I think I may have found a new favorite romance author🤭

I absolutely LOVED Promise Me Sunshine! It was such a sweet and emotional story, and the slow burn, grumpy/sunshine romance between Lenny and Miles was so precious. Lenny was so quirky, and Miles was such a cinnamon roll under his grumpy exterior. The setting was so authentically New York (which made me so excited to be going to NY for the first time in a few weeks!!). And I think the author did a great job of handling grief and the aftermath of a loved one’s death. If you love books by Katherine Center or Abby Jimenez, I think you’ll really like this book, and I will definitely be putting Cara Bastone’s other books on my tbr.

Content Notes: Heavy focus on grief and the loss of loved ones. Open door scene in chapter 32, as well as sexual innuendo throughout. Some use of strong profanity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sending me an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC! All opinions are my own.

Promise me Sunshine is a slow-burn romance that explores grief, healing, and unexpected connections. Lenny is struggling after losing her best friend, Lou, to cancer. To avoid dealing with her parents and her empty apartment, she throws herself into babysitting jobs. Her latest gig is watching Ainsley, the daughter of Reese, a single mom—but it’s Ainsley’s grumpy uncle, Miles, who keeps catching Lenny’s attention.

I like to go into books without knowing much about the premise because I enjoy being surprised. As someone who is currently grieving the loss of my sister, this book hit home. I saw so much of myself in Lenny—her emotions felt like my own. Even though this is fiction, at times, I took it as a self-help book for my grief.

The ending left me wanting—needing—more, and it felt a little rushed. But one of my favorite takeaways is a new mantra: “The only way out is through.”

This is the second book I’ve read from Cara Bastone, and I can confidently say she’s becoming one of my favorite authors.

I had high hopes for this one after seeing it everywhere but unfortunately it was only okay. We have Lenny who is grieving the death of her best friend. She meets Miles through a nannying gig and he promises to help her through her grief and help her learn to find joy again. Having lost my dad less than two years ago, I was intrigued by the theme of loss and processing grief. Unfortunately, I felt Lenny’s grief to be very surface level and not very raw (unlike what Kennedy Ryan’s Before I Let Go). She felt juvenile in her reliance of Miles, but I do understand what the author was doing with the importance of support during difficult times.

On top of the grief and loss theme feeling shallow,I felt Lenny and Miles’ romance went from 0 to 100 in the last 30%. I would have liked more development between the two of them.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t anything gut-punching or emotional like I had hoped it would be. If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a likeable male main character and found family, I recommmed this read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Such a touching and fun romance. The novel touches on grief in a relatable way that doesn’t pull you down but leaves you hopeful for all the life left to live and who you can live it with.

Cara has knocked this book out of the park!!!!! Delightful and emotional, I fell in love with Lenny and Miles. Unputdownable.

Wow. What a beautiful, heartbreaking novel. This was by far my favorite this month! The author addressed grief in such a real, raw manner - my heart absolutely broke for Lenny and Miles as they shared their stories of loss. And yet- the joy these two characters found in each other was so pure and I love them so much 🤍🤍🤍
(Also the side characters are all wonderful and I just loved everything about this entire book)

Read if you love:
🤍 supportive, sweet book boyfriends
🤍 books that make you cry
🤍 found family

Promise Me Sunshine was a genuine, breath of fresh air with a beautiful plot line that explored the grief of loosing a loved one. The book was incredibly sweet and loved the chemistry between the two characters. The writing was so fun and easy to understand while getting to difficult topics, such as grief. Both characters really explored the grief and supported each other, and I loved how the book transitioned from a life of instability to a life of joy, which was so exciting to watch unfold.

The first fifty or so pages were a little bit slow, but after that point the plot really intrigued me and I couldn't put the book down!

Thank you so much to Cara Bastone and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

Ohhhh this was SO good. I really liked Ready or Not but this was even better. It was so emotional and beautiful and the characters were complex and loveable.

I picked this one up because I loved Ready or Not (5 stars!) and while I enjoyed reading it, I didn't feel as engaged with this one as I did with the other. I liked this exploration of grief more than some other explorations I've seen in romance novels, but it didn't get to me the way I expected it to (though I did tear up a little toward the end). I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in more women's fiction based romance than a super romance-forward romance novel.

I wasn’t sure about this book going into it, but it ended up bringing a big smile to my face! Lenny’s personal journey throughout this book felt very realistic. And Miles was a picture-perfect book boyfriend. Loved them.

4.5 stars rounded up! I adore this book so much that it’s honestly hard to put into words. It’s heartfelt, tender, and brimming with the kind of hope and love that sticks with you long after the last page. This story made me laugh, tear up, and fall completely in love with the characters. It’s one of those rare reads that makes you feel like you’re living alongside the story — and I didn’t want it to end. ⛴️
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Have you read this one yet? If not, I promise you need to add it to your list!🥰
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Thanks to Random House Publishing, Net Galley, and Cara Bastone for the chance to read this one. I truly was sad to see it end because I enjoyed it THAT much. Keep on writing, Cara, you are a gem!
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#BookReview #CaraBastone #PromiseMeSunshine #Bookstagram #FeelGoodReads #RomanceBooks #GetLitWithAimee

This book is heartbreaking AND heartwarming. Everyone needs their own Miles in their life when going through a rough patch. This story unfolded beautifully and really touched my heart. This was so much more than just a romance book.

Promise Me Sunshine is a super heavy book but I felt like it was done with a perfect mix of heart, hope, and healing. I loved the characters & was cheering Lenny on the whole way!

4 stars

I throughly enjoyed this book!! It gave me all the warm and fuzzies. I was originally sort of hesitant to read this as a I liked "Ready or Not" but it didnt sit in my soul. BUT thankfully (shout out to @vivafalastinleen on TikTok) I was convinced to read it and I am so glad I did. It was a great escape while trying to write my personal statement and study for the MCAT. Wish I had a Miles of my own to push me to continue doing the healthy hard things. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone, especially people who desperately yearn to be known, not necessarily loved.

This was so good like I actually savored this book so much and the moments that these characters shared, the grief that was dealt with was so beautifully written and the writing itself was masterclass. I was hooked and engaged and in love. Even during my slump when I had no desire to read or when I picked up a book and was disliking it, this book was the only one that stood out and gave me actual feels. I can't comment on the pacing because I was in a slump and traveling so it was slow for me but I didn't mind it because I was enjoying it so much. Like the effort and the thought process that went through this book was so pure and raw, the complex emotional turmoil was dealt with so swiftly and it showcased the realities of loosing someone and oh my god it was done so well, it was so damn relatable and it made me feel so much.

This was my first Cara book and you bet your ass that I'll binge all her other books because it's so hard for me to find an author who's like five stars on the first read and tbh I just got this arc because the name and the cover were so enticing and honestly looking at it and at the actual story of the book it's so different, I was actually fooled but believe me that the story inside the book was as pretty as the outside of this book and you would be missing out big time if you skip this book over because oh my god it has everything.

PROMISE ME SUNSHINE Cara Bastone was the first book I read by the author and I’m glad I took a chance with this book.

Cara created an incredible thought provoking story about love, friendship, overcoming grief, finding one self again as well as re-learning how to live again.

The way that Cara wrote about Lenny’s pain and vulnerability had me stricken me hard. I was in complete awe through it all

Lenny and Mile’s had incredible chemistry, I loved there moments together. Despite both being flawed and going through their individual struggles they fit so well together. I admired how they accepted and supported each other. The thoughtfulness Miles showed Lenny was beautiful. Their vulnerable moments made me feel connected to them on such a deep level. They felt so real and human

Overall, I absolutely loved book. Everything about it was perfection. I’m still trying to figure out what I’m feeling right now after finishing this book but I can tell you I can’t wait to read more of the authors work.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Cara and Netgalley for this copy, I’m truly thankful to receive a copy of this incredible book.

I loved Cara Bastone's previous book, Ready or Not, so I was very excited to receive an early copy of this one. I really loved it, I loved Lenny and Miles, and really appreciate how it did not shy away from discussing the real parts of grief. It did a very good job at showing that grief is not linear, that healing takes time, and that it's good to lean on people.

Miles was such a swoony main character -- I loved him, and loved how solid he was and so compassionate. I loved seeing Lenny warm up and open up and let people help her -- such important life lessons. I also loved Ainsley, and her relationships both with Lenny and with Miles.

Overall I recommend this to anyone who wants a solid love story that will also make your heart ache. I can't wait to read more by Cara Bastone!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautifully crafted story that captures the heart with its warmth and depth. It offers a refreshing experience, filled with moments that stay with you long after the last page. Highly recommend!

I loved this book so so so much! As someone that deals with grief, depression and anxiety I related so much to the main characters and this book was just so beautifully written. I felt like it healed parts of me in ways I don’t even think I can describe.

It was raw, so real, relatable and full of so much emotional depth and really highlights the complexity of dealing with loss of someone that’s part of your heart and soul.

Love can and does heal you. Kindness is everything.

I will definitely read more by Cara Bastone in the future🫶🏼

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback and Cara Bastone for giving me an ARC of this book.

This is my first Cara Bastone and I really enjoyed it. Despite the heavy content of the book, I found this book light, funny, and wonderfully written.
Grief is not linear and the struggles that Miles and Lenny went through felt similar to my mine.
I appreciated the secondary characters of the book and their own journey through grief as they were supporting and supported by the main characters.
I really liked the growth that both Miles and Lenny had because to be honest, sometimes I felt like while Lenny was going through hard times she was hard to deal with and I’m glad that over time she was able to acknowledge that and her burden.