Another huge hit from Cara Bastone. This book was incredibly emotional and heavy, dealing with some deep death and grief topics, but it was handled with grace and the raw reality and beauty of navigating through the cycles of grief. I'd definitely consider this a super slow burn romance, but it needed to be so slow to fully believe in it. Miles is what everyone dreams of finding in a friend and ultimately a partner, especially when you're trying to get yourself through some heavy life events.

The audio was fantastic and Bastone has secured her spot in my favourite author section. Prepare yourself for a book full of emotional turmoil in so many ways, but with moments of hope, beauty and a little silly humour to keep you going. Can't wait for the next one!

This was a cute story with likable characters. But overall, the book just felt kind of flat for me. Not a ton happened, and it didn’t really pull me in. It ended up taking me way longer to finish than usual, which says a lot. Still sweet and enjoyable, just not super memorable.

Promise Me Sunshine is Cara Bastone’s latest release and romance readers are sure to warm to it (pun intended). This book features a slow burn romance, a wholesome group of characters and an adorable little character named Ainsley.

The novel follows Lenny after the death of her best friend. While grieving and trying to be an active member of society, Lenny finds a job as a nanny to sweet and sassy Ainsley. This new role features one misunderstood and broody character that happens to be everywhere Lenny is. Enter Miles, said broody character who also happens to be Ainsley’s uncle.

Miles needs help in the uncle department and Lenny needs no help at all in being exactly who Ainsley needs when her mother, Reese, is at work. But Lenny does need support as she works through her grief.

Miles and Lenny reach an agreement, Miles will help Lenny work through her grief and Lenny will help Miles connect with Ainsley.

Promise Me Sunshine is about the events that occur after a loss, it is about healing and finding connection when you actually want to feel nothing. It is about finding meaning in the mundane and letting the unexpected guide you.

A quick and sweet read for readers of the contemporary fiction and romance genres.

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse for providing me with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Promise Me Sunshine is the story of a woman finding herself again after a great loss. Her childhood best friend an adult roommate has passed away from a long battle with cancer that she saw her through and now Lenny is just floating on trying to keep going with no real direction.

That is until a temporary nannying gig with a precocious little girl and an incredibly cute uncle finds Lenny tying up some of her loose ends. Miles not a stranger de grief takes it upon himself to assist Lenny in this adventure of coping and becoming hole again in exchange for her Expertise with children so he can create a relationship with his estranged niece.

Along the way ( a long way), these two spark and find that their friendship has become something more and they give love and happiness, another chance together!

This slow burn strangers to friends to lovers romance is an ode to love one’s lost and finding the will to carry on afterwards. Grief is a central focus of this book, but so is the joy of every day living and love. Carstone rates, amazing characters that grow so much that all I can say is, don’t forget the tissues with this one.

This is a beautiful story of a woman going through the different stages of grief after losing her best friend to cancer. Lenny's struggles to live and function because her grief is all consuming in her life until she meets Miles. As they both are dealing with great losses in their life, Miles takes Lenny under his wing and their friendship grows and develops throughout the book.

This was such a good book!! I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for and advanced eARC of this book!!

Reading this book was like watching the best romance movie ever. It made me a fan of slow burns. Lenny is a realistic character battling grief when she meets Miles who also happens to be overcoming grief in a way different from Lenny. Together they both bond of their grief, raw emotions, and support of each others life choices.

~3.5, rounded up~
RECAP: Still reeling from the loss of her best friend Lou, Lenny is barely holding it together, avoiding her life & clinging to a babysitting job for a single mom and her sharp-witted daughter, Ainsley. Complicating things is Ainsley’s uncle Miles, who sees through Lenny’s act and, dealing with his own grief, proposes a deal: he'll help her complete her “live again” list if she helps him bond with Ainsley. As they spend time together, Lenny begins to learn that even in the wake of loss, healing—and love—might still be possible.

REVIEW: This book started at 4 stars, but once we got to about the 60% mark, Lenny really started to get on my nerves. She just didn't act someone in their late 20s/early 30s would act in a relationship? Maybe the narrator's inflections didn't help the character's case, but I found myself starting to speed through some parts toward the end. Overall, I did really like Miles' character and how he almost grounded Lenny and gave her some peace during such a horrific time in her life. It's a super grief-heavy book, but I thought the author tackled the subject matter tactfully.

I enjoyed this story so much!!!!!! I got swept in by the character and look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you net galley!

bawled my way through this entire book lol i feel crushed and also i remain further convinced that to be loved is to be seen and grief is the hardest thing any of us will ever have to work through

I listened to this one on audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job giving so much energy and personality to the main character. This is another book that rides the line between romance and contemporary fiction, and ultimately I truly don't know if it is a romance. The book is much more about a woman grappling with grief and depression in the wake of losing her best friend to cancer. The development of her relationship with another central character is the absolute slowest of burns, (like nothing until 75% of the way in). That being said it was a beautiful story. The characters felt young to me, because they were young. Enjoyable

This was so incredibly sweet! I’m now 2 for 2 on this author’s books. The way she navigated grief felt so honest and real.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced copy!

Honestly, this book was BRILLIANT- each character was uniquely flawed, and perfect, and loveable- thank you so much to the publisher//Negalley for my ARC copy, I absolutely adore this book by Cara Bastone and am a loyal reader of hers from here on out. The grief themes were done with tact, and the death of a best friend [instead of romantic partner, parent] is underutilized, leaving those grieving even more isolated. Didn’t know I’d be giving this 5stars but here we are!

Cara Bastone did it again! While this one did not hook me as quickly as Ready or Not, it did have the same emotional depth. It was sad, fun, and heartbreaking in the best way – make sure you are in the right mindset for all the grief! My first impressions of Miles were not great, but he eventually grew on me. Lenny is so quirky and once you realize the depth of her grief, I think you start to understand her much better. Miles is so patient, and sweet in a lowkey way, it really snuck up on me how much I ended up loving him! I loved Ainsley, she added some much needed humor around such heavy subjects, and all of the side characters were really great. I felt like this story was really beautiful and it went through many stages, and while the romance was not prevalent throughout, it had the perfect ending!

Thank you Random House Publishing for this ARC!

This book pulls heartstrings. The story is beautifully crafted and how it danced through sensitive topics/issues in life with such delicacy is great.

I really really enjoyed this book. Lenny’s grief was so raw and messy and real. Honestly, a little *too* real as someone who has experienced a devastating loss. Miles was so incredible in the ways he helped her through her grief. I loved watching their relationship flourish. I love the family they both gained while they navigated their lives & grief journeys together.

Thank you @netgalley for the early access to this book! Alex Finke is an unbelievably good narrator !

This got cheesy towards the end, but covered grief in a pretty authentic way! Adding to my list of grief recommendations!

I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy of Promise Me Sunshine from the author, and Random House! 🫶

Promise Me Sunshine is such a beautiful and evocative novel that truly brings the reader on such an emotional journey! 🥹💕 I am a huge fan of Cara Bastone and her books and this one made me love her work even more. It made me cry so many times when reading and the emotional connections I made with the characters was beautiful beyond all means! 🫶

A tender journey through grief and growth. The story delves into themes of grief, healing and unexpected connection. I loved the slow burn romance between Lenny and Miles and thought the writing to be powerful.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Be still my heart. What a beautiful book on grief and healing, with a touch of friends becoming lovers. Lenny is struggling after the loss of her best friend, likewise Miles just recently moved on from his own grief but is having trouble connecting with his remaining family. He helps her through her grief, she helps him get to his sister and niece. Their slow burn romance is one to be desired, how they each find themselves through time spent with each other is uplifting and fulfilling. 4.5 stars

<b>2.25 stars</b> **ꕥ**
↳ ᡴꪫ ⸝⸝ i think i set my expectations way too high once again. i was expecting tears to be shed while reading this book — however, i felt <b>nothing.</b> like cara bastone’s other book that i read, ‘ready or not’, this was incredibly boring. the characters were trying too hard to be quirky and different that, in the end, they had nothing that <u>really</u> made them stand out from other character — it just felt like they were holograms of what they could actually be developed into.

१˒🪄⋆ one thing i can credit cara for is she definitely did her research. <b>lenny’s</b> grief in this book was portrayed in a raw, unfiltered, and devastating way. nothing was sugarcoated or swept over. it’s quite obvious in this book that bastone put her heart into this depiction.

<blockquote>“it’s hard-won wisdom. a formula i figured out in my dark days. one i still need sometimes. when everything is going dark and you can’t understand why…when the grief catches up to you again…or when your sister shouts at you and you feel like the world’s biggest tool. just remember. something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery. that’s the winning formula.”</blockquote>

🌄 the characters. ᝰ.ᐟ there was nothing inherently wrong with lenny, or even miles, for that matter. again, it’s just they both didn’t have any personality. it got to the point where i took a 5 minute break from reading the book and forgot the mmc’s name 😭.

𖠵 𓂃 overall, i don’t think i’ll be reading more of bastone’s work anytime soon. the main reason i think i don’t enjoy her books is because of the <b>writing style.</b> something more ann liang, tjr, ashley poston, or ocean vuong type could’ve greatly increased this book’s rating for me.

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ꕥ pre-read . ݁₊ ⊹ . ✴︎
deciding to give cara bastone another try after seeing all the raving reviews for this 🤞🏻🦋!