Another amazing rainbow rowell book! It's not my favorite of hers but I loved the love in it and the writing of course as always was superb.

I am a big Rainbow Rowell fan but this book did not work out for me. This is the story about Siloh and Cary and they have been friends since childhood. This book was very slow burn and I liked it for the most part.

Dear readers,

I did not like this one ... Shiloh was insufferable as the fmc. She was negative, borderline emotionally abusive, and lacked chemistry with our mmc, Cary. Labeling this as a romance is criminal.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell offers a nostalgic return to her signature themes of young love and awkward charm. Set during a high school dance, it’s sweet and familiar, with flashes of her trademark warmth and wit.

But for me, the magic didn’t quite hit—I’ve outgrown her style. It felt more like a memory than a story I could fully feel.

This is my second book by the author, the first being Attachments. I love her style of storytelling and this was skillfully written.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is Rowell doing what she does best...writing tender, nostalgic, emotionally layered stories about people who don’t quite know how to move on. The romance is understated but real, and the writing is so emotional. If you’ve ever loved someone for a long time but didn’t quite know how to say it, this will hit. Lots of yearning, but in a cozy, typical Rowell-esque way.

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!