Slow Dance is another Rainbow Rowell special and it didn't disappoint - especially as it follows one of my favourite tropes: the friends to lovers storyline. Although a little slow to get started, which meant I found it more difficult than some of her other books to get into, once the story got fully up and running and I got to know our central characters, I flew through the pages. Hopefully we won't have as much of a wait for the next Rainbow Rowell book!

Rainbow Rowell has unsurprisingly done it yet again. She has crafted a beautiful love story that transverses the passage of time efficiently, and delivers fully developed characters into the palm of your hand. Her dialogue for the children characters was a big highlight whilst reading, I was sitting there with a big smile on my face whenever they entered a scene, especially when they interacted with Cary. Shiloh was a great protagonist, and her overall journey, along with her exploration of sexuality, was an amazing aspect that really elevated the story. As did Cary’s family subplot. There is also so much more to the story than the initial blurb suggests, which is an incredibly welcome surprise.
Overall, just a really well crafted love story. A solid four stars from me. I think the book could have benefited from a bit more resolution at the end in regards to its secondary characters, as they kind of fade away — which is a shame as they were great side characters!

I've enjoyed all of Rainbow Rowell's books and was thrilled to learn she's returning to adult fiction. Her previous works in this genre left a lasting impression on me.

The narrative centers on Shiloh and Cary, who have been each other's soul mates since their teenage years but never quite managed to unite. They reunite at a friend's wedding as adults, complete with careers, families, and pasts, and it's evident they still share a bond...

The story is a beautifully woven narrative of two individuals discovering their importance to each other and contemplating their potential actions. Due to the skillful crafting, Shiloh and Cary, as well as the supporting characters, are depicted with a genuine sense of realism.

I extend my gratitude to Netgalley and Rainbow's publishing team for the opportunity to read this advance reader's copy. Eagerly anticipating the acquisition of a physical edition.

My first adult Rainbow Rowell book and I'm definitely not disappointed. Vastly different to any of her other books I've read but just as absorbing. Heartfelt and poignant, I couldn't put it down.

Thank you Netgalley and Michael Joseph for providing me with a free digital copy in exhachge for an honest review.

(Review below to be published two weeks prior to publication)

Rainbow Rowell writes with the upmost efficiency yet still manages to make you feel every syllable of a sentence to the very marrow of your bones.

This was like reading Attachments for the very first time. I wholeheartedly love the characters. I love their story. I love their heartache and their joy and their patience, but most of all I love that they endured.

A true adult romance, not because it was spicy but because it was real and it was raw.

A story about moving on but also not. About second chances and missed opportunities and longing yet getting on with life.

The timeline was all over the place but never once did it feel off or out of sync or did I feel lost. It just felt right from start to finish. Shiloh and Carey will forever be tucked neatly in my heart next to Lincoln and Beth, Eleanor and Park and of course Levi and Cath.

From the blurb:
Everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together – everybody but Shiloh and Cary. Slow Dance follows these star-crossed best friends from their inseparable teen years on the wrong side of the tracks to their far-flung adulthoods – through her marriage and motherhood and his time in the Navy – as they try to work out what they’re actually supposed to be to each other.

What did I think?
Appositely, Slow Dance felt slow to get off the ground and there were a couple of moments early on where I almost gave up. Reminding myself of how much I love Rowell's adult fiction - Attachments is one of my all-time favourite romance novels, and Landline is also great - made me persevere. And I'm so glad I did! Somewhere along the way I went from disengaged to completely obsessed.

Something Rowell writes brilliantly is the messiness of adult life and Slow Dance tackles this especially well. The messiness not just of romantic relationships, but of friendships that have fallen by the wayside; of complicated family relationships and ageing parents; of trying to co-parent with exes you no longer respect. If her beloved YA novel Fangirl is about the idealistic teenage years, Slow Dance asks the question: what about the rest of your life?

God I’ve been die hard Rainbow since I was a teenager and when I heard she was releasing a new contemporary romance, I could have cried with joy. And you know what, she HAS DELIVERED WITH THIS.

I’m not a fan of a slow burn. Ever. But this was written so beautiful. I was impatient for them to get to the point of defining what they were. I wanted to see it play out and it did so organically.

The yearning between Cary and Shiloh was delicate and precious and stunning and Rainbow showed her writing skills at their best when she was writing their relationship.

I loved the before and after aspect of the plot. Seeing them as teenagers and figuring out life and that they’re literally doing the same thing as adults. It was just a pure story of love and devotion and second chances.

Rowell will always be one of my top five authors and this book is the reason why. I want to shout about it from the rooftops and I can’t wait for others to read it and witness this blessing of a story.

I love reading anything by Rainbow Rowell, I know I will always feel a range of emotions and I just absolutely enjoyed it.

I love all of Rainbow Rowell’s books, but I must admit I was very excited to hear she was writing adult again - I loved Attachments and Landline so much. Also Slow Dance is just the most gorgeous, evocative title.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary who have been soul mates since their teens but never really actually got it together. They meet at a friend’s wedding as adults with jobs and families and baggage and clearly still have a connection…

This is a beautifully written (of course) slow and sexy study of two people trying to work out what they are to each other and what, if anything, they can do about it. There were lines that made me gasp and others that made me laugh out loud.

Shiloh and Cary feel entirely real, as do the supporting characters, particularly Shiloh’s hilarious daughter, Juniper.

I really loved it. I could have carried on reading it forever.

I usually love Rainbow Rowell but usually her books are YA, this book I think was for adults.
Shiloh? I didn’t really get her, I liked her apart from the constant touching, poking, prodding of Cary which was mentioned so many times.
I found the emails between the two of them confusing, not sure if it was supposed to be all over the place or because it was a proof from Netgalley. I don’t like giving a bad review but even though I didn’t hate this book I didn’t love it and was expecting something more.

Slow Dance follows Shiloh and Cary who were best friends in high school but lost touch by 2006. Everyone thought they would end up together except for them. The book follows them with their friend Mikey as they experience teen rights of passage like the Prom but also Mikey’s wedding in 2006.

I am giving this book 3 stars. It felt in line with Rainbow Rowell’s other adult novels. It had the same tone and general vibe. Objectively the writing was good and I could see the author tried to elevate her writing for this story. My biggest issue with this book though was that I was just bored. There was so much back and forth and dialogue. It was so dry and the whole story essentially relies on miscommunication which I don’t tend to enjoy. That said fans of Rowell will enjoy this and if you love the trope friends to lovers I’d recommend it.

4.5 maybe 5 stars I think! No one writes romance with realism like Rowell. I devoured Slow Dance which might be my favourite of hers since Fangirl. Here she gives us her take on Best Friends to Lovers and adult romance won’t know what’s hit it. Beautiful and heavy and full of the contradictions of adulthood.

A gorgeous story of two friends, Cary and Shiloh, who could have, should have, may potentially have been something more to each other, Slow Dance is a warm, witty book that shows how Rainbow Rowell has earned her considerable reputation for insightful story telling.

I loved Fangirl, and this story - though targeted at a more mature audience - nevertheless has a similar kind of charm and is equally memorable. Well worth checking out.

I am a huge Rainbow Rowell fangirl, and I was over the moon with excitement when she announced that she had written a new adult novel. I love her YA, and I will read anything she writes, but I was thrilled to see her try her hand at adult again, and Slow Dance did not disappoint. It is dreamy, well-paced, and beautifully written - Cary and Shiloh’s love story is one I will carry with me. This features all the swooniness and romance of her books for teens, with some added spiciness and the slightly more mature considerations of adulthood. I absolutely loved it.

If you felt a bit bereft after watching One Day - then this is the book for you! A beautifully written ‘will they, won’t they’, full of loveable characters, touching moments and a few cheeky laughs. I didn’t want to put it down and was desperate to devour it in one go. Highly recommend.

I’ve been such a fan of Raibows for many years. I am so beyond excited to read, review, and share this novel about two star crossed teens who grow up but never grie out of each other. This one is set around a wedding as well which I love and it seems both came from a but if struggle as young teens and we’re each others lighthouses which I love. I know I can’t wait to seem them find their way back to each other as readers will as well. I love the UK cover as well.