I've really enjoyed Rainbow Rowell's other writing and was therefore so excited to receive an ARC of SLOW DANCE, her latest adult novel, in exchange for my honest review.

SLOW DANCE tells the story of childhood friends, Shiloh and Cary, and how their lives and paths intertwine as they grow and change. I appreciated elements of this story - Rowell's writing is lovely as usual - but it felt a little slow at times for me. Overall, not my favorite of Rowell's but still a sweet and compelling read.

I sat on this one for entirely too long but I finally got an opportunity to pick it up. I love second chance romance and loved the ending of Shiloh and Cary’s story. I enjoyed seeing their background stories and how they ended up where they were. I did feel the story could have been shaved down a bit making it a shorter novel, but all in all I did enjoy it.

Not my favorite Rainbow Rowell book, but still one that made me want to wish for the happy ending. I'm glad it all worked out in the end...spoiler alert? LOL

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Slow Dance is such a well written romance book. It doesn't even feel like a romance book. It feels like a love story that could happen to you, your friend or your cousin. Romcoms are neat and happy. Slow Dance is messy and true to life. There are kids, an ex-husband, family issues, all the things that just make this feel like a true story, more slice of life. This is a second-chance romance meets slice of life fiction.

Rainbow’s writing in this book shows her trademark heart and emotion. This is a sweeping story that covers years of complex emotions and relationships. Very enjoyable to read!

While I wasn’t IN LOVE with this book, I do see the appeal! So if you adored this one that is amazing and I am so very happy for you. I think it was written well and a good story but I just lacked the ‘WANT’ to continue reading. I felt kind of disconnected from the characters and the little connection I did have I didn’t enjoy nearly enough. While I can handle miscommunication.. this story just had a little too much for me.

I haven't read any of Rowell's books before, but I've always heard great things. I think maybe this wasn't the right book to start with. While I loved the characters, the storytelling felt really repetitive to me. I get that it was supposed to be a slow-burn, but the pacing felt super slow. The jumping back and forth between time frames also felt confusing, so I felt taken out of the story at odd moments. I know these types of books rely on a lot of the same themes, but this one just had too many for me (homely girl is beautiful in boy's eyes, lots of obstacles in the way of the couple, plenty of misunderstandings that keep them apart, gay best friend, etc.). It's not that I won't give her other books a try, but at this point, I'm kind of skeptical that she's a writer I would enjoy reading.

A friends-to-lovers romance that gave "Will they, or won't they?" up until the very end! Truly had no idea where the story would end up (even with a very frustrating FMC).

This was a sweet, slow romance. I appreciated the build, and my favorite bits were the moments of the two main characters in high school, and how the ways they related to each other then versus now were both different but also very similar.

I'm late to review this one (apologies!). I loved her YA books, but I couldn't get into this one. Maybe it's the military of it all or the second chance romance, but this one wasn't for me. I fear I DNF'd it.

Rainbow Rowell has DONE IT AGAIN! Returning with a tender and nostalgic story of second chances and old flames, wrapped in her signature voice—warm, witty, and deeply felt. Set at a small-town reunion, it explores how people change (and don’t) over time. A sweet, swoony novel for romantics and dreamers. It hit deep as a late 30s woman from a small-town!

I have always enjoyed the way Rainbow Rowel writes stories. Her stories say so much with saying so little in the best possible way. I was eager to start “Slow Dance” so experience a quick, good read. It did not disappoint! I definitely got annoyed with the main characters a lot BUT that is the appeal of it. Shiloh made me go crazy with how she communicates with Cary, but Cary also drove me crazy. This was not my favorite of Rowell BUT it was still extremely interesting and an addicting read. Her appeal is the realistic storytelling.

Slow Dance isn't my usual genre, but something about this one pulled me in — and I’m glad it did.

I really loved Shiloh as a main character. She felt real, messy, and grounded in a way that made it easy to root for her, even when the story took some complicated turns (and believe me, it does). The dynamic between Shiloh and Cary was a highlight — it’s endearing, heartwarming, and occasionally so frustrating you want to reach into the book and shake them both. But that's part of what made it feel authentic.

I will say, the middle section of the book had me dragging a little. It felt like reading a 300+ page description of the Facebook relationship status "It's complicated." Exhausting at times — but it came back around for me in the end. The first and last parts of Slow Dance captured that classic Rainbow Rowell magic: sincere, bittersweet, and a little messy in the best way.

If you’re willing to hang through some emotional tangle, Slow Dance delivers a payoff that feels genuinely earned.

Being a big fan of Rowell's novels for teens and young adults, I had high hopes for this contemporary romance about us older folks. I was not disappointed. I laughed, cried, and swooned for these two main characters. This was a rare 5-star read for me. Loved it!

I liked this one but the lack of communication between the two mains frustrated me, it felt like they were purposefully being stubborn in a way that wasn't realistic of two adults. I did enjoy the second chance troupe and thought it was a nice easy read.

Holy crap. This is fantastic. Rowell can do all the adult work, this is amazing. A beautiful slow burn romance, developed over years and coming together over a few days. Absolutely spectacu lar.

I DNF’d at like 25%. I felt like nothing was happening/pacing was slow and I hated the military aspect.

This was my first Rainbow Rowell adult novel and I loved it! It was a beautiful story and I loved the romance. I can't wait to read her other adult novels. She is one of my favorite YA authors!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

A "will-they-or-won't-they" romance for the ages that began as a friendship in high school gets a second chance in Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell. Shiloh and Cary meet again at their mutual friend Mikey's wedding in their hometown of Omaha after an estrangement of more than 10 years. Cary went away to the navy, and Shiloh got married young and had two children. Will this be the time for them to reconnect and become more of what they could have been back when they were teenagers? Or is it too late to have that kind of lasting love.

I found this book to be a grand love story without all the ridiculous trappings of many romantic comedies or love stories, which I do love but find trite and too simple when it's not done well. This novel was sincerely an honest depiction of two people always meant to be soul mates but obstacles and feelings always got in the way. There's no rhyme or reason why they couldn't be together, but a spark at the wedding leads them into something new.

At times, I found Shiloh frustrating because I felt like she was getting in her own way all the time. When she was young and thinking of every way to move out of her hometown, she was open to everything. Once she became an adult and realized that she had responsibilities that superseded her dreams, she lost that drive. Along with her disappointment of her marriage falling apart, she really couldn't make up her mind about what she wanted and felt drained by anything that she felt was too much.

Some readers may not like the non-chronological look at Shiloh and Cary's history together and present day, but I could keep up with the chapters jumping around and appreciated it. It subtly helped you to fit the puzzle pieces together about why they both approached their association and if they could forge ahead and make something of it. Mostly, you experienced Shiloh's perspective, but other times, Cary provided his own perspective.

I also liked how nothing was easy in becoming involved with one another again. Friends gave their own opinions, family issues arose with their families, Shiloh's children were still young and needed her devoted attention, and, of course, Cary still needed to fulfill his naval obligations. I liked that realism in the book about the challenges of them getting involved now and if ever. Neither one felt confident in making any of these decisions, but they had each other. Now, it was the question of will they hold onto each other or not.

I really enjoyed this novel and hope that the author will put out other adult novels like this. Rowell has mentioned that she has a few in the pipeline, so I'm keeping my eyes open for it.

I think I might have aged out of Rainbow Rowell’s writing. I loooved her books when I was in my 20s and I was super excited for this one. I just couldn’t engage with the writing and it felt really young to me. I’m sure this will work for others- just not for me.