Title: Slow Dance
Author: Rainbow Rowell
length: 400 pages
Genre: contemporary romance- subgenre: friends to lovers
Is this book part of a series? No
I discovered this book via... Netgalley working with William Morrow
Publish Date: July 23rd, 2024
Summary courtesy of Goodreads:
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.
Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.
It's the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.
I have only ever read a few of Rainbow Rowell's books, but I liked them; so I was excited to pick this one up. Who doesn't love a good friends-to-lovers slow burn? Unfortunately, I am not sure this one was for me. The premise is good- obviously, it had me hooked. I also liked how we navigated timelines and main leads, though I would have loved more of Cary. It just.... dragged for me.
While frustrating at times, Shiloh and Cary were both interesting, relatable characters. I liked Cary, his love and frustration with his family, his care with the kids. He was very structured, as opposed to Shiloh who was basically chaotic good. I think my issue was that it both dragged, and rushed things. The arc of their past and present dragged, and yet we see Cary trying to put a ring on it less than a month after officially dating. I get it, they have been in love forever... but it struck me as discordant with the flow of the rest of the book- which was the slowest of slow burns. For me, it was just too slow. I would give it two stars.
As far as adult content, there is language, light sexual content and verbal/ emotional abuse (familial, and slight). I would say this one is geared toward adults, but appropriate for young adults as well.
I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and William Morrow publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!
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