Book Review: Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

I’ve always loved Rowell’s books. I’ve read Eleanor & Park, Landline, Fangirl, Attachments—and when I saw Slow Dance, I was intrigued for three reasons:

A. It’s a Reese’s Book Club pick.

B. It came recommended by the author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (which is now next on my list).

C. It has the “high school best friends turned lovers” theme, which I usually enjoy.

 

But despite all that, I only gave this book a 3. Here’s why:

I get the whole high school friends-to-lovers journey, but in this story it took 14 years, one failed marriage, and one broken engagement before it finally happened. That’s the added complexity, I suppose—but what frustrated me most was Shiloh constantly pushing Cary away, even though he was everything she clearly wanted. I just didn’t get it.

When I reflected on it, though, I realised Shiloh reminded me of my husband during the early days of our relationship. If I had let myself be swayed back then, I might’ve ended up with someone else, and I know that’s not what I wanted. Sometimes you just know from the beginning, right? Especially when pushing away is the only red flag, and everything else is green.

The book also tried to be inclusive by suggesting that Shiloh might be interested in women, making her bisexual. But honestly, that thread felt more like an add-on than a theme the author genuinely wanted to explore.

Then there were the family issues, so many of them left unresolved. I know that might have been intentional, but it didn’t work for me. It left the ending feeling a bit rushed and unsatisfying.

That said, I’ll always admire Rowell’s writing style. It’s moving, compelling, and no one does dialogue like she does. Plus, the email correspondence in this book gave me major Where Rainbows End (aka Love, Rosie) vibes, and that part, I loved.

Overall, Slow Dance wasn’t my ultimate favourite Rowell book, but it still had the familiar warmth and charm that makes her writing so easy to fall into. If you’re already a fan, it’s worth the read, just don’t expect all the threads to tie up neatly. For me, it was a reminder that sometimes stories, like relationships, are messy and imperfect and maybe that’s exactly the point.