DNF at 35%

I was just so bored. I found the characters unlikeable and quite a bit of the dialogue was a bit problematic? Maybe not given when it was set but I don’t think that’s an excuse given when it’s written and being published.

I’ve loved Rowell’s YA work but I think perhaps her adult stuff is not for me.

I love Rainbow’s way of writing and I’ll read anything she writes. And she sure can write a love story! I enjoyed every minute of it and was sad when it ended - my next book better be a good one!!
Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the digital ARC!

As much as I really, really liked Slow Dance, I didn't love it quite enough to round a solid 4.5 all the way up to 5 stars.

Full disclosure: I'm already a fan of Rainbow Rowell, and this book did not change that. Shiloh and Cary felt so real that I was thoroughly invested in their relationship, and started missing them as soon as I finished the book. I cannot wait for Rainbow Rowell's next novel!

rainbow rowell’s writing gets me EVERY TIME. how is it so poetic and beautiful yet simple and relatable??? the tone of the writing of this book felt like eleanor and park x landline. because parts of it felt so similar to eleanor and park, i was scared it wouldnt have an hea, but no worries my friends, this book DESERVES its romance designation! i loved how absolutely GONE cary was for shiloh. i just wish he talked a little more about why he liked her, because she was pretty unlikable, but i didnt mind lol. one thing i loved about shiloh was how much she loved to bother him as a way to show love <3 it was so relatable for me specifically. one thing i DIDNT love about shiloh was that she changed her stance about the navy, because the fact that he was in the navy was probably my least favorite thing about cary. the end of this book dragged a little, and i would have enjoyed an epilogue, but it was still a good read!!

I've read Rainbow Rowell's YA books for years, so I was elated to hear she would be releasing an adult novel. Slow Dance did not disappoint. This book reads like a movie; full of flashbacks and present-day obstacles. The characters are loveable, and the storyline is engaging. Slow Dance will leave you rooting for Shiloh & Cary and grow as part of their little friend group.

Uh... pass please.

This is my first book by this author, and I found it almost unbearably meandering. Did anything even happen in this book? It feels like we just wandered through the life of the annoying main characters for 15+ years, where almost nothing happened. Maybe that's the point, and it's intended to just be a quiet study of two very different people, who were sort of together, then separated, then found their way back to each other. But honestly? The path they took and even the resolution was pretty boring and frustrating. The book felt very long - same fights, same scenes, same personality differences over and over. I couldn't wait for them to finally have a real conversation and figure things out so the book could be over! Talk to each other, people! sigh....

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have to readily admit that Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors, I have read nine of her novels, and “Eleanor and Park” is my favorite by far with “Fangirl” as a close second. I was so excited when I heard she was coming out with a new novel set in Ohio again (just like Eleanor and Park). I loved the concept of two high school best friends trying to fight romantic feelings for each other and then addressing those unresolved feelings fourteen years later when they run into each other at a wedding. Most of the book takes place in their ‘current time’ beginning in 2006. Alternatively, there are short chapters identified as “Before” that go back in time, and give the reader insight into their lives and friendships during high school, college, and also Shiloh’s previous marriage. Did I love the characters? Hmm…that is a tough question, they were both flawed in their own ways. I did like seeing how they changed and matured from teenagers to adults, but I do have to admit that they each frustrated me at times. The pace of the book is a bit slow, it is a combination of plot and character driven but I would say it’s mostly character driven. Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes, to those friends that either enjoy a character based novel or really love Rainbow Rowell. While I did enjoy the book, I did not love it. I think my expectations were just too high, I wanted it to be another “Eleanor and Park,” and it just didn’t reach that level for me. I will always be a devoted Rainbow Rowell fan and will always come back for more.

"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.