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Nobody Panic! (Deluxe Edition): A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 20 Apr 27Someone in Somerville has made a deal with the devil, and that devil might be closer than you think…
In the sweltering, bug-choked summer of 1986, local misfit Janet Morgan joins her small town’s PTA expecting big hair and idle gossip. Instead, she finds a string of missing matriarchs—and their husbands, who don’t seem too worried about their vanished wives.
Janet, however, can sense a mystery unfolding. And when her best friend is the next to disappear, she becomes more convinced than ever that something dark has arrived in Somerville.
Armed with her encyclopedic true crime knowledge, the snarky wit of two other misfit moms, and a new-to-town coroner’s apprentice, Janet starts digging. What she uncovers is more than a string of disappearances—it’s a dark secret stretching back generations, bound up in a deal far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.
In order to stop all H-E-double hockey sticks from breaking loose, Janet will have to confront the demons inside her home before the shadows consuming Somerville claim her too.
In the sweltering, bug-choked summer of 1986, local misfit Janet Morgan joins her small town’s PTA expecting big hair and idle gossip. Instead, she finds a string of missing matriarchs—and their husbands, who don’t seem too worried about their vanished wives.
Janet, however, can sense a mystery unfolding. And when her best friend is the next to disappear, she becomes more convinced than ever that something dark has arrived in Somerville.
Armed with her encyclopedic true crime knowledge, the snarky wit of two other misfit moms, and a new-to-town coroner’s apprentice, Janet starts digging. What she uncovers is more than a string of disappearances—it’s a dark secret stretching back generations, bound up in a deal far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.
In order to stop all H-E-double hockey sticks from breaking loose, Janet will have to confront the demons inside her home before the shadows consuming Somerville claim her too.
352 pages, Paperback
Expected publication April 20, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75⭐️
Suburban life in 1986, missing PTA mums and a neighbourhood where something doesn’t quite add up. Janet Morgan has a mystery on her hands, and she’s not about to let it go!
With moth infestations causing trouble and husbands keeping secrets from their wives, Janet suspects there’s more going on in Somerville than meets the eye. Teaming up with a ragtag bunch of fellow outsiders, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. What could possibly go wrong?
I loved the premise of this one! The 80s setting was a real highlight for me, too. From the song-inspired chapter titles to the references to films, technology and even the food, I loved all those little details. They really brought the era to life and added to the fun.
C. J. Vick’s writing is witty, dark and full of personality. The humour works brilliantly alongside the horror, giving the story that campy 80s B-movie feel. There’s gore, some pretty gruesome descriptions of dead bodies and plenty of outrageous moments as things unfold. And that final scene? Well, they certainly weren’t holding back!
The characters were a fun bunch, and I enjoyed seeing Janet team up with the other outsiders to work out what was going on. There’s certainly no shortage of weirdness in Somerville, that’s for sure!
My only niggle was that just over halfway through, I felt the story could have been shortened somewhat. Although I was enjoying it, parts felt a little longer than necessary, and a tighter pace would have made it even better.
Overall, I had a really good time with this one. It’s an entertaining read packed with dark humour, horror and 80s nostalgia. If you fancy something a little different, with a wonderfully weird premise, a campy B-movie vibe and a finale that goes completely over the top, this might just be the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and C. J. Vick for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: April 20th, 2027
Suburban life in 1986, missing PTA mums and a neighbourhood where something doesn’t quite add up. Janet Morgan has a mystery on her hands, and she’s not about to let it go!
With moth infestations causing trouble and husbands keeping secrets from their wives, Janet suspects there’s more going on in Somerville than meets the eye. Teaming up with a ragtag bunch of fellow outsiders, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. What could possibly go wrong?
I loved the premise of this one! The 80s setting was a real highlight for me, too. From the song-inspired chapter titles to the references to films, technology and even the food, I loved all those little details. They really brought the era to life and added to the fun.
C. J. Vick’s writing is witty, dark and full of personality. The humour works brilliantly alongside the horror, giving the story that campy 80s B-movie feel. There’s gore, some pretty gruesome descriptions of dead bodies and plenty of outrageous moments as things unfold. And that final scene? Well, they certainly weren’t holding back!
The characters were a fun bunch, and I enjoyed seeing Janet team up with the other outsiders to work out what was going on. There’s certainly no shortage of weirdness in Somerville, that’s for sure!
My only niggle was that just over halfway through, I felt the story could have been shortened somewhat. Although I was enjoying it, parts felt a little longer than necessary, and a tighter pace would have made it even better.
Overall, I had a really good time with this one. It’s an entertaining read packed with dark humour, horror and 80s nostalgia. If you fancy something a little different, with a wonderfully weird premise, a campy B-movie vibe and a finale that goes completely over the top, this might just be the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and C. J. Vick for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: April 20th, 2027
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
**4.5-stars**
In the Summer of 1986, moths inundated the town of Somerville, and Janet was strong-armed by her BFF Maggie into joining the PTA. Two wild occurrences.
Janet has an overriding misfit reputation that's plagued her since high school, but Maggie's support and good humor is enough to drag her out of the house for one night. With her slightly melted deviled eggs in tow, the ladies make their way to the meeting.
Unfortunately, most of the other members are just as awful as Janet remembers, and she clearly sticks out like a sore thumb. What's also noticeable is the absence of Sue, the best bundt cake maker known to man.
The next day, Sue's body is discovered, the first in what becomes a series of missing housewives. The official story isn't adding up. Janet's encyclopedic knowledge of true crime assures her of that.
When Maggie is the next to go missing, Janet is convinced something malevolent is sweeping through Somerville.
Pairing up with two other misfit moms, and the coroner's apprentice, who had a big ole' crush on Janet in high school, Janet starts investigating and what she uncovers goes way deeper than Sue's murder, and a few missing PTA members.
It appears Somerville has been harboring a dark secret spanning back generations. In order to stop this plague on the town, it appears that Janet will need to confront the demons in her own home first. If she fails, she risks losing herself and all she loves forever to the darkness.
After reading the synopsis for Nobody Panic!, I knew this was a story I wanted to pick up right away. It sounded pure 80s, like one of the fun chaotic and campy Horror stories that I was raised on, and it didn't disappoint.
This is such a fun read. It's campy in all the right ways. It's almost innocent in a way, Janet's personality and the way the drama unfolds, it so pure and good.
The plot was dripping with 80s-nostalgia and Satanic Panic. Vick definitely delivered all the vibes I was hoping for when I went into it.
The only very slight critique I would give is that in the later half, when action really began to pick up, it was hard for me to stay focused, or really picture in my mind, all of what was going on. It had moments where it was almost too chaotic, if that makes sense.
However, this is probably more of a me problem than the book. I mention it only because it did have a slight effect on my experience, as I had to read certain sections a couple of times in order to track what was going on.
Focusing on the numerous positives though, Vick knocked the tone and humor of 80s-Horror out of the park. The chapters were also each titled after 80s-songs, which was so fun. I would love a complete playlist. It would be amazing.
I would definitely recommend this to people who love campy Horror, or books with heavy 80s vibes. Also, definitely recommend for fans of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. The two could be cousins.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know this doesn't release for a long time yet, but I couldn't resist picking it up to kick off my Spooky Season.
Also, if this is a debut from C.J. Vick, I think we're going to have a long and beautiful relationship. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!!!
In the Summer of 1986, moths inundated the town of Somerville, and Janet was strong-armed by her BFF Maggie into joining the PTA. Two wild occurrences.
Janet has an overriding misfit reputation that's plagued her since high school, but Maggie's support and good humor is enough to drag her out of the house for one night. With her slightly melted deviled eggs in tow, the ladies make their way to the meeting.
Unfortunately, most of the other members are just as awful as Janet remembers, and she clearly sticks out like a sore thumb. What's also noticeable is the absence of Sue, the best bundt cake maker known to man.
The next day, Sue's body is discovered, the first in what becomes a series of missing housewives. The official story isn't adding up. Janet's encyclopedic knowledge of true crime assures her of that.
When Maggie is the next to go missing, Janet is convinced something malevolent is sweeping through Somerville.
Pairing up with two other misfit moms, and the coroner's apprentice, who had a big ole' crush on Janet in high school, Janet starts investigating and what she uncovers goes way deeper than Sue's murder, and a few missing PTA members.
It appears Somerville has been harboring a dark secret spanning back generations. In order to stop this plague on the town, it appears that Janet will need to confront the demons in her own home first. If she fails, she risks losing herself and all she loves forever to the darkness.
After reading the synopsis for Nobody Panic!, I knew this was a story I wanted to pick up right away. It sounded pure 80s, like one of the fun chaotic and campy Horror stories that I was raised on, and it didn't disappoint.
This is such a fun read. It's campy in all the right ways. It's almost innocent in a way, Janet's personality and the way the drama unfolds, it so pure and good.
The plot was dripping with 80s-nostalgia and Satanic Panic. Vick definitely delivered all the vibes I was hoping for when I went into it.
The only very slight critique I would give is that in the later half, when action really began to pick up, it was hard for me to stay focused, or really picture in my mind, all of what was going on. It had moments where it was almost too chaotic, if that makes sense.
However, this is probably more of a me problem than the book. I mention it only because it did have a slight effect on my experience, as I had to read certain sections a couple of times in order to track what was going on.
Focusing on the numerous positives though, Vick knocked the tone and humor of 80s-Horror out of the park. The chapters were also each titled after 80s-songs, which was so fun. I would love a complete playlist. It would be amazing.
I would definitely recommend this to people who love campy Horror, or books with heavy 80s vibes. Also, definitely recommend for fans of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. The two could be cousins.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know this doesn't release for a long time yet, but I couldn't resist picking it up to kick off my Spooky Season.
Also, if this is a debut from C.J. Vick, I think we're going to have a long and beautiful relationship. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nobody Panic! really said, “What if suburban PTA drama, missing housewives, 1980s madness, and the devil all showed up to the same neighborhood meeting?” And honestly, I was absolutely ready to RSVP. 😂
This debut thriller was such a wonderfully strange surprise. I went in expecting missing women and something sinister lurking beneath the surface, but I wasn't prepared for just how deliciously weird, campy, and entertaining this story would become.
Janet Morgan is exactly the kind of protagonist I love following into trouble. She is curious, observant, restless, and clearly far too interested in true crime for her own safety. What starts as an ordinary PTA obligation quickly turns into something much darker when women in Somerville begin disappearing and nobody seems particularly interested in asking questions.
Well, Janet is interested.
VERY interested.
And naturally, this is where everything starts going completely off the rails.
I absolutely loved the mix of thriller, horror, dark humor, and supernatural weirdness. There is something so much fun about taking the picture perfect suburban world of the 1980s and slowly peeling away the polished surface until you realize there is something seriously rotten underneath all those perfectly maintained homes, polite smiles, and neighborhood gatherings.
The friendships were another big highlight for me. Janet and the women around her bring so much personality to the story, especially because they don't exactly look like the traditional heroes who would go chasing after a mystery involving missing women and possibly something demonic. Watching them get pulled deeper into the chaos together was one of my favorite parts.
And the atmosphere? SO GOOD.
The heat, the suburban setting, the strange disappearances, the secrets hiding inside seemingly ordinary families, and the increasingly bizarre supernatural elements create this wonderfully unsettling feeling that something is very, very wrong.
Was I terrified? Not exactly. 😂
This is much more campy and darkly entertaining than genuinely terrifying, and honestly, I think that's part of its charm. I found myself laughing, raising my eyebrows, and occasionally thinking, “Oh COME ON!” while happily turning the pages.
I did wish the mystery had stayed a little more mysterious in places. Once the bigger picture started coming together, some of the reveals felt slightly more explained than discovered, and I would have loved a little more depth and development for a few of the characters and storylines.
But those are relatively small complaints compared with how much fun I had with this book.
For a debut, CJ Vick takes some wonderfully bold swings. The concept is creative, the tone is completely its own, and I loved how fear, friendship, family, secrets, and the expectations placed on women were woven into all the supernatural madness.
Most importantly, this book made me have FUN. It made me curious, it made me laugh, it made me suspicious of perfectly nice suburban neighborhoods, and it kept throwing enough WTF moments at me to make sure I never quite knew what kind of insanity was coming next.
Nobody Panic! is a wonderfully eccentric, entertaining debut filled with suburban secrets, missing women, dark humor, supernatural mayhem, and just the right amount of chaos. If you like your thrillers a little campy, your horror a little weird, and your mysteries hiding something MUCH stranger underneath, definitely give this one a chance.
Four wonderfully weird stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Special thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing this well executed debut thriller's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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This debut thriller was such a wonderfully strange surprise. I went in expecting missing women and something sinister lurking beneath the surface, but I wasn't prepared for just how deliciously weird, campy, and entertaining this story would become.
Janet Morgan is exactly the kind of protagonist I love following into trouble. She is curious, observant, restless, and clearly far too interested in true crime for her own safety. What starts as an ordinary PTA obligation quickly turns into something much darker when women in Somerville begin disappearing and nobody seems particularly interested in asking questions.
Well, Janet is interested.
VERY interested.
And naturally, this is where everything starts going completely off the rails.
I absolutely loved the mix of thriller, horror, dark humor, and supernatural weirdness. There is something so much fun about taking the picture perfect suburban world of the 1980s and slowly peeling away the polished surface until you realize there is something seriously rotten underneath all those perfectly maintained homes, polite smiles, and neighborhood gatherings.
The friendships were another big highlight for me. Janet and the women around her bring so much personality to the story, especially because they don't exactly look like the traditional heroes who would go chasing after a mystery involving missing women and possibly something demonic. Watching them get pulled deeper into the chaos together was one of my favorite parts.
And the atmosphere? SO GOOD.
The heat, the suburban setting, the strange disappearances, the secrets hiding inside seemingly ordinary families, and the increasingly bizarre supernatural elements create this wonderfully unsettling feeling that something is very, very wrong.
Was I terrified? Not exactly. 😂
This is much more campy and darkly entertaining than genuinely terrifying, and honestly, I think that's part of its charm. I found myself laughing, raising my eyebrows, and occasionally thinking, “Oh COME ON!” while happily turning the pages.
I did wish the mystery had stayed a little more mysterious in places. Once the bigger picture started coming together, some of the reveals felt slightly more explained than discovered, and I would have loved a little more depth and development for a few of the characters and storylines.
But those are relatively small complaints compared with how much fun I had with this book.
For a debut, CJ Vick takes some wonderfully bold swings. The concept is creative, the tone is completely its own, and I loved how fear, friendship, family, secrets, and the expectations placed on women were woven into all the supernatural madness.
Most importantly, this book made me have FUN. It made me curious, it made me laugh, it made me suspicious of perfectly nice suburban neighborhoods, and it kept throwing enough WTF moments at me to make sure I never quite knew what kind of insanity was coming next.
Nobody Panic! is a wonderfully eccentric, entertaining debut filled with suburban secrets, missing women, dark humor, supernatural mayhem, and just the right amount of chaos. If you like your thrillers a little campy, your horror a little weird, and your mysteries hiding something MUCH stranger underneath, definitely give this one a chance.
Four wonderfully weird stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Special thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing this well executed debut thriller's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
medium.com
October 27, 2026
There are women going missing in Somerville, and no one seems super concerned about it except for Janet. No matter who she tries to tell, no one will listen to her, but she can’t just let things be and begins to investigate the disappearances herself. The more she digs, the more she is concerned something is deeply wrong in Somerville.
There were plenty of 80s pop culture references, along with the satanic panic that came along around that same timeframe. The women themselves almost felt to me like they were from an earlier decade from a housewife standpoint. If I didn’t have all of those references, I would’ve placed them in the 60s. But that’s just me.
The plot itself for most of the novel felt best described as a cozy horror mystery, with the last quarter providing a ton of action. This slightly reminded me of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, except with a much lighter tone, mostly due to the PTA meetings and plucky armchair detective.
While this book didn’t necessarily work for me (I need my books just a little bit darker than this) I can see it definitely working for a wider range of readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
There were plenty of 80s pop culture references, along with the satanic panic that came along around that same timeframe. The women themselves almost felt to me like they were from an earlier decade from a housewife standpoint. If I didn’t have all of those references, I would’ve placed them in the 60s. But that’s just me.
The plot itself for most of the novel felt best described as a cozy horror mystery, with the last quarter providing a ton of action. This slightly reminded me of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, except with a much lighter tone, mostly due to the PTA meetings and plucky armchair detective.
While this book didn’t necessarily work for me (I need my books just a little bit darker than this) I can see it definitely working for a wider range of readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2026
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you to all involved.
I rated this book a 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Things I liked about this book:
🦋I have really been enjoying books set in the 80’s/90’s and this was a good one. Sometimes they get a little gimmicky- just throwing out random pop culture references and that’s it but this one seemed more authentic . I like the use of the song titles for the chapters.
🦋 I love Janet’s character and all of her band of friends (Especially at the end)
🦋 Fast paced and doesn’t stop!
🦋 Love a small town where something isn’t right but no one talks about it.
🦋Funny and campy
If you like stories to do with the satanic panic or culty horror stories this is a great recommendation . I really enjoyed this
I rated this book a 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Things I liked about this book:
🦋I have really been enjoying books set in the 80’s/90’s and this was a good one. Sometimes they get a little gimmicky- just throwing out random pop culture references and that’s it but this one seemed more authentic . I like the use of the song titles for the chapters.
🦋 I love Janet’s character and all of her band of friends (Especially at the end)
🦋 Fast paced and doesn’t stop!
🦋 Love a small town where something isn’t right but no one talks about it.
🦋Funny and campy
If you like stories to do with the satanic panic or culty horror stories this is a great recommendation . I really enjoyed this
September 29, 2026
4 stars!
The satanic panic phenomenon always intrigues me, so when I saw this cover and blurb on Netgalley, I immediately applied for an ARC.
Janet is a 1980’s PTA housewife and notices something fishy is happening around town. Women are missing. Husbands are acting secretive. Theres a lot of moths all of a sudden. Is the satanic panic real or just an overreaction?
🏠 1980’s surburbia horror
🏠 Ritualistic cult
🏠 Deep rooted town secrets
🏠 Fast paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat
🏠 F* the Patriarchy vibes, feminine rage
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The ending was very predictable so I knocked it down a star.
Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the ARC! This one comes out on April 19, 2027
The satanic panic phenomenon always intrigues me, so when I saw this cover and blurb on Netgalley, I immediately applied for an ARC.
Janet is a 1980’s PTA housewife and notices something fishy is happening around town. Women are missing. Husbands are acting secretive. Theres a lot of moths all of a sudden. Is the satanic panic real or just an overreaction?
🏠 1980’s surburbia horror
🏠 Ritualistic cult
🏠 Deep rooted town secrets
🏠 Fast paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat
🏠 F* the Patriarchy vibes, feminine rage
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The ending was very predictable so I knocked it down a star.
Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the ARC! This one comes out on April 19, 2027
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Oh man, I REALLY did not like this one.
If it hadn't been an ARC, I would have dropped it almost immediately. By the time I was halfway through, I willed myself to make it to the end to see if it was actually some kind of perverse meta-fiction where all would be revealed at the finale.
But no.
I can't even share the basic plot, because everything feels like a spoiler. Nobody Panic! is surface level in a way I genuinely may not have ever encountered before. There are no twists. Everything happens exactly as you would expect at your very first glance.
Our hero's misogynistic husband? Evil. That briefcase she can't look in? Evil. The weird obsession every man in town has with her son turning 13? Yeah, evil. The cartoonishly overbearing father in law? You guessed it! Extra Evil.
There doesn't seem to be much thought in this beyond "hey, you like the 80s, right?"
The fact that it's summer 1986 is referenced a lot. Every chapter title is an 80s song. You'd think the chapter titles might all be from the summer of 1986? Or at least 1986?
Nah, just a random assortment of 80s songs shoehorned in to vaguely fit the plot of the chapter.
Lots of surface level references to 80s horror flicks. Nothing happens with it, characters just talk about them a lot. Like how they talk about wearing leggings and doing Jazzercise. There is no deeper meaning to any of this beyond "come and get your nostalgia slop."
Lastly, the protagonist references wanting to go to the criminology program at UC Berkeley when she was in high school, before she got pregnant. However, that program closed in 1974. With the timeline in the book, that means the school she dreamed of attending would have closed almost immediately after she entered.
I looked up exactly when the school closed because I thought it might be relevant to the plot - it wasn't. And then I was annoyed for the rest of the book, because either it was meant to be significant and then completely forgotten about, or the author did even less research than me, a random reader.
I don't want to dunk on this book anymore because I know it's meant to be pulpy and fun. But God, we've got to start asking for more as a society, even from our lowbrow entertainment, or we are doomed.
Now that I've concluded this hate rant, shout out to NetGalley for the ARC 🫣🫠
If it hadn't been an ARC, I would have dropped it almost immediately. By the time I was halfway through, I willed myself to make it to the end to see if it was actually some kind of perverse meta-fiction where all would be revealed at the finale.
But no.
I can't even share the basic plot, because everything feels like a spoiler. Nobody Panic! is surface level in a way I genuinely may not have ever encountered before. There are no twists. Everything happens exactly as you would expect at your very first glance.
Our hero's misogynistic husband? Evil. That briefcase she can't look in? Evil. The weird obsession every man in town has with her son turning 13? Yeah, evil. The cartoonishly overbearing father in law? You guessed it! Extra Evil.
There doesn't seem to be much thought in this beyond "hey, you like the 80s, right?"
The fact that it's summer 1986 is referenced a lot. Every chapter title is an 80s song. You'd think the chapter titles might all be from the summer of 1986? Or at least 1986?
Nah, just a random assortment of 80s songs shoehorned in to vaguely fit the plot of the chapter.
Lots of surface level references to 80s horror flicks. Nothing happens with it, characters just talk about them a lot. Like how they talk about wearing leggings and doing Jazzercise. There is no deeper meaning to any of this beyond "come and get your nostalgia slop."
Lastly, the protagonist references wanting to go to the criminology program at UC Berkeley when she was in high school, before she got pregnant. However, that program closed in 1974. With the timeline in the book, that means the school she dreamed of attending would have closed almost immediately after she entered.
I looked up exactly when the school closed because I thought it might be relevant to the plot - it wasn't. And then I was annoyed for the rest of the book, because either it was meant to be significant and then completely forgotten about, or the author did even less research than me, a random reader.
I don't want to dunk on this book anymore because I know it's meant to be pulpy and fun. But God, we've got to start asking for more as a society, even from our lowbrow entertainment, or we are doomed.
Now that I've concluded this hate rant, shout out to NetGalley for the ARC 🫣🫠
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
I think I would have liked this better if I hadn't read My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. It reads very much like the adult version of that book which means the concept (which I liked) is not novel.
I loved that this was set in the 80s (though I needed more references) and I loved the role the PTA played in this. I also loved that the titles of the chapters were song titles. My favorite character was Betsy and I wanted more on her character and background (side note: would totally read a spin-off book about Betsy). The rest of the characters really annoyed me. Janet put up with too much and made many dumb decisions. I did not care at all about Maggie (which was kind of an important plot point) and Janet's husband and kids just made me want to scream. This is not really a mystery (even though it reads like one) because it is pretty obvious what is going on from early on. I will say it did give me the creeps and there were a few chapters that I decided to not read before bed in the dark.
Overall, worth the read because it is fun.
I think I would have liked this better if I hadn't read My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. It reads very much like the adult version of that book which means the concept (which I liked) is not novel.
I loved that this was set in the 80s (though I needed more references) and I loved the role the PTA played in this. I also loved that the titles of the chapters were song titles. My favorite character was Betsy and I wanted more on her character and background (side note: would totally read a spin-off book about Betsy). The rest of the characters really annoyed me. Janet put up with too much and made many dumb decisions. I did not care at all about Maggie (which was kind of an important plot point) and Janet's husband and kids just made me want to scream. This is not really a mystery (even though it reads like one) because it is pretty obvious what is going on from early on. I will say it did give me the creeps and there were a few chapters that I decided to not read before bed in the dark.
Overall, worth the read because it is fun.
October 10, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy
Firstly, I would like to say it took me way too long to figure out why this book was called ‘nobody panic!’ I should have been able to figure it out within the first chapter or two. But no, it took me 20% before I released. I felt very dumb.
Second, i love that all the titles are songs from the 80s. I thought that was a cool touch. They generally fit the theme or what is going on in that chapter too.
Lastly, I’ve got to say that I had a fantastic time with this book. I thought it was fun and gory and different. I’ve never read anything like it. The premise of the book is how men use and treat women as objects. They’re never seen as people. Add on to that a possible man cult and it’s just great! These themes of motherhood, unrealized dreams, people pushing you down and making you hide your true self. It was sad to read but also fun to see Janet come out of her shell and be who she truly is. I just loved that
I will say that at about the 70% mark I did find it to drag a bit. Mainly because it’s not surprising what happens. There’s no twist, no turns, no mystery. It’s clear from the start what’s going on. It’s the journey of Janet discovering herself, becoming who she is meant to be, standing up for herself and defeating her demon. But because of this, I just kind of wanting the story to move a bit quicker. I knew the whole plot and how it was going to end. It felt a bit dragged out. But the final scenes were pretty fun and graphic.
I’d recommend this book!
Firstly, I would like to say it took me way too long to figure out why this book was called ‘nobody panic!’ I should have been able to figure it out within the first chapter or two. But no, it took me 20% before I released. I felt very dumb.
Second, i love that all the titles are songs from the 80s. I thought that was a cool touch. They generally fit the theme or what is going on in that chapter too.
Lastly, I’ve got to say that I had a fantastic time with this book. I thought it was fun and gory and different. I’ve never read anything like it. The premise of the book is how men use and treat women as objects. They’re never seen as people. Add on to that a possible man cult and it’s just great! These themes of motherhood, unrealized dreams, people pushing you down and making you hide your true self. It was sad to read but also fun to see Janet come out of her shell and be who she truly is. I just loved that
I will say that at about the 70% mark I did find it to drag a bit. Mainly because it’s not surprising what happens. There’s no twist, no turns, no mystery. It’s clear from the start what’s going on. It’s the journey of Janet discovering herself, becoming who she is meant to be, standing up for herself and defeating her demon. But because of this, I just kind of wanting the story to move a bit quicker. I knew the whole plot and how it was going to end. It felt a bit dragged out. But the final scenes were pretty fun and graphic.
I’d recommend this book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5⭐️This was a fun read, full of campy horror movie goodness. Loved the nostalgic 1980’s references and pop culture - 80’s songs as chapter titles was a great touch. I liked the quirkiness and girl power, but the story dragged at times, was a little repetitive and it could have wrapped up sooner than it did. But all in all, Nobody Panic! is an entertaining read, one I would recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and Landmark for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
3.5⭐️This was a fun read, full of campy horror movie goodness. Loved the nostalgic 1980’s references and pop culture - 80’s songs as chapter titles was a great touch. I liked the quirkiness and girl power, but the story dragged at times, was a little repetitive and it could have wrapped up sooner than it did. But all in all, Nobody Panic! is an entertaining read, one I would recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and Landmark for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
There’s a particular kind of horror that comes from realizing the monsters aren’t necessarily hiding in the shadows. Sometimes they’re sitting across from you at the dinner table, waving from the neighbor’s driveway, or living behind the perfectly manicured lawns of a quiet suburban neighborhood.
Set in 1986, Nobody Panic! takes us into the seemingly ordinary town of Somerville, where beneath the familiar routines of motherhood, marriage, and neighborhood friendships lies something deeply disturbing.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was its atmosphere. CJ Vick captures that unmistakable 1980s feeling, weaving together the paranoia of the Satanic Panic era, small-town gossip, true crime fascination, and supernatural horror. There’s an underlying sense that something is terribly wrong, even when everything on the surface appears perfectly normal.
I found the exploration of female friendship particularly interesting. As Janet begins uncovering the secrets surrounding her community, the relationships between the women become an important part of the story. Their resilience, loyalty, and determination bring another dimension to a narrative filled with disturbing discoveries and unsettling imagery.
And there’s certainly no shortage of darkness here. The novel blends gruesome moments with dark humor, creating an unusual combination of suburban satire and supernatural horror. I appreciated the social commentary woven throughout, particularly the examination of expectations placed on women and the lengths people will go to preserve appearances.
For me, the strongest part of the reading experience was the mystery itself. I enjoyed uncovering Somerville’s secrets, questioning the motivations of its residents, and watching the darkness beneath this seemingly ordinary community gradually come to light.
While not every element resonated with me equally, I appreciated the creativity behind the premise and the themes the author explored. It’s a story that offers more than supernatural scares, particularly in its examination of control, complicity, and the power of women standing together.
Atmospheric, unsettling, and filled with darkly humorous moments, Nobody Panic! is an intriguing blend of 1980s nostalgia, suburban secrets, and supernatural horror.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Set in 1986, Nobody Panic! takes us into the seemingly ordinary town of Somerville, where beneath the familiar routines of motherhood, marriage, and neighborhood friendships lies something deeply disturbing.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was its atmosphere. CJ Vick captures that unmistakable 1980s feeling, weaving together the paranoia of the Satanic Panic era, small-town gossip, true crime fascination, and supernatural horror. There’s an underlying sense that something is terribly wrong, even when everything on the surface appears perfectly normal.
I found the exploration of female friendship particularly interesting. As Janet begins uncovering the secrets surrounding her community, the relationships between the women become an important part of the story. Their resilience, loyalty, and determination bring another dimension to a narrative filled with disturbing discoveries and unsettling imagery.
And there’s certainly no shortage of darkness here. The novel blends gruesome moments with dark humor, creating an unusual combination of suburban satire and supernatural horror. I appreciated the social commentary woven throughout, particularly the examination of expectations placed on women and the lengths people will go to preserve appearances.
For me, the strongest part of the reading experience was the mystery itself. I enjoyed uncovering Somerville’s secrets, questioning the motivations of its residents, and watching the darkness beneath this seemingly ordinary community gradually come to light.
While not every element resonated with me equally, I appreciated the creativity behind the premise and the themes the author explored. It’s a story that offers more than supernatural scares, particularly in its examination of control, complicity, and the power of women standing together.
Atmospheric, unsettling, and filled with darkly humorous moments, Nobody Panic! is an intriguing blend of 1980s nostalgia, suburban secrets, and supernatural horror.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Huge, huge thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review Nobody Panic by CJ Vick!
Somerville, 1986: Women never leave this town.
Janet Morgan is a square peg trying desperately to fit into a round hole. A pariah since her teenage pregnancy, she’s spent years trying to be a good wife and a good mom. With the rise of the Satanic Panic and her desire to fit in, Janet joins the PTA, where the hair is as big as the judgmental stares.
Unfortunately for everyone, Janet is also a true-crime addict, and she notices things others don’t.
Women are disappearing. In fact, women disappear from Somerville every 16 years, and no one seems to question why. The men of Somerville have a secret, and Janet is determined to find out exactly what it is.
I loved this book!
Cheesy campy horror that while also highlights the real horrors of sexism and the “red pill” mentality that can pull men into these toxic life. I loved the nostalgic ’80s vibes, the claustrophobic small-town setting, and the overall message about women finding their voices and the power of female friendships .
What worked for me:
The plot:
I do think you need to have been raised in the ’80s to fully appreciate some of the underlying messages in this book. CJ Vick does a great job highlighting what life looked like for women, especially homemakers, in the 1980s.
Fun fact, until 1974, banks could legally deny women credit based on their sex or marital status, and the 1980s saw a significant backlash against the feminist movement. The Satanic Panic also played into fears surrounding women’s growing independence, which was often portrayed as a threat to traditional family structures. CJ Vick did a great job narrating the overall atmosphere and vibes towards women during the 80's.
The characters:
Janet annoyed me a little in the beginning. She came across as too “wishy-washy” for my taste, but she finds her voice in the end.
Linda: Love her. Full stop.
Gail: The voice of reason with a spine of steel. What’s not to love?
What didn’t really work:
Honestly, I don’t have much criticism. I was pretty neutral about the love interest, though. I didn’t feel like that contributed to the story
Overall verdict: loved it, 5 stars.
Somerville, 1986: Women never leave this town.
Janet Morgan is a square peg trying desperately to fit into a round hole. A pariah since her teenage pregnancy, she’s spent years trying to be a good wife and a good mom. With the rise of the Satanic Panic and her desire to fit in, Janet joins the PTA, where the hair is as big as the judgmental stares.
Unfortunately for everyone, Janet is also a true-crime addict, and she notices things others don’t.
Women are disappearing. In fact, women disappear from Somerville every 16 years, and no one seems to question why. The men of Somerville have a secret, and Janet is determined to find out exactly what it is.
I loved this book!
Cheesy campy horror that while also highlights the real horrors of sexism and the “red pill” mentality that can pull men into these toxic life. I loved the nostalgic ’80s vibes, the claustrophobic small-town setting, and the overall message about women finding their voices and the power of female friendships .
What worked for me:
The plot:
I do think you need to have been raised in the ’80s to fully appreciate some of the underlying messages in this book. CJ Vick does a great job highlighting what life looked like for women, especially homemakers, in the 1980s.
Fun fact, until 1974, banks could legally deny women credit based on their sex or marital status, and the 1980s saw a significant backlash against the feminist movement. The Satanic Panic also played into fears surrounding women’s growing independence, which was often portrayed as a threat to traditional family structures. CJ Vick did a great job narrating the overall atmosphere and vibes towards women during the 80's.
The characters:
Janet annoyed me a little in the beginning. She came across as too “wishy-washy” for my taste, but she finds her voice in the end.
Linda: Love her. Full stop.
Gail: The voice of reason with a spine of steel. What’s not to love?
What didn’t really work:
Honestly, I don’t have much criticism. I was pretty neutral about the love interest, though. I didn’t feel like that contributed to the story
Overall verdict: loved it, 5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟔, 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐏. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡—𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞.
NOBODY PANIC! drops us into the sweltering summer of 1986, where misfit PTA mom Janet Morgan starts noticing that women in her small town are disappearing while their husbands seem suspiciously unconcerned. When her best friend vanishes, Janet's true-crime-obsessed brain kicks into high gear, and with the help of two equally snarky moms and a new-to-town coroner's apprentice, she starts digging into what the hell is happening in Somerville.
And THIS is where this book had me. I lived through the Satanic Panic, so all of the 80s nostalgia hit me right in the childhood. The advent of the PMRC led by Tipper Gore. My favorite recording artists being labeled and censored. The absolute hysteria over what music, movies, books, and games were supposedly doing to our impressionable little brains. And yes, I absolutely remember the Geraldo episode with Anton LaVey and a very confused Ozzy Osbourne. So watching the author take that very real cultural paranoia and throw it into a supernatural mystery involving missing moms, generational secrets, and a possible deal with the devil? I was having a GREAT time. Janet is exactly the kind of messy, curious, determined character I wanted to follow into the darkness, and the humor kept the whole thing from taking itself too seriously.
This was such a fun ride for me. It has that delicious combination of nostalgia and creepy small-town weirdness, and I loved how the story took something so familiar from my childhood and twisted it into something much darker. The further Janet dug, the more I wanted to know what was lurking underneath all that suburban normalcy. This book absolutely killed it with the 80s vibes and atmosphere. If you grew up during the Satanic Panic and have ever wondered what would happen if all that hysteria actually had some truth behind it, this is the book for you! Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the early copy that is set to publish April 20, 2027.
NOBODY PANIC! drops us into the sweltering summer of 1986, where misfit PTA mom Janet Morgan starts noticing that women in her small town are disappearing while their husbands seem suspiciously unconcerned. When her best friend vanishes, Janet's true-crime-obsessed brain kicks into high gear, and with the help of two equally snarky moms and a new-to-town coroner's apprentice, she starts digging into what the hell is happening in Somerville.
And THIS is where this book had me. I lived through the Satanic Panic, so all of the 80s nostalgia hit me right in the childhood. The advent of the PMRC led by Tipper Gore. My favorite recording artists being labeled and censored. The absolute hysteria over what music, movies, books, and games were supposedly doing to our impressionable little brains. And yes, I absolutely remember the Geraldo episode with Anton LaVey and a very confused Ozzy Osbourne. So watching the author take that very real cultural paranoia and throw it into a supernatural mystery involving missing moms, generational secrets, and a possible deal with the devil? I was having a GREAT time. Janet is exactly the kind of messy, curious, determined character I wanted to follow into the darkness, and the humor kept the whole thing from taking itself too seriously.
This was such a fun ride for me. It has that delicious combination of nostalgia and creepy small-town weirdness, and I loved how the story took something so familiar from my childhood and twisted it into something much darker. The further Janet dug, the more I wanted to know what was lurking underneath all that suburban normalcy. This book absolutely killed it with the 80s vibes and atmosphere. If you grew up during the Satanic Panic and have ever wondered what would happen if all that hysteria actually had some truth behind it, this is the book for you! Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the early copy that is set to publish April 20, 2027.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The debut novel Nobody Panic! by CJ Vick has convinced me that, in general, I’m not a fan of the horror genre. However, there are some exceptions. I was hopeful this book would be one of them. If a horror story is very well-written with a solid and fleshed out plot and has characters that grab my attention, then I’m all in. I can only think of a few authors/books that meet this threshold and, sadly, Nobody Panic! doesn’t.
The pace of this book was very slow at times and there seemed to be a lot of repetition, especially when the story focused on Janet’s regrets, concerns, etc. I found it hard to connect to the characters and many were quite irritating (especially Janet and her children) and the plot seemed to lack explanations.
What I did like was that the story took place in the 1980s. But, there weren’t very many references in the story to indicate that was the time period except for the chapter titles that referred to popular songs of the era. I don’t think that was enough to add the 80s atmosphere to the story itself.
Finally, this really wasn’t much of a mystery and I didn’t find it particularly creepy either. For me it was a 2 star book but I’ll give it 3 stars since I‘ve discovered that I can’t really appreciate most horror books for what they are. Therefore, a lower rating would just be a reflection of my preferences in general and nothing to do with this particular book. Netgalley provided an advance reader copy.
The pace of this book was very slow at times and there seemed to be a lot of repetition, especially when the story focused on Janet’s regrets, concerns, etc. I found it hard to connect to the characters and many were quite irritating (especially Janet and her children) and the plot seemed to lack explanations.
What I did like was that the story took place in the 1980s. But, there weren’t very many references in the story to indicate that was the time period except for the chapter titles that referred to popular songs of the era. I don’t think that was enough to add the 80s atmosphere to the story itself.
Finally, this really wasn’t much of a mystery and I didn’t find it particularly creepy either. For me it was a 2 star book but I’ll give it 3 stars since I‘ve discovered that I can’t really appreciate most horror books for what they are. Therefore, a lower rating would just be a reflection of my preferences in general and nothing to do with this particular book. Netgalley provided an advance reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Dare I categorize this as a cozy, screwball comedy horror? Set in the 80s in a small town, with full blast Satanic panic, a bunch of PTA moms piece together what’s happening in their neighborhood. Filled with secrets, occult symbols, and armchair detectives.
Aside: If my husband and son talked to me the way Hank and Hank Jr talk to Janet… well, I wouldn’t let that happen.
Also, poor Grandma says she’ll die of boredom in the retirement home, and Janet pulls the plug on the TV before she jets out of there!? Tsk tsk tsk.
I think if you’re a fan of Rachel Harrison books, you’ll enjoy Nobody Panic!
Thanks NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark. Pub date April 20, 2027.
Aside: If my husband and son talked to me the way Hank and Hank Jr talk to Janet… well, I wouldn’t let that happen.
Also, poor Grandma says she’ll die of boredom in the retirement home, and Janet pulls the plug on the TV before she jets out of there!? Tsk tsk tsk.
I think if you’re a fan of Rachel Harrison books, you’ll enjoy Nobody Panic!
Thanks NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark. Pub date April 20, 2027.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fun, sharp, and absolutely a delight. I had high hopes for this one, and I’m so pleased that it delivered.
It’s 1986, and Janet is living a life she never envisioned for herself, surrounded by women she doesn’t particularly want to be like. She’s not PTA mom material, has little interest in conforming to anyone else’s expectations, and isn’t especially interested in pretending otherwise. But at the urging of her best friend, she decides to give normalcy one last shot and joins the PTA.
Unfortunately, her attempt at fitting in takes a rather unexpected turn when a member disappears shortly after her first meeting. Then another woman goes missing. And another. The men in town seem remarkably unconcerned, so Janet, armed with her true crime obsession and a healthy disregard for what anyone thinks of her, decides to investigate herself.
I was delighted by how this story unfolded. It’s funny, clever, and wonderfully sharp without largely devolving into the kind of over-the-top campiness that can sometimes undermine stories like this. The humor feels natural, and the wit is balanced beautifully against a mystery that becomes increasingly unsettling as the pieces begin falling into place.
I absolutely loved Janet’s voice. She’s imperfect, opinionated, and refreshingly unwilling to pretend she’s happy with a life that doesn’t quite fit. Beneath the humor, there’s something genuinely relatable about her dissatisfaction. I think a lot of people, particularly women, can recognize that feeling of looking around at the life circumstances have handed them and wondering what happened to the person they once imagined becoming. Janet’s struggle to reconcile who she is with who she’s expected to be gives the story more substance than I initially anticipated.
The 1980s setting works particularly well here, too. Beyond the nostalgia, there’s an undercurrent of social commentary about conformity, gender roles, and the expectations placed on women to keep everything pleasant and orderly, even when things are very clearly going wrong. There’s something especially satisfying about watching a woman who has never quite fit the mold become the one willing to ask questions everyone else would rather ignore.
The pacing is excellent. What begins as a quirky amateur-sleuth mystery gradually develops into something far more sinister, and I loved how naturally that shift happened. The humor never completely disappears, but the stakes steadily rise, and the darker elements give the story an unexpected bite.
Ultimately, this was exactly the kind of book I hoped it would be: entertaining, witty, a little subversive, and increasingly disturbing beneath its seemingly lighthearted premise. I loved the nostalgia, the mystery, and especially Janet herself. A thoroughly enjoyable read that manages to be both funny and genuinely unsettling.
It’s 1986, and Janet is living a life she never envisioned for herself, surrounded by women she doesn’t particularly want to be like. She’s not PTA mom material, has little interest in conforming to anyone else’s expectations, and isn’t especially interested in pretending otherwise. But at the urging of her best friend, she decides to give normalcy one last shot and joins the PTA.
Unfortunately, her attempt at fitting in takes a rather unexpected turn when a member disappears shortly after her first meeting. Then another woman goes missing. And another. The men in town seem remarkably unconcerned, so Janet, armed with her true crime obsession and a healthy disregard for what anyone thinks of her, decides to investigate herself.
I was delighted by how this story unfolded. It’s funny, clever, and wonderfully sharp without largely devolving into the kind of over-the-top campiness that can sometimes undermine stories like this. The humor feels natural, and the wit is balanced beautifully against a mystery that becomes increasingly unsettling as the pieces begin falling into place.
I absolutely loved Janet’s voice. She’s imperfect, opinionated, and refreshingly unwilling to pretend she’s happy with a life that doesn’t quite fit. Beneath the humor, there’s something genuinely relatable about her dissatisfaction. I think a lot of people, particularly women, can recognize that feeling of looking around at the life circumstances have handed them and wondering what happened to the person they once imagined becoming. Janet’s struggle to reconcile who she is with who she’s expected to be gives the story more substance than I initially anticipated.
The 1980s setting works particularly well here, too. Beyond the nostalgia, there’s an undercurrent of social commentary about conformity, gender roles, and the expectations placed on women to keep everything pleasant and orderly, even when things are very clearly going wrong. There’s something especially satisfying about watching a woman who has never quite fit the mold become the one willing to ask questions everyone else would rather ignore.
The pacing is excellent. What begins as a quirky amateur-sleuth mystery gradually develops into something far more sinister, and I loved how naturally that shift happened. The humor never completely disappears, but the stakes steadily rise, and the darker elements give the story an unexpected bite.
Ultimately, this was exactly the kind of book I hoped it would be: entertaining, witty, a little subversive, and increasingly disturbing beneath its seemingly lighthearted premise. I loved the nostalgia, the mystery, and especially Janet herself. A thoroughly enjoyable read that manages to be both funny and genuinely unsettling.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and CJ Vick for the opportunity to read early and review.
This book is certain to be a bestseller, certain like “Demons, death, and taxes”….
I cannot believe this is a debut novel! It was so well written, and the story itself is fantastic! I love all things ’ 80s and was so excited to read this! Plus, I love a good Satanic Panic plotline.
Truthfully, this book had me roped in as soon as I saw the chapter titles. I loved them!
Imagine being that mom that just doesn’t fit in with all the other moms— you’re the Converse-wearing opposite of the PTA mom. You only have one good friend, your distant husband, and your three young boys. You’re the kind of different that got you labeled in a negative way. Cue the judgy looks from the PTA moms.
You also have a love for true crime, which really makes that label stick, and when the PTA moms start to go missing, you find yourself trying to solve this mystery. That pesky label makes it hard for others to take you seriously, though.
Weird things are happening, and they aren’t stopping.
Also, why don’t the husbands care that the moms are disappearing?!
If you love:
’80s
Classic Horror movies
Paranormal aspects
Satanic Panic
Strong women
Twisty humor
Great character banter
Final Girls
Then please do yourself a favor and add this to the top of your ever-growing pile of books I know you have, because we all have them.
Also, I need this to be a movie.
This book is certain to be a bestseller, certain like “Demons, death, and taxes”….
I cannot believe this is a debut novel! It was so well written, and the story itself is fantastic! I love all things ’ 80s and was so excited to read this! Plus, I love a good Satanic Panic plotline.
Truthfully, this book had me roped in as soon as I saw the chapter titles. I loved them!
Imagine being that mom that just doesn’t fit in with all the other moms— you’re the Converse-wearing opposite of the PTA mom. You only have one good friend, your distant husband, and your three young boys. You’re the kind of different that got you labeled in a negative way. Cue the judgy looks from the PTA moms.
You also have a love for true crime, which really makes that label stick, and when the PTA moms start to go missing, you find yourself trying to solve this mystery. That pesky label makes it hard for others to take you seriously, though.
Weird things are happening, and they aren’t stopping.
Also, why don’t the husbands care that the moms are disappearing?!
If you love:
’80s
Classic Horror movies
Paranormal aspects
Satanic Panic
Strong women
Twisty humor
Great character banter
Final Girls
Then please do yourself a favor and add this to the top of your ever-growing pile of books I know you have, because we all have them.
Also, I need this to be a movie.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nobody Panic! by CJ Vick was a RIDE. 😂 Like… buckle up, because I’m still not entirely sure what the hell just happened, but I had an absolute blast getting there.
Set in the sweltering summer of 1986, this book gives us big hair, PTA moms, loner adults, best friends, new friendships, missing wives, suspicious husbands, a creepy small town mystery… and A LOT of body parts. 👀😂
Janet Morgan joins the local PTA expecting the usual small-town gossip and mom drama, but instead finds herself smack in the middle of a string of missing matriarchs. And when her best friend disappears too, Janet decides she’s going full true-crime detective. With the help of a couple of fellow misfit moms and a new-to-town coroner’s apprentice, she starts digging into what the heck is happening in Somerville.
And when I say this book was crazy in the best possible way, I mean it. 😂
There were definitely moments where I was sitting there thinking, “Okay… but WHY are we doing this? What exactly is happening here? Where are we going with this? And how did we get to THAT body part?!”
Not gonna lie, I’m still not entirely sure I could explain exactly what the end goal was or why certain things happened the way they did. BUT—and this is a big but— I didn’t care enough to stop reading. I was HOOKED.
There’s something so wonderfully weird about this book. The characters are quirky, the mystery keeps getting stranger, and just when you think you have a handle on things, the story throws another WTF moment at you. 😂 It’s dark, bizarre, funny, creepy, and completely its own thing.
And for a debut novel?! I was impressed. There is SO much creativity here, and I’m genuinely curious to see where CJ Vick goes next because if this is the starting point… we could be in for some seriously wild rides.
Did I understand everything? Questionable. 😂
Did I have fun? Absolutely.
Would I recommend it to someone who enjoys weird, dark, off-the-wall mysteries? Yep.
A solid 4 stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based off of an uncorrected proof which did not sway my opinion either way.
Set in the sweltering summer of 1986, this book gives us big hair, PTA moms, loner adults, best friends, new friendships, missing wives, suspicious husbands, a creepy small town mystery… and A LOT of body parts. 👀😂
Janet Morgan joins the local PTA expecting the usual small-town gossip and mom drama, but instead finds herself smack in the middle of a string of missing matriarchs. And when her best friend disappears too, Janet decides she’s going full true-crime detective. With the help of a couple of fellow misfit moms and a new-to-town coroner’s apprentice, she starts digging into what the heck is happening in Somerville.
And when I say this book was crazy in the best possible way, I mean it. 😂
There were definitely moments where I was sitting there thinking, “Okay… but WHY are we doing this? What exactly is happening here? Where are we going with this? And how did we get to THAT body part?!”
Not gonna lie, I’m still not entirely sure I could explain exactly what the end goal was or why certain things happened the way they did. BUT—and this is a big but— I didn’t care enough to stop reading. I was HOOKED.
There’s something so wonderfully weird about this book. The characters are quirky, the mystery keeps getting stranger, and just when you think you have a handle on things, the story throws another WTF moment at you. 😂 It’s dark, bizarre, funny, creepy, and completely its own thing.
And for a debut novel?! I was impressed. There is SO much creativity here, and I’m genuinely curious to see where CJ Vick goes next because if this is the starting point… we could be in for some seriously wild rides.
Did I understand everything? Questionable. 😂
Did I have fun? Absolutely.
Would I recommend it to someone who enjoys weird, dark, off-the-wall mysteries? Yep.
A solid 4 stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based off of an uncorrected proof which did not sway my opinion either way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Nobody Panic! was such a fun read. The author set out to write something that felt like a classic 1980s horror movie, and she absolutely delivered.
Janet is a true crime junkie and amateur sleuth, so when women in her town begin disappearing and later turning up dead, she has a hard time accepting the official explanations of suicides and accidents. She keeps asking questions, even though the people around her would rather she stop.
This was a great read for the beginning of the Halloween season. It was definitely freaky and creepy, and it got progressively more unhinged.
Truly, the men were scarier than anything supernatural happening in this story. Janet’s husband in particular is an absolute monster. The men's controlling, entitled attitudes were genuinely disturbing, though at times they felt more 1950s than 1980s to me.
I was rooting for Janet the whole way through, and the ending was exactly what I wanted from this kind of book. Creepy, increasingly wild, and very much in the spirit of an old-school horror movie.
Four stars.
Nobody Panic! was such a fun read. The author set out to write something that felt like a classic 1980s horror movie, and she absolutely delivered.
Janet is a true crime junkie and amateur sleuth, so when women in her town begin disappearing and later turning up dead, she has a hard time accepting the official explanations of suicides and accidents. She keeps asking questions, even though the people around her would rather she stop.
This was a great read for the beginning of the Halloween season. It was definitely freaky and creepy, and it got progressively more unhinged.
Truly, the men were scarier than anything supernatural happening in this story. Janet’s husband in particular is an absolute monster. The men's controlling, entitled attitudes were genuinely disturbing, though at times they felt more 1950s than 1980s to me.
I was rooting for Janet the whole way through, and the ending was exactly what I wanted from this kind of book. Creepy, increasingly wild, and very much in the spirit of an old-school horror movie.
Four stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Such a great, campy read! I would say the book delivered exactly what it promised in the premise, and I had a good time with it. Vick really sold the 80’s vibes to me, and I wasn’t even alive during that time. The whole setting really made me feel like I’m watching an old campy horror movie; it was great. The story was self-aware, so all the would-be over-the-top moments landed just right and made me laugh instead of rolling my eyes. I especially enjoyed the final “battle scene” with all its abundance of hair rollers and frilly bathrobes.
My only problem with the story (and the reason for taking a star off) is that the book feels like it holds the reader’s hand a bit too much. The plot was explained several times, and I didn’t have to guess much at what was happening, or how anyone was feeling. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery at all, and the horror was not very horrifying. I didn’t mind it too much because of the overall tone of the story, but I did wish the mystery took longer to solve. On the other hand, the epilogue felt kind of vague and brief compared to the rest of the book. I wanted answers and more details: what happened to other characters besides Janet? Maybe that’s just me though.
I also would have liked Janet’s grandmother to get more page time, maybe even a full-on dual-timeline POV. I was really hoping we would get to hear more about her and her friend. I was kind of puzzled that we saw so little of this character, when her story would’ve been so interesting to explore further. I did like what we got to see, so this is barely a complaint: I really liked the grandmother, and I wanted more!
That’s kind of the overall feeling I had when I finished the book, really: I want more! The chapters are pretty short, so the pace is brisk and I was flying through the pages, and then it was over. I kind of wish there were a few more chapters at the end, but it’s also fine as is. I think readers who enjoyed “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” would like this book as well. It’s a quick and entertaining story full of camp, friendship, and satanic panic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
My only problem with the story (and the reason for taking a star off) is that the book feels like it holds the reader’s hand a bit too much. The plot was explained several times, and I didn’t have to guess much at what was happening, or how anyone was feeling. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery at all, and the horror was not very horrifying. I didn’t mind it too much because of the overall tone of the story, but I did wish the mystery took longer to solve. On the other hand, the epilogue felt kind of vague and brief compared to the rest of the book. I wanted answers and more details: what happened to other characters besides Janet? Maybe that’s just me though.
I also would have liked Janet’s grandmother to get more page time, maybe even a full-on dual-timeline POV. I was really hoping we would get to hear more about her and her friend. I was kind of puzzled that we saw so little of this character, when her story would’ve been so interesting to explore further. I did like what we got to see, so this is barely a complaint: I really liked the grandmother, and I wanted more!
That’s kind of the overall feeling I had when I finished the book, really: I want more! The chapters are pretty short, so the pace is brisk and I was flying through the pages, and then it was over. I kind of wish there were a few more chapters at the end, but it’s also fine as is. I think readers who enjoyed “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” would like this book as well. It’s a quick and entertaining story full of camp, friendship, and satanic panic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 19, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 STARS
First off, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Nobody Panic! 🖤📚
This book was COMPLETELY insane. 😂 And scary!! I literally kept wondering, “Okay… but what the hell is going to happen next?!” 👀
There were so many moments where I thought I knew where things were going, and then the book would throw something else at me.
And surprisingly, it was actually funny in some parts too! I definitely wasn’t expecting to laugh while reading a book that had me feeling so creeped out. 😂
Overall, this was such a wild ride and definitely kept me entertained from start to finish.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Nobody Panic! 🖤📚
This book was COMPLETELY insane. 😂 And scary!! I literally kept wondering, “Okay… but what the hell is going to happen next?!” 👀
There were so many moments where I thought I knew where things were going, and then the book would throw something else at me.
And surprisingly, it was actually funny in some parts too! I definitely wasn’t expecting to laugh while reading a book that had me feeling so creeped out. 😂
Overall, this was such a wild ride and definitely kept me entertained from start to finish.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 10, 2026
Review of an advanced copy received by NetGalley.
Even though this book was filled with 80s pop culture and a small town mystery, both things I enjoy, I had a hard time connecting with this book and its characters. Though I personally didn’t dislike this book, coming back to it kept feeling somewhat like a chore, even during the climax. Though I think this book will be really fun for the right audience, I think it just wasn’t for me.
This digital ARC was gifted to me by SOURCEBOOK Landmark. Thank you!
Even though this book was filled with 80s pop culture and a small town mystery, both things I enjoy, I had a hard time connecting with this book and its characters. Though I personally didn’t dislike this book, coming back to it kept feeling somewhat like a chore, even during the climax. Though I think this book will be really fun for the right audience, I think it just wasn’t for me.
This digital ARC was gifted to me by SOURCEBOOK Landmark. Thank you!
September 14, 2026
Nobody Panic! By CJ Vick was my first baby step into horror fiction and as a Buffy obsessed millennial born in the 80s….I LOVED IT. Did I get a little scared and had to put it in the freezer for a minute (IYKYK), yes, but she didn’t stay in their long cause I needed to know what happens next. Nobody Panic! is an 80s music, hair teased, tube sock wearing good time where no one should underestimate the power of a pissed off mother.
Nobody Panic! follows Janet, “just a mother” with a high school sweetheart turned pain in the ass domineering husband that she only sees in the late evenings due to work and extensive poker nights. But when PTA ladies keep disappearing and the men start acting weird, Janet brushes off her investigative skills to determine WTF IS GOING ON.
Vick’s story telling was delightfully paced with just enough humor to balance the gore. A bit reminiscent of Stranger Things in vibes, but still standing on its own two feet, this is a delightfully fun read for anyone willing to try a horror genre without wetting the bed the next several nights. I look forward to reading more from this author and congratulate her on this excellent book. Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy.
Nobody Panic! follows Janet, “just a mother” with a high school sweetheart turned pain in the ass domineering husband that she only sees in the late evenings due to work and extensive poker nights. But when PTA ladies keep disappearing and the men start acting weird, Janet brushes off her investigative skills to determine WTF IS GOING ON.
Vick’s story telling was delightfully paced with just enough humor to balance the gore. A bit reminiscent of Stranger Things in vibes, but still standing on its own two feet, this is a delightfully fun read for anyone willing to try a horror genre without wetting the bed the next several nights. I look forward to reading more from this author and congratulate her on this excellent book. Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An electronic copy of this book was provided for review by NetGalley.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
C.J. Vick’s Nobody Panic! can’t quite seem to decide whether it wants to be a scary-funny romp or a feminist parable in which Gloria Steinem meets Cthulhu, and that internal ambivalence keeps this debut novel from really getting down to business.
Set in a 1986 suburb where the men make the living and the PTA keeps the social pecking order firmly in hand, Janet Morgan is odd-woman-out. She loves her three boys, but still longs for the life of a criminologist derailed 13 years ago by an unplanned teen pregnancy, a goal dismissed by her husband as a pipe dream that keeps her from satisfactorily achieving Wife-101 status. When a prominent member of the PTA group dies unexpectedly, Janet doesn’t believe the official story for a moment, and when three more members – including her best friend – quickly disappear under mysterious circumstances, Janet realizes something very, very nasty is going on in their idyllic little town.
The origin story of the evil force remains a bit vague as Janet and some unexpected allies pursue their investigation, and it will take most readers a bit of heavy lifting to accept what little amount of backstory Vick provides. But by that point, the author has turned loose the gore machine and there’s no time in the resulting attack / defense scenario to overthink anything. This may be the weakest part of the novel.
The bloody climax, along with a forced ending that leaves way too many questions unanswered make what might have been a lighthearted takedown of suburbia too gruesome and a hard-core horror novel too socially conscious to satisfy either cadre of readers.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
C.J. Vick’s Nobody Panic! can’t quite seem to decide whether it wants to be a scary-funny romp or a feminist parable in which Gloria Steinem meets Cthulhu, and that internal ambivalence keeps this debut novel from really getting down to business.
Set in a 1986 suburb where the men make the living and the PTA keeps the social pecking order firmly in hand, Janet Morgan is odd-woman-out. She loves her three boys, but still longs for the life of a criminologist derailed 13 years ago by an unplanned teen pregnancy, a goal dismissed by her husband as a pipe dream that keeps her from satisfactorily achieving Wife-101 status. When a prominent member of the PTA group dies unexpectedly, Janet doesn’t believe the official story for a moment, and when three more members – including her best friend – quickly disappear under mysterious circumstances, Janet realizes something very, very nasty is going on in their idyllic little town.
The origin story of the evil force remains a bit vague as Janet and some unexpected allies pursue their investigation, and it will take most readers a bit of heavy lifting to accept what little amount of backstory Vick provides. But by that point, the author has turned loose the gore machine and there’s no time in the resulting attack / defense scenario to overthink anything. This may be the weakest part of the novel.
The bloody climax, along with a forced ending that leaves way too many questions unanswered make what might have been a lighthearted takedown of suburbia too gruesome and a hard-core horror novel too socially conscious to satisfy either cadre of readers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nobody Panic! is a delight. This hits all the right notes to make you look twice at the shadow in the corner while still delivering a fun, 80s-fueled romp spearheaded by the playlist the chapter titles give you. I loved the added touch of the song titles. For me this fit more in the mystery/thriller genre than horror, even though parts were quite horrific and there's definitely a supernatural entity at play, but there was a big mystery to solve, and the reader gets a front row seat with the amateur sleuths as they work it out. The horror comes into play because you don't know who (or what) is behind the gruesome deaths, but certain (creepy) events solidify them as otherworldly and unexplainable. Vick definitely had me side-eying the moth that decided to take up residence at my work desk when I was about 25% into this book.
Reading Nobody Panic! was kind of like watching an episode of Supernatural, except Sam and Dean aren't coming to save anyone, and the victims have to put on their big girl panties and Jane Fonda workout suit and figure it out on their own. Although in my head I was saying "Dammit Janet!" a lot when she'd get herself into more trouble.
I do wish there'd been a little more explanation behind the supernatural entity at the end and a hint more about Betsy's history and those who had clearly tried to fight it in the past, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. And sometimes, that's just how it is. I imagine if that happened in my town we might not get an explanation for what we all just witnessed and would just have to bond over our shared trauma.
On top of everything else, there's even a little bit of romance (and as a romance writer myself I was happy to see it), although I was bracing myself for Vick to rip my heart out (I won't say whether that happened or not). Overall, the ending leaves the reader (and the town... or what's left of it) with a bit of hope.
But the thing I love about Nobody Panic! the most is that it is a story of girl power, resilience, and dismantling (or dismembering?) the patriarchy. Do not mess with the Somerville PTA, especially once they figure out the fate of their children.
This is an absolutely solid debut. Fans of 80s nostalgia horror like Stranger Things or shows like Supernatural will feel like they're curling up with one of their favorite episodes in book form. I cannot wait to see what Vick writes next.
Thank you to Sourcebooks, NetGalley, and the author for an ARC.
Reading Nobody Panic! was kind of like watching an episode of Supernatural, except Sam and Dean aren't coming to save anyone, and the victims have to put on their big girl panties and Jane Fonda workout suit and figure it out on their own. Although in my head I was saying "Dammit Janet!" a lot when she'd get herself into more trouble.
I do wish there'd been a little more explanation behind the supernatural entity at the end and a hint more about Betsy's history and those who had clearly tried to fight it in the past, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. And sometimes, that's just how it is. I imagine if that happened in my town we might not get an explanation for what we all just witnessed and would just have to bond over our shared trauma.
On top of everything else, there's even a little bit of romance (and as a romance writer myself I was happy to see it), although I was bracing myself for Vick to rip my heart out (I won't say whether that happened or not). Overall, the ending leaves the reader (and the town... or what's left of it) with a bit of hope.
But the thing I love about Nobody Panic! the most is that it is a story of girl power, resilience, and dismantling (or dismembering?) the patriarchy. Do not mess with the Somerville PTA, especially once they figure out the fate of their children.
This is an absolutely solid debut. Fans of 80s nostalgia horror like Stranger Things or shows like Supernatural will feel like they're curling up with one of their favorite episodes in book form. I cannot wait to see what Vick writes next.
Thank you to Sourcebooks, NetGalley, and the author for an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Seriously, nobody panic! Well, maybe people should, but I guess you'll have to read C.J. Vick's debut adult horror novel
Nobody Panic!
to find out. A wonderful blend of horror and thriller, this novel is not what you'd expect from a mom just trying to fit in by joining the PTA. Instead, this campy love letter to 1980s horror was filled with twists, turns, and a devilish terror that is closer than you think.
In the sweltering, bug-choked summer of 1986, local misfit Janet Morgan joins her small town's PTA expecting big hair and idle gossip. Instead, she finds a string of missing matriarchs―and their husbands, who don't seem too worried about their vanished wives.
Janet, however, can sense a mystery unfolding. And when her best friend is the next to disappear, she becomes more convinced than ever that something dark has arrived in Somerville.
Armed with her encyclopedic true crime knowledge, the snarky wit of two other misfit moms, and a new-to-town coroner's apprentice, Janet starts digging. What she uncovers is more than a string of disappearances―it's a dark secret stretching back generations, bound up in a deal far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.
In order to stop all H-E-double hockey sticks from breaking loose, Janet will have to confront the demons inside her home before the shadows consuming Somerville claim her too.
As a product of the 1980s, I have an affinity towards the slasher, horror and terrifying tales from my childhood. Yes, born in 1986 makes me understand more of the 1990s culture, but there is something special about the 1980s horror scene that really sticks with you. So, a PTA mom horror thriller based in 1986 where there is a devilish secret was something I seriously could not pass up and I am glad I didn't.
Vick takes the ordinary and pushes it to the limit with Nobody Panic! , a mom just trying to keep things together with a few kids and a husband that seems to do whatever the hell he wants is terrifying on its own, but toss in the mystery of missing women and some turning up dead, something is going on in Somerville. The campiness was what really pulled me in. It's funny to think of the height of Satanic Panic and you can tell Janet is one of those who doesn't believe its an issue, but when the evil beneath Somerville actually rears its ugly head, maybe there's more to it than previously thought.
There is something darkly humorous about taking the perfect suburban community with a caring PTA that just wants what's best for the town and turning it into a horrifying thriller. The juxtaposition of serene life against the horrors that hide in the dark corners of the neighborhood that lets this story sink in a bit deeper. Vick lays the foundation early to let us think things are smooth sailing in Somerville only to pull the rug out from underneath the table holding a bundt cake and deviled eggs. Mashing together opposites to craft a terrifying tale such as this will always find a special place in my heart.
It's not just the town itself that makes Nobody Panic! what it is. Vick's character development is strong from our true crime fan protagonist always attempting to solve a mystery to only come up empty most of the time to our her husband who seems to be covered in red flags, yet the mystery loving wife doesn't fully see. This is not to mention the amazing collection of PTA moms with stereotypes to fit perfectly and to be the ones who ultimately are forced into action.
While the horror style and vibe were part of this love letter to the 1980s, the chapter titles being songs from the 80s made this even more evident. Not something the book needed for the story to move forward, but a nice touch that made me wonder what the next chapter title would be and if I would hum the song in my head while reading along.
Nobody Panic! reminds us sometimes the evil isn't hiding in the dark, but sitting across the family dinner table in plain sight. C.J. Vick debut horror novel is a devilishly fun love letter to 1980s horror. Nobody Panic! is a bizarre combination of PTA moms, true crime, small-town secrets, and supernatural terror that blends together seamlessly.
Nobody Panic! hits bookstores everywhere on Sourcebooks from April 20, 2027. The audiobook is available via Libro.fm!
NOTE: We received an advance copy of Nobody Panic! from the publisher. Opinions are our own.
In the sweltering, bug-choked summer of 1986, local misfit Janet Morgan joins her small town's PTA expecting big hair and idle gossip. Instead, she finds a string of missing matriarchs―and their husbands, who don't seem too worried about their vanished wives.
Janet, however, can sense a mystery unfolding. And when her best friend is the next to disappear, she becomes more convinced than ever that something dark has arrived in Somerville.
Armed with her encyclopedic true crime knowledge, the snarky wit of two other misfit moms, and a new-to-town coroner's apprentice, Janet starts digging. What she uncovers is more than a string of disappearances―it's a dark secret stretching back generations, bound up in a deal far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.
In order to stop all H-E-double hockey sticks from breaking loose, Janet will have to confront the demons inside her home before the shadows consuming Somerville claim her too.
As a product of the 1980s, I have an affinity towards the slasher, horror and terrifying tales from my childhood. Yes, born in 1986 makes me understand more of the 1990s culture, but there is something special about the 1980s horror scene that really sticks with you. So, a PTA mom horror thriller based in 1986 where there is a devilish secret was something I seriously could not pass up and I am glad I didn't.
Vick takes the ordinary and pushes it to the limit with Nobody Panic! , a mom just trying to keep things together with a few kids and a husband that seems to do whatever the hell he wants is terrifying on its own, but toss in the mystery of missing women and some turning up dead, something is going on in Somerville. The campiness was what really pulled me in. It's funny to think of the height of Satanic Panic and you can tell Janet is one of those who doesn't believe its an issue, but when the evil beneath Somerville actually rears its ugly head, maybe there's more to it than previously thought.
There is something darkly humorous about taking the perfect suburban community with a caring PTA that just wants what's best for the town and turning it into a horrifying thriller. The juxtaposition of serene life against the horrors that hide in the dark corners of the neighborhood that lets this story sink in a bit deeper. Vick lays the foundation early to let us think things are smooth sailing in Somerville only to pull the rug out from underneath the table holding a bundt cake and deviled eggs. Mashing together opposites to craft a terrifying tale such as this will always find a special place in my heart.
It's not just the town itself that makes Nobody Panic! what it is. Vick's character development is strong from our true crime fan protagonist always attempting to solve a mystery to only come up empty most of the time to our her husband who seems to be covered in red flags, yet the mystery loving wife doesn't fully see. This is not to mention the amazing collection of PTA moms with stereotypes to fit perfectly and to be the ones who ultimately are forced into action.
While the horror style and vibe were part of this love letter to the 1980s, the chapter titles being songs from the 80s made this even more evident. Not something the book needed for the story to move forward, but a nice touch that made me wonder what the next chapter title would be and if I would hum the song in my head while reading along.
Nobody Panic! reminds us sometimes the evil isn't hiding in the dark, but sitting across the family dinner table in plain sight. C.J. Vick debut horror novel is a devilishly fun love letter to 1980s horror. Nobody Panic! is a bizarre combination of PTA moms, true crime, small-town secrets, and supernatural terror that blends together seamlessly.
Nobody Panic! hits bookstores everywhere on Sourcebooks from April 20, 2027. The audiobook is available via Libro.fm!
NOTE: We received an advance copy of Nobody Panic! from the publisher. Opinions are our own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nobody Panic! follows Janet, a housewife in a small Midwestern town in the 1980s, as she attempts to solve a string of murders and disappearances involving several women from her PTA circle. With its supernatural elements, small-town setting, and deep roots in ‘80s pop culture, the novel immediately reminded me of Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Both feature ordinary housewives stepping up to confront forces far beyond the scope of their everyday lives, while using their stories to explore the expectations placed upon women to constantly fix the problems of their families and larger community.
If you’re a fan of 80s’ nostalgia, this book certainly delivers. The chapters are each named after thematically relevant, iconic songs from the decade, which had me humming along to the lyrics as I read, and the novel is filled with enough cultural references to make its time period and setting feel very authentic.
Despite this strong sense of time and place, I found Nobody Panic! to be driven much more by its characters and their relationships than its world building. Janet, Maggie, and the other women in the novel feel genuinely multidimensional, with their relationships containing both affection and conflict. I also found it interesting to see how the women used the limited positions of power afforded to them (such as the PTA) to exert influence over those around them.
Throughout the novel, I found myself questioning whether the real villain was a supernatural entity, or simply the ordinary men who so readily dismissed their wives’ concerns. The story’s exploration of generational patterns adds another layer to this idea, particularly in the way Janet’s sons begin to mirror some of their father’s behavior towards her.
Overall, I really enjoyed Nobody Panic! and would definitely recommend it, particularly to readers who enjoy Grady Hendrix, supernatural horror combined with social commentary, or stories centered around women navigating the expectations placed upon them. Fans of ‘80s nostalgia and Satanic Panic-era horror will also find plenty to enjoy here. It’s a book I could easily see myself rereading.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and CJ Vick for this advanced copy!
If you’re a fan of 80s’ nostalgia, this book certainly delivers. The chapters are each named after thematically relevant, iconic songs from the decade, which had me humming along to the lyrics as I read, and the novel is filled with enough cultural references to make its time period and setting feel very authentic.
Despite this strong sense of time and place, I found Nobody Panic! to be driven much more by its characters and their relationships than its world building. Janet, Maggie, and the other women in the novel feel genuinely multidimensional, with their relationships containing both affection and conflict. I also found it interesting to see how the women used the limited positions of power afforded to them (such as the PTA) to exert influence over those around them.
Throughout the novel, I found myself questioning whether the real villain was a supernatural entity, or simply the ordinary men who so readily dismissed their wives’ concerns. The story’s exploration of generational patterns adds another layer to this idea, particularly in the way Janet’s sons begin to mirror some of their father’s behavior towards her.
Overall, I really enjoyed Nobody Panic! and would definitely recommend it, particularly to readers who enjoy Grady Hendrix, supernatural horror combined with social commentary, or stories centered around women navigating the expectations placed upon them. Fans of ‘80s nostalgia and Satanic Panic-era horror will also find plenty to enjoy here. It’s a book I could easily see myself rereading.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and CJ Vick for this advanced copy!
September 2, 2026
Thank you so much to Landmark for the free book and NetGalley for the ARC copy!
I really enjoyed this campy horror novel by debut author CJ Vick! It’s bitchin!
It’s 1986, and in the small town of Somerville, something has gone terribly awry. The town is deep in the throes of Satanic Panic, husbands are out until all hours of the night at “poker games,” and a moth infestation is running rampant.
Janet Morgan is no stranger to the odd happenings around her. She always had big dreams of getting out of Somerville, but she never got the chance. After getting pregnant at just 16, her dreams of going to college for criminology and becoming a detective were dashed—LIKE THAT. Now she’s stuck at home with three boys and a husband who seems to despise her. Her lifelong best friend, Maggie, invites her to join the PTA, hoping she’ll make some friends and finally stop being known as the “weird girl.”
BUT then three PTA members suddenly go missing, with one turning up dead under suspicious circumstances. And when her precious Maggie mysteriously vanishes in the middle of the night, Janet is certain something smells fishy!
Janet can’t help but launch an investigation of her own. With the help of Gail and Linda—the other two “weird girls” from the PTA—they begin uncovering sinister secrets about Somerville and the men who live there. Everyone seems to be hiding something truly evil, and it’s up to Janet and her friends to SAVE THE CHILDREN!
This book drew me in immediately, with every chapter named after a song from the ’80s. The nostalgia only builds from there. CJ Vick creates a fantastic story that feels like an homage to the horror movies and campy classics of the era. The suspense and sense of danger build throughout, and the pacing is perfect for a horror novel.
And that ending scene?! PERFECT for those of us who love classic horror.
My one complaint: I would have liked a little more backstory about the beast terrorizing Somerville and how it came to be. I wanted to know MORE!
This one is a must for fans of Jason, Freddy, and Michael—and anyone who wants that ’70s and ’80s horror nostalgia alive and kicking!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2026
Thanks so much to Landmark for the free e-ARC of Nobody Panic (Deluxe Edition)!!! Also thanks so much to NetGalley and CJ Vick. It’s an honor to receive an advanced copy to review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Janet has always been an outsider so she is thrilled when she is finally invited to join PTA. Suddenly, PTA women begin disappearing around her, and she must draw on her vast knowledge of true crime to try to solve these disappearances before more of the PTA is lost. Will she find them in time or will they succumb to whatever forces are out there picking them off one by one?
Janet is such a 1980’s woman. I loved watching her story develop throughout this book. Her ability to connect with us through her true crime knowledge is so relatable, and her personality, in general, will definitely strike a chord for a lot of women. Developing strong friendships and celebrating women as a whole was a huge part of this story and definitely a prominent and strong theme that was central to how this played out. I did find some of the behaviors frustrating, but connecting it to the 1980’s timeline helped put it into perspective.
The mystery and detective type work that happens throughout is fun but also intense, a certain type of whodunit, unraveling the mystery piece by piece, chock full of evidence collection, strategic maneuvers and “ah-ha” moments. It was slower to develop than a typical thriller, but I liked the slower climb that led to a full crescendo. It’s never corny or misplaced, which I loved. The only criticism is that I wanted more backstory and a little more explanation, but other than that I had zero complaints. The ending was so satisfying and addicting. It was perfectly cultivated to satisfy the reader.
October 11, 2026
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC through NetGalley!
It’s hard to talk about Nobody Panic without spoilers, because I want to tell everyone about this plot! As I’ve read it, I’ve guessed aloud to my partner what I thought the ending would be, or the twists, and found myself more often correct than incorrect, but I had fun all the same. At times this book felt campy, while at other times it was very earnest. The characters and relationships were incredibly well fleshed out, and I feel the author tackled one of the scariest things of all: white suburban husbands from the 80’s!
Nobody Panic is at times full horror, eerie, and described so well to make me feel uncomfortable. At other times, it was heartwarming and wonderful to see the female relationships, and the struggles of a mother.
I loved that the chapter titles were all songs from the 80’s, but I also found at times the chapters were unnecessarily short or lacking in content, and could’ve been better as breaks in the chapter instead of ending it and starting a new one (especially the first 2 chapters).
I think once I realized the twist, it was early enough in the book that I was starting to get frustrated why the main characters didn’t fully see what was happening here. However, important to Janet’s personal plot, she had to come to many realizations for the ending we had.
Lastly, I’ll warn - hard read if you get overly sensitive about the injustice of husbands who effing suck. I kept getting turned away from my reading because I was just begging this evil man to be involved so I’d have a reason he could hopefully be killed off or something.
It’s hard to talk about Nobody Panic without spoilers, because I want to tell everyone about this plot! As I’ve read it, I’ve guessed aloud to my partner what I thought the ending would be, or the twists, and found myself more often correct than incorrect, but I had fun all the same. At times this book felt campy, while at other times it was very earnest. The characters and relationships were incredibly well fleshed out, and I feel the author tackled one of the scariest things of all: white suburban husbands from the 80’s!
Nobody Panic is at times full horror, eerie, and described so well to make me feel uncomfortable. At other times, it was heartwarming and wonderful to see the female relationships, and the struggles of a mother.
I loved that the chapter titles were all songs from the 80’s, but I also found at times the chapters were unnecessarily short or lacking in content, and could’ve been better as breaks in the chapter instead of ending it and starting a new one (especially the first 2 chapters).
I think once I realized the twist, it was early enough in the book that I was starting to get frustrated why the main characters didn’t fully see what was happening here. However, important to Janet’s personal plot, she had to come to many realizations for the ending we had.
Lastly, I’ll warn - hard read if you get overly sensitive about the injustice of husbands who effing suck. I kept getting turned away from my reading because I was just begging this evil man to be involved so I’d have a reason he could hopefully be killed off or something.
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