Oh I've been so excited to read this new Rainbow Rowell's new adult romance novel! And this, her latest book, resonated with me more than expected.

The book explores themes of long friendship, unrequited feelings, flawed characterization, second chance love, and found family, similar to the adaptation of "One Day" on Netflix. The characters, Shiloh and Cary, are likable despite their imperfections, making them unique and real.

Shiloh and Cary first meet at sixteen, forming a close friendship with hidden crushes. Fourteen years later, they reunite at a wedding, both unhappy with their current lives. The book's storyline and character development receive high praise, with engaging dialogues, banter, and emotional moments. The flashbacks to the 90s and 2000s provide a realistic portrayal of the characters' lives, although the pacing is criticized for feeling rushed and repetitive towards the end.

Overall, the book's genuineness, honesty, and poignancy make it a heartwarming read, recommended for fans of contemporary and second chance romance, as well as Rainbow Rowell enthusiasts.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for sending an arc my way!

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I’m familiar with and love Rainbow Rowell’s writing style so I immediately requested this ARC. Her work is very easy to read and be entertained by.

That being said, I am not the biggest fan of the second chance romance trope. It was super awkward for me at the beginning and while the characters aren’t bad per se, I didn’t find myself relating to or enjoying their stories.

Overall, this wasn’t my cup of tea. It was a sweet little story but unfortunately, it was one that I just don’t resonate with.

Witty banter + strong characters were positives of this read. Loved the setting of Omaha.

Did not love the pressure of marriage from the MMC. Also, I understand that unhealthy communication is common, it's just not one of the tropes I enjoy in a book.

Love Rainbow Rowell, will absolutely continue to read her work.

This was a romance about Carey and Shiloh, highschool friends who meet up again later in their thirties and realize they’ve always been in love but life’s complications make it hard for them to realize it and be together. There was more depth to this than normal books in this genre which I enjoyed because I am not a typical romance reader. The book did go back and forth in timelines and sometimes it messed with the pacing. This was at times slow but still an enjoyable read

This one definitely wasn’t for me. It was the slowest dance. I liked Carey but did not care for Shiloh in the slightest. Love Rainbow Rowell’s other work immensely. This one just fell short for me.

4/5!!!
I have loved Rainbow Rowell since 2o12 and I am so happy I received this ARC.
Eleanor & Park sparked my love for reading so when I saw this book on NetGalley I knew I needed to read.

This book was amazingly written and I love how it went from "before" and then the present. I loved seeing the past and understanding why the characters do what they do.

At first, I had some issues with Shiloh. I didn't enjoy how negative and opinionated she was about EVERYTHING. Once I got used to it, and I gained love for the characters, I ended up really enjoying her. I love second-chance romances they are always my favorite.
Cary was amazing and I love how he is worried about everyone in his life (Shiloh, his mom, Mikey etc)

I also loved how realistic these characters are. While reading, they had depth and messiness that made them feel real.

Thank you Rainbow Rowell and William Morrow for this ARC.

Rainbow Rowell's latest book, "Slow Dance," lives up to is namesake in that much like a true slow dance, the story starts witha sort of longing that only grows with each turn of the page. The plot feels unique in that it's both firmly planted in the present while deeply rooted in nostalgia. Rowell weaves us through our main characters' story in various timelines, and I found myself torn between wanting to know how it started as much as I wanted to know how it might end.

Much like a denim jacket from the back of your closet, this storyline feels timeless. I could relate as much to the teenage characters and I could their present versions. The themes of friendship, family, small towns, and big worlds were beautifully blended so that you never felt like any one aspect of the book took away from Shiloh and Cary's journey and story. Instead, these characters provided a better glimpse of their foundational upbringing, which made aspects of the story that might have felt otherwise frustrating feel far more natural and belivable.

Much like a true high school slow dance, I found this a bit slow moving to start, but it didn't take long to fall in love with the characters and romance of it all. If you're looking for someone who can write emotion well, I think Rowell is one of the best, be it a YA character or a thirtysomething, she always manages to capture the inner voices of her characters until you feel like it's you who is being pulled out to the dance floor.

"Slow Dance" became a quick read for me, staying up into the night reading to see what would become of Cary and Shiloh. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC that I couldn't put down.

Obviously, Rainbow is a genius and I loved this so much. I wish they would have gone harder on the title and cover, though.

4+

I adored this book! It was one of those romances where you are viscerally rooting for the protagonists to end up together for every page of the book, which is my favorite kind, and I spent two days reading this in a swoony blur. Rainbow Rowell just has a way with words that works for me.

Anyway, this is a "friends to lovers," "second chance romance" type of book, where the protagonists have been friends since high school but they went 14 years without speaking before the start of the story. It also deals with divorce, and family, and all sorts of messy issues that come with life. The protagonists aren't perfect in a way that I really enjoyed. Pick this up if you're in the mood for a romance with grip, and like your spicy scenes to be PG-13.

I have read all of Rainbow Rowell's other books and really enjoyed them. This one was a miss for me. I didn't really like Shiloh's character (and couldn't see why Cary did) and the story took too long to really get going. I was really disappointed because I had higher hopes for this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I struggled with this story. This just wasn’t my cup of tea. I thought Shiloh was the absolute worst. I honestly couldn’t stand her character. She was so annoying and if I were Cary I would have moved on and stayed moved on. Cary wasn’t great either. He’s the definition of the miscommunication troupe. I think the whole “I was in love with you how couldn’t you tell” is the worst and he uses this as an excuse during all of the conversations in the first half of the book. Junie and Gus were highlights of the story. There is a HEA but geez you have to go through so much stuff to get there. I felt mentally exhausted by the time I hit the end that the HEA didn’t even feel worth it.

The perfect lil sappy read I needed.

YA romance - but fast forward to age 33 with a divorcee and a naval officer. Best friends since childhood always dancing around the truth….

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

heartachey and earnest and raw and human—in other words, a rainbow rowell special

rainbow rowell’s books are always so easy to read; i always love how she puts words to thoughts you’ve often had but never consciously realized. i had a hard time putting this one down.

We’re the three best friends that anyone could have… But what happens when two of those best friends become more?

Mikey, Shiloh and Cary are the best type of friend group and I loved their friendship! But what really pulled me into this book was Shiloh and Cary. Following them as they navigated their own feelings as more than just friends had me unable to put the book down. From flashbacks to present time, I found myself completely immersed in their story.

Rainbow Rowell is a favorite of mine and this book did not disappoint. I’m a sucker for a love story and this one truly knows no bounds.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

OH MY LORD. Rainbow Rowell knows how to write 'Swooners." In all of her books, she has the uncanny ability to write real characters. Characters with anxiety. With problems. Characters who aren't 110 pounds and blonde with giant blue eyes. Her characters are real, they have normal people flaws, they have normal people jobs and fears and dreams. Rowell knows how to develop a character, to develop relationships and histories and friendships and it is, for me, absolutely the most remarkable part of her books. I expect it every time and she delivers every time. Slow Dance was no different for me. Naturally, Cary and Shiloh made me a giddy, swoony mess. I'm pretty sure I read the entire story with a big stupid grin on my face (even during the hard scenes). I could have read many more hours worth of their history and where their story goes. It was hard and beautiful and full of all the good and bad things that relationships go through. I loved every single minute of this book.

Rainbow Rowell also knows how to write banter like no one else I've ever read. I bet she is a giant hoot in real life. I bet her grocery lists are even quirky. I want to meet her. I want to be her.

Please read this.

Thanks to NetGalley/Publisher/Author for the eARC.

This book is dedicated (by me, not the author!) to all the dudes who never, ever said what they wanted but only dropped a sort of vague hint here and there and still expected the woman to pick up on the hints, and then blamed the woman when she took them at their word instead of reading too much into it.

Anyway, as you can see this book kind of has me riled up. It follows Shiloh and Cary, best friends in high school, as they reconnect at their friend Mikey's wedding. Mikey is the only likeable person in this book. I love Mikey.

"You can't make new old friends" is something that is said multiple times in the book and it's definitely true. But for god's sake, why is everyone (except Gloria) trying to force Shiloh to change?? No, she really didn't want to dance at prom. And that should have been okay! No, she really doesn't like going to parties and socializing. And that should be okay too! Throughout the developing romance, Cary both laments that Shiloh is the same person he knew and acts put off by the fact that she dared to move on, have kids, and divorce. I think my main beef with this book is that Cary didn't seem to love Shiloh at all - he loved the trumped-up, half remembered high school days where he wouldn't even give her a chance because he didn't want to ruin things/didn't know where else the relationship would go.

I liked this book a lot, don't get me wrong. It's well written (obviously) and a compelling read that blends present day with past memories to help paint a picture of a second-chance romance with Cary, who never even tried to give Shiloh a shot at the first chance. I kept alternating between loving the cute anecdotes about their pasts and hating how Cary turned out in the present day.

Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

I've loved Rowell since I began reading her YA novels in middle school, and I was just as pleased with 'Slow Dance'.

Shiloh and Cary were inseparable in high school, along with their best friend Mikey. While they never dated, everyone assumed Shiloh and Cary were an item. And there was always an unspoken tension between the two of them, always a question of 'what if' with each other even as they were teenagers. Cary joins the Navy, and Shiloh heads off to college. 48 hours in Shiloh's dorm room her freshman year when Cary shows up as a surprises changes the trajectory of their friendship. Now, fourteen years later, Cary and Shiloh reunite unexpectedly at Mikey's wedding.

Written in a split time line, we get glimpses of Shiloh and Cary's past together while also enjoying their present day friendship reignite. Shiloh is still in Omaha and is now a divorced single mother of two. Cary is still in the Navy, and he has never allowed himself to settle down with someone. Shiloh and Cary set out to get to know each other as adults, and they quickly realize those feelings from high school still linger.

Shiloh and Cary are frustrating at times with choices they make, but that makes them real and lovable. They are both relatable and their story is one of friendship and redemption. If you're a fan on Rowell or if you're looking for a good high school friends to lovers story, this one is for you.

DNF @ 8%

I really wanted to love this one. The cover is gorgeous. But, I’m just not a fan of slow burn romance. This felt overly slow and very repetitive. And personally, it’s just not the lfor me.

But, I know a lot of people will love and recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review!

I love Rainbow Rowell's characters. I love Fangirl, I love Simon Snow, and I love her adult novels (even when the plots feel hard to describe to people!). I re-read her books perhaps more than any other author's. The structure on this one isn't linear, but the past feel like authentic memories seeping into the present. I loved getting to know Shiloh and Cary, and I know I'll be returning to them again and again.

i don’t mind a second-chance romance and even if i have had a hit-or-miss time with rainbow rowell’s other books, i’d say that this one is more of a hit. rowell does a good job balancing the timeline and each character pov in different parts of the book, and is able to keep the dialogue well-paced for the flashbacks. i think this is a great showcase of rowell’s ability to write YA and contemporary adult lit all in one book, and allows readers to see the main characters’ respective growth arcs.