"Slow Dance" is my first Rainbow Rowell read (not sure how), and while this book had some misses for me, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another Rowell book. Rowell's writing style is melancholy and a bit spare, and while I wasn't sure about it at first, it ended up really working. "Slow Dance" tells the story of the friendship between Cary and Shiloh, jumping from present to past and points in between. I don't normally like multiple timeline stories, but again, Rowell managed to do it well. The book pulls on heartstrings and evokes real emotional reactions.

And yet, there was still something missing. It felt like Cary's character could have been explored more deeply, more of his backstory explained, and more attention given to his feelings around Shiloh's kids. There are a number of issues that simply don't receive resolution - for example, Cary's relationship with Jackie, Ryan's relationship with Shiloh - and by extension Cary. Rowell might have done this on purpose as life rarely fully resolves by any point in time, but as a reader it left me feeling a little incomplete.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Sometimes you just need a sweet sad book! This is a typical Rainbow Rowell book...heavy on charter relationships, with some humor and silliness thrown in. Very sweet, very lovely.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor and Park and Attachments comes Slow Dance - a bright, beaming power ballad of a novel about a love so true it refuses to be forgotten.

Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together...everybody but Shiloh and Cary.

They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh's porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha - Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh's thirty-three, and it's been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She's been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she's back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she's invited to an old friend's wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there - and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It's the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start."

And hopefully, maybe, ending up together.

When I started reading the first few pages, I was unsure if I’d like this book. I wasn't sure if I could relate to the main character. But this book surprised me. As a fan of Rowell’s work, I found this one particularly great. There's something about it that made the pacing perfect. Rowell placed the flashbacks at just the right moments. I loved reading about Shiloh and Cary; their stubbornness and the will-they-won’t-they tension was captivating. It was fascinating to see how they remained true to their childhood selves while also showing significant growth. I enjoyed the little glimpses into Cary’s life and I found myself wanting even more. This book kept me hooked and I was eager to see what would happen next. I would highly recommend this book to others.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

Shiloh and Cary were high school best friends. Always together with their third Musketeer Mikey, riding around, sitting around, always talking. People assumed Shiloh and Cary were together, would be together, but then high school ended and Shiloh went to college and Cary joined the Navy, and life happened. Now it's twenty years later, and Mikey is getting married and they're all at the wedding. Shiloh is divorced with two young kids. Cary is still in the Navy. They still think about each other, though time and distance, and yes, life, has come between them. This simple set up begins a slow burn of a second chance romance that is as beautiful and real as it is awkward and bittersweet.

I always forget how much I love Rainbow Rowell's writing until I start reading one of her books. This was no exception. I was in love with Carey and Shiloh from the very beginning of the story. The awkward high school love was so relatable and sweet, and adult Shiloh really resonated with me. I loved every second of this story. Not too many books find me staying up until 2:30 am to finish but this one did. I highly recommend.

Shiloh and Cary were just friends, BEST friends, everyone else assumed they were more, but they weren't, until one day when everything changed and they were much much more.  Shiloh went to college and Cary joined the Navy, and there was no way for Shiloh's life to fit into Cary's so she pushed him away.  Now they are 33 and Shiloh is divorced with two small children and Cary is back for their best friend's wedding, and they see each other, and they slow dance together all night, even during the fast songs- and maybe they get a second chance.
Rainbow Rowell's books have a way of getting under my skin, they take a bit for me to get into because the characters take time for me and I think, "will I like this one?" but then, I get to about 25% and I am utterly smitten. Rowell tells their story with flashbacks and helps you understand why they are not together yet - and as a reader you get it, you're fine with it, but you just want to them together NOW.  The slow build worked for me, as a reader you learn about the characters, what makes them into the adults they are and the development of them as individuals and as a couple is what drew me into this novel and kept me engrossed until the end. I have already handed this one to my daughter to read.

4.5 stars

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC to review

All the best things about Rainbow’s writing live in this book in their most expertly executed form. I have thought about this book pretty much daily since finishing it. Romantic, hilarious, sometimes sad. A delight.

Rainbow Rowell has a way of writing books that just lure you in until you don't remember a time before you were reading her characters, and Slow Dance is no exception to this. More than anything else, this feels like a character study of a relationship over the course of over two decades with all of the complications and heartaches that come with that. Shiloh is prickly and self-conscious, while Cary is self-contained and stubborn, and at nineteen, that creates a walking disaster of a relationship even though you know that these are two people who are absolutely destined to be part of each other's lives. The magic of the book is really seeing how they fight to figure out in what capacity they belong together. Throughout the years, they shift and mold trying to decide who they are to each other and what they want from that. It's not easy, and it's definitely frustrating at times to see how they both manage to completely self-sabotage, but it feels strikingly real.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing else feels quite like a Rainbow Rowell book. It’s been a while and I forgot how melancholy her writing style is until I got going with Slow Dance. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just so distinct and an emotional ache that radiates from chest to gut.

Dual timelines, the past jumps around to highlight and explain present moments, weave around each other to create a tapestry of lives lived. Hits and misses. Highs and mostly lows. Examinations of where things went wrong but always with the hope that this time will be better. Shiloh and Cary, together, are special and complex and tormented while also being entirely normal and realistic. Shiloh and Carey, apart, are rather ordinary and quietly struggling. Which is best; friendship, romance, or nothing at all?

It’s a beautiful, if somewhat slower, story that I loved. Definitely recommend.

I have always loved Rainbow Rowell's books and have recommended them countless times. But I got impatient with this book. The title is appropriate - Slow Dance - because it is very slow going. Their relationship went back and forth so many times and by the end I found myself not caring very much. I did give it 3 stars on Goodreads - my first not-5 star Rainbow Rowell book I believe! Those who love dwelling on the ins and outs of relationships will enjoy this book; but this reader, not so much.

I absolutely devoured this book. I didn’t realize how attached I was to the characters until I felt bittersweet about reaching the end. The characters felt incredibly real, and I loved how Shiloh was always trying to do her best for herself and her kids. Her struggles, triumphs, and moments of vulnerability were beautifully portrayed, making her a character I deeply cared about.

Honestly, I wish the book were longer, as there was so much more potential to delve deeper into the characters’ lives. The story hinted at rich backstories and complex relationships that could have been explored further. More pages would have allowed for a deeper dive into the characters' thoughts, motivations, and growth.

One aspect that stood out to me was the portrayal of Shiloh’s kids. I would have loved to see more of them in the story. At times, the book felt primarily like a romance where Shiloh just happened to have kids, rather than a fully integrated family narrative. It seemed that Cary decided to be with Shiloh but only tolerated the kids, which made it feel like he jumped into the relationship without fully embracing the father figure role. I wish we could have seen more of him interacting with the kids to show a deeper connection and his growth into a parental role. Moments of Cary bonding with the children, understanding their needs, and forming a genuine relationship with them would have added an essential layer to the story.

Additionally, Cary’s character often came across as very stone-faced. While his stoic demeanor added an interesting dynamic, I wished we could have seen a more vulnerable side to him. Moments where Cary was genuinely happy or emotionally open would have added depth to his character and made his relationship with Shiloh more compelling. Seeing him break down his walls and share his true feelings would have provided a richer, more relatable portrayal.

Despite these points, the book was incredibly well written and had Rainbow’s signature charm that makes it impossible to put down. Her ability to create relatable, engaging characters and heartwarming, realistic scenarios is unparalleled. This book, like her others, was a captivating read that left me wanting more.

I like it, but I was also so frustrated by it. Communication people. Come on.
It was a long slow build - a slow dance if you will - but then an absolute dash to the end.
Not my favorite Rowell, but still she can craft a heck of a character.

I am obsessed with Rainbow Rowell's writing. This is my first new read of hers in a few years ('new' because Fangirl is pretty much an annual reread), but I've been in love with her books since I first read Eleanor & Park over a decade ago. She always writes characters that feel so damn real, and this one was no exception. I loved learning about Shiloh and Cary and their relationship - both in the past and in the present, where they'd changed in realistic ways.

I fully recommend this to fans of dual-timeline, second chance romances with compelling characters that face adversity both alone and as they build a relationship. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and all along you'll be wholeheartedly rooting for the characters. Also, definitely a good one for people who will enjoy lots of 90s references!

The Goodreads description calls this "a power ballad of a novel about a love," and that feels so apt to me. I've never used "power ballad" about a romance novel before, but that's just perfect for this newest adult romance by Rowell. In high school, Cary and Shiloh were best friends that everyone thought would end up together. Fourteen years later, Shiloh is a divorced mom of two, Cary is a Navy officer, and the two haven't spoken in all that time. When they reconnect at a wedding, they slowly and haltingly start finding their way back to each other. I loved Shiloh and Cary, they felt so real to me, and their heartwarming love story was so sweet to read. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital review copy.

I have missed Rainbow Rowell in adult fiction so much. Her writing is so grounded and real. Cary and Shiloh feel like kids you went to high school with. I did find that Shiloh's self-sabotaging could be grating in the later chapters when Cary had already expressed feelings for her, but I still loved following this very relatable second-chance romance that felt very homegrown.

I’ve loved every Rainbow Rowell book I’ve read, and I’m pleased that I feel the same about Slow Dance. The story of Shiloh and Cary just felt so dreamy and I flew through the pages. Sure there were some plot holes, sure there were some plot resolutions that were a touch unbelievable, but I don’t care. It was Shiloh and Cary’s decades long fairy tale and I was just glad to be along for the ride. I liked the alternating timelines that helped fill in the gaps and explain more about the twists and turns to get to their present. It’s also nice that Rowell didn’t flinch at depicting harder subjects like ongoing financial issues, painful family dynamics and even neurodivergent lust. What a treat to read this early!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Admittedly, Rainbow Rowell's books can be pretty hit or miss for me, but the synopsis for Slow Dance intrigued me, so I was excited to receive an ARC!

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me in a number of ways.

First and foremost, I struggled with almost every character in this book. And if you've read my reviews, you know that I like an unlikable character, but even unlikable characters need some quality about them that makes you root for them, and that was severely lacking here. Shiloh and Cary seemed in desperate need of therapy to work through their issues.

In the first half of the book, Shiloh and Cary have the same argument repeatedly, rehashing arguments dating back to their youth and somehow never making progress in communicating. But then, in the second half, everything seems to fall into place for them almost magically, and there's no real conflict--or, I hate to say it, plot of any kind--for the rest of the book. There wasn't even a third-act breakup, which I expected, given how tumultuous and precarious their relationship was.

There were also a few loose ends that never seemed to be tied up. Shiloh's ex, the father of her children, has an issue with boundaries and pushing into Shiloh's life, and it seemed like it was actually going to make for an interesting conflict. But once Shiloh and Cary get closer, we never see or hear from the ex again; it's like he falls off the face of the earth. It was really bizarre.

On top of it all, I couldn't buy the relationship between Shiloh and Cary because they didn't have any chemistry. Even now, I'm not sure what it was that attracted them to each other, and the pacing of the ending felt like a sprint to try and get to a resolution quickly, rather than wrapping things up in a way that made sense.

Also, since Shiloh is a mother, and Cary is interested in becoming their stepfather, I expected to see more of Shiloh's kids, but they felt more like afterthoughts. Don't get me wrong--Shiloh's character goes beyond her role as a mother, but it struck me as odd that Cary, who had such horrible experiences with stepfathers in his childhood, didn't really take any time to get to know these kids. Even when he proposed, he barely knew either child and was somehow okay signing up with being a stepfather. As someone with the childhood that he had, I would've expected him to put more thought into that decision, and more time into his relationship with the kids he'll be partially responsible for.

I also didn't enjoy the alternating chapters between past and present. It was never clear, in the "past chapters," where exactly we were in these characters' lives, and it just made the story more confusing for me.

While Fangirl remains one of my favorite books of all time, unfortunately, Slow Dance was a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This unfortunately just came down to not being a story for my personal tastes. I read the description and I think I hoped it would read more like the friends-to-lovers trope than the second chance trope, it felt very second chance-y. And while that’s certainly not a problem, it’s just not something I personally enjoy.

I really like Rainbow Rowell’s writing, and have absolutely nothing but good things to say about the writing. I’m giving this a 3 star because I just could not get into the actual story, and while I do believe that’s because it just wasn’t for me, I don’t know if I can rate a book higher than that when it didn’t pull me in or make me want to keep reading.

I know so many people are going to love this book, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it because this writing is so good, and I know it’s going to be to others people’s tastes.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A beautiful romance by one of my most favourite authors!

Slow dance is a great mix of both litfic and romance, with characters from realistic backgrounds/ backstories and strong, well rounded personalities. While Rowell has often been rightfully praised over her understanding of teenagers and how they think and act, her talent for character creation doesn't any age groups.

I liked the romance, but most importantly I liked the characters even on their own just personality wise. Their conversations felt natural and the plot moved in a great pace with the exception of the beginning which I admittedly found harder to get into.

Overall a stellar book I'd absolutely recommend