REVIEW: Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

In Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, It was a slow dance at one of her closest friend’s weddings that made Shiloh realize how much she missed her best friend, Cary. And how much she still loved him, even after all the missteps they’d made over the decades. So much has changed in the fourteen years since she’d last spent time with him. He’s firmly entrenched in the Navy, traveling the world. And Shiloh has been married, had two kids, and is now divorced. But through it all, it’s her memories of Cary–and their aforementioned best friend, Mikey–that has gotten her through the toughest days and nights of her life.

‘She’d spent more years missing Cary than knowing him. All those years burnishing his memory with nostalgia.’

Cary isn’t sure when he arrives at Mikey’s wedding if Shiloh will even show up. He hates to get his hopes up yet again that they could reconnect, but if there’s even a chance, he’s going to take it. When he finally sees her at the reception, in a lot of ways it’s like no time has passed between them. Shiloh is still the beautiful, smart–and smart-mouthed–woman he fell for in his teens. But their lives are moving in very different directions. Cary knows not everyone gets a second chance to rediscover their first love. He’s determined to get it right this time around with the woman he’s never once forgotten.

“What do you want?” he whispered.
She shook her head. “A time machine.”
“I can’t give you the past,” Cary said. He squeezed her hands. “But we could have a future.”

A second chance romance with huge emotions and an alternating timeline that perfectly pieced together this tender story, SLOW DANCE will have readers smiling happily by the final page.

“I’ve already made a permanent home for you in my heart.”

CW: View Spoiler »Child neglect, child endangerment & abuse (mentioned, historical), cheating « Hide Spoiler

SLOW DANCE is the first book I’ve read by Rainbow Rowell (I know!) and what a great way to start. I was touched by how she wasn’t afraid to let the characters be their quirky selves as well as exploring all the good, bad, and awkward between them. And it wasn’t just our couple, Shiloh and Cary. It was their family, friends, coworkers–anyone who touched their lives was given room to add their own unique spin on a scene. And especially where this was told in different timelines, basically from the late 80s to their present day in 2006, there were a lot of people who influenced their lives.

I enjoy a romance where the hero and heroine don’t truly realize how much in love they are until it pretty much smacks them in the face. Or gets pointed out, numerous times, by those close to them. That absolutely sums up Cary and Shiloh’s relationship. It was crystal clear to everyone but them that they belonged to each other. Period. Which led to even more awkwardness for about the first quarter of the book as they struggled with their feelings.

But a stunning lack of communication kept them from that HEA for years–I mean, YEARS. And while, yes, it was frustrating at times (oh, Shiloh…so frustrating as a teen), I think it worked out exactly as it should. Because Shiloh and Cary both had some growing up to do. Some soul searching, pushing their own boundaries, and learning exactly what it was they needed from each other. And I think by the time they were grown adults who finally had that sentimental slow dance together at their best friend Mikey’s wedding, Cary and Shiloh were ready to start finding their way back to each other…for the final time.

QOTD: Do you like to hit the dance floor at weddings (fast or slow songs)?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: July 30th, 2024 | William Morrow |

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.