This is a book you will want to highlight obsessively. Rowell’s dialogue—always her superpower—snaps and sparks on a digital page. I found myself underlining passages on my Kobo every few paragraphs. The EPUB format lets you search for your favorite lines later (“What was that heartbreaking thing Cary said about the stars?”). Trust me, you’ll need that feature. The Angst is Real: This isn’t a fluffy second-chance romance. It’s gritty. Shiloh is a lot —she’s prickly, defensive, and sometimes her own worst enemy. But that’s what makes her feel so real. You root for her because you’ve been her.
There are some authors who just get it. They understand the messy, embarrassing, painfully hopeful parts of being human. Rainbow Rowell is that author for me. And after years of waiting, she’s back with a new adult novel that feels like a hug from an old friend—specifically, the friend you had a crush on in high school and never quite got over. Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell EPUB
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (I’d give it 5, but I’m still recovering from that ending—I need therapy and a sequel.) This is a book you will want to highlight obsessively
Now? Shiloh is 33, a divorced mother of two, living in a cramped apartment, and feeling like her life is a series of small failures. Cary is a Navy officer, steady and unreachable, still orbiting the edges of her memory. The EPUB format lets you search for your
Rowell doesn’t just drop pop culture names. She immerses you in the feeling of the late 90s/early 2000s: the landlines, the mixtapes, the awkwardness of not being able to text your feelings. It’s nostalgic without being schmaltzy.
Check your local library’s digital collection (Libby/Overdrive), or purchase from your favorite retailer like Kobo, Google Play Books, or the Apple Books store. Please avoid sketchy “free” download sites—authors need to eat, and Rainbow deserves every penny for this masterpiece.