Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

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.

Published by William Morrow
on July 30, 2024

Review:

I read Rowell’s “Eleanor & Park” several years ago and remember really enjoying it. After reading the synopsis of this one and seeing that Reese had picked it for her book club, I was super excited to read it. Sadly, it fell short for me. It never went anywhere, and I felt like I kept reading the same scene and dialogue over and over – just in a different setting.

The story follows Shiloh and Cary, two childhood friends who did pretty much everything together and who both secretly crushed on the other through high school and beyond. After Cary joins the Navy, he and Shiloh have a misunderstanding when he visits her at college. The two drift apart, only to be brought back together years later at a friend’s wedding. The reconnection is awkward at first, but it’s only a short time before the two fall into old patterns, and the miscommunication ramps back up – again and again and again and again. As they navigate their complicated feelings for each other, and Shiloh refuses to admit what she really feels, the reader is taken on a journey of missed opportunities, unresolved emotions, and, in my case – a whole lot of frustration.

While the book’s premise is intriguing, I found myself struggling to connect with the characters – Shiloh more so than Cary. I totally understood Shiloh’s low self-esteem and fear of rejection, but Cary bent over backward to prove to her that his feelings were for real, and she kept pushing him away. I felt like the entire book revolved around the same conversation about their feelings and misunderstandings, just in different settings and with different words.

The pacing of the book also felt off to me. In my opinion, it would have benefited from more dynamic plot twists and character development. Instead, I found myself growing bored with the repetitive nature of their interactions and longing for something more to happen. Up the stakes. Throw in a wrench – something!

Despite my reservations, I do appreciate Rowell’s writing style and her ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing in her storytelling. The themes of lost love and second chances are beautifully portrayed, even if they fell short of fully engaging me as a reader. That said, I can see how others might find the book appealing. The themes of lost love and missed opportunities will likely resonate with readers who enjoy reflective and introspective narratives.

Sadly, this book is a slow burn of a novel that never fully ignited for me. While the concept was intriguing, the execution fell short, in my opinion. I felt the characters were flat, and nothing much happened in the 300+ pages I read. If you’re a fan of Rowell’s previous works, you may find something to enjoy in this novel, but for me, it was a miss.