Grief is such a complicated thing, and Cara writes it so beautifully. Lenny lost her best friend, her 'sister' and is muddling through life, and not doing a great job. She takes a temp babysitting job for Reece, a single mum, and her daughter Ainsley. Upon arriving for the babysitting gig she meets Miles. After a cold start, they then strike up a friendship - two lonely, grief stricken people looking for a reason to live life again. This book is brilliant, and touching and I highly recommend! Thank you for the arc!

thank you SO much random house publishing group and net galley for this exciting e-arc that comes out TOMORROW!

I adored this. a book about learning to live after loss. this is the story of helen, who loses her best friend to cancer, and how miles, this perfectly flawed, serious and compassionate man, who once dealt with his own grief, teaches her to live again.

some favorite quotes of mine:

“Do you ever get used to not being able to give updates on your life?”… “I mean… that is the woman who used to ask me what I’d had for lunch that day because she was genuinely curious. She loved knowing the details of my life. Every little boring nothing, she wanted to know. And now… literally every aspect of my life is different and I can’t tell her.”

“Grieving her… it’s the only connection… it’s how I hold on to her.”

“But the thing about losing the person you love the most on earth is—somehow— you still have to do mundane things like tie your shoes and make enough money to continue to exist in this punishing world.”

“Grief becomes your companion, Lenny. As awful as it is, it’s your constant. And so when it starts to leave… when you start to heal—“

“Companionship… it’s incredible if done right. It’s satisfying. And isn’t that ultimately what everyone wants? To feel fulfilled.”
“Known.”
“Of course.”

“Say if you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”
“That’s not even from the right movie!” “Just say it!”

“Every time I fall in love with you there’s lightening.” He closes his eyes, opens them, and there’s his brilliant love. “There’s only you, Lenny. Every time… it’s just you,” he says, muffled as he kisses me. “And you.” He kisses me again. “And you.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Cara Bastone for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Lenny is 6 months deep into grief, and is barely holding on to normalcy. When she takes a job babysitting a young girl she meets Miles, the grumpy uncle who surprisingly has common ground with Lenny. He offers to help her through her grief while Lenny in exchange teachers him how to better connect with his niece.

This book was so heavy and cathartic in all the best ways. Trigger warnings for death of a loved one. I really enjoyed the banter and interactions between Lenny and Miles. This story left me feeling uplifted and excited to read more of Cara's work.

There are some books that will stick with you forever, Promise me Sunshine is one of those books. Lenny’s story is so raw and real. I love Miles and everything he becomes for Lenny. Everything about this is just so heavy, real and perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial press for this ARC!

Promise Me Sunshine
By: Cara Bastone
4.5 stars

Thank you so much @dialpress for the eARC & @prhaudio for the audiobook!

Cara you did it AGAIN!

I was absolutely screaming when this book was announced and when I got approved for it, OMG! Total meltdown! I buddy read this one with my babes & that made it even more special!

Ready or Not was one of my favorite reads of 2024 so I knew Promise Me Sunshine was going to be emotional. In this story we meet Lenny who recently loss her best friend Lou to cancer and is in the midst of trying to survive. She takes nannying jobs here and there while ignoring the apartment she once shared with Lou to instead sleep on a bench of the Staten Island Ferry. During her recent Nannying job for a single woman named Reese and her daughter seven year old Ainsley, Lenny meets Reese’s estranged but protective brother, Miles. Miles is initially suspicious of Lenny and she catches him complaining about her to Reese but after seeing a book about grief fall out of her backpack one day, Miles tone changes completely.

Miles decides to help Lenny overcome her grief by being her person that helps her cross off items on her “Live Again” list that Lou left for Lenny before her passing. Lenny agrees to become Ainsley’s nanny full time and over the months of interactions, Miles helps Lenny confront her pain through simple things like eating, showering, having a new place to sleep, to the more complex issues. As they spend more time together Miles becomes everything to Lenny and there are so many vulnerable moments shared between the two. They really were a great balance of one another and their growing romance felt perfect to me.

This is definitely a book you cannot go into lightly. It is emotionally charged dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. It was heartwarming, funny, and ultimately a great example that grief is complex and healing takes time.

Oh, this book! This book has my whole heart, this book is EVERYTHING. What an incredible exploration of grief, loss, friendship, and love. Lenny is such an endearing, dynamic character, and I felt the depths of her grief like an ache inside my own heart. She’s so beautifully written that even while she’s hurting, she’s so funny, quirky, and loves fiercely with her whole heart. I felt ALL THE FEELINGS as Lenny struggles through her days, works through her “Live Again” list, and goes from friendship to something more with Miles.

And Miles! Dear, sweet, grumpy Miles is my new book boyfriend (Miles from Funny Story, you’re in second place now, sorry). I adored how protective and patient and kind Miles was with Lenny, and although their romance is a very slow burn, it’s actually *exactly right* given everything that Lenny is going through. I also loved the secondary plot of Miles putting in the work to build a relationship with Ainsley and Reese. He’s a real one!

While the print book is outstanding all on its own (and you should get one so you can highlight/annotate it if that’s your thing), if you love audiobooks, then I’m begging you to listen to this one on audio. This is officially my new favorite audiobook. Just so, so, SO good! Alex Finke is sheer perfection as Lenny. Her narration is so vibrant that Lenny’s grief and tears are palpable, and her joy is radiant in moments of happiness.

WOW! I absolutely love this book. I love the way that Lenny’s grief is portrayed as it is so real and raw. And then when Miles jumps in to help and slowly they start to fall for each other and we can see that they are but they don’t see it yet, is just amazing. Lenny and Miles have gone through hell and back in their personal lives and seeing that even experiencing such terrible things doesn’t take away joy is just a great viewpoint for this story.

Un libro de romance contemporáneo que trata sobre el duelo, temas con los que generalmente suelo conectar de manera fácil, desafortunadamente en esta ocasión no resultó ser así. De igual forma puedo entender que a muchas personas les guste la novela y logren conectar con ella.

Oh. My. God. THIS BOOK!

I CAN'T EVEN. INFINITE STARS.

I'm trying to find the words to describe this book. Heartbreakingly sad. Beautiful. Emotional. The slowest burn. PERFECT.

I was violently sobbing almost 50% of the book. The other 50%, though, was so full of love, friendship, healing and hope that the tears were so worth it.

MILES. I loved him so much! He was just perfect, awkward at first, but then so kind and calm and EVERYTHING.

I loved Lenny's progress through her journey with grief. I loved her growth, I loved how she accepted Miles' help and I loved the place she's at at the end of the book.

I loved all the secondary characters too: Ainsley, Reese, Jericho, Rica, Jeffy, Lenny's parents, and Lou, in flashbacks.

This is a romance, yes, but it's also about love and grief and living after loss. It definitely gave me The Seven-Year Slip vibes, without the magic and time travel, as both books deal with loss and healing.

Honestly, if there's any book you would read this year because I recommended it, it has to be this one, 100%.

This book was beautiful. I loved it so much. I thought this would be your typical romance book, but it was so much more than that. It was Lenny’s journey through grief and adjusting to her new reality without her best friend.

It had been a while since a book drew my in from the first few pages. Lenny was likable and so obviously having a tough time coping with her loss. Miles was an exceptional character. He was exactly what Lenny needed and he was so patient, kind, and dreamy. Although we didn’t get his POV, you could also tell his growth throughout the book. My favorite Miles moment was when he told Lenny that he was never sleeping, he was closing his eyes and committing the moment to memory 😭😍whenever there were special moments with her. Perfection.

The side characters added a different layer and depth to the story and I’m glad we got to see different interactions and support systems. And these also brought up lots of laughs and fun times.

The only thing I hope happens at some point is that characters do go to therapy to process both of their losses and not just rely on each other for that 🙃.

Wow! Just like Lenny, you will feel a deep ache heal while reading this beautiful book. Lenny is working on finding her way back to herself. Until she finds Miles, she is lost in the woods of grief. Even with her grief, Lenny is like a vibrant box of crayons. The friendship they build is beautiful, so supportive. They just understand each other and what they need- even if they can’t figure it out for themselves. And I just have to say it Miles is hot af. A caring, doting, and patient man?? Hot. I was all in on their love story- mildly impatient just like our Lenny. This book is truly fantastic- a perfect mix of romance and personal growth.

It’s a story that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished it.
The heroine is dealing with a heavy loss and works as a nanny, while the hero is trying to connect with his niece and half-sister. They decide to help each other.

When I read Ready or Not, I fell in love with Shep, and now I’ve fallen for Miles—Cara Bastone creates perfect men! Miles feels like a warm blanket you just want to wrap yourself in. I was delighted by how he helped Lenny heal and how patiently he waited for her. And, in turn, how Lenny always stood by him. Oh, how I loved the scenes with little Ainsley! It was so touching to see how Miles found his way into her heart.

The story unfolds slowly, but you don’t even notice how quickly you’re turning the pages. By the end, you feel so close to the characters that you don’t want to say goodbye. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2024! I can’t wait for the author’s next release.

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
✓slow burn
✓grumpy/sunshine
✓hurt/comfort
✓exploration of grief
✓cinnamon roll mmc
✓friends to lovers

Thank you to Random House (Dial Press) and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my heart, this book easily will be in my top reads for 2025. This was the most beautiful and approachable description/explanation/exploration of grief I have read, and I truly have not been able to stop thinking about it since I read it. This was my first book by Cara Bastone and CERTAINLY will not be my last.

I loved absolutely everything about the relationship between Lenny and Miles, from friendship to something more. They were there for each other when they could be, and really wanted to help one another through their grief and current challenges. The way that they were so connected to one another while struggling so deeply was so special. Their personal journeys of navigating such immense and tragic losses were so real and raw and struck a chord with me - as grief truly is never linear! As someone who lost 3 grandparents in 4 years, even a decade later I still deal with random waves of grief that were so perfectly described in this book, and it really tugged on my heart. They were perfectly interwoven in every aspect of this book, and it made me laugh and cry and feel like a big warm hug. From them helping each other live the way they want to, to being there to support when a bump in the road was hit, to their sweet friendship that becomes love... truly there was nothing about it that I did not love and feel so tenderhearted about.

My most favorite quote: "Grief is a relationship... It's the way we figure out how to keep loving them even though they're gone". This really hit hard for me because it is so true!! Grief is a symbol of how much love we had for someone, and it's an opportunity (even though it makes us sad) to remember how special they were in our lives and continue that love. It doesn't go away just because they aren't physically with us!

What an absolutely beautiful portrait of living through grief. I am so thankful for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book, and I cannot wait to read it over and over again. Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Press and Random House for this eARC!

I just… loved this book so much 🥹 Lenny & Miles are everything.
all the feels & all the stars ♾️

💭 overall thoughts:
I fell in love with Lenny instantly, and Miles very soon after (I loved that they met in chapter 1).

❤️‍🩹 Though she’s heavily dealing with her grief (and it was so sad/difficult at times to watch her spiral), Lenny is also hilarious, and had me laughing along with the tears.
She’s one of my favorite fmcs I’ve ever read, and I loved being in her head.

💙 Miles is the ultimate protector, always looking out for Lenny from the start. He’s got his own baggage, and finds his way through by helping her live again.

💜 They both give each other purpose, and feel like the definition of two halves of a whole.

As someone who has experienced the loss of a best friend, I feel that Cara handled this incredibly well.
I found so many of Lenny’s behaviours & internal thoughts to be relatable, and so many pieces of Miles’ advice to have me reflecting on how I’ve processed my own grief.

read if you love:
💛 strangers to friends to lovers
❤️‍🩹 healing through grief
🌦 grumpy sunshine
🏙 NYC setting
💙 protective mmc
🫶🏼 family + found family
🐢 very slow burn (but very worth it!)
💖 single 1st person pov

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group (The Dial Press) & NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A heartfelt and beautifully crafted romance, Promise Me Sunshine shines with warmth, wit, and emotional depth. Cara Bastone’s writing is engaging, her characters are wonderfully relatable, and the story is both uplifting and deeply moving. A perfect feel-good read for romance lovers!

Promise Me Sunshine is a whirlwind journey through grief. Cara Bastone takes us along as Lenny Bellamy tries to move on after the untimely death of her bestie Lou. Her pain could be felt with every turn of the page and although at times it was hard to imagine what she might be going through, losing the true love of her life thus far, her actions felt real and appropriate. And that's to say, even when they were met with the kind of compassion and empathy only another survivor could understand. And when that's in the form of the broody, mysterious and handsome Miles Honey, so starts the beginning of each finding not only their footing again, but their unexpected forever.

This lengthy book dives deep into the unsettled mind of Lenny and the threads she is barely holding onto as she navigates the world without Lou by her side. I was impressed by her courage to carry on even when she didn't want to, always a light to those she met, yet always feeling like a dark cloud nonetheless. But Miles saw her spark, though currently dulled, and I loved how he never gave up on her no matter what. He saved her in more ways than one and rescued her from her dire thoughts when the world wouldn't stop turning. They simply have this connection that only a person left behind could understand.

Her new gig as a nanny to the adorable Ainsley becomes her new lifeline of sorts, as she is confronted with the stoic Miles, and his own difficulties in fitting in with his role as her long-lost uncle. Their first encounters are awkward at best but thankfully Lenny is honest and curious to a fault, yet always knowing when not to push, as they begin to spend some time together. But it's those silent pleas that no one else can hear that endears Miles to Lenny, as he somehow saves her over and over again when the walls start to close in on her heart. I, too, was amazed at his intuition when Lenny needed him most, even as closed off and mysterious as he seemed to be.

Lenny's persistence and her selflessness in allowing Miles to get closer to his new family in Ainsley and his half-sister Reese was a true high point of the book for me. I loved how she pushed him even when he balked and how satisfying it felt for Lenny to see Miles's own light start to shine once more.

This isn't an easy book to digest, especially for those hurting from unbearable loss. But I feel as if Bastone did a great job in portraying grief and how in the end, it didn't take Lenny away from the world. Instead, she showed that the fight to carry on, although never easy, is possible when you allow yourself to fall apart when needed and to maybe allow someone else to bear your burdens when they simply are too much.

Thankfully, there are some lighter moments, especially with Ainsley, that offer a respite from all the sadness. And there are a few times where the focus is on Miles' grief at the loss of his mother and 'brother' and that helped Lenny immensely come to grips with losing Lou the way that she did and truly start to move on and live again.

Overall, it's a good book and although I thought it was a bit too long, I honestly don't know where Bastone could've shortened it. In the end, it's an honest look at grief and offers up a chance to understand what it means to lose someone beyond close to you. And how to somehow find that sliver of hope together with an abundance of unexpected love, that you'll be okay without them. To that point, Promise Me Sunshine succeeds tenfold.

4 stars.

Promise Me Sunshine, is a heartwarming and contemporary romance and it tore at my heartstrings.

I have a soft spot for the main character, Lenny. She is grieving the loss of her best friend since childhood and is a bit of a mess. Her friend died after battling cancer, leaving Lenny lost and with a broken spirit. Now she’s trying to figure out how to go on when her bff is not at her side. She's avoiding her concerned parents by not taking their calls or visiting. She is unable to go back to the apartment they shared. Instead she rides the ferry back and forth and losing herself in the pain. She is ignoring the list of things she's supposed to do to help her live again.

She lands a part time nanny job. Reese is an overworked single mom raising seven year old Ainsley. Perfect part time job to distract Lenny from her grieving.

Miles is the lingering Uncle who lives upstairs. He immediately gives Lenny vibes like this stranger can’t care for his niece. Quick background on Miles: his mom and cousin were killed in a car accident (he knows all about grief). Recently his estranged father contacts him because his step sister and niece needs Miles’ help.
Miles sees right through and he offers her a proposition. Miles wants to help Lenny complete everything on her
"live again" list if she'll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with his half sister, Reese.

The pair (Lenny/Miles) speak all the ugly of grieving. Heartwarming and triggers that push one out of their comfort zone and face their sadness. Miles is the pull Lenny needs to move forward. Lenny is the push to balance the friendship.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Pub Group for the ARC read in exchange for my review.

Know that this is suffused with grief. That Lenny is in such bad shape after the death of her best friend, her heart, Lou from cancer that she can't go home to the apartment they shared and instead rides the Staten Island ferry at night. And then she's hired by Reese to babysit 7 year old wise beyond her years Ainsley and meets Miles, who is also struggling. I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable leaving my kid with Lenny given how she's described but Reese does and it tuns out to be the best thing for all of them. You know, don't you, how this will end but Bastone takes the reader on an emotional, funny, and engaging journey with terrific supporting characters (I was a fan of Jericho) that round out the cast. There are some small twists here as Miles helps Lenny move forward. You will find yourself rooting for everyone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Bastone is a terrific storyteller and this is a very good read.

5 Stars – A Heartfelt, Grief-Heavy Romance You Can't Miss!

Promise Me Sunshine* by Cara Bastone is a stunning, emotional rollercoaster of a romance. This slow-burn journey of grief, healing, and love had me hooked from the very first page.

Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend Lou, and it's heartbreaking to witness her struggle with the overwhelming weight of that loss. Her grief is so raw, real, and relatable that I couldn't help but feel for her every step of the way. Enter Miles, the grumpy, socially awkward uncle who recognizes her pain and wants to help her heal. Their relationship starts with tension but evolves into something beautiful, full of compassion, patience, and, ultimately, love.

The way grief is portrayed in this book is truly masterful. Lenny’s emotional journey, from avoiding the world to finally accepting it, is so deeply moving. And Miles? He’s the perfect balance of sweet and gruff—his dedication to helping Lenny and his quiet strength just made me fall in love with him. The banter between Lenny and Miles adds a touch of levity to an otherwise heavy story, making their connection feel both real and heartwarming.

The romance is everything—slow burn, rich with emotional depth, and full of moments that will make your heart race and your eyes tear up. The way Lenny and Miles’ relationship grows from reluctant allies to a deep, soul-shaking connection was beautifully done. I also appreciated how Lenny’s grief didn’t just disappear; it was something she learned to live with, and the love she found with Miles didn’t erase her past—it helped her heal.

This book isn’t just about love—it’s about learning to live again after loss. The writing is pure magic, and the way the author blends grief with romance is nothing short of brilliant.

If you’re looking for a romance that will make you feel everything, *Promise Me Sunshine* is a must-read. It’s raw, emotional, and utterly captivating. I couldn’t put it down, and I know you won’t be able to either.

This book genuinely made me feel so happy and that’s gonna be hard to translate into words. I loved each and every character and how their story played out. Cara Bastone is a treasure.