I really enjoyed this, it was a sweet read. I liked the past and present changes between chapters, the emotional depth, realistic problems that Cary and Shiloh had to deal with, the only thing I’d say, is the two leads lack of communication when they were (both) suddenly upset confused me at times. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

I came across an Instagram post recently from @bookhuddle which said, “My toxic trait is I want books to be ‘unique’ but then I’m disappointed if it’s not a fantasy book about a young woman with immense magical powers who creates a found family and has an enemies-to-lovers romance.” (

Slow Dance is, before anything else, a slice-of-life book wrapped in a romance. It is not exactly a romance book. There is so much time spent constructing the 2000s setting and exploring ideas beyond the romance that it ceases to be a romance book fairly early in the page count. This is a poignant snapshot of what it meant to be an adult in love in the 2000s! A context which really really worked for me, a 2000 child. I cannot overstate just how replete with nostalgia this book is. It works on two levels: for the readers, who are drawn into the world before video calls and DMs; and for the characters, who are perpetually nostalgic about their past and past selves (Shiloh remarks at one point: "She'd spent more years missing Carey than knowing him. All those years burnishing his memory with nostalgia."). One cannot help but go along with it. It is not without its weaknesses: the primary one for me being the perhaps intentionally vague or potentially wishy-washy stand on Carey's American military background. It is also perhaps slightly too long. (But it must be remarked that the slice-of-life nature of the book prevents it from ever being a "boring" book.) However, the book, as a whole, never falls apart because of these concerns. It is clear-visioned and refined in a way that feels like the debut book of a whole new Rainbow Rowell. It feels like the perfect transitionary moment in her artistry. And I could argue that, barring Wayward Son, this is Rowell's very best. If you enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, you will like this. On the other hand, if you (like me) did not like that book, you will still like this because I believe it avoids the former's pitfalls. Highly recommended.

Cary and Shiloh have been best friends since their teens, and along with their friend Mikey made up an inseperable trio. Although everyone but them knew how they felt about each other, somehow they have not got together romantically. After school, Cary joins the Navy and Shiloh heads off to college, but despite them briefly reuniting and sleeping together when Cary gets leave and visits Shiloh, misunderstanding follows and, in what becomes a pattern for them, their lives diverge, and they do not see each other again for many years. When they both attend Mikey’s wedding in their home town, however, they are forced to confront their feelings for each other, but Shiloh is now divorced with two young children and Cary is still away for months on end for his naval duties. Does their relationship stand a chance, or will their timing be wrong again? Rainbow Rowell’s YA romance “Eleanor and Park” is one of my all-time favourite books, and I adored her unconventional, prickly heroine who was not super-slim, wore second-hand clothes and had wild red hair. Rowell also has a gift for giving even her minor characters lots of personality, and that is very much the case also- I loved the couple’s mothers and Shiloh’s children and her co-worker, Tom. Shiloh is as complex and damaged as Eleanor, although at times I found her maddening, especially the way she is always picking and poking at Cary and hitting and biting him. Her rather strange attitude to their lovemaking (finding it almost too overwhelming) struck a slightly odd note, but there are observations abouther in the book which suggest she might be on the autistism spectrum, so perhaps that would explain it. What is really absorbing and joyful about their story is that it is not a bland romance where the pair overcome obstacles to reach a typical happy ending, but a realistic look at how life can get in the way of love and take you in different directions, how relationships involve compromise and how families can be complicated in ways you aren’t always prepared for.

I've been a long-time fan of Rainbow Rowell, and slow dance doesn't disappoint. Showing the complexity of relationships and friendship. And that sometimes, we are still the same 17 years olds making mistakes 20 years later.