*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Inseparable during high school, Shiloh and Cary haven't spoken to each other in over a decade. However, at a close friend's wedding, the two reconnect and begin the long road of building a meaningful adult relationship, because, after all, you don't get the chance to make old-new friends. As they grow closer, their lives begin to fall into one another, and both of them are forced to open up and re-examine choices made in the past (and present).

In her highly anticipated return to adult fiction, Rainbow Rowell has once again stolen my heart with her latest book SLOW DANCE. Perfectly described as a power ballad (I'm not sure quite how but that feels like the best way to refer to this book), SLOW DANCE is the story of two high school friends returning to one another in adulthood, and is the epitome of second chance romance done right. Both Shiloh and Cary are messy-- realistically and heartbreakingly messy-- and, even though it took me a while to warm up to them individually, their story lingers in my heart long after the story ended.

SLOW DANCE is the closest a book has come to capturing the complex nature of real life I've read in a long time-- it's refreshing, and heartbreaking at times, but a beautiful story because of its imperfections. Longtime fans of Rowell rejoice, she has returned and brought a poignant story of love and loss and the beauty of human connection.