I’ve never been an adult who reads YA novels, so I’ve never had the pleasure of reading a book by celebrated YA author Rainbow Rowell (Rowell has written two adult novels, Attachments and Landline, but is predominantly known for her YA work). I’ve heard of Rowell, of course, and her many mega hits—chief among them the widely beloved Eleanor & Park—I just had never picked up a title of hers. That is, until Slow Dance, a new adult novel, was named Reese’s Book Club’s August pick. Having read quite a few Reese’s Book Club picks—and loving them—I had to give it a shot.
I Read Reese’s Book Club’s August Pick—Here’s What I *Really* Thought
It’s time for a ‘Slow Dance’
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Published Aug 9, 2024
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cover: william morrow; background: James Devaney/getty images
In an Instagram post announcing the pick, Witherspoon wrote, “Happy (almost) August and happy 99th @reesesbookclub pick!!!!!! This month’s pick, #SlowDance by @rainbowrowell invites you into the bittersweet world of Shiloh and Cary, where childhood promises are tested by time, and love finds its way back through unexpected twists.”
Slow Dance centers around best friends Shiloh and Cary, who spend their teenage years in Omaha, NE, dreaming about the future. Shiloh plans to go to college and become an actress, while Cary is set on joining the Navy. Regardless of what each of their futures hold, they promise each other that their friendship would never change.
But thing do change, as the best laid plans are wont to do. All of a sudden, Shiloh is 33 and it’s been 14 years since she talked to Cary. She’s divorced, has two kids and is living in the same house she grew up in. When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, the only thing on her mind is whether Cary will be there. Would he even want to talk to her after everything that’s happened?
As it turns out, yes, yes he would, and the novel jumps back and forth between the ‘90s, when Shiloh and Cary’s friendship was at its best, to the present, as the two try to figure out what their relationship is—and what it can be.
Shiloh and Cary, for all their imperfections, are for the most part likable and root-for-able, but my favorite characters ended up being Shiloh’s kids, Junie and Gus, who are funny and precocious and a breath of fresh air amid the occasionally frustrating, in my opinion, will they/won’t they nature of Shiloh and Cary’s relationship.
Slow Dance charts the evolution of Shiloh and Cary’s relationship in a way that’s sweet, and sentimental; it’s about adults who feel lost in the world getting a second chance at love and happiness. In case I haven’t made it clear, this is a pretty classic romance, and readers who are averse to a bit of schmaltziness may want to wait for Reese’s next pick. That being said, it’s a story that will tug at your heartstrings, and I’m all but certain Rowell’s legions of devoted fans will devour it.
