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olivialandryxo 's review for:
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee
by Jeff Zentner
CW: poverty, depression, suicidal thoughts, abandonment
I didn’t plan to read this novel, but checked the audiobook out on a whim. Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee was a cheesy story sprinkled with unexpected emotion, but overall merely average.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading, and two girls hosting a public access horror show wasn’t it. The Midnite Matinee was often cringeworthy, but it grew on me. The vampire costumes and puns were fun, the value it held in Delia and Josie’s friendship endearing.
A big part of the story is Delia tracking down the father that abandoned her and her mother nearly ten years prior. She’s still trying to cope with those emotions, still wondering why. Her dad leaving sent her mom’s depression spiraling worse than ever before, and left Delia doubting that anyone would be a permanent figure in her life. While my situation doesn’t mirror hers, I’ve had something similar happen with my own father. I really empathized with her as she realized that she’d never have a father figure and tried to recover from that new wave of emotional turmoil. I didn’t believe this novel would be as heartbreaking as the blurbs implied, but this aspect hit home and proved me wrong.
Despite the emotions that subplot brought out in me, this novel wasn’t my favorite. Some aspects were overly dramatic — the horror star Delia and Josie sought out at a convention was literally involved with the Russian mafia. Others were ignored in favor of less favorable things — Josie’s boyfriend Lawson, a sweet MMA fighter, occasionally helped with the show but mainly drove a wedge between her and Delia. Additionally, the writing was plain, and for the most part, I didn’t care about what was happening.
To be honest, I don’t have much else to say about Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. If not for the subplot with Delia’s father, this would likely be a two star read. That was a crucial part of Delia’s character development and her relationship with her mother, and it allowed for positive depiction of antidepressants in everyday life. But I didn’t care much about the other aspects, and in time, I likely won’t remember this novel.
I didn’t plan to read this novel, but checked the audiobook out on a whim. Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee was a cheesy story sprinkled with unexpected emotion, but overall merely average.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading, and two girls hosting a public access horror show wasn’t it. The Midnite Matinee was often cringeworthy, but it grew on me. The vampire costumes and puns were fun, the value it held in Delia and Josie’s friendship endearing.
A big part of the story is Delia tracking down the father that abandoned her and her mother nearly ten years prior. She’s still trying to cope with those emotions, still wondering why. Her dad leaving sent her mom’s depression spiraling worse than ever before, and left Delia doubting that anyone would be a permanent figure in her life. While my situation doesn’t mirror hers, I’ve had something similar happen with my own father. I really empathized with her as she realized that she’d never have a father figure and tried to recover from that new wave of emotional turmoil. I didn’t believe this novel would be as heartbreaking as the blurbs implied, but this aspect hit home and proved me wrong.
Despite the emotions that subplot brought out in me, this novel wasn’t my favorite. Some aspects were overly dramatic — the horror star Delia and Josie sought out at a convention was literally involved with the Russian mafia. Others were ignored in favor of less favorable things — Josie’s boyfriend Lawson, a sweet MMA fighter, occasionally helped with the show but mainly drove a wedge between her and Delia. Additionally, the writing was plain, and for the most part, I didn’t care about what was happening.
To be honest, I don’t have much else to say about Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. If not for the subplot with Delia’s father, this would likely be a two star read. That was a crucial part of Delia’s character development and her relationship with her mother, and it allowed for positive depiction of antidepressants in everyday life. But I didn’t care much about the other aspects, and in time, I likely won’t remember this novel.