From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell comes Slow Dance, a heartfelt, deeply emotional standalone romance about first love, lifelong friendship, and finding your way back to the person who always felt like home.

Chosen as a Reese's Book Club Pick and an instant New York Times bestseller, Slow Dance is a beautifully written second-chance romance that explores how love can endure through years of distance, heartbreak, and life's unexpected turns.

Growing up in Omaha, Shiloh and Cary were inseparable. Best friends who spent long summer evenings dreaming about the futures they believed were waiting for them. Everyone assumed they'd eventually fall in love—except the two of them.

Then life happened.

Cary joined the Navy. Shiloh left for college. Time, distance, and missed opportunities slowly pulled them apart until fourteen years passed without a single conversation.

Now thirty-three, divorced, and raising two children, Shiloh finds herself back in her childhood home—the very place where everything began. When she's invited to a mutual friend's wedding, one question keeps running through her mind:

Will Cary be there?

And if he is…is it finally time to finish the story they never got to write?

Tender, nostalgic, and emotionally rich, Slow Dance is a moving celebration of friendship, forgiveness, and the kind of love that patiently waits for the right moment.

Why You'll Love Slow Dance

• Standalone contemporary romance
• Reese's Book Club Pick
• Instant New York Times bestseller
• Friends-to-lovers romance
• Emotional second-chance love story
• Beautiful character-driven storytelling
• Heartwarming and nostalgic
• Perfect for book clubs

Tropes & Themes

• Friends to lovers
• Second chance romance
• Childhood best friends
• Slow burn romance
• Right person, wrong time
• Single mom heroine
• Military hero
• Emotional healing
• Small-town nostalgia
• Lifelong love

Perfect For Fans Of

• Emily Henry
• Abby Jimenez
• Carley Fortune
• Katherine Center
• Beth O'Leary
• Annabel Monaghan
• Gabrielle Zevin
• Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book Details

Title: Slow Dance

Series: Standalone

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Format: Hardcover

Genre:

• Contemporary Romance
• Women's Fiction
• Literary Romance
• Adult Fiction

Pages:
400

Publication Date:
July 30, 2024

Dimensions:
9.34 × 6.35 × 1.21 inches

Awards & Recognition:

• Reese's Book Club Pick
• Instant New York Times Bestseller

About the Author

Rainbow Rowell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of beloved novels including Eleanor & Park, Attachments, Landline, Fangirl, and the Simon Snow fantasy series. Known for her heartfelt storytelling, authentic characters, and emotionally resonant romances, Rowell has become one of today's most celebrated contemporary fiction authors.