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.

After losing her best friend, Lenny is stuck in an endless cycle of temporary babysitting gigs, crying on the street, and sleepless nights on ferries. But when her latest job introduces her to Ainsley, her mom, Riley, and her uncle Miles, Lenny is hesitantly drawn into their family life. And when Miles offers to help her navigate her grief in exchange for her help in connecting with his niece, Lenny reluctantly agrees to start living again.

For a book centered around grief, this story is exceptionally romantic and beautiful. Cara Bastone truly has a way with words, weaving together complex characters and Lenny's journey with so much depth and tender care. The plot never got too heavy, perfectly balancing moments of humor and everyday life. I absolutely loved the chemistry and friendship between Lenny and Miles, their relationship was wonderfully mundane and complicated. Miles was so sweet and caring; the way he would do anything for Lenny was so endearing. Stepping into Lenny’s shoes and experiencing her grief through the pages was gut-wrenching and completely cathartic. I’ve never read anything like this before, and I don't think another book will ever live up to the complex and charming story that is Promise Me Sunshine. I need everyone to stop what they're doing and go read this now!

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub date: 3 /4

Thank you so much to Netgalley and The Dial Press for my advanced copy! And thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook.
I absolutely loved this book! It’s an emotional, slow-burn love story that perfectly balances heartbreak and healing.

Lenny is completely lost after the death of her best friend, Lou. She’s just trying to get through each day, avoiding her feelings and the life she used to have. Enter Miles—grumpy, blunt, and always around thanks to his niece, Ainsley, who Lenny nannies for. He sees right through Lenny’s act of pretending she’s fine and, surprisingly, offers to help her tackle her “live again” list if she helps him build a better relationship with his family.

Their relationship starts off rocky, but over time, their dynamic shifts in the best way. The way they go from barely tolerating each other to real friends and eventually something more felt so natural and well-paced. Their banter was top-tier, and their support for each other was so sweet.

The book doesn’t shy away from grief—it’s raw, heavy, and realistic—but at the same time, there are plenty of light, heartwarming moments. If you love slow-burn romance with deep emotional layers, this book is 100% worth reading. I laughed and cried and didn’t want it to end!

Promise Me Sunshine is a vulnerable, raw book about grief, mourning, healing, friendship, and love.

We follow Lenny's journey as she experiences the unimaginable - her best friend has died. Just shy of 30, Lenny's best friend Lou has died, leaving Lenny grappling. How can she find joy again when her best friend is no longer there? How can she step foot into the apartment they shared together? How can she eat, breathe, sleep, when Lou's life was taken from her so tragically young?

Lenny is dodging calls from her parents, avoiding her apartment, opting for sleepless nights the Staten Island Ferry, evading Lou's "live again" list, and taking temporary babysitting jobs to get by and remain distracted. Lenny's newest gig is babysitting sweet 7yo Ainsley, which is where we are also introduced to Miles, Ainsley's uncle. Despite trying to appear like Lenny has everything together, Miles quickly sees through the facade and makes her an offer: if Lenny can help him connect with Ainsley, Miles will help her complete everything on the "live again" list. Both complex characters, the story of Lenny and Miles goes beyond the initial proposition and is absolutely endearing - their devotion to each other as friends, being each other's biggest supporters and wanting what's best for each other, and the beautiful evolution of their love story.

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful romance - it's the exploration of falling in love, a sweet tribute to the profound impact of friendship, and learning to live again for yourself. I loved this book so much. You will too.

I loved Ready or Not by Cara Bastone so when I saw this one available to request, I jumped on it. This was such a different story with a much heavier subject matter than her first book. Bastone’s writing is still so easy to fall into but I didn’t enjoy this story as much. The romance line was a little too slow burn for me and it became codependent for me. While I liked all the characters, I didn’t love any of them. I still kept thinking about it while I was doing other things and wanted to pick it back up but maybe it was just too sad for me. I think 3.25/5 stars for me. I’m still excited to see what Cara Bastone writes next.

This book was perfection. Cara’s book “Ready or Not” was one of my very favorite books last year, so I was so excited to receive this arc! I loved every second of it.

Cara really does the best job at bringing humor into not-so-fun situations. So while yes, I cried for a lot of this book, I also laughed so hard. Which is the recipe for some of my favorite books! Ever since Lenny lost her best friend to cancer, she’s been completely lost. She’s doing everything in her power to avoid her apartment that she shared with her best friend and mainly doing temporary jobs. She just landed the nannying job for a single mom. The only issue is it seems like the little girl’s uncle, Miles, is always around. He’s always grumpy but seems to be able to see right through her. Turns out Miles knows a lot about grief and wants to help her. He’s constantly showing up for her. And it was absolutely beautiful. This man didn’t care what time of night she needed him; he was always there. They truly brought each other to life again! Also, Lenny was hilarious, and her inner monologues had me cackling so hard! I definitely will be rereading this again this year! This comes out March 4th!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!

P.S. I will say it is a very slow burn and it deals heavily with grief from the loss of a loved one, so if that’s something that you’re not comfortable with, then maybe it’s not for you. 💕

What a unique and unusual story that brings us life, grief, love and trust.
Yes, it’s a slow burn romance.
Yes, some of the dialogue and situations could seem cringy.
But, you must read on and on and on! Don’t stop reading!
I loved all the characters in the story.
Lenny has lost her very best friend to cancer and finding life just can’t go on for her. She struggles to go forward in life.
Miles was a stranger she accidentally met that helps Lenny love again by being there for her no matter what. Everyone needs a wingman like Miles.
I definitely recommend reading this book!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Promise Me Sunshine is a feel good story about overcoming loss. Lenny is coping (or not coping) with the grief of losing her best friend to cancer when she meets Miles, who lost his mom and cousin in an accident. Miles uses his personal experiences with grief to help pull Lenny up from rock-bottom. This is a cozy-up by the fireplace kind of story. The story was captivating and the characters had good chemistry. I wish Lenny were less needy, but the plot followed her as she became self-sufficient again. Some of the spicy scenes were a bit awkward, but again, I think that plays into Lenny's character. 4/5 stars. I recommend Promise Me Sunshine to romance lovers or anyone needing a pick me up.


Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this free ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Cara Bastone has just become an auto buy author for me. I read Ready or Not last year and loved its mix of heart, humor, romance, and heavy real life issues. Promise Me Sunshine was even better. The subject matter is heavy, but is handled with the perfect balance of quirky characters and more lighthearted scenes. The writing is insightful and the characters are strong and complex. The depiction of Lenny's grief was heart-wrenchingly phenomenal and her journey towards healing was portrayed realistically. I've lost a dear friend to cancer, so I was a blubbery mess during some parts, but Bastone didn't let that linger unnecessarily long. The romance was extremely slow burn, but on the way there we get to witness the evolution of Lenny and Miles's transition from disdain to friendship, which was tremendously enjoyable.

Perfect for fans of Abbi Waxman's The Garden of Small Beginnings, anything by Emily Henry or Katherine Center, and a well done grumpy/sunshine trope. Thank you to both NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book prior to its publication in exchange for my honest review.

What a gorgeous, heart-squeezing book. May we all find a love like Miles. May we all find a love like Lou.

I've never experienced the kind of loss that Lenny has, but the writing here brings you into that very dark place alongside her, where it's hard to survive just..being. And at the same time, nearly every chapter has some whimsy or silliness, reminding us that life is like that. There's always both.

The reader knows way before Lenny does that Miles has some ooey gooey feelings for her under his tough shell. The burn is slow, but it makes perfect sense. Lenny has to remember how to live, has to want to, before she's ready to hope, ready to love. I can't even THINK about the line "he walked into hell and dragged me back out" without my eyes welling.

Aside from our couple..Lenny and Lou are gonna break your heart, but Miles and Ainsley are gonna put it back together. The way this grizzly bear of a man is writing down tips on connecting with his niece in a little notebook because he doesn't want to miss a word? The DANCE.....I'M GONE.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I absolutely loved her other book Ready Or Not, so it looks like I’m on the Cara Bastone fan train officially.

Lenny is grieving the death of her best friend and taking short-term nanny jobs to make money. The first day at her new job, she meets the girl’s uncle, Miles, who seems very grumpy and unfriendly. But his experience with grief leads him and Lenny into a buddy system, which obviously will turn into much more.

I really enjoyed the depth of the characters and their stories in this book. There is a lot of talk of grief, but also a lot of hope and talk of new things to live for. Romance fans, this only has one steamy scene! I could have had more - I love Miles.

Thank you NetGalley and The Dial Press for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The main character of this novel, Lenny, is a woman in her late 20s who is not coping well after the death of her roommate and lifelong best friend. She takes a part-time nannying gig for a little girl named Ainsley, only to find Ainsley’s grumpy uncle Miles watching her every move because he is suspicious of her. Eventually, they make a deal that Miles, who has dealt with plenty of grief of his own, will help Lenny learn to deal with her grief, while Lenny will help Miles learn how to relate to Ainsley. And of course along the way they will learn to see each other differently as well.

So this was not a grumpy-sunshine trope, more of a grumpy-depressed - and also a VERY slow burn romance. I found Lenny kind of annoying and over the top at the start, but I enjoyed following her on her journey back to life. I was totally engrossed in the characters and story - appreciated the emotional depth along with the humor, and I was crying a lot by the end! I also loved Cara Bastone’s book Ready or Not - I think she’s on her way to gaining status as a favorite romance author of mine.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC.

I don’t know where to start except that this book owns me now. Meeting Lenny feels like meeting a new best friend. And meeting Miles feels like finding a new crush (and fantasizing our love life and potential breakup—iykyk).

What I loved most about this book was its take on grief. Which is obviously the main theme here, but it at times felt like a self-help book, but in the best way possible. The thing people might not understand about depression is that sometimes it’s more comfortable to continue being depressed, it becomes a relationship itself. It’s a lot of really freaking hard work to pull yourself out; and when that depression is tied to grief, it gets complicated. Not only do we face the existential crisis of one day facing our own death, but we have to cope with the fact that most of us some day will have to learn to live without someone we love. This book is an excellent vignette of that scenario.

When free-spirit Lenny loses someone that she’s known and loved most of her life, she grapples with keeping one foot moving when all she wants to do is succumb to laying down and wallowing in her loss. Until she takes a temporary babysitting position and meets Reese, Ainsley, and Miles.

Miles, Ainsley’s uncle, is a grump who is well acquainted with grief. When he learns that Lenny is struggling, he offers to become a sort of grief coach for her. In return? Lenny will help Miles connect with the few family members he has left.

The writing is so funny, but also incredibly poignant. It mixes laughter with tears in a seamless way, and still gives you all the swoony butterflies.

☀️Grief
❤️Stangers to friends to lovers
☀️Complicated family dynamics
❤️Slow burn
☀️“Bucket list” storyline
❤️Cinnamon roll MMC

4.5 Stars.

“He walked into hell and dragged me back out.”

🐺 The vibes:
- Grief & healing journey
- Finding joy again
- Found family
- Friendship
- Sprinkle of romance
- Open door

🐺 My thoughts:
After Lenny loses her best friend to cancer, she’s drowning in grief. With a list of how to live again and a temporary nanny gig, Lenny meets gruff and broody Miles who swears he can be her grief guru. This is primarily a journey of healing with a side sprinkle of romance. But the romance was one of the most heartwarming ones I’ve ever read.

🐺 I found Lenny to be the perfect amount of funny. Her character made me laugh out loud a few times. Almost like a Lorelei Gilmore personality. Who I love. I loved that we could see Lenny’s personality even in the midst of all her stages of grief and depression.

🐺 The wolves. 😭 The hammock. 😭 The Camping. 😭

🐺 While this is a journey about grief, the story is very much hopeful and happy in the tone. I smiled through most of it, and the book didn’t feel like a downer for me- which was something I was a wee bit nervous about when starting it.

🐺 This book encapsulates what love is to me. Burrowing down into someone else’s grief and just being there with them. But also knowing when they need a hand to keep them from drowning in it. I’m truly touched. And I think this is one anyone would enjoy.

🐺 My oneeeeee tiny grievance is that I really felt like the spice wasn’t necessary here. This is my stance across the board, but it felt so out of place to me in this one.

🐺 I picked this book up purely because the author. I knew nothing about the book but loved Cara’s book Ready or Not and knew I wanted to try her newest release. This book gave me all the same feelings that Ready or Not gave me, and this is officially an author to add to my favorites.

Cancer and grief are major themes in this one, though the tone is hopeful and not dark/ too heavy, imo.

Similar to The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley in themes of finding joy in life involving depression tone and a list to find joy again.

Note- language; open door ( 1-2 scenes)
Release date: March 4, 2025.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, Cara Bastone and NetGalley for the gifted copy.