WOW. I loved every single second about this book. It perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to lose someone and not know how to go on living. When my mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I was forced to imagine my life without her in it and it was a life I did not want to live. I am so grateful that she was able to beat it but there's always that constant fear in the back of my mind that it'll come back. This book is like a how-to guide for navigating grief, wrapped in a giant bow of LOVE. An absolute masterpiece.

When your literal best friend for life loses her battle with cancer, how do you keep living? Lenny is overwhelmed by grief and is no longer living, just surviving the day to day. She accepts a new part time nanny gig for single mother Reese and her spunky daughter Ainsley, and meets the unexpected and stoic uncle Miles, who happens to give the worst first impression. They form a pact, he will help get her back to the living by completing the “live again” list and she will help him connect with his niece.

This is a beautifully written book about overcoming grief and life’s unexpected little moments. It was funny and endearing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher Dial Press Trade Paperback, and author Cara Bastone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

This is a beautiful story about grief and what it takes to move on.
Nothing in life is easy, especially moving on after such a great loss. Lenny is just floating through life when she meets Miles and it changes her life for the better.
Cara Bastone has such a unique and beautiful writing style that was on full display here. She wrote about grief and loss in such a lovely way that had me laughing and crying at the same time.
This is not for the light hearted, so do not expect rom com vibes. There are touching moments of rawness interspersed with funny moments that will have you full body laughing. I throughly enjoyed this story and am so grateful I got to enjoy Lenny and Miles' story.

Wow. It’s been a while since a book has left me crying happy tears like this.

I am truly baffled at Cara Bastone’s talent for weaving such a touching and relatable journey through grief within such a stunningly sweet love story.

I saw myself in Lenny’s pain and sadness from the start. I wanted her to get better, even if I knew all too well that you cannot escape the scary swirl of negative emotions that follow the loss of someone you love. Thankfully, Miles was just the push Lenny needed to dig herself out of her black hole and start living again. They complimented and brought the best out of each other in the best way possible, and that’s what a true life partner should do to you.

I left this book grateful to be alive, and so immensely proud of Lenny and everything she accomplished for herself.

This will certainly not be my last Cara Bastone book.

Our main character Lenny recently lost her best friend to a battle of cancer and she is learning to move on in uncharted territory. A life without her other half. Through some events and a not so great first impression, she meets Miles. Miles and Lenny become a team gaining mutual benefit from one another. As they navigate through their hardships they go through found family, new friends, refinding them selves, and love?

Cara pat your self on the back girl this was 5 stars for me. The main characters show such complex emotions and show that even when grieving that there will be moments of happiness as well. This book truly defines the term slow burn but I think Cara captures the perfect blend of what its like to fall in love even when you might not at first notice it happening. I am going to be thinking about this book for a while! Also I didnt know I could cry over a scene about Guacamole!

Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, LaCroix Spice, Found Family

Promise me sunshine comes out March 4th!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Cara Bastone for an advanced copy of this book.

This author knows how to write a beautiful book. I am always drawn into her characters and their world.
However, this book did not feel like a romance to me.
Yes, there is a couple who fall in love but the story focuses more on grief and how hard it can be to move forward when you lose an important part of your life.
The level of grief the FMC is experiencing felt like she needed professional help. The MMC was fantastic but he was not qualified to bring her out.
There are some beautiful scenes and amazing quotes in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Promise Me Sunshine is not as happy as the cover suggests. Lenny , our FMC, is struggling with her life after the loss of her best friend Lou. Lenny was left a list of things to do to help her live again, but Lenny is struggling to complete the tasks. She meets Miles, the grumpy uncle of one of Lenny’s babysitting jobs. Miles agrees to help Lenny with her list in exchange for Lenny’s help with his relationship with his family. Promise me Sunshine is a friends to lovers romance. I really enjoyed seeing Lenny’s journey and the ways that Miles was able to help her. I liked that wasn’t a typical romance. I did have a tough time getting into the story at the beginning, but once I reached around 30% I was good.

"Promise Me Sunshine" by Cara Bastone is a touching story about grief, healing, and finding connection in unexpected places. It follows Lenny as she tries to cope with losing her best friend, Lou, to cancer. The way Bastone writes about Lenny’s pain and journey toward healing feels raw and real.

I’ll be honest—I haven’t gone through that kind of deep loss myself, so I found it a little hard to fully connect with Lenny’s character at times. But even though I couldn’t completely relate, I could still feel the depth of her emotions through Bastone’s writing.

What I really enjoyed were the moments between Lenny and Miles. Their back-and-forth banter was fun and gave a much-needed break from the heavier parts of the story. Miles’ grumpy charm was a great contrast to Lenny’s vulnerability, and their conversations added a warmth to the book that balanced out the sadder moments.

Overall, "Promise Me Sunshine" is a beautifully written story about moving through grief and finding hope in unexpected connections. Even if you haven’t been through that kind of loss, there’s still a lot to appreciate in Lenny’s journey and her evolving relationship with Miles. If you’re looking for a heartfelt read with a mix of tears and laughter, this one’s worth picking up.

4.25 stars!
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Cara Bastone for an advanced copy of this book.

This was SO cute and wholesome. Friends to lovers, healing from loss, overall a very enjoyable read that was easy to connect with.

Miles w as such a sweet, doting, supportive friend to Lenny after she lost her best friend and became a nanny for his niece. In turn, she helped him mend some broken family ties. The friendship in this book was so fun, and their bond felt so genuine and natural.

The friends to lovers journey was quite a slow burn, and there wasn't much spice, but the story was very touching and entertaining. I loved it!

If I’m being honest, I put off reading this book for a while because I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for something sad. And then as time got closer to the release date (March 4th) I decided to start this right when something sad hit my real life which, if I’m being honest, was and wasn’t the best timing for this.

This is a story about grief, yes, but it’s also a story about learning to live again and enjoying it. I don’t know what it is about Cara Bastone, but she writes the best MMCs. They’re always competent and emotionally intelligent and just know how to really take care of another person and I always fall in love with them. I’m usually quick to admit that I can often be a FMC hater but I really liked Lenny. I felt like she was real and relatable and honest. I love that she was a little quirky but sad and raw in such an enjoyable and touching way. Her friendship with Lou really struck a chord with me and I had a hard time even imagining how I would survive such an enormous loss and frequently found myself tearing up or getting emotional.

Even though the burn was definitely slow when it came to her and Miles I loved seeing him continuously show up for her while simultaneously learning how to show up for himself too. The way they held each other up without even knowing it and slowly began building that friendship and that trust was a great time to read even if I’m impatient.

All that to say, I really enjoyed this book. If you’re hesitant to read it because of the themes of grief just know that the climb back to her finding herself has so many beautiful and inspiring lessons woven throughout.

Thank you Random House for a copy of this ARC!

“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”

this book!!!!!!!!!!!
i am still crying over this book. the tears began on the first page and they haven’t stopped. i was completely swept away by this book.

cara bastone - thank you for giving me lenny and miles.

“The only way out is through“

this is such a beautiful story of navigating through grief and learning how to continue living, once grief takes over and you no longer know how to live. grief is so interesting because you can experience it in so many ways for so many reasons. and this was such a beauty portrayal of how a support system can lift you up and through grief.

“Do some people slowly fall in love and not realize it? Have I been in denial? … Does it matter when it started? I don't know. All I know is that I've never felt like this before and I'm not handling it well.”
this is such a friends to lovers thing. this was me!!!!!!!!

i need more stories like this. we need more miles’ in the world.
5/5 everything in this book. thank you netgallery for this arc AHHHHHHHHH i stayed here

This is a story of real love.

It doesn't have the unrealistic elements a lot of romance books have, but rather feels like reading about two people who really fell in love. This is very much a story about grief, but also the little good parts that always shine through.

Lenny and Miles are so compatible and want the best for each other. Lenny's eccentric behavior and Miles really being a rock she can just sit on and relax for a bit, is such an amazing dynamic. These characters have gone through a lot of loss, but this story shows how much really is in their lives. I loved the conversations they had with each other, from the really deep ones to the really funny ones.

Such a lovely read!

Infinity stars for this book! This is the saddest, funniest book I have ever read. I loved every minute of it. Lenny and Miles had me laughing out loud and wanting to kick my feet when they weren't making me want to ugly cry. Thank you NetGallery for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

At first I was hesitate to keep reading when I realized how emotional this book could be dealing with life after the passing of Lenny’s best friend. But I’m so glad I kept reading. It was beautifully written, and the love story between Lenny and Miles and the friendship between Lenny and Lou were both so beautifully written. I also enjoyed seeing the relationship between Miles and his sister and niece develop as well.

Would definitely recommend. (Some open door suggestive spice fyi)

I absolutely loved reading this arc. This book was so adorable but also has a really good message about grief.

The relationship between Lenney and Miles was so beautifully written. The way both characters helped each other with their grief was amazing.

I related to Lenny so much throughout the whole book and just wanted her to be happy

I’m so happy that this was my first book by Cara Bastone and can’t wait to read more by her


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

This was a sweet story and I took my time to read it. I enjoy Cara Bastone's humor and it really shines again in <i>Promise Me Sunshine</i>. I think I struggle with rating books like these higher because the plot is so unrealistic. Miles is the anti-commitmentphobe guy we all dream of but the man-savior trope is gag inducing. I found Lenny's behavior as a nearly 30 year old woman annoying. You should want to get better for the sake of your own well-being, not for a man. Girl, STAND UP.

I appreciated the premise and the exploration of grief as it is a different experience for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

Publish to Goodreads on 3/4/25

This is an ARC review thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House

The way this book had me in a chokehold the whole time-in a GOOD way! Cara Bastone was able to write about a HEAVY subject (grief) in a light, relatable, and realistic way. The story development was chef’s kiss! This is definitely one of my FAVORITE books and will be purchasing once it is published. This books has right amount of EVERYTHING! Funny, heavy, emotional, quirky, cozy…you name it..it has it and even just the right amount of spice🌶️

When I read Ready or Not last year, I knew Cara Bastone would become a favorite author of mine. So, when I was approved for the ARC for Promise Me Sunshine, I was so excited—and it did not disappoint! This book handles love, grief, and healing like a warm hug and a strong hand to hold. You can feel how much love and thoughtfulness Bastone put into this heartwarming book. The characters, the writing, and the pacing were great from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

I received this book as an ARC. I love Cara Bastone’s books and Promise Me Sunshine is no exception! This book explores grief, loss of a best friend/soulmate, and learning to live without the person that completes you. This book portrays grief openly and honestly, focusing on how healing from loss isn’t always linear. Yes, this is a romance novel and the MMC helps the grieving FMC learn to live again. But what really resonated with me was the honesty of how grief can overtake your emotions and seem impossible to escape. Thank you Cara, for this beautiful story.

Lenny and Miles have such an emotional and amazing story. This is a book full of emotion, grief, love, humor and so many other things. Cara Bastone did an amazing job navigating grief and how it effects people. She was able to tell their story and add in so many moments that make you laugh and smile.

Thank you so much to the Dial Press and Cara Bastone for the ARC.