Themes:
Death/Grief
Depression
Friends to Lovers
Found Family
Slow Burn (realllly slow burn)

I think this book will be for a lot of people, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me - I anticipated reading this ARC after Ready or Not by Cara was a top read for me earlier this year, but sadly it didn't hit quite the same.

The Pros:
Funny, quirky characters. Beautiful prose in some parts of the book, entertaining and kept you reading/wanting to see where the story went. Lou's story was heartbreaking and I really rooted for the characters in the book even despite the cons I list below

The Cons:
Grief is so personal, so it's hard to articulate this gently, but I felt the representation of grief was completely unrealistic. Lenny, our main female character is one of the most unserious people in this story, throughout the story she seems incapable of making decisions, being responsible, and frankly reads like a very *very* young adult, it's hard to believe that she wasn't like this before her loss. She was the primary care taker of this person before their death. How?? That part didn't track for me, it wasn't believable that she was the right person to have that level of responsibility, or that position of care. She's avoiding everything in her life, favoring sleeping on the ferry over going home - which who can ditch their NY apartment for 6+ months but still pay rent? I found Lenny to be very frustrating and what was more frustrating was the way she would be completely aloof one moment and the next she was teaching Miles how to work with kids and be a care taker and teaching the family she nannied for how to be more communicative and work together better - like how is she the qualified person on that subject? Another flaw was as soon as Lenny realized how she felt about Miles, grief just completely disappeared from the story line until the very very end.

Miles, all of his best qualities were in his servitude/help of Lenny. You're telling me the guy who is doesn't know how to talk to other adults can pull Lenny out of her grief and become her soul mate even though he hadn't dealt with his own? He also has 3 residencies in NY and he doesn't live in 2 of them? Miles felt so flat for me. There was just a lot I couldn't overlook because they, as characters, were too non-sensical.

This book also felt LONG, There was so much unnecessary back and forth between Lenny and Miles, some of the slow burn was just pointless, and there were things that just didnt need to be written in to make the story complete or drive the point across.

Like I said, I think this could be for a lot of people, but I just felt a little critical of some of the biggest elements in this story and it wasn't my favorite read of hers!

ALL THE STARS 😭 this is one of those books that spoke to my soul in such a deep way. this is a story of grief in its messiest, raw, and vulnerable form. It’s also a story of friendship, love, and healing. Walking with Lenny through her grief was painful yet beautiful. Her thoughts felt so real and raw. The ability to feel the highs and lows was a testament to Cara’s ability to write an incredible/powerful story. I loved that Lenny was able to be quirky (my favorite kind of girls) but also sitting in the middle of her grief, it felt real. Also MILES. What a man. He is the definition of someone who will sit with you in the darkest of moments, letting you feel everything that comes with grief. He communicates in such a gentle yet purposeful way. Getting to know his story had me falling more in love with him. Their friendship is SPECIAL. The slow burn is so perfectly them. The romance moved me to tears. It’s a special kind of love. Lenny & Miles are soulmates forever!!!! I cannot recommend this book enough. I laughed, I cried. I read this book during a week each year where grief is at its hardest for me, the words in this book were such a comfort, while I sobbed my way through some chapters it really was this cathartic feeling walking through grief with Lenny. A million thanks and forehead kisses to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this ARC!

3.5 ⭐️ I wanted to love this book SO much, Ready or Not was an easy 5 star read for me and Cara’s books will always be a top read for me but there were a few things that prevented me from falling head over heels in love with these characters. To start, it is a heavy book about grief and loss of a loved one, your person really and I think it was very well done and captures how raw and complicated grief can be. I have read other reviews who say it felt like a caricature of grief and I think that is wholeheartedly false, grief looks different on everyone. The story itself was beautifully written and I loved the journey. Lenny was the hardest for me to connect with, she was written in such a quirky and overly free spirited way that didn’t feel realistic to me. I loved Miles, we all need a Miles in our life, no notes there. What I felt was missing was the love story, this felt too much like a best friends story. I believed their friendship but when it turned to more, I just didn’t swoon over it.

Other little things in the story that bothered me. Where were Lou’s parents and family in this? Did I miss it? I find it way too unbelievable that a year can pass and Lou’s things can just stay put in a shared apartment with a roommate that wasn’t family. I am a mother, I would have moved heaven and earth to get my child’s belongings even if they were an adult when they died. I was really hung up on that part and Lenny as Lou’s seemingly only caregiver, it just didn’t sit right since I didn’t know where her family was when she was sick.

Overall, this was a tragically wonderful story about finding your way out of grief and learning how to live and love again, I just wouldn’t call it a romance.

What a great and beautiful book. Cara has a way with words and a way with stories. She always knows how to grip you from the start and how to evoque so many emotions. I absolutely loved this one it was such a great read.

A huge thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and Cara Bastone for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Did I start crying on page 1? Yes, I absolutely did and I'm not embarrassed about it. Promise Me Sunshine is one of those books that breaks your heart and puts it back together. It’s also one of the best love stories I’ve ever read (honestly!) as well as the most emotional and vulnerable one.

I think everyone who’s ever lost someone can relate to the story. Even though everyone grieves differently, the book portrays grief accurately and shows that it isn't linear – some days are better/worse than others.
I loved Miles and Lenny’s character developments and friends-to-lovers story. They showed so much love and understanding and helped each other become better versions of themselves.

There’s not much more to say other than that I’ll never stop recommending this book. Go read it!

More gorgeous prose from Cara Bastone - this time at its most heartbreaking and hopeful.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Lenny is barely getting by following the death of her best friend and isn't sure she'll ever really "live" again even though she has a laminated list of things she's supposed to do to get there. After meeting majorly grumpy Miles who just hovers at her latest nanny gig, he surprisingly offers to help her check the things of her list. Can Lenny find life again?

As a proud reader of Bastone's entire catalog (go check my Goodreads, I'll wait), I thought last year's Ready or Not was her best ever, but Promise Me Sunshine sails right past it. Bastone's writing is so gorgeous and connects so thoroughly, I think I highlighted half the book. All the one liners that were gut punches or the descriptions of life emotions that had my heart in a vise. After losing a parent this past summer, this book helped me process the grief I had been suppressing. And then there's Miles - oh my what a book boyfriend. This story helped me realize what a "take care of me" kink I have, the way he feeds and clothes Lenny. He is broody, thoughtful, trying to take care of his people perfection. I will continue to read everything Bastone writes and was thrilled to have Ethan appear in this one since I was begging for his book after Ready or Not. Maybe the next one????

After reading "Ready or Not" I jumped on this ARC of "Promise Me Sunshine." Bastone writes the softest heroes that are full of emotional intelligence and maturity, which is my book boyfriend catnip. I wanted to love this book but I just could not get over how immature Lenny (the FMC) seemed throughout the book. I thought it might have been tied to her grief response, but it was written as her 'quirky' personality trait and I didn't enjoy it very much. The overall writing on the grief process was well covered, honoring, and gentle. I'll happily read the next Cara Bastone book, I just don't think this one was for me.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

Heavy, raw, realistic — a refreshing read. In some ways, this book reminded me of the movie Uptown Girls! I really enjoyed this story, loved the style of writing, especially the realistic/super awkward moments that are relatable!

Will definitely be reading more of Cara Bastone’s books! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my GOD I loved this book. Ready or Not was an easy 6 star read for me so I had suuuper high expectations for this one and it blew them all out of the water.

I think Lenny is my favorite character ever, her personality was so fresh and fun and I loved the way she saw the world, even while in the pits of despair. The slow burn of her and Miles’ relationship was just absolutely delicious.

If I wanted to be persnickety, the only thing I’d change is that I wish there had’ve been an epilogue but that’s only because I’m a greedy guts and want more of the story.

Cara Bastone has cemented herself as one of my favorite authors with this one!!

This book was hard to read as someone that will forever be grieving. Some aspects of grief rang true in this story and I felt seen. I'm not sure the grief experience in the story was relatable though. When most people experience a loss, they don't have the choice to shut down and stop living. To sleep elsewhere so they don't have to go back to the home they shared with the person they lost. To just keep buying new clothes so they don't have to go home where there are so many memories. I loved being able to relate to what it's like to grieve, but I couldn't relate to not having to face life.

I loved this book. The depiction of grief was spot on and something that deeply resonated with me. It was a beautiful story of life after loos and clawing your way through the isolation of grief to see the sun again. On the other side of the coin, I loved Miles' journey and legitimate attempts to forge a bond with his only family. The way they supported each other was beautiful and felt like a realistic romance. Just a great book all around.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for this ARC. It is greatly appreciated! I had to DNF this book due to the main character's inner monologue and her interactions with other characters was over the top. I could not get into the banter, the character interactions or the inner monologue of the main character. Again thank you to Random house publishing group for this arc!

I really loved this book. It didnt shy away from how heavy grief can be, but balanced it with humor and a great love story.

I truly loved this book. I care deeply about the characters and the depiction of grief absolutely wrecked me. Lenny is so funny and silly and weird and perfect, and Miles’ love is steady and strong and is the actual blueprint. I love them. I will think about them forever. I wanted to read this because I loved Ready or Not so much, and this really blew me away. I wish I could read 100 more pages of banter between Lenny and Miles. And I wish I had a friend like Lenny. This book made me cry and it made me laugh out loud. When it comes out on audiobook, I will definitely be listening again,

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this early.

Holy smokes Cara. This was amazing.
Lenny’s constant struggle with grief is so raw and it’s refreshing to see a character that’s not okay. Miles is the sweetest most understanding man that deserves the world.

In a book where the material and the main characters are so deeply sad, I was constantly laughing throughout. Also, tears were definitely shed several times.

Cara Bastone's latest is a treatise on grief. I was super impressed by her ability to relay such a loving story on a complicated topic. Lenny as a character experiencing true grief could gotten really repetitive and annoying, but Miles was the perfect foil. If not for the growth between the characters this book would've lost me. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Despite the lightness of the cover, this story has a ton of depth and it hits you hard in the feels with its portrayal of finding joy again after grieving a heavy loss. This book follows Lenny, who is barely getting by after losing her best friend Lou to cancer. She meets Miles on a nannying gig and, despite their rocky start, they form a connection that blossoms into friendship and then something more. Cara Bastone has a gift for writing incredible characters that are multi-dimensional yet relatable. This was a wonderful follow-up to Ready or Not (snaps for the Ethan cameo in this) and I can’t wait until she picks up the pen again.

what a lovely read! this is my first read by this author and im excited to dive into more books by them. likeable characters, interesting plot and well thought out message. i would rate this 4/5 only for the fact that it didnt capture my attention as quickly as i wouldve liked

I loved this book! Cara Bastone does it again! Lenny has just lost her whole world when her best friend Lou passes away, her grief is overwhelming.. Enter Miles. He’s the opposite of her in almost every way but knowing what deep loss is like. Throughout the book he helps to navigate a new normal that develops into more. This book was tender and sweet, and really hit home for me since I just lost my father two months ago. I highly recommend.

Absolutely fabulous and another winner from Cara Bastone. This one ripped me apart at times but was also so with, funny, and charming at the same time.