: The most fundamental building block of a novel is the scene. A scene either reveals part of the plot or something about the characters; after reading the scene's last sentence, the story has

The most fundamental building block of a novel is the scene. A scene either reveals part of the plot or something about the characters; after reading the scene's last sentence, the story has 'advanced' by some measure.
Scenes come in two varieties; 'action' and 'reaction'. As their names suggest, action scenes set up action, and in reaction scenes the characters reflect on the preceding action. If your story's main character breaks into a pawn shop to get his stuff back, wakes up the elderly owner, and then kills her, that's an action scene. In the reaction scene, the MC reflects on what happened. Maybe he justifies his deed ("she was an evil, cruel woman anyway!"), or questions it ("did I really have to kill her innocent sister as well?")
Action and reaction scenes require some balancing. If your reaction scenes are too long, your story's pace is dragged down. If they are too short (or non-existent), your characters will come off as cardboard cutouts. Pawns that the author moves about on the board to further the plot, and little else. How do you decide what's too long or too short? That's difficult to answer, and I think the genre you write in mostly determines this. A story about a team of spies trying to stop a supervillain from exploding the planet probably doesn't need a whole lot of reflection.
Another way in which reaction scenes might become grating is if they improperly address what happened in the action scene, or are incomplete. A reaction scene should consist of three parts: a character's (emotional) response, a dilemma that is introduced, and a choice that the character subsequently makes.
Let's go back to our burglar and write an outline for his reaction scene.

Response: Oh no, I just killed a human being!
Dilemma: Am I a bad person and should I turn myself in, or did the woman deserve it?
Choice: I'm going to flee.

Finally, where to place reaction scenes in your story? I'd say each action scene should have an immediate follow-up, even if it's just a few short lines. Some reaction scenes should be much larger. If you have an 'all is lost' moment, for example, that would be a good moment for your characters to consider the implications of failure.
Find the scenes you want to resonate with your readers and slow down the pace. Then get a can opener and get inside your character's head.

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