THANK YOU NETGALLEY for this ARC!

It took me a while to read this because of life so please don’t judge 🫣

First of all, Cara Bastone can do absolutely no wrong. She is an instant buy author for me and I was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to read this ARC!!!

Let me tell you something about myself…… I don’t read blurbs. I 10000% go off the cover and vibes. I thought this was going to be a light rom com…… it is not. This book is heavy and is about dealing with the deepest form of grief. The kind of grief that you will never 100% get over that is in your bones. The grief that you don’t eat, sleep, or shower. Deep depression. And it deals with how you come out of it on the other side. It deals with how there is hope on the other side and the promise of sunshine.

Please read it, but please know it deals with heavy topics of loss and learning to live again.

This book was beautiful and I absolutely fell in love with the characters. 🫶🏼

Thanks to @thedialpress and @netgalley for the #gifted copy of this book.

“You need someone who can wade in and pull you out of the swamp if you need me to. And I can be that person for you."

Summary: Lenny is gripped with grief and the feeling of being lost after her best friend passed away from a battle with cancer. She's avoiding everyone and everything in her life, including the list of things to help her live again. Her avoidance of her feelings and her life ends with Miles though. He won't let her continue down the path she's set on and does everything he can to help her want to live again.

My Thoughts: Wow!! This was an easy 5 stars for me... I loved all the emotions I felt as the reader throughout this book: I laughed, cried, and swooned. This was so much more than a romance, because it was a reminder to live the life you have even while grieving a loved one. Lenny reacted to the loss of her soul sister just like any of us would by retreating from those she loved so they didn't know how low she'd gotten. She struggled with the notion that life does go on and that it's ok to be happy and laugh and experience joy even in the midst of sadness. As Lenny was pushed by Miles to create new memories, she found new friends who became like family and had experiences she never would have done alone(even before Lou passed).

"Lenny, when I look at your face, I feel like I'm finally home after a really long day at work."

And then there's Miles.... he is the ultimate book boyfriend with just the right balance between grumpiness and compassion(usually just reserved for Lenny). I love that he noticed Lenny's struggles and took her under his wing to help her through the dark times just as he had learned to as well. It was so beautiful to watch these two strangers become friends throughout checking things off Lenny's live again list. But the best was to watch these two friends become more and see the love between them bloom.

This is a beautiful story of how the dark storm clouds of grief can be broken up when the sun shines through... sometimes we just need someone to help us see the world in a new light.

Read if you love:
⛅️Grumpy/Sunshine
🔥Slowburn
💖Exploration of Grief
☺️Friends to Lovers
💕Found Family

Cara Bastone never misses! The way she wrote the progression of the relationship between Lenny and Miles absolutely pulled me in through every stage. I was hanging on every word, look, even BREATH between them! Lenny was so resilient and relatable that you couldn’t help but follow her journey. I adored Miles being her safe space but also pushing her when she needed it. This story was raw and lovely and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Beautifully tender and full of raw grief. I loved the friendship and support Miles and Lenny provided each other. I would love a Miles for myself……lol
Great writing with a good plot that kept me reading!

Once again Cara Bastone does it with a trope that's not my favourite and turns into a beautiful book! I will say this book almost felt a little too casual for something that talks so much about grief and maybe that's on purpose to keep it lighthearted, but I feel like I just never really connected with the characters. I loved the concept and the plot was unique though!

Grief. The harsh, how-do-I-keep-living realities of grief. That’s what Lenny is battling when she starts babysitting Ainsley and meets her brooding Uncle Miles.

But as it happens, Miles the jerk might know a thing or two about grief and reaches out (in his own special way) to Lenny when she’s at her most unreachable.

Ahh I’m so conflicted with my feelings on this one. And to be fair, most of my “negatives” with this book and purely personal all preference. I really felt all the emotions reading this, which I LOVE. The hair washing scene almost brought me to tears. I also loved how slow the burn was. There wasn’t even a kiss until 3/4 of the way through the book. Unfortunately (for my personal taste), there was a long open door scene but it was easy to skip.

I also found Lenny so annoying at many points. She’s an almost 30-year-old but at some points read like a middle schooler.

Some wins, some losses for me overall but I do appreciate writing that makes me feel!

📖 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙈𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚
🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚

“𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

This book in general, deserves all the stars! What a masterpiece. I’ve never experienced a book that has dealt with grief and life after loss so well before.

I laughed, cried and went through a whole gambit of emotions. When I finished it I was honestly so sad it was over and it’s because it was perfect!

Lenny meets grumpy Miles when she shows up for a nanny job and he’s the ever hovering uncle. She can tell there’s a weird relationship dynamic between Miles, his sister and his niece, but she’s barely holding herself together after the loss of her best friend. She’s not sleeping or eating, and in general she’s lost.

The last person she expects to want to help her is Miles, but he knows a lot about grief. He wants to help her through it in exchange for helping him mend relationships with his family.

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

I love strangers to lovers stories and this one was perfect! It’s a slow build that blooms over the course of Lenny’s journey through grief. Get your tissues ready, readers. This story will have you bawling from loss and happiness at the same time.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘺. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 … 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🤭 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
🫶🏼 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴
✨ 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
❤️‍🩹 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘴
🥹 𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥
🐺 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘴
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯

Cara Bastone is an ARTIST, this was written so beautifully I am worried I am not going to do this book justice with my review so prepare for some rambling.

The best kinds of books in my opinion are the ones that make you feel every single emotion in it's pages. With this book I laughed, I cried, I swooned and my heart broke at times for both Lenny and Miles. Lenny was such an in-depth character. Grief journeys that I have read previously tend to showcase grief in its "after" effects, years later when it hurts but it's livable. Cara really showcases the raw, intensity of losing the best person in your life, your platonic soulmate. Miles being there for her really showcased his soft, tender heart and I could not handle it. The way that they helped to heal each other, learn from each other and support each other was truly like nothing else I have ever read.

I felt a kinship to Lenny in that I too feel like one of the greatest loves of my life is my best friend and the thought of losing her is like losing a limb. The strength she had in continuing on when it was the absolute last thing she wanted to do was so brave. She moved into the list of my favorite fmcs so fast.

I want to keep this as spoiler-free as possible while rambling about how much I loved this book but know that everything Miles did for Lenny had me melting. She says at one point that he brought her out of hell and there is nothing like the man who is completely committed, and he was always going to be there for Lenny. Getting to see these two fall slowly into a friends to lovers love was amazing and I would already give anything to get to read this again for the first time.

I will leave my ramblings here just know this is easily a top contender for my favorite book of the year. I adored every second of the pain but it was worth it in the end to see the raw, beautiful love. Cara Bastone please NEVER stop writing

MY HEART! After obsessing over Ready or Not last year and fearing I wouldn't feel the same about this one, it exceeded all my expectations! Cara Bastone has an incredible way of balancing emotions, blending both the highs and the lows into the warmest, most hopeful stories.

This romance felt so genuine, sincere, and full of pure sunshine! Grieving the recent loss of her best friend to cancer, Lenny forms an unexpected friendship with Miles, the misunderstood uncle of the niece she’s hired to babysit. Miles, too, carries his own pain, and I really loved the contrast between two characters at different points in the grieving process. Offering to help Lenny cope with her grief, he is never pushy or forceful, but instead has the biggest heart of gold, always offering Lenny a gentle nudge toward accepting this new emptiness in her life.

I loved how Lenny's friendship with Lou still feels so present throughout the story, with subtle flashbacks and, of course, the palpable love Lenny holds for her. The way Lenny protects her grief, as though it's the last piece of Lou she has left, was both so heartbreaking and thoughtfully conveyed. I cried, but I also laughed. Lenny’s goofy, vibrant personality shines through even in the midst of her grief. It was honestly the perfect combination!

𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: PROMISE ME SUNSHINE (ARC) by @carabastone ☀️⛴️
release date: March 4 2025

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆:
Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend, and learning to live again. Miles - who she meets through her nannying gig - helps her complete the “live again” list in return for help connecting with his niece. Oh, and there’s a lot of ferry rides and thrift store shopping!

𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:
By 10% I knew this would be 5 stars. The humour is amazing and so relatable. Lenny is a mess, a shell of who she use to be since her best friend passed, and it is the most well written portrayal of grief I have ever read in a rom com!
The flash backs to Lenny and Lou ripped my heart out and I felt like it just went with them in every moment they shared together. And then along comes grumpy Miles, who isn’t actually grumpy but instead the best human, and everything Lenny needs.
Turtles were doing laps around how slow this burn was, but it was absolutely perfect and authentic. The spicy scene will have some people dying of second hand embarrassment but it felt so real to me and I loved the awkwardness 🙃
Long story short, I laughed and I cried and I swooned and everyone needs to read this!!!

Will also be making lucky cupcakes from now on 👀🧁🧅

𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦.

𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
⛴️ grumpy x sunshine
☀️ cinnamon roll MMC
⛴️ hurt x comfort/ grief journey
☀️ found family
⛴️ slow burn
☀️ friends to lovers

🚨 TW: cancer, loss of loved ones, depression (severe)

Thank you #netgalley and Random House Publishing Group @randomhouse for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review 🤍

Wow - I loved this. As someone who lost my best friend of 18 years a few years ago this book really hit home for me. I loved the FMC and MMC and how they grew together and taught each other how to handle certain things. This book was so beautifully written. I loved Lenny’s personality and her wittiness. So far one of my top reads of 2025.

This book had so much emotion and heart. Definitely heavier than her debut novel. The MC loses a best friend, but it's written with such heart and care. Loved this one even more than her first!

great read!!! This book is a great read if you want a deeply emotional read! I highly recommend this book for everyone!

Lenny recently lost her best friend to cancer. Lenny is not processing, she is barely surviving. She meets Miles while on a short term baby-sitting gig and he has also experienced profound loss and grief. He volunteers to help her get through her grief because the only way out is through.

I loved this book. I sobbed like a baby. I wanted to hug Lenny and Miles. I loved the side characters. I am not sure how someone who has not been diagnosed with PTSD from complex grief will feel about it because so much of the book is wading through the thick hell that is grieving. Cara Bastone captured that feeling perfectly.

This is one of my favorite romances of all time.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the DRC. All opinions are my own and are HEAVILY influenced by my own experiences with grief.

This book deals with grief and learning how to navigate life after loss, my heart was hurting for Lenny and miles but I loved them so much!! To see their progressive growth throughout the book made me so attached them. While it was draggging me through a million different emotions their witty banter was making me smile. This book truly was beautiful!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Cara Bastone for the opportunity to read this ARC! I want to start off by saying that this is an absolute must read and a 5+ star book! Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is written from the POV of Lenny. She has recently lost her best friend Lou to cancer, and she is trying to learn how to live again. She takes on a short-term babysitting gig and runs into Miles, the grumpy uncle. Miles ends up learning about Lenny’s loss and decides to help Lenny with her grief as he considers himself an expert on the topic. They agree to complete Lenny’s “live again” list while Lenny helps Miles connect with his niece and sister. As they work through the list, Lenny learns to live again, love herself, and love others.

If you are looking to be absolutely wrecked emotionally, then this is definitely the book for you. This book will have you crying, smiling, and laughing. It quickly skyrocketed to the best book I’ve read this month. Lenny and Miles will steal your heart, and the side characters are so amazing. Whether you are currently grieving a loss or have in the past, you will feel a connection to these characters. This book shows that no matter how big the storm, there will always be a rainbow after the rain. You just have to stick around long enough to see it. 🌈

6 STARSSSS
Ready or Not was one of my favorite books from last year, so I went into this book with high expectations and yet somehow still it exceeded them. This book was so beautiful and profound while also being funny and deeply romantic. I cried on several occasions and I also consistently laughed out loud reading the dialogue between Lenny and Miles.

I really loved Lenny as a main character. Even when she herself felt like she was losing her sense of self whilst in the height of her grief her character and positive traits were very clear to me. She was hilarious, incredibly intuitive especially with Ainsley, and just such a vivid main character that I felt like I knew her. Her romanticization of every man she met was a little too relatable.

Miles was everything I could ever want in a love interest. Possibly my favorite part of this book is that even when Lenny was grieving so intensely and not living a functional life Miles so clearly saw that she was lovable. He always knew what she needed and quietly and steadily kept showing up for Lenny during some of her lowest moments. Even with the heavy moments these two go through together, their dialogue had me laughing out loud and swooning. His deadpan responses to her often long winded statements had me laughing so hard. The acts of service this man does are truly unmatched. THE LOCKET (iykyk). I also love that we got to see Miles’ journey bonding with Ainsley and Reese and even still grieving. He felt just as fleshed out and real as Lenny.

Overall, I cannot stop thinking about this book and I truly cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this interconnected series.

Have you ever read a book that fundamentally changed you at your core? Well friends, this is that book for me. I finished it a few days ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. Cara Bastone broke me into one million pieces and then slowly glued my broken pieces back together, one at a time, right along with Lenny.

This is not a romcom. This is heart wrenching in the best way. I have never read a book that dives into losing someone in such a real and raw manner, showing all the deep and dark moments. So please prepare yourself before you dive in. But don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely B-E-A-UTIFUL!

Lenny is broken. She has lost her best friend. Her soulmate. Her person. And she doesn't know how to move on. But, of course, in walks exactly what she didn’t know she needed, Miles, who has had his own experiences with extreme loss in his life. The way Miles helps Lenny is one of the most beautiful things I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. He literally dragged her up from the pits of hell and loved her every single step of the way. There are no words.

Plus, I can’t forget to mention that there is an absolutely soul warming subplot that involves an extremely loveable little girl, a single working mom, and a misunderstood Miles who will do anything to show that he is there for them. *Chef’s Kiss*

Is it too early to find your favorite book of 2025? Asking for a friend.

If you loved Ready or Not, then buckle up, because, dare I say it, I think I loved this one even more which is something I didn’t think was even possible.

Clear your calendars on March 4th because you are going to want to drop everything for this one.

4.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up) | In summary: I fear this book has forever changed me.

It has taken me days to absorb this book and truly digest all of my thoughts and emotions. From the very beginning this book had me on a rollercoaster both emotionally through the story and with my thoughts on the book as it pertained to my review/ratings.

As you see quickly, this book is written through more of a stream of consciousness style writing. At first, that was off-putting to me and had me questioning Lenny (our FMC) as a reliable narrator. As I followed Lenny's journey through her grief I realized pretty fast that this style of writing was crucial for the full emotional impact of her journey. As the reader you truly get to see how Lenny's thoughts, actions, and overall outlook morph throughout the book.

Now getting into the love story... I can sum it up by saying Miles is truly my new favorite book boyfriend. We see his own struggles with grief, acceptance, family boundaries, etc. and it makes him so much more real than many other romance MMCs. He is the most kind and nurturing yet masculine man I have ever read and I am simply obsessed.

I would absolutely love if this became a series because I would love to see more of Miles' sister and her story with her daughter (and maybe her love life), their new friends, and how Lenny & Miles' love story continues.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC of this book!

Thank you Dial for the ARC! Pub date is 3/4

This one is for anyone grieving but also trying to claw their way to healing. This book feels like tear stained cheeks and the beginning of a smile. You brush away the snot and tears and can feel something else bubbling up. When you finally laugh again you can feel your joy and grief mingling together and that maybe a part of your heart is starting to heal. And as much as this book is a love story, it’s also one about grieving and growing.

For those familiar with grief you know that grief becomes a reference point, once you’ve experienced it. Your mind starts sorting things into The Before and The After. However, if you’re open to it, love can be that too. And you see both are true for Miles and Lenny.

Miles and Lenny are strangers that strike up a deal. Lenny is grieving after the death of her best friend. Miles is trying to connect to his sister and niece but doesn’t quite know how. Maybe, they can help each other out.

The goal of this deal: live again. Love again. Connect again.

What starts off as a way to get through a Live Again List unfolds in a beautiful friendship and a tender romance.

Miles is fiercely protective. A bit rough around the edges. Desperate for connection. Grumpy. Gentle and patient. Steady and sure. A comforting presence. He says things like…
“Well I can’t promise the sunshine but I can do everything else”

Lenny is dark hallow spaces carved out by grief but still brimming with life. She’s charming, funny, and direct. She knows how to love big and care for others. She’s a bit out of practice in caring for herself. And at the a start of the book she’s simply a worn out pair of jeans and a ruddy back pack riding back and forth on the Staten Island Ferry, desperately trying to live again.

These two come along side one another in friendship. But the romance is slooow and languid and beautiful. They bring each other back to life.


“You are not betraying her by healing. You are honoring her. You are learning to love her exactly as she is. As someone who isn’t here anymore…that’s who she is now. And this journey through grief…it’s what we do for the great loves of our lives”

Cara Bastone handles grief in an unflinching, raw, yet gentle way. She reminds us that love lasts even after death. As someone who has done a lot of grieving in my life, I found great solace in the pages of this book. Hopefully, you can as well.