"Promise Me Sunshine" is the first book I picked up by Cara Bastone, although I’ve got her other titles sitting on my TBR list. From the get-go, it seemed like my kind of story: heartbreaking but with a way of healing your soul. And honestly, it was even better than I expected.
This book dives deep into grief and mourning, but it’s so much more than that. It explores the essence of human nature, friendship, family, and love, reminding us what it truly means to live.
Lenny’s journey through the pain of losing Lou was gut-wrenching. I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose my best friend, it hit hard. But then there’s Miles, who brings some much-needed light into Lenny’s life. Seriously, he’s everything. How can you not fall for such a beautifully written character? I loved Lenny too; she was unique and hilarious, even in tough moments. But Miles… I just can't describe how great he is. Can someone please send me a Miles right now?
This isn’t a rom-com, but it has a bit of everything: drama, laughter, and just the right touch of romance. I loved how the romance unfolded—it was subtle and didn’t steal the spotlight from the rest of the story. If you usually don’t go for this type of book, I really urge you to give it a shot anyway. It’s something special! It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it’s one of those reads that’s hard to describe without getting emotional about how fantastic it is. So trust me, you won’t want to miss this one!

Oh. My. GOOD. GOD.

I have never in my LIFE read a romance book like this one. The delicate yet raw and real way Cara was able to talk about grief and intertwine this with finding your soulmate was unbelievable in the best way. I am in awe that this book exists. It was so beautiful and hopeful and just overall romantic and touching. Thank you so much for the arc.

There are some stories that just reach into the depths of your soul...and this is one of them. Promise Me Sunshine is achingly authentic, heartfelt, tender, hopeful journey of learning to live after a devastating loss. So beautifully written...Lenny and Miles will capture your heart and make you believe that the journey to healing is worth the heartache and struggle.
Thank you #NetGalley and #Random House Publishing for the ARC.

In Promise Me Sunshine, author Cara Bastone weaves a heartfelt story about loss, grief, healing, finding unexpected friendship and love.

Lenny Bellamy has lost her best friend Lou Merritt to cancer six months ago, and she finds herself stuck in her grief, unable to move on with her life.

Lenny takes on a temporary nanny position for Reese Hollis, a single mom and her seven-year-old daughter, Ainsley. On the first day of her job, she meets Ainsley's uncle Miles Honey, who has a gruff personality.

As Lenny and Miles get to know each other, Miles makes a proposition to her: he'll help her get through her grief and healing process if she would help him have a better relationship with his half-sister Reese and niece Ainsley. What ensues is an emotional journey of healing and an unexpected friendship and romance between them.

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautifully written story that will tug at your heartstrings. Set in New York City, it's an emotional story about two people who have each lost someone, and how their journey of grieving and healing creates something special between them. I couldn't help but feel for Lenny as her grief has left her stuck and not doing well. But oh my gosh, when she meets Miles who appears to be gruff on the outside but a total teddy bear on the inside, she finds someone who knows what she's going through and he so lovingly helps her learn to deal with her grief, help her heal, be able to take care of herself and move on with her life. I absolutely loved Miles; he was such a wonderful guy who also dealt with loss and grief in his life, I just wanted to hug him. I couldn't help but cry and smile throughout the whole book, their journey to healing and finding each other was simply beautiful.

Promise Me Sunshine is a story wrought with loss and grief, angsty drama, challenges, heartaches, and an emotional healing process through an unexpected bond of friendship that leads to a swoon worthy romance. I loved this story! You can't help but get drawn into Lenny and Miles's story, and how they take the reader on their emotional journey.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the flashbacks to Lenny and Lou's friendship had me ugly crying, you can't help but feel how wonderful their friendship bond was, and how deeply broken with grief that Lenny became when Lou passed away. But even more special was how Miles became Lenny's support system, and how he taught her how to heal one step at a time. I was taken on one heck of an emotional roller coaster ride, and this breathtaking story left me emotionally spent but wanting so much more. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Promise Me Sunshine is a wonderful tale that will keep the reader engaged from beginning to end!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also purchased a hardcover copy from my monthly subscription to Book Of The Month.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2025/03/promise-me-sunshine-by-cara-bastone.html

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I didn’t know what to expect going into this and went in blind. It was a bit of a slow start but I was instantly taken with Lenny, Miles and Ainsley. I thought this light just be a simple nanny romance, but oh boy was I wrong. When Miles offers to support Lenny through her grief and help her live again, whilst she teaches him how to have a better relationship with his niece, I knew I was in for something special. It was heartbreakingly beautiful. I feel like not many books deal with the topic of losing a friend, so many focus on the loss of a parent or a partner or a child, but losing a close friend can be just as painful if not more. Death at all is extremely difficult but losing someone so young really affects how you view life. I think the author captured Lenny’s grief and loss so perfectly, all the waves of emotion and how agonising pain can hit you at the most random of moments. Grief is not linear and this book captures that so well. The romance was not the focus of the story which I loved, it burned in the background. I had tears in my eyes during many of the chapters, none more so during the talent show omg!!!! A beautiful moving story.

Promise Me Sunshine is the first book that I’ve read by Cara Bastone. This book in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance that takes place New York City.

After Lenny loses her best friend Lou to cancer, she is having a hard time going on with her life. Everything reminds her of Lou and she can’t seem to shake the heart-wrenching thought that she has to go on without Lou by her side. To try and get herself out her apartment, she takes on a temporary job babysitting a girl named Ainsley, who is the daughter of an overworked single mom named Reese. However, she was not expecting Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, to be hanging around so much.

Miles also dealt with heartbreaking grief and can see right through Lenny. He offers her a proposition - he will help her “live again” if she helps him connect with Ainsley and mend his strained relationship with his sister Reese.

Overall, I thought that this book was very well written! I really liked how patient, attentive, and sweet Miles was with Lenny. I also really liked how they were there for one another through all the ups and downs. However, the only thing I felt was missing was more of a romantic connection. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked to have seen Lenny and Miles date one another for a while longer. That being said, the novel was an enjoyable read with an impactful lesson that people who deal with the loss of a loved would still need to find joy and purpose in life.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review posted to GoodReads on 3/13/25

i LOVED this book!! it made me so happy, the writing, the plot, the MCs - i read it in one sitting and felt
like the sun was on me all throughout reading!

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0

I thought this was a really sweet exploration of friendship, and grief, and how to put yourself back together while continuing to live. The love story was very sweet and I really appreciated how thoughtful the MMC was.

There's just something about Cara Bastone's characters that makes me want to jump into the pages of her books. Lenny and Miles are as opposite as two people can be; Lenny is super quirky, while Miles is rather serious and yet their both equally charming. They have an interesting journey throughout their relationship; from cranky to frenemies to friends to lovers. But the biggest thing that got me was how extremely real the feelings and emotions in the story feel. I grieved, I laughed, I hoped and I healed... I mean, what more can I ask for?

5⭐️
2🔥

Quick Breakdown

Friends to Lovers
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Cinnamon Roll Hero
He Falls First
Slow Burn
Single POV
Open Door - Mild

After the loss of her soul sister & best friend Lou, Lenny is struggling to adjust to life without her person in it. Once a nanny, she takes a weekend babysitting gig finding she can only handle short term commitments at the moment. It’s there she meets the gruff Uncle Miles. Turns out, he knows quite a lot about grief & offers Lenny a proposition. He’ll help her complete her & Lou’s “live again” list & she’ll help him with his complicated relationship with his sister Reese and niece Ainsley.

I laughed. I cried. I fell in love.

Simply put, this book is beautiful. Equal parts heartbreaking & heartwarming, full of depth & realistic emotions while still bringing all the light & funny moments - I was done for. Both MCs showed so much growth from start to finish, I found myself wishing I could have had more time with Lenny & Miles.

The romance between Lenny & Miles was a slow burn dream. The transition from initial dislike to friends to lovers was perfectly paced for the overlapping themes of grief & loss. Miles was an ultimate cinnamon roll hero. Like recognizes like & he made himself exactly what Lenny needed, pushing her in the right direction without being over bearing. Watching Lenny acknowledge her feelings & use that as a final push to bring herself back to the land of the living made my heart so happy.

Do yourself a favor & read this one as an audiobook. It’s narrated by Alex Finke who’s quickly become a FAVORITE. She brought Lenny to life in a way that had me desperate to become her best friend. I’ll listen to anything she narrates!

Go read this book. You’re welcome.

This was a pleasant surprise of a book. Part rom-com but also a book about grieving. I would recommend this highly to others albeit with a warning for others to consider where their heads pace is at before starting it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🫑

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Cara Bastone for allowing me to ARC read Promise Me Sunshine in return for an honest review.

Tropes
😢 Grief
💙 Slow Burn
😢 Grumpy x Sunshine
💙 Friends to Lovers
😢 Stand-alone

Blurb
After Lenny loses her best friend Lou to cancer, she is overcome with grief and goes off the rails. She avoids her parents, her shared apartment, and her “list”. In order to continue making money and living to some degree, Lenny takes part-time nannying jobs. This is where she meets our MMC, Miles, who is also dealing with grief and sees right through Lenny’s facade. He offers to help Lenny with her “To Live Again” list if she helps him connect with his niece and sister. As Lenny spends more time with Miles, she starts realizing that the grief will always be there but in smaller doses and that she can live her life again and still miss Lou.

Review
I enjoyed the character development that took place over the course of the book. Lenny had so much growth take place. She went from wild and out of control to understanding her grief with a new found family. For the most part, I liked Lenny as the FMC. She was lovable, quirky, and witty. However, at time she felt a little immature. There were times throughout the story where I felt like she didn’t take the task of dealing with her grief seriously.

I thoroughly enjoyed Miles as our MMC. He was mature, caring, loving, nurturing, attentive - all the things that you want in a golden retriever MMC. However, I felt like at times, he was overly attentive with Lenny and was a little smothering.

This book was the sssslllloooowwweeesssttt of slow burns which was fine. There were times throughout the story that I thought “just kiss her already”, but looking back at it now, it would have taken away from the theme of the story. I liked the relationship between the 2 MC’s and how they helped each other with what life has thrown at them. The scene at the end where they finally got together was super awkward and uncomfortable and I felt myself cringing a little bit at it.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I thought the humor that Lenny brought to the story helped break up all the heartbreak and serious notes in the book. The writing was well done.

Review posted to GoodReads on 3/10/25
Review posted to IG on 3/13/25
Review submitted to Amazon on 3/10/25 (will update when post is live) - Review went live on 3/13/25

Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend Lou and is trying to navigate life without her. When she ends up nannying the precocious Ainsley she ends up meeting the girl’s estranged uncle Miles. Miles has also dealt with loss and grief and sees Lenny is struggling. Miles agrees to help Lenny finish her list in memory of Lou if she helps him get closer to Ainsley. In the turmoil of all her darkest emotions Miles becomes a beacon of light Lenny didn’t know she needed.

This heartfelt and sweet romance hits you right in the chest in all the best ways and makes grief known and gives hope to us all. Highly recommend!

Never did I ever think that a book about intense, heartbreaking grief could also be fun and light, but Cara Bastone is a magician. This book was tragic, sad, and deeply emotional but it was also spirited, bright, and full of the best kind of hope and human connection. Lenny has lost her best friend Lou to ovarian cancer, and to say she’s not doing well is a major understatement. Enter Miles, the brooding uncle of Lenny’s nannying charge. He’s been where she is, and he’ll help her through it if she’ll help him with his relationship with his niece and sister. I am lucky to have not yet experienced the type of grief that Lenny has in this book, but it was still relatable and meaningful.

I loved the relationship between Lenny and all of the people in her life, including Lou. I loved how we really got to know Lenny and who she is as a character is a way that felt effortless and charming. She’s a little wacky and full of feelings, and I really appreciated how Cara wrote and expressed all of those things. It was a perfect combo. I felt like this book was really all about Lenny and her personal growth, with the love story with Miles as a secondary plot. This worked really well, and I liked it. But I would not pick up this book expecting to be completely swept off your feet in a romance. It felt like the vehicle to a larger story about a woman growing and existing in her world.

Cara’s books tend to feel very long to me, not in a bad or boring way but in a way where there is a lot of heft to them. They aren’t ones I tend to Zoom through or am obsessively compelled to keep reading past my bedtime. There’s a lot of story, in a way that is very unique to her.

I loved that in the end of the book, there was a list of ways to live again if you might be struggling. It made me think about what I would put on my own list!

Thanks to Dial Press and Netgalley for the eARC!

THIS BOOK!!!! My first 5 star read of the year! Sometimes when authors try to tackle difficult subjects such as grief they do it in a way that doesn't feel authentic. But not Cara Bastone. She wrote with such honesty, humor, and had characters that felt completely real. I fell in love with the story, the characters, the writing. This was no surprise since I loved her book last year, but I think I loved this one more. I need to get my hands on a physical copy to keep on my shelf! Definitely do not miss out on this one!

This is a beautiful story about living again after a major loss - a story of living again after a heart transplant, if you will.

Lenny and Miles friendship began as an exchange of Lenny teaching Miles to be closer to his estranged family while Miles teaches Lenny to live through life-changing grief. Cara wrote Lenny's emotion on this book so strongly that you can honestly feel her crying her heart out every time she misses Lou. Her struggles between holding on to her lifelong friend while learning that she can let go and somehow still remember her is a painful and awe-inspiring battle to see. Miles, on the other hand, is on a different stage of grief and therefore was able to assist Lenny to lift her out of the darkness. While entangled on each other's healing journey, they found each others only lifeline. But TRUST, this is more than trauma-bonding. The transition between their friendship onto something more was organic and I just loooove how they still trying to include those they lost into their lives. Lost a star bc I wish there's more about their meet-cute on the street, then on the ferry. Don't let the 4 stars deter you, it's still a perfect read for me.

Last year, Ready or Not was one of my favorite romances of the year. So, I was so excited to read Cara Bastone's new novel Promise Me Sunshine. The good news is that I loved it even more! Lenny is grieving the death of her best friend Lou. She's trying to recover from this loss on her own but isn't very successful. Enter Miles, the uncle of Ainsley who Lenny is babysitting. He's going through his own stuff but wants to help Lenny check off her "Live Again" list that she promised Lou.

There are so many aspects of this story that I loved:
* the banter between Lenny and Miles
* the slow burn
* Lenny's interactions with Ainsley
* the quick fantasy Lenny makes up about most men she meets
* Lenny's parents

Lenny's quirkiness and Miles' initial grumpiness are a great match and were brought to life through their dialog. Cara Bastone has become a "must read" author for me. Although there is a lot of grief in this book that made me misty, it also made me smile throughout. I'll be recommending Promise Me Sunshine to everyone!

Thanks to #RandomHouse #DialPress for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Sometimes I just really need a book that hits me in the feels and Promise Me Sunshine was one I didn't know I needed. Cara Bastone takes us along in Lenny's life after losing her best friends. This book is the perfect combination of love, grief, family, healing, and learning to live again. I really appreciated how the author shows us that everyone grieves differently. There is no wrong or right way.

It's kind of hard to review this one, because it's one you won't really understand until you read it yourself. Everyone who has lost someone close to them will be able to relate a bit to Miles and Lenny in one way or another I think. The little flashbacks we got with Lenny and Lou were so touching. Following Lenny while she tried to live again felt so realistic. Some things started going well and sometimes things just became too overwhelming. Miles was the best along the way. Knowing what grief is himself, he was there any time she needed someone.

Their relationship is very slow burn and that really felt right for this story. Slowly Lenny and Miles become very important to each other. Besides this story, we also get a glimpse of Reece and Ainsley, who Lenny babysits for. Miles just wants to figure out how to get close to his niece while they're also grieving.

Promise Me Sunshine is such a touching story that I will think about often. No words can do this one justice. I already plan on reading this one again to annotate my favorite moments. Cara Bastone is officially an auto-buy author for me now.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on March 15th.

My thoughts:
I flew through this book—it completely hooked me from start to finish. This is a book that will make my favorites list at the end of 2025. I'll need to pick up a physical copy for my shelf. SO SO GOOD! 5 stars all the way.
At its heart, this story is about grief, and it unfolds in such a raw, touching way. It was both heartbreaking and uplifting, weaving together deep emotions with moments of hope. Lenny and Miles’ connection was one of my favorite aspects—they were there for each other in ways that felt so natural. The gradual shift from friendship to romance was beautifully executed.

The friendships throughout the book were another highlight. While I didn't tear up, I absolutely still felt every emotion. The characters were authentic and quirky and easy to root for. The way they supported each other made their love story feel all the more meaningful.

Going in, I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did, but it completely surprised me in the best way.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a heartfelt, emotional, yet ultimately uplifting read!

Thank you to Dial Press, Netgalley and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 ... 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘼𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨."

This book was EVERYTHING! It wrecked me and healed me all at the same time! Cara handled Lenny’s grief so perfectly and she was able to show us all sides of it. It was full of raw emotion, growth, and finding yourself after loss. Miles was perfect. He made it his mission to help Lenny live again, and I believe in doing so he was able to heal more of himself. I adored the relationship between Lenny, Ainsley and Reese. Ainsley was too cute! The friendships Lenny made along the way was also one of my favorite parts of the story. I highly recommend this book and if you haven’t already read Ready or Not, you should definitely add it to your tbr also! Promise Me Sunshine is one that will have an everlasting impression on me!

"𝙃𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡?"
"𝙈𝙤𝙢, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙪𝙩."

"𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄'𝙢 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚”

"𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜."

Highlights:
🧡grief and healing
🧡found family
🧡strangers to friends to lovers
🧡slow burn
🧡grumpy x sunshine