Slow Dance: A Novel: A Reese's Book Club Pick, Perfect for Fans of Lost Love Stories and Second Chance Romance

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Attachments comes Slow Dance--a novel of true love and friendship.

"A will-they, won't-they second chance romance for the ages, this one is poised to be one of summer's breakout hits." --PEOPLE

"Sexy, sweet, wise, and nostalgic - Jane Austen's Persuasion for our times." -- Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

"Deeply human, profoundly romantic. Rowell will break your heart and you'll thank her for it." -- Leigh Bardugo

"I loved every page of Slow Dance, a book that is romantic to its core, and as funny and smart as its wonderful characters." -- Emma Straub

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 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.

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400 pages

Average rating: 6.38

29 RATINGS

3 REVIEWS

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jenlynerickson

Aug 22, 2024

10/10 stars

“I love a marriage proposal that starts out ‘I can’t give you the life you deserve.’” Shiloh, Cary, and Mikey have been best friends since high school. But “Things change…whether or not you participate in the rituals of transition.” The three reunite at Mikey’s second wedding, Cary has joined the Navy and Shiloh is a divorced mother of two. “It occurs to me that I wasn’t really considering where you might be in life. When I…asked you to dance.” “Cary made Shiloh feel like she was the same person she’d always been…But he also made her feel like she could be someone new…With Cary, Shiloh wanted to push through her own discomfort. To get over herself. To look directly into the sun.” “If Shiloh had learned anything about herself, it was that she couldn’t hold onto people. She could only really deal with the people in front of her.” “All Shiloh had to do was keep her self-consciousness at bay. (Her self-consciousness and her bone-deep desolation.) (She could be desolate tomorrow. And the next day. She could table her ennui.)” Cary has seventeen days of leave. “I need to get my mom’s house on the market before I go. And I need to convince you to spend the rest of your life with me. Those are my two objectives. They’re both of highest priority…No more extensions. No more waiting. I want the rest of my life to be about building something with you…We’re engaged. Asterisk….The footnote now reads, ‘This is an active, developing scenario. Both parties are at the table working toward a mutually beneficial agreement.” “You don’t get to make new old friends.” Marriage isn’t easy with anyone–it may as well be ‘not easy’ with someone you love.” Bookended with two weddings and a rollercoaster of nostalgia and argument, “backwards and forwards. Coming and going” in between. Pour yourself a cup of lemongrass tea, cut a slice of hummingbird cake infused with pineapple, bananas, pecans, and cream cheese icing, and grab your dancing shoes. Rainbow Rowell’s Slow Dance is a disco constellation!

LMahoney

Aug 12, 2024

4/10 stars

I hate read this book. Literally from page one, read it to get it over with. I was not invested in the plot, the characters, anything. Reading other's reviews I guess I am the weird one for not liking this book but it was a def no from me.

randigurlll

Apr 22, 2024

8/10 stars

I have been a fan of Rainbow Rowell since Eleanor & Park, so it was very exciting to read and review! The author has this way of creating characters that feel real, with real problems and fears and joy. I was cheering for Cary and Shiloh from the first page because I knew, through the writing and as a fan of Rainbow Rowell, they were good people with good intentions; I trusted that I wouldn't be disappointed. My favorite quote: "If she emptied her head in his lap, all that would fall out was his name."

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