Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school, and everyone was sure they would end up together. They promised each other their friendship would never change once Cary went to the Navy. But of course, time goes on, and people change. It has now been fourteen years since they last spoke. They end up reuniting at a mutual friend’s wedding.
I have been a big fan of Rainbow Rowell since I read Eleanor & Park in high school. She has a way of writing books that just brings a warm feeling to your heart. The characters are always so unique and with names like Shiloh and Cary, Slow Dance, was no exception. I liked the setting and all the little details added to make the scenes come together, for example, when Shiloh will describe how Cary has aged or appeared different from when they were kids.
The characters were frustrating at times, but still very lovable. Though their choices were questionable, it just made the story that much more realistic. It can be hard taking that next step with someone who was your best friend, but Rowell always manages to add her magic to everything and make it better!

I don’t usually enjoy character driven books with only a little bit of plot, but this book was so well done and so compelling that I found myself totally engaged and enjoying the book. Ms Rowell writes such compelling and realistic characters that you feel like you have known them forever and are rooting for them to find their happiness.

Shiloh was a very interesting character but also one I struggled to like. She was a little on the annoying side, especially the way she always wanted to be touching and poking Cary. But I could certainly relate to her and her issues. I found it very amusing that she was such an introvert, yet her career was in theater. I loved her relationship with her mom and her kids, they had great interactions. I also like her coworker, Tom, who was always there to support her when she needed it. By the end of the story I was rooting for her myself, even though I still found her a bit annoying.

Cary was my favorite of the two. He was such a great guy with such a good heart and he put up with a lot of Shiloh’s nonsense. He had a lot of childhood trauma, way more than Shiloh, but he still seemed to come out ok in the end. I would have liked to see a bit more about what his life in the Navy was like, but I get why that wasn’t a focus. His banter with his mom was great, and you could tell that he really cared for her. He cared so much for Shiloh, but he was willing to let her go because he knew that the navy life wasn’t for her. But he was also willing to fight for her once they reconnected and make the relationship work.

This was definitely a slow burn romance, but also included a friends to lovers and second chance romance storyline as well. All three of these blended together very well. I liked that the story was told in two timelines, the present (2006) and the past from their high school years and when they were young adults. The present was told in a pretty linear way, but the past chapters jumped around a bit, which made it a little bit harder to follow. Both timelines portray a history of misunderstandings between Shiloh and Cary, which they both struggle to overcome. It also underlines just how messed up both of their families were, especially Cary’s. As adults they are better at listening to each other, but the miscommunications still occur, which is very realistic in my view.

If you are familiar with this author’s work, then you know how beautifully she writes. Her characters are so realistic that you feel like you have known them your whole life and are invested in their lives and happiness. The dialogue between all of the characters is great, full of witty banter and one liners. This story is full of angst, yet is funny and has many a poignant moment embedded as well. I especially loved that we saw both a love scene from when they were nineteen and from the present day. The similarities and differences between those two times were significant and really helped to define their relationship.

While I didn’t fall in love with this book as much as I might have if Shiloh hadn’t annoyed me so much, I really did find it a compelling read. I especially loved how the story continued even after they admitted their feelings to each other, and got even messier until we get to the happy ending which I loved. Fans of Ms Rowell will be sure to enjoy this one. I also think new readers will become fans. This is one I think you should give a chance, especially if you like messy characters and a slow burn realistic romance.

It’s hard to pin down a quick and easy description of what this one’s about. Mainly two people trying and almost finding their way to each other continuously for over half their life.
Told between present day and flashbacks - back to high school, to later when Shiloh was in college and Cary in the Navy. Her raising her family, him with military life and infrequent visits home. Picking up after they reconnect at their mutual friend’s wedding.
There’s some flipping around, but it’s always clear ‘when’ they are.

This is a vibes book for me, and the vibes are mainly melancholy - it felt like having my heart stomped on, but in a slow and gentle way. So many times I felt like I was on the verge of crying throughout it (okay, I might have broke a time or three) but I loved every minute of it, and it ended in such a beautiful way.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC

This was a very sweet and cute adult romance. I always enjoy Rainbow Rowell’s books, and this new story is no different. Also, I weeped like 50 pages in and didn’t stop. The build-up was perfectly paced and the characters were flawed but lovable. The main critique I have is that the ending felt somewhat rushed. I wanted more time with Cary and Shiloh.

3 stars. I was so excited for this ARC because I LOVED Eleanor & Park.

I was honestly disappointed with the story. It was too much going back and forth not only between characters, but also between past and present. There was never enough time for me to connect to either of the main characters.

Overall, I really wanted to love it but I thought it was just meh.

Thank you to Rainbow Rowell, William Morrow Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy!

I did not love this book... it was indeed a very slow dance. I was so frustrated throughout most of the book, wanting to yell at the characters to just communicate and avoid all the back and forth (over years & years). Readers with more patience than me, who love a "are they finally going to get together" story, will likely love this one too.

Rainbow Rowell wrote one of my all-time favorite books, Attachments. I fell in love with her writing, but over the years she shifted to different genres and formats – fantasy, graphic novels – that aren’t really my thing. I was excited to see her back with another Adult Contemporary and Slow Dance did not disappoint.

Romantic, funny, angsty. There was a lot I loved about this. Most of all, I loved Cary. Rowell can always write romantic heroes that capture my heart. I liked the friendship and romantic arc between him and Shiloh (though I feel like I need to say that the big love scene was really cringey – but I think it was kind of supposed to be?). What I really didn’t like about this book was Shiloh. I did not like her at all in the Before chapters and disliked her about 80% of the time in the present chapters. I just never really understood her. She was such a difficult character and I never felt like we really got to know why. When she was a kid she really wanted to be different than everyone else. But that felt less true as an adult. I just wanted to shake her most the time. That said, there were times when she was very sweet and treated Cary in a way he deserved. I was glad to see good things happen for her – and for them.

Overall, I enjoyed Slow Dance. I liked the short chapters and the use of multiple timelines. I don’t think everyone will appreciate the non-linear flashbacks, but it worked for me. I liked Cary and Shiloh’s friend Mikey and Shiloh’s kids. The banter and the writing were just what I expect from a Rowell book and I really hope she writes more in this genre again soon.

This story was absolutely beautiful. It’s the kind of book that you never want to put down but that you also want perfect silence and solitude in which to read it so you don’t miss a single thing. I usually dislike and avoid books that sprinkle in a bunch of flashbacks, but these were so descriptive and lovely and essential that I’m tempted to change my stance on them. I saw so much of myself in Shiloh, and I enjoyed every single step of her meandering journey to happiness with Cary.

This book is a lot like the title. I liked it, I like the characters I enjoy their banter, and the friendship was just so stinking cute! If you’r looking for a fest past Romance this is not the book for you, but if you like long haul built up relationships, you’re gonna love this book. Second chance romance and she give you a sense of the lives of some military members and the struggles that they go through with relationships whether their family or friends.

Not going to lie the first 25 percent of the book is rough romance readers. You are going to want to shake the character of Shiloh a thousand times. But thankfully things start to get a bit smoother after the book starts showing us Shiloh and Cary's points of view and in some cases of the same incident. I thought the overall plot worked, the characters were well developed, and probably a lot of readers are going to swoon for that ending.

"Slow Dance" follows 30 something year old divorcee Shiloh. She goes to attend one of her best friend's wedding, Mikey, and is happily surprised to see the third member of their group, Cary there as a member of the wedding party. Shiloh is determined to do more than she ever has with Cary, but there's a lot of history between them and still misunderstandings. Rowell jumps back and forth in the present (2006) to the past with her, Cary, and Mikey in high school, and then Cary in the Navy with Shiloh in college.

As I said, Shiloh is going to make you want to shake her. You get a little intro to her as an adult with two children, back to living with her mom, before you are in teen Shiloh's head space which in my opinion sucked. I found her annoying and manipulative at times. You understand why later, but it starts to grate the more and more you read. Probably the saving grace for this book is that due to what happens to Shiloh, she's not the same person in high school, there are still some of the same ticks, but this one talks about things, doesn't run away, and is finally ready to just push for me.

Cary was great, I just felt bad for him. His whole life story was like one long sad country song. I got him, Shiloh, and Mikey and why they all ended up friends. I also got his push and pull with Shiloh when we get more and more revealed.

Mikey was great, the parts we get with him, but he's not the center of the story-telling.

We also have secondary characters in this one who I thought were written very well. Any scene with Shiloh's kids had me cracking up.

The flow of the story seesaws a bit in the beginning until we really get Shiloh and Cary talking. I can't stand romance novels where the two leads never explain themselves, but I think that Rowell shows us enough to get why these two fall apart when they were 19 and now are better at the age of 30 something.

The ending was very sweet.

I haven't read a Rainbow Rowell novel in about ten years, so I was excited to read an advanced copy of this one. This is a slow burn romance about two high school friends who have lost touch but reenter each other's lives years later. The book alternates between the present and the past in telling the lives of Shiloh, a divorced mother of two, and her former best friend/crush from high school, Cary, who is an officer in the Navy. I was really into the first half of this book, but the slow burn nature of it got to be a little tedious after a while. Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend to others. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

What a joy to have a new Rainbow Rowell story to devour! I absolutely loved this second-chance romance, especially the well-developed and specifically unique characters. Rowell masterfully portrays anxiety, family dynamics, regret and grudge-holding while still entertaining the reader with witty dialogue and carefully revealed plot points. I have a hunch this will be in my top 5 reads of the year.

I was a little worried starting this one because the author has been hit or miss with me. It found this one to be on even ground. I know many people who will live it and I love that for them

Rainbow Rowell is an author I have really enjoyed, this one just didn't catch me like her pervious stories did. The synopsis sounded amazing, but the title tells you a lot - it is a very slow dance. I felt like the story was prolonged beyond my attention span. For some reason I could not get attached to Shiloh and Cary.

The flash backs were suppose to help us understand Shiloh and Cary's relationship then, so we would understand them now. But because the flashbacks were in particular order, I wasn't sure where in the relationship I was reading. The current time was more interesting to me.

I know miscommunication is suppose to create tension in a story and it does in this story, but after a while I wanted to yell - talk to each other and be honest. Then at the end ( no surprises here ) all is swept under the rug and they are happy.

RAINBOW!

I have been a die-hard fan of Rainbow Rowell ever since I first discovered (and melted my way through) Eleanor & Park. I know that she has written adult fiction in the past, but I was so excited for another one! Especially one with a friends-to-lovers premise that sort of also feels like.a second-chance romance. After all, friends-to-lovers and second-chance romance are two of my most favorite tropes.

The time-jumps, while at times seeming chaotic, perfectly tied together their relationship. I wish that I had taken my time with reading this, as I tended to fly through it. However, I was not left disappointed, and I hope that Rainbow continues to dive into adult fiction - as she does a fantastic job at it.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn’t love this book nearly as much as I loved Rainbow Rowell’s others. I found this to be slow, and I was annoyed by the back and forth between the two main characters. I just didn’t feel very connected to either of them, and there wasn’t enough going on with the plot to keep me engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC's. Loved this contemporary adult romance by Rowell. The story line jumps back in forth with both of the main characters point of you but easily trackable. Highly recommend this book different, it is different from the other Rowell's I have read.

Back in high school, everyone though Shiloh and Cary would end up together but they were just best friends with hopes and dreams beyond north Omaha. Shiloh went to college and Cary joined the Navy. Promises to keep in touch fall by the wayside. Fast forward fourteen years and they see each other at a mutual friend's wedding. Life is nothing like they planned but the connection is still there.

I heart Rainbow Rowell but Slow Dance was a huge miss for me. Shiloh was annoying from the very first chapter with her inner dialogue of "is he here, is he not, of course he is, oh no, what do I do, what to say, blah blah blah." Girl, get it together! Add in Cary's miscommunication and it was impossible to like either of the main characters.

Where is the smooth storytelling? The sudden alternating chapters between past and present did not help the story move along. I understand background is needed to portray the second chance trope but there was a better way to deliver without disjointed flashbacks. The awkward writing of Slow Dance led to a slow pace.

All readers want in a romance is a HEA. At page 51, I considered marking the book as DNF when I realized I didn't care how it ended. But I continued reading on the strength of the author. Welp, it took 350+ pages when all these characters needed was a mature conversation instead of a boring walk down memory lane and predictable ending. Leave this one off the shelf, Bookhearts.

Happy Early Pub Day, Rainbow Rowell! Slow Dance will be available July 23.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Slow Dance is a story about two kids who were best friends in high school, who were also in love...but they didn't both realize that. There lives cross again as adults. They are both different people now, but they are given another chance to get to know one another again.

A book about a second chance at love. Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school, but neither realized at the time that the other would have liked to be more than friends. Years go by, marriage, kids, and divorce occurs, and they two friends meet again at a friend's wedding. The chemistry they had as kids was still there. Told as flash backs between then and now, this style gives us great insight into Shiloh and Cary and what brought them to this moment in their lives.