I'm a big fan of Rainbow Rowell, but this one didn't cut it for me. It's long and slow paced and not much happens. I get that she leans heavily onto developing well drawn characters but this one wasn't backed up by a noteworthy plot. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Has Rowell ever made a non five star book? Not in my opinion!

This back and forth utter masterpiece had me ENTHRALLED! I never wanted it to end, and yet I HAD TO KNOW!

I think a reread will soon be in store!

Thank you to the publishing team for the advanced copy! It was MARVELOUS!

It has been a few years since I've read a Rainbow Rowell book and man I have missed her. There is something about her characters and stories that just pulls me in. I read all the time and I caught myself sneak reading at work and staying up until 2am to finish this book, which is almost unheard of for me now. Her characters always feel like real people, full of imperfections and quirks that make them all the more interesting for them.

Cary and Shiloh almost happened in high school, sorta happened in college at least for a weekend but then it all fell apart. Cary was in the Navy while Shiloh was finishing school. Now it is over a decade later and they might have another shot at figuring this thing that is between them out. Shiloh is a divorced mom of two, living with her mom. Her life is messy and Cary is still in the Navy, only in town for a wedding, but there is something between them that has lasted through the years. All they need to do if figure out how to be the friends they once were and move into the lovers they should have been.

***She’d spent more years missing Cary than knowing him. All those years burnishing his memory with nostalgia.***

I pulled so hard for this couple. I was beyond invested in how they were going to work out the hurts of the past and fall in love all over again. The story unfolded letting us see the Shiloh and Cary of the past while we got to also know them in the present. It is all teased out how Cary, Mikey and Shiloh were like the three musketeers in high school. But everyone assumes Cary and Shiloh were or would be together. How they didn't figure themselves out at nineteen and now at thirty three, maybe just maybe they will find a way.

***"We were friends."
"No." He motioned between them with his fire stick. "we were friends. You and Cary were caught up in some sexually charged will-they, won't-they fuckery."***

I adored that Shiloh and Cary are not prefect and absolutely pretty people. They are real with blemishes, freckles and moles. Shiloh is a little on the spectrum (in my opinion) and struggles a bit with intimacy. Cary likes to be in control and in charge. He is a natural at it but when his mom's health takes a dive he needs to lean on Shiloh to help while he is away for the Navy. I enjoyed the struggles they overcame as they hashed out some of the past and figured out their now and their future. I thought that the parts with the kids were written by someone who definitely has kids and knows what it is like to try to date while also being a mom. The parts with how the kids reacted to a new person in their moms life seemed very true.

I'm not sure what it is about Rainbow Rowell's writing but it just works for me. I get so drawn into all of the stories I've read by her and absolutely adore the characters that feel like real people. After getting to the end I was almost ready to start the journey all over again just to hang out with these characters a little longer. If you have enjoyed Rainbow before, this should fit right into the catalog. If you are new to Rainbow then this will be a good tester if you will enjoy that magic of her writing like I do.

***“It’s just embarrassing. I kind of hate to tell you all this. I’d rather you remember me the way I was when we were young.”
“Manic and relentless?”
Shiloh kicked him in the ankle. She wasn’t wearing shoes. “Shiny and full of potential!”***

Growing up I really enjoyed Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park so I was really excited to receive an ARC of Slow Dance. I didn't necessarily dislike this one, but I did have a hard time connecting with the relationship between Cary and Shiloh. I enjoyed the snippets of before, but I don't feel like the relationship was all that flushed out. I normally don't say this, but I think this book could've benefited from being longer. There were a lot of aspects that i wanted to see developed or touched on (i.e. more of what happened in Shiloh and Ryan's marriage), that were just kind of glanced over.

This was my first Rainbow Rowell novel and I requested it because of the overwhelming love and praise from ARC readers and I can see why . it's set in the late 90s to early 2000s , providing nostalgia . The writing style was very distinct not very flowery but still humorous and succinctly expressed complex emotions.

As someone who's very picky about second chance romances I thought that it was well done here . We got the who , what , when , where and why for their split from both perspectives and how both characters dealt with the fallout. Another reviewer said that if you were to pick this up, they'd recommend eyeball reading or reading AND listening if you prefer audiobooks and I totally get why they said that now. We flit from the past to present but it wasn't always indicated that we were reading a past/present chapter and the past chapters were not linear . Meaning that if you're. not paying attention you may get confused REAL QUICK ( I didn't have a hard time following though!)There's a lot of miscommunication which didn't bother me to be honest humans are notoriously shit communicators but teenagers ??? EVEN WORSE.

With all that being said, the reason I didn't LOVE this was because I wasn't that invested like I was but I wasn't INVESTED invested , you know? . I didn't get that wow factor feeling (as of right now) I can see why people love this but i felt rather...fine ? idk

I'm always gonna be hesitant when a character in a book is in the military / is military adjacent . I don't believe that the presence of such a character is automatically military propaganda , it just depends on the framing . Cary is in the navy and a large portion of this book details his journey from the ROTC , to his academy training to his deployment. I don't know much about the navy in general (lol) but especially in the aforementioned time period so I can't really say if this book is harmful but it's just something to note because I know this can be a dealbreaker for a lot of readers

Pub date: 23 Jul
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!

I loved reading Cary and Shiloh’s story. This was a second chance, friends to lovers romance that did not disappoint! Shiloh is a divorced mom in her 30s who lives with her mom in their hometown of North Omaha. She attends a wedding and reconnects with Cary- one of her high school best friends who always could have become something more. This story is told from multiple timelines. Cary and Shiloh are both imperfect characters, and while Shiloh frustrated me at times, I couldn’t wait to see how her and Cary’s story ended up.

I’m a huge fan of Attachments and Eleanor and Park, and have been eagerly waiting for another romance novel from Rainbow Rowell. Slow Dance did not disappoint! A sincere thank you to the author for writing Slow Dance, and to NetGalley and William Morrow for the electronic arc. All thoughts in this review are entirely my own.

If to you Rainbow Rowell is synonymous with brooding wizards or comic book heroines, you may be surprised to learn that she also writes romances that are somehow realistic, extremely beautiful in heartwrenching ways, and also filled with laugh-out-loud banter.

Because she does – so if you’re new to this side of her writing: welcome. You’re in for a treat.

In Slow Dance, Rowell transports us to the early 2000s, where former best friends Shiloh and Cary reconnect at a friend’s wedding after 14 years of silence. Shiloh is now a divorced single mom living in the same home she grew up in, and Cary is a career officer in the Navy – and though they have a complicated history, they’re still drawn to each other.

The story bounces between present day and high school in the ‘90s, detailing the ways Shiloh and Cary have changed, what they’ve experienced together and separately, and the ups and downs of getting to know someone you used to know intimately.

I really enjoyed this – it felt very tonally different from many of the romances I read these days, but in a way that I really appreciated.

The book doesn’t romanticize the harsh realities of life, casting things like having someone over for dinner with your family as chaotic and awkward rather than adorable and heartwarming. In my opinion, that makes the love story here that much more satisfying. It feels real even though it’s fiction, as if you’re hearing the love story of friends who finally figured out how to make it work, despite everything.

And also: if you loved the email format Rainbow Rowell used in Attachments (which is SO GOOD omg read it if you haven’t), the good news is that emails play a delightful and charming role in this book, too!

So if you’re looking for a second-chance romance that is extremely realistic and feels a little more grumpy than sunshine (or, at least, more like an overcast day), definitely give Slow Dance a go.

4.25🌟
1.75🌶️

Best friends through high school, Shiloh and Cary had a weekend of maybe before they completely fell apart and lost touch. When a mutual friend's wedding brings them back together, they catch up and 'what if' and try to figure out what sort of relationship they want and can have now that they're finally reconnecting.

Rainbow Rowell again shows us her range in storytelling abilities with Slow Dance. With her signature quirky dialogue and unique descriptive language, Rowell delivers an adult novel with all of the realistic adult problems (romantic and otherwise) sure to be relatable for any reader.

I absolutely love Rainbow Rowell and I love a good friends to lovers story, so I knew I had to read this book. And it was absolutely delightful!

I loved the pacing and the weaving of both the past and present stories of Cary and Shiloh. They were both so real, relatable, and flawed. I loved how they fell in love with the imperfect things about each other. The chapters were short and I felt like I was witnessing a story unfold, while also getting a peek into quick, but meaningful moments from their past.

I was giddy the whole time I was reading. Even though they both dealt with tough family situations and divorce and other hard life things, the thread of their love story was so heartwarming that I just wanted to keep reading to experience them doing life together.

I am so thankful for the ARC from William Morrow through Netgalley and that I was able to read this early! I would definitely highly recommend this one!

3.5 I think. I’m having a hard time coming to a consensus with my thoughts on this. I might have to sit on it and then decide to leave it at a 3 or round it up to a 4.

There’s a lot to love — for me, personally, it’s the quirkiness, Shiloh (I loved her), the yearning (Rainbow is a master of this), the various family dynamics, and the dialogue. I also just liked that it’s about people in their 30s who fully already have established lives! Though they definitely feel older than early 30s to me. (I don’t know! It’s probably relative. They just feel like they are older than me.)

But there are things that put me off as well. I don’t mean to say I completely don’t like him (and maybe it’s just that I think he’s a little boring) but Cary just doesn’t do it for me. Him being in the navy is immediately a strike against him and it ended up being a strike against the book for me. I’m not really sure what Rainbow’s intention with this was.

Like on one hand, yes, the military is realistic for someone of Cary’s background (doesn’t mean I have to like it!), but there are other careers Rainbow could have gone with that could also have set up this sort of forced distance between Shiloh and Cary. Especially if Rainbow isn’t using this plot point to actually *say anything* about the military. The earlier timeline with Shiloh being so against Cary going into the Navy made me think ‘alright let’s see where this goes’ and then…it didn’t go anywhere. Adult Shiloh just kind of waved it off and it wasn’t a problem for her anymore. It didn’t sit well with me.

The only other criticism I have is that some parts of the book dragged whereas others felt like I was reading an outline. The dialogue, as always with a Rainbow Rowell book, was fantastic and pushes a lot of emotion, but I wish there was more internal thoughts and feelings. It was more “Shiloh did this and Cary did this and in 1991 this happened” and I would liked a little more focus on what they are thinking, especially from Cary.

All things considered, I did like this book! It was my first adult Rainbow Rowell book. I’ve read Fangirl (also enjoyed) and the Simon Snow books (absolutely love and am obsessed). I definitely am going to check out her older works, probably starting with Attachments.

GOD I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH

i always find it really hard to talk about the things i love so deeply so bear with me here

i don't know how to explain how special this book, this story and these characters are to me. from the first chapter i was captivated by the nostalgia and the longing and the yearning this story holds. two friends who fell in love as teenagers but didn't realize it, only to go on and live their lives separately for years before a reconciliation

that's so equally poetic and heartbreaking, like i know we gush about second chance romance all the time but 14 years without your soulmate?? i could cry just thinking about it.

cary and shiloh invented "it's always been you but i didn't know it then." they are the definition of right person wrong time and it was so painful and angsty and beautiful to see where they left and where they came back together.

a book always hits harder when you can relate to the story or the characters in some way and this one just hit for me. i feel like know cary and shiloh like they are my own friends and i will always hold such a special place in my heart for them.

thank you netgalley and william morrow this this arc. it comes out 7/30!!

I l0ve Rainbow Rowell! This book gets 10 stars... no! 20 stars! I love Shiloh and Cary. I love their relationship. I love the trajectory of their relationship. This book made me so happy. I think one of the reasons I loved it so much is because so much of Shiloh's story resonated with me. This was a beautiful book and I highly, highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. Slow Dance is a story about Cary and Shiloh— best friends since high school but, always toeing the line at being something more. Now 14 years later, divorced and two kids later, Shiloh runs into Cary at a wedding and it’s time to wonder if now is their time.

This was such a sweet and heartwarming book! I loved the characters and felt so invested in their story, with high hopes for a happy ending. Something unique about this romance is that it felt simple yet complicated in the best of ways; there was no ridiculous, out of this world drama that got in the character’s way here. But, rather, the two built on their relationship in the present time by fumbling through what next steps might mean for them, through honest conversations, through mature realizations, etc— all components of an actual healthy relationship, which feels like a rarity compared to other romances I’ve read. The flashbacks that brought us back to when Cary and Shiloh first met also felt very real to me— there was the innocence of early love, hallmark miscommunications from being scared to be vulnerable— all very real emotions and experiences.

This was my first book by Rainbow Rowell and I’m definitely eager to pick up more! I breezed through this book and enjoyed every minute of it. I would definitely recommend it!!

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell is a second chance, childhood friends to lovers romance story. It’s told in a dual timeline, flashing back and forth from high school/college to present day.
Shiloh and Cary, despite always loving each other, just never seemed to get the timing right in a relationship.
It did take me time to get into this one, Shiloh was not a very likable character in the beginning but I do think she redeemed herself in the end.
Overall, I adored Cary and Juniper stole my heart. This girl is going places.
3.5 stars
.
Thank you to netgalley and William Marrow for the opportunity to read this book!

Three cheers for Rainbow Rowell’s Slow Dance! I feel like such a lucky duck that I was able to read this early, I tried my very best to slowly savor it but I found myself reading the last half in a day. Ha!

Shiloh and Cary are best friends and if they’re honest with themselves they can admit that they’re in love with each other, except Cary plans on joining the navy after graduation and Shiloh has big plans of leaving Omaha. Taking the vulnerable step of admitting their feelings seems impossible and so things get lost in translation or left unsaid. Fast forward 14 years and Cary and Shiloh haven’t stayed in touch, but reunite at a friend’s wedding. Shiloh is an unhappy divorcee mother of 2, Cary did join the Navy but he’s terribly lonely. Again, what they feel and what they want to say ends up coming out all wrong or not at all however, this time they stay connected.
I was intrigued from the start! This story is a dual timeline taking us from the present where the pair reconnect back to the past when Shiloh and Cary attend high school together. Rowell’s writing evokes such nostalgia, even though Shiloh and Cary’s high school experience took place a decade before my own. The characters’ struggles and insecurities feel universal to the high school experience and the awkward task of navigating adolescent relationships. Cary and Shiloh are so beautifully flawed, complex, and at times frustrating. I empathized greatly with both characters but still wanted to yell “just tell the other how you were feeling!” This second chance romance felt realistic and the banter had me laughing out loud. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys a friends to lovers story! This book has so much heart, warmth, depth, and acceptance.

A big thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of this digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All thought are my own.

Perfection. Just what I needed. Rowell writes romances about real people and skips over the ridiculous tropes of rom/coms. I wish I could have savored this novel but I read it nearly non-stop. A delight to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.

There is almost nothing like a second chance romance to pull at the heart strings. I rooted for these characters completely and without hesitation. Really enjoyable.

I loved this book so much! It’s about two characters, Shiloh and Cary, who were best friends in middle school and high school, and re-encounter each other at a wedding of another friend in their 30s. Shiloh is now a divorced mom of two young kids and never left the Omaha neighborhood where they grew up, and Sue’s always felt like she is just too much for anyone to handle. Cary, on the other hand, after his very complicated family situation growing up, left Omaha immediately after high school graduation and joined the navy.

I have read and loved all 8 of Rainbow Rowell’s previous books so I was super-excited for this one, and it did not disappoint! I laughed and I cried and I just did not want to put it down. A typical second chance romance this is not, but it’s absolutely wonderful! In some ways, it reminded me a little of Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy in that it is funny and heartfelt but not a typical rom com, rather a book with its own distinctive voice that also happens to have some romance. Rainbow Rowell has made it on to my top ten of the year lists twice before and based on this book, she just might do it again.

4.5 stars

I am a bit of an emotional mess after finishing Slow Dance. It was incredibly impactful.

First, let’s talk about the title. It is such an intrinsic part of the story and when it clicked for me, I was floored. While it in part references scenes in the book including real “slow dances” it really lends to the bigger picture… our lovely Shiloh and Cary truly weave this slow dance together through their entire lives and it’s tragically beautiful.

This is the epitome of romcom! It’s going to make you laugh, make you cry, pull each and every heart string, give you all the little butterflies… These characters are so perfectly messy in their own lives and together, but it’s so freaking real!

Filled with insecurities, Cary and Shiloh maneuver through their lives always remaining friends, both clearly wanting more but too scared to even let themselves admit it. Through the years, life happens to both of them, but when a friend is getting married, they reunite to support and celebrate him. The flame they spent their whole adolescence trying to keep contained begins to fan. But their lives are so different now.

I loved Shiloh. She is erratic and flaky. She is strong and beautiful inside and out. Cary is a steadfast do-gooder with a fierce sense of duty and incredibly insightful inner dialogue. Together they are incandescent and I absolutely loved every single second of this book!

Maybe a 3.5? I enjoyed it as a whole, but the first half didn’t catch me quite like I’d hoped. The time jumps were a bit hard to follow in audio format for me, and there was a lot of “OH MY GOSH JUST HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION” for my liking. The characters’ chemistry was easy and familiar, and I did find myself rooting for them through every flashback.