Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Deciding to DNF/maybe come back later to this one after about 30% of the book. Despite making it almost a third of the way through this story, I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two characters and felt like neither of them had grown over the 15 years and the continuation of miscommunication over a decade and a half.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell is a step back into the past, a nostalgic visit, especially for those of us who lived it. And especially if you were a teen in the 90s or a young adult in the early 2000s. The music, the clothes, the pre-smartphone days. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to devour this book or read it slowly, savoring each page. I did a little of both.

Reading Slow Dance reminded me how good Rowell is at creating complicated humans, how she excels at telling a story, and how realistic her characters become. If you were a fan of Attachments, you should enjoy this one, too.

I have seen some mixed reviews for this one and that’s probably because it’s being promoted as a Romance with a capital ‘R’, but it’s more about two best friends who have lost touch trying to heal from life’s traumas while also finding their way back to one another. Their lives are messy and lonely, it takes time to heal, and Rowell warns you in the title: it’s a slow dance to the end. Settle in and enjoy the waltz.

I saw some reviewers who said they couldn’t stand the miscommunication—AND it is my least favorite trope—but I never even registered this one as containing miscommunication. For me, it was more that they were young, unable to understand what they were feeling in the past, and scared to admit it in the present. They couldn’t discuss feelings they didn’t understand yet. It took time for them to process and accept. I relished the angst and slow-burn of it all.

Rowell is a blunt writer, which I know not everyone appreciates, but I prefer her less descriptive style. Every word is chosen carefully and means something. Some chapters are short and some are longer, but it’s always enough to give the reader what they need. The chapters also alternated between the past and present but not in a specific order, just as the story unfolded. And it’s told in third person, mostly from Shiloh’s point of view with a few chapters from Cary’s point of view, as well.

Slow Dance is a quiet book that gave me big feelings. Nostalgic. Romantic. Humorous. Healing. It’s real life, which I found hopeful and refreshing.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was published July 30, 2024.

This is my fifth book by this author. It was an easy read but felt a bit long.

I was so excited to read this advanced copy of Slow Dance! I am a big fan of Rainbow Rowell. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It took me a while to get into it and it was almost a chore to get through. I am usually such a fun of second chance and friends to lovers romance. For me, I had a hard time relating to the main characters. I really did not like Shiloh. Thank goodness for June and her one liners, otherwise I don’t know if I would have finished the book.

I should have known this one wouldn’t be for me because second chance trope stories rarely are. But I’ve really enjoyed Rainbow Rowell’s books so wanted to give it a try. I decided to DNF at 15%. I might have liked it more if it was more of current day and less of their high school past but I couldn’t wait long enough to get there. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free book to review.

This one is not for me just because I cannot handle this level of second hand embarrassment and teenage angst but I’m sure it’s great for someone else

I’m a fan of all Rainbow Rowell’s books and this is no different. The characters are always so well-written and you really get to know who they are. Shiloh is such a quirky character and I wasn’t sure how I felt about her at first, but I learned to love her as I read. Cary is just a solid human being and the kind of guy everyone deserves to have in their life in some capacity. The characters show humor and I really appreciate that in any book. There were parts that were frustrating in the “will they or won’t they” kind of way, but that is how most romance books are, so I definitely recommend.

Really enjoyed this book! It was an easy read and the author made the characters very relatable and lovable. The story follows two friends who everyone believes should end up together, other than the two of them. By sprinkling chapters of the "before", we get an insight into how Shiloh and Cary were as their younger selves and how everything that happened in the past led to the now. There's also some emphasis on the different family dynamics, which I appreciated. It does seem like a slow burn if you are looking for something spicy, but the plot made the wait worth it.

Fans of Landline will love this one. Fans of Slow Dance will love Landline.

Unrequited love? Realistic characters? Second-chance romance? Yes to all.

Shiloh and Cary, the main characters, are likable and genuine. Shiloh, now a single, divorced mother, realizes she’s lost the spark she once had when she was 16 years old. A mutual friend’s wedding brings Cary (her high school crush) back into her life, just in time!

Rowell's signatures are all present: character arcs, plot, tenderness, and smart dialogue. For me, the addition of 90s flashbacks drew me in further.

My one "wish" with this book was that it would pick up the pace. I joked with a friend that it should be titled "Slow Book". However, the book’s overall effect still won me over.

This story follows two friends who everyone thought would end up together except them. I read one of Rainbow Rowell’s book, Fangirl, and really enjoyed it so I was excited to hear she wrote an adult romance book. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. The writing style was still the Rowell style and I loved the past writing style feeling. The setting is in a small town of north Omaha which was well told. I enjoyed the conflicts that the author incorporated into the story which kept me entertained until the ending of the book. This book is told from the past and current perspective of Shiloh and Cary’s life.

Shiloh is divorced with kids but doesn’t know where she’s heading in her life. I loved reading about a woman finding love even after having young children. As a person, I didn’t truly like her because I was getting munipulative but bland vibes that threw me off but I liked how strong she was. Then we have Cary who poor man was so into Shiloh but was getting so many mixed signals from her. There are many side characters in this book and I believe my favorite were Shiloh’s kids. The romance was well done with the friends to lovers and slow burn trope. It’s a messy type or romance and not the cutesy stuff but the real stuff.

The ending was well done and overall I really enjoyed this book. This was a great read and I can see how it’s a book club pick because it can hold an amazing conversation.I recommend checking this book out especially if you love The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like many, I have loved Rainbow Rowell’s past books and was excited to see another one from her. I will admit that this book was a little slow at the beginning and took me awhile to get in to, I really loved how well developed the characters were. It felt much more like a “real” story than the many trope filled romances that are popular lately (that I also like, to be fair). Recommend for those who like complicated love stories, just be wary of the pacing.

Best friends since before high school everyone thought it would be Shiloh and Cary forever. Except, neither Shiloh nor Cary knew how to bridge that gap in their relationship. What happens is many missed opportunities.

Now, they're reunited at a friend's wedding for the first time in nearly fifteen years. They have both lived full lives in the intervening years. Can they pick up what they put down so long ago, or has too much time passed between them?

I love Rainbow Rowell's simplistic approach to writing about life and love. I say simple when in reality it's anything but simple. I should more appropriately say she truly captures the nuances and complications of everyday life in the most relatable way.

I absolutely adored Cary and Shiloh and I was so pulled into their story. The book is laid out in that we get chapters in the present and chapters in the past. I liked that there's such a dichotomy between Shiloh and Cary past and present that I didn't need the "before" sub-headers to indicate when we were getting a glimpse of them in the past. I think this perfectly highlights how different they are, how much they've grown, as individuals in the intervening years, but also the subtle ways in which they've remained the same.

I will say that I had the most difficult time reconciling the past Shiloh from the present Shiloh. I just think this is because she's had a much more substantial change with everything she's gone through. Instead of becoming the actress she wanted to be Shiloh was married, now divorced, and is mother to two young children and back, again, living with her mother in the house she grew up in, and teaching children's theater. Shiloh doesn't want to be living with her mother, and I think she wishes some things had turned out differently with her life, but she cannot see a way to change any of that.

On the other side is Cary who, after graduation, joined the Navy and has been enlisted ever since only coming back to Omaha occasionally to look after his mother. I think it shows a sense of steadfastness. He had one trajectory for his life and he has stuck with it for the long haul. The only thing, or someone, who could have moved him from his course would be Shiloh.

They've each carefully circled around one another, not wanting to rock the boat, not wanting to risk losing their friendship. The will they/won't they is pretty spot on as is their undeniable connection to one another.

I really liked how all the other characters surrounding Shiloh and Carey are rooting for them, it's just Shiloh and Carey themselves that are the biggest obstacles.

I'm happy that Rainbow Rowell decided to return to an adult title this time around after having spent the last few years in the YA and YA Fantasy realm. I was first introduced to her writing through her first book Attachments and these types of books of hers have always held a special place for me. I can now honestly say that Slow Dance fits perfectly in there as well.

I had wanted to try Rainbow Rowell's writing and I did end up enjoying this book. This was a story about Cary and Shiloh and how their deep friendship from the time they were kids grew into a much different but still much the same relationship years later. The story was different and the characters were different than your usual romance novel, but they grew on me. The characters had more depth than some other novels, and more tragic history, which also made the story a bit slow at parts. There were constant flashbacks which, at times, interrupted the flow, but we're also relevant to the story being told. Overall, it was a good book, although not a favorite. I will try more of Rowell's work though. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC! #slowdance #williammorrow #netgalley

I have been waiting years and years for Rainbow Rowell to write another adult novel. Her book "Attachments" is one of my all time favorite reads. So when I was offered an early copy of her latest "Slow Dance," my excitement level was sky high.

"Slow Dance" did not hit for me the same way her previous novel did, but I did enjoy this cute second chance romance. I appreciated that the present day time line was set in the not so long ago past instead of the technology fueled world of today. I connected with these characters because they were experiencing the events at a time where I would have been the same age. I found myself routing for these characters even with their flaws. The kids were written adorably.

This book is light and sweet and can be read in a day. I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.

More than a decade has passed since Shiloh and Cary even saw each other. But when the third from their high school trio invites them to his wedding, they both show up and reconnect.

They've each followed their expected adult path, to an extent. Cary is a Navy man, and Shiloh has a career in the arts. But maybe there's enough of the people they were back when they were the closest of friends that they still recognize in each other.

Of course, if they'd actually dated in high school, as everyone had expected, it would have undoubtedly been easier. Now they've got plenty of adult problems in the mix as well. Shiloh is divorced and a single mother who lives with her mother in the house where she grew up. Cary is the most responsible member of his childhood family, and now continues to try to manage everything for his mother from a distance.

Overall, the story went pretty much as expected. High school relationships can never end up as simple as they appear in the beginning, and adult live makes everything harder. The book earned 3 out of 5 stars and was a nice cozy friends-to-lovers romance for a pretty quirky girl and they guy she never thought she'd be with forever.

I have loved Rowell's other novels and had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately it was just okay. Not bad but not great.

Second chance romance and friends to lovers are my favorite tropes but this is a mash up of those and I was frustrated with the characters for making the same decisions/mistakes over and over.

It had some sweet moments and ultimately was satisfying but the middle was just meh.

This book really turns the tables on a trope I normally hate: miscommunication. Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school who haven't spoken in 15 years. Sparks fly when they are reunited at a friends wedding. Unfortunately Shiloh doesn't think anyone would want to make an effort to be with her and Cary is still hurt from their last encounter. There wasn't one misunderstanding keeping them a part, it's decades of history. They can't seem to have that big conversation and get together.

The book goes back and forth between their high school selves and the present. After the wedding they slowly come back to each other. Supporting characters and the realities of daily life provide wonderful color to the story. As always I enjoyed the Omaha setting.

Rainbow Rowell is back! This was a fun book, and I really appreciated the opportunity to read it! I will recommend this book.

Love, love, love this book. I loved the timeline changes and the character growth. The two main characters were relatable and likable. Their story is one that is relatable for so many and the authors writing is so realistic. One of my favorite reads from this summer.

I am a big fan of Rainbow Rowell's young adult books so I was very excited to try an adult novel from her. I'm going to be honest I struggled a bit wit this one. I found that the younger characters were written really well and realistically but the adults didn't work. I especially found Shiloh to be immature and honestly didn't really want Cary to be with her. I loved Cary and wanted so much more for him. I loved the setting. We need more books that take place truly in middle-America and feel that way. I look forward to what Rainbow writes next.