Slow Dance is gorgeous. Rainbow Rowell’s writing is so readable. This was my first adult story by her, and I enjoyed it as much (or even more than) her young adult. The romance is swoony and dreamy, but realistic with nuanced characters.

The book is formatted into “then” and “now” chapters, which I usually find kind of annoying. However, here there was the perfect amount of “then” chapters to add to the current story without overtaking the plot.

From the first chapter I was invested in the romance. The friendship and relationship development feels so natural and well paced. It was angsty, yet realistic.

Shiloh and Cary have complications in their lives that have prevented them from being together. These complications didn’t feel thrown in for plot, they made sense. They work through emotional issues together.

The lead and side characters were fully formed people. I would believe that these people exist. Shiloh and Cary have complex familiar relationships. They both have mothers who are imperfect (in different ways) but loving. Anyone who has a complicated dynamic with a family member can relate to them.


This story succeeds at being emotional, grounded, and beautiful. The feelings this book evoked from me are what I’ve been missing in romance for a while.

Anyone who likes a character driven romance, beautiful writing, or emotional stories MUST read this. I have not heard enough hype around this!!!

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was easy to read and I read it quickly, but I kind of hated Shiloh. Especially teenage Shiloh. The way they said each other's names constantly was also annoying. I wonder how many times "Cary" and "Shiloh" were printed in the book. But despite my grumbling, I guess I enjoyed it? 😆

Rainbow Rowell continues to delight with a romance that involves a reality check for both protagonists who fell in love in high school but were unable to figure out what each meant to the other. Now in their 30s, one a divorcee with kids, the other climbing the ladder in the Navy, they find that the attraction still exists, but the way forward is both murkier and harder than it had been when their baggage was still heavy, but lighter than it is now. However, and unlike in a lot of romances where lack of communication rules the plot and metastasizes into the foil to true love, our two protagonists are interested in moving past the agony that they grew up with in order to find out what each means to the other.

Rainbow Rowell has been an autobuy/autoread author for me for years. I was incredibly excited for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book. This book hit me in the feels, for sure. I really enjoyed the flashbacks that partnered so well with the present day story to give us a great picture of this couple and their history. While the pacing was a bit chaotic, I still really loved this story. Rainbow Rowell holds onto her title of an autobuy/ autoread author!!

Rainbow Rowell is an autobuy author for me, i was so excited to be selected as an arc reader for this book! Especially as this was her first adult romance novel!

Shiloh and Cary have been long time friends who have both always loved each other but timing has never been on their side. which just breaks my heart, like characters who are too scared they'll loose each other if they admit their feelings 😭

the pair reconnect 14 years later at a mural friends wedding, and their lives aren't exactly where they'd hoped for, but when they reconnect as adults. As they are reconnecting the story jumps back in time to give more context to their younger selves which i really liked the format of in this story. i found myself tearing up a few times.

the pacing did feel a little all over the place but overall i really loved this one.

4 1/2 stars

Shiloh and Cary were good friends through high school but they never dated. Then they had some moments when it seemed they would work things out and be together only to have things get between them. Before they know it, life has moved on and they've been swept away and apart from one another.

The book is told in multiple timelines - - it bounces from the present to different points in the past when Shiloh and Cary knew one another. They tend to be more pivotal times in their lives and/or relationship that will show an impact on the current situation. There are so many points in this book when I just wanted to reach into the pages and shake both of these characters and tell them to get it together and realize they both loved the other person. That they needed to stop denying it and ignoring it because it might not continue to be there. It was easy to become emotionally invested in these characters and their ultimate outcome.

I have to say this truly was a touching and emoitionally charged read. I thought about it for days afterward.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it.

Short synopsis: Shiloh, Cary and Mike were best friends in high school. After being estranged for 14 years later Shiloh and Cary reconnect at Mike’s wedding.

My thoughts: There was so much of this that as nostalgic to me. Remembering my experiences in High School and how things felt so important then. I really enjoyed the messy relationship that Shiloh and Cary had. It felt real.

Their hardships were tangible, and while their communication sucked a lot of the time I liked how they still gave each other space to make mistakes and learn and grow.

Read if you love:
- Slow burn
- second chance romance
- Single mom
- Navy MMC
- Past/Present timelines

Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl is one of my favorite books of all time and I’ve been waiting for her to return to her contemporary fiction roots. It took a long time, but Slow Dance was well worth the wait.

Slow Dance is a novel that you need to be patient with. It’s not flashy, but rather a very mundane, slice-of-life type romance story. The book opens with divorced mom Shiloh heading to the wedding reception of one of her childhood friends. While there, she runs into Cary, another friend she hasn’t seen in 14 years. What follows is an amazing exploration of friendship and love, as the story flashes between Shiloh and Cary’s teen years, taking a look at what pulled them apart, and the present, where we get to see what’s bringing them together again.

As I said, this is a story you need to be patient with as Slow Dance is 1000000% a slow burn. Fans of that trope will surely adore getting to spend so much time seeing Cary and Shiloh reconnect at a very realistic pace. I loved that aspect of the story because it gave me time as a reader to get really invested in Shiloh and Cary, and in an age where a lot of romances move quickly, it was nice to read one that took its time. I should also add that while romance plays a big role in the story, it reads more like contemporary fiction as many things other than romance are essential to the plot. And the ending…..I absolutely loved it and thought it was the perfect way to end Shiloh and Cary’s journey. The conclusion is definitive, but I would gladly read a sequel about their life together.

Slow Dance is out now. Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is the cutest and i loved it.

This is definitely a slow burn so make sure if you do not like slow burn novels to pass this book up. I thought it was cut and just very well written as this was the first book by this author.

This follows Shiloh and Cary and at first when you start reading about them the relationship and the build of the character can get on your nerves but as you read the book you understand why it was written as it was. The character build if you stick with this book is beautifully written.

I will read more by this author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Rainbow Rowell.l can be hit or miss for me but I particularly enjoyed this book and felt it was a delightful and fast paced read.

Slow Dance... more like slow book. Again, Rowell writes for adults SO differently from how she writes for teens. And I MUCH prefer Baz and Simon. Keep me on the edge of my seat with the feels, please!

Rainbow Rowell knocks another novel out of the park! I dont think I have ever read a Rowell that I did not love. Slow dance is a story about two friends who fell in love before they even knew what love was. I wish I could read this book again for the first time just to love it all over again.

It has been a while since I last read a novel by Rainbow Rowell. I like her writing style and the premise of Slow Dance sounded interesting, so I'm glad I got a chance to pick it up.

This was a sweet, nostalgic, humorous, and enjoyable story with compelling characters. I liked getting to know Cary and Shiloh through each other's eyes, and through their own. The descriptions brought the story to life. And I really adored Shiloh's kids. The story felt realistic and true to life. No one was perfect and we got to see Cary and Shiloh's flaws come through and how those affected their relationship. It had a Somebody Somewhere meets This is Us feel.

The story felt like its own slow dance in some ways, as some parts took a while to get moving. When the pace picked up again, it was a lot of fun to read. I don't know that the same scenes needed to be repeated just to see the other's perspective during those times. It also wasn't very linear and jumped back and forth in time a lot to illustrate the relationship between Cary and Shiloh even more.

Overall, it is worth checking this one out!

Movie casting suggestions:
Shiloh: Kathryn Gallagher
Cary: Freddie Stroma

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This romance was definitely the slowest burn I have ever read. Shiloh and Cary definitely got on my nerves in the beginning with their first reunion in 14 years but they did grow on me as the book proceeded. Rowell is always good at her characters' growth and this is no exception. 3 stars.

Shiloh and Cary were best friends through high school who thought their friendship would last forever, but then life got in the way. It’s been 14 years since they spoke and their lives have taken them in different directions. She’s divorced and has two children and he’s single and still in the Navy. After so many years, Shiloh is torn by the prospect of seeing Cary again at a high school friend’s wedding. She’s not sure if she’s scared or delighted.

A weekend tryst during her college years was the only time the two really connected. Since then, they never followed up on their attraction and their lives have followed their own paths. Cary has not waivered in his feelings but Shiloh seems incapable of committing. In fact, her push/pull behavior is annoying. So the chance to reconnect when he’s in town for a wedding may be the jump start they need. She’s more than willing to remain friends and even offers to help his sick mother when he can’t be there himself. But, as the title implies, their relationship is a slow dance.

The characters were interesting but following Shiloh and her wavering emotions was like riding a roller-coaster. Maybe Rowell needed to explore more of her character’s rationale for how she acts and thinks. Fortunately, Cary is a great guy with tremendous patience. Shiloh’s two children are a breath of fresh air. They light up the book when they appear and have a great relationship with their mother. Rowell is a talented writer who generally writes for teens. This is not my favorite book of hers but worth reading and getting to know the likeable Cary and the supporting characters.

I'm a longtime fan of Rainbow, and I was so excited to read this! Unfortunately it was a bit of alert down - the characters were just SO awkward. It reminded me of little kids playing with Barbies, just making them do whatever for the hell of it. 3.5 stars, rounded down.

I know it’s not a crazy popular one, but I love love love a good second chance romance.

The pacing here was interesting. I didn’t hate it, but it gave it a different feel!

I’m not sure it flowed super well overall, but the connection to characters outweighed any of that.

Definitely recommend for a second chance book, and just in general! All the vibes.

I have been waiting for a new adult novel from Rainbow Rowell, and she did not disappoint. So much of Romance is idyllic and rosey, but Slow Dance is devastatingly real. It's sad and honest and messy. I loved the intricacies of Shiloh's sexuality and the deep, complicated, layered love that she and Cary had for each other. I spent the entire book not knowing if there would be a HEA and what it would look like, but rooting for one the whole time.

While I adore Rainbow Rowell, this title was a little bit of a departure for me. I did ultimately enjoy the story, but I ended up having to wait for the audiobook. Not sure if that speaks to where my head is at right now or not, but I kept attempting to read this and setting it down. At first I was not a fan of the MC. I know Rowell rights imperfect characters on purpose and I love her for that, but this time I really had to warm up to her. By the end I did enjoy both of the MCs stories and was happy to see a HEA.

I fell in love with these characters and the first 2/3 of the book sucked me in. It was just a lovely read with lovely characters. They are high school best friends from a rough part of Omaha, but they don't completely understand that what they are feeling for each other is attraction. After graduation, they connect briefly but a miscommunication leaves them estranged for 14 years. With dual timelines, I was dying for them to figure out their past and just be together.

This is my second of Rainbow Rowell's novels and it was as delightful as the first.

Tropes:
•Single Parent
•Friends to Lovers
•Second Chance
•Dual Timeline

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Open Door: At least one intimate scene with the reader present, euphemistic language for act and body parts.