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.
________________________________________________________________
Shiloh, Cary and Mikey. They were best friends all
through high school and did almost everything together – even as Shiloh and
Cary’s bond extended beyond friendship and always felt like more.
Post-high school, Mikey went to New York to pursue his art career, Cary joined
the Navy, and after college Shiloh returned to Omaha. Fourteen years later
Shiloh is divorced, a single mother of two, and back living in her childhood
home with her mother. When Mikey returns to Omaha to get married, Shiloh
accepts the invitation with one thought in mind: Will Cary be there? What
follows is the story of Shiloh and Cary, both then and now, how they got here,
and if they can finally get it right.
It's been so long since Rowell released a contemporary
novel that I almost forgot why I love her contemporary stories so much. Then I
started reading Slow Dance and it was like, oh yeah, this is why. When
it comes to snappy, honest, believable dialogue, Rowell just gets it. Her
signature funny, clever (without being overly so), realistic banter was in full
effect here, right along with deeply flawed characters whose lives were messy
and relatable. Shiloh and Cary always had something special, and their reunion
showed the spark was still there, but it also proved that their old patterns were
alive and well. Cary always gave vague indications of his feelings for Shiloh,
while her insecurities ruled her decision-making.
For Cary, Shiloh was always The One. His pining for the
girl he’d wanted since they were teenagers was everything. The responsibility
he felt for his elderly mother and the ripple effects of trying to improve her
living situation was developed so well and I empathized with him deeply. Shiloh
was a little trickier with her acerbic personality and I often felt frustrated
as she continued to be her own worst enemy. Overall, I just never felt that I
understood her.
Slow Dance was a second (or third?) chance romance and it
reflected how much more complicated life is at 33 than at 17. There were many
obstacles in Shiloh and Cary’s way – some legitimate and some self-created –
especially as they both had the tendency to avoid the hard conversations.
It’s worth mentioning that while the present and past
chapters allowed for a fuller, richer story, the fact that past chapters were
not chronological often threw me off and I frequently had to reorient myself to
what time period we were jumping to.
Ultimately, I enjoyed Slow Dance and its tale of missed
opportunities, and what happens when you find your person just a little too
early in life.
