thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and to rainbow for the advanced reader copy of rowell. i have been in love with rainbow rowell's writing ever since i read her novel "fangirl" in seventh grade. i audibly squealed when i was scrolling through netgalley and saw that she had another book coming out, "slow dance". this novel takes place in a small midwest town, and is honestly just so heartwarming. what i loved about shiloh and cary's story is that it was not just a love story; rather, it was a coming-of-age tale that explored young love, societal and familial expectations, and rites of passage. something i really enjoy about rowell's writing is that she captures the intimacy and connection of relationships SO well and so authentically, and that is no different in "slow dance". this absolutely would have been a five star for me, but the pacing was a bit too slow for my tastes in certain areas.

Rainbow Rowell is so great at writing super-realistic characters. Her characters are flawed but in the absolute best way.

In this story, Shiloh, Cary and Mikey are best friends in high school. They're quirky, complex, and maybe slightly codependent on each other; well, that's more the case for Shiloh and Cary. 

These two are so close, yet... they aren't together. And there's no clear indication as of why other than they don't want to ruin their close friendship.

Slow Dance is exactly as its name suggests; a slow dance between Shiloh and Cary. This story spans over a decade as they navigate college, the military, marriages, children, and finally coming back to each other. 


Shiloh is probably one of my favorite characters to read because she is written with little odd intricacies that bring the character to life. I really loved reading about these characters and their journey back to each other. It was unique and refreshing.

Rainbow Rowell has easily become one of my favorite authors. I love her characters and her ability to tell a story!

The perfect will they/ won't they romance? And the answer is it's a bit complicated. Slow Dance= Slow burn romance so if that isn't your thing and you don't like waiting for the characters to get together, this one might not be for you. I don't mind being patient and absolutely loved it!

The beginning was good, the ending was satisfying, but the middle was a frustrating circle of repetition.

Slow Dance is about two high school best friends who are soulmates but drift apart and reunite 14 years later. This is a will they or won’t they second chance romance.

Shiloh and Cary were BFFs in high school. Their relationship became romantic, but circumstances and miscommunication kept them apart. Almost 15 years later, they reunite. Shiloh, now divorced with two kids, is an administrator at a children’s theater, while Cary is an officer in the Navy. They take another stab at getting together, but their inability to communicate keeps pushing them apart (this happens over and over again). It gets old quickly.

Told through Shiloh and Cary’s perspectives, the timeline switches from past to present, sharing bits of their relationship from the past, which explain how they came to be in the present. I liked both of their characters but was frustrated by their inability to speak to one another. I wanted to shake some sense into both of them. If they had actually talked to each other and shared their feelings, they wouldn’t have wasted 14 years apart.

The plot in the middle comes to a standstill as it is nothing more than the repetitive circle of their relationship. This was frustrating to read, as not only was their relationship at a standstill, but so were the events in the novel, making it repetitive, boring, and difficult to read.

Much like the title suggests, their relationship unfolds like a slow dance. There are moments of awkwardness, missteps, and fumbling, but eventually, they find the rhythm together. Unfortunately, my annoyance at both of them detracted from the magic of their relationship.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

I'm in love. This book.

When an author can seamlessly weave then/now timelines into a very incredibly tension filled and believable connection, it is really special. Rainbow Rowell excels in her latest novel . Shiloh and Carey are best of friends through high school. They don't realize how unique their connection is until Carey joins the Navy and Shiloh goes off to college. They connect again at their mutual friend's wedding after fourteen years apart.

I loved that Shiloh is salty, very easily overwhelmed with change, but a fierce advocate for her children. Watching Carey and Shiloh complete each other in different phases was the biggest pleasure.

This is a classic romance. Slow burn. Don't miss it.

As a fan of multiple Rainbow Rowell books; Fangirl, Attachments, Scattered Showers, and Almost Midnight, this one was a big miss for me. The miscommunication trope and the lack of passion/desire made the romance fall very flat. It was hard to hope for the main characters when they were so unlikable.

Rainbow Rowell is very fortunate to have created such a fanbase and name for herself; because if this were a debut novel she would've been ripped apart. I do not think an honest person would recommend this book to anyone.

Sometimes love isn't easy.
In this new release which falls somewhere between YA and contemporary romance, depending on the timeline, two friends - Shiloh and Cory - struggle with the state of their relationship.

Above and beyond, the two are friends. A friendship forged in their teen years. There is also a mutual attraction between them that they awkwardly act upon on occasion, but both are reluctant to say the one thing that needs to be said, "you matter, and I'll wait for you."

Other than insecurities (mostly Shiloh), Cory has a commitment to the Army, with leaves for long periods of time. Not knowing their true feelings for one another, both "move on". I put that in quotes because it is clear whenever they do reunite, that neither has moved on.

The pacing of the story was a bit slow (maybe the reason for the title?) and repetitive. While this could use some editing, I think the message of the story was relatable. As I said prior, love isn't easy. You have to fight for it, expose yourself to the possibility of heartbreak, and hopefully reap the rewards. For this couple, it was just a matter of time and patience.

Overall, this was a charming story, and while Shiloh did frustrate me at times, I could relate to her insecurities. If you are looking for a slow burn romance, check this out.

First of all thank you so much Netgalley and Harper Collins for letting me read this!!!
I can always count on Rainbow Rowell, she is a long time favorite of mine, Slow Dance most definitely met my high expectations. I found myself at the edge of my seat this entire book begging these characters to get together, and when they finally did, it felt earned and I felt damn accomplished lol.
Rainbow’s characters are always so rich and complex and complicated and have so many shades to them, I see myself in the good and the bad of them. This book made me sob. I loved Cary, I loved Shiloh, I loved their moms, I loved their kids, I was rooting for this family. Special shout out to Mikey, every time he was on the page I was laughing.

This was such a sweet book about two high school friends who reunite in adulthood.

Shiloh and Cary are best friends in high school. Everyone assumes they are together, but they’re just very close. They both plan to leave Nebraska, but only Cary ends up getting out.

They reunite at the wedding of a high school friend. And they fall back into a friendship and move towards more. They understand they’ve always been in love and want to be together. They must figure out how to make things work and get past some history.

I liked how this book bounced between the present and the past. We get to see Shiloh and Cary during high school and how they built their relationship. We then see how they are in the present and all they work together to address.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and their story and the way they progressed with the relationship. It felt very cozy.

🪩 Slow Dance 🪩

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: July 23, 2024

Rating: I liked it!

I loved Rainbow Rowell’s previous books (Attachments & Fangirl) so when I saw she had an adult romance coming out, I was so excited!

I love that her writing is easy to follow plus she fleshed out her characters so well! This was the kind of story that makes you want to reach in and give Shiloh and Cary a hug. The only thing that felt repetitive was the miscommunication between the two of them. I know Rainbow was trying to show us imperfect characters but personally, miscommunication (or trouble communicating) isn’t one of my favorites.

For fans of:
🪩 Third person
📼 Dual timeline
🪩 Childhood friends
📼 Friends to lovers
🪩 Second chance
📼 Miscommunication
🪩 Right person Wrong time
📼 90s/2000’s vibes
🪩 Nostalgic vibes

I was so excited to read Rainbow's latest adult book, but kids ruin everything. Just when I thought I was on board with this relationship, the kids would show up and the romance would come to a screeching halt. I understand that 30 something women recently divorced with children exist and deserve their happy ending, but it is not the romance that I like to read. But the chemistry and relationships are still there and wonderfully written. TL;DR not for me, but still love Rainbow's books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This was my first Rainbow Rowell book, as I tend to prefer adult romance to more YA which seems to be where Rowell’s books skew.
I really liked it! I enjoy Rowell’s character development and making an ordinary story feel special.

This was such a nice story! Friends forever, Shiloh and Cary lost touch until they reunited at the wedding of the third member of their high school trio. Despite always having feelings for one another they just couldn't find a way to make it work. Despite that, they would do anything for each other no matter what. This time, Cary will not let Shiloh go - not having been speaking to one another for 14 years was way too long. This is their story, about their lives before and after the wedding and what they did with them.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I didn't really care for this book and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I've only read from Rainbow Rowell her Simon Snow series. I also don't particularly like contemporary romcoms.

There was something sweet about the second chance storyline and I did like how much into character development it went. But I missed the action, I missed the magic, and most of all, I really missed the queerness.

The placing and flashbacks also just didn't hit for me. I kept expecting something more that wasn't going to come. So I won't rate this book on the public reviews. I don't think it was bad, just not what I love about Rainbow's work.

I have read many Rainbow Rowell books, and this is one of her few adult novels, though it has many flashbacks to high school and college.
Shiloh, Cary and Mickey were best friends in high school, but they have not really seen each other in 14 years. I found this a very sad story, as unrequited love is sad. How were Shiloh and Cary ever going to realize their love for each other?
Taking place in Omaha in the past and the present, Shiloh is now a divorced mother of 2 living with her mother. She has never been a friendly person and feels that she is a mess.
Cary has been in the Navy since high school graduation, so they have not seen each other until Mickey's wedding.
This book is about ordinary lives and ordinary people, how a lack of communication can allow friendships to die.
It is finally up to Cary to convince Shiloh to take a chance. It is a pleasure to read how he finally succeeds.
This book enthralled me and I read it in one sitting. I was so afraid something awful would happen that I had to keep reading.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review.
I highly recommend it.

It took me a second to get into this book, mostly because I didn't like Shiloh very much at first. Then she and Cary shared a dance at the wedding and I was all in. This story is about finding love after not really knowing what it felt like to begin with. About how love between friends can be more, and about how time doesn't have to change much. Shiloh definitely grew on me with time, and I loved Cary from the start. They both did the growing they needed to and after (too) much time had rhe conversations they needed to. Overall a powerful story and quite the jump into adult books.

“Shiloh was a light in the distance. She was an ache he’d been feeling since he was thirteen. An itch. She was a finger hooked into every torn seam, tugging–and Cary was made of torn seams. Just a poorly stitched human being. He’d only known how to want Shiloh, never how to have her.”

Everyone that knows me knows that I am a sucker for a man who has it down bad for his girl, and Cary is no exception. This man was so loyal and devoted not just to Shiloh but to the memory of what they had in the past.

I loved the flashbacks and how we gradually got to know both Shiloh and Cary through
them as well as through the present timeline.

“Cary should know that Shiloh could never be normal about him. He was always going to be her favorite. She was always going to want his attention.”

This whole story was so raw and emotional and I absolutely loved it. I’ve always been a fan of RR’s YA romances, but now I am convinced that she’s one of my all time favorite authors.

“He was going to end up on his knees, crawling to her.”

Things I loved:

♥️ Military man
♥️ Second chance romance
♥️ Childhood friends to lovers
♥️ Email & long distance
♥️ Emotional read

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC! Back in high school Shiloh and Cary were best friends, but everyone always thought they were more. They seemed inseparable. So why is there a tension between them now, 15 years later? The story alternates between the present timeline and the past of Shiloh and Cary depicting all of the love, pain, and misunderstanding with heartwrenching authenticity. Slow Dance is a great read for those looking for an emotional second chance romance with characters that you will be both frustrated by and root for.

I have read and loved almost all of Rainbow Rowell's books so I was excited to get the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Slow Dance (thank you William Morrow and Net Galley!). I really enjoyed getting to know Cary and Shiloh and following along in the ups and downs of their relationship over the span of 15+ years. I also liked the relationships with the other characters - especially both of their moms, Junie, Gus and Mikey.

5 realistic stars!
It’s been forever since I snuggled down with a book that completely captured my attention. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about the characters and seeing their struggles. I was hopeful and engrossed by their past. The book was raw and uncomfortable. It had two ordinary flawed people that had a second chance, a redo.
The story was told in present and past dual POV and I thought it was a beautiful, realistic thing. I was drawn in by where they lived and the family drama in their lives.
I just thought it was so good and if you liked Elinor and Park then I think you’re going to love this one.
Thanks William Morrow via NetGalley.