Promise Me Sunshine is my second read by Cara Bastone and let me tell you she has such a beautiful way of bringing difficult topics into her stories without making them seem cumbersome or stuffy. This book profoundly handles loss, grief, friendship, family, love all while having humor. A true depiction of a human experience and all the vast emotions we can feel at once. I highly recommend this book!

This was perfection. What a beautiful tribute to those who care for us through grief. Reading this while not grieving still made me feel all the feelings that Lenny (and Miles) had to navigate after catastrophic loss.

It’s comforting knowing this book exists for when I might need it the most.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the ARC of Promise Me Sunshine, by Cara Bastone.

Publication date: March 4, 2025.

4.5 rounded up to 5

I thought this book was great. I really appreciated how Bastone incorporated the very realistic effects of grief on Lenny's life (and Miles's life for that matter). I also appreciated how it wasn't like she was magically "fixed" by Miles. He helped her of course, but ultimately Lenny had to be the one to find a way to take care of herself again amidst her grief.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press (Random House) for providing me with an ARC for an honest review. 🩷

Promise Me Sunshine is a sweet story about two people helping one another process grief. I liked that grief was a vulnerable topic in here, but it just didn’t land for me. And it’s not because grief made me uncomfortable—in fact, I love exploring stories that deal with grief in a raw and vulnerable way—but I think it was mainly due to not feeling connected to the FMC. And I had a hard time consistently feeling connected to the MMC. He grew on me more throughout the story, but the FMC didn’t, unfortunately. These are my personal opinions and I’m aware that others may have connected to them more.

Overall, I think the premise came from a sweet and honest place and I think there will be folks who will connect to the FMC, MMC, and supporting characters in a meaningful way.

I loved this book so much! Miles and Lenny have my whole heart. Cara Bastone has solidified herself as a new favorite and I can’t wait to read more of her work!!! The ways she wrote about grief was so beautiful and absolutely broke my heart. **Thank you NetGalley and Randomhouse publishing for the e-ARC**

Cara Bastone novels are proof that you can invoke deep feeling without major breakdowns in communication or significant conflict and still connect fully with readers. That adults can face seemingly insurmountable problems and find a way through them together.

Lenny is barely surviving since the death of her best friend and surrogate sister, Lou, from cancer a few months earlier. She isn’t eating, can’t sleep, can’t return to the apartment they shared, avoids her parents, spends entire nights riding the Staten Island Ferry back and forth from Manhattan. She’s completely retreated from life.

She takes nanny gigs for a few days at a time, something she’s good at, something that gives her purpose. Ainsley, her most recent charge adores her; Reese, Ainsley’s mom is satisfied with her help. Miles, however, Ainsley’s big, broody, gruff uncle, doesn’t see it.

But first impressions don’t last and even though Lenny is pretty good at holding it together when she has to, Miles sees right through her.

That’s because a decade earlier, Miles had debilitating grief of his own to work through. And so he offers Lenny a trade: help him find a way to fit into the complicated lives of his sister and niece and he will help her find a way through the dense fog of sadness and sorrow.

What happens next is a heart wrenching, emotionally devastating, joyous journey through one of the most difficult things humans do: carry on after the person you love most dies.

And while there are tears to be shed reading this book, it feels grief-positive. Instead of treating grief like a problem with a solution, it’s presented as a difficulty to walk beside, to feel and befriend.

Lenny is absolute perfection as a young woman navigating a roller coaster of emotions, and Miles is the perfect foil. He has dealt with grief intimately and he’s no longer afraid of it. He can teach her to walk beside her grief.

And he’ll walk along with her.

This book is as much about friendship and companionship as it is about romance, and that worked well here, felt absolutely natural. Miles was smart and patient, and by allowing Lenny space, they were able to find their way to one another.

Bastone is a master of the human condition and I will follow her anywhere.

What a beautifully heartwarming story. Full of grief and healing and learning to live again after losing a huge part of yourself. Being patient with how slowly you recover and still finding strength to love again.

Lenny has lost her best friend and soulmate to cancer. Miles finds himself trying to fit into the only family he has left that never knew he existed. Together, they find a way back to living and falling in love.

Read if you enjoy:

🩷 Second Chances
🩷 Unexpected friends to lovers
🩷 Grief rep
🩷 Lists
🩷 Starting Over

I'm in love with this book and how gently it was written. It has my heart.

Thank you, NetGalley and Cara Bastone, for the E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was beautiful.

I heard such great things about this book. I’m picky about contemporary romance. It’s not my favorite genre, but some friends raved about this. I gave in to the hype. What really sold me was when I heard that there was a grief subplot. I’ve read a handful of really well done books that revolve around loss, so I was ready for a romance with depth.

While I can see why people enjoy and even love this book, it ended up not being for me. I didn’t buy into the romance because it felt like the main character, Lenny, was transferring her codependency from her best friend, who passed away, to Miles. I thought Lenny needed therapy not a boyfriend. I never believed that Lenny and Miles relationship would stand the test of time because Lenny wasn’t giving anything to the relationship. She was just taking.

The grief plot line may feel realistic for some people, but for me, it was self indulgent. Most of us who have lost a loved one have to continue to work and take care of things. We can’t just fall apart. If someone I know is grieving and feels suicidal or can’t function, I’m going to be pushing them to get professional help. I will not be thinking that I can fix them because I have lost someone I love also.

What kept me going in the book was the relationship that Miles was developing with his sister and her daughter. I always enjoy when there are children in books who aren’t perfect every moment. Ainsley was an adorable kid who had a couple of meltdowns and felt realistic. I really wanted to see even more of Miles working things out with his sister and niece.

One final note that may help you decide if this book is for you. Lenny is very crass. She makes up stories about falling in love with every man that she meets. She imagines having affairs with married strangers and mentions porn more than once. I found myself rolling my eyes at how immature she was and ended up skimming over multiple paragraphs when her childish antics got to be too much.

I ended up not enjoying this book, but it may work for you.

This book contains strong profanity and has an explicit intimate scene.

This book was so much more than a lighthearted romance—it was a deeply emotional exploration of love, loss, and the ways grief shapes us. Lenny was an absolutely brilliant character, radiating chaos, quirks, and an infectious sunshiny energy that made her instantly lovable. But beneath her vibrant exterior, she was unraveling after the devastating loss of her best friend.

In an attempt to find some stability, she takes a babysitting job and crosses paths with Miles—the grumpy, emotionally guarded uncle of the little girl she’s caring for. He’s the definition of brooding perfection, and despite their stark differences, they strike a deal: she’ll help him connect with his niece, and in return, he’ll be her grief partner, guiding her through the unbearable weight of loss.

What follows is a breathtaking journey of healing, filled with humor, heartache, and some of the most touching moments I’ve read in a long time. Their friendship grows into something profound, with Miles gently pulling Lenny back to life in ways she never expected. And the locket—oh my heart! IYKYK

This story felt achingly real, and I believed in every moment of their relationship. It was beautiful and full of depth, making this book an absolute must-read. Highly, highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Cara Bastone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lenny is reeling from losing her best friend. Struggling to function and live life after loss. She takes a temporary babysitting job where she meets Miles.

Uncle Miles is new to his nieces life and not totally sure how to create a relationship with her. Miles drops in and takes it upon himself to supervise when Lenny is watching his niece. He misjudged her immediately but fairly quickly recognizes a quiet pain and suffering in Lenny.

Miles proposes a deal - he will help Lenny “enjoy life” again and Lenny will help with create a bond with his niece.

This story is loaded with grief but not in a depressing way. It was handling very tenderly and paired with humor in the right places.

Tropes:
Friends to lovers
Love after loss
Slow burn
Caretaking (emotional and physical)

From the start I knew this book was going to be special. As much as this book is about Lenny and her grief, it’s also about Miles and his personal growth. These two characters are so broken and flawed and yet also so resilient and driven to help one another. Through their own pain they are able to pour into each other to help them become the best versions of themselves.

The way that Cara Bastone tackled the themes of grief and abandonment are unmatched. You will laugh, you will sob, you will squeal with giddiness and also sit in melancholy. The perfect balance of emotions through out the story.

Miles is a perfect book boyfriend, just when you think he will be rattled by something or respond in a certain way, he surprises you in just how tender and understanding he can be. Lenny can be frustrating but you understand her pain and her actions seem justified by her grief and pain.

The side characters and plots with Ainsley and Reese and the friend group as well as the little moments with Emil and Lenny’s parents, all provided a very realistic backdrop for the story and portrays perfectly what happens when you lose your soulmate but life goes on and you have to learn to live again. What could have been a very depressing story turned into a story of hope and resilience. My heart was broken and put back together in a beautiful mosaic.

5 ⭐️

I absolutely LOVED LENNY AND MILES!!!!!🩷 their story was so beautiful, raw, heartbreaking and the perfect depiction of how it is when you lose a loved one 😢
Miles was literally the biggest sweetheart and the way he cared for Lenny was everything!!😭 He knew exactly what Lenny was going through and while he was also still in pain, did all he could to make sure she was okay and ugh I ADORED HIM SO MUCH!!!🩷
And Lenny…I would hug her so hard if I could. I completely understood her pain and anger, and I loved her character growth throughout the story.

They were the perfect friends to lovers also 🥹🥹🥹

I’ve loved Cara’s writing since Ready or Not, and I can’t wait to see what else she releases in the future!!🩷

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!🩷

This book was such a wonderful depiction of grief after loss and dealing with the fallout while everyone else moves on, but also of falling in love and making new friendships despite your brokenheart. There were funny moments, heartbreaking real moments, and everything in between! Plus a perfect man who knows exactly what you need, even if that means the romance moves at a glacial pace to ensure she is ready. While yes this is a romance, it is so much more than that.

I received a free early copy of this book for review. This is my own opinion.

<b>Genre:</b> Romance, women’s fiction
<b>Tropes:</b> hurt comfort, friends to lovers
<b>Spice Level:</b> on page, non-descriptive
<b>Content Warning:</b> grief: death of a friend to cancer, off page but a central theme.

When I tell you this book put me on the floor… I have been put through an emotional wringer after reading all but the first 3 pages of this in one day. I couldn’t put it down. I cried outside a restaurant waiting for a table.

Cara Bastone has the unique ability to create such real, relatable relationships, both romantic and otherwise, even when they’re <i>nothing </i>like my lived experiences. I feel like I lived Lenny’s life with her, growing to love Ainsley and Miles, her connection with Jericho. The way she grieved and grew. I’m crying again just thinking about it. (I cried probably a dozen times while reading.)

This book is so soft. It’s gentle. It’s not in your face. It is, to paraphrase John Green, slow and then all at once. Lenny and Miles’s story is so freaking lovely.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and The Dial Press for this one. It’s going in my favorites list for sure.

“Promise Me Sunshine” was such a well-done romance. Lenny is trying to navigate life after the death of her best friend since childhood. Since they were more like sisters, she is obviously not taking it well at all, but she’s trying to get by with short-term nannying gigs. Miles, the uncle of the girl she is nannying for, is concerned for her grief (having experienced similar grief in his own life) and strikes up a bargain: he will help her to navigate her grief and healing, and in return she will help him connect with his niece.

This book was a pure 6⭐️ feeling since the start! I was absolutely hooked on Lenny, the FMC right away, and Miles grew on me so subtly but deeply that they are now one of my favorite book couples of all time. They are not your traditional romance couple, though. In a lineup, Miles would never be picked first, but he grows on you and you never want him to leave. Lenny’s sense of humor and quirkiness are so wholesome and fun, it immediately draws you to her, and I laughed out loud multiple times.

This is not a romance in the traditional sense, but the romance still filled my soul with bubbles. It’s about loving someone steadfastly and sometimes thanklessly, about being there for them no matter what, loving and helping them because you’ve been there and know what it’s like.

Grief and loss undercurrent the entire story but the story itself is not depressing and somber. It’s funny and real and heartwarming and heartbreaking and memorable. No notes. I am still thinking about it every day.

Thank you to Random House Press and NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for letting me read this great ARC.

I really liked this book. It was a slow burn romance and just really made you get to know and love the characters in the book. It takes you through Lenny’s griefing process. I feel like Cara Barstone done such a great job at explaining the griefing process and how it looks for people. Thank you for such a heartwarming book! This is my second book by Cara Barstone and I’ve really liked both!

This book comes out March 4th so make sure you put you put it in your TBR list.

It’s hard to tackle a topic like grief and sadness and make it inspiring and meaningful to a reader who hasn’t experienced a loss like Lenny, let alone incorporate this topic into a romance book, but this author did a spectacular job in balancing all the emotions that go into both falling in love and mourning a loss.

Though this book is first and foremost about grief and managing daily struggles after a major loss. You felt Lenny’s sadness through these pages, but not once did it feel as her sorrow swallowed the story. Her progression through this book felt natural and the storyline with Miles helped enhance Lenny’s journey. Though the way Miles and Lenny connected was heartwarming and heartbreaking, how they mended each other through little actions and encouragement really showed the heart of the book and the depth of their character.

I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish and it felt like a little sunshine after a rainy day. It’s a well written book that you can easily get lost in with characters charming and likeable. I would 100% recommend reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback

*Thank you to Net Galley and PRH Audio for access to the advance reader's copy and free audiobook for this book!

Every once in a while you stumble upon an author that you instantly fall in love with. That's how I felt reading Ready or Not by Cara Bastone. Picking up another novel by this author, I was nervous her writing wouldn't hold the magic I had felt it possessed. Fortunately, Promise Me Sunshine proved that fear to be unwarranted!
I had such a wonderful time reading/listening to this story. I absolutely adored the narrator of Ready or Not, Alex Finke, and was so excited that she was narrating the audiobook for Promise Me Sunshine. Her narration really brings Bastone's words to life and allows the reader to fully embrace their humor and their heartbreak.
Bastone created such rich characters in Promise Me Sunshine, which is even more impressive when you consider that this story only provides one perspective. Bastone's writing is so good that the reader is still given a full, complete, and depth-filled male main character even though we're never in his head. As impressive as our male main character's characterization is, there is absolute magic in the female main character that Bastone brings to life. She's complex, challenging, relatable, and so utterly lovable.
This story is difficult to read at times. Bastone does not shy away from the ugly side of grief and grieving. It is front and center in this story and readers should be prepared for that. Fortunately, Bastone handles this topic with the care and nuance it deserves.
I enjoyed this book so completely and urge everyone to add Promise Me Sunshine to their TBR!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC. A story of grief, family and navigating life after loss. Lenny’s loss of her best friend pushes her to find her meaning in nannying Ainsley. While searching for normalcy, Lenny befriends Ainsley’s uncle Miles who is desperate to be helpful in Ainsley’s life while supporting Lenny’s grief journey through his own familiarity with it. Heart wrenching and beautiful and the tears were absolutely worth it.

I loved this book so much!!! The characters were so well rounded and perfect!
It had me laughing and crying the whole time!
This story hit home so hard and Cara did a beautiful job of navigating loss and continuing to live and learn to love again!
Thank you for the arc!