I loved Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, so when I saw this book I got very excited.

We follow Shiloh and Cary in two time periods: modern day as Shiloh navigates life as a divorcée with two kids and Cary is a naval officer, and "before", their friendship as children all the way to late teens. Where Eleanor and Park showed the simplicity of young love, Slow Dance highlights the realities of middle aged love as Shiloh and Cary find their way to a second chance romance.

Rainbow Rowell has a gift for writing characters and situations that feel inherently real, and this is very much the case here. The plot is made up of all the tiny moments of life that may seem insignificant but build up to a whole. It's very much a slow burn, but you instantly root for the characters.

A recommended read for fans of Eleanor and Park, Jane Austen's Persuasion, and second chance romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If, like me, you enjoy a slow, exquisitely lingering burn, then I recommend this one. It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Rowell’s books and reading this I found myself constantly wondering why. Her writing is so good and smooth, you feel completely safe in her hands. Her characters are believable and relatable, as is the world they inhabit. She shows environments that aren’t shiny and have harsh edges, but without vilifying them. The characters feel real and Rowell had me rooting for them from the off.

A will they wont they where you actually can believe that they wont!
Shiloh is a refreshing different female lead for this type of novel- not the head turningly beautiful but quirky girl who has the boys circling her- she is of course both those things but so much more as well.
The complexity of the characters and the relationships make this a fresh take on the genre and readable in one sitting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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 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. Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned. When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything? The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Shiloh is a tricky one. I could understand her and her motives at times but for the majority of the book, I just felt this massive misconnect. She left incredibly whiny and immature which was incredibly frustrating because I could sense that this was not the intention at all - but that is how she ended up. Adult life is tough but it almost felt like she was waiting for a fairytale to begin and sweep her away. Shiloh really wasn’t my cup of tea.
Cary felt so unreadable and all over the place that I couldn’t relate to him. Sure he’s gone through struggles but he appears to be so emotionally constipated that it is extremely hard to work out what he want. Even when he explicably tells you what he would like and how he’s made it obvious, I just could not see it in the slightest. A male live interest is meant to make you swoon and giggle and enjoy his time on the page. Cary didn’t do that for me.

Being a lover of Rowell’s YA novels, when I saw the opportunity arise to read this newest book, I jumped at it. However, it just did not appeal to me like I hoped it would and it was such a shame for me! The plot was okay but generally felt rather dull. There weren’t any high stakes to add tension or truly hold my attention and whilst I liked the fact we got present and past moments, it just felt like we were going around and around in circles. The characters were not too bad but I felt like we didn’t get to know them very deeply. It was almost like secrets were kept from the reader despite our main characters being such a massive focus - and withholding that information didn’t make a positive difference to the story as a whole. The romance didn’t draw me in. It felt stilted and unnatural - which may have been intended? However, if this was the case, it didn’t work in my eyes. Even the ending just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like this wonderful wrap up like I’d hoped it would. It kind of happened and then just stopped. I just was not a fan of this one and it truly is a shame.

Overall, Slow Dance is a book I had high hopes for but very sadly missed the mark for me.

⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on 23rd August and is immediately available on Goodreads.

I thought this was a gorgeous, quiet story.

The dual timeline was so good and I loved getting to see moments from the last reflected in the present. I liked how messy these characters were and how communication wasn’t necessarily the best, but it was real.

I’ve long been a fan of Rowell and this book really just cemented that fact:

I was asked by NetGalley to review this book

This is a beautiful book about two good friends who fell in love ( really before they understood just what love is) this story goes from the past and present and the author keeps the storyline going well.

Will they or won't they - well readers you need to read this book to find out

Due to be published 8th August 24 so will be a good read for long summer holidays.

I enjoyed this book. It was a cute, quick read with well written, likable characters. I really enjoyed the dual timeline, it really gave a lot of back story to the characters and let you get to know them all slowly.

The relationship and miscommunication between the two main characters was so so frustrating (in a good way!) I wanted to scream at them both to just be honest with each other! On the whole this made them both more relatable, in real life often people don’t communicate correctly and it was refreshing to read something that depicted this so well.

This is only my second book by this author (the other being Eleanor and Park) and I’ll definitely be looking into reading some more now.

I have loved Rainbow Rowell since I began reading her novels as a teenager and as I’ve grown I look back at her young adult novels with a fondness and happy memories. Her adult novels have joined me in my adult years, Landlines being one of my favourite books of all time. And yet again she has met in my life when I have need of her. Slow Dance is another immaculate novel from Rowell, she truly is a master of romance that ultimately feels real and raw. In a will-they, won’t they romance, Shiloh and Cary’s story kept me enthralled to the very end. I will be pressing this book in as many hands as possible. All of the stars!

Struggles to get into this book and couldn’t relate to the characters due to these issues I didn’t finish reading it.

A classic will they/won’t they romance, but with a twist. Cary and Shiloh didn’t see each other for 14 years after an intense friendship which ended when they went their separate ways after school. They meet again at the wedding of another close friend, Mikey, and the ups and downs of their relationship begins all over again. The story is told over two timelines which helps to really understand the characters and gives an insight into their personalities. These are two really complex and interesting characters, a bit frustrating at times, but extremely likeable and I found myself analysing their traits and peculiarities. A great read!

Thank you to Rainbow Rowell, the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this ebook in exchange for a review.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is one of top ten all time favourite books. And that is a tough list to get into! I don’t really do ‘favourite’ books because who knows what could be great around the corner? So I’ve been longing for her to do another adult book for ages!

And what a treat this book turned out to be! A lovely, realistic, heartwarming romance between Shiloh and Cary, who’ve known each other since they were kids and despite it always being clear that they’re meant for each other, they’ve never quite managed it.

There’s so much I enjoyed about this book that I can’t decide where to start! The characters are fully rounded, realistic people who leap off the page. Shiloh, a woman afflicted by shyness, anxiety and awkwardness is so nuanced she feels real, whilst Cary who can’t express his feelings and doesn’t understand how people can misread him is as careful a construct. I have such a vivid picture of them both in my head.

We hear the story from both sides which really works - it starts with Shiloh and I was like, I want to know Cary’s thoughts! And of course, RR doesn’t let us down. It’s wonderful to see the relationship from his point of view. A man who is so in love with this woman but really has no idea how to communicate it to her.

The plot is structured so cleverly as well with both chapters set in the current time (2006) and the past (1991 mostly) that you really feel their relationship and how it develops and why they react the way they do.

Their love and the way it grows and changes was just so lovely and wonderful. A truly great love story, such a bittersweet nostalgia because who do you love more intensely than your teenage crush? And to finally have them is so amazing.

I just felt she really got to the heart of all these very intense and beautiful emotions and allowed us as readers to wallow in them. What a special talent.

The twist towards the end caught me by surprise but also in total delight! I literally would have hugged the book if I’d had a physical copy!

Another thing the author does so well is the setting. This is set in 2006 and she layers it with subtle hints that anyone who’s lived through that time would know. The dress over jeans trend that I adopted too, the different (unsmart) phones and just a nod to a world that felt less crazy than ours does now.

I just want to snuggle up in this book, want to wonder about my first love and enjoy the memories and dreams of adolescence. I will be recommending it to everyone I meet and oh, Ms Rowell, I’m hanging out for another of your adult romances…

A good story with a classic will they, won't they/ Following the journey of Cary and Shiloh from high school friends to adults with lives and baggage, this was a great book.

Describing this as a slow burn romance would imply that there was actually a burn. This was so frustrating to read, the characters were annoying (apart from Mickey, who was lovely) and the amount of miscommunication was ridiculous. I can’t see how the HEA would last longer than the last page, these two would definitely mess it up again.
I’ve loved previous books from this author but I really struggled with this.

A heartwarming story of finding lost friendship and love, and re-meeting people after time apart.
The characters were all so loveable and it was so satisfying seeing them all come back together.
A warm and cosy read.

An enjoyable slow paced, slow burn romance from a truly iconic author. Some definite plus points within a mixed bag of a story.

Two timelines, now and teenage years. Both are will they won't they with the same people. Shiloh and Cary and best friends along with Mickey. Through high school and on to the next steps. Cary joins the navy whilst college beckons for Shiloh.
Confidence, hidden feelings and life plans come between them until they reunite back in their home town for Mickey's wedding.
This time will they actually be a couple?
You will relate to the doubts, life issues and family conflicts.
Enjoy I did

Sorry I couldn't finish this book. Both the main characters really annoyed me and I found the story far too slow. Lots of readers seem to love it but it just wasn't for me.

"I'm an intentional wallflower. I chose this adventure".
I absolutely adored Shiloh, her story and her deep connection with Cary. Rainbow Rowell knows how to write loveable, flawed but deeply human characters. The use of flashbacks is such a clever way of filling the gaps and I don't think I have rooted more for two characters. Absolutely beautiful. I tried to make it last but I gobbled it up.

Unlikeable people, unrealistic situations and conversations. A lot of the scene setting is an insight into middle America. Overall the story dragged, with nothing that wasn’t expected. Got to the end but where was the reward?

The romance in this book was more of a slow burn but it was well worth it. I definitely recommend this novel and look forward to reading more covers by this author.