I received an advanced copy of Promise Me Sunshine through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and HONESTLY I COULD NOT HAVE LOVED THIS MORE! I already know this will be in my top 3 books of the year.

I first came across Cara Bastone through her Audible Originals Call Me Maybe, Sweet Talk and SeatMate and I was captivated by her vivid storytelling.

I’m so happy Promise Me Sunshine found me. And I truly feel like it found me, too. The other half of my tattoo if you will.
“They’re not lonely, there’s two of them.” Swoon.

I feel like small bits of me that were a little broken were pieced back together again by Miles’ (Cara’s) words. She took something that is so difficult and delicate to talk about, let alone write a story around, and crafted a really beautiful book about love and loss and friendship and living.

It’s quirky, and chaotic, and meaningful, and deep. Filled with layers and development for the main character that I absolutely loved to watch unfold in the pages.

I can only hope that everyone finds their own Miles and holds on to them tight.

4.5/5 ⭐️ My first read of 2025! I loved this book! Such an amazing story about grief, family, friendship and a slow burn romance. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far about grief, it was so raw, emotional and beautiful. Absolutely loved Lenny’s and Miles’ character growth and their relationship. This book was everything and so very heartwarming. Definitely check it out when it releases in March! Also the cover is absolutely stunning.

thank you to random house publishing and netgalley for this E-ARC!

this missed the mark for me, unfortunately. while i thought this was well written and the portrayal
of grief was realistic and not over the top, i didn't connect with lenny and miles at all. i didn't sense much chemistry between the two of them and it made it drag on and on. they, in my opinion, would be better friends than lovers. 3 stars feels like the right rating for me.

1.2⭐️DNF(for now) at 25%.I was really excited to know Cara was coming out with another book after finishing Ready Or Not. This book had a lot of potential if Lenny wasn’t so quirky and immature. I tried so hard to connect with her but I honestly couldn’t.

Five bright stars. No notes.👏

Funny, tender, emo, all around lovely. Miles Honey 🍯 is the blueprint, goodnesssss. Lenny, gahhh loved her sm. She made me cackle and broke my heart but the two of them put it back together.


“He treats you well?”
“Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out.” 🥹

I absolutely loved reading Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone. This was my first novel I've read of hers, but certainly won't be the last.

This is a book that deals with Big Grief, and that emotional through line was really poignant for me. Miles, the MMC, is the "grief doula" of dreams for Lenny - our FMC - as he has been through a similar loss and gotten through it. I also loved the scenes of Lenny interacting with the child she nannies for - it's lovely to see a woman who is all in all ~not okay~ still be great at something and be there for her charges.

I stayed up too late to finish this but have no regret. I absolutely adored this book and look forward to reading more of Cara's books in the future. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a lovely romance with emotional depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cara Bastone is one of my favorite romance writers and highly underrated in my opinion. I loved everything about this book and will be recommending it to anyone who will listen!

This has become one of my favorite books of all time. Cara Bastone's ability to portray the human experience of grief and life after loss through Lenny was gut-wrenching. As she meets the uncle of the kid she nannies, Miles becomes a support beam for Lenny as she navigates through her grief of an immense loss in her life. Miles has a grumpy personality yet he is so gentle and patient with Lenny while he helps her finish off a checklist Lenny's best friend left her before she died. Miles pledged to always be there for Lenny even during the odd hours of the night and he stays true to his word every single time.

There were many times during the book in which I cried but my heart warmed when Lenny had her lightbulb moment realizing her feelings for Miles, "he walked into hell and dragged me back out". Lenny's feelings for Miles and her reason to be kept "earthbound" are intertwined, sparking a new sense of life for her.

I found this book to be such a beautiful story of friendship and the celebration of life of our loved ones who are no longer with us. This is such a wonderful read but does touch on topics that may be triggering for some audiences such as grief and the death of a best friend so please keep this in mind before reading.

The easter egg of Ethan from Ready or Not was such a fun moment, seeing her two independent stories connect. Cara Bastone has become one of my favorite authors and I am excited to read anything she puts out!

Immense gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this ebook!

oh wow oh wow oh wow. a truly beautiful love story, and just an overall life story. i loved this book with my whole heart! i loved lenny with my whole heart i just want to wrap her up in a giant hug!!

i was quite worried going into this book that it was going to be so hard and painful and depressing to read but somehow cara found a way to blend this super dark theme with so much light and heart and hope that i never once felt too sad to keep reading. it was genuinely fun and funny!! all while pulling at my heart and making me tear up!!

this is the second book from cara i’ve read and what i’ve really come to love about her love stories is the pacing. i’ve seen a few people say they were bored and/or didn’t love the pacing of this but me? i was hanging on every word!!! i could not wait to pick this up every single day!! it feels wrong to slap a “slow burn” label on this and go about my day because while it was, to me it felt like watching a true genuine connection form and deepen until they inevitably realized™️ it felt honest and genuine and i could not love Lenny and Miles more if i tried.

there were so many more parts of this story that i really loved so i think i’m just going to rapid fire them out to try and keep me from writing 17 paragraphs:
- lenny and lou (obviously) <3
- ainsley!!! i love kids in books!!!
- lenny’s parents ohhhhh i love them!!!
- miles’ relentlessly showing up
- the little ready or not cameo!! oooo!!
- that LOCKET!!
- and finally: the final checklist scene <3 ohhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! broke down in sobs. it’s true.

ps. i loved this book so deeply even with out beloved but of a mess main character wearing strange clothing and having a big bird hoodie for like 80% of the book. that’s when you know.

5 stars!! ⭐️

This book exceeded all of my expectations. First and foremost I love Cara Bastone's writing so I went into Promise Me Sunshine already expecting to enjoy it. BUT, I didn't just enjoy it I devoured it! Miles and Lenny are two souls who have struggled with immense grief in their life. The MC Miles has a heart of gold behind a grumpy exterior and sometimes misconstrued reactions. The FMC Lenny is a woman coping with her grief and attempting to feel alive again by remembering her purpose in an effort to start healing.

You will absolutely love this book if you enjoy, realistic struggles, emotional stories, book boyfriends that put their partner first, and strong character development throughout the book both individually and together!!!

I love Lenny! Lenny lost her best friend from cancer and we see her struggle in her everyday life and how her grief strikes at unexpected times. Anyone who has lost a loved one will connect with this story I can promise that!! There will be key points of this story that will relate to readers and sit with them for a while.

Miles is a male main character written by a woman. BECAUSE WOW! Miles had such a tender heart with such a tough exterior personality! We learn his story throughout the book and how Lenny helps him through his own struggles and purpose. Yet, through his ongoing struggles and past experiences with grief he pushes Lenny to become independent and alive again. I loved seeing them go from strangers to companions to best friends to lovers! The story was so well written I truly believed in their love!

Promise me sunshine is a love story between Miles and Lenny, Lenny and Lou, and life, death, and finding purpose!

🧡"This is a love story, I swear. This is what happens when you’ve promised someone you’ll live again."

Thank you to Cara Bastone, Dial Press & NetGalley for the eARC!

Having read “Ready or Not” and enjoying but not fully loving or connecting, I wanted to give Cara Bastone another chance, and I’m so glad I did!

“Promise Me Sunshine” is told in the viewpoint of Lenny, as she faces life while dealing with the grief of losing her best friend. She takes on a one time gig babysitting, only to stick around after the child’s estranged uncle asks for help connecting to his family. In exchange, Miles offers to help her get through the grieving process and learn to live again.

First of all, I love the characters. Lenny is a chaotic goofball and Miles is a grumpy softie. He’s a pit bull, with a scary exterior but the squishiest most lovable interior. Both are fiercely loyal.

The process Lenny goes through really tugged at the heartstrings. I felt her pain and then the love she felt for Miles every time he showed up for her. Whether it was in a big or small way. Reading about the way they lived up to the list was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed every step of Miles learning to have a relationship with his niece.

There was laughter, there were tears…it was a ride, just like life.

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Loved! Really moving exploration of grief and love with unique characters and genuinely good character arcs.

Cara Bastone had done it again. 5 stars!!!

I read Ready or Not towards the end of 2024 and it was by far one of my FAVORITE books of the year. I knew I wanted to read more of her books and was beyond thrilled to be approved for an ARC of Promise Me Sunshine. I quickly fell in love with her writing style (again), and lovable cast of characters. I could have easily finished this book in one sitting, but dragged it out over the course of three days because I didn’t want it to end.

Lenny and Miles have such a special place in my heart. The book follows Lenny, who is mourning the loss of her friend Lou from cancer. Miles is also grieving - the loss of a relationship, and the death of his mother and cousin. The pair meet when Lenny becomes a nanny for Miles’ niece, Ainsley. Together, the two learn that grief isn’t linear - it comes and goes and it’s okay to fall in love in the in between.

My mom is a cancer survivor, but I have lost several family members to cancer, so I related to Lenny and the deep sense of loss and grief that she carries with her. To be known is to be loved, and Miles knows Lenny. When he asked her, “Is this a Staten Island night” (IYKYK), I felt it in my heart. To want to escape, to be anywhere but home, free from the prisoner of her thoughts, Lenny tries to run and hide from her grief. Miles does the same, but in a different way. Together, the two help heal hearts they didn’t break - each others.

Cara Bastone has such a way of taking real world situations and painting them in such a beautiful, yet relatable light. Her writing is absolutely gorgeous, and she manages to capture feelings that there simply aren’t words for.

This is my 5th read of 2025, and I can already tell that this book will be on my favorites for the year. 5 stars arrows the board!!!

Thank you to Net Galley, Cara Bastone, and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

heartbreakingly beautiful. there is always something so tragic and amazing about romance novels that focus on characters trying to heal together and cara bastone did it so beautifully. i could not stop reading and was always wanting to pick it back up when i wasn't reading. look at trigger warning but i would recommend this book to everyone, even if you don't love the romance genre

I was excited for this as I really enjoyed Cara Bastone’s last novel. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with this. I felt the pacing was pretty off and didn’t enjoy either of the main characters. Lenny seemed one-dimensional to me and this was one of the cases where Lenny and Miles truly seemed better off as friends. However, I did like how grief was depicted and the scenes between Lenny and Ainsley.

I was really excited to read this having previously read Ready or Not and loving it. Lenny and Miles’ story is so beautiful and really tugged at my heartstrings. Love the banter and how real everything felt.

4.5⭐️ - Messy, heart tugging, chaotic, and full of fast paced dialogue set against a vivid NYC backdrop. The characters are highly unlikable and flawed…dare I say, even slightly rude and blunt at first. For a moment, the story felt a bit cringy & over the top. However, it’s a slow burn & as the layers peel back, the characterization becomes both moving and compelling. I loved how the main characters grew with true depth and intention throughout the entire book, rather than shifting tones midway for the sack of trauma dumping. The majority of the plot focuses on friendship, grief, healing, and personal development. This is a lit fic leaning love story, much like You, Again by Kate Goldbeck rather than a romcom. A great read for sure.

Cara, Cara, Cara, you slay me but brought me back to life. I liked “Ready or Not,” but I LOVED “Promise me sunshine.” It shines a light on the resistance we have towards dealing with grief, and how, in time, we will have to become vulnerable enough to take our armor off and deal with it. And oftentimes the best person to walk alongside us in a grief journey is someone who has walked a sorrowful path themselves.

Miles: the perfect MMC-if you like a grumpy king (my favorite,) he’s your guy. And he so sweetly is oblivious to his constant RBF. Dry humor extraordinaire, this guy.

“nearly tripping over something waiting for me in the hallway. It’s a Tupperware with a sticky note stuck to the top. Eat this. It says. What a poet.”

Lenny: the girl who has experienced unimaginable lost but who continues to show up even though she’s not always sure how. She’s able to see through Miles’ gruff exterior and bring out the fierce loyalty that is hard to see for most. She is the definition of “when life throws you a shitstorm and you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, do both, and see what happens.” She finds the strength to accept help and thus starts an unexpected friendship.

“Are you familiar with the Spice Girls?” he asks in surprise. “Are you familiar with the Spice Girls?” I ask in even more surprise. “I was alive in the nineties. So, yes.”

This book will have you laughing and crying for its entirety. I will not be forgetting this one any time soon.

Thank you, Cara, for the beautiful story, and thank you Random House for the ARC.

Make this less formal:


This story was an emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible!

Lenny is struggling to find her footing after losing her best friend, Lou, to cancer. Babysitting for Reese, a single mom, and her spirited daughter, Ainsley, seems like a good distraction until she meets Ainsley’s uncle, Miles.

The writing of this story pulled me in immediately, capturing the rawness of grief and the beauty of finding hope again. It wasn’t just about romance, it was a heartfelt exploration of healing, friendship, and family.

The enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic between Lenny and Miles felt so natural, and their individual growth was inspiring.

Both characters were layered and real, and their journey was as heartwarming as it was moving.

This book is a touching reminder that love and second chances can bloom even in the darkest times.

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for this ARC

I don’t think I have the words for how beautiful and heartbreaking and heartwarming this book was. Grief is so challenging to really capture but Bastone does so with ease in Promise Me Sunshine. Our protagonist Lenny recently lost her best friend and her journey throughout the grief process is one that I related to easily. I saw parts of me in Lenny as I’m sure anyone who has lost a loved one could. The romance in the book was so well done and paced as well, such a lovely book and my first 5 star of the year!

Also, having a small appearance from characters from Ready or Not was a nice touch for those who loved that book as well!