A "will-they-or-won't-they" romance for the ages that began as a friendship in high school gets a second chance in Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell. Shiloh and Cary meet again at their mutual friend Mikey's wedding in their hometown of Omaha after an estrangement of more than 10 years. Cary went away to the navy, and Shiloh got married young and had two children. Will this be the time for them to reconnect and become more of what they could have been back when they were teenagers? Or is it too late to have that kind of lasting love.

I found this book to be a grand love story without all the ridiculous trappings of many romantic comedies or love stories, which I do love but find trite and too simple when it's not done well. This novel was sincerely an honest depiction of two people always meant to be soul mates but obstacles and feelings always got in the way. There's no rhyme or reason why they couldn't be together, but a spark at the wedding leads them into something new.

At times, I found Shiloh frustrating because I felt like she was getting in her own way all the time. When she was young and thinking of every way to move out of her hometown, she was open to everything. Once she became an adult and realized that she had responsibilities that superseded her dreams, she lost that drive. Along with her disappointment of her marriage falling apart, she really couldn't make up her mind about what she wanted and felt drained by anything that she felt was too much.

Some readers may not like the non-chronological look at Shiloh and Cary's history together and present day, but I could keep up with the chapters jumping around and appreciated it. It subtly helped you to fit the puzzle pieces together about why they both approached their association and if they could forge ahead and make something of it. Mostly, you experienced Shiloh's perspective, but other times, Cary provided his own perspective.

I also liked how nothing was easy in becoming involved with one another again. Friends gave their own opinions, family issues arose with their families, Shiloh's children were still young and needed her devoted attention, and, of course, Cary still needed to fulfill his naval obligations. I liked that realism in the book about the challenges of them getting involved now and if ever. Neither one felt confident in making any of these decisions, but they had each other. Now, it was the question of will they hold onto each other or not.

I really enjoyed this novel and hope that the author will put out other adult novels like this. Rowell has mentioned that she has a few in the pipeline, so I'm keeping my eyes open for it.

I think I might have aged out of Rainbow Rowell’s writing. I loooved her books when I was in my 20s and I was super excited for this one. I just couldn’t engage with the writing and it felt really young to me. I’m sure this will work for others- just not for me.

Slow Dance is yet another masterpiece from Rainbow Rowell! Her signature blend of heartfelt storytelling and beautifully flawed characters shines in this book. The romance is slow-burning and deeply emotional, pulling you in with every page. Rowell’s writing is so immersive that you can feel every glance, every hesitation, and every unspoken word between the characters. I was 100% attached to the characters from the start and felt like we were related.

What I love most is how she captures the small, quiet moments that make love feel real—those little interactions that say everything without a single word. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and full of warmth, making it impossible not to root for the protagonists. The details of the relationships will stick with me. Watching love evolve is really magic.

If you love stories that make you swoon, ache, and smile all at once, Slow Dance is an absolute must-read! I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. Rainbow Rowell has done it again! 💖📖✨

After reading some more about this book, I decided to DNF this one - it's a shame because normally I enjoy Rainbow Rowell! Maybe I will decide to come back to it someday.

💖 For my friends who love a grown-up, complicated, charming love story about people that feel like your friends.

SLOW DANCE by Rainbow Rowell (Rebecca Lowman, Narrator)

Thanks, @williammorrowbooks, for the review copy via #NetGalley (Available now) and my local library for the audiobook (🎧 11 hours, 31 minutes).

Shiloh and Carey are best friends throughout high school, inseparable until Carey leaves for Navy training after graduation. After 14 years apart, they meet at a wedding and start working through what went wrong, and what could be entirely right between them.

@thebookreportnetwork captured it best, “SLOW DANCE is a determinedly grownup romance novel --- not because it’s particularly spicy (though it does have its moments), but because it shows two adults, who haven’t always had it easy, trying to figure out how to make their budding love story work amid family crises, professional demands, financial struggles, aging parents and custody arrangements.”

I loved this story, including the remarkably accurate descriptions and explanations of Navy life and culture. It was charming, hilarious, tender, angsty, messy, lovely, warm, and captivating. The audiobook, narrated by one of my favorites, was a #FiveStarAudiobook (so engaging I was willing to clean to keep listening). @lobecca expertly delivered every character, and talked me into disassembling and cleaning my bathroom fan (technically, she kept me company as I cleaned it. @jillcomesclean convinced me of the necessity.). 🧽🧽🧽🧽🧽

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. However, I couldn't get into it.

Rainbow always makes my day! This one was a heavier-hitter than most, with characters that felt deeply realized and flowed in the best way. I was rooting for them the whole time!

i liked this until i got increasingly annoyed by the shiloh… but i did enjoy how a lot of it felt messy and realistic with how they had to figure their life situations out. i did feel at times like they were older than described and i had to keep reminding myself they were only in their early 30s (maybe that’s just me.) overall it felt a lot longer than it should’ve been and i wasn’t super enjoying it by the end

also can we talk about the sexual fixation with her crooked bottom teeth? i loved cary but that kind of freaked me out. are straight people okay?

note: i received a free copy of this from netgalley

When the wedding of a high school friend bring Shiloh and Cary back into one another's lives, nothing is as easy as they might have hoped, but not as hopeless as they could have feared.
After 14 years of being apart, after misunderstandings, Shiloh's failed marriage, Cary's family drama they have a chance at making amends. Starting slow by reawakening their friendship, the two come closer and closer.
This was such a sweet second chance romance. I adored both Shilo and Cary, despite their little quirks, it just made them more real as people.
Though I really wanted Shiloh's ex to get some sort of terrible comeuppance. Sigh.

This is one of my top 2024 reads - it was SO good. It felt like exactly what I want in a romance novel - humor, romance, and a mature relationship. I thought everything about this worked so well. On its surface it's a simple novel, but upon inspection it's incredibly deep. There also is a main character that is neurodivergent without that being the only thing that matters about her and the story. It just felt so raw and real. Gosh I loved this so much!

I ended up listening to this on audio, and enjoyed it, but it did seem a little long.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Slow Dance is a second chance adult contemporary story following two friends as they become something more and then fall apart. Years later they meet again at a friend's wedding they begin to wonder if maybe they can try again. If maybe the last time just wasn't the right time.

I am honestly struggling to read this book.

It's a slow burn but the chapters are quick to devour. The side characters engage the reader and draw you in...but I struggle with the main couple. I felt their struggle but the personalities didn't always mesh.

There is a movement between the past and present through the chapters that helped us better understand the years of history the characters have but it could be disorienting at times.

Overall, I enjoyed moments of this book but the times in between meant I often would set this book down and forget about it. I just don't think it was my cup of tea.

Thank you William Morrow for this arc. I truly appreciate it!

Lifelong platonic relationships are cool!

I felt like this lacked the actual romantic chemistry that I needed. As a second chance, childhood friends to lovers romance I was really missing the angst.

That being said, I always love Rowell's writing and this did give me a little bit of grown up Eleanor & Park vibes. I would pitch this as an adult novel for YA lovers.

I enjoyed this, but it was way too much of a slow burn and I understand that the title is slow dance, but sometimes I’m like you just wrote a general fiction book that had some romance in it

Shiloh and Cary haven't seen each other in 14 years when they reconnect at their mutual best friend Mikey's wedding. Shiloh is divorced with two kids and Cary has made a career in the navy. Told in the present (2006) and before (1991), this isn't a normal romance. These characters have history both shared and separate and lives that are complicated. I've always loved Rainbow Rowell's writing and this is no exception. It did move a little too slow for me (although the title made it pretty clear it would lol), but I still really enjoyed this. It is so easy to get invested in their lives and hope they can work it out.

Title: Slow Dance
Author: Rainbow Powell
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
Publisher: HarperAudio
Length: Approximately 11 hours and 31 minutes
Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible

Do you like to dance? My husband and I enjoy dancing, although we don’t get to do it too often with our busy kids’ schedules.
Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school and everyone around them expected them to get together. Life did not work out that way and Shiloh went off to college while Cary shipped off to the Navy. Over the years, the two keep passing back into each other’s life. Is there a good time for a second chance at romance?

My thoughts on this novel:
• This was the February pick for the Page-turners Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the meeting due to work commitments.

• I had a really hard time with this book. The plot move very slowly, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters or even liking them as people.

• I read about 100 pages of the novel and then I switched to the audiobook version which worked better for me.

• This novel had lots and lots and lots of flashbacks. I am usually a fan of flashbacks, but there were just too many through too many time periods in this one to keep me enjoying the story.

• This was a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. I did like that it showed a different type of couple with a divorced mother of two living with her mother and a single military man trying to take care of his mother and family as well.

• This was a steamy romance, although most of the steam was the end of the novel.

Overall, Slow Dance by Rainbow Powell was too slow of a dance of a novel for me. I read it through to the end, but really didn’t enjoy the characters or story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell! This really showed how skilled she is as a writer, while not my favorite romance, I appreciate the vantage point she took in an adult relationship!

Rainbow Rowell has had my heart for over a decade now. I had a lot of fun with this book, It was slow in the right way. I felt like I was transported into the lives of the characters. I was with them and spent my days with them.

I was rooting for the live story the entire book. How much the characters changed and it being so realistic to me and other people. Shiloh and Cary have my heart and I appreciate them so much.

I’m pretty sure Rainbow Rowell sprinkles a little bit of magic in her books.

Slow Dance transported me back to my final days of college when I read her entire catalog (up until that point) and thought, This is what being an adult will be like. Reminiscing. Yearning. Changing but staying the same.

I can’t stop thinking about it.

I am normally a huge lover of Rainbow Rowell and this was a highly anticipated read for me! Unfortunately, I feel like it fell a bit flat. The characters felt two dimensional, the movement of the narrative was too slow and I often thought "What am I even reading right now?"
There are a lot of people who will love this slower-paced more introspective story from Rowell, but it unfortunately just wasn't for me.