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!

Thank you for the ARC!

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book so much. It made me cry, laugh and swoon. The relationship between Lenny and Miles developed so organically and so beautifully. I loooooved Lenny so much, what she was going through was so rough but she was still herself in midst of it. I also loved all the additional characters like Ainsley, Jericho and Lenny’s parents. What a lovely book, can’t wait to get my hands on a copy when it gets released

This one had me in my feels from the very beginning and made me feel incredibly grateful for my friends. I cried from sadness and sweetness, I laughed, and I pondered. I feel like I would be in the same position as Lenny if that ever happened to me, so I can only pray for a Miles to come along when dealing with so much. The journey through grief that Lenny experiences is heartbreaking, but Miles’ care for her is so incredible and tender. I really loved this book!

*only one spicy scene

This could be one of my top favorite books of all time. I could have lived in Lenny & Miles’ raw, emotional, and hilarious world forever. it felt so real, so intimate, and just so darn endearing. I adored every single character in this book. I will miss them all now that I’ve finished. 5 big, beautiful stars.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I read by Cara Bastone, and I enjoyed it. It had a strong message about overcoming grief after a loved one's passing. It packed an emotional punch and I felt the love between Lenny and Miles. I seem to have a lower rating on the book than others. That may be because we waited so long (about 85%) to see Lenny and Miles admit their love. I wish we would've gotten more of the book seeing them together. There were some parts in the middle that I felt could've been cut to give the characters more time together.

Overall, it was a sweet and emotional book. I would caution people to read trigger warnings, as this book goes through the stages of grief.

This book was such a fun adventure. It dealt with love, loss, and friendship, and did not skip over the messy parts of grief. It is a great story for anyone who has lost someone close to them, and definitely helps you see that there is no right or wrong way to feel it, and while it may seem impossible, you can feel alive again. Great characters and great relationships. This book will have you laughing and crying throughout the whole thing.

Promise Me Sunshine
By: Cara Bastone

Ok Cara Bastone. I have a bone to pick with you. STOP writing perfect (for me) books. I seriously can't get anything in life done when you have a book released.

I fell in love with everyone in Ready or Not. Then I went and read your backlist. I finish Promise Me Sunshine and think, "Ok, I can now resume regular life" and BAM, there is the sneak peak of your next book.

Seriously, I need to work and stuff.

Once again, you have created characters I fell in love with, caused me to laugh out loud, have tears, and made me sigh a happy sigh when I finished the last page.

A beautiful and heart wrenching story of grief and the aftermath of losing a loved one. I laughed and cried and felt all of the feelings.

Thank you @thedialpress @prhaudio for a copy of this book.

Bastone knows how to write an emotional read and she got me going through all the emotions with Promise Me Sunshine. This book is about Lenny who ends up nannying a sweet girl and her uncle, Miles, lives upstairs. They form an unlikely friendship and Miles helps Lenny navigate through her grief.

Their friendship is a lot of fun and I loved the slow burn with their turn to lovers. Despite the story's focus on grief, there's so much hope and joy in the story. All of the supporting characters added so much depth.

Alex Fink knows how to turn up the emotions and I got teary a couple of times. I highly recommend this on audio.

This book was incredibly moving! I felt the depth of grief and the suffocating Lenny was experiencing. It was so well written and so deeply felt. The hope and redemption was poignant! I loved the development of the characters. I loved the friends to lovers development. The slow burn was perfect for this story!

Promise Me Sunshine was such a healing book. In the beginning, Lenny is reeling over the loss of her very best friend, Lou. Miles has experienced loss of his own, as well. He meets Lenny when she starts to nanny for his niece. He sees a kindred spirit in Lenny. They strike up a friendship where her becomes kind of like her grief coach. Over the course of the book, Lenny becomes stronger and comes to a place where she can love again. It’s beautiful & heartfelt & though it deals with heavy subject matter, it felt like a really cozy, soft book .I really liked it!

This romance was top tier! I loved the setting s as d the banter so much! It was cozy and so sweet! I adore this couple and the way the author translates emotions on page!!! Easy 5 stars!!

I loved this book. The relationship between Miles and the main character was so tender and sweet. I liked the yearning near the end. I will read everything this author writes.