In the quiet corners of his heart, he harbored a love that danced in the shadows, unspoken and unrequited. She was a melody that played in the background of his days, a sweet sorrow that lingered in every stolen glance. His feelings, like petals unfurling in solitude, yearned for reciprocation, but fate dictated otherwise. Each unspoken word carried the weight of a thousand emotions, echoing through the corridors of his soul. In the bittersweet tapestry of unrequited love, he found solace in the beauty of the longing, even as it remained an unsung symphony in the recesses of his heart.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via Netgalley.
Slow Dance tells the humorous and heartbreaking love story of best friends Shiloh and Cary from their inseparable teen years to their far-flung adulthoods as they try to figure out what their relationship is, where it went wrong, and how to finally make it right. It has been years since I read an Rainbow Rowell book, and she is still every bit as good of an author as I remembered. Her characters are quirky, flawed, and somehow very easy to root for. This was a fun read!

I have been waiting for a new book from Rainbow Rowell for years! This book is so sweet and so relatable. I loved Cary and Shiloh and especially Shiloh's kids. The timeline of the book was a nice way to slowly reveal the reasons for Shiloh's hesitations with Cary. Many of Rowell's books are set in Omaha and I love how the characters are often desperate to leave but then ultimately find their way back.

I was only 40 pages in, and already was into all of my feelings and holding back tears. No one can affect my emotions in quite the same way as Rainbow Rowell. Perfection!

I struggled to get through this one. I’ve loved other books by Rainbow Rowell, in particular her YA, but this one was underwhelming.

Liked:
Gus
Mikey

Didn’t like:
Chemistry - The chemistry between the love interests felt superficial, which is weird because they were childhood friends and were pretty vulnerable and affectionate with one another…but it fell flat for me.

Pacing - The first half of the book is so slow and I almost DNF. Actually, the first 10-15% I kept checking what page I was on and how much more I had to go. I rarely DNF books, but this was close. The last 20% or so (basically when Cary proposed and on) felt rushed. I get that the proposal wasn’t out of the blue in the context of their relationship, but also, it kinda was? It felt that way somehow. And they hadn’t had any talks about what their lives would look like, what they value, children, etc. And they had a history of bad communication to boot.

Characters - Cary as a man’s name should be reserved solely for Cary Elwes. It just doesn’t work otherwise and it irked me for some reason. And I just felt meh about both him and Shiloh.

Setting - It was set in the early 2000s, but all the references to that felt forced and superficial. I felt like I was being told, not shown. Also, Mikey says “Bet” at one point, which felt anachronistic…that’s something my high schoolers would say in 2024, not a 30-something guy roughly two decades earlier.

Spicy scenes - I like spice if it’s done well and matters to the story and/or character development. The spicy scenes in this book felt unnecessary to the story, even though they probably were necessary? But they felt like, spicy for the sake of fitting in or something. I don’t feel like they added value to the story and the way they were written was cringey and flat.

I was so excited to see a new book from Rowell, and maybe I set the bar too high in my mind, but this was such a disappointment. Maybe I need to stick to her YA books.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

Shiloh, Cary and Mikey are all best friends in Omaha in the 1990s. Shiloh and Cary lose touch and reconnect in their mid-30s. Didn't grip me. Loved Shiloh's daughter.

This was a heartwarming story about second chances, old friends and re-connecting after years have passed. Of course, the friends have a history and have always loved each other. The dialogue is realistic and so are the challenges they face (including divorce for Shiloh, becoming a stepparent for Cary and handling an older parent and their finances). I thought the conflict was handled well and the characters were well rounded. I really enjoyed this story about a second chance at love.

Oh my...this book had me gripped! I fell immediately in love with Shiloh and Cary. They were so beautifully flawed and real. There was a lot of hurt but also understanding between the two of them. Reading how their relationship changed over the years yet stayed absolutely the same was very touching. I sort of get why people see this as an HFN, but honestly, I'm going away with a HEA because this book was very real and I guess we can never know if life will allow for a true HEA. I wish I had more...I could swim forever in their story.

I know I should savor Rainbow's books, but I devoured this in a day and a half. I do believe this did differ from her normal writing style though. Of course there were emotions and fantastic pacing and a real feel of reality, but it just wasn't one of my favorites from her. With that being said, it was a fun read and a well fleshed out plotline. I mainly found Shiloh to be a little difficult to connect with, but it is definitely worth the read!

I always look forward to a new book by Rainbow Rowell. I love her imperfect characters who are led by their hearts and not their egos. Shiloh is a 33-year-old single mom who is making things work on her own. Cary is her high school best friend (and, briefly, lover) who is visiting his hometown after spending 15 years in the Navy. These two have always loved one another, but have never been able to make it work, whether it was themselves or logistics getting in the way. They don't know how they'll make it work now - Shiloh needs to stay in landlocked Nebraska for her kids, and Cary is still in the Navy. Of course, they do find a way to come together in the end. Not my favorite by Rowell, but an enjoyable, quick read just the same.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this new adult romance by Rainbow Rowell! I really enjoyed her previous adult books. At first, I found the main character's self-sabotaging to be a bit frustrating but I think that maybe she put the "slow" in Slow Dance (though there was plenty of actual dancing in this book). I also found myself asking why this book took place in 2006-- is that just the time period Rowell is most comfortable with? That's not necessarily a bad thing and the purpose of the timeline eventually made sense to me. The pacing was good and kept me reading and I enjoyed going back and forth in time to see Shiloh and Cary at different ages.

I read the whole thing on a blissful day off from work. It's aching and lovely, just like you'd expect. There is legitimately more slow dancing in it that I expected, which is frankly on me.

It will surprise no one I've had even a casual conversation with that I am giving a Rainbow Rowell book five stars. Everything she writes (but somehow particularly this book) feels like it was written in exactly the way, and with exactly the people I would like best. Even the happy moments of this book feel a little like heartbreak, but in the absolute best way. I could write a thousand words on how much I love Rowell's writing, and eventually I might, but suffice it to say if you have ever liked any of her books (but especially if her adult work has resonated with you) read this book. It is beautiful, and gut wrenching in equal measure. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review (and thank you Rainbow for writing books that make me feel so much)

I really wanted to like this book, but I just felt like there wasn’t much of a story. I also really just couldn’t find myself rooting for Shilo. I understand there has to be road blocks but she was just to self sabotaging for me to want to cheer for her.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell was such a fantastic and beautiful read. I've already declared it my favorite book of 2024 (and we're only 16 days into the year). There is truly something very special about Rainbow Rowell's writing, especially when it comes to her adult titles.

I loved the way she wrote the relationship between Shiloh and Cary and the alternating timelines. We get to see glimpses of their relationship from different points of their lives. The times I had to stop reading to hug my kindle was more than I can count. Rowell has a way of describing small details about characters that really do make up a big part of who that character is.

I will be forever gushing about this book and will force every single person in my life to read it.

It's a new forever favorite and thank you to both Netgalley and William Morrow for giving me the opportunity to read it.

Wow. I absolutely loved this book. I’ve only read Rainbow Rowell’s YA books before and remember liking them very much but this was just amazing. Flawed and imperfect characters who seem totally realistic and in totally realistically messy circumstances. Somehow the very non-linear timeline was easy to follow and enhanced the storyline. The style of sentences was also a bit unique (kind of matter-of-fact reporting), which in this case I appreciated for the uniqueness it added to the feel of the reading experience. It also seemed to underscore the basicness (if that can be a word) of Shiloh and Cary’s lives and the ways in which they’re often just going through the motions of and trying to make it through their circumstances. The last couple of chapters were a tad less complicated and mesmerizing for me as the rest of the novel, but I loved this book. I am sure it will be one of my top of the year, and if there are any I’m going to like better, I absolutely can’t wait to read them. I’m going to be telling everyone I know to read this.

I have been waiting for a new (non-fantasy) Rainbow Rowell book FOREVER. Eleanor and Park and Landline are two of my all time favorites. This book sounded like it was along the same lines and it did not disappoint. Shiloh and Cary were high school best friends who both wanted more than friendship but didn't communicate it. They lost touch for many years and reunited in their thirties (as friends.. or more?). I am a sucker for stories like this. It’s all about the nostalgia and making up for bad decisions when you’re younger.

The characters are imperfect and messy and at first their inability to communicate is a little frustrating, but it gets better.
I loved every minute of this book. The side plots were interesting. I LOVED that the kids were fully formed characters with their own personalities.

I saw some reviews of this book that indicated the ending was ambiguous but I didn’t find it to be at all.

Another great emotional book by Rainbow Rowell. The story went by too quick no didn’t want it to end. Fun characters and a great story.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the digital ARC. I’m usually a fan of Rainbow Rowell and her writing, but while there was a lot I enjoyed here, this wasn’t my favorite from her. I did really like how the story was structured with a mixture of past and present POVs, as well as some letter/email/texting correspondence. I liked the mid-2000s setting, especially with the fashion and technology descriptions (who among us was able to resist love the dress-over-jeans trend?). There was some Attachments-level longing that was also done really well. It was extremely midwest, which I also appreciated. On the downside, I’ll admit that the military element was a pretty substantial turnoff for me. I also found Shiloh’s character to be a little difficult to connect with for most of the story.

All in all, I would recommend this book to fans of Emily Henry, Ashley Herring Blake (a stretch, but there are some similar vibes), and, of course, Rowell’s other adult fiction titles. 3.5 rounded down.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for this review:
Fans of Emily Henry or Tessa Bailey should give this one a look. This is a well-written romance with grounded characters and realistic scenarios. The midwestern setting is a trademark for Rowell but a welcome one. Very engaging, entertaining novel.