Book Review: Slow Dance

Title: Slow Dance
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Romance 

Plot Summary: “Slow Dance” follows the story of Shiloh and Cary, two high school friends in the 1990s who everyone expected to end up together. Despite their close bond, they drift apart after high school. Shiloh goes to college while Cary joins the Navy. Fourteen years later, Shiloh is a divorced single mother living back in her childhood home. When they’re both invited to an old friend’s wedding, they reconnect and explore the possibility of a relationship. The novel alternates between their past and present, unfolding their journey from friendship to potential romance.

Review: This book came highly recommended by Reese Witherspoon and I was looking forward to breaking my litany of nonfictions. Reese promised this book to have the most amazing love story. My first impression? The writing is quite juvenile, which initially seemed fitting for the high school chapters. However, this simplistic prose persists even as the characters mature, failing to evolve with the story’s progression. I lowered my expectations. Sure, this isn’t a literary like Jane Austen. But I was still hopeful for an amazing plot. As I closed the book, I asked myself, “where was the story?” The characters’ journey, while potentially relatable, doesn’t present a story that feels worthy of being told. The promised amazing love story never truly materializes. This book was a very easy read, but definitely not my cup of tea. 

Rating: 0/5