Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six.

But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show's guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder. 

Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he'll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too.

As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous...and momentous.

My thoughts-

Before I even get started about the content of the book, I have to say that this is my favorite book cover in a while. It just screamed out to me. I am not sure if it's the beautiful colors or the two besties sitting on the stairs together or all of the above, but I super seriously love this cover! The book started out a little slow for me and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but about 1/4th of the way through things picked up and I was hooked. I don't say this often, but Rayne and Delilah read like a movie to movie. Like I want someone to buy the rights and make this into a movie because it was so vivid in my mind. Zentner did a great job at giving a perfect picture of each of these characters. I enjoyed Josey and Delia's friendship because I have two best friends that I feel the exact same way about. I can relate to Delia on a deep level because I had the same feelings about my absentee father around the same age but didn't have the personality to seek out answers at that time and I don't think I could have handled it if I did, so even though sometimes she is portrayed as kind of a weak character I see her as stoic and strong. Many of the feelings of abandonment that abide in her mind are feelings I am super familiar with. Beyond the seriousness of Delia's home life, the two friends are very funny and play off of each other well. Sometimes their interactions with other people can be completely over the top but for the most part I enjoyed their banter. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good YA book or rom-com because there is a nice little love story nestled in here as well.  Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee will be available on February 26.