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.

wow! i read this all in one go and enjoyed it thoroughly. as for the romance—the slow burn was slow burning sooo good. the fmc and mmc were both such good characters and i loved getting to know them and watching them get to know each other! it was all very romantic and tender and my heart is so warmed. this story worked through grief in a way that was insightful (especially for readers who can relate) and compassionate. much like lenny, i definitely have a lou in my life who is my platonic soulmate/a love of my life and seeing friendship represented in this way made me feel so seen and mushy. while i havent experienced her grief, it was easy to imagine the pain of losing “your person” and made me reflect on my close relationships and just how lucky i am to have such wonderful people in my life. how lucky i am to have people i would miss so dearly and who (hopefully) would miss me to that degree too. like miles says, the only way through life and all its ups and downs is through. big thanks to netgalley/the publisher for the e-arc of this book! i will be thinking about it for months to come.

Promise Me Sunshine is what top tier books are made of. Oh my god was it good.

Lenny is drowning in grief after the loss of her bestfriend, Lou. She's no longer in touch with anyone in her life and won't go back to the apartment she shared with her. The only thing Lenny seems to be able to do is day to day babysitting jobs. Her latest is for a little girl whose Uncle Miles is super skeptical of Lenny and is watching her, watch his niece. A w k w a r d. Turns out, Miles knows grief all too well and strikes a deal with Lenny. Help him improve his relationship with his niece and sister and in return he'll help her through her grief.

Yes, this is a book about grief but more so, it's a book about living. It's about finding joy in people and places. It's about experiences that open your eyes. Lenny is the type of character with an infectious personality. It is impossible to not love her. Miles is misunderstood, kind, patient and has so much love to give. Everyone needs a Miles to right their world, to center them. These characters are beautiful people with beautiful hearts.

Promise Me Sunshine offers a full spectrum of emotion and hope for happiness even when you can't see or feel the sun. I loved it and now there is nothing left to do but read all of Cara Bastones books. An unforgettable read, available 3/4/25.

☀️ Oh, sweet Miles. May everyone who is grieving have someone like him in their life. This was such a sweet story. Thank you to @thedialpress for the early look at this book— it’s out Tuesday, March 4th!

☀️ This book reminds me a lot of ‘The Last Love Note.’ While it centers around grief, it will make you laugh just as much as it makes you cry. The banter and teasing between Miles and Lenny is absolutely top notch. And their love story moves at just the right pace for this story.

☀️ This book absolutely cemented @carabastone as an auto-read author for me. What a fantastic follow-up to her knock out hit from last year, ‘Ready or Not.’ I think this will be an absolute hit and she deserves all the success! Add this to your TBR and pick this up when it comes out Tuesday!

This book was a beautiful exploration of grief and living after loss.

My heart absolutely broke for Lenny. I could feel how lost she was feeling and how unmoored everything seemed in her life after losing Lou. In the face of all of that, she may not have recognized it but it was clear to me how strong she was to keep getting up every day, to keep putting one foot in front of the other even when it felt impossible, and to keep showing up for something — eventually in this case, Ainsley, who I adored. And on the darkest days when she felt like she could no longer keep doing any other? Because of her determination to keep going, Miles had entered her life and was there to bring her back.

Miles. I can’t fully express in words how much I loved Miles. He was exactly the right person for Lenny because he’d known unimaginable loss and had found his way through the dark. He knew how to be what she needed. He knew to let her feel everything she needed to feel while being the steadfast beacon of light to keep her from drifting away to a place she couldn’t come back from. He knew when to push and when to just be. Aside from his care with Lenny, he was so earnest in trying to connect with the only family he had left. There was not a single thing I didn’t love about Miles.

One thing I loved most about this book is that, yes, it is heavy and followed someone deep in their grief, but there was still so much humor to be found in it and not in a dark, macabre way. Lenny’s personal brand of chaos hadn’t been lost with Lou and when it had its opportunities to show itself, it felt like hope and reassurance that she was going to be okay.

Promise Me Sunshine was all things hurt and loss and healing and hope and love. Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this cover! Everyone handles death differently but it’s important to know you are not only. That’s what I appreciated about Miles being there for Lenny. Even though she was dealing with the loss of her friend she was there for Reese and her daughter. Miles was not selfish with his time and encouragement with her. She was also encouraging him to him as well. An amazing book!

Thanks to Dial Press for an advanced copy of Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone.

I didn't love this book as much as I was hoping to. I found Lenny so immature and not the the quirky/funny that she was meant to be in the book. I am lucky that I haven't been in her shoes with this level of grief, but get this girl a therapist.

This was more of a women's fiction book than a romance and Miles was sweet, but I didn't get their romance at all.

It started off great for me, but somewhere around the halfway mark it started to lose me. It was a really slooooooow burn, so much so that I didn’t believe the romance when it finally happened. The FMC’s behavior was supposed to come off as quirky, but it felt childish and immature. Rounded up to 3 stars because I did enjoy the first half.

I loved Ready or Not, so I’ll still give her next book a try.

promise me sunshine is a beautiful story of grief, healing, and learning to live again. a story that emphasizes one thing above all: love never dies. lenny's journey to healing, the relationship she builds with miles, her strength; all is done with so much intention, with so much vulnerability and and with so much care. it's incredibly tender and sad, but filled with bastone's signature charm and humor that left me in awe.

im captivated by bastone's writing — the way she expertly crafts her characters, their unique quirks, makes them into real, tangible people who go through real, difficult things. i hurt and root for them all the same. safe to say: cara bastone is in a league of her own.

thank you so much dial press for the e-arc!

My first Cara Bastone! This was an intriguing premise but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. A combo of things happening here. I wasn’t in the mood for a book about grief and that’s on me. But a great story will suck me in regardless, and I just didn’t connect with it or the characters. The pacing was slow and I couldn’t be sure where it was headed—which can be fine, but instead of keeping me wondering it made me lose interest.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!