*Starred Review* Josie and Delia are the hosts of cable television's delightfully cornball Midnite Matinee, which features hokey horror movies bracketed by humorous banter and goofy skits. For Delia, the show is her heart and soul, resurrecting the old movies that she shared with her long-absent father. Josie, however, could leave their small town to take an internship with the Food Network if she chooses to pursue a serious television career. Further complications ensue when the girls meet Lawson, a young MMA practitioner who brings his beagle to the studio to star in a staged wedding with Josie's basset hound (long story), and sparks fly between the dogs' owners. The story reaches a perfect road trip crescendo when Delia, Josie, and Lawson travel to Orlando for ShiverCon, presenting Delia with a chance to track down her missing dad. At the same time, Josie gets a look at the uglier side of show business. As in his award-winning The Serpent King (2016), Zentner serves up a poignantly satisfying blend of wit and pathos with lovable and unpredictable characters. The banter between the characters is smart and funny, and even the text messages capture full nuances of emotion. Readers looking for an unforgettable slice of small-town angst will love this one.--Diane Colson Copyright 2018 Booklist

By day, they're just high school seniors from Jackson, Tennessee.Come 11:00 on Saturday nights, Josie (aka Rayne Ravenscroft) and Delia (aka Delilah Darkwood) are hosts of Midnite Matinee, a public access cable show that bookends cult horror films with eccentric entertainmenta skeleton costume dance party, a Frankenstein puppet reading fan mail. Middle-class Josie doesn't love horror movies, but she's a natural in front of the camera and wants to pursue a career in television. Her parents urge her to attend school in Knoxville, where she can intern with the Food Network, but that would mean leaving the showand Delia. Meanwhile, Delia, living in a trailer with a struggling, depressed single mother (the portrayal of mental illness, including a positive attitude toward antidepressants, is very welcome), considers herself firmly mediocre. Being on camera frightens herbut the old movies are her last link with her father, who took off when she was 7. Delia's desperate to reconnect. When a PI discovers that her father might be in Florida, near the ShiverCon convention where famed host Jack Devine might help them garner a wider audience, they take a road trip. Zentner (GoodbyeDays, 2017, etc.) nails his teen characters, their longings, and their motivations, and the first chapters are downright hilarious. Over-the-top Devine lessens the overall impact of a story that still closes well. Despite the diversity of the actual setting, all characters follow a white default. Short of brilliant, but only just. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 9 Up-Friday nights are booked for best friends Josie and Delia. The two high school seniors record their public access TV show about old terrible horror movies. After graduation, Josie wants a career in the TV industry while Delia simply wants things to remain the same. She's planning to upgrade their TV show in hopes that Josie will decide to stay and not leave her, like her father did. 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 book filled with tension about relationships and the future. Promises, secrets, and betrayals fuel the relationships in this narrative. The girls have a deep bond and showcase their affection toward each other with witty comments, random questions, and sassy attitudes. While the friendship between them remains at the forefront, sideplots include Josie beginning a romantic relationship and Delia confronting her long-lost father. Secondary characters are fleshed out and add depth. This work tackles mental health, depression, abandonment, and chasing your dreams. VERDICT This is a quirky fun, read that will give teens all the feels. A good selection where contemporary fiction centering friendships is popular.-Jennifer Rummel, Cragin Library, Colchester, CT © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, the alter egos of high-school seniors Josie and Delia, are hosts of the campy public-access show Midnite Matinee. Every Saturday night at their Jackson, Tennessee, television station, the girls don Goth garb and introduce a low-budget horror or sci-fi movie. Producing the show helps each girl cope with her own real-life drama. Delia, who suffers from depression, has hired a private eye to track down her dad, who abandoned the family when she was eight. Josie, who dreams of a TV career, is trying to decide whether to go away to college and accept a Food Network internship or stay local and make a go of Midnite Matinee. Theres also the issue of Lawson, a mixed-martial-arts fighter and Josies new boyfriend, whos arrived just in time to make her choice harder. When the three of them take a road trip to Orlando to attend ShiverCon, the already-quirky narrative begins to verge on the absurd, with the appearance of the Russian mob and an enraged Austrian Olympic womens shotput medalist. Readers with patience for the layers of gratuitous eccentric detail that permeate this plot will, however, be rewarded with a heartfelt story of a friendship in transition, fueled by funny, rapid-fire dialogue. jennifer hubert swan January/February 2019 p 108(c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In Jackson, Tenn., best friends and high school seniors Josie and Delia host a public access show called Midnight Matinee. Every Friday night, their alter egos, Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, screen low-budget horror films, hamming it up in comedic segments. Delia's father left the videos behind when he abandoned the family, and she's eager to both track him down and make the show a success. Meanwhile, Josie's family is pressuring her to attend college and accept a television internship in Knoxville-something she'd have to quit the show to do. When the girls get a flyer to ShiverCon in Orlando, Fla., they agree to attend. If they can persuade creature-feature legend Jack Devine to help them take their show to the next level, Josie will go to college close to home. But things go awry in Orlando, and Delia learns her father is also in Florida. Zentner (The Serpent King) expertly channels the voices of two young women, one convinced she will always be left behind and one certain she is destined for greatness. Written in alternating perspectives, Zentner's quick-witted, charming characters tackle real-life issues with snappy dialogue and engaging levity. Ages 14-up. Agent: Charlie Olsen, Inkwell Management. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.