins a romantic relationship with Lawson which is incredibly sweet and adorable, but thankfully it does not overtake her existence and you can be relieved to know there is no love triangle. Delia confronts her long-lost father in a heart wrenching moment that reveals how flawed adults can be. Secondary characters are also fleshed out and add depth. If you are looking for a quick read full of humor and depth, be sure to pick up Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee.

Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee” was my first read by Jeff Zentner and sadly…I’m disappointed. The synopsis pulled me in, and I was anticipating this book big time! It just was not what I was expecting. If the book was solely Delia, the rating of this review would definitely be higher but alas, I must face the issues I had with Rayne/ Josie. The character was completely unlikeable and not a good person in general in my opinion. There were times I wanted to DNF, but I pressed on. Towards the second half of the book, things just became very, very unrealistic.
I have been recommended some of Jeff’s previous books and will definitely check them out but this one just wasn’t for me.

* I have received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review."

I cringe to even say this, but I didn't care for Rayne and Delilah. I love The Serpent King and Goodbye Days. I'm a fan of Jeff Zentner. The story is well written. I think I just prefer the sadness and emotional turmoil of the other books as opposed to the light hearted and more comedic style of this book. I was bored with the story and struggled to finish reading it. I could not connect with the characters. Unfortunately, this one fell short of what I expected. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, I am in love with a Jeff Zentner book. I fell in love with The Serpent King and then Goodbye Days. While this book tends to be different in tone I think fans of Zentner's previous books will love this one as well. I mean two girls who host their own cable access show that is similar in tone to Elvira, a basset hound who is used on the show, and a strong female friendship -- what's not to love??

“There’s something about witnessing something holy with someone you love, because you take that sacred thing and weave it, like a golden thread, into the fabric of your togetherness.”

Oh, friends! I feel so torn on this one. I do want to start this review off by saying that my dear friend Julie sent this to me, and a few of our other friends, as a traveling book so we could all record our thoughts and feelings with annotations! And, luckily for me, I was the last person to get the book, so I really loved being able to experience the story for myself, but to also see how my friends felt throughout their reading process, too!

But this is the very first book from Jeff Zentner that I’ve read, even though he has written so many of my best friends’ favorite book(s) of all time! And I’ll be honest, I was instantly completely captivated and enthralled by his writing and story crafting. I also love the Tennessee setting, the small town atmosphere, the poverty representation, and the spotlight on mental health more than I have words to express. But I was so torn on these two characters that it made for a truly strange reading experience that had me constantly conflicted at what to rate this story. (I’ll go into detail later in this review, but Delia’s storyline was easily five stars from me, where I still kind of want to hit Josie’s perspective with a one star!)

Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is a story all about friendship, and growing up, and becoming the person you want to be, while surrounding yourself with people who unconditionally love you and who are willing to unconditionally support you. This tale focuses on two girls who have poured their hearts, their tears, their sweat, and many years into hosting Midnite Matinee, which is a show that is broadcasted on a few TV stations, where these two girls celebrate their mutual love for old horror movies. And these two girls, celebrating dated scary movies, have really carved out a piece of happiness for themselves and for so many watchers at home. Yet, their senior year of high school is steadily coming to a close, and they are both becoming more and more unsure of what the future of Midnite Matinee will be.

“Sometimes small and unspectacular things can be a universe.”

➽ Josie / Rayne – Feeling the weight of her parents’ expectations, while also trying to balance her dreams of a career on television. She is very unsure which university she wants to go to; the one her parents want for her, which also has a once in a lifetime opportunity, or staying close to her hometown so that she can still make the show with her best friend.

➽ Delia / Delilah – Living her life in fear that the people she loves will one day abandon her, after waking up to find her father gone when she was little. And she is trying to figure out if she is chasing her own dreams, or the dreams of a man who left her without a goodbye.

“Someday I’d love to know why the people with the least to lose are always losing the little they have.”

I would die for Delia. Completely. Her character was expertly done and she made me feel every emotion in the entire world. Josie? Not so much. I understand that you have to do what is right for you, and live the life you want to live, but Josie did so many things that I just thought were uncalled for and she really never seemed like a good friend or a good person, honestly.

There is also a romantic subplot with Josie and an MMA fighter who helped the girls on their show one night. His name is Lawson and I believe he is biracial (white and Latinx), and he was a joy to read. And between us? He could have done a whole hell of a lot better than Josie.

But we get to see both of these girls (and Lawson) got on a road trip to a horror convention, where they are going to put it all on the line, one last time, and try to make it big with their show. But during the trip, both girls learn a lot about themselves and the wounds they were pretending were healed.

I really loved how this book constantly talks about medication and normalizes the use of antidepressants. This is a constant theme for Delia and her mother, and this book also touches on how mental health issues can be passed down, and how it is important to make sure you are putting yourself and your mental health first and getting treatment.

“It wasn’t a perfect day, but it’s worth hanging on to.”

I will say that this book took a really unrealistic and very unexpected turn towards the end of the novel and it left a really weird taste in my mouth. It honestly felt straight up out of a cartoon or something, and I feel like it felt so out of place compared to the rest of the book.

I also feel like there was a last minute addition to this story that was very reminiscent of a John Green tearjerker moment, and… I don’t think the book needed it. Both girls (one likable, one not) and their struggles were valid and heartfelt enough to not add something that felt so out of the blue just to make the reader cry.

Overall, I really did enjoy this one. And I never really wanted to put it down. But that random, mustache twirling villain, and Josie being truly an insufferable character, I just can’t give this book more than a three star rating. But I am very excited to see what Jeff Zentner does next, and I am really looking forward to going back and reading his back-list, because this book truly held some of the most beautiful writing and a truly unforgettable character who I will carry with me forever.

Another great book delivered by Jeff Zentner. This book is hilarious and will also make you cry. The friendship in this story is amazing! I absolutely love the friendship Josie and Delia share. Perfect read that I think young adults will really be able to relate to.

I might try this again later but this book is making me so angry I can't stand it. I hate the way Josie views the world around her and I hate her inability to look outside of her own grossly over-privileged bubble for more than half a second at a time, and I'm not even remotely enjoying watching Delia rake her poor mother over the coals with her obsession over finding her deadbeat runaway father.

It's really such a shame, because with my lifelong obsession with horror films and anything related to them, this book could have been the perfect fit for me, but these characters are just insufferable.

Full of adorable friendships and an equally adorable romance, Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee follows two besties/B-horror movie hostesses who share the best of the worst in horror with their public-access TV audience every Saturday night. Quirky, weird, heartwarming, and sad all at the same time, Zentner's novel will bring you to tears (both kinds)! While a little over the top at times, that's definitely part of its charm. Come for the horror movie references, stay for the strong female friendship.

Delia (aka Delilah Darkwood) and Josie (aka Rayne Ravenscroft) are best friends and co-hosts of their public access horror show Midnite Matinee. Delia, the show's creator and horror maven, does Matinee because she secretly hopes her dad (who abandoned Delia and her mom when Delia was about six and instilled in Delia a love for so-bad-they're-funny horror movies) will see them. Josie does the show because she has always dreamed of being on tv, and working on the show is great experience for her. But, getting a Food Network internship when she goes away for college would be even better. But, Josie takes her responsibility as Delia's biffle seriously, and Josie isn't sure whether or not Delia can handle being "abandoned" again. Making the decision to move away for college even harder is Lawson, the boyfriend who is super sweet, super nice, super perfect, and supes everything, who is determined to stay in Jackson, too. But... maybe... driving down to Orlando for ShiverCon the summer after graduation will make Josie's decision easier-- especially if they get to have a Meeting with Jack Devine, horror host extraordinaire.

Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee is a book about friendship (also Lawson and Josie's relationship is adorable. Zentner does romance fantastically, especially for a straight dude.) and learning how to let friends go and how to not let yourself be bombasted by the experience.

I enjoyed Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee. It's definitely funny, and I loved all the extreme similes that Josie and Delia say. It is much funnier than The Serpent King. It does drag in some parts, but that could also be blamed on my head space-- I don't think I'm in the exact right time/space to read this book at this exact moment, but it was still enjoyable. And it still is meaningful and has authentic characters that so many teen readers can have window/mirror experiences with.

In the preface he says that this book isn't like his other books because it is more comedic. For values of not being like other Jeff Zentner books this is true. For empirical values of this is a comedy, this is less true. Don't get me wrong there were a lot of moments when I laughed out loud (at the gym no less, which garnered me strange looks - does nobody else ever read books that make them laugh?), but the heart of this book is not comedic.

The soul of this book is a love story about about friendship, and the strength that friendship can give you. The exploration of Delia and Josie's friendship, and the arc of realization that friendship is not does not have to be finite to time and place is lovely, and a little heart breaking in the way that growing up is always a little heart breaking

Another great read from Jeff Zentner! This book was much happier and lighthearted overall than his other books, but the voice and tone and characters are just as spot on as I've come to expect. I loved the tight knit friendship between Delia and Josie and how that relationship changed and grew as they each weathered the obstacles life threw at them. If you enjoyed any of his other books I'd recommend it for sure or if you just like contemporary YA in general.

This book was refreshing. It didn't focus on a romance, or one main plot. It had several, and it made it feel all the more real. Josie and Delia's friendship is one that can withstand a lot, and watching them do what they love together and separate was so nice.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2019’and Jeff Zentner did not disappoint! The story of two high school friends who dress up in costume and host a horror movie themed show on public television is a delightful read! I loved the character development in this one and the fact that the characters got equal treatment as we learned about their pasts and their dreams. Definitely give this one a read! You will love it! Thanks Net Galley for giving me an ARC!

Beautiful! This book is funny and relatable and I love the characters.

The main selling point of this book is the focus on friendship between two girls (although there's also m/f romance). Josie and Delia love each other so much, and it was so well-written that I was shocked to remember at the end that this was written by a man because I related to it so much. A lot of the humor comes from the dialogue between Josie and Delia just bouncing off each other, and I love it a lot.

This is also my kind of writing. I want funny! I want sappy! I want weird metaphors to make me cry! There were a few touches where the writing wasn't perfect — just some places where it didn't land, or one plot point that went a little too far into bizarre for me — but overall 9/10, made me tear up and was fun to read.

So basically it's any Becky Albertalli book + Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, and you need it in your life.

This book started out as a fun, light, quirky read, but towards the end, it revealed itself to be so much more. Funny, but also poignant and full of heart. The friendship between the two main characters reminded me so much of the friendship between Enid and Rebecca from the movie Ghost World (one of my faves). A beautifully written coming of age story- will definitely be adding Jeff Zentner’s other books to my list.

I've known Jeff Zentner was an amazing author for a while now. Serpent King and Goodbye Days ruined me. Seriously, I don't cry easily over book but both of those destroyed me and several boxes of tissues.. When I heard RAYNE AND DELILAH'S MIDNITE MATINEE was more a comedy, I had my doubts. Most authors don't do well switching between different styles and I couldn't imagine Zentner going from tearing my heart out to making me laugh. But he did.

I don't say this lightly- RAYNE AND DELILAH is Zentner's glow-up book. This is the book that took him (for me) from a "I might buy it" author to an "I'd pre-order his grocery list" author. I only have two of those authors. Adding a third seemed impossible. It's happened. I will buy anything he writes.

Zentner's southern voice in this novel is not only authentic, something we severely lack across all genres, but also self-aware. He has a way of making light of the way we speak in the deep south without actually making fun of it. Yes, we all know that county boy that ends everything he says with "Hell." And yes, we all know someone who speaks as if they've had a traumatic brain injury while eating cornbread and collard greens. But instead of making it seem overly ignorant, Zentner treats it as it is- local flavor and a part of life when you live down yonder.

I was also surprised at how both character AND plot driven this book is. Zentner's real gift is in characters- he can make you care about what they are doing regardless of what they are doing. In terms of plot, none of his books have felt very plot driven to me but this one had me rooting for the characters AND their end goals.

The friendship and the romance in this book is what sealed the deal for me. I'm a sucker on all levels for a strong, realistic friendships and the one between Josie and Delia is probably the most realistic one I've ever read in YA. Zentner also has a knack for young romances (something he seems to deny but the denial is unnecessary). I truly appreciated that the romance in the book was a) obviously young, b) didn't have sex (I couldn't read a book containing sex from a young girl's perspective written by a thirty-something year old man), and c) didn't fix anything in Josie or make like herself better or any of that other bs a lot of YA romance tries to sell. It was refreshing to see a male love interest recognize and understand that he doesn't have to step in in every situation... which allowed Josie to keep her agency and didn't change the independent character we met at the beginning of the story.

Speaking of characters, Zentner is the master of multi-dimensional characters. I enjoyed that not a single character had just one set of goals or dreams or hobbies, and even the minor characters in this book are completely memorable and fleshed out.

Jeff Zentner is the leading southern voice in YA and this book sealed that fact for me.

Please see my review on the Librarians Lit Books blog.

Before I extol on the virtues of Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee, I need to vent. Y’know, sometimes technology is a bummer. Jeff Zentner is one of those authors whose lines you want to highlight and remember (I have a friend [I’m looking at you, Andrea Head] who had Zentner initial all of her highlights in The Serpent King, lol - great idea, BTW). I first read this book in January as I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced review eBook from Edelweiss (thanks, Edelweiss!). My reading flow was frequently broken because I kept stopping and virtually highlighting passages. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. Stupidly, when I finished reading, I did not write my review and note my highlighted passages. Then comes book release day, February 26. I bought the audiobook and happily reread the book via listening. As I did the first time, I bookmarked passages in the audiobook. Stupidly, when I finished listening, I did not write my review and note my bookmarked passages. You know where this is going. I sat down this morning to write my review and all of my highlights, in both the eBook and the eAudiobook, were gone. Heavy sigh. Oh, well. Guess I’ll have to read it again!! I bought the book so I’m ready to read and highlight those passages permanently. I don’t mind but I’m writing the review right now, without pages of quoted passages. You’re welcome?

Delia and Josie are best friends with alter egos. These alter egos, Rayne and Delilah, host a late night creature feature on access TV. Their reasons for doing the show are very different. Delia does the show in an attempt to communicate with her dad. See, he left without a word and without a trace when she was little. She has fond memories of the bad monster movies they used to watch together. All she has left of him are memories and the VHS tapes of those movies. Josie does the show to gain TV experience. Since she was little, Josie has dreamed of working on TV in front of the camera. She has no passion for the campy movies they show but she loves Delia and the fun they have on their show and making fun of Arliss (the grumpy guy in charge at the TV station) and texting each other random nonsense and all the other things best friends do. For Josie, Midnite Matinee is temporary until she goes to college. For Delia, this is it. When they get invited to attend a Con in Orlando where they can meet the infamous Jack Devine and possibly get him to help them make the show bigger and better, Delia is thrilled. Not only because of what it could mean to the show but also because she’ll have the opportunity to meet her dad (she hired a PI who found him living in Boca Raton). Josie is less than thrilled about attending the Con but she’ll do anything for Delia. The only way she is able to convince her parents to allow her to go is if she promises to do an internship in Knoxville if things don’t work out with Jack Devine. Josie agrees but doesn’t tell Delia. What follows is Josie and Delia’s sweet and HILARIOUS journey of growing up despite the fear of growing apart.

I only mention it in the last sentence of my summary but I cannot stress enough how completely funny this book is. I laughed out loud reading it the first time and probably laughed, even more, listening to the audiobook. Josie and Delia are two very amusing gals that give absolutely zero craps. They’ll say anything to anyone and it makes this book so, so fun to read. I neglected to mention Lawson in my summary but he is a wonderful addition to the book. After making a guest appearance on the show, he and Josie become friends and eventually more and their relationship is as cute as can be (at first, Delia can’t help but see that relationship as anything more than another thing taking Josie away from her).


At its heart, this story is about friendship and how the nature of friendships may change but the bond can remain. Zentner ties this in beautifully with the central theme of dreaming big but accepting mediocrity and finding the beauty in that mediocrity. One of my highlighted passages did survive:
In my mind, I say, Remember, remember.
In my heart, I say Thank you over and over. Thank you, show, for giving me my best friend and my boyfriend. Thank you for being the first step on my path to realize my dreams. Thank you for being something I helped build with my own hands and heart and mind.
Gripping me inside too is the profound ache of nostalgia for something that’s not even a part of my past yet.
Sometimes small and unspectacular things can be a universe.

Jeff Zentner is not one of my favorite people, and I found it incredibly hard to separate the art from the artist. Even putting that aside, I wasn't feeling this book. It doesn't have the same heart that Zentner's past books had. I hope that this was just a fluke, but even so, I might not be picking up more by this author in the future.

If this book was a person, I picture an Italian grandmother scooping it up and calling it a cutie patootie and smooshing its cheeks. This was such a fun book and I really enjoyed my time with it - such a fun read and I only wish I'd been able to read it sooner so I could have shared on its pub date! Sorry Mr. Zentner :(