Slow Dance

Shiloh was so full of hard corners it was almost uncomfortable and in the end I was honestly afraid of what could happen; but alas, it was just a real love story for adults who have lives and are not good at communicating. Not ashamed to say I have cried a bit.

Both of these characters were broody and stuck in high school. I did not like them at all. The dialogue was cringey. There were lots of snippets from the past or side plots about other people in each of their current lives that felt pointless. Just didn't like anything.

The MCs are in their mid thirties, so this could have been a good story about growth and finding the right person after so many years.. but all they were doing was going backwards and holding on to past feelings. So yuck. I gagged almost out loud so many times.

This entire story felt like the author going down memory lane for her own sake of telling some secret she needed to get out. I've read other Rowell books, and I think she's mostly a decent author, but this one was just really not good.

Slow Dance menceritakan kisah dua sahabat masa kecil, Shiloh dan Cary, yang kembali bertemu setelah bertahun-tahun terpisah. Mereka adalah sahabat sewaktu SMA. Mereka berencana keluar dari Omaha, Shiloh akan kuliah dan menjadi aktris, sedang Cary akan masuk Akademi Angkatan Laut. Mereka berjanji akan bersahabat selamanya.

Kini Shiloh berusia 33 tahun, pernah menikah dan kini bercerai dengan 2 anak. Shiloh kembali tinggal di rumah masa kecilnya di Omaha.

Shiloh dan Cary adalah karakter-karakter yang relatable untukku. Kisah ini membawaku kembali ke masa muda dan mengenang kembali persahabatan yang pernah kumiliki.

Perpaduan trope friends-to-lovers dan kesempatan kedua yang berkembang perlahan-lahan ini sangat menyentuh hati.

Karakteristik Rainbow Rowell yaitu menciptakan dialog yang natural dan humor. Gaya penulisannya yang ringan membuat novel ini mudah dinikmati.

Belum 5 bintang karena di beberapa dialog Shiloh dan Cary lebih seperti remaja daripada orang dewasa yg bertemu kembali. Selain itu hampir 400 halaman agak terlalu panjang untuk romance menurutku. Aku tetap merekomendasikan novel ini untuk penyuka romance ringan.

This is the first book I read by Rainbow Rowell that I didn't love. Forgettable.