I'm not even sure where to start with this review. Stunning! Is this a romance? I'm not sure I'd categorize it as one because I didn't feel like the entire story revolved around the two main characters' romantic feelings, but I guess it did revolve around their relationship, which was just so... perfectly timed. I suppose it is a romance, but it's so much more too. This is the story of Lenny's journey of grief and finding love even in the darkest time of her life. Knowing she's finding love when she herself hasn't realized it yet made this story feel extra special. The writing was just superb. This was my first book by Cara Bastone, but it definitely won't be my last. Off to read her backlist!

This book completely swept me away. Even while in a reading slump—and juggling travel and low motivation—it stood out like a beam of light. I genuinely savored every moment. The characters, the shared grief, and the way their emotional journeys were written… it was masterful.

The writing is stunning—full of care, depth, and emotional honesty. I felt so connected to the story, especially in how it portrayed the weight of loss and the quiet beauty of healing. Even though the pacing felt slow (more because of my own reading mood), I didn’t mind one bit. I was completely engaged and emotionally invested.

This book gave me feels when nothing else could. The thoughtfulness and heart poured into every page were palpable. It’s raw, real, and painfully relatable in the best way. Easily one of the most emotionally resonant books I’ve read in a while

Oh this book comes SO close to perfection for me. Cara Bastone's characters are so messy and heartfelt and real and the way this relationship slowly evolves just feels RIGHT. If you love the movie Uptown Girls with Brittany Murphy, you will love the relationship between Lenny and Ainsley. And if you have ever experienced grief and wished that you had someone just a little further along in the process to help guide you through, then this book will also touch a piece of your heart. My one complaint here was that the ending was missing something for me. Lenny and Miles finally admit their feelings so close to the end that I missed seeing a little bit of them comfortably together so we could all exhale into the moment. Drink this book: No one in the book really feels like a wine-drinker. But I still think that Lenny and Miles would appreciate a natty red blend from time to time.

"Lenny, when I look at your face, I feel like I'm finally home after a really long day at work." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 😭

Rating: 4.5/5

- NYC setting
- friends to lovers
- slow burn
- grief journey
- no breakup
- 🌶️/5
- single pov
- narration by Alex Finke

POV: You're struggling six months after your best friend's death, but a new nannying gig introduces you to Miles, a man who's grieved before and offers to help you through the struggle if you help him bond with his niece.

1. Miles is EVERYTHING. He shows up for her in both small and big ways, like moving her into his apartment, gifting her the locket and washing her hair. He just wants what's best for her; to take care of her and ensure she's taking care of herself. Also, not only does he give us the one-liner above, but "committing the moment to memory." STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!
2. It's through Miles in a way that we see Lenny's character growth, even though it's single pov (which is what I think makes this book so special). Her journey is incredibly heartbreaking, heartwarming and humorous. From her relationship with Ainsley to her new friendships to reconnecting with her family, your emotions go through it alongside her.
3. The only way to read this is to listen to it. Alex Finke takes the book to the next level, ISTG. The audiobook is a masterpiece. I didn't want to stop listening.

This was Lenny Bellamy’s intense story, uniquely set up in three parts: After, Still After and Forever After. Each part is a timeline of how she copes with the intense grief after the loss of her best friend, Lou. We are with Lenny as she attempts to check off items from the “Live Again List", when Miles, someone who has survived his own devastating losses, agrees to be Lenny’s “list buddy.” Wonderful moments and the promise of new friendships fill the pages as Lenny continues to navigate her way back to learning to live again in her Forever After.

There were so many memorable quotes that I highlighted on my Kindle, but one of my favorites ties into the title and will stay with me:

“I can’t promise the sunshine. But I can do everything else.”

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House/ Dial Press Trade Paperback for the opportunity to read the early edition e-copy of; Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone, ( ❤️ the author whose words I allowed into my brain... see acknowledgments.)

Cara does it again! This book was beautifully written and handled grief so well. I loved miles and Lenny’s relationship, miles always knew the best way to help Lenny and read her so well.

WOW shocked by how much I enjoyed this one. I was uncertain at the beginning but quickly fell in love with ALL the characters and was having a blast (to the extent you can while reading about someone’s grief). I thought the banter was in all the right places. I loved the dynamic of Ainslee and her mom and how they still felt central to the story even as more of the B plot. I would definitely recommend it for those who like deeper/emotional romances! Similar to Abby Jimenez for me!

I loved this book so much and have nothing but good things to say about it! It made me feel all the emotions, and was full of love. I loved Lenny and her journey to live again while dealing with the greed of losing her best friend. I loved Miles and his care and love for Lenny and his family. And I loved their slow burn romance while he helps her through her grief.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone was so good that I bought a physical copy when it came out. This one had me feeling all the emotions and was such a solid 5 star read for me! I will definitely be re-reading this one this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 May be a top contender for book of the year for me

This book is a masterpiece! Cara Bastone has been an author I have loved since being introduced to her on Audible. Her stories are always theatric, sweet, funny, and well developed. I love that she expanded from the short audios to full romance novels.

Without giving too much away this book has a fun, quirky FMC, but not the obnoxious quirky some authors tend to reach when having a unique FMC. The MMC was the softest grumpy I have ever met, and while his grumpiness didn't fully show for a grumpy/sunshine trope to be in full effect, I loved his tender heart. The side characters: parents, friends, girl she babysat all had purpose and made the book even more enjoyable.

The romance was swoon worthy and the perfect speed of slow burn with very strong chemistry, but the real reason I want to rave this book is due to how beautifully it deals with heart wrenching grief and coming back to life after losing a person who felt like home. The FMC lost her soulmate of a best friend and was a wreck, the anxiety attacks, the guilt of having fun without them, the fear of forgetting them - all of it was so masterly done and felt real. I felt her grief and I felt her joy slowly come back as she finished her "life list." I know I wont forget this book for this portrayal alone.

I will recommend this book and Cara Bastone to literally everyone who will listen.

Book Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Friends to Lovers, Slowburn, Nanny
Spice Level:2/5 - It had a single very detailed scene
Trigger Warnings: Death of a Loved One, Grief, Terminal Illness

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I both equally parts love and hate this book. The writing is amazing lyrical flawless. I love the names of grief and loss that we explored with the main character.. I can’t imagine losing my best friend at such a pivotal age. However, tying in a romance to this plot, tacky almost I’m not sure if that is the right word. It felt like Miles was there to help the main character heal from her loss while simultaneously falling in love with him. As a psychotherapist, we have a term for this and it’s called trauma bonding. However, the romance was well developed, and I could see plausible cases that it wasn’t just based on trauma. I will keep Cara on my to Reed list, but this wasn’t my favorite..

Thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook!
Cara Bastone solidified me as a forever reader after her book Ready or Not. I wasn't sure how she could top that book, or even match it. It's perfection & has the cinnamon-y-est cinnamon roll man to ever exist & I don't think I could have loved it more if I tried.
Promise Me Sunshine is raw and emotional, with incredible characters that you can't help but become attached to. Grief is so hard to pin down as an emotion because everyone experiences it differently, yet it's a universal feeling. Cara Bastone handles this story of grief with tender love and care.
This book brought me to tears, had me laughing and highly invested in the romance! I loved it. I adore this book and it's just as magnificent, if not better, as Ready or Not.
Alex Finke's narration captures the emotions in this novel brilliantly. Finke also narrated Ready or Not and l'd listen to anything narrated by her. I'm crossing my fingers for her to be Cara Bastone's go-to narrator because she is able to convey the very essence of the deep emotions found in Cara Bastone's novels in a stunning fashion.
I'm now anxiously awaiting her next book, and I cannot recommend Promise Me Sunshine enough. A true six star read.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I loved Cara Bastone's previous book and couldn't wait to read this one. Once again, she tackles some heavy subject matter and paints a beautiful picture of each character. While the grief aspect became a lot toward the middle of the book, I do think it was a realistic look at the waves we feel. I loved this one and will pick up whatever Cara writes moving forward.

There is a romance in this book, but this book is about much more than falling in love with the person who is perfect for you. This is a story about friendship, death, loss, grief, and family.

Lenny Bellamy is struggling with the death of her best friend. She can fake it during the day taking on short term nanny jobs. It is the night time that causes her to fall apart.

Miles is the uncle of the little girl Lenny is taking care of. He has also had his struggles with loss and grief. Miles offers to help Lenny with her grief if she helps him connect with his niece.

Along the way, Lenny and Miles become friends.

I loved Miles. He always knew the right things to say to Lenny and how to help her. He seemed grumpy in the beginning, but he gradually started to grow on you. New York City was the perfect setting for this book.

“You’re not my revenge date. You’re my ….. copilot.”

I read Ready or Not last year and LOVED it, so was very excited for a new Cara Bastone novel. Promise Me Sunshine was just as perfect.
This was not only an amazing fiends to lovers romance, but a detailed depiction of sorrow and grief, and rebuilding after tragic loss. Lenny is in the thick of it after losing her best friend to cancer, and meets Miles, who is working through his own grief. They strike up a deal and form an unexpected connection in the execution of said deal.
Lenny is such a unique character. Despite being so hollow in her grief, she’s still so full of life under the surface and Miles was just who she needed to bring her out of it. She’s funny and eccentric and I loved every bit of her.
Miles is steady and strong, but also very introverted and Lenny brings him out of himself just as much as he brings her back to life. They’re such a great match. All the ways Miles shows up for Lenny, big or small, loud or silent, made me absolutely melt.
The side characters we meet are just as great, I really enjoyed Lenny helping bring Miles’ family closer to him, the friends they make together, and Lenny reuniting with her parents after shutting them out from her suffering for so long. I also really loved the crossover cameo Ethan made!! It was a nice little Easter egg surprise.
This was such a beautiful and well written book. Not your typical romance, but such a lovely surprise and unique love story.

Thank you so much to The Dial Press for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley.

This book was not for me! I did not finish the book. But I do know some people who enjoyed the book.

promise me sunshine? more like promise me tears.

this book was so beautiful yet heartbreaking. I’m mad at myself for taking so long to pick it up.

seeing lenny deal with her grief broke my heart. there were moments that I felt like I could relate to her. I absolutely adored her character so much. not only how she was with Ainsley but with miles omg.

& don’t get me started on miles. he deserves the world. the things he did for lenny had me in awe. literally the sweetest.

there were moments that had me cracking up and moments that had me bawling my eyes out.

I’ll be in getting a physical copy for my library.

“Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out.”

🧡

I felt like this was different from what I usually read, but I liked it. I have never personally experienced grief, but reading about it in this book was still pretty impactful. It was sort of amazing to me how the the matter of grief was handled because while it was very serious and heart wrenching, there was also a lot of lightness and humor. It was beautiful.

A beautifully written book. I thought this did a great job showing the complex nature of the grieving process. I cried throughout a majority of this book just imagining my best friend and I being in this situation. Thank you so much for the ARC!