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.

Slow dance was "slow" all right.
Look, I LOVED Eleanor and Park, LOVED Landline, so I jumped at the chance to read the newest Rainbow Rowell--- and it is even my VERY favorite type of story-- friends turning to lovers. But this one fell flat for me. It was extremely boring, I cannot care less than I do about the characters.
Shiloh and Cary were besties in high school, they are 33, connected at a mutual friends' second wedding. It takes place in Omaha- Shiloh is a divorced mom of two and Cary is retired Navy.
Felt myself skimming a lot. This was a bit of a disappointment.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC.

I’ve been meaning to read more Rowell since loving her Simon Snow trilogy and just never got around to it. I took getting approved for this arc as a sign from the universe.

Slow Dance is a slow burn romance between two childhood friends that had a huge falling out after freshman year. And when I say slow burn, I mean slooooooooow. Between the short chapters and shifting timelines, I found this to be a very fast and easy read. There were some odd instances of repetitiveness and I wasn't sure if it was intentional but it felt very jarring at times. That definitely took me out of the story. And while our two leads certainly loved each other, I never felt like they actually liked each other. I felt a bit of whiplash at the fast paced ending and wish we got to spend more time with the characters at the end as opposed to the fast forward version we were given.

Read if you love: childhood friends to lovers, opposites attract, second chance romance, older MCs, and a very slow burn.

Overall, not my favorite Rowell book but I’m still eager to tackle her backlist. I might just enjoy her YA more than her adult books.

I have always been such a big fan of rainbow ever since I read Fangirl then seeing that she came out with a new book , slow dance gave me all the feels and made me remember why I love her work so much ! This book was a 10/10 for me I totally recommend!!!! Not just this book but all of rainbow work is amazing

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC.

Listen, I gave this book the benefit of a doubt for a long time but ultimately, it’s 2.5 stars at best. Shiloh and Carey are reallllllly annoying characters for most of this book. And I just couldn’t get behind the Navy of it all, not to mention the political parties.

Maybe if you’re from Omaha, Nebraska or anywhere like that you’ll appreciate this more for the nostalgic factor, which although I can’t relate to personally I can at least appreciate, but it just doesn’t really make up for the fact that the romance was kind of infuriating.

I think the best part of this story are the moments with Shiloh’s kids and how she grows into a more mellow, and decent human being (I can’t stress enough how annoying she was!). The side characters shine through: from the kids, to Carey’s mom, to his siblings, they felt like very cute and interesting additions to the story. As for Carey, even though I think he means well, I found something about him really chilling. There was a slightly unsettling rigidity to his character that I just didn’t love.

And I just hate military stories, personally, so his military arc is just not my jam.

I will say that the parts of the book where Shiloh and Carey email back and forth are, in my opinion, the most compelling. Rowell is just extremely good at writing that direct back-and-forth repartee (no surprise that Attachments is my favorite of her books!).

I wish I could say different but this is perhaps my least favorite RR novel thus far!

Fantastic author! Great pacing and great development for the characters. I was heavily invested in the plot and descriptive settings.

RR books are ALWAYS a 5 star for me. Fangirl was my first and I have been in love ever since! AND this is a second chance romance?!?! One of my favorite genre's!! This one did however hit soo close to home it GUTTED me in the best way. Of course RR is a lyrical genius with words and this new soon to be classic hit is no different!

I loved this adult contemporary romance book by the queen of YA fiction. Rainbow Rowell’s books have always entertained me, even though they are for YA, and I am decidedly not a YA. So, to read this adult romance (and I am not a romance reader) was so much fun!

I loved the characters, all of them! But Cary… so much love. Shiloh bugged me at first because she was so wishy washy and weird, but then she totally grew on me. The dialogue between the characters had me laughing out loud multiple times, their banter was so witty and hilarious.

And that last line. Made me tear up. What a great book. If you love Rainbow Rowell, you’ll love this book, because, as always, she delivers. And if you’ve never read her work, what are waiting for?

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge RR fan, Eleanor and Park being my gateway novel, I was so excited to receive this copy through NetGalley! I love how RR always writes a really good quirky main, and I was so looking forward to meeting Shiloh and watching her relationship with Cary.

Predictable? yes. But does it take you back to high school and make you think of all the times you were with the guy you fell in love with? No? Just me?!

My favorite lines/moments:
1. He wanted to shower her husband into a wall. He wanted to ask her how she could just stand there, alive and not in love with him. —GUTTED LIKE WOW

2. He was halfway across the ballroom before he realized what he as doing. he was going to end up on his knees, crawling to her. —ROMANCE, I DIE

3. When I think about the last 14 years and everything I’ve missed in your life, i feel like I’ve squandered something precious. -RAINBOW I KNOW THIS FEELING SO WELL

So yeah, it was a solid novel. Full of angst and growth and love and spirit. At times, the writing was clunky and the nature of Shiloh’s sensory issues needed a little more of a deep dive but this is such a solid read I don’t even care. Ugh. Go read it when it comes out and buy one for your old lover from back in the day and mail it anonymously and see what happens. 3.5/4 stars for me!

This book turned out to be a DNF for me. I felt the writing style was awkward and way too slow. I was having to force myself to keep reading. I feel that the story over all was Just dragging and pointless.

I loved this book so much, what an excellent second chance romance full of heart and witty banter and so so much angst and love. Which is exactly what I expect from Rowell. I cannot recommend this highly enough. So good.

I was lucky enough to get a review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read several of Rainbow's books, including Simon Snow, Fangirl, and Eleanor & Park, all of which I greatly enjoyed. I requested this review copy strictly because Rainbow wrote it; I had no idea what I was about to read and it was amazing.

Slow Dance is the perfect mix of childhood friendship, growth, fear, and the journey to adulthood love. There are several timeframes the book follows and I loved each one. Shiloh is a single mother living with her two kids in her childhood home; Cary is a single man in the Navy. It has been 14 years since they last spoke and they are reunited at their friend's wedding. Rainbow takes you thru their journey of friendship and love. You feel their fears, their joys, their anxieties, and desperations. It was reminiscent to me of Kristin Dwyer's Some Mistakes Were Made or The Atlas of Us where you just hurt and care so deeply for the characters. I loved reading this book and highly recommend anyone who wants a good hurt and happy.

Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow Books, and Rainbow Rowell for the chance to review this ARC version of the novel Slow Dance.

Slow Dance is a novel that is just that: a slow dance between two people who have known, loved, and respected one another for their whole lives. With "before" chapters telling a backstory, we learn that Shiloh and Cary have danced around one another for years, starting in High School, all the way through college. Reunited at their mutual best friend's wedding, Cary is back in Iowa on leave from the Navy and his eyes are for Shiloh only. And Shiloh has her sights set on Cary. Newly divorced she knows what she wants, and it's Cary. But she doesn't realize that Cary wants her, too, but not just for one night.

Anyone who has gone back and forth with a lover will relate hard to this novel. Shiloh does not exactly come off as likable, but the more we learn about her and her life, she becomes relatable, and that is enough. The flirty and comfortable anxiousness between Cary and Shiloh can be interpreted as chemistry and spark, but cringe at times. I felt this was a very emotionally heavy book, carrying with it loads of reality, all the way to the end. It was both exhausting and enjoyable. This will not be for everyone but will be perfect for some.

Thank you Net Galley and William Morrow for the advanced readers copy!

I love the way Rainbow tells a story. She hooks the reader into her character’s world and before you know it you’re completely invested. This was such a perfect love story. Very realistic portrayal of a high school love never fully realized and, yet, burning in the soul over the course of so many years. Perhaps it is just my age when love doesn’t always conquer all that had me yearning so desperately for a happy ending. All I know is I am very content now. Thank you!