I tend to shy away from books where grief is a main focal point and I wasn’t a huge fan of Ready or Not. So, those two things right there would have stopped me from reading it.

But when I tell you this book is everything & will be on my list of favorite books for 2025, I mean it.

Both Lenny and Miles were such a breath of fresh air. The support Miles gave Lenny, the banter between the two of them, and the character growth was top tier. Their dynamic was perfect. I mean, perfection. Both heartwarming and hilarious.

Honestly, every single character was so much fun. I love little seven year old Ainsley, Reese, Lenny’s parents, and Lenny & Miles’ friends.

This book is perfect in every way. I need everyone to read it ASAP and then yap with me about it!!!

This book was the definition of happiness. I actually found myself smiling while reading and listening to it. I loved the characters, their banter, their chemistry and their stories. This story was about grief, love, growth and those that support you. This book felt real, the characters were incredibly well developed, flawed, funny, and kind. The romance was a slow burn, but not in an annoying way, but a perfectly well developed and fun to read way. I felt a large range of emotions while reading this and honestly would love to see this made into a movie. It was just perfection. The two main characters support one another to get over grief and heartbreak, which slowly turns into a friendship and then love. A well paced, incredibly well written story.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

What a stunning exploration of early and "lived-in" grief and the power of finding a fellow griever to help you through the tumultuous time that is those early months. Cara has a masterful approach to balancing the heavy with the funny and brings in levity in a careful way in order to not add burden to the reader.

I love Miles. We should all learn from Miles about how to be better grievers. I love Lenny so much. Her honesty and love for Lou is such a testament to their bond.

Thank you to Dial for this eARC and for all the feels, they're all my own.

This book is so beautiful! I teared up multiple times while reading it. Everything about Lenny and miles’ relationship is amazing to watch develop and I had hearts in my eyes for all 300 something pages. Their love is something I aspire to have one day<3 Watching Lenny grieve the death of her best friend was heartbreaking especially because it made me think about how when my best friend dies I’ll be in the exact same boat as Lenny. Her tumultuous journey through grief is something to be studied! The humor in this book also is top tier I actually chuckled a lot! As much as I LOVED Ready or not, I absolutely ADORED PMS!

Special thank to NetGalley for this ARC!

First thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read the ARC for this book.

Promise Me Sunshine is one of those books that just hits you from the get go. You are thrust immediately into Lenny’s grief from the very first page. And Miles, oh what a man you are. One of the best male protagonists that I have read in a long time. This book was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.

This one will stick with me for a while.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

FMC: Lenny, dealing with the loss of her lifelong best friend and nanny to Ainsley
MMC: Miles, Ainsley's uncle, Lenny's unofficial grief counselor

*Dealing with grief & loss
*Slow burn romance
*Friends to lovers
*Grumpy/sunshine

I really liked this book. It is heavy on talk of cancer and loss of a best friend/sister, so although there are parts of this book that will make you laugh, there are definitely parts that will make you cry.

WOW! a true 5 star read for me!!! Cara took us on a journey struggling with grief and acceptance!! She showed us how to not only find our own sunshine but how to help others find their own little ray of sunshine!
MILES!!! We all need a MIles in our life!! MIles is the true picture of what a friend, companion, and lover should be! He is literally there at the drop of a hat, or tear, for Lenny. He " walks through hell for her and carries her back out". He goes above and beyond for those he loves and even a stranger, putting everyone before his own wants and needs.
Lenny ...... struggling with her own grief finds a way to focus her energy into helping MIles with his relationship with his new found sister and niece. Little do they both know that while helping one another they are working through their own pain......... and falling in love!!! This is a true love story!!
FIVE STARS!!!!

I went into this book knowing zero things about the plot or story and I feel like that usually ends up being a good thing for me!
This book has a lot of heart and I really liked it!
Processing grief and the death of a loved one seems to unintentionally be a very common book theme for me so far this year.
I can specifically think of 5 books I’ve read recently that deal with that topic and what I love/find interesting is that they all navigate it so differently & isn’t that just totally the truth in real life?!?

If you read Cara Bastones last book Ready or Not you may be thinking this is a romance similar to that one and it’s not. There is a romance and I actually thought it was really natural and sweet but it’s a secondary storyline.
Lenny is possibly one of the quirkiest main characters I’ve read in quite a while. She has a big personality and wears her heart on her sleeve and possibly she could rub some people wrong but I loved her❤️ Miles is insanely patient and kind and has some issues of his own he’s working through.

There couldn’t be 2 people who need each other more, who fill in the holes for each other and bring sunshine into each other’s lives.

Slightly slower pacing in this book but it didn’t bother me. I really liked this one!

✨ PROMISE ME SUNSHINE ✨
Rating: 4 ⭐️ - I Liked It

❤️ for my LOVERS of a DEEPER themed romance novel, NYC settings, lots character DEVELOPMENT & growth, and amazing side characters!

❤️ I love loved these CHARACTERS - Lenny, Miles, Reese, Ainsley, Lenny’s parents, the friend gang! These side characters made the book IMO!

💔 the PLOT line was tough - most of the novel focuses primarily on the grief of Lenny and some cases Miles - it’s deep and not a light novel in an sense!

❤️ another one for LENNY - she was such a unique & interesting FMC - her banter, her quirkiness, her raw and realness

Huge TY to @dialpress for my e-ARC of Cara’s latest novel!

💭 Are you planning to pick up Cara’s latest novel?

First and foremost thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review. All thoughts are my own.


This was such a beautiful story about grief and learning to live again without having to forget. Grief is something that most of us has experienced at least once in our life and in my experience grief is not linear, this story shows that. I loved seeing the growth in the main character and I really resonated with her journey throughout the story. The romance was just an enjoyable added bonus. I loved this book it was beautiful, it was complex, I laughed and I cried. I can not say enough good things, Please add this one to your TBR.

Goodness gracious. My heart has been ripped from my body. What is this feeling I am feeling?

Thank you NetGalley, Dial and Random House for the arc, out now!

One of my favorite things about romance books is the way everything comes together so beautifully. How through all the hardship and fallouts, there's that one person who will find you and keep you afloat, because they never want someone to experience that terrible thing again.

Lenny had the best character dialogue. I felt so seen and I laughed alongside her insane thoughts and sarcastic/dry humor. She was going through it. She really was. She lost her best friend, her soulmate, the one who was always there for her. How does one return to their previous life without their partner, without their life buddy? You kinda figure it out through the most absurd ways. You meet a man when you begin a babysitting gig, he ends up following you one day and finds out you have been sleeping in random places, and he cares for you in so many ways emotionally and mentally before anything else.

Miles made me question a lot. I truly loved his character like no other. He offered himself as Lenny's "call-at-anytime friend, because I went through grief before and it is heartbreaking, and if you don't have someone to pull you out, you will stay stuck," in exchange for Lenny teaching him how to be a better uncle to his niece (who Lenny is babysitting) and brother to his sister (his niece's mom). Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Grief isn't linear. You can't follow steps you see online, you can't follow a timeline, because truly it's going to hit you whenever it wants. Life truly sucks that way. I struggled a lot reading this book. I, like Lou, also had a best friend who passed from Cancer. However, I rarely had any time with my best friend, we were girls who met in VPK and she passed in 6th grade, a few years after we lost touch. Lou said and did so many things because it's the only thing her heart could trust.

"He walked into hell and dragged me back out," do you know how in love you have to be to do every single thing to ensure your partner doesn't harm themselves? Miles picked Lou off the ground, dusted her off, and handcuffed himself to her, because he didn't have anyone there for him when he was on the ground.

Another thing I adore about romance books? When the cover/title has so much meaning to the book and makes you gasp. Promise me Sunshine. A book about grief and finding the light at the very end of a dark tunnel. Anytime Lou was falling into a thunderstorm of emotions, Miles was her sunshine, making sure she stayed dry.

Cara, while this is my first book by you, I hope you know you've automatically become an auto-buy author. I am in awe of your writing and the way you write emotion. I can not wait to go back and read your other work <3

Absolutely loved this book - so funny and emotional, and I'm in awe of Cara and her writing!
Cannot praise this book enough.

Lenny and Miles had my heart in their hands and I could not put this book down. So much emotion and emphasis on grief and trauma and overcoming it. I particularly enjoyed the fact that love did not fix everything, but that it helped the both of them mend.

☀️ Promise Me Sunshine ☀️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Genre- Contemporary Romance. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Length- 416 pages. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣When was the last time you finished a book and went- “well that’s going to a favorite of the year?!” Because that’s exactly what happened to me last week when I finished this beautiful little book! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Promise Me Sunshine is my favorite kind of romance- highly emotional with a strong backstory that isn’t just about falling in love. Lenny, our main character, is struggling with life after her best friend passes away. Miles, our quiet and broody male lead, knows a lot about grief and decides to help Lenny learn to live again. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣I laughed, I cried and I completely devoured this book! Read it please! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Five stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Promise Me Sunshine. This one is out now!

I really loved this grief-tinged romance that’s all about healing while remembering. Cara Bastone does a great job at balancing the melancholy and sadness with humor and love.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/4 stars!!

absolutely loved this!! the way grief was explained and handled was so realistic.

thank you so much for my arc <3

This was my first book by the author but I feel like I can say this is her at her peak. I mean with lines like “He treats you well?” “Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out.” I mean, swoon. Lenny was such a well thought out character. The way she was written-there were so many layers to her and the portrayal of the depth of her loss of her best friend was so real and raw it was absolutely guttural. Lenny got to a place where where she didn’t feel like living anymore because she couldn’t deal with the absence of the person who was such a major influence on her life.
Then came Miles, our MMC. He’s cute, smart, wears glasses, is an introvert and is super kind and genuine. He’s the kind of person you want in your life because he’s loyal and dependable. And Miles was grieving someone too and he helped Lenny deal with her loss while walking through his.
Despite the topic being heavy, the banter between Lenny and miles was light and fun and the way their romance slowly weaved it’s way throughout the story was so satisfying because it didn’t feel like it was just thrown into the mix. It felt like they were each others saving grace.
If you don’t read this one this spring, you’re missing out on something special.
Thanks to Dial Press Trade and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

🌞Book Review🌞
*
Thank you so much @prhaudio for the advanced copy of Promise me sunshine. I’m a big fan of her writing, and I was so honored to get an advanced copy! This book was super sweet but it wasn’t a perfect read for me! I wanted to fall in love with Lenny and Miles, I thought he was a total dream boat. I wanted more of Miles story and less of Lenny, I unfortunately didn’t love her character. Lenny was a bit insufferable but this one had a really deep premise. Just missed the mark on the character development for me a bit.
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
Summary- Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Ever since cancer stole away her best friend, she has been completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with her best friend, and the ever-laminated “live again” list of things she’s promised to do to survive her grief.

The only gigs she can handle right now are temporary babysitting jobs, and she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. The only catch: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of. . . a walking version of the grumpy cat meme. Worse – he seems to be able to see right through her.

Surprisingly, Miles knows a lot about grief and he offers Lenny a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the void her best friend has left behind, but between late night ferry rides, midnight ramen, and a well-placed shoulder whenever she needs it, Miles just won’t stop showing up for her.
*
In the book, Lenny’s go to spot was the Staten Island Ferry.
QOTD- what’s your go to comfort spot ? For me it’s the park, my garden, a bookstore, or TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Homegoods 🤣.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley! This was a hopeful story of finding yourself after grief. Lenny is grieving after the loss of her former Lou. When she takes a short term nanny position she has no idea how much it will change her life.

This book was literal perfection. I’ve always been a friends to lovers enthusiast, and this book is proof of why. It also deals with grief in such a beautiful way.

More than anything in this book, I loved Lenny. She’s fun, loyal, and understanding. She is definitely eccentric, but in the best way possible. You don’t know how many times I burst out laughing because of something she said or did 😂. And despite her fun personality being displayed so well, the grief of losing her best friend is so obvious in Lenny’s behavior. Seeing her grow and learn to work through the grief had me completely rooting for her.

Miles was also such a lovable character. He’s introverted and awkward, so when he meets the fun, outgoing Lenny, we get to see a lot of his personality. Miles is also someone who’s experienced grief, and I love how he and Lenny showed that people deal with loss differently. And I absolutely adored his relationship with Lenny. They were constantly there for one another and knew each other so, so well. They were the definition of “to be loved is to be known.”

The side characters were also lovable. Ainsley was the cutest, and I loved Reese’s growth. Lenny’s relationship with her parents was so sweet 🥹. Jericho, Rica, and Jeffy were such fun and loving friends to both Lenny and Miles.

I cried while reading this. You would think I cried in a very, very emotional scene, likely with Lenny and Miles. Wrong. Very wrong. It wasn’t even a SCENE that made me cry. It was literally just a moment where I realized how Lenny was feeling and who she would want to talk to about it. Yes, there was a scene involving the other person afterwards, but the actual scene didn’t make me cry 😭. I can’t say more without spoilers, but 70% of the way into the book, I put the book down and cried. If I am emotionally invested enough in a book to cry, then that’s a great book.

Overall, this was such a well-written and beautiful book. I loved it so much and will definitely be reading Cara Bastone’s other works.

PROMISE ME SUNSHINE by Cara Bastone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @prhaudio and @netgalley review! Wading through grief, friendships, and moving on.
Phew! This was lovely, albeit a few unbelievable parts. I think going into this knowing it's less of a romance and more about a girl figuring out how to love after she loses her best friend to cancer. Bring tissues, especially if you plan on doing the audiobook! The narrator really plays into the emotion in her voice.

Lenny is a bit of a mess, she's avoiding her apartment, her parents, and anything that will remind her of her best friend Lou. Lenny's life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again.

Perfect for you if you love...

•books that make you cry
•exploring grief
•NYC bucket list

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ slow burn
Mood: 🍫

#bookstagram #bookreview #audiobook #ro