Tysm @prhaudio for the #gifted listening copy and @thedialpress for the early reading copy

I started this one on a walk last week and I have been OBSESSED ever since. If you can, I highly, highly recommend you read with your ears with this one. The narrator Alex Finke is phenomenal. If i could bold that and underline it I would. She brings the story to life in a way that is so endearing and I felt transformed on into the page with the characters. I have no idea what else she narrates but I will be looking into that immediately!

This is a standalone, slow burn romance that is going to get you in all your feels. It is for anyone that has ever struggled with grief and loss with the perfect balance of light and dark and serious and funny.

Lenny moved up there as one of my favorite characters of the year!

4.5 stars

I knew that after reading Ready or Not, I would pick up any book Cara Bastone writes. I lean towards dual POV romance books with deep character development and have a bit more spice. Promise Me Sunshine is not something I would usually love but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

Lenny's best friend/soulmate Lou passed from cancer and nothing was ever the same. The main concept of this book is grief and getting through it. Enter Miles, who offers to help Lenny complete a checklist that Lou wrote for life after she passed.

Make sure to have a box of tissues when you read the book! This story is beautiful and deep and moving and will have you all in your feels.

Thank you so so SO much to Dial Press Trade and NetGalley for providing me this ARC.

Oh my God. This book had everything. The slow burn is so what I needed and something that I haven’t seen in a book in the contemporary genre in such a long time. The way Cara writes dialogue??? Is truly something to behold. Lenny and Miles have my whole heart, they’re vulnerability, they’re authenticity, their banter????!!! Oscar award winning shit, right there.

Truly, this book had me in tears. I loved seeing the development of Lenny as a character. I loved her relationship with Reese and Ainsley. Don’t even get me started on Miles. He is the perfect man. He is vulnerable. There is no toxic masculinity in that man. I am so happy that they found each other.

This book truly is a top three favorite of the year for me. This was such a delight to read, and I cannot wait to read red or not by Cara and oh my God this was just everything I wanted in the contemporary romance book. It was just this was this was so great. I am truly obsessed And I just I want more!!!

*slight spoilers ahead*

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. An open lover letter to soulmates of all kind, but specifically platonic. The way Cara writes about grief is just so true to how it's felt for me in the past, that it really did hurt to read, but it was a really nice kind of hurt -- grief hurts, but it only hurts because you remember all of the love you have for the person you're missing and how can love not be beautiful?

Lenny's fear of feeling like she's never going to be able to live again without Lou but not wanting to heal from the grief she feels from her loss because she feels like it means she's forgetting her... ouchie. Not wanting to forget how this person smelled, their quirks, the sound of their voice, the secret jokes between you two, the language you've created with each other. I think the way Cara wrote about healing and how it looked for Lenny, was just so brilliant. It doesn't mean letting go, because I think no matter how much better you feel everyday, grief just sort of becomes an extension of you, but it manifests itself in better ways over time. In healthier ways.

Okay, I feel like I talk about grief a lot here (also, I'm becoming Iqra (my Lou) -- everything I've been consuming is filled with grief), so let's get to the other good stuff about this book: Miles and Ainsley. He learned a choreographed dance for his niece because she was sad her mom wouldn't make it to her event. HE LEARNED A CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE. HE. DOESN'T. DANCE. Do you get it?????? Let's talk more about Miles: His love language is obviously acts of service. Lenny hasn't eaten today? He's feeding her. Lenny can't sleep in her apartment anymore? He offers the empty apartment he still pays rent on, Lenny doesn't want to get off the ferry to sleep in a bed? Well, he's sleeping on the damn ferry too, I guess. Need me a freak like him. #AMEN.

I love this book so much. It feels like it's scrubbed me raw or peeled back my skin and forced me to generate new flesh or like it's broken me open in the best way. Please read it (if you haven't already. Actually, re-read it if you have anyway).

Xo

Literally infinity and beyond stars, I don’t know what Cara Bastone put into this book, but I’m here for it. This was absolutely breathtaking, one of the most beautiful and moving stories I’ve ever read. From start to finish, it was perfection. Lenny and Miles were perfection. I was either crying, laughing, or melting into a puddle on each page.

This book captures the raw, messy reality of grief while also showing that healing is possible, even from the deepest pain. Every page resonated with me, drawing me in with its honesty. The balance between emotional depth and comfort was flawless and executed to perfection.

Lenny’s character was so relatable, and I felt her pain every step of the way. Her bond with her best friend was so strong that I even mistook her for a sister at times. The way Bastone handled grief, giving it the weight and space it deserved while showing the slow process of healing, was beautifully done. Miles, sweet introverted Miles, was such a steady presence. His grief was acknowledged, and his tenderness toward Lenny and his niece was beautiful. The way he helped Lenny find her way back was deeply moving.

The romance was slow burn, tender, and natural. Everything about it was perfect. CHAPTER 32? I highlighted the whole thing. The only thing this book is missing? An epilogue! I need it like yesterday and that ten-years-later scene. Please Cara, Please, I am begging.

This was my first book by Cara Bastone, and I’ll absolutely be reading more. If you're looking for a light, fluffy romance, this isn’t it. But if you want something deeply emotional and healing, this book is all that and more.

This book feels like a warm hug — which feels almost impossible given the heavy topics it tackles. But if anyone can do the impossible, it’s Cara Bastone. She somehow weaves humor and comfort into a story about losing the person you’re closest to in the world, which is something all too many people understand on a personal level. The beautiful prose and imagery — a signature of Cara’s given her poetry background — brings the story to life that much more. Lenny and Miles, and even the supporting characters, all feel so fully formed and downright human. It’s easy to forget you’re reading something fictional when you’re lost in this story, and I found myself wanting to go shopping with Lenny, stand out on the docks near Battery Park with her and Miles, go on camping trips with the whole gang. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Cara and this book. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!!

It’s an absolutely well written romance novel which doesn’t only dwelled in the love between Lenny and Miles but also Lenny and Lou and all the people she met along the way that helped her live and heal in a way or another. Cara’s book writing ability has made me her fan.

Cara Bastone has crafted a deeply moving and beautifully tender story in Promise Me Sunshine, a novel that perfectly balances grief, healing, and the unexpected ways love finds us.


Lenny is lost in the wake of her best friend’s passing, struggling to move forward while pretending she has it all together. Enter Miles, a grumpy, emotionally guarded man who, despite his initial reluctance, becomes her unlikely companion in navigating loss and rediscovering life. Their deal to help each other, Lenny completing her “live again” list and Miles repairing his strained family relationship sets the stage for a slow-burn romance that is as heartwarming as it is emotionally rich.


A heartfelt, must read page turner! 🩷


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I am a romance lover through and through but I also hold it to such a high standard because I know what an important genre it is and I want it to be used well. This book explores grief, depression, heartache, and loss all while being woven with a beautiful story of friendship, resilience, and, yes, romance.

Romance is such a great catalyst for stories that deal with life‘s harder experiences. So often we are fed the lie that we cannot love another person until we learn to love ourselves. This book is a beautiful example of how caring for another person doesn’t have a prerequisite of caring for oneself. I loved the exploration of relationships not always being a 50-50 split. That we are sometimes so dependent on another person or vice versa that it feels like there’s no effort coming on one end is such a difficult place to be in any relationship. But how beautiful when you can come out on the other side and recognize that depth of love.

Lenny and Miles were the sweetest, most fun pair and their complementing personalities rounded each other out so well. The progression of their relationship was delightful and *minor spoiler* no third act breakup was a breath of fresh air.

Following the death of her best friend, Lenny isn’t following through on her promise to live again. When she takes a temporary babysitting job, the last thing she is expecting is Uncle Miles, who is rather grumpy and seemingly always there. But first impressions aren’t always right, and when Lenny has a bit of a public meltdown, it’s Miles who is there to help her out. Miles has also lost loved ones and he’s willing to help Lenny tackle her learn to live again list if she will help him connect with his niece.

This book was so good. I fell in love with both main characters and, hello, I’m their number one fan. I’m fortunate enough to have never had a loss like Lou, but Lenny’s grief felt so tangible that at times it felt like I had. It actually hurt to read at times. Having to exist following a loss that impacts you so deeply is hard enough, but Lenny fully isolates herself and loses herself in the process. Miles understands what she’s going through and helps her work through her grief. He is encouraging, patient, and just so incredibly kind and caring. Even though this was a heavy book, I found myself laughing more than once. Lenny is just so funny despite her sadness. There were so many silly and ridiculous moments to break up the heaviness and add a bit of levity.

Thank you so much to Dial and NetGalley for a review copy. Please read this book!

4.5/5 ⭐️ Cara Bastone is becoming one of my favorite authors! I loved the banter with the two characters, especially from Lenny. She was so chaotic in the most endearing with. I loved the work they were both doing on themselves before they focused on their relationship. The way they moved through friendship and fell for each other just felt so natural. Cara is a queen when it comes to relationship development! I highly recommend this read.

Read If You Like:
- Slow-burn romance
- Friends to Lovers
- Found family
- Grief and healing themes
- Emotional depth

Lenny Bellamy is drowning in grief after losing her best friend, Lou, to cancer. Struggling to move forward, she takes a job babysitting for Reese, a single mother, and her young daughter, Ainsley. Through them, she meets Miles Honey—Ainsley’s gruff yet caring uncle, who understands loss in a way few others do.

When Miles proposes a deal—he’ll help Lenny complete the “Live Again” list she made with Lou if she helps him reconnect with his newly found family—she agrees, setting them both on a path toward healing, understanding, and something neither expected: love.

This story is such a beautifully written exploration of grief, resilience, and the ways people can pull each other out of the darkness.

Lenny’s emotional journey is raw and realistic, making every step forward feel earned. The way she covers her grief with jokes and distraction but then is slammed hard by the unexpected was such a well done portrayal of the way grief just doesn’t move in a lateral way, but like riding a rollercoaster in the pitch black where you can’t tell what will come next on the ride… which makes the title so much more powerful!

Miles, with his quiet strength and hidden wounds, is the perfect balance to her struggles, and their slow-building connection is filled with tenderness and depth. I truly loved how through Lenny, Miles is able to truly be part of his newly found family of Reese and Ainsley. Ainsley’s presence brings warmth and lightness to the grief both Miles and Lenny carry.

The romance unfolds gradually, as a well done friends to lovers slow burn, truly allowing both characters the space to process their pain and find hope again.

This is more than just a love story—it’s about rediscovering joy, taking chances, and finding people who help you move forward when you’re stuck in place.

Thank you so much to PRH for my gifted eARC and my ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to receive an ARC of Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone.

Why have I been holding out on reading Ready or Not by Cara Bastone? If that book is anything like Promise Me Sunshine, then I’ve been doing myself a huge disservice and missing out on some truly great reading. I’ve read many books this year, and Promise Me Sunshine is the first to earn a five-star rating from me. This book gave me all the feels, and I absolutely loved it.

For those who may find it difficult to read about the loss of a loved one, be aware that this story touches on that theme.

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny, who is struggling to move forward after losing her best friend. In the midst of her grief, she meets Miles, who helps her rediscover how to truly live again—just as she, in turn, helps him navigate his own family struggles. The slow build between these two characters? Chef’s kiss.

You’re going to feel all the emotions while reading this, and you won’t want to put it down. Seriously, pick this book up—you won’t regret it!

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is a moving story about love, loss, and the unexpected ways we find our way back to life after grief. Lenny’s journey is raw and real, filled with moments of unbearable sadness and quiet, hopeful joy. Her chemistry with Miles—the grumpy yet fiercely loyal uncle of her employer's child - who refuses to let her fade away. Their slow-burn romance unfolds with authenticity, making every late-night conversation and shared moment feel meaningful.

Bastone captures the complexities of grief, healing, and human connection, weaving together a story that is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. With its emotional depth and beautifully imperfect characters, Promise Me Sunshine is a must-read for anyone who loves a romance that tugs at the heartstrings and leaves you with a sense of hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I read Cara Baratone’s “Ready or Not” last year and loved it and was highly anticipating this release. I loved how Cara incorporated so many different characters and unique storylines into both books.

While I loved the characters and concept, it did feel like the story shifted tone halfway through once the MC’s started to fall for each other.

Overall a great book and I look forward to reading more from Cara in the future!

This was a story about grief and love and friendship and family that was a delight to read. I laughed and cried with all the emotions in between. In this enemies to friends to lovers story, two characters make a deal to help each other out in completely different ways. Miles offers to help Lenny learn to live again after the death of her best friend in exchange for Lenny teaching him how relate better to his niece and half sister. The tears and the laughter quickly follows. Cara Bastone is quickly becoming one of my "read without question" authors. I would highly recommend you get this into your hands without question because, like Bastone writes, "Everyone needs a Miles in their life".

Thanks to Net Galley and Dial Press for an early copy.

My favorite book I’ve read so far this year. Lenny is laugh out loud hilarious and I absolutely loved reading about her journey through grief. Miles was an amazing book boyfriend that you couldn’t help but fall for too. This marked Cara Bastone as one of my favorite authors. LOVED THIS!

Promise me Sunshine is about dealing with grief and learning how to live (and love) after!

Lenny lost her other half- in best friend form- to cancer. She’s barely going through the functions of daily life, barely surviving. But she promised her best friend she would at least try. She’s in between jobs when she gets a babysitting gig for a weekend where she meets miles.
I love Lenny 😂 the way that she imagines an entire future at the drop of a hat as soon as she just GLANCES at a man. She’s 5 foot but her attitude is 7 foot 5” 🤣


Miles is the uncle of the child Lenny is babysitting. When they first meet, Lenny is imagining her future (like she does with many me) with miles. However, Miles is super skeptical of this woman that looks like she’s been living on the streets, and addicted to drugs.
I love miles because he went from not trusting Lenny to doing the absolute most for her. It’s amazing for someone to be dealing with grief and teach someone how to get through it.

After the weekend is over, they strike up a deal, a win-win situation. Miles gets closer to family and Lenny gets help keeping her promise to her best friend. But that’s not the only thing that they achieve!!

I loved this book. It made me hurt for Lenny and Miles but it also warmed my heart in the most beautiful way, warm, gooey ways. After the trauma they both went through, they got the ending they deserved!


*Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eArc.*

Is there a button to give books infinite stars??!! I need you to know the five star option isn’t enough because books like this EXIST.
My God, this story was absolutely, without a doubt, soul crushing, mend me back together while I’m laughing out loud PERFECTION.
No notes. Perfection.

4.5 stars

I absolutely devoured this book. It was unputdownable.

The whole book is about grief and it was so heartbreakingly beautiful.

I love the bond that Lenny and Miles form and what it transforms into. That they are both helping each other through things. The friends to lovers aspect is done so well!

I also loved the new friendships formed as well. All the characters were amazing. Definitely shed some tears through this emotional ride!