I do enjoy a good Rainbow Rowell story!! And Slow Dance was definitely enjoyable. It's about Cary and Shiloh, who were best friends in high school but went their separate ways as adults. They reunite and slowly begin to rebuild their friendship and discover that there may be more between them.

This story is flashes back and forth between Cary and Shiloh in high school and Cary and Shiloh in the present. I enjoyed both time periods and liked watching their relationship unfold through both timelines. Both characters were likeable but they also felt real. I read this around the same time that I watched the One Day series. The two are similar in that they are both stories about long time friends who are obviously meant to be more. And in both stories, I was very emotionally invested in their relationships! I needed them to be together already.

Slow Dance features all the things I love about Rainbow Rowell with genuine characters, witty banter and an engaging story.

Slow Dance, a perfect title for this book, that high school dance moment you kind of dreaded, or maybe really wanted, or maybe wanted and dreaded at the same time...and also the feeling of that slow intimacy that unfolds in that just right relationship even if it takes time to elegantly come together.

Thank you to William Morrow for the free review copy of a highly anticipated read.

I LOVED the chance to read a new Rainbow Rowell again, I have always loved how she creates characters who feel like someone I know, want to know, or even feel a little like me. Slow Dance, with it's gorgeous and perfect cover, captures the delicate balance of a high school friendship (love?) from the past and the chance to return to that relationship again, after years of being apart during the early adult years; how do you balance your past, who you were and how you knew someone, with the present, who you are now, who that person is, and the missing in between years... can you go back and then also forward?

Rowell gets relationships, she captures insecurities, and she also understands yearning, that underneath insecurities and hurts and messiness in relationships there is the hope for love, intimacy and connection. While wanting Shiloh and Cary to be together, I was also just there for the story itself, for the characters, for the exploration of the high school stories and the present day reunion, driven by that high school friend who was that one who always seemed to get their dynamic. This is an all the feels kind of book but in the best possible way.

Shiloh and Cary have been best friends since seventh grade. Together, they are oil and water but make their friendship work. Cary, a ROTC member with plans for the Navy after graduation, is serious and silent. Shiloh is artistic, anxious and a drama kid.

These two befriend a guy named Mikey, and all throughout high school this group is inseparable. Mikey compares Cary and Shiloh to being different on the outside, but inside they perfectly fit together. Only, neither addresses feelings, and skirts around them in college.

Fast forward thirteen years, they've lost touch until Mikey brings them back together at his wedding. The reader flashes back and forth between the past and present, to their school years, estrangement and reunion in their thirties. Slow Dance is a slow-burn as Shiloh and Cary face the tension of their past, and how to finally claim what the heart wants.

Rowell's written an engaging story with real characters. My heart is reeling at its ending...

Thank you, William Morrow

I’m about halfway through this book & know life has gotten far too in the way recently for me to reasonably finish this, but I ADORE Rainbow Rowell’s writing. This felt the most natural and normal ever to me. I adore the way Shiloh & Cary have this alternating past/present perspective, so we can truly see everything that led them to this moment we see at the beginning. I’d love to finish this book some day, because I know I will absolutely adore it even more.

Beautiful, heartbreaking and somehow healing all at once. I feel like no one writes characters and dialog like Rainbow Rowell, and Slow Dance is no exception.

This book was so visceral that I laughed and cried, and I fell in love with the characters.

Must read. A million percent, all the stars- must read.

This also left me in such a hangover that I reread my other Rainbow Rowell books just to have more of that same feeling. Relationships can be beautiful and complicated, and she nails emotion like no other.

"Waste" is exactly the right word. When I think about the last 14 years and everything I've missed in your life, I feel like I squandered something precious. Like I was given something rare and valuable, a true blessing, an unearned gift—and all I had to do was hold on to it. And I let go.”

I truly loved reading Slow Dance By Rainbow Rowell! Nobody writes nostalgia quite like her. I found myself crying and laughing and then crying again and I think my pregnancy hormones definitely aided me in that department. I loved Cary’s deep commitment to his family and his undeniable love for Shiloh. She was a mess, but I loved her! The struggles she faced in motherhood with her two kids was so relatable and her story was well written.

“Shiloh had had big ideas about not letting the television raise her children. But then she'd actually had children. And then she'd gotten divorced. And now every day felt like something to get through alive. Something to try and stay awake for. At least her kids were being raised by actual children's programming, and not Match Game and Days of Our Lives, like Shiloh had been.”

It is a long novel with over 80 chapters so buckle up for the ride because it’s definitely worth it! Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

Outlier here. First book I have read by this author and did not like at all. Seemed unfocused and messy. Characters were underdeveloped.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Rainbow Rowell has once again captured the essence of nostalgia in her latest book, Slow Dance, transporting readers back to the familiar territory of heartfelt connections and deep emotions.

The relationship between Shiloh and Cary evokes memories of beloved characters from Rowell's previous works. While there are parallels to be drawn, Shiloh and Cary's friendship stands strong on its own, captivating readers with its depth and authenticity.

The slow burn romance in the story is perfectly paced, with each page brimming with emotion and longing. Initially skeptical about where the narrative was heading, I found myself fully immersed in the journey of Shiloh and Cary, surrendering to the allure of their evolving relationship.

The characters are beautifully developed, their past intertwined with the present through flashbacks to high school and college. It's evident how Shiloh and Cary's bond has endured over the years, drawing them back to each other as adults. Shiloh's voice in their email correspondence particularly resonated with me, reminding me of my own best friend and deepening my connection to the character.

As I eagerly await the release of Slow Dance this summer. It is a poignant reminder of the power of friendship and love, and I can't wait to add it to my collection.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I'm a big fan of the author and was excited to get my hands on a new fiction that wasn't already part of another series/franchise. It's been a long time coming. The book is what you'd expect from the author with fun dialogue, complex characters, and all the feels. The pacing is slow but kept me interested with flashbacks to the past to help us understand their history. I wasn't sure I really liked Shiloh or that I understood why Cary liked her, but the author managed to win me over. Their relationship had a lot of miscommunication (which can get tedious at times), but I liked seeing how they worked to fit into each other's lives now.

This definitely felt like a romance for adults, not because of spicy content exactly, but because of the life circumstances the characters dealt with. It felt real and relatable. I read somewhere that this is like Eleanor and Park, but for adults, which I think is an apt description. I felt the same melancholy throughout much of the book, but with more mature themes.

3.5 stars rounded up. Though I liked the book, I think it fell slightly short due to the slow pacing and sometimes confusing third-person narrative.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had been waiting and waiting for the next non-fantasy RR book and this one just... fell a little flat. There were some points that were really nice-- you had the banter, the tension, the longing-- but other parts were just so stiff and the leaning into the miscommunication trope is so heavy that it's frustrating. Obviously the book is set back in the day so communication is much different, but with how often they began writing each other letters, it's not like there wasn't opportunity to talk about important things. I also felt the initial "break-up", or whatever you want to call it, was so confusing and didn't feel fully fleshed out. Another giant miscommunication that they let drag on for years and years. This also leans heavily on the I Still Love You trope, but like... y'all haven't seen or spoken to each other for over a decade and you have had very different life experiences and you are not the same people so let's not put the cart before the horse here. I just didn't connect with their relationship the second time around and thought the timing was rushed but parts also somehow dragged.

Rowell's writing is always guaranteed to make you feel, but I think this one just wasn't as well executed as it could have been.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Beautiful! Hopeful! Heart-breaking! I love Rainbow Rowell, and always have since I discovered Fangirl as a teen. This was lovely and a great addition to her collection.

I really loved Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, I was not blown away. It could be a quick read if you can stand the FMC. I struggled to pick it up because she was so insufferable. The entire book is a miscommunication trope which is more than annoying at this point. The reading community has clearly established that we hate this trope, so I don’t know why authors keep writing stories like this. Even as adults, they can’t communicate. We have evolved as humans, just stop! None of the writing was really great enough to remember, nothing really profound. Short, choppy sentences, kind of felt like I was still reading YA but the characters were adults? Would not recommend and probably won’t read anymore from this author going forward.
*I will not be sharing this negative on public platforms out of respect for the author*

4.25 stars

I loved this so much. I loved her kids, the romance, the "before's", everything........... but I just couldn't get behind the let's not really speak for years then see each other again, hang out and talk and then a few months later without even dating get engaged. I just couldn't vibe with that and it lost me a tad, which is honestly the only reason this isn't 5 stars, I just wish it followed "the normal formula" I guess. It's still very sweet and I was all in but yeah idk maybe I'm not a huge romantic like that.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC!

I couldn't stop thinking about Slow Dance after. I finished it. The book follows estranged high school best friends Shiloh and Cary, now in their early 30s, as they reunite at their close friend Mikey's wedding. From there the novel flips back to Cary and Shiloh (and Mikey) in their teens as they formed an intimate bond but never actually got around to dating, and the present where Cary is a career Navy officer navigating his career and caring for his ailing mom while Shiloh is a divorced mom of two. As the come face to face for the first time in nearly a decade they must contend with the miscommunications that tore them apart and navigate a future—together or otherwise. This was really heartfelt and lovely, exploring the ties that bind and how silence can often speak volumes—and is ripe for misinterpretation. I found myself rooting for Cary and Shiloh at all ages of their lives and really loving their deep connection with each other and their third musketeer, Mikey.

I was so excited to see Rainbow Rowell had a new book coming out and was thrilled to get a copy on NetGalley. Shiloh, a divorced mother of two, and Carey, a naval officer, were joined at the hip in high school. After years apart, they reconnect at a best friend's wedding. This is a beautiful, poignant, character-driven story about trusting yourself, about love over time, and new beginnings. I could not put it down!

Nobody writes nostalgia quite like Rainbow Rowell. Though it’s been many years since I read Eleanor and Park, the relationship between Shiloh and Cary instantly transported me back to that book. There are a few parallels, but Shiloh and Cary’s friendship holds strong even without the comparison. This book was a slow burn (appropriate given the title), but romance carried through in every page and kept the narrative flowing. I was initially skeptical about where the story was going. However, over the course of the book, I decided to stop anticipating the end and just enjoyed the journey of Shiloh and Cary.

The characters were beautifully developed — partially through their story now but also via flashbacks to high school and college — and you really see how these two friends, who were so very close at a certain time in their life, couldn’t help but find each other again as adults. I especially loved it because Shiloh’s voice in their email correspondence reminded me of my best friend and made me love Shiloh even more for it.

I can’t wait to actually purchase this book when it comes out this summer. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

Y'all. Rainbow Rowell's latest adult fiction novel is superb.

We meet a pair in their 30s. Both on eggshells around each other. Neither knowing what to do or want or say.

And we go back and forth in time with them.

"Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together ... everybody but Shiloh and Cary.

They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed."

Rowell's language and characters are a soft hug into an unsure world. I found myself emotional while reading it. I cheered for them, my heart broke for them. I saw myself in them.

I encourage anyone to take this journey with them.

Childhood best friends Shiloh and Cary are the only 2 people in town that don't know they're in love with each other. While their lives diverge for over a decade, a wedding brings them back into each other's lives. Fear of rejection and familial obligations keep their stars from aligning, but Shiloh and Cary simply can't keep themselves from turning to each other, over and over again. Beautiful second-chance/coming of age romance from Rowell.

It’s taken me over two weeks to get 40% into this book. I just cannot keep going. I have LOVED so many of Rainbow’s book so when I received the ARC for this, I was so excited. Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. The miscommunication in this book is ridiculous. The main characters waste soooooo much time when they really just need to have a real conversation. Aside from that the characters were extremely unlikeable. I could not stand Shiloh at all. Because of this, I cannot keep reading to see what happens.

I’m a huge Rainbow Rowell fan so when I saw this available I immediately hit request! I squealed with delight when I was approved.

I enjoyed this one! Eleanor & Park and her Simon Snow trilogy will forever be my favorites but this story was good and I really liked the dual POV. One of the things I like about Rainbow Rowell’s stories is how effortless they feel. I know the miscommunication trope is not everyone’s cup of tea but she handles it well here. I thought the story of Shiloh and Cary’s relationship felt realistic and I was in no way rooting for them less because of it.

I will forever read RR and recommend her to everyone!