This was so good.
I go back and forth on whether this is 4⭐️or 5, but the more I think about the story, chemistry, and advice behind it all, it stays a 5 ⭐️
Thank you to the author and publisher, and NetGalley, for this ARC. It honestly was surprisingly VERY GOOD.
I read it during a time of grieving, so if it was almost a little self-help book for myself.

The characters are unique and wholesome.
The storyline was easy and pleasant to relate to.
My only knock is the SLOWEST burn, but i could stand it because of Lenny and Miles' situation, and if Miles was real, I would have SO MUCH respect for him.

Definitely recommend 🧡

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I've been very interested in Bastone because I've heard exclusively wonderful things about Ready or Not, but it is a trope I unfortunately refuse to read so I just had to wait for her next book. So when I saw this book announced I immediately requested it and added it to my TBR. I was so excited to read it and am happy to say it did not disappoint.

This book should absolutely be up there with Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez's books of stories that tell beautiful, believable love stories that almost feel like they are a subplot to the problems the main characters are going through. I was so, so invested in Lenny's grief and her finding her way in life again. Her return to normalcy and the little victories along the way had me tearing up every time. There were so many of those moments that were barely even addressed and it felt so real - not every change comes with fanfare and a parade. Sometimes you do something again and it's so normal that you don't even notice.

I also adore Miles, I love him so much, easily one of my favorite male main characters of the year. I love the vulnerability he showed without restraint, his desperation to be close to his family, and his desire to help Lenny get through her grief. Sometimes you read romance books and it feels like the love interests do these things to help the main character out of desire for a relationship, but with Miles it felt like he just knew it would be impossible for her to get through it alone and that she needed a friend. He had no ulterior motives, just a desire to help.

This book will absolutely be a go to recommendation for me. I hope more people read it, it is such a beautiful book.

Absolute Perfection. What a beautiful story, I cried, I laughed. I felt all the feels. I just adore Cara's writing & how she brought these characters to life.

Promise Me Sunshine was a deep dive into grief all through the eyes of "Lenny", our lovable protagonist. With the help of Miles, Lenny goes on a journey of discovery about herself and what her life will now be without here best friend and companion.

Promise Me Sunshine was very different from Cara Bastone's other titles. I loved the relationship between Lenny and Miles and that we as the readers get to see their relationship grow and change. I also enjoyed the wonderful banter and dialogue between all the characters. I personally felt like the depth of grief felt by Lenny over the loss of the relationship between her and her best friend was a little extreme. Everyone feels grief differently, but I think my struggle was the glimpses we get of the backstory through the book perhaps isn't enough to fully explain how paralyzed she is by the absence of this friend in her life. I think the why for all that was what was missing. At times I felt like Lenny was perhaps struggling so much that I resented her family or the family of her friend for not intervening more and earlier.

Cara Bastone knows how to write a book that makes you hopeful AND devastated. Loved it. Thank you for allowing me to read! This is one I would reread!

Cara balances humor and lightness against the darkness of loss and grief— a reminder that the two can coexist. Through Lenny and Miles, Cara reminds us that there is an after in heartbreak, that we’ll break through the fog of pain… and that it’s okay to laugh and smile in the process of grieving. In fact, I was alternating between laughing and crying with every page turn.

Promise Me Sunshine does an incredible job in normalizing coping mechanisms, understanding how grief can manifest in a range of behaviors and feelings, and addressing the many unexpected and unanswered questions we might have about the unknowns of loss and life after. It’s so human and raw that I found myself revisiting my own grief and being gentler with past self in how I navigated that journey.

And then I’d turn the page and breathe in the fresh air and the relatability of Lenny’s meet cute HEA fantasies. I swooned and giggled at the ridiculousness of it all, but I also felt so seen. Is anyone else an absolute hopeless romantic just waiting for true love to knock you off your feet in that first moment? Well, maybe it’s just me because I had that instantaneous swooping feeling the day I met my husband. I just knew he was it. So, this little mechanism (on top of the fact that I’m obsessed with romance novels and HEAs) might reveal my bias for this romance. But I stand by this love story!

Yes, there’s the element of instant love, but this is very much a story of friends-to-lovers. It’s very much a story of grief and life after loss, finding one’s place in a world that’s moving forward when all you want to do is stay still or go back in time. It’s about finding and embracing lightness and humor and a future when all you want is to be engulfed in darkness… Its about finding your person, someone who grounds you, who slowly builds you up, lets you feel safe, helps you find yourself in a new world. This book is so much wrapped in a romance.

I feel like this is a book I’m going to pick up multiple times on my life — when I need quick childcare tips, when I feel down and dejected and need a breakthrough tips, when I need reminders on how to show up for friends

“Promise Me Sunshine” by Cara Bastone is a heartfelt journey through grief, healing, and unexpected connections. The story follows Lenny, who, after losing her best friend Lou to cancer, is struggling to find her footing and her sanity. Enter Miles, a grumpy yet endearing stranger, who becomes an unlikely companion in her path to rediscovery.

This book really captures the ups and downs of grief and shows how healing isn’t always a straight line. I really appreciated how real the characters felt, and the depth of their connection. The chemistry between Lenny and Miles is genuine - it’s a true a slow-burn romance that feels both authentic and deeply moving. Their interactions are filled with warmth, humor, and raw honesty, making their journey all the more compelling.

Overall, “Promise Me Sunshine” is a beautifully written story that will stay with me long after finishing it. Thank you so much to the publisher, Cara Bastone, and NetGalley for the eARC!!

I didn't like this book; I LOVED it!! One of my top 10 books I think! I laughed, I cried (and I hate to cry!), and I couldn't put it down! I fell in love with the characters, and I can't stop thinking of them days after finishing the book. I'm not going to say anymore-just go read the book!! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I've already purchased a physical copy for my bookshelf, because this in one I will read over and over again!

Wow! This one took me awhile to read but mostly because life got busy and I wanted to savor it. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking portrayal of grief and Cara Bastone wrote it so well. I loved that it was so realistic, with moments of sadness, missing that person, moments of feeling better, the challenge of feeling like yourself, and feeling guilt at feeling better. She also portrayed depression well. The friendship aspect was so touching but so heartbreaking. It was so hard to read about Lenny losing her sister, her confidant, and the love of her life. I love that their friendship was portrayed this way, as even more important than her love life. Bastone knows how to make my heart ache, loving and wishing for that connection but also feeling so broken-hearted by/for the main character.

I loved the love story, but would have enjoyed learning even more about the girls together. However I loveeee Miles and how he supported Lenny through so much and was the drop everything and help friend to her. He was swoony and romantic but also funny and sullen. They both brought the best out of the other and it was so fun to be along for the ride. Their relationship being built on a foundation of emotional connection and friendship was great. Bastone is great at the slow burn, but loving romance I would’ve liked to see more of them together at the end! But that’s just my romantic heart and loving these characters, and not being ready to say goodbye.

I just really enjoyed the depth, the characters, the banter, the story, the niece and all of it.

I absolutely loved Ready or Not, and I was anxiously awaiting her newest release. It did not disappoint! I loved everything about this book. No one does friends-to-lovers as well as Cara Bastone. I laughed. I cried. I kicked my feet in the air. Grief was done so so so well. I felt seen by Lenny. And Miles was the sweetest steady boy. Grief can feel so lonely and isolating, especially when everyone else goes back to their life and your whole world is still stopped. I loved that Miles was there for Lenny, in any way that she needed, every step of the way. I couldn't put this book down, and I'm already recommending it to everyone I know. I will forever be a fan of Cara Bastone.

Promise Me Sunshine is a heartfelt exploration of grief, healing, and unexpected connection. Cara Bastone crafts a touching slow-burn romance with raw emotion and well-drawn characters. Lenny’s journey through loss feels authentic, and Miles’ gruff yet understanding nature adds depth to their evolving relationship.

However, while the premise is compelling, the execution sometimes lags. The pacing can feel uneven, with some moments dragging while others resolve too quickly. Miles and Lenny’s dynamic is engaging but occasionally frustrating, and some side characters—especially Reese—could have been fleshed out more.

Overall, it’s a moving, character-driven story with emotional highs and lows, but it doesn’t fully hit its potential. A solid read for those who love slow-burn romances with a heavier emotional core.

This is such a beautiful story. The way Cara writes about grief and loss is so incredibly relatable and real.

The relationship development between Miles and Lenny was so natural and realistic.

I so wish we could have seen more on-page development in the sibling relationship between Reese and Miles

When Lenny is faced with the task of carrying on after the death of her best friend, Lou, she finds herself avoiding her parents, refusing to step foot in the apartment she and Lou shared and feeling generally unsteady. She begins nannying for a single mom, Reese, and her daughter Ainsley, as a way to keep her mind busy during the day and avoid grieving. But while she thinks she's found the perfect solution to avoid her problems, she's soon introduced to Ainsley's uncle, Miles, who makes it clear off the bat that he's not fond of Lenny.

Pretty soon through, it becomes clear that both Lenny and Miles completely misunderstood each other, and it's not long before he's making a deal with her - he'll help her work through her "live again" list if she can coach him on how to become closer to Ainsley and Reese. As the two start to spend more time together, Lenny learns not only how to live a life without Lou, but also how wrong she was about Miles initially.

This was the second book from Cara Bastone that I read and I loved it just as much, if not more. The way she wrote the dialogue and the banter between the main characters sucked me in and made it hard to put downLenny and Miles felt so real and as if I was right there living this story with them. While the storyline was sensitive and wasn't always filled with flowers, I appreciate how she showed the real parts of grieving and how it's not a linear journey. I would without a doubt recommend this to anyone and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

This romance book is a very emotional story about both romantic love and friendship. The female main character, Lenny, has recently lost her best friend, and her grief is crippling her. She cannot bring herself to face the apartment they shared, and she cannot move forward with her everyday life. Miles enters her life at exactly the right time to help her learn how to live with her grief and function in the world again.

I liked how this book approached the subject of grief. Unfortunately, it was not a good time for me to read this because of experiencing fresh grief myself. That is not the book's fault, though. I think if I read it at a different time, I could have loved it.

Ilike Miles a lot because he is so compassionate to those around him, even though he seems grumpy. He doesn't seem like a real person, though. He's a bit too perfect. Lenny, on the other hand, is difficult for me to like. I empathize with her grief, but I can't relate to her personality. I find her quite immature. Her internal dialogue seems much younger than her age.

Overall, Ilike this book just fine. I would recommend it to romance readers who don't mind some heavy, emotional situations.

A very emotional read! This book is mostly about Lenny learning to live again after the loss of her childhood best friend and it was written beautifully.

The romance was so sweet! I love Lenny & Miles for each other. There is something magical about the way that Cara Bastone writes friendships, my favorite scenes in her books are often just 2 people or even a group of people relaxing together.

Highly recommend!!

This book was amazing. It was funny and raw and relatable and I absolutely loved it. I was nervous going into it expecting it to be sad or sullen based on the description (don’t get me wrong, I definitely cried more than once), but I found myself smiling and laughing a majority of the time.

Lenny and Miles were unique characters with their backgrounds and personalities and that coupled with the plot really made this a standout read. It was a slow slow slow burn but so worth it in the end.

It would have been no more than a 3 star if I finished

DNF @ 57%

I just don’t think this author is for me. I tried her other book Ready or Not and didn’t care for that one either.

I couldn’t connect with the characters and the storyline wasn’t that appealing overall. I’ve had some great losses in my life but this book isn’t really hitting me with the grief aspect either.

I honestly never wanted this book to end.

We meet Lenny after she experiences a huge loss and we go on the grieving journey with her in all the big and little ways. This book really nailed how losing someone affects you and continues to affect you. I wanted to give her a big hug, but she has Miles, which is even better. He helps by pushing her out of her comfort zone, learning to truly live again, while supporting her the whole time in all the ways she needs. In return, Lenny, babysitter extraordinaire, helps Miles with Ainsley. The relationship between the three of them is adorable.

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful love story between Lenny and Miles, but also a story about finding yourself again after a life-altering loss.

I gave this one a 3.5 stars. Cara Bastone writes great books but the slow burn is toooooo slooooooooooooow for me lol. The portrayal of grief and the journey losing someone takes you on is so well done. The how do I go on without my person, who am I without them and how does any of this make sense was so raw and real. Have tissues with you while reading because the emotions are written in such a way that anyone who has ever experienced any kind of loss of a loved one will say yep, I know how this feels and feel it right along with Lenny. While the book has some funny moments, it is overall quite heavy and I would urge you to be kind to yourself while reading because Cara will put you through it.

This was so heartbreaking and so beautiful all at the same time. I absolutely adored the characters and the way that the story developed. I loved being able to see the female main character grow and learn how to live with her grief. Although, it was terrible sad, the relationship between the female main character and main male character was magical. I loved watching them grow their friendship and how that developed into love. It was all so perfect. Highly recommend!