Slow Dance, an adult novel by Rainbow Rowell’s published in 2024 and selected as Reese Witherspoon’s August 2024 Book Club pick, provides a nostalgic look at the lives of Shiloh and Cary, two teenage best friends now in their 30s who reconnect at a friend's wedding after 14 years apart and unpack the challenges of their history and present to find the love they never truly understood. Rowell’s story of missed opportunities, enduring friendship, and the possibility of restored romance makes Slow Dance allows the author to explore The Enduring Power of First Love, The Complications of Adult Relationships, and Finding New Beginnings in Familiar Places. Rowell's debut novel, Attachments, is about love in the digital age. Her 2013 young adult novel Eleanor & Park—named one of Amazon’s ten best books of the year—catapulted her to international fame, earning widespread acclaim for its tender, poignant exploration of first love and identity. Rowell followed this success in 2013 with Fangirl, a novel examining fandom and the complexity of finding one's voice.

This guide refers to the 2024 Harper Collins eBook edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain a brief mention of abuse.

Plot Summary

Cary and Shiloh meet in high school and form an inseparable trio with their friend Mikey. They bond over their difficult childhoods and living in single-parent homes. Cary lives with his grandmother Lois, who pretends she’s his mother because Cary’s biological mom is absent, while Shiloh lives in poverty with her mom, Gloria, a bartender. Cary always buys Shiloh dinner and drives her to school, but they hide their romantic feelings for one another because of their emotional insecurity and fear of ruining their friendship. Cary asks Shiloh to dance at prom, but she hates dancing publicly and refuses, ending the night in tears. Cary dreams of a military career and leaves for boot camp right after high school.

Before shipping out with the Navy, Cary visits Shiloh in her college dorm, and they finally share their feelings for one another and have sex—Shiloh’s first time. Cary leaves her dorm uncertain where they stand as Shiloh refuses to commit. They write to each other but eventually drift apart and, aside from a passing glance at their five-year reunion, don’t speak to one another for 14 years. Cary proceeds with his Naval career and becomes briefly engaged before ending the relationship. Shiloh meets Ryan, a high school drama teacher, and they marry and have two children, Gus and Junie. When Gus is a few days old, Shiloh discovers that Ryan has been unfaithful in their marriage. They divorce, share custody of the children, and develop a complex rotation system. They also agree to no overnight guests when the children are home. After the divorce, Shiloh must move back in with Gloria since she works for a children’s community theater and can’t afford to buy a home.

Shiloh attends Mikey’s wedding to Janine, a person from their hometown, which feels like a mini high school reunion. Mikey works as an artist in New York but plans to return to Omaha to live because Janine is pregnant. Shiloh hopes to see Cary at the wedding and when they see each other, they are immediately inseparable for the rest of the night. Even though Shiloh still hates dancing, she slow dances with Cary until the end of the reception. Cary comes home with Shiloh, and they are in her bed about to have sex when she tells him she will give him an “out” since he’s leaving again. Disappointed that Shiloh hasn’t changed, Cary argues with her and leaves. He stays with Lois while he’s in Omaha, who depends on him to keep her affairs in order. Shiloh helps Cary by driving him and Lois around to pay her past due utility bills. Gradually, they make silent amends for their argument. Shiloh begins hanging out with Mikey and Janine, whose son Otis is born. Mikey feels disappointed that Shiloh and Cary aren’t getting together.

Cary meets Gus and Junie, and he and Shiloh begin having dinner regularly, although she convinces herself they can only be friends. Cary deploys to the Pacific, and when Lois falls ill, Cary calls Shiloh for help. Cary rushes home and stays until Lois is discharged to a rehab facility. Ryan meets Cary and reminds Shiloh of their no-overnight guest agreement even though he took his girlfriend on their summer family vacation. Though Junie loves Cary, she gets upset when she sees Shiloh with him. Cary leaves to return to his ship, and he and Shiloh talk daily over email. Shiloh sends Cary baked goods, and he sends her photos of his boat. Cary consults Mikey about proposing to Shiloh, and Mikey helps him pick out the ring.

When Cary’s deployment ends, he returns to Omaha and proposes to Shiloh. She accepts but worries over how they will make the relationship work with her custody situation and him leaving again for the Navy. Cary promises he has a plan, but Shiloh keeps the engagement ring hidden as she’s not yet ready to tell her family. They finally have sex after wanting each other for so long. Cary begins cleaning out Lois’s house so he can sell it to pay for her accommodations in an assisted living facility. His sister, Angel (whom he calls his niece) lives with Lois  along with her three children. Shiloh helps with the cleanup effort, and Cary assists Angel financially so she can get her own place. Cary plans to return to his orders in San Diego, hoping to apply for a placement in Omaha. He can retire from the Navy in five years and wants Shiloh to move out of her mom’s house.

Cary and Shiloh get married secretly at the courthouse. Cary leaves for his base in San Diego, and they use Skype to stay in touch. Shiloh visits Cary once alone and then returns later with the kids. Cary works diligently to win Junie and Gus’s trust. When he returns to Omaha, they host a wedding for their family and friends, and though Shiloh refuses the first dance, she and Cary end the reception dancing together.