I adored Ready or Not by this author previously and had heard nothing but good, heartbreaking but lovely things about this novel. The grief that Lenny was experiencing was deep and it broke my heart on every page, however; she was also so well-written that we could see past the grief and see what a wonderful and caring friend and person she truly was. And don’t even get me started on Miles… I could go on for days! He’s the kind of person you wish was real so you could have one in your life - funny, strong, dependable. He worked through his own grief differently than Len and I think it was beautiful how the artist showcased that healing and grieving are not linear and are not the same for every person. The romance was swoon-worthy and I fell in love several times throughout this book. Truly remarkable. A best of 2025 for sure!

Oh, @carabastone, how you steal my heart with every book 🥹🧡

Reading this book was delightful. There’s something about Bastone’s writing that brings me so much joy and comfort. 🥰 Promise Me Sunshine explores grief and healing after losing someone, which is one of my favorite themes in fiction. Bastone explored this topic beautifully!!

I LOVED both our FMC, Lenny— a goofy, head strong, over-sharer and our MMC, Miles— the grumpy, introverted uncle (of the child Lenny is nannying). Their romance was a slow burn, which made sense since Lenny was learning to love life again after loss. If you’re into: friends-to-lovers, slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, single POV, Brooklyn, NYC, and overcoming grief through friendship & adventure… then this book is for you! 🌇 Pick this one up next time you need a warm hug in book form 🧡

#gifted @thedialpress // @prhaudio 🫶

4.5 stars rounded down

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is a beautifully crafted, emotionally resonant novel that delves into themes of grief, healing, and unexpected love. The story follows Lenny, who is struggling with the profound loss of her best friend, Lou. Her life takes an unforeseen turn when she meets Miles, a grumpy yet endearing stranger who becomes instrumental in her journey toward rediscovering joy.

Bastone's writing is both tender and engaging, capturing the complexities of human emotions with authenticity. Lenny's portrayal as a relatable protagonist dealing with loss is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Miles, with his rough exterior and hidden depths, complements Lenny perfectly, and their slow-burn romance is both believable and deeply moving.

The small-town setting adds warmth and charm to the narrative, and the supporting characters enrich the story with their unique personalities. While there are a few pacing issues in the middle, the overall emotional payoff and the authenticity of the characters make this novel a standout.

For those who appreciate heartfelt romances that explore deeper themes of loss and healing, this book is a gem that will leave you reflecting on the power of love and resilience.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC.

REVIEW
cw: bereavement, grief, anxiety, mentions of cancer and cheating

Twenty-eight year-old Lenny is a mess. Her best friend Lou passed away only months ago after battling cancer. Lenny hasn't set foot in their shared apartment since, and can only commit to temporary babysitting jobs, where people won't realise how much she's falling apart. As for the list of things she's supposed to do to help her live again? Well, that's still burning a hole in her pocket. When she helps out busy single mum Reese and her daughter Ainsley, it seems like Miles, Ainsley's uncle always seems to be looming judgementally. Miles sees through Lenny's mask, as he knows more than most about grief. So he offers to help her complete her 'Live Again' list, in exchange for Lenny's help in connecting with Ainsley and Reese. As Lenny begins to spend more time with Miles, she's surprised to find that she's finally living (and loving) again.

This was a brutal but also beautiful and ultimately uplifting examination of the complexities of grief. I couldn't help but love Lenny immediately. She was so fragile, but also still so vibrant, and her personality shone through her grief. Miles was the quintessential misunderstood grumpy seeming MMC. I loved how Lenny and Miles helped each other through their grief in different ways. I loved how Lenny wore her heart on her sleeve, as well as in her eyes. Her love-at-first-sight fantasies about the men she met were hilarious, and I liked how Miles could see them acting out in her eyes. My heart broke for Lenny at the end of each day at the beginning of the book, but I adored how carefully Miles helped her through each of those days. I LOVED his persistence. It was very, very clear that Lenny was engaging in potentially dangerous behaviour, so I appreciated that he stepped up and helped her navigate the often complex journey of grief. He was such a sweetheart, and my heart broke for him when he finally revealed his own grief and also the reason behind his strained relationship with Reese and Ainsley. Reese's perspective was just as heartbreaking.
The flashbacks of Lou and Lenny's friendship were so beautiful but also incredibly poignant. It was very clear that they were even closer than sisters, more like platonic soulmates, so it made sense that Lenny was completely reeling from the loss. I loved that the author really took her time and carefully wove the romance slowly into the story. As such, this was possibly one of the slowest slow-burns I've read, in the absolute best possible way. It felt so completely authentic, and natural, which I felt was incredibly important, particularly given Lenny's headspace at the beginning of the book. All of the little glances, Mile's acts of service, the locket, and the birthday cake/key incident only added to the anticipation. As for chapter twenty-eight? It was SO adorably them. They were so cute together. The intimacy, when it finally came, was equally well-earned and perfectly them. The final third of the story really pulled all of the threads together so beautifully.
There were some wonderful supporting characters. Ainsley was adorable and added some much-needed levity early one. Jericho was such a cinnamon roll, and I loved Jeffy and Rica. They were exactly the people Lenny (and Miles) needed. I also loved Emil, the doorman. He was hilarious and also added some lighter moments after deeply moving scenes. I loved Lenny's mum, and my heart ached for her when she spoke of losing two daughters. Her pain was almost as palpable as Lenny's. But the meal with Miles was HILARIOUS. I cackled laughing every time Miles saw a new course. As for the Grappa, run Miles, run! Also, the way I SQUEALED when Ethan appeared (IYKYK)!
This was a truly beautiful and measured romance

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥

Lenny is grieving after cancer stole away her best friend. She us completely lost, and so much so, she won’t even sleep in the apartment she shared with Lou. Sometimes she sleeps on the Statin Island Ferry, passing The Statue of Liberty 22 times. . She avoid her concerned parents, and constantly rubs the laminated “live again” list of things she’s promised to do to survive her grief. Lenny decides her best plan of action is to act like she has it all together, so no one will notice she’s falling apart.
To support herself, the only jobs she can handle right now are temporary babysitting stints, and she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. The only catch: is Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, who always seems to be around, and is a grumpy guy that only family will put up with. Here’s the big problem. He seems to be able to see right through her facade.
Miles has first hand experience with 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 is positive nothing can ever fill the void her best friend has left behind, but between late night ferry rides, midnight ramen, and a well-placed Miles whenever she needs it she begins to understand how to live again.

If you enjoy unexpected romance between two unlikely individuals, this is a truly sweet and heart warming story.

This wrecked me so good! What a beautiful story of grief and healing. Lenny lost her best friend and she was struggling so much. Until she met Miles and he became her grief buddy. Cara weaved this story so beautifully. The dialogues were hilarious, witty and banter-ry. It balanced the sadness nicely. I found myself laughing and crying. Often at the same time This is very slow burn, low spice story, heavy on emotions. You will love reading it. But consider yourself warned..you will need tissues.

This book is such a truly wonderful, beautiful story. It’s the kind of story that’s going to break you apart but then put you back together again. I could not love the dynamic and relationship between Miles and Lenny more. It’s so unique, and truly an opposites attract situation in the very best of ways. Miles is more straight laced, reserved, and timid, vs Lenny who does not embarrass easily, is anything but shy and very much a free sort of spirit, and because of this they end up being everything the other needs. They see things so differently and are able to offer those different perspectives to each other when it’s needed most.

These are two people who found each other at the exact right time, Miles helping Lenny move on from a loss and grief that’s holding her life hostage, and Lenny helping Miles learn how to change tactics when what he’s been doing isn’t working while he tries to find a place in the lives of his estranged sister and niece. It’s a slow burn that burns brightly when it finally gets there, turning heartache into cute, feet kicking giddiness, with touching, funny, sweet and melty moments along the way.

"Are you taking care of the part of me that died along with you?"

Lenny's grieving her late best friend, and she's doing babysitting on the side. When she babysat this kid, her uncle offered her a deal: Keep on babysitting his niece and he'll help her grieve and complete the 'Live Again' list.

I don't know why it took me so long to read this, but I am so glad I did.

Oh boy. What a ride. It felt like I went through hell and back with Lenny (iykyk).

Here we go!

One, I love the plot. It's a bit rare to find a book that centered around grieving in a contemporary romance genre. I love how emotions were wrapped around the story. It's prominent, it's the focal point and it's realistic enough that even though I have no experience with grief, it felt like I also lost someone.

Two, writing style took me a bit to get used to. Cara throws some quirks and sentences that caught me off guard, either I cringe or laugh about it. Since we are following Lenny, I found her so quirky and over-the-top. I don't like quirky, and if there's one word I describe the FMC, it's quirky. I'm indifferent with her. She had these dialogues that she's throwing out as a 'joke' or a 'segue' but personally, I think it's below-the-belt or too personal.

"But with you, Len, when I met you...I sort of feel like I met myself."


Three, I really love Miles. Istg, Miles hit it home for me. The way he was there as a great support system to Lenny, protective but not overbearing. He balanced Lenny in a great way, and it also helped that he's not perfect. He got flaws and he knows it.

Both our main characters are layered and we saw them in differnet sides to their personality that they both felt realistic.

Four, this book reminded me much of Katherine Center's style. They both know how to write a good book layered with emotional depths.

"Instead of panicked sadness, I simply feel that I might be briefly living inside a wonderful moment."

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I went through multiple emotions while reading this, and I just know that when I needed to read something about grief, I will pick this up.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to this wonderful book.

P.P.S Miles Honey, you officially made it to the list of my book boyfriend.

Promise Me Sunshine 🌅🐺✨

"𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄'𝙢 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠."

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I had the absolute best time buddy reading this one with my bestie Kassi! We laughed, we cried and kicked our feet over this amazing book.

I instantly related to Lenny, who is currently grieving the loss of her best friend. Struggling in every way and unable to even go home to face the empty apartment they shared, she sleeps on the ferry. We find her working her most recent temporary babysitting job- helping an overworked, single mom Reese and her energetic daughter, Ainsley. And we also meet Miles, Ainsley’s grumpy but very cute uncle. When Miles follows Lenny “home” after work one day he uncovers her current living situation. Deep in her grief, feeling completely alone, Miles shares his own struggles with grief and vows to help Lenny walk through hers by checking off the list of “to do’s” Lenny’s best friend left her before she passed.

Let me tell y’all this book made me laugh but also sob at the accuracy of it all. Miles seems a lil rude at first but is really the sweetest cinnamon roll. Caring for Lenny, when she doesn’t want to care for herself. Making sure she eats, has a safe place to stay, that she never feels alone. He is everything someone walking through the hardest days of loss needs. Both of these beautifully broken people needed healing, they find it together and it is absolute magic.

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny, a woman who is mourning the loss of her best friend and Miles, the broody, misunderstood uncle of the child Lenny is nannying. Throughout the story, Lenny navigates her grief with the help of Miles. It is Friends to Lovers, but didn’t feel like there was much of a romantic connection and I honestly felt like the open door scene didn’t fit the tender tone of the book.. I thought that the premise of the book was different and not something I had read before. Overall, I enjoyed the read! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Cara Bastone and Netgally for the ARC!

finished just in time for release day!

Promise Me Sunshine is a contemporary romance that has exploratory themes of grief, healing, and trying to take life one day at a time.

In Promise Me Sunshine, our main character, Lenny, is struggling to cope with feelings of grief after losing her best friend, Lou. Lenny seems to be in survival mode, unable to focus on anything other than the current day. Eventually, she meets Miles, who is also struggling with his own grief and the two form a begrudging friendship, despite not liking each other during their first impressions.

I thought the characters in this book were so well written. They were complex, deep, and I felt like I could really feel their emotions throughout the book. The two seem to help each other work through their grief, and slowly start to fall for each other. I thought the slow burn between Lenny and Miles was so sweet, and honestly although one section did make me feel awkward, I think it was needed to show a realistic persepctive of how no person or love story is perfect.

This is going to be one of my favourite books I've read this year. I can't even describe in words the profound impact this book had on me.

Lenny is grieving the death of her best friend Lou and is really struggling in life. She avoids going home to the apartment they used to share and instead spends her nights wandering the city or falling asleep on the ferry. When she gets a job as a nanny, she meets the child's uncle Miles. At first Miles is distrustful of her but he recognizes that Lenny is struggling. Miles has had to deal with grief himself, so he offers to help Lenny.

Through Lenny, we see the emotional journey of someone experiencing grief. She's learned to mask her grief to get through her daily life and it takes a toll on her mental health and her relationship with her parents . Her journey is realistic and the author doesn't offer up an easy fix, which I appreciated. Lenny and her best friend Lou were childhood friends, whom she referred to as her "soulmate" and "other half" and the depth of their friendship we saw through flashbacks. While Miles is stoic and stubborn at times but the ways he helps Lenny are so unassuming and unexpected. Miles has a complicated relationship with his sister and niece. The friendship that forms between them that started out with Miles helping Lenny but with time Lenny is there for Miles to help him mend his relationship with his sister and niece. This book really explores that despite a tragedy, how one must choose to go on living.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press Trade and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

“The next day is here but I haven’t done anything to say farewell to the last one. Time dogpiles me and I marvel at the fact that anyone, ever, has the strength to get up off the floor.”

Happy release day to this masterpiece, that is equal parts beauty and pain!

After losing her best friend to cancer, Lenny’s a bit shattered (reasonably so) and not really living herself anymore. However, seeing as she promised her friend she would live again, this is a problem. Enter Miles, the broody, overstepping uncle of the adorable girl Lenny is currently nannying. He proposes they help each other - if she teaches him how to connect with his niece, he’ll work through her grief with her and help her start living again. And when the two continue to show up for each other, they discover a new beginning.

“And I’m telling you, this smile is a heart starter. If I ever go into cardiac arrest, Facetime Miles and tell him to hit me with that smile.”

This book was incredible. Incredibly real. Incredibly raw. Incredibly honest.Incredibly beautiful. Just incredible. And not just for the love story that unfolds between Lenny and Miles, but for the friendship between Lenny and Lou.

While we never officially meet Lou, I feel like I know her as well as Lenny because of how Lenny loved her. You can tell theirs was a once in a lifetime friendship. This does mean, however, that this book is filled with tons of pain. But the most beautiful kind of pain. The kind of pain you feel because there was so much love.

And to balance out that pain? Lenny has Miles. At first, just a constant presence for show of support. But slowly, so slowly (the tension killed me) it builds to more. A shoulder to lean on. A friendly face in the crowd. Someone to push you out of your comfort zone. And that becomes everything. In the best way possible.

“He’s not supposed to be hot. That’s not part of our deal.”

I cheered them on the whole way through, crying and laughing with them. Loving their antics and sighing at all the adorable moments. This is worth the pain. They are worth the pain. Highly recommend adding it to your TBR.

♾️⭐️
.5 🌶️
This is hauntingly beautiful, meaning it will stay with me, living rent free in my brain, possibly forever. It’s an absolute must read.
This story about grief and healing (or just barely surviving), friendship, family, and human connection. My meager words will never do this book justice so please stop reading reviews and just read the book already!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this book. All options are my own.

Though I’ve had “Ready or Not” sitting on my bookshelf for some time, “Promise Me Sunshine” is my first Cara Bastone novel and I know now it will not be my last. Cara Bastone’s author blurb states that her goal in writing is to find the swoon in ordinary love stories and she’s more than delivered here.

There was so much I loved about this and little to nothing that I did not. I felt this story and these characters deep in my bones. I cried with them and I laughed with them, sometimes both at the same time. I love the way it explores love in all its forms and doesn’t view romantic love as the end all, be all, but rather celebrates all forms of love: familial, romantic, platonic. I love, too, the exploration of grief and the way one must choose to go on living in the wake of unmistakable tragedy. I think this is a story that has a little something for everyone and I would not hesitate to recommend it as anyone’s next read.

Promise Me Sunshine hit me right in the heart and didn’t let go. Lenny and Miles’ love story is so deep and real, pulling me in from the very first page. Cara Bastone’s writing is emotional and raw, especially in the way she explores grief—it just feels so genuine. Even when I wasn’t in the mood to read, this book completely drew me in and made me feel everything. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve finished.

Everything about the organic nature of Miles and Lenny’s relationship is genuinely beautiful. From acquaintances to friends to lovers, these two go on a deeply touching journey through grief together. There are a few things that keep this from being perfect, but it still such a sweet story of finding yourself again after grief, and in the case of Lenny, finding love as well. I would have loved to see more of the romance develop between Lenny and Miles - she could have made a comment to his ex about what he actually needs; he could have told her about the “yes” comment while camping etc. Her freak out at the end really crushed a lot for me, and I really hated how it was done. But all in all, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

3.5⭐️ - thank you netgalley for this ARC! I finished it just in time for release day tomorrow. Promise me Sunshine is about loss and grief and finding yourself again. Lenny lost her best friend Lou to cancer while Miles has recently experienced grief himself. I really enjoyed following Lenny and Miles as he helped her check off boxes on her “how to live again” list. This was a quick read and I really enjoyed the premise. Cara Bastone is an auto read for me now. But… I might love Ready or not a little more! Regardless, go get this book tomorrow when it releases!!

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 Can these emojis count as my review?
No?
Okay, give me a second to get my emotions in check and I'll be right with you....

*wipes happy tears from eyes*

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cara Bastone does the miraculous. She create characters who are going THROUGH IT, and doesn't shy away from their suffering, but creates something that will make readers feel hope and joy. Bastone introduces characters who can help, teaching us that opening your heart, letting love in, and allowing people to take care of you is a path to actual healing. This book, as well as her last novel, Ready or Not, remind me of the Mr. Rogers quote, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look to the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" The helper in this book is Miles. We tend to call the MMC "the hero" of the story, and in this case, it's LITERALLY true. He turns himself inside out to help Lenny, our heroine, come out on the other side of her grief after losing her best friend to cancer.

Would I normally read a book with this type of summary? No way! But I knew I would be in good hands with this author. She did exactly what I'd hoped: made a book about overcoming grief something beautiful, humorous, and heartfelt. I laughed, I cried, I bought the T-shirt. (Garfield eating a lasagna, if you must know...okay I bought no shirt.) I loved the evolution of our MCs relationship. It felt so REAL. The love scenes were the perfect. I've read soooo many contemporary romances recently in which the characters don't even feel like the same people once we hit the love scene(s), but this felt like the same two people we'd come to know and love experiencing real intimacy in the most beautiful and endearing way. Bravo!

I feel like I walked away from this book appreciating life more, and what more can you ask from a novel? I adore this writer, who is an auto-buy author for me, and eagerly await her next release!

I'd like to thank Random House and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a beautiful story about grief and finding yourself without your other half. I loved how Miles helped her out of her grief and let her make herself better before things moved forward.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.