This was a slow-burn romance that follows Lenny and Miles, as Miles helps Lenny deal with the grief of losing her best friend/sister. Miles is also dealing with a lot (including his own grief and his relationship with his sister/niece). It was a beautiful and emotional story, but maybe a little slow. Thankfully no OW/OM drama. If you are a fan of Ready or Not, you'll love this.

I simultaneously wanted to devour this book and savor it. I found myself going back over passages because they so beautifully described the awkwardness of falling in love and the searing pain of grief. Miles and Lenny are one of the most intriguing and tender couples I’ve ever read in a romance book (and I’ve read hundreds). Cara Bastone has written her heart out, and I hope that you won’t pass up the opportunity to dig into this beauty of a book. Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for my gifted ARC.

Absolutely five stars! When this book is released I will be buying many copies and passing this book out like candy!
The only books I haven't read by Cara Bastone are her first series ( and it most definitely on my TBR) and what I have loved about all of her books is how easily relatable the characters are and how funny her books are. I'm a girly that loves dialogue, I will skip ahead and read dialogue ahead of exposition because I am annoying like that. But I Never felt that way while reading Promise Me Sunshine. Lenny's internal monologue was so real and entertaining that I felt like I was just reading more dialogue. The figurative language she uses to describe feelings, setting and basically everything made this book go by so fast and made it so easy to place yourself in the story. I intentionally read it slowly because I didn't want it to end.
A couple small examples:
"She's about seven years old, with dandelion levels of staticky hair. Tiny purple glasses magnify her eyeballs to twice their size and she's swimming in a very faded Madonna Concert tee."
"He turns and looks at me like he'd really enjoy punting me down a water slide if given the chance."
"I'd give anything to juice his memories like an orange."
I love this type of writing. This is me cycling through and finding a few small examples. I have over 50 highlights in this book.

While there was super witty and funny, swoon-worthy moments. The heart of this book is about grief and loss of best friend and the agony it is to live again after that pain. Ugh I don't know how to describe how emotional and roller coaster this book is without just being like "Sit down and let me read you a bunch of quotes!" One moment I'm crying because it's so heartbreaking and then next I'm laughing out loud because something funny was said. And that balance just worked for me. While this book makes you want to cry, it also makes you laugh because the world is not just that moment and honestly when Lenny herself realized that moment I have the whole page highlighted. I felt like I knew Lenny and Miles so deeply. While Lenny is going on a journey of living again Miles is also on his own journey that Lenny helps him through.

Cara Bastone is one of my favorite "found" authors of 2024! I will read anything she writes (in fact I've went back and read her older books). Although this book felt a little heavy with grief it only made the love story between Lenny and Miles that much sweeter. Cannot wait for my preorder to arrive in March!

Every book by Cara Bastone hits me in the feels. This is no different. The characters are well written and I could not put this book down.

I was nervous to start this book because of how it’s centered around grief. I was worried I’d read it and it would feel too heavy and I’d have to take a break or walk away from it for a while. But that was not the case. This book made me laugh, it made me giddy, it made me yearn, it made me hope.

Lenny and Miles were EVERYTHING. Lenny was so funny and multifaceted and REAL. She lost her person, her whole heart. And she didn’t handle it gracefully, which I loved to see. She needed help despite her self isolation, someone to help her live again, and that’s what made her all the more relatable. Miles, my sweet, awkward king! He is somebody who needs to be needed, to be someone to lean on. He also needs someone to push (or drag) him out of his comfort zone. And that’s why they work so well together. They are exactly what the other needs; they fill in each other’s gaps. And they never looked at each other and thought the other needed “fixing”. I think they both found their joy again with each other🩷

This book was truly a love letter to friendship, grief, and healing. I don’t think I’ve read a book so strongly centered around friendship and how important those relationships can be. As someone who deeply values friendships, I loved that it was at the heart of this book. Grief is complex and healing isn’t linear. You never really stop grieving, but that doesn’t mean you stop living.🩷

What a way to meet an author! Cara, this was truly such a pleasure to read and I can’t wait to read more of your work.

*Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

In a word, this book was beautiful. Character development was strong, supporting cast of characters were lovely and helped move the story along well. The humor was quirky and tender at the same time and the build up to the HEA was the best kind of slow burn. Miles is a protector and observant but tentative with his own feelings. Lenny is achingly relatable even with her eccentricities. Lou is present on every page but not in an egregious or disturbing unwelcome way. This was another winner for me from this author. You really go on a journey with Lenny, but it’s such a beautiful ride.

“Get over it already, loser.” 💔❤️‍🩹❤️

3 ⭐️

Hmm I am not sure if I accidentally sabotaged myself by reading this directly after reading Ready or Not, which I absolutely loved.

This book is about trying to overcome grief and continue living after a loved one passes. Overall I really enjoyed the characters. Lenny and Miles are fun to be with. I loved Reese and Ainsley, and the other friends that show up.

I really struggled with identifying and connecting with Lenny. As the book goes on it doesn't seem like she changes or grows that much. And some of her "quirky" behaviors outright annoyed me. She seemed immature. And the dynamic between her and Miles does feel like Parent/Child.

IDK, maybe this book needs to marinate in my brain some more.

such a great book. i read her first book ready or not and wasn’t the biggest fan but this book was so good. the main characters i loved and connected with so much. i adored their romance and this whole book! will be reading her next books and recommend them!

This book was amazing! The story was very well written and it had so much emotion and depth to the story. I would highly recommend this book!

I found the story and the characters hard to connect with. As someone who has also experienced grief it didn’t look like this. I think the characters in this book and their experiences were quite narrow and I think Miles character took advantage of the FMC. I didn’t really like either of them. I think the storyline was okay, but I just wanted it to be more universal.

This is the first novel I’ve read by CB, and I’m so impressed; absolutely loved this romance. Definitely want to read more books from this author.

Cara Bastone deliver yet another amazing contemporary romance. In Promise me Sunshine, she beautifully executes a romance that’s filled with grief and depth. Our two main characters are incredibly well structured characters with traits that make them unique. Through her incredible writing she illustrated grief and loss of a loved one wonderfully. Watching the small and big moments between Miles and Lenny was truly a delight. Cara never fails to write story lines that are out of the ordinary and enjoyable.

Miles and Lenny have forever been engraved in my heart, seeing their emotional friendship grow into a relationship that gives hope to romance was amazing. I laughed, I cried, I felt it all reading Promise me Sunshine. No notes.

My heart was so full after reading this book! After reading Ready or Not, I knew I had to read this and would enjoy it immensely.

This was simply beautiful. The grief. The journey. What a completely fantastic story. I loved every single character in this book - I felt like I knew them. Miles was wonderful. Lenny was imperfect. This was definitely a slow burn, but it was so necessary for Lenny to deal with her grief.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for this ARC.

Cara Bastone delivers another standout romance with Promise Me Sunshine, solidifying why she’s one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. The two main characters are incredibly well-drawn, and their slow-burn love story feels authentic and deeply satisfying. Bastone writes profoundly about grief in this novel, capturing the nuances of mourning a love that was platonic but still life-shaping and deeply important. It’s a touching exploration that adds emotional depth to the story. She avoids overused tropes, and when the characters finally come together, it’s meaningful and perfectly woven into their journey—not just a generic moment. Promise Me Sunshine is another win from Bastone, and I’m already looking forward to her next book.

Loved this story of life after loss. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I have picked up from this author - she keeps it real yet extremely engaging. I am beyond obsessed with Miles. 10/10. Absolutely no notes! Everyone should read (and participate in the author’s “challenge” at the end)!

this book was incredible and one you NEED to add to your 2025 tbr 💫💫💫

this story was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Cara’s writing and storytelling makes you go along on the journey with her characters as if you were going through it yourself. When we meet Lenny, she is in the deepest stages of grief and the book takes you on each difficult and maybe ugly stage of navigating it. Lenny is a strong but beautifully human character and seeing her explore and at times struggle with romantic love, friendships, family and careers while experiencing this insurmountable loss creates such a deep connection between the reader and story.

My only true complaint is that I wish the connection between Miles and Lenny or the reason for him helping was a bit stronger. Honestly though, their relationship from strangers to TRUE FRIENDS to lovers is so realistic. The reader gets to experience all of these small and big moments between the couple and actually see them fall in love. Miles was a pillar of strength and reliability through Lenny’s journey with grief and loss. I loved learning about him and his past life, and his love for his family.

Another thing I loved about this book were the side characters. I loved seeing Lenny find friendships because it is so difficult as an adult. Each friend was so unique and rallied behind her. Also, Reese and Ainsley were the perfect addition. I’m not usually a fan of kids but Ainsley was just so fun! And the storyline between Reese and Miles was the perfect touch to bring depth to all the characters.

Overall, this is such a great book and I highly recommend it!!!!! love love love 🥹

I liked this book. It was a quick and surprisingly light read that covered a heavy topic. I found it to be well written and thoughtful while still allowing for some moments of levity and fun as we went along on the characters journey. I'm a little impossible to please when it comes to giving 5 stars on books like this, like its nothing perspective shifting on the topic of grief. But I also don't want something that heavy and deep in my romance books either idk. solid 4 stars though!!

Ahhhh I loved this book so much! Ready or Not was such a surprising 5/5 for me (I don’t usually love accidental pregnancy) and I was so excited to read more from Cara. This did not disappoint at ALL!!! Go read this immediately!