This was a semi-odd book that started to really grow on me as the book went on. I think it captures the desire to be cool, not even necessarily fit-in but have your own special thing. It certainly captured the awkwardness of being a young person and not quite understanding sexual desires (yours or others). It shows that you can make major impacts and certain things will stick with you throughout your life. This book hit on the same note that I felt Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick also did. Had similar feels to Perks of Being a Wallflower and while it did hit home for me in some ways, I think had I read this book in high school or my early 20's I would have been enamored. I did enjoy it but I'm at a different phase in my life, *late* (eek!) 30's and my reading style has evolved in some ways. Nonetheless, I enjoyed how odd yet familiar this book was.

I really enjoyed this book! It really captured the feeling of being young and feeling so, so weird. I loved the commentary on art and the different ways that culture catches on.

Zeke and Frankie are outcasts that find each other. They spend one summer hanging out, having fun together, and creating an art project that eventually gets out of hand. Zeke creates the artwork and Frankie writes the quote. Thanks to a stolen copier, her brothers' idea, she is able to make many copies of the poster. Zeke and Frankie decide to take the copies and spread them around the town. What comes next is total chaos and a summer that no one forgets. This is the second book I have read from Kevin Wilson and now I want to read more.

"Now Is Not the Time to Panic" is a compelling and engaging coming-of-age novel that took me back to the late '90s with its authentic portrayal of two teenagers, Frankie and Zeke. Their unexpected friendship and the art project they create, which unknowingly goes viral before the age of social media, make for a fascinating and nostalgic read.

As adults, Frankie's character grated on me a bit due to her constant focus on the past and that eventful summer. However, their teenage selves were incredibly likable and relatable, and I found myself cheering for their desire to make a lasting impact on the world. The depiction of how the poster took on a life of its own, spreading like wildfire and causing hysteria in the town, was both intriguing and realistic.

While the story predominantly revolves around teenagers, the universal themes explored in the book give it widespread appeal beyond the YA genre. The exploration of fame, memory, and confronting the past adds depth to the narrative. However, I couldn't help but feel that there were missed opportunities to delve even deeper into these themes and fully flesh out the characters' growth as adults.

Despite these missed opportunities, "Now Is Not the Time to Panic" remains a great read that captivated me from start to finish. It skillfully captures the essence of the late '90s and offers an emotionally resonant journey through fame, friendship, and the consequences of one summer's artistic experiment.

I really enjoyed this and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read it! What a wonderful book!

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.