I honestly forgot I had this book in my NetGalley library and was jealous when I kept seeing reviews from others, but I think I read this book when I needed it the most. For me, this book was an emotional roller coaster in the best way possible. I think this book is going to hit readers differently based on where they are in life and what they have dealt with in the past/currently facing. I think Miles set the standards high for all future book boyfriends as he helped Lenny learn how to live again. I was not sure how the book was going to end but feel like it had almost the perfect ending.

Wow, the way this book hit me like a truck as I literally finished it in one sitting! THIS is strangers to friends to lovers done well. I take back anything bad I ever said about the trope because Lenny and Miles changed my mind.

I loved Lenny so much. Her grief process was so realistic and she was such a lovable and raw character. It hit hard at some points and I just wanted to wrap her up into a hug. She’s so precious and seeing her heal throughout the book was beautiful for her character development. And Miles was such a green flag! This man was everything and was so patient, gentle, and insanely selfless for Lenny. Their relationship was so natural, realistic, funny, and all no-nonsense. I loved the absence of an annoying third act conflict because these two communicated with each other so well. This man was in LOVE. The romance was so well paced. The slow burn was truly burning through the tension and banter. I loved every single moment they had together because it all made up the basis of their trust and understanding of each other.

I also loved their relationship with Ainsley and all the adorable moments they had together!

The first spice scene was kind of cringey for me but I eventually got over it. And I know that the main focus of the story was Lenny’s grief process and seeing her heal, but I also would have love to read more about Miles’s past and his own healing process for people he lost. He also deserved his own POVs for more character development because it didn’t feel fully resolved to me by the end.

Other than that, this was such a refreshing read and I really loved it!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so sweet. I did not know what I expected going into it, but it was really good. As someone who’s lost someone very important in their life, it’s incredible to have a Miles to go to hell and drag you out. I think she captures grief so well and honestly it was refreshing to get to be on the journey from stranger to friend to lover. Highly recommend.

Ready Or Not was one of my favorite reads of 2024 so I was really excited to be approved to read this early. I was not disappointed at all. What a beautiful romance with a great slow burn. But more importantly this is a story about light in darkness and overcoming grief. It’s about pushing forward and living life for those not with us anymore. I cried. I was moved. Bastone is definitely a voice to watch in the romance genre and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

The book is a really good reminder that you don’t have to be perfect (or even, be at your best) to be deserving of love. The book centers around Lenny, who is grieving the loss of her best friend - while nannying and trying to hold her life together. Through the story, Lenny and MMC Miles both explore the realness of grief, what it means to be a support system and caretaker, complex family dynamics - all while navigating growing romantic feelings for a friend.

Cara Bastone does an incredible job of developing not just the main characters but a cast of lovable side characters that really enhance the story. There are so many likable people in this book, from Lenny’s parents to Miles’ family to a new group of friends that they meet and both start to rebuild their social circles after loss.

Overall, it’s a definite must read for contemporary romance fans. Even though the novel deals with some sensitive topics, it does still have the typical genre qualities, like happily-ever-after, humor, and lightness sprinkled throughout. For fans of authors like Ashley Poston, Katherine Center and Carley Fortune.

CW: Grief

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advance copy of #PromiseMeSunshine. You can find it out March 4th - opinions are my own.

First I would like to thank Net Galley for a digital copy! And I would like to give this book a 3.75/5. Cara Bastone did an excellent job! So many emotions but I love Miles and Lenny, especially the character development. I really loved their friendship, the grief and their love story.

I loved Cara Bastone’s previous book, Ready or Not, and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of Promise Me Sunshine. Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny as she deals with the aftermath of her best friend’s death. When she takes a temporary nanny job, she meets Miles and they agree to help each other.
While there is romance in Promise Me Sunshine, it is not a rom com and the romance is not the central focus. This is a raw, unflinching look at grief and how we never get over it we just get through it.
While I liked the story and Lenny and Miles, it felt like something was missing. Maybe a pov from Miles would have helped or more focus on the background characters who were lovely and brought some much needed levity to the story. Promise Me Sunshine deals with a heavy topic with realism and grace and fans of Bastone’s previous work will enjoy this one.

This story follows Lenny, a young woman who has recently lost her best friend, Lou. At its core, this book follows Lenny's journey through grief. Along her journey, she meets Miles, the uncle of the young girl that she is nannying for. Her and Miles begin to bond and we watch their relationship grow.

As a story of grief and healing, this book did a wonderful job. Lenny begins our story in a very dark place. We watch her grapple with these emotions and learn how to live her life after Lou, while also trying to remember her. For anyone that has gone through the loss of a family member or friend, I think that you will recognize part or parts of your journey in Lenny, and that really connects her to the reader.

I also really enjoyed the writing in this book. Although it deals with a very heavy theme, there were several parts where I actually laughed out loud. The writing helped to insert some light and humour into an otherwise very heavy and emotional story.

I also really enjoyed Ainsley's character/portrayal and her bond with Miles. She was such a sweet, realistic child and she gave this book some extra charm and lightness.

Unfortunately what I think was done really well about this book, the story of grief, was also what I didn't like about it. This book is marketed (to my understanding) as a romance. To me, a romance book focuses heavily on a relationship between characters. It can include other themes or issues, but at its core, we focus on the relationship. This book did not do that in my opinion. This book to me was more of a general fiction story about the journey through grief and loss, with a subplot of romance. We go through a lot of the book focusing on Lenny's healing, and only in the last... 15% maybe, do we get any real romance. I saw the connection building throughout the book, but it wasn't enough for me to say that it was the focus.

The one other thing that I didn't like was (in general terms as to avoid spoilers) the second list. Instead of having a conversation about boundaries and mental health, this second list was made and used in a way that made me uncomfortable. It was like Miles wanted to be the judge on Lenny's journey and didn't trust her to make her own decisions and it really hurt my rating of this book.

Overall, I am rating this book a 3.25 star. I think that if you are looking for a story about grief and loss and enjoy a romance subplot, this book would be great for you. I think it would be helpful to set expectations that this book is not heavy on the romance at all really, so that they know that before going in.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Lenny is grieving for the loss of her best friend. She is having a hard time getting back into her life. She can’t sleep, doesn’t want to go home and basically carries her life around in a backpack.
Miles is grieving the loss of his mother and cousin. He and Lenny meet when she starts a job as a fill in nanny for Miles’ niece. He sees how she is barely functioning and decides to make her his project to help her get through her grief and begin again.
The two of them learn a lot about each other and both help each other. Of course there was some romance, but this is really a book about working through grief.
A good story.

This book was phenomenal yall! Cara is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. She has FULLY helped me see how much I love a good friends to lovers trope. This woman has mastered it. What I enjoyed the most about this book was that romance was not at the forefront of this book at all. Grief was. And as a person who has endured some major grief in her life- I was floored at how well it was addressed AND how accurate it was. I absolutely loved and connected with all of the characters. We have Lenny who is on the other side a tragedy that has rocked her world. She can't see on through the other side. She is working as a nanny and basically floating at this point through life. We have Ainsley, the girl she is babysitting. We have Reese (Ainsley's mom) and then of course we have Miles (Reese's half brother/Ainsley's uncle). I think I liked him as much as Miles from Funny Story. Miles is a massive grump at first but when we start to peel back the layers of why he is the way he is it's heartbreaking and so sincere. Him and Lenny immediately start off on the wrong foot. But then Miles comes to Lenny with a proposal of sorts. A way that they can help each other out. Lenny is because why not. But she doesn't expect her life to be forever changed.

Lenny is at the point in her grief where she isn't trying to hid it anymore. She just lets it out when it wants to be out. She is working but not willing to commit to anything. She is making it. She is as ok as she can be right now. But then she gets a new family. Reese and Ainsley and the uncle Miles. Miles seems like a jerk from the jump. He is lurking and watching and tattling on Lenny. His relationship with Reese who Lenny finds out later is his sister is strained at best. But Lenny's job is Ainsley and so she focuses all of her energy on her. When the short assignment is up, Lenny decides she will move on to someone else. But then Miles throws her a curveball. He thinks he can help her and wants her help in return. He has been where she is. He gets it. He wants to walk her through it, and in return he wants help with the elephant in the room that is his relationship with his half-sister and niece. They shake and agree. Lenny doesn't really know what to expect but it is not what she gets. Miles is always around. He takes her to try new things. He helps her when things are really dark. He makes her laugh. He listens when she needs him to. And while he is listening she is too. And she starts to find herself considering Miles an important person in her life. She finds herself loving how he makes her feel- confident and brave and strong. She finds herself wanting more. She just hopes he wants that too.

I will say that I was good with the fact that this one was done in one POV (Lenny). At the same time, I would have loved a snippet of Miles in there somewhere. Watching these two dance around each other and weave together was soooo precious. They were the most honest and open with each other because they both walked in with literally zero expectations. What a great way to build a foundation for more. The chemistry between these two was a super slow burn. Like watching water start to boil on a low simmer. But then when it became glaring it was electric! I absolutely loved how quirky Lenny was. She brought out the fun side of Miles which made me smile. If you haven't read one of Cara's books, I would HIGHLY recommend this one AND Ready or Not. Both are just incredible!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review :)

3.5 - Ready or Not was one of my favorite reads of 2024, and Cara is a must read author for me. I loved the premise of this one— Lenny mourns the death of her best friend while taking on a short term nanny role. There she meets Miles, a grumpy uncle who wants to learn to be there for his sister and niece.

While I really enjoyed both characters, the writing is fantastic, and the banter is hilariously funny. I found the pace moved really slow at times, and I felt like it was far too slow of a burn. They really go from enemies to friends to lovers, and I couldn’t feel the chemistry between them, but I still enjoyed this book.

Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not.

I was looking forward to this book after Ready or not and I felt the beginning of the book started Strong with the Story of Lennie who is hired to be a childcare worker for Single Mom Reese as Lennie recently lost her friend/Roommate who passed away and she keeps herself busy so she does not have to go back to her old apartment and old memories. Reese's Brother, Miles is around quite a bit and he and Lennie do not hit it off but start to spend time together and form an understanding.

I wanted to like this book and it had a strong start but it felt a lot of story was filler and while grief is a hard thing, it was hard to emotionally relate to Lenny. I found myself easily bored with this story and it was like pulling teeth getting through it. I kept waiting for it to get better but to no avail. This book was not for me. I didn't hate it but it does not make me want to read any of her future titles either.

Omg PERFECTION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE DIAL PRESS FOR THE ARC. I am now officially obsessed with Cara Bastone. Ready or Not was one of my favorite books of 2024, and I wasn't sure if this one would capture the magic, but now I know, that magic comes from somewhere deep within Cara's soul. This book is... amazing. Heartfelt. Heartbreaking. Gut-wrenching. Emotional. Encouraging.

I'm OBSESSED with Miles Honey. He's gruff, but so in-tune with everyone around him. His ability to see people where they are and know them, ESPECIALLY LENNY... gah.

This is a story of Lenny, who has lost the love of her life and is grieving. She gets through the days by caring for kiddos in random nanny capacities, but her nights are full of grief and loss. She's lost. She can't go home because the pain waiting there is too much. She's sad to exist in a world without the most important person. And the first day she meets Miles? He thinks she looks like she's strung out on drugs. But the minute he finds out why she looks haunted? Man, he shows up.

READ THIS BOOK, but especially if you love:
- Love after loss
- Grief bonding
- Checking items off THE LIST
- Single POV slow burns that are WORTH THE WAIT
- Reminders to LIVE
- Really hot uncles who want to be prepared to watch their nieces
- NYC
- Camping
- Representation
- Music/KPOP/dancing/art/museums

This one is out March 4th and I can't wait for everyone to fall in love with it!

Oh my god this was everything I had hoped for and so much more. I feel like my soul got a deep tissue massage, and my masseuse was cracking jokes the entire time. I loved the entire experience of this book and can’t wait to obnoxiously pester everyone I know to read it.

Characters: 4 stars
Vibes: 4.5 stars
Plots: 5 stars
Overall: 4.5

I don't know who I thought I was, picking up a book about recovering from grief and expecting to come out unscathed. I cried *many times* throughout. That said, I had a wonderful time reading this book once I finally got started. I've done my fair share of grieving these past couple of years, and I feel like in many ways Cara Bastone hit the 'recovering from loss' nail right on the head.

'Promise Me Sunshine' is about a girl, Lenny, trying to come back to life and live after the loss of her best friend. It's about Miles, who has also had an unfair deck of grief cards delt to him, and his desire to connect to his estranged sister and niece. These two quickly formed an agreement: Miles will help Lenny check things off her 'live again' list, if she helps him build a relationship with his niece, Ainsley. Key detail - Lenny is Ainsley's babysitter.

The reason I'm giving this book 4.5 stars is because it was hard to connect or relate to the characters at the beginning. These characters are very, very quirky. Not in a "i'm not like other girls" kind of way, but still VERY quirky. ALL of these characters would benefit GREATLY from therapy. If you put that minor tidbit aside, the story is endearing. Although it took some time, once I understood the personalities of the main characters, I really enjoyed them and their story. They maintained character integrity all the way through, and I was able to empathize with and root for them.

The major plotline of recovering from loss was handled beautifully. It felt genuine, and my heart was right there with Lenny and Miles throughout the story. I don't have eloquent enough words to demonstrate my appreciation for the way this plotline unfolded.
One of the scenes that had me crying in the club, aka my work cubicle was:

<b>"'Hey, Lou. Miles is taking me and some new friends camping. Can you imagine me camping? I'm going to get lost in the mountains and airlifted out. I'll be on the local news.'
'I'll attach you to me with a leash. You won't get lost.'
'Hey, Lou. Miles is taking care of everything. He's going to make sure I don't get arrested for weeping in a grocery store.'
'You can weep in a grocery store. That's not illegal.' He turns another page.
'Hey, Lou. Miles says when you left, you took my heart with you. He says is was like a heart transplant. Only ...' I lean forward and thump my chest. My hair falls in a tent around me, blocking out the light. 'I don't know what this new heart is supposed to be living for.'"</b>

I feel like this scene is also a good representation of the love story of this book. I am a SUCKER for romances where the characters meet each other where they are at. I am also a sucker for romance leads stepping up/showing up for each other when they don't really need to. Maybe the bare minimum?? But you know what I mean?? Which makes Miles like one of the best contemporary romance book boyfriends, in my opinion. Well, at least for the FMC. These two really understand each other and compliment their individual differences. I enjoyed them together and the development of their friendship to relationship.

I am a fan of Cara Bastone, and I will remember this story fondly!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this digital review copy in exchange for my honest review!

All the stars for this book!

This was my first Cara Bastone book, but will by no means be my last. I was only 4% into this read when I fell in love with her writing and figured she’d become another favorite. She drew me into the story so fully right away.

It’s going to be hard for me to put into words what I loved about it; it will all just be an iteration of how good it was and how much I loved it.

This was a beautiful story of healing through grief, and while I have not been in Lenny’s shoes to that extent of grief, there was so much that was relatable, as we have all struggled over grief at one time or another.

Yet, even with such a heavy topic, Lenny was such a natural, quirky character, I found myself laughing out loud. I think she’s a bit of a soul sister.

I love books with kids (when done well), and this one was so good. I truly loved seeing all the relationship dynamics – between Lenny and Miles (obviously), but also Lenny and Ainsley, Lenny and Reese, Miles and Reese, and, of course, Miles and Ainsley. Even the relationship between Lenny and her mom felt so viscerally real (That cemetery scene? The family dinner scene? Yes. All of it so good.).

There were also so many quotes and meaningful parts of the story that really struck me hard. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated Miles’s take on relationships. It’s easy to get caught up in the idealized version of passionate romance and downplay the importance of all the rest. The analogy of the wolves howling to let others know its near – how we all need someone to help us along. The daises in winter analogy? Gah! Just… *chefs kiss. Really well done.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have already put my review up on Goodreads, and a review will be on my Instagram on release day – Tuesday, March 4.

I enjoyed this. I appreciated the multilayered aspect of the female friendships plus the romance.I think additional flashbacks to solidify their past in our minds would have been appreciated, but still was very enjoyable.

Grief is one of the most difficult things in life. I absolutely respect the way Cara Bastone portrayed that aspect.

ARC/ALC BOOK REVIEW

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
5 STARS

Thank you, Dial Press and NetGalley, for the #free eARC of this book and another thank you to PRHA for the #free audiobook! #PRHAudioPartner

SYNOPSIS: “Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her 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 doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.”

REVIEW: Where do I even start with this book except to say that I absolutely loved it in every possible way. Cara Bastone did a masterful job weaving together grief, love, joy, and sadness in this book. In short, it feels so very human.

In true Bastone fashion, we get fun, quick, and witty language paired with robustly human and delicately drawn characters. Lenny and Miles are probably the most endearing duo that I’ve encountered in a while, and it was a pleasure to go on this journey with Lenny.

Life is complex. It’s full of competing emotions and moments, and this book captured that so well. We got to see Lenny and Miles (as well as the supporting characters who were all wonderful) in many fun moments, but the grief was ever present, as grief is.

This is a must read. End of story.

Publisher: The Dial Press, PRH Audio
Pub date: 3/4/25

3.5 stars! PROMISE ME SUNSHINE follows Lenny, who is struggling to cope with the loss of her best friend, yet is still pretending to everyone else in her life that she has everything under control. She's thrilled to land a job nannying for overworked single mom Reese and her daughter Ainsley, but is a little less excited about Miles, Ainsley's uncle who somehow always seems to be around. Soon enough, Lenny and Miles make a deal: Miles will help Lenny start living again, and Lenny will help Miles connect with Ainsley and patch up his complicated bond with Reese. Their plan doesn't include falling in love...but it just might happen anyway.

There was so much that I really enjoyed about this book—I loved the concept, thought the characters were really well-drawn, and felt like Cara Bastone did a fantastic job of covering themes like grief, friendship, and resilience. I also particularly liked the storyline of Miles developing a relationship with his sister and niece! However, I wished that the romance had been a bit more developed/introduced earlier on in the book. The pacing in general is on the slower side, which I didn't totally mind, but I felt like we could have had more of the chemistry, more moments, etc. between Lenny and Miles earlier on. Also, this may just be a "me" thing, but the characters (Lenny in particular) sometimes felt almost a little too quirky? I can't remember if I felt this way with Bastone's previous book READY OR NOT, but I did find it a little harder to connect with them here at first, because of it. Again, I feel like a lot of these things are more just up to personal reading tastes! It seems like a lot of people absolutely loved this one, so I would still recommend checking it out, especially if the plot description draws you in. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and The Dial Press for the ARC.