When I say I want a romance that's "more than just a romance", I mean this. Just exactly this.

The way that this book managed to depict and hold space for truly devastating grief while still remaining light enough to call a romcom and have me smiling through tears was absolutely masterful.

plot:
Lenny is not doing well. It's 6 months after she lost her soulmate and best friend since kindergarten to a long battle with ovarian cancer, and she can't figure out how she's supposed to just keep going with this kind of pain. She can barely set foot in the apartment they shared, so she's functionally homeless, living out of a backpack and riding public transport all night in the city that never sleeps. She hardly remembers to eat and has frequent, public breakdowns. She's surviving off of short-term babysitting gigs because she loves kids and she's able to hold it together for a few hours at a time for them.

She meets Miles while watching his niece, Ainsley, and he's immediately distrustful of her (in his defense, she's basically quit showering cold turkey at this point and sleeps like an hour a night sitting upright, so she really does look like a drug addict). He watches her like a hawk, and it only takes a couple of days for him to realize that A) she's really, really going through it, and, B) she connects with Ainsley in a way he's never been able to. His relationship with his half-sister, Reese, is complicated and him being around is hard for her. So he makes Lenny an offer: he'll be her grief buddy if she'll help him become a real part of his sister and niece's life.



Miles Honey is so 🥹

He's stoic and awkward and usually says the wrong thing in the wrong tone. He comes across like a bit of an ass, but all he wants in the whole world is to help. someone. anyone. ideally his family, but really, seriously, anyone will do at this point. He's lonely, and tired of feeling useless. He lost his mom and younger cousin in a car accident in his early 20s, so he's no stranger to re-learning how to live again after feeling like your whole world has ended.

The way that he takes care of Lenny is unmatched. He's just there with her for everything. He knows when to push her and when to back off, when to remind her she's strong and when to let her be weak. It's. I don't even have words for it. This is friends to lovers in such a natural, honest way.

The only reason this fell short of 5 stars for me was because I felt like there was depth lacking in Miles', Reese's, and Ainsley's own journeys with grief. The focus was almost entirely on Lenny and what she was going through. I felt like this could've especially been a very natural connection point for Lenny and Reese. And while we see Miles' relationships with Reese and Ainsley starting to improve and feel more natural, it still feels very early stages to me by the end of the story. I think Reese in general was underdeveloped as a character and there were a lot of missed opportunities for her to be included, which would have helped to balance the scales between Lenny and Miles as well as add more depth to all the relationships involved.

This book was so SO beautifully written. I’ve never read a book I felt encapsulated grief and the recovery process as well as this one did.

This story follows Lenny, who recently lost her lifelong best friend and is struggling (to say the least). She usually nanny’s for long period of time, but due to her lack of attachment she decides it’s best for the kids and families she works for to only agree to temporary arrangements.

This leads to a job where she is introduced to a family and a man named Miles who helps heal her. He is in no way responsible for her recovery back into the world of the living, but gives her support and a safe space to come back to herself.

At first I wasn’t totally sure what to think of Lenny. She’s very quirky and erratic. But by the end of the story, it’s very clear that manu of her behaviors stem from not being able to cope with the world around her. One of my favorite quotes from this book stems from one of Lenny’s quirks where she sees a man she’s attracted to and instantly “falls in love” and creates a whole narrative around their love story. Once she starts really recovering, Miles tells her the below -

"I think that even in all your worst moments of grief, you've wished for companionship. I think you're always, secretly, hoping for happy endings, even when they don't seem possible. You say compulsive but I think they're actually kind of just ... tenacious. Like daisies popping up out of the snow. Grief has been sort of, I don't know, it sounds sappy, but like winter for you. And I think that the part of you that can't help but manufacture happiness, because that's who you are, it's been sending up these little flowers to pop up and keep you company."

Miles and Lenny do end up falling in love. I think it would be easy to have that take away from the rest of the book, but Cara Bastone did an incredible job at having that storyline compliment and even enhance the rest of the book’s purpose.

wow.. this book might have taken me out of my romance reading slump… i laughed, i cried, i got the heart flutters. and it was perfect

lenny was just so relatable. i loved her story so much and i really really appreciated how real her character felt. and miles was just so precious. he was such a good friend. he surprised me so much. and reese and ainsley also were so good. i would love to know more about them and their story. ainsley reminded me of eloise a lot and i loved that dynamic

the plot was just so good. it explored grief and love and did it all in such a way that felt so ~real~. it reminded me of my favorite parts of other books, but was obviously a unique and interesting story! the slow burn was absolutely perfect as well. and i loved so many aspects of the story. especially the second half of this book. like omg swoon? lol

anywho i would absolutely recommend this book and i am so so so happy i got the chance to read and review this book for netgalley and random house publishing group! thank you so much for the opportunity! will absolutely be buying a trophy for my shelf :) and i would love to read this again some day!

This is a book about grief masquerading as a romance. It was so powerful to watch these characters move through their grief together, with many steps back along the way.

Cara’s first book sucked me in from page one, so getting the chance to ARC read this one was a dream come true.
The FMC is dealing with heartbreaking loss and needing a reason/s to live again, to be whole. She finds it in people and places she never expected. A beautiful story of try, try again and endurance and living in the moment, but not having to be a-okay all day every day. You can still grieve.
—Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy.

Quite possibly one of the most gorgeous, most heartwarming books to produce the blueprint for what layers and layers of character building and storytelling can achieve to somehow leave the reader breathless with understanding and grateful for the miracle of words on paper.

Every page was lush and humorous, heartbreaking and sexy, and everything you want to hold up to the sun and feel like the world will one day right itself and be okay.

Lenny and Miles felt like what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. And we see the results in all its raw forms of misery and patience, love and acceptance. Hope and every emotional roadblock and saving grace that makes us endearingly human.

Lenny is such a fun, whiz snappy character to follow along with, and her journey through grief was a transformation of both the heart and mind that nothing is ever easy. Cara imbued such a careful touch to what it means to lose a soulmate and a best friend. That witnessing Lenny unfiltered, Lenny in nanny mode, Lenny trying to fight a man twice her size was the gift that kept on giving. And Miles— oh Miles… you are picture perfect! Not because you can check every box of book boyfriend material, but because kindness is where you’ll always meet the people you especially love.

It’s so life affirming to read how loving someone amidst the darkest chapter of their life starts with the humanness to want to see them smile. To see them laugh and stuff their face full with food, and get them to exercise just so they can hopefully one day finally live for themselves again.

I love Lenny and Miles, and this book and the person I am in the aftermath of it’s post reading glow. Thank you thank you Cara for writing and sharing and giving us an insight into you crazy talented mind!

I very much enjoyed this book, but only after a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief. While the two MCs felt very real, and their individual emotional journeys were believable, I initially did not like the way the male MC immediately became so invested in the female MCs journey to complete her deceased friends list. Once I got over that, and decided to read for the joy of two flawed people falling in love, it was much more enjoyable.
I loved the interactions of Lenny and Ainsley, they felt honest and were super cute. I also really liked how Lenny and Miles became so close while both experiencing very realistic grief.
I think what stood out most brilliantly for me, and what kept me moving through the book, was the subject of grief. Pairing such an intense emotion with the other intense emotions of love and trust was so deftly handled.

4.5!!!
if you want to feel happy, sad, heart warmed, and every other emotion read this story! this story about grief and how Miles helped Lenny through her grief was so emotional. Without knowing it Lenny helped Miles out too with his underlying grief.

4.5 stars. I loved this. Grieving the loss of her best friend, Lenny's life is in absolute shambles. While working a temporary babysitting job she meets the child's uncle, Miles, who is hot, grumpy, and intimidating. Miles knows a lot about grief and he offers Lenny a proposition: he’ll help her navigate her grief if she’ll help him fix his broken relationship with his niece, Ainsley, and her mother.

Lenny's grief was poignant and the way Miles coaxed her back to life was heartwarming. Their romance is extremely slow burn, with Lenny's healing and character growth taking priority in the beginning and then slowly transitioning into their blossoming feelings as the book progressed. The grief was heavy at times, but there were so many humorous moments sprinkled throughout the building that kept the reader from getting too mired down. Overall it was very well executed.

Thank you to Dial Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

Within a few pages, I knew this book was going to wreck me. Wait to pick it up until you are at a place where you can sink into your feelings, this will make you laugh and cry.

The journey of grief and learning to live again was poignant and real. Gut wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. In between learning to live again, Lenny discovers a friendship that carries her back to being alive. And what better moment to when that journey comes full circle and she realizes she doesn’t just want to live, she’s ready to love as well.

This book is about grief, romance, family, life. Cara Bastone is quickly becoming an instant read author for me.

This story follows Lenny and Miles and could be seen as a slow burn, but gives the characters time to really live and grow as the story progresses. I’d hate to give away any spoilers but this is a must read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars!! When I say I am obsessed that doesn’t even start to explain how I feel about this book! I originally applied for this arc because of the gorgeous cover, but dang the inside turned out to be pretty good too!! The book follows Lenny on her journey through grief after the loss of her best friend, Lou. On this journey, Lenny meets Miles, who she doesn’t have the best first impression with, but soon finds out that he has his own experiences with grief, ultimately leading to a shared proposition to help both of them in their own ways. While the story obviously has a great slow burn romance, I think the love Lenny shares throughout the book is perfectly done. The characters are downright lovable and the relationship they share is so sweet. That being said, I could not put this book down and Lenny and Miles stayed in mind long after reading. This was only my second book by Cara Bastone, but after reading this one I can confidently say it will be by far my last! If you are even remotely considering reading this book, do yourself a favor and pick it up right now!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Getting this arc came as a surprise. I was scrolling through my email and saw one from the @penguinrandomhouse marketing team asking me if I wanted to read Cara Bastone’s new book since I enjoyed Ready or Not.

I may or may not shed a little thug tear because that has never happened before and it just made my whole day. So thank you 🥹🥹.

I really enjoyed this book, I feel like @carabastone gives me the grown energy that I look for in romances now. As we know 2024 was a year that I dealt with grief in spades so it was nice to have a FMC and MMC experiencing what I am experiencing and how they grow and start new journeys.

The romance felt honest and I definitely chuckled out loud at Miles and his energy (definitely big season 6 Adam Sackler vibes 🙂‍↔️😍). Lenny had me laughing too, but in that same breath made my emotions and thoughts seen.

I definitely recommend this to those who are trying to work through and work with their grief. Need some hope or just want to read a solid romance. Due to hit your shelves in March 2025 🙂‍↕️. 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was SO GOOD! It made me feel deep sadness and genuine joy. I can already tell I will be rereading this one many times.

After losing her best friend to cancer, Lenny is not doing well. She can't face going back to her apartment where memories of her friend are everywhere, she can't face talking to her parents, and she can't fathom feeling joy or moving on with her life.

When Lenny takes a babysitting job, she has no idea that the little girl's broody uncle will always be hanging around. When he, no stranger to grief himself, sees that Lenny has a book on grief and is clearly not doing well, he offers to help her complete her "live again" list, a list of experiences designed to help Lenny start to heal and find joy. In exchange, Lenny helps Miles connect with his niece.

This book depicts grief in such a raw and unflinching way. While it was at times heavy and hard to read, it felt necessary to walk through Lenny's grief to be able to fully experience and appreciate her healing journey.

Thank you so much to Cara Bastone, Netgalley, and Dial Press/ Random House Publishing Group for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Promise Me Sunshine was a great read! I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want to put the book down. I found Lenny and Miles to both be authentic characters. They were quirky and raw and real. Their journey in loss, self-discovery, and love was touching and uplifting. Five stars!

After ready or not, I fell in love with Cara’s writing style! She’s hilarious and these characters are impossible not to fall for and root for. Loved!!

Perfection!! I loved this book so so so much. Cara Bastone is officially one of my favourite authors. Thank you NetGalley & Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 ⭐ 1.5 🌶️

I've fallen so hard for this world Cara is building. Lenny and Miles' story had me teeter tottering between laughing and crying for hours and days as I made my way through this book. At it's core, this is a story about grief and learning to live again after losing those closest to you. Both of these characters lost huge pieces of themselves and somehow, together, they learn to live with their grief and how to love again.

The Ethan cameo was sooo good and I have really high hopes we can round this series out by closing the triangle and having him fall for Reese. But then I wanna open it up again, cause I want Jericho's story too.

This was the slowest of burns, but frankly I couldn't have cared less. The angst between these two, especially as we reach the 3/4 mark is palpable and I loved that so much. Then spice is more bell than jalapeño, but so perfect for this story.

I loved this one to pieces and I'm already so excited for more from Cara.

Cara Bastone is quickly becoming one of my favourite romance writers. So much depth, unique story telling and chemistry in her work

This is my second Cara Bastone book and she is quickly moving into my must read category. I ton her description of grief in this book will ring true for anyone who has been there but I fear may read as overdone and overwrought to those who haven’t. Because that type of all consuming grief seems like a farce until you experience it. I thought overall the characters seemed authentic and the situations plausible. A solid 4 stars for me