Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. I always enjoy Rainbow Rowell's writing and this one was no different. I was especially impressed because this wasn't a story that I would normally read. Had it been by another author I don't think I would have given it a second thought.

The story and writing style felt like a mix of Attachments and Landline. It had the email communications that Attachments did (slightly differently) and the story being told out of chronological order, like Landline. The writing, the characters, and the heartfelt humor were all wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Rowell's books in the past, especially her adult fiction.

I enjoyed the book. It’s a second chance romance. Cary and Shiloh were best friends since childhood, however due to insecurities and poor communication they don’t really get together the first time.
This time around they are both mature, they reconnect at wedding and renew their friendship. A lot has changed in 15 years, Shiloh is a mom , Cary is in the navy and stationed on a ship for months together. They learn to adjust and adapt, and finally get their happy ending

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you write literary romance.
I've enjoyed Rowell's writing in the past, with her quirky, hyper-alternative YA characters, but I have to admit, I grossly underestimated her abilities. Not many writers can move so effortlessly between colloquial YA/contemporary fiction and more highbrow literary fare. Although as I wrote that, I cringed at the pretentiousness and realized that her strength has always lay in crafting nuanced characters, and it is certainly what makes Slow Dance sing. But I guess my point is that this doesn't feel like a YA writer who has chosen to tell the same story, but this time with adult characters. It is mature, plodding in its pacing, but still captivating. The more I think about it, the more I backtrack on my original sentiments, because I think what is so special about this book is that it pinpoints exact emotions we've all felt in relationships, and even mirrors universal experiences. With very little real action, Rowell expertly creates an overwhelming sense of longing between the imperfect protagonists that is so pervasive throughout it sort of replaces the need for a plot.

TLDR: This book is better than Normal People, better than One Day, and on par with one of my absolute favorites, The Light We Lost, by Jill Santopolo. If any of those are books that resonate with you, this is a *must read*.

Thank you for the ARC! I was so happy to get approved for a Rainbow Rowell book. She has so much talent for writing genuine, relatable, and down to earth characters. Cary and Shiloh’s journey from high school friends to reconnecting as adults was a sweet slow burn. They had such great chemistry and connection.
The story was so well rounded and included interesting family dynamics for both of them. What a great read! Thank you!

Rainbow Rowell has a specific talent of writing very genuine and relatable characters, and this book really showcased that. I am not her target audience for her YA books, but this book definitely spoke to the nostalgia of the 90's and 2000's, and I definitely appreciated that a lot. There is a lot of jumping back and forth between the past and present, but I personally appreciated it. Definitely would recommend.

I have waited so long for another book by Rainbow Rowell that was made for adults. She did not disappoint. This tells the story of old high school friends who are now grown-ups and are trying to figure out who they are to each other. We go back-and-forth from their high school days to the current day as we get to know these characters. While I didn’t always love the younger versions, I do think they were a good reflection of those teenager years. Perhaps I didn’t like them because it felt too familiar? But I loved how everything came togetherg and the way the story was told. I will miss these characters, which is always a sign a good book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

High school best friends, Shiloh and Cary, loose touch after a one-off romantic encounter while the two were 19 and Cary was on leave after bootcamp. Fourteen years later Shiloh is divorced with two kids and Cary is still in the Navy and the two reconnect at a wedding. They slowly find their way back to each other.

As a local to Omaha, I’ve always loved Rainbow Rowell’s books. She’s from here, always sets her stories in Omaha, and has countless nods to Omaha places in her books. I have been waaaaaaiting forever for her to write another adult book!

I always love Rainbow’s characters. She always writes these beautifully imperfect and human characters with excellent character development. Slow Dance was no different. You will connect with Shiloh and Cary, feel their feels and root for them. And each MC had a messy family and complicated history that shaped them as adults. I want to be clear - this is not a bright and shiny rom-com. This read felt cozy, nostalgic, real, and sad. And with Rainbow’s writing, I can always *see* each scene. I love how descriptive she is, but never feel like she’s belaboring the point.

The story was told alternating between the present and before, the present told chronologically and the before not. I enjoyed the peeks into the past, which gave us a lot of the whys behind the messiness and difficulty Cary and Shiloh had figuring out how each other fit into their perspective lives this far down the line. Again, I want to emphasize that this isn’t a fuzzy feelings friends-to-lovers romance story, this focuses more on the day to day of a relationship and the processing through the hows together.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like raw and flawed characters, books set in Omaha, second chance romances, slow burn, first loves, and books with epistolary elements.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I’m looking forward to the release this summer and am hoping to finally meet Rainbow!

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC! I’ll just start by saying that I read this book in four hours- four!! I have always loved Rainbow Rowell’s writing style, and “Slow Dance” was no exception.

The book follows old friends Shiloh and Cary, who reconnect in their hometown at a friend’s wedding after 15 years apart. The story goes back and forth through time, comparing and contrasting the characters and their relationship from high school to present day. I will say the story starts off a little bit slowly, but I was hooked within a couple of chapters.

I love the way Rowell writes about insecurity and anxiety, especially in the context of romantic relationships. There’s something achingly earnest about her characters and the way they see each other, the way they want each other, even while their assumptions about themselves and each other sometimes get in the way of their desires. They feel very normal and relatable. I love the journey these characters took, both together and apart, and the bittersweet moments between them sometimes took my breath away.

All that’s to say 5 stars for Slow Dance!

3.5 stars for me, rounded up. Now let me explain.

This is my first book by Rainbow Rowell. I had zero expectations starting this book and I began with a pristine, clean slate.

I have not read a contemporary romance where the fmc is divorced with two kids. Imagine my surprise when whoosh here comes our second chance, handsome romance. I was excited even. This I can relate to, the messy, complicated existence of life with children. I also loved the Before Cary and Shiloh, they had so much chemistry and the will they, won't they thing and it was darling.

I was obsessed with everything happening. I read this novel like a madwomwn. You could not tell me this was not going to be a five star read and that you betcha I am reading the entire catalog of Rainbow Rowell, back to back, my reading agenda next month be damned. Then, enter the last 25%. I felt like I had been abandoned on the side of the road without my cell phone.

The Current Cary and Shiloh (post wedding of Mike) made me mad. I understand the point to some extent that we need to see growth and wisdom, but this Cary was pretty unlikeable for me. It was all about him, and Shiloh feeding him and watching him eat and Shiloh making decisions to make Cary happy. Where did the Shiloh I was obsessed with go? The Before Cary was a brooding, introverted adorable kitten. The Before Shiloh was an opinionated, larger than life person. I do not understand.

I did not like any of the interactions between Cary and Shiloh's kids. There was a lot of emphasis placed on the daily mundane details, which work to really make novels come alive, but also really dragged things down. I know every meal that Shiloh cooked for Cary (down to the number of pieces of toast) and every cake that she shipped to him on his boat or whatever. I know how often her children take baths. I sighed heavily as the last few chapters kept coming, like let's wrap this up already. I think it would be a difficult task to end this book well and unfortunately it just didn't happen for me. I kind of feel like giving this the notebook treatment and turning it off before the two main characters die. (This book is not like the notebook, it's just a dramatic example that unfortunately comes to mind here).

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another lovely, wonderful book by Rainbow Rowell. The author's writing knows how to put a lump in my throat, then finds a way to make me laugh, which then makes me want to cry more, which are my favorite kinds of books to read. The tension, angst, connection, complexity, and believability was all there in the story, allowing me to be engaged throughout the entire reading. This dual pop friends-to-lovers felt so pure and raw.

I enjoyed Shiloh and Cary's dynamic and the ways in which they were both similar and yet different. Despite having feelings for each other in high school whether they were aware of them or not, fourteen years go by after graduation and finally they must be honest with themselves and each other. However, it's not an easy path for them to be together if they want as Shiloh is divorced with two kids and Cary is in the Navy who moves from station to station. But sometimes the feelings don't allow them to choose whether they want to take a risk and be together and fate decides for them. So happy I got to experience Shiloh and Cary's story!!

Much gratitude to William Morrow and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Second book I've read by Rainbow Rowell, the story is very sweet and romantic, it's the first romance I've read by the author, the other book was a young adult. I have to admit that I found it a bit slow at times, and a bit confusing, due to the flashbacks, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this e-copy, in exchange for an honest review.
#SlowDance

I've read all of Rainbow Rowell's short stories, it's been on my "to buy without even reading the plot or seeing the cover" list for years.
Slow dance, like all her other stories, is a very sweet story, initially perhaps a little slow, but little by little the author's unmistakable style
will make you devour this story.
The tropes are: second chance, friends to lovers, flashbacks, and slow burn.
The main characters are Shiloh and Cary, we meet them in high school, they are BFF. Like I said, the story has flashbacks, so we go back and forth between Shilosh and Cary's present and past life, This was a bit confusing at first, because everything isn't in chronological order, but after a while, as you get into the heads of the characters, the story flows smoothly.
After high school, Shiloh goes to college and Cary joined the Navy instead. They meet each other after 14 years, for Mikes' wedding (another friend from High school).
Shiloh is now divorced with two kids, and she goes to the party with the sole purpose of seeing Cary again.
How can you not root for them?
Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow and Rainbow Rowell for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
#SlowDance #NetGalley

Shiloh and Cary have known each other seemingly forever. And while they used to spend every waking second together, they never actually got together. The timing was always off, or Shiloh was always off, she's not really sure. But when they finally meet back up at their other best friend's second wedding, things start to happen.
Rainbow Rowell tells the will they/won't they story through a mix of past and present. The story moves quickly and the characters have that trademark Rainbow Rowell quirkiness.

Goodreads says this is my eighth Rainbow Rowell book, and while this isn't my favorite one, I think it will appeal to a lot of people who enjoy second chance/friends to lovers romances. Though also, this isn't heavy on the romance aspect and is more about knowing someone and choosing them, if that makes sense. A practical romance, maybe? More of a focus on the day-t0-day vs. lots of perfect dates and big romantic gestures that you'd see in a typical romance book.

The characters are done well, and this is where the book really shines. They are flawed and feel real. The kids aren't perfect and precocious and always saying funny things. Family members have complicated relationships and fight. It's not all cookie cutter perfect and it feels honest, even when it's hard.

While I liked the flashbacks and they felt necessary to help make the story feel whole, sometimes it took me a second to adjust (we're in the present, oh we're back in high school now for two pages for a quick story, okay, let's go back to the present, aaaand now we're in college). Sometimes I felt pulled away from the current story and had to remember where it had left off due to jerky transitions.

The end 20-ish% dragged on and felt watered down. It was like all the decisions had already been made so instead of things unfolding, I felt like I was being quickly told instead of shown what happened. I get that a lot of questions aren't going to be answered, but after all we'd been through I expected a little bit more.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars - I put this down at a little over a third through this book. Second chance is one of my favorite tropes and I really wanted to love this, but I couldn't get into it. I know often with second chance there are past and present chapters which I don't mind, but in this book the past chapters were not in chronological order which made it a little bit difficult to follow.

I'm a longtime fan of Rainbow Rowell and so I jumped at the chance to read Slow Dance. It's a New Adult, angsty, slow burn romance and even though it’s pretty long, I didn’t want to put it down.

Shiloh, Cary and Mike were best friends in high school and always together as teens. Their friendship helped them survive high school and their rough neighborhood. The story alternates between present and flashbacks to the past and we can see that Shiloh and Cary have longed for each other since they were teens

After high school, Shiloh went off to college and Cary joined the Navy. It’s been fourteen years since they all graduated and they are getting ready for Mike’s wedding. Shiloh is divorced with two kids, working at a Children’s Theater and hoping to see Cary at the wedding. He’s working on a ship in the Navy and trying to help his family with their challenges and my heart broke for him.

The characters felt so real. I didn’t always understand Shiloh’s actions (more so when she was young) but I liked her and rooted for her and Cary. There’s some sass in their comments, especially Shiloh’s. There were times when it was hard for them to communicate their feelings for each other and that was hard. There were also some funny moments that I loved – even a few that made me laugh out loud.

This is a slow burn romance and I couldn’t put it down, 4 1/2 stars for me. It was special when they found their happiness in the end (HFN).

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I have loved every Rowell novel, and it’s been a while since she released a new one, so was very happy to get my hands on this one early.

A slow burn, or slow dance if you will, 14 years in the making. Told through a dual perspective, and dual timelines, Rowell tells the story of childhood best friends Shiloh and Cary, and all their missed opportunities. Until Shiloh and Cary reunite at a friend’s wedding, maybe things will be different this time around.

Beautifully written, I could have read another 500 pages just seeing Shiloh or Cary fold their laundry, for how entranced I was in their story. Already can’t wait to reread.

Another fabulous Rainbow Rowell book. It was so lovely to follow along with Shiloh and Cary finding their way back to each other.

This book is about two people who care so deeply about one another but just can't seem to get the timing right. It's a Rainbow Rowell book for adults, but if you think that means there won't be questioning or yearning, you'd be incorrect. The *yearning* in this book!!

It took me a little while to connect with the two main characters, perhaps because they were so immersed in the responsibilities and minutiae of their everyday lives and responsibilities. But when they reconnect, the everyday moments seem more special, heightened by the presence of another person. Little things, like a drive to run errands, or a cup of tea, feel so different when there's someone special by your side.

I also appreciate how well Rainbow writes about financial struggles and what it's like to grow up without having much.

Also, I absolutely adored Shiloh's children, Junie especially. She reminded me of the precocious, overly-dramatic kids that I'm currently raising.

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley, but I'm fairly certain I'll still end up buying it when it's released. Not my favorite Rainbow Rowell book, but still lovely.

The way I squealed when I got approved for this ARC 🫣😭

This book was so charming and aching and lovely and everything I've come to expect from
Rainbow's ability to capture this melancholy nostalgia is genuinely remarkable. The persistent friendship between Cary and Shiloh and the natural evolution of their relationship was a joy to witness. The mature yet playful banter added a delightful layer to the narrative. Shiloh's journey of self-discovery, grappling with her expectations and reality, resonated deeply with me. Rainbow's portrayal of emotions like insecurity, embarrassment, anxiety, and rejection is truly unmatched!

The pacing was a bit unusual -- We journey with the characters in the present, then transition to non-sequential flashbacks from the 90's and 00's. Occasionally, we return to present-day memories, providing additional context to our main storyline. This unique narrative style, while unusual, never felt jarring and kept me fully engaged.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!