More please! Specifically more gorgeous, romantic reads like this from Rainbow Rowell! The perfect will-they-won’t-they, believable but dreamy, touching but not sickly sweet. Flawless from page one. Loved it.

This is a cute second chance romance book by Rainbow Rowell. I have heard of the author before and read one of her previous works which seemed to be more for new adults and young adult reads, and just a little to juvenile for my tastes but when I saw she had written a book for adult Is decided to give it a go.

I enjoyed the booked and her writing style. Shiloh grew up being best friends with Cary and Mikey. Her and Cary always had a think for each other and hooked up briefly but life happened and they both went their separate ways, her to get married and start a family and Cary into the Navy. The pair are reunited 15 years later when Mikey gets re-married and invites them both. It is quite clear to see instantly that the spark between the pair is still there and they are just two people destined to be together.

The characters are really likeable and I found myself routing for Shiloh from the beginning, she deserved so much more that she ended up with. However she did irritate a bit towards the end of the book with her almost immature behaviour.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've enjoyed Rowell's fantasy and YA novels, so was curious to see how she approached an adult romance novel. But I wasn't disappointed. This falls very much into the realistic romance category, so no Bridgerton-esque steamy scenes round each corner, but the story of Shiloh and Cary develops so naturally that you are carried along in the narrative. There were a couple of points where I just wanted to yell at them to get on with it, but that's perhaps down to the realism rather than Rowell's writing! I found it very touching and will be intrigued to see if she writes more in this vein.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and am grateful for the opportunity to read it. Shiloh and Cary best friends through high school meet again at the wedding of the third member of their school trio. The narrative flows from then to now and back again looking at tthe missed opportunities for romance between the pair. Their lives are complicated Shiloh is post Divorce and Cary has an elderly parent who is ill. It is a pleasant read but I found that it didn't really draw me in. i wasn't in love with any of the characters and the outcome was inevitably predictable.

One of my favourite books I've read this year - I adored the story, all the characters and the structure, which jumps around in time and serves the story beautifully. Funny, wise, tender, moving and grown-up - this is a book with a lot to say about love and friendship and I couldn't recommend it more highly. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I requested this for the nostalgia hit. Eleanor and Park was a favourite of mine years ago and a book I’ve urged my teenagers to read , more recently.

Slow Dance was a lovely read. Two best friends during their school days reconnect now in their thirties, life hasn’t panned out as they thought it would. Their connection is still there and this a slow believable will they/ won’t they.

I liked these characters, they were believable and written with care and this was a gorgeous comforting read.

It was possibly a smidgen on the long side for me, for this type of book but a very enjoyable read . Long time fans of Rainbow Rowell will rejoice in this book and readers new to her writing will also rejoice when they discover her back catalogue.

Lovely lovely 4 stars

I’ve read lots of Rainbow Rowell’s books over the years, having been first introduced to ‘Fan girl’ by my sister and I’m always eager to read her latest.
It’s the first book in a while which I found myself reading late into the night- Rowell’s writing just draws you right into the lives of the characters, their relationships and the problems they face. I loved the format of ‘before’ (up till they parted) and ‘after’ (when they were reunited) as it slowly teases out the full story and I just wanted to know how it would end!
Living in the UK I find American based fiction fascinating - things which are part of daily life over there are foreign concepts or unusual for us here which for me makes the book all the more enjoyable and escapist and I love reading about it! An addictive summer romance to add to your list!

The "slow burn" romance depicted in this book shows an example of how resilience in the face of life choices can be articulated amidst romance that is not driven by the prototypical approach to romance novels seen on booktok or other platforms.
Ultimately this novel is a poignant and beautifully crafted novel that explores the complexities of love, loss, and the passage of time. With her signature blend of lyrical prose and relatable characters, Rowell delves into the lives of two people brought together by chance and circumstance. The narrative unfolds with a delicate touch, capturing the subtle yet profound moments that define a relationship. Rowell's ability to evoke deep emotions through her storytelling makes "Slow Dance" a compelling read that lingers long after the final page, offering readers both a heartfelt journey and a reminder of the beauty found in life's progression.

I liked it, the story flowed well and I wanted to know how it ended. But I didn't love it, I didn't connect with any of the characters, there didn't seem much depth to them even though there was potential. I wanted to understand Shiloh so much but there wasn't a chance too. Not much background to her. I will continue to read Rainbows books as it's enjoyable.

No-one writes a love story like Rainbow Rowell. This is definitely a will-they won’t they romance even though everyone they knew thought they should have been together since they were teenagers. Growing up, Shiloh, Carey and Mikey were inseparable but after school life sent them in different directions and they weren’t reunited until Mikey’s wedding. That evening reignited a spark for Shiloh and Carey but having secretly loved each other for so long, could they ever work it out?

Beautifully and realistically written.

Slow Dance is a lovely rekindled romance which covers the length of Shiloh and Cary's teenage years through to their meeting again in their 30s after a long time apart. It's hard to see - and is pointed out by many others throughout - why they were never together when they were younger, but the miscommunications and will-they, won't-they elements are all part of the second chance at romance fun. Rainbow Rowell's ability to create powerful leads is unmatched - Shiloh and Cary are beautifully written characters & I thoroughly loved this one.

Lovely story that had me hooked, nice different timelines that kept you guessing what was going to happen next. Thank you for the ARC.

A really lovely story that had me hooked all the way through. Really enjoyed the different timelines that helped build the story. Lovely read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher’s for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

A captivating second chance romance about estranged best friends Shiloh and Cary. Modern day interspersed with a series of flashbacks to their childhood and teenage years, we see how a series of misunderstandings and insecurities separated them, both in the past and now.
Absolutely avoid if you can't stand the miscommunication trope, because if these pair had been open and honest with each other from the start, there would have been no book here.

But I quite enjoyed it. I though Shiloh was a really likeable character, despite her insecurities, and it was lovely to see the pair work through their past. Shiloh's daughter Juniper was really the star though, I loved every scene with her!

A sensitive, adult exploration of the 'teen friends to adult lovers' story that avoids cliche and had the kind of subtle characterisation that I love Rowell for.

I loved the beginning of this book, and it tugged at my heart strings from the very start. I really thought it was going to be a 5* book.
However, it lost a bit of momentum the more the book went on. Firstly, I think the book was far too long and therefore the pacing at times felt very slow. Also, it felt a bit repetitive too.

I enjoyed it, but think I would have enjoyed it more if it was more pacey.

This was a really good book that I thoroughly enjoyed & will recommend to others.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it

Cary and Shiloh decide over decades whether they are meant to be more than just best friends. And Rainbow Rowell smashes it again, a lovely touching and sentimental (not in a bad way) story of an evolving relationship over the decades, from school to marriage, parenting and mid-life relationships.

Told in a very real and bittersweet fashion, this is a story full of reality and truth from start to finish, with characters to care for and an ending to love.

I've read a few other Rainbow Rowell books and generally enjoy them so I was looking forward to reading this one.  It was nice for it to be an adult novel for a change!  Having said that, the main characters (Shiloh and Cary) didn't really read like adults.  The story flicks back and forth between them as older teenagers and their current adult state, but they didn't seem to be any more mature or adult in the later timeline. 

I couldn't get over Shiloh's name.  I had to look online to find out how to pronounce it and even then, I kept reading it as Shiloah for some reason.  I've read many books with unfamiliar names - lots of fantasy, sci fi, and more recently, books set in India - but for some reason, the name Shiloh was incredibly jarring for me.  I really struggled with it and it seemed to bring me out of the story constantly. 

The main issue I had with the book was that it was so incredibly dull.  I was bored within a matter of chapters.  The plot goes nowhere and the characters are all really flat.  I didn't care about any of them at all.  Rowell has previously done the whole friends-to-lovers thing in Fangirl, granted it wasn't the main plotline there, but it still felt like a bit of a rehash.  Overall, the book was quite disappointing really. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy to review.

I loved Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl so was excited to give one of her adult novels a try! Rowell's newest novel, Slow Dance, is a master in character development, with each one feeling authentic. A really lovely Summer read for fans of One Day, something that tugs on the heartstring, and a classic second chance romance.