Rainbow Rowell truly writes the most intimate and intricate stories without hiding or polishing up the sides of life you'd rather not look at.

SLOW DANCE offers a "Then and Now" look into the lives of Shiloh and Cary and asks us to believe in a love that lasts a lifetime. How can love survive 14 years apart never knowing the true extent of each other's feelings, and often times not having the courage to admit their own?

Rowell proceeds to weave a safety net of flashback "before" chapters and reconciliation "now" chapters so Shiloh and Cary can fall with confidence.

We see how good they've been together in the "before" chapters. Shiloh and Cary have similar childhoods - poor, unstable families. Each have dreams getting out of their small town life for bigger opportunities. High school and their friendship allows them happiness (and lots of shenanigans) they create for themselves. The trauma and joy they experience then directly informs how they process the world in the years they are apart.

We see how good their potential is in the "now" chapters. Present day Shiloh and Cary could have fallen into a nostalgia trap and never truly seen each other for who they've grown into. But there is so much work done on page to understand what real life is for the other. They never balk at showing up for the other as a true friend would. Shiloh always had a meal ready for Cary. Cary gets Shiloh moving and out of her routine. And they listen to each other just as much as they talk and talk and talk.

Rowell truly understands dialogue. The banter and sass between friends immediately sets the tone to their personalities and relationship. Even if its miscommunication, its written so well. Yes, you want to give the book a shake, but make no mistake, this is masterclass use of one of the most despised story devices.

SLOW DANCE will stay with me long after I've closed the book, and is definitely a story I will return to reread. I feel there are clues and small details that will have new meaning with every experience. And as often as I've written "Shiloh and Cary" together, as if they are inseparable (and for truth, even an ocean can't separate their love), they each are beloved characters. I'll hold their happiness in my heart always.

Thank you Netgalley & William Morrow / HarperCollins for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shiloh and Cary, despite their flaws, are relatable characters with an authentic journey from high school to reconnecting later in life. The flashbacks to the 90s and 2000s added depth to their story, but at times, the pacing felt a bit rushed, affecting my overall enjoyment.

This book, with its well-crafted characters and emotional depth, is a great read for fans of contemporary and second chance romances. Despite some pacing issues, the genuine storytelling warmed my heart, making it a recommended pick for those seeking a heartfelt tale.

I want to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

This will absolutely be one of my favorite reads of this year, hands down.

I loved Rowell's Eleanor & Park years ago but I hadn't read another novel by her in a long time. I wasn't sure if this would read like YA even though it's not. I was worried I might not like it.

But I was wrong.

I fell in love from the moment I started this story. Shiloh and Cary have known each other forever. They were best friends. And then they fell out of touch. And suddenly they see each other at a wedding. And they find their way back to each other.

Shiloh and Cary broke my heart and then put it back together. The emotion is so palpable and so beautiful in this story that it was impossible not to root for these two broken souls. It's impossible not to fall in love with them.

Rowell knows how to write love. She does an exquisite job here. I won't forget this story for a long long time.

with gratitude to netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Some of my favorite lines were actually about parenthood. I knew even before I looked it up that Rainbow Rowell is a mother, because her characterization of motherhood was spot on. The actual love story was pretty swoon-worthy too. 😂

I’ve read Rainbow Rowell before but it was a long time ago. So I forgot that her writing style is a LOT of dialogue and not much non-dialogue. It took me a while to get used to.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved this book! It took me about 20% to really get into the story line but then it really took off. The characters were so realistic and interesting. Shiloh and Carys love story was relatable and enjoyable. What really get me to sink my teeth into the story was the writing style of the dual timelines and the stings that connected them. I have read multiple Rainbow Rowell books, but this is my new favorite and so excited to recommend it to everyone! Thank you Netgalley!

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 as Rainbow is one of my favorite authors and it's been so long since she has released an adult book. Sadly, it has ended up being a letdown for me, and it isn't because it was written bad or had a bad concept, it was just that I didn't connect or vibe with any part of this book. I found the characters grating and so frustrating to read from, making it really hard to care about, let alone cheer for. I think the premise had a lot of promise and could have made for a fantastic second chance romance, but it just didn't work for me because neither lead seemed to deserve to get exactly what they wanted. From a technical standpoint it is written well and does often have Rainbow's unique style of writing that I typically fall head over heels for. I did have a few moments or lines that did catch my heartstrings a bit, but not enough to do a turn around and like the characters or their romanced. I will still order this for my library because I know this type of story will work for some people, some will eat this up and love every second of it and I am happy for those people.

Rainbow Rowell knows how to create characters readers can root for. In her newest book, Slow Dance, the reader is introduced to three best friends during their high school years: Shiloh, Mikey, and Cary. Shiloh is a single mom running late to get to Mikey’s wedding and hoping to see Cary for the first time in over a decade.

Cary and Shiloh have a complicated history and it’s a will they-won’t they kind of dance that picks back up upon the two seeing one another at Mikey’s wedding. A relationship between the two is complicated. Cary is in the Navy and isn’t home often. Shiloh is a divorced mom with two kids and can’t travel easily. Finding their way back to one another is not an easy path.

Slow Dance is a slow dance. It’s a character fueled romance with lots of 90’s and early 200”s nostalgia. It’s not Eleanor & Park, but I devoured it in two days. It fell short of 5 stars for me, but it was a solid read and I know readers who enjoy character-driven romances will love Cary and Shiloh.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved this book! Fans of Eleanor and Park will love this. Rainbow adds so much depth and detail to her teen romances that they transcend audiences!

I don't know how I feel about this book, honestly. Going in, I didn't know how to feel; Rainbow Rowell isn't one of my favorite authors, but I have read all of her books, and so I went, "Huh. Let me see what this is about."

The book is about Shiloh and Cary, best friends that lost contact after a one (two?) night stand. They reunite at a friend's wedding, and after that, feelings reemerge. It's all super straight-forward for Cary, but for Shiloh, the baggage feels monumental. Kids, an ex-husband. Who wants to deal with that?

There are obviously some good parts of this book. Rainbow is good at dialogue and the back and forth quips are fun. I like the storyline, too. It's interesting to see how all of these people live their lives day to day; it's interesting to see how messy it is. Honestly, these family dynamics remind me of my own if it was from Junie's perspective. Little sibling, divorced parents, military step-parent. I could find my mom enjoying this book.

However, there are things that really stuck out to me and they were annoying.

First off, why are all of Rainbow's female characters the same? She's really good at diversifying her male characters. They're always incredibly different. But every single female character she has is an introverted, broody shut-in that hates everyone and is probably agoraphobic (Cath (lovingly), Agatha, Eleanor, etc). There are some outliers, but a LOT of her female characters act this way.

Additionally, the miscommunication, at times, was just straight-up frustrating. You are grown adults. PLEASE talk. (Does this add some suspense in some instances? Sure. But half of this book is just miscommunication.)

Lastly, some structural things that I'm surprised went past her editor: short sentences and dialogue tags.

Rainbow definitely has a style of writing and while I like it sometimes, it is SO annoying when there is no variance in sentence styles. A lot of her sentences are like this. Quick and choppy. It gets annoying. Especially when it's half of her sentences. See what I mean?

As for dialogue tags, there are a few chapters where very little used and it might be a stylistic choice, but I was confused about who was saying what.

Slow Dance, I think, is made for women in their thirties who don't feel like they have their shit together. That's not a bad thing. I don't think anyone really has their shit together, ever. We're all just varying degrees of different messes and some of us are better at hiding it than others. Shiloh and Cary are definitely good examples of that. Shiloh is very obviously all over the place. Cary hides it under the surface.

Ultimately, this book isn't for me. Maybe I'll look back in ten years and see that it is, but for the time being, I think I'm too young to really resonate with this.

Shiloh and Cary have been best friends forever but after high school went in opposite directions . Now 14 years later and Cary returns to Omaha for a friend's wedding and a reunion with Shiloh. Both are nervous and have led different lives with Cary a career naval officer and Shiloh recently divorced with two kids. They dance around each other's fears and attraction and soon fall into that easy sway leaving the reader (and the two of them) waiting for the potential big dip or drop onto the dance floor. Jumping from past to present we witness what makes their friendship so strong- both unique yet so familiar. My favorite is Shiloh's refreshingly candid daughter Junie. A slow dance instead of a frantic hip hop routine this is one romance to savor but you will race through. Readers of the author's fabulous young adult books and the great character studies of Ann Patchett will love this. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I was incredibly excited to see Rainbow Rowell return to writing adult fiction, and I was not disappointed. Slow Dance is a delight on every single page. Shiloh and Cary's second chance romance is years in the making, and Rainbow Rowell masterfully guides readers through flashbacks and present day, moving from their childhoods, college, and beyond. It is extremely refreshing to have our heroine be a 30-something single mother divorcee, and Cary's life in the navy is also different from a lot of other current romance novels. Rainbow Rowell goes even deeper by exploring Shiloh's previous marriage and Cary's family relationship, which took many twists that I didn't expect.

I absolutely adored this book and I'm excited to add a copy to my shelf. If you haven't read Rainbow Rowell in awhile, I urge you to give this book a chance. It's quickly become one of my favorites by her right next to Fangirl and Attachments.

Slow Dance is the tale of Shiloh and Cary throughout the years. In high school, they were best friends, just best friends, despite what everyone else thought. After high school, they went their separate ways, Cary to the Navy and Shiloh to college to pursue acting, but they swore they'd always be friends.

Well, time went on and things changed and they lost one another. Now, 14 years later, after running into each other and the wedding of their mutual best friend, they're finding their way back to the start.

I'm a HUGE Rainbow Rowell fan. I've read it all. Landline was my previous favorite from her adult books, but Slow Dance has far surpassed it. I should have taken my time with this one, but I flew through it, and I'm sad it's over. I loved everything, from the awkward and embarrassing teenage years to the equally awkward and embarrassing thirties. Perhaps being in a relationship that started as a high school friendship and grew into more makes me biased, but I thought this was a beautiful and real story. I cried multiple times, in the best way.

I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone that will listen to me, and I will most likely reread over and over once it's officially out.

Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school. 14 years later, they reunite at their other best friend’s wedding. Cary is in the Navy now. Shiloh is fresh off a divorce with two young kids.

This one just wasn't quite for me. I like my romance novels to be an escape, but Shiloh and Cary had very real problems. I think this could be an appeal for others, but not for me. Don't expect a rom com. This is more like a realistic, contemporary literary novel driven by miscommunication. It was well-written, but it was too slow for me with too small of a pay-off.

Slow is a great word to be in the title because this was way too slow paced for me. I considered a DNF but did like the story enough to keep with it. Some details were repeated way too often (how many times did it need to be mentioned that the MMC had a lot of moles) and some details were a little off putting (specifically what one character wanted to do to another’s teeth.)

In this captivating story, the narrative seamlessly alternates between Cary and Shiloh's high school days and their present lives. The dual timelines are equally engaging, offering a rich portrayal of their evolving relationship. Cary and Shiloh are both likeable and authentic, making their journey even more compelling.

My god, I was rooting for Cary and Shiloh, longing for them to finally come together. This story is a heartfelt exploration of love and friendship that will resonate deeply with readers.

I enjoyed reading this book! Shiloh and Cary were the best of friends in high school. Everyone just assumed they were dating. But they were never dating. They got each other on a deep level, but there was never any romance. After one weekend changes their relationship forever, they lose contact for 14 years. Flashforward and they are attending a mutual friends' wedding. She has since been married and divorced with 2 kids. He has been in the Navy, which is his whole life. Will they come together for one night? Or will old feelings rise to the surface?

I have read and loved all of Rainbow's writing. I love her character driven stories that focus on deep emotions and real life circumstances. So, I went into Slow Dance blind. I didn't know what it was about, I was just meeting Shiloh and Cary as I read through each word. And what beautiful words they were. This story spans years, told through some memories of the past and then flashing forward to the now. These two seem like complete opposites from the outside and yet each of their hearts yearn for only each other. They may be too afraid to communicate that or they may not even know HOW to communicate that sometimes, but going on this journey with them made my heart so full.

This book is so REAL LIFE. Sometimes we go on a path that is not perfect but we make due. And the timing is never right. But this book gives hope that along the journey the person we miss the most can come back around and set the course straight again. This book made me smile and cry, it filled my heart so full. Reading an adult novel release from Rainbow again was like drinking a gallon of water when I was SOOO thirsty. This book was so fulfilling. I loved every minute. I loved Shiloh and Cary and all their flaws. These two will stay with me in my memory and my heart for a long long time to come.

This was a first by this author for me. It won’t be the last. The writing is just so….easy to get lost in. I was hooked from the first page!

Shiloh and Cary grew on me immediately. These were the most real-feeling romance novel characters ive read in a long time. Incredibly relatable, touching, and satisfying.

Well, well, well— Rainbow Rowell spiced things up for us Eleanor and Park fans! Slow Dance is a cute and snarky, second chance romance. The kind where young love and old flames meet again as adults. And I loved it.
Spicy, cute, second chance love with Eleanor and Park vibes.