There are not enough words to describe the hope, grief, and growth that Promise me Sunshine by Cara Bastone portrays.
Lenny is navigating a tough loss that abruptly changed her life. Lenny's best friend and soulmate, Lou, passes away after a battle with cancer and leaves Lenny as a mere shell of her free-spirited self. In an attempt to get back to a "normal" life, Lenny accepts a job nannying a little girl named Ainsley. Miles, Ainsley's uncle, always seems to be lurking around. When Lenny eventually befriends him, he agrees to help her live again. Part of that task is completing the "bucketlist" Lou created for Lenny. Together they navigate the ups and downs of grief and healing.
The characters of Lenny and Miles are so well-developed and relatable; I genuinely cared about their journey and rooted for them every step of the way. Both quirky, irritating, and lovable in so many ways.
This isn't just a typical romance; it's a story about healing, second chances, and the power of human connection. And most importantly, a depiction of learning the lesson that "the only way out is through."

I really enjoyed this rom-com & could not put it down. I loved the characters & was rooting for them. It was such an honest story of the struggles we all face & the challenges to reover, grow & mature. The author did such a good job tackling the grief process. Overall it was a lighthearted book but I felt all the feels in their struggles & saddness also. It was a hopeful, uplifting & enjoyable story. Highly recommend!

This book moved me in ways that I cannot explain, and took my heart and rendered me speechless (that says a lot as I’m a damn chatterbox 🤣) .

Lenny and Miles are both grieving immense loss and the ways they lean on each other through their grief had me sobbing from page 24 and the waterworks never stopped. Thank you @penguinrandomca for sending this my way for review purposes.

Every time I see a ferry, I will think of Lou.

@carabastone I’m still emotional, but thank you.

Please pick up Promise Me Sunshine on March 4th. #carabastone #promisemesunshinebook #bibliophile #bookstagram #booksaremagic

I was lucky to get this early on Netgalley!

I loved Cara's book Ready or Not so I was very excited to read this new one.

This book does need a trigger warning if you are sensitive to people struggling with their mental health after the loss of a loved one.

That being said, I loved this book. I really appreciate a book that can go beyond the fluff and dig into deeper topics and feelings. It was truly a story of Lenny processing all her grief and learning how to live again with the help of Miles. I loved watching Lenny and Miles slowly fall in love. I was rooting for them the whole time and was very happy with the ending. This book may make you cry but will make your heart happy in the end.

Thank you Dial Press Trade Paperback and Cara Bastone for Promise Me Sunshine. Lenny’s a bit of a mess bc her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer. 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. This is where she meets Miles, the uncle of one of the girls she babysits. Miles sees right through her. 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 what Lou has left behind, but she gives it a chance. I would recommend if you like romantic comedy and contemporary romance!

⛴️☀️❤️‍🩹

Still reeling from the loss of her best friend Lou, Lenny avoids her old life and takes a babysitting job for single mom Reese and her daughter, Ainsley. The only downside is Ainsley’s gruff uncle, Miles, who sees right through Lenny’s act. When Miles proposes a deal—he’ll help her complete her “live again” list if she helps him bond with Ainsley.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
This story explores grief in such a real and heartfelt way and although the main theme is grief, it’s also about love in different forms - with family, with a best friend, with a partner. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Lenny and Miles and watching them grow together through their shared experience. Lenny’s character is vulnerable and messy but we also see a happy and quirky side to her. AND MILES...😭 the unconditional support and encouragement *top notch* 🤌🏼🤌🏼 this is a tearjerker, you’ve been warned 🥺

Note: For me, this felt more like general fiction than “romance.” It wasn’t until about 80% that things started to blossom into more. However, I wasn’t disappointed with the tender friendship between these two!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫:
✔️ heartwarming friendship
✔️ learning to “live again” after loss
✔️ friends to lovers
✔️ grief (lots of it)
✔️ babysitting gig
✔️ grumpy x sunshine

My Rating: 4.5✩
Pub Date: March 4th, 2025
Thank you @randomhouse @netgalley for the ARC!

I would have said this was a solid 4.stars but I had to deduct a half star because I cannot handle the opinions on various topics this author decided she needed to insert. This is the second book I’ve read by the author and it was the same thing with the last book. Great story but very pointed insertion of personal views that are so obvious it is annoying. Other than that I truly loved Miles and his tender caregiving heart with a tough exterior and seeing Lenny’s grief journey alongside falling in love made me feel all the feels.

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

We grieve in different ways and this book perfectly captures that time period where you don't know how to feel or move on. This book was endearing, funny, emotional, and heartfelt.

Lenny is the definition of sunshine even when she's in her darkest place.
She lost one of her true loves and her best friend, Lou. With the glimpses we got of their friendship, their bond was special. She doesn’t know how to keep on living without Lou. She avoids their shared apartment, sleeps on the Staten Island Ferry, and takes babysitting gigs to avoid commitment.

Her latest gig is babysitting Ainsley, a 7 year old with a protective uncle, Miles who's always looming around them. Miles can see that Lou is going through a rocky situation and is immediately skeptical of Lou’s stability to watch his niece.
However, Miles himself is also in a rocky patch with Ainsley and her single mother, Reese. No matter what he tries he can’t find a connection with either of them. Despite his cynicism, he sees Lenny as a way to better his relationship with his remaining family.

The two strike up a mutual deal, Miles will help Lenny with her grief while she will help him with Ainsley and Reese.
The two embark on tasks from Lou’s “Live Again” list and learn more about one another. Miles, himself, has also survived his own grief and is determined to help Lenny. The way he understood her way of thinking and always had a remedy for her sudden mood changes was so sweet. He’s patient, attentive, and selfless, I absolutely loved his character.
Their relationship has natural chemistry and humor. As the book progresses, you can feel their feelings intwine and grow romantically. It’s a slow burn, but it's so beautifully written.

This book dives into the raw feelings of grief, but at the same time it shows us how time, self-reflection, and that unexpected people or experiences can help us even in our cloudiest days.

Thank You to NetGalley, Random House publishing, and Cara Bastone for this E-Arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for this arc, Netgalley. This was a great, fun read. If you liked Ready or Not by the same author, you should check out this one. It's really good and she is now an auto-buy author for me. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. I rated this 5 stars.

This book is a love letter to grief and depression, and it tore me apart and put me back together.

I went into this book blind, so I was *shocked* at the fact I was crying within a few pages. Cara Bastone managed to take the ugliest parts of grief and turn them into beautiful prose and life advice that had me sobbing for an hour straight.

“Just remember. Something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery. That's the winning formula.”

I received an arc from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

3.5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Promise Me Sunshine"! Cara Bastone did a wonderful job exploring the different stages of grief and how that takes a toll on those who are actively grieving. I felt that Cara realistically portrayed the potentially destructive behaviors that come with grieving and the struggle to find normalcy after losing someone close. I really enjoyed Miles' character the most because of his huge heart that he tends to keep under wraps. I wasn't the biggest fan of Lenny, however, Miles' character made up for that by bringing more realistic views when Lenny tended to be too quirky for my liking.

Promise Me Sunshine // Cara Bastone
Publishes March 4, 2025

Thank you net and random house for this ARC.

Cara Bastone has a unique voice and the ability to create relatable characters. Lenny, the main character in Promise Me Sunshine, is suffering from dehabilitating grief. I have never felt how she’s felt, but I have such empathy for her that there are parts of her struggle that I connect with deeply.

Lenny is a professional nanny in NYC. She lost the best friend of her lifetime and is barely holding herself together. She takes partial nannying jobs that allow her to make money, but then fall apart the rest of her days. She has lovable quirks, intense emotions, and when she first meets Miles he is sure she’s a strung out addict that has been hired to care for his niece. It is amazing how quickly we can make snap judgements and truly misunderstand people.

Lenny and Miles journey into her grief together and it’s the most beautiful story of friendship, both between Lenny and Leo (her dead friend) and Lenny and Miles. I soaked up this book, just wanting to hug Lenny and support Miles and Reese. It’s the story of life, complicated and simple, sorrowful and joyful, and showing up for people throughout. May we all have a Miles in our life.

There’s such pain and humor in this book, my favorite lines:
“‘But…the point isn’t trying to get where you’re not. The point is just…enduring.’”
What an awful word. Like a curse. Next time I want to say fuck you to somebody I’ll just shout endure it instead.”

This is definitely a book to read next month.

#promisemesunshine #netgalley #carabastone #bookrecommendation #newrelease

After reading another book by this author and seeing this beautiful covers I knew I had to read it asap! Loved the connection between the two characters their friendship and ultimately their love. The talk of grief in this book was perfect! This has become a favorite author for sure!

Thanks so much to the publisher for the ARC of this book! I was really looking forward to Promise Me Sunshine since I loved the author’s Ready or Not last year. This didn’t disappoint. I was expecting a cozy rom com (and it delivered plenty of rom com!) but it also had so many important notes about friendship, grief, and the ways we learn to survive after a major loss in our lives. My only qualms were that I wanted a bit more of Lenny and Ainsley’s relationship because they’re so fun together and some of the pacing felt a little funky, but overall I really loved this and want more of their story. I finished reading last night and am already missing the characters. Definitely a slow burn and definitely not a picturesque love story, but I loved the realistic depiction of how relationships develop and the nonlinear nature of grief.

I loved this book!!!
A story about grief and loving someone through it.
I loved both Lenny and Miles's stories and how they seamlessly blended together. This story really packs a punch.

“Lenny, when I look at your face, I feel like I’m finally home after a really long day at work”

Miles is THAT guy. He would do absolutely anything for Lenny. He coaches her through her grief and brings her back to life after losing the love of her life. Truly this may be the best book I've read about grief and losing someone close to you. Lenny felt so relatable and her pain was my pain. While Miles is also dealing with his own grief and coming to terms with his new family, he and Lenny become in a way coaches for each other. Lenny is coaching him on how to be an uncle to Ainsley (his newly discovered niece) and Miles is coaching Lenny on how to tackle each day despite her overwhelming grief.

and TBH I don't really care much for "sad" romance books, but this one had the perfect blend of sadness plus humor and Cara wrote it in such a delicate way that made my heart just swell.
I have been a Cara Bastone fan for years and this has solidified my love for her books even more!!

Book review

In a sea of books I often find I can’t to many original stories lines with characters you truly come to love and root for. That wasn’t the case here. Cara Bastone’s Promise Me Sunshine delivered so much more than lovely complex characters and a unique story of finding love after loss. It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking, it was funny and charming. It was what my soul has been yearning for. I’m definitely going to want to read this one again!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an arc copy of this book for an honest review.

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny throughout her grief journey into finding a way to be “alive” again. In this journey she meets Miles who has been through a similar journey and wants to help Lenny with her journey and become a grief companion.

Grief discussions were handled with so much care in this book. I just want to say with someone who is still grieving someone of my own who I lost this book has changed my life. I very much relate to Lenny and her struggles with feeling like moving forward through grief is almost like another loss. Reading her journey with Miles was so heartwarming and I won’t lie I think I’ve raised my standards (lol). The friends to lovers troupe is amazing in this book it was done so well. The banter, the such amazing moments of truly seeing each other for their true selves helps people like me see that it’s ok to not have it all together. This romance gave me so much hope and also so many emotions within my own grieving journey.

I will be buying a physical copy to transfer my annotations to. Cara Bastone I don’t know if you read all of these reviews but thank you from the bottom of my heart for this book. I needed something to show me that my own emotions surrounding grief were normal and that love afterwards and happiness after is possible.

5 star read. Pick this up but make sure to grab a box of tissues too!!

This book wrecked me. The first book I have read by Cara Bastone. I loved Lenny and her grief just felt so real. The way her and Miles unfolded was just so beautiful.

☀️ARC Review🗽3/4 Release

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦
💗Something I Loved: Other than the obvious (aka the entire book) I really loved Lenny’s imagination and ability to find humor and joy, especially the way she’d envision a romantic future with every man she met, even in the midst of such unimaginable grief. It was certainly a heavier book than your average rom-com but in my opinion it was perfectly balanced with humor and deep human connection.
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Although it might not be the worst marketing idea to include a pack of Kleenex with the purchase of every book. 😭😂
🥰Favorite Moment: There were honestly so many that I couldn’t even begin to choose… nor do I want to say anything that would ruin any of these special moments for any other reader (of which there should be many).
🌶️Spiciest Scene: Spoiler: There’s only one (so definitely ch. 32) but truthfully I wasn’t mad at that. It was still delightful, and much deserved after all that waiting, but Lenny and Miles’s relationship was about so much more than just sex and what Bastone gave us was ultimately perfect.
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone
📖Would I Recommend: Obviously it’s a resounding yes. It’s my first ♾️⭐️ of 2025 and is so completely deserving of all the love it’s getting. This book was so special and I am in awe of Bastone and how seamlessly she was able to weave this beautiful story together with so much humor, heart, and deep emotion. Bastone was able to write about grief in a way that deeply resonated with me, having had my own fair share of big traumatic losses in my life but also as someone who has worked in death care for going on 14 years. She perfectly showcased how grief isn’t temporary but instead a constant companion, forever ebbing and flowing, and it was both visceral, in the heart wrenching feelings Lenny experienced, and beautiful, in the way Miles walked beside her through it instead of trying to “fix her.” Promise Me Sunshine is a must read and a great reminder to hold those you love close while you can and grieve them wholeheartedly once they’re gone because, as Andrew Garfield said of his mother, grief is all of the unexpressed love you didn’t get to give. A truly outstanding read that will stick with me for a very long time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to @carabastone, @thedialpress, @randomhouse, and @netgalley for this eARC.
💬Tropes: Friends to Lov-ahs, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Exploration of Grief, Live Again List

There is something incredibly special about this book. Not many books address grief head-on, particularly grief from losing a friend, especially when that friend is like your other half. Lenny is at her lowest of lows- her best friend slash soul mate has just passed away and she can't figure out how to go on with her life. She takes on a job baby-sitting Ainsley, whose own mom is recovering from losing her father. As for Ainsley's hot yet sullen uncle Miles- he's recovering from a whole lot of sadness too.

Miles clocks Lenny immediately as being in need of help and offers his support, sharing his grief along with hers but also helping her learn to live again. After a (very) slow burn, some of those reasons become each other. I'm not usually a friends to lovers stan, but this was so necessary for these characters who needed to learn to trust and love again.

Oof, did so much of this book hit home for me. I lost someone incredibly close to me in my early 20s, and the weight of that grief just stops time. The experiences Lenny and Miles described were so accurate, I am sure they will resonate with anyone who has lost someone they care about. This journey of overcoming loss was especially beautiful and profound. The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is that the middle felt a little repetitive and at times I found the content quite heavy. Still a wonderful read that will remain with me for a while and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for my earc in exchange for my honest review.