Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Promise Me Sunshine. I rate this book 3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads. I listened to this book on audio and found the narrator as well as the story very entertaining. It was a different grief story in that Lenny lost her best friend and is recovering from that. She befriended the uncle of the child she was babysitting. The four of them, Miles (uncle), Ainsley (child) and Reese (mother of Ainsley) are all recovering from grief of a loss. Lenny has a list of things to do to "get over" her friend Lou. Miles helps her go through the list and the two predictably fall for each other. Regardless of the predictability, it was a sweet story.

Woman loses her best friend and works through her grief with the help of some new friends.

I enjoyed this one! I think if it weren’t for the audio I might not have made it through because it was fairly sad throughout the story, which is normally not the type of read I go for. If you like a book that does a great job of showing rather than telling its worth picking up.


Read if you like:

- emotional reads
- MC dealing with grief
- HEA

Thank you so much to Random House for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own!

5 stars!

I absolutely loved "Promise Me Sunshine" by Cara Bastone. Every single word of this novel is expertly crafted for maximum audience reaction and emotion. I laughed, I cried, I yearned, I pleaded, I loved, I lost, I lusted, I absolutely lost my MIND with how good this book is. I want to stress early on that this book, this story, will likely WRECK you, but it will also put you back together in unexpected, fantastic, cathartic ways. If you have ever experienced any kind of loss in your life, you absolutely need to read this novel. It may help heal your broken parts. Lenny and Miles are two of the best characters I have ever had the privilege of reading about. I loved each of them so, so much. They are both messes that have been wrecked by life for one reason or another. When they find each other, there is a seismic shift in the cosmos. The romance between them is slow-burning, but so earned in the end. Cara Bastone is one of my favorite authors. She has such a terrific writing style infused with realness, humor, joy, and heartache that it will leave you thinking about her prose for days, weeks, months, years to come. Her storytelling is sweeping, breathtaking, life-affirming. I just know deep in my soul that this will be a book I go back to repeatedly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Bastone, Random House Publishing Group, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Promise me Sunshine is a slow burn romance where Miles and Lenny had experienced devastating losses but were at two very different stages of grief. Lenny’s loss was newer, and she was pretending to be okay when really, she wasn't.
They were friends first and all Miles wanted to do was support Lenny. He didn’t try to make a move or change their relationship until he truly believed she was in a better place.
This book was beautifully written and so well done!
Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Bastone, and Random House Publishing for this ARC of Promise Me Sunshine in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so good and was worth all the hype it’s received. The discussions of grief were done so well and with so much care, the author did so well describing exactly what grief feels like.
Miles and Lenny are so adorable and the slow burn was sooo good in this one! I loved how patient he was with her and how he helped her heal, but also taught her how to heal herself.

I love this author’s writing style so much! The way she weaves sadness with humor is unmatched — and I should know. I’m obsessed with books about grief. I will read anything about how we survive after the loss of a loved one, but I will throw the book across the room the minute it feels saccharine or toxically positive.

When you’re sad, you’re sad but you’re also possibly your most human.

And Bastone nails it.

I will say, this is more of 4.5 stars rounded up. Loved the slow burn romance until it got to the actual romance. My secondhand embarrassment couldn’t handle the shift in tone.

Even so, I’d definitely recommend this one.

Promise Me Sunshine was a highly anticipated novel for me since I loved Ready Or Not by this author. Cara Bastone is a fantastic storyteller and her writing is fantastic. This story is about lot about grief since the main character lost her best friend to cancer. The author did a great job portraying grief to the point that it was hard to read at times. As for the romance, the main characters definitely seemed like they were made for each other and I loved the side characters. However, I just did not connect to these characters and I need that to love a story. I still enjoyed my time and would recommend it but it just wasn't for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Wow wow wow! Cara Bastone is one of the most dynamic romantic comedy authors out there. She is truly in a league above the rest. Promise me sunshine is no, light pithy read. Although it has ribbons of delight and humor, this story is steeped in the very real heaviness of grief and loss. Lenny is one of the most relatable, messy FMC I have come across and miles tenderness towards her really touched me. Their collective healing journey was profound. I just loved this book!

✨||"'𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮." '𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠?' 𝐇𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, '𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲.'"||✨

[4.25 Stars] Promise Me Sunshine was my second book by Cara Bastone, and I enjoyed this beautiful story of losing a loved one and finding your way again. Miles and Lenny were perfect counterpoints even though they were tethered through their grief and at different stages in the grieving process, and there were so many times I wanted to wrap them in a hug and not let go. Lenny's grief was so palpable throughout Promise Me Sunshine but Cara Bastone balanced the dark moments of grief with her light-hearted, outgoing personality and her sense of humor. And Miles? Sweet, sweet, Miles, how I loved him. While he started out a bit of a jerk, his patience and consideration for Lenny melted my heart and endeared me to him. His grief spoke to hers on such a deep level, and I loved how he gave Lenny the safe space for her navigate the depths of her devastation. The romantic development (which I consider secondary in this story) was very well developed, so it was incredibly sweet when the romance finally had its moment. Promise Me Sunshine was a book full of heartache, laughter, hard conversations, and bittersweet topics, but in the end it was a story about life--and how to learn to love it again.

+Thanks to Dial Press, Netgalley, and Cara Bastone for the arc of Promise Me Sunshine!
____________________________________
Details:
💘Contemporary romance
>>>🎈Romantic comedy
👀Single, first-person POV
⛈️Darker themes and elements
>>>🌱Love after loss
🌹Third act breakup (No)
🙌Would re-read
🌟Favorite

Tropes:
🪢Family ties
📍Forced proximity

Spice:
🧨Slow burn
💥Intimate content, but not explicit (medium)
____________________________________
Emoji Ranking System:
🤩Excellent to Fantastic (4.75-5.00)
😍Very Good to Great (4.25-4.50)
😊Good to Really Good (3.50-4.00)
🙂Just OK to Decent (2.75-3.5)
😒It's A No (1.00-2.75)
🚫DNF

Promise Me Sunshine is a warm, emotionally honest story that blends humor, vulnerability, and heart in a way that feels refreshingly real. Cara Bastone has a knack for creating characters who are imperfect, endearing, and completely relatable—and this book is no exception.

At its core, this is a story about healing and unexpected second chances. The romance builds gently and organically, with strong character development and believable chemistry. Bastone’s writing shines in the quiet, tender moments as much as it does in the witty, laugh-out-loud dialogue. You find yourself rooting not just for the love story, but for the individual journeys each character takes toward growth and self-discovery.

While the pacing lags in a few spots and some emotional threads could’ve been pulled tighter, the heart of the story more than makes up for it. The emotional depth, especially around themes of grief, family, and the courage it takes to open up again, is handled with sensitivity and grace

Promise Me Sunshine had an amazing progression of the romance, from enemies to friends to lovers, but also had remarkable depth. I laughed and cried while reading this book. The main characters were very relatable and their connection felt very natural. I loved that this book showed the importance of friendship. The deep loss that is felt after losing a friend and the way that forming new friendships can make you feel like a person again were expertly written in this book.
I wondered if the main relationship was going to feel off as he was helping her through her grief, but I never felt that way. The two of them really helped each other, which kept it from feeling like the relationship was unbalanced. This book was a lot more than a romance and the other characters and relationships were highlights of the book. The main thing that kept this from being a 10/10 for me is that I wanted more out of some of the side characters, particularly those in Miles’s life. His storyline with his sister and niece was really interesting, but it could have benefitted from some more time and resolution given to it. I would give this a 9/10 and highly recommend to others.

This one was a sweet story about over coming grief. Books about grief scare me however after reading the author’s first book I shouldn’t have been. As she tackle’s tough subjects gracefully. Lenny was a character that I could easily relate to her. I loved Miles. While this is a romance it’s not a rom com and it is indeed slow burn.

I received a copy of this book from the author as part of a blog tour I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Promise Me Sunshine is one of those books that truly stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. I absolutely loved it! It’s a beautifully written story with so much depth and intensity — a romance that is as emotional as it is powerful.

From the setting to the characters, everything about this book was just gorgeous. The author did an amazing job creating a world that felt real and immersive, where every detail added to the richness of the story. The protagonists were equally compelling — complex, flawed, and so beautifully human. I felt deeply connected to them and their journey, and their chemistry was undeniable.

What really stood out for me was the way Promise Me Sunshine tackles some heavy, real-life issues. The themes are intense, but they’re handled with such care and sensitivity. It’s one of those books that doesn’t shy away from exploring the darker parts of life, but it does so in a way that is hopeful and healing.

This is definitely one of the books that left me the most emotional. It’s a rollercoaster of feelings, but in the best way. The emotional depth and the way the characters grow through their struggles made this book incredibly impactful. If you’re looking for a story with heart, emotional layers, and beautiful characters, Promise Me Sunshine is a must-read.

Now THIS is how you do a slow burn! I loved the way this book was able to combine both romance with a more serious topic of grief. This book would be perfect/inspirational. for someone who recently experienced something like Lenny to read and know that it’s okay to not be okay/ask for help.

Overall I really liked the story. There were some really great quotes and some amazing deeper moments. The only reason it isn’t 5 stars for me is because some of the dialogue/Lennys character I found a little cringey. Her quirkiness felt a little too overdone at times but it was mostly good! I can’t wait to check out more of Cara’s books!
4.25 stars

Lenny is hired as a temp babysitter, where she meets her charge’s uncle. While they don’t know each other, they both know they have their own issues and they realize the other might be able to help. And this is exactly how their friendship begins.

Oh, how I loved Miles and Lenny! This book was everything I love about a romance… it had spunk, it had heart, it had a grumpy MMC (who was secretly a cinnamon roll), and it had plenty of characters working hard to save each other.

This book covers some deep topics in a beautiful way. Check trigger warnings before reading!

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t expecting this book to be so good, wow! It definitely deserves more than 5 stars! The story was so powerful. The authors writing is amazing. I was pulled into the story right away! It was so emotional at times, it made me cry. There were also some really funny parts that made me laugh. I loved this story so much!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Heartwarming, Uplifting, and Utterly Charming

I had the absolute pleasure of reading Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone as an ARC from NetGalley, and I adored every page. This story is a perfect blend of heart, humor, and hope, with characters who feel so genuine and relatable that it’s hard to say goodbye when the book ends.

If you’re looking for a feel-good read that still touches on real-life complexities with care and authenticity, Promise Me Sunshine delivers in every way. A big thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this gem early—this is a story that will stick with me for a long time.

I absolutely adore the way Cara Bastone tackles difficult topics without ever smoothing over the difficult parts. Her characters are allowed to be raw and messy and that makes the romances all the more meaningful. The more real a story is about the messy things the more real the good things feel too. Watching characters grapple with the messiness of life and still showing up for each other was so beautiful. I haven't had a best friend pass the way Lenny has but I have lost people in excruciatingly painful ways that made daily functioning difficult. Cara Bastone doesn’t pull any punches with her portrayal of grief and I felt so seen by Lenny's struggle to live when life no longer looks like what she thought it would. The part of this book that made me feel so emotional was how optimistic it was. If you're looking for a book that will break your heart and put it back together this is 100% the one you should start with.

What a beautiful, heart-wrenching story of loss, grief, and learning how to move on with life after tragedy. Lived the friendship between the main characters and how it was a slow burn. Did not expect the spice!

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

This was such a sweet story. As Lenny tries to navigate the loss of her best friend, she meets Miles and quickly falls in love. This is a story about grief, friendship, and romance and I loved all of it! It is beautifully written and I hated having to put it down. I truly came to love all the characters.