Cara Bastone is at her finest in Promise Me Sunshine. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and the character dynamics are carefully crafted and full of depth, but what she does best here is her depiction of grief.

Bastone does not sugarcoat Lenny’s grief and it was so impressive to see Lenny feel everything and subsequently nothing at points with such intensity. This book is real and raw and deeply relatable. Grief is not a hill to master, but an ever evolving path you take.

The romance happened so naturally and seemingly effortlessly (even though we see Miles and Lenny put in the work) that I couldn’t help but be brought to tears when they finally get together. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such satisfying yearning from a romance novel.

Speaking of Miles, what a dream. He is so patient, kind, and caring to Lenny. He cares and cares and cares with his whole heart and I am so endeared to the pair of them and I hope you will be too.

I hope your takeaway from this review is that you should read this book when it releases on March 4th.

Thank you to Dial and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I laughed, I cried, I devoured this book. One of the best rom-coms I’ve read in a very long time. A beautiful picture of grief and friendship and moving forward in life after tragedy. And NONE of the annoying tropes I hate!!!!
I will be purchasing a copy of this next week 🥹

I absolutely adored this book! It's definitely going to be in my top 5 for 2024. It portrays grief in such a beautiful way and keeps it entertaining as well. I laughed out loud multiple times during this book. It's definitely deeper than the average romance on the market today, but it was done so beautifully. Cara Bastone will be an auto-buy author for me from now on.

4.25⭐
Foremost, this is a story of learning to live again after a profound loss. It's learning to eat, sleep and move through a world that has dimmed and lost its color. But this isn't a sad book. Lenny is quirky and loving and even at her depths, at her messiest, she is still a light in the world. As deals with the loss of her best friend from childhood, she accepts a short term nanny job. The little girl's grumpy uncle recognizes her struggles and offers to help. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve seen a lot of rave reviews of this book already, but unfortunately this one and I did not click.

There were definitely aspects I liked: Miles being an absolute sweetheart, the slow-burn friends-to-lovers arc, and Miles’ journey to connect with his family, but there were also parts that didn’t work for me at all.

Lenny was SO qUiRkY which never lands for me. But the biggest problem of this whole story to me was the lack of, like, actual therapy? There’s a growing trend in romance (I feel) of the MCs healing each other, and this was a pretty egregious example. Lenny was quite literally suicidal. It just felt icky to me.

Pacing-wise, the book dragged in some places but skimmed over moments I wanted more depth in, making it feel both too long and incomplete. Unfortunately, for me, it missed the mark.

This was my first romance by Cara Bastone and won't be my last! This author strikes such a delicate balance between individual character growth and romance, with a couple whose boundless support of each other brings such a hopeful atmosphere to an otherwise heavy novel. I truly think that anybody who has ever suffered a loss of someone close to them will find immense comfort and love in these pages and I can't recommend it enough.

This was my first book that I have read by Cara Bastone and it was so beautifully written. This story follows Lenny who is dealing with an immense amount of grief after the death of her best friend. She takes a nanny position and meets Miles, the little girl's uncle. Miles is no stranger to grief so he makes a plan to help Lenny through her grief in exchange for help forming a relationship with his niece and sister. While this book may be a romance, it has the slowest of slow burns which I loved and appreciated.

I want to thank NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author for allowing me to read the arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC. Wow, I wasn’t quite expecting such a deep, emotional ride! But that’s what I like so much about Bastone (my first book of hers was last year’s Ready or Not). This book is a love story in so many ways—mostly about finding ways to love life through grief. Supremely well-drawn characters, and so much light and humor even in the darkest of times. Highly recommend!

I love Cara Bastone and I love this book. It’s just so sweet. And sad. And happy. And Miles is my new favorite.

This is the first book of hers that I’ve read with my eyes. To think I was nervous I wouldn’t be as in love with it without the audiobook. Ridiculous.

Thanks to Dial Press for providing an arc through NetGalley for me to review!

Promise me sunshine.
Cara Bastone.
Five stars are not enough, I give it a constellation.
How can a book can be sad and funny at the same time?
Lenny is not in a good place right now. She´s coping with grief after the recent loss of her best fríend (and soulmate, Lou). Still, she manages to keep going and starts to work as a nanny. Unexpectedly, she forms a unique friendship with Miles (uncle of the Little girl she´s babysitting), he´s now in a different level of grief and the friendship and bond they form is beneficial for both of them. This is a slow burn, friends to lovers love story, but more than that, this is a story about frienship, empathy and resilience.
I loved all the characters, and most of the time I wanted to be friends with Lenny and Miles and give them a sincere hug.
I´m amazed of Cara Bastone´s style. She pefectly balanced humor and drama with expertise. She talks about grief with so much thoughtfulness and sensitivity. This is a beautiful and heartwarming story. Already a favorite of the year.
Personal note* I´m currently coping with grief, my parents passed away recently, and this book felt like a gigant hug. Thank you Cara Bastone for this beatiful story.
Thank you NetGalley thank you Dial Press, New York for this ARC.

First and foremost thank you to the publishers and author for an advanced copy of this book! This book is my soul book for sure! I started it a while ago and then paused. And when it came back to me, it was absolutely the book that I needed to ease my soul.

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny, who has lost her soulmate/best friend Lou to cancer. Lenny spends her days being a short term nanny and her nights running from grief. Hot mess doesn’t even begin to describe Lenny, she’s less than a shadow of a person. She basically just goes thru the motions. When Lenny takes a job for Reese watching her Ainsley, she meets Miles. And if there’s something Cara is amazing at, it’s writing the best golden retriever men because Miles?! First he’s all dark and broody but when you get to know him… so sweet and so tender.

The relationship between Miles and Lenny is beautiful. They start out with a mutually beneficial relationship, Miles helping Lenny with her list of things to do. Lenny helping Miles better his relationship with Reese and Ainsley. And of course slowly, they start to fall in love. It was beautiful, I laughed and cried and pushed head first thru grief. Definitely a must read!!!

I went into this book completely blind, and wow—what a shock in the best way. While it could be categorized as a romance, it’s so much more than that.

This story is heavy, deeply emotional, and beautifully layered with themes of grief, healing, and resilience. It captures the raw, inescapable nature of loss in a way that feels profoundly real and heartfelt. The characters' journeys are deeply moving, making you feel every ounce of their pain, love, and growth.

This isn’t a book to rush—savor it. Let it sit with you long after the final page.

Something about Cara Bastone just charms me. I like her sense of humor and this novel has even more personality than Ready or Not. She has a knack for sweet friends-to-lovers arcs with ultra-capable and supportive male leads, and this one is top notch.

Every time I felt a potential weakness in the story brewing, the very next scene solved it. The male lead seems too flawless? Here's a vulnerability. The relationship isn't enough of a two-way street? Here's some time for the female lead to get her crap together. All without feeling choppy, formulaic, or blown out of proportion.

I'm just screaming. I loved this so much.

Don’t let this cute cover fool you! This has some HEAVY content. A beautiful story of grief and joy that combines to make the sweetest book!

Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend…her soul mate and Miles is no stranger to grief himself.

They happen to cross paths and their first impressions do not go well but they come together and learn to live again and to have purpose and joy.

Such a heart warming story. Five stars. It’s heavy but has just enough quirkiness and humor to create the perfect balance!

Thank you Cara Bastone! So happy I got to read this as an ARC. Also a big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

This book shattered me, and then pieced me back together. Cara, you've left an indelible mark. Promise me you'll never stop writing! The portrayal of grief, particularly Lenny's loss of Lou, was raw and devastating. But amidst the pain, there's a powerful message of resilience. Miles's arrival was a breath of fresh air, a beacon of hope. (And yes, Drew Starkey as inspiration? Perfection!) This story beautifully captures the ugly, messy reality of grief, but also the possibility of finding joy and home again. Cara, you're a true storyteller.

4/4.5 STARS

“Well, I can’t promise the sunshine. But I can do everything else.”

This is a super sweet romance novel that checked all the boxes for me: grumpy/sunshine, friends to lovers, charming, swoony, witty, heartbreaking and heart warming.

Lenny Bellamy has recently lost her best friend Lou. It has devastated her and sent her life into despair. She carries around a laminated “Live Again list” that she made with Lou and promised her she would follow it. Lenny is having a very hard time with this until she takes a short term babysitting job and meets the grumpy Uncle Miles.

Miles Honey has his own share of loss and grief. He decides to help Lenny cross things off her list in exchange for her helping him connect with his niece Ainsley. I absolutely adored Miles. This so called grumpy man is so misunderstood and has a heart of gold. He and Lenny quickly become buddies after getting off to a rough start. Lenny is hilarious despite her sadness and I really enjoyed the quirkiness of her character.

Even though this book deals with profound loss and the difficulties of navigating life after loss, this story is hopeful and endearing and full of gentleness, friendship and love. It was real and raw and told with grace and compassion and the perfect amount of humor.

“And this journey through grief … It’s what we do for the great loves of our lives.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It took me a while to get into Miles' and Lenny's story, but I enjoyed it. It would have been nice to see more build up between the two characters. It was interesting to see how the topic of grief would be handled, but I loved Miles being there for Lenny to help her. Miles is definitely being added to the book boyfriends list.
Thank you NetGallery for the arc!

I love Cara Bastone's writing! I read Ready or Not at the end of 2024 and immediately requested this book from NetGalley (thank you for approving me!). While she tackles difficult topics, like grief in this book or unplanned pregnancy in her other, her writing still feels like a warm hug.

The characters were unique and thoughtful and you really wanted to root for them. I loved all the character building that was done and the plot also moves. I found myself the literal version of the heart eye emoji often while reading this book.

Absolutely loved it! Cara Bastone is an autobuy author for me.

Lenny and Miles are the idea that to be known is to be loved. This book was epic! What a love story.
I went in blind and I would advise against that. But in the end, the charm of the book completely overwhelms you. Love love love. Heavy, will stick with you, and beautiful.

As much as I loved Cara Bastone’s Ready Or Not, I requested this ARC immediately! 
This book is a solid grumpy-rain cloud trope, if that could be a thing. Lenny, who’s suffering a recent loss, meets Miles when she shows up for a weekend nannying gig. They strike a deal to help each other out: Lenny will coach Miles on winning over his niece and sister, and Miles will be Lenny’s grief companion. 
Once again I have fallen in love with all characters Cara Bastone wrote in Promise Me Sunshine:
Lenny and her absolutely devastating state upon meeting her. Miles and his initially mysterious existence and quiet and unassuming support. Ainsley as the (second) coolest 7 year old girl I know…Lou, even though we never really meet her on page, AND we got to see Ethan (IYKYK). 
Throughout the book, you can FEEL Lenny coming back to herself and finding a way to live with her grief, and to live, which is to me the ultimate moral of this story: to really live and not just exist. I really appreciated the humor throughout the book, which helped balance the heaviness of grief as a main theme of the story. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for a review.