I have read many books about characters handling the grief of losing a loved one and this one is by far the one that has hit home the hardest for me. After racking my brain the only thing I can possibly think of a negative to this book is that it isn’t longer. I wish I could spend forever in Lou and Miles’s story. There was such a beautiful balance of pain and love and healing and comfort in this book I could curl up and live in its pages forever. Promise Me Sunshine will stick with me for the rest of my life and hopefully one day I will find a love as genuine and pure as my sweet beloved Lou and Miles.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I admit I balked a little at the “slow-burn” descriptors of Promise Me Sunshine, as it comes on the heels of some real mediocre and sluggish books. But this proved to not only be slow-burn done right, but the warm hug I needed in the midst of all the doom-and-gloom of the world.
I immediately resonated with Lenny and her grief, especially as it played out in brief flashbacks that introduce each part, as well as informing her character arc in the main body of the book. Losing anyone is tough (don’t I know it, having lost a few loved ones in the last couple years), but I truly felt for her as she reeled from losing her best friend and struggled to find a reason to live again. And I also love how she’s now trying to do so, while also honoring her friend.
And while the story is told solely through her POV, Miles is also compelling, having also lost family members, and being rather guarded as a result. But while Lenny tries to pull away from human connection, I love how he instinctively recognizes her as someone who needs help. Their bond was super sweet, and I loved their slowly building bond, with them first becoming friends and then developing a relationship beyond that.
While the more internal focus meant that sometimes the pacing did lag in places, the romantic bond kept me engaged throughout, plus there’s also some cute bits involving Miles’ niece Ainsley.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, and would recommend this for readers looking for a well-executed slow-burn contemporary romance with a focus on grief and healing through interpersonal connection.

5⭐️

This book was both painful and healing in the best way. It took me through so many emotions, but every bit of it was worth it.

Miles was such an incredible character—just perfect. I loved how kind, encouraging, and real he was. He wasn’t just there to be a love interest; he felt like a genuinely good person who truly wanted to help. His patience and unwavering support made him stand out so much.

Lenny was beautifully written—her strength and courage were remarkable. I loved how raw and real her struggles were throughout the book. Her journey wasn’t easy, but it was inspiring to watch her navigate it.

The slow and steady progression of their relationship was perfect. It wasn’t rushed or forced—Miles was simply focused on helping her heal, and that made their bond feel even more special. Their love was soft, gentle, and exactly what both of them needed.

The way grief was written in this book was breathtaking. It felt so real, so deeply emotional, and it added so much depth to the story. This wasn’t just about romance; it was about healing, growth, and finding light in the darkest moments.

This book left a lasting impact, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

***Trigger Warning*** This book deals with greif. If you recently experienced the loss of a loved one you may want to hold off.

I loved this book. I would give it a 4.5 stars. The banter between Lenny and Miles was so good. The story starts following Lenny and her recent loss of her best friend/soul mate. She is struggling and in comes Miles, the broody MMC that is snarky and unsure of Lenny and her ability to do her job. The classic do not judge a book buy its cover fits their "meet-Cute". I love how Cara Bastone develops her characters and wrote this slow burn romance. This had me wanted to kick my feet in giddiness whenever Lenny and Miles were together and I never wanted to put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Readers Copy.

Thanks so much to Dial Press and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

It may seem strange to start off a positive review with reasons why you might not like this one, but I do think if you hate some of these aspects within romance, this one may irk you:
- It's a story about grief, but we don't get to know the deceased very well. There are a few flashback scenes of Lenny & Lou's friendship, but overall, we see Lenny dealing with the grief rather than the friendship that she's grieving.
- We only get Lenny's POV
- There are a few instances of Big Man + Small Woman, some ogling of how large of a man Miles is, etc.
- MC can come across a little bit immature - either because she works almost exclusively with children or because she's crippled by grief (or a little of both)
- The sex scene is cringy because of it

Alright, and then let me wax philosophic about the SLOW BURN, the PINING present here. Often romance can feel formulaic: they kiss around the 100 page mark, get it on about 50% through, have a third act breakup, then a happily ever after. Lenny and Miles should not - and do not - get together until a lot of personal work happens for both of them. There is understandable and necessary reluctance on his end to get involved AT ALL with someone in Lenny's mental state, and her journey through grief is thoughtful and realistic (she's also not at any point just miraculously cured). Miles' kind coaching, coming from a place of personal experience, is lovely and heartfelt and yep I cried.

Sometimes a male love interest who falls first, without POV chapters, and who acts in a teaching capacity in some regards can seem *too* perfect, and while Miles does seem a bit too good to be true, I found it to be more of a perfect person finding Lenny at the exact right time she needed them type of situation. When the time is right, and Lenny catches feelings, the tension is well crafted and had me staying up at night to see how their story ended. I loved Bastone's Ready or Not, and am so glad that I loved this one as well and can now dive into her backlist titles.

✨ARC REVIEW✨

Slow burns like this make the world go round.

I am going to be thinking about this book for a really long time, I can feel it. Cara Bastone wrote an absolutely beautiful book about the trials and tribulations of grief, friendship, and love. The whole premise of this book just hits you on a deeper level and I am in awe with how well this written.

Learning to live again after loss is no easy feat. Grief for everyone is different. Lenny is experiencing the world without her best friend by her side. No matter what she does, she finds herself breaking down constantly and feeling as if she will never be okay again. When she gets a nannying job, she wears a smile and puts on a brave face. Miles, the child's uncle, can't help but see she's not doing okay. From experience, he knows what she needs and he will do anything to help her cope with her grief and live again.

When I tell you I am so in love with Miles and Lenny, I am soooo in love with Miles and Lenny. The way their story was written, I felt like I was there with them. We got to know them both on such a personal and in depth level that I just formed such an attachment to them.

Lenny is going through it. She's lost and sad and just doesn't know how to go on. She's numb and hurting and everything feels wrong. Her grief has fully consumed her. But I love that despite it all, she's trying. Whether or not Miles was there to help her, she's trying and that's something.

I absolutely loved her storyline. I loved her quirky personality. I loved her awkwardness. She has such a fun and bubbly personality that it hurt to see her in pain. She's full of life and light but it's been in hiding for some time. I loved watching her grow. Her character development was off the damn charts. Seeing her battle these demons and come out on top felt like a personal achievement and I was just reading the book! I was rooting for her so hard.

Miles. Can any book boyfriend top him? He is literally perfection. He just wants to feel needed and loved and cared for and he will LITERALLY DO ANYTHING TO HELP AND CARE FOR OTHERS. I love this man SO HARD. He is A LITERAL DREAM. Seriously though, this man is everything. He comes off strong but he's guarded. He appears grumpy but he's just trying to do the right thing. Even he had phenomenal growth. I don't think I can even put into words what kind of man he is but he is quite literally boyfriend goals. I want this kind of man to fall in love with me.

The slow burn that I just experienced had me GRIPPING onto any type of affection in this. Every quick glance or subtle touch HAD ME SWEATING. GIVE ME A BOWL AND SPOON BECAUSE I AM EATING THIS SHIT UP.

This was friends to lovers DONE SO DAMN WELL. I am in literal awe that I got to experience this relationship happen. I'm like a proud mom for these two. We get one "spicy" scene and you know what, that's all we needed. These two were enough to make this book everything without all the hoopla. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

I found myself smiling to myself a lot reading this. I laughed a lot and really just had such a good time reading this.

There was so much emotion in this book. I could feel the emotions flying off the pages. I felt like I wanted to help these character so badly but I just had to watch and let them figure it out.

If you couldn't tell, I absolutely loved this book. I could not put this down and if I had more time, I would have finished this in one sitting.

This is a book I will for sure reread and ahhh just thinking about this in audio form has me all giddy.

I want to say so much more but I'm still trying to formulate thoughts.

I absolutely loved this. I want to read it again. I loved Lenny and Miles so much. I didn't want this to end. I could read a whole series on these two. I LOVED IT.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, Dial Press and Cara Bastone for an arc copy!

First, thank you so much to Random House and Dial for the opportunity to arc read this. Unfortunately this book didn't work out for me. 

I really don't want to spend too much time giving my critique, because I'm sure others will like this story and perhaps I was the wrong audience, or I picked this up at the wrong time. I'm admitting this could totally be a me thing! 

I believe this book would have been better suited for the women's' fiction category as the romance does not really appear until the 85% mark. I really struggled seeing the chemistry between the two main leads. There was no mounting tension or spark, and I actually think they may have been better as just friends. Also, the FMC starts laughing at the MMC as soon as they are about to be intimate for the first time and refers to his c*ck as his 'pal'. I just didn't feel the romance :( 

To end on a positive note, I did appreciate the in depth exploration of grief and family dynamics and I definitely had a few chuckles throughout, but the romance and connection was just not there for me.

Review to come guys because right now my eyes are so watery I can’t see the letters on my phone screen, Even if I could I have no idea how to get my thoughts together and write out an eloquent review on this one right now.

To be honest, though you don’t even need me to write a review just pick the book up and read it as soon as you get a chance.

Fair warning if you’ve ever lost a loved one this one will wreck you in all of the best and worst ways. It’s worth it though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, what can I say about this book? So much and yet it took so much out of me. I’m not sure if there’s much to say at all. I mean that in the highest compliment because it literally made me speechless. I can tell you that if you lost someone important to you, this book is gonna feel incredibly real and raw. It’s gonna hurt possibly more than any other book you’ve ever read if you’ve ever struggled with grief it’s very relatable in that way, which is why I cannot get behind any of the people saying they didn’t like it because of the way it depicted grief Because if you’ve ever been through real raw grief, you know it’s different for everybody and it’s messy and for me my grief felt a lot like this.

But it’s also gonna heal you in a way you might not even know you needed. I thought I had gotten over my grief and this brought it all steaming back made me sad than I’ve been in a long time which is why it’s taking me so long to write this review But also by the time I got to the end, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my heart that I didn’t even know was there before I started reading.

I love the way the characters grow together in the way their relationship evolves. I love how he’s always there for her even in the beginning when he doesn’t understand unnecessarily like her I like how he owns up to his mistakes and admits when he’s wrong I love how they’re both able to be there for each other and understand each other . I loved how she was with his kid, single dad books or some of my favorites and this one certainly did that trope well.

There’s so much more I could say about it but ultimately the most important thing is this was a damn good book and if you don’t read it, you’re missing out so go get your hands on it and be ready to go through what could honestly be a life changing emotional roller coaster .

It's very difficult (in my opinion) for a romance book to make me care about the plot more than the romance. Now, usually, those things are inextricably intertwined so I don't mind if we go off on the plot a bit because I know we'll be back to the romance in a second, but this book did the plot part so well that I was accepting of any scrap of romance I would get no matter when it came up. This is a romance book, so of course the romance is the focus and is really beautiful, but it took a while for the romance to get rolling and I didn't find myself exasperated by that like I normally would have.

My favorite part of this romance story is how gentle it is. Lenny needs gentleness because of the grief she is going through, and I was afraid that Miles was going to "tough love" her into dealing with things before she was ready. But he doesn't do that. He's patient with her and uses knowledge from his own grief to comfort her and help her move forward. The romance was a slow burn and steamy and fantastic, but the friendship between Lenny and Miles is what I found myself loving most.

This book has solidified Bastone as an auto-buy author for me and I cannot wait for her next story!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Lenny lost her best friend and soulmate, Lou, to cancer. She feels stuck in her grief, wandering the city at night. She can’t return to the apartment they shared and rides the Staten Island Ferry all night. She has pushed away everyone who cares about her and knows she is not okay. She fakes being okay, on the short term and takes temporary nannying jobs around the city. She gets a job for the family, Reece and her daughter Ainsley. For some reason, Ainsley’s surly uncle is always hanging around when she is there, watching her. Miles doesn’t let Lenny push him away, like she has everyone else in her life. What develops is a beautiful friendship that helps her navigate her grief, as he has done this before. Through their friendship, they learn to work on themselves and heal, seeing what comes out on the other side of this insurmountable pain.

Wow. This is a beautiful story with a glimpse into the process of grief and grieving. It has moved up to one of my favourite books this year and will be in my top 10 for sure. This book deals with serious subjects, but it adds humour and laughter at the same time. It allows us to sit with the uncomfortable feeling of loss while making us laugh at the same time.

The relationship between Lenny and Miles is beautiful. Miles helps Lenny work through her grief and begin to open herself up to life and living again. In turn, Lenny helps Miles deal with some of his underlying pain from his family history. There are tons of humorous moments, both between Miles and Lenny and with Ainsley, his niece.

Though this is touted as a romance, it is so much more than that. It is a story of grief, loss, and pain and how to move forward after losing your person. Cara Bastone did an excellent job capturing and writing these emotions. Be prepared; this story will make you cry, but when you come out on the other end, you will have smiled and feel like a better person. This book was so good. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Beautifully and emotionally written story about love, loss and the courage to keep moving forward.  
Lenny's experience is so raw and real as she grapples with the immense feelings of losing her best friend, Lou.  Her world feels completely untethered until she takes on a babysitting job that introduces her to Ainsley, a spirited young girl, and Miles, her gruff yet perspective uncle.  
Miles, who harbors his own pain and quickly sees past Lenny's attempts to mask her struggles - takes on the task of helping Lenny "live again".  
Lenny and Miles push each other toward growth in a way that feels natural.  The themes of grief and second chances are handled with sensitivity.  We get a good look at how ugly grief can be and how beautiful the healing process can be.  Miles' attentiveness and patience is so incredibly heartwarming - showing Lenny that healing doesn't have to be rushed and that she doesn't have to go through it alone.  
I also love the role kids play in books that have a heavier theme and Ainsley's charm and humor was beyond precious.  
This book is both heart wrenching and full of hope - reminding us that even in the wake of unimaginable loss, life has a way of leading us toward new beginnings.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book!

I absolutely loved this book and was a five star read for me, and Cara Bastone is now on my auto-buy author list! This book had me laughing, crying, happy, and sad throughout it all. I loved Lenny’s growth and change and her journey with her grief throughout the book as well as Miles’s growth too! I loved how they were able to impact each other and learn while navigating their friendship.

I absolutely loved Ainsley and how cute she was throughout the book and how her relationships with everyone grew.

Cara did an amazing job on incorporating so many relationships and friendships throughout the book and how everyone is so interconnected.

This has got to be one of my favorite romance reads in a while. Such a great read and I loved it so much.

Review will be posted on Goodreads on 2/14!

Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance!

Lenny’s a hot mess! Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and Lenny is struggling to live on. She’ won't talk to her friends or family, can't go home, can't sleep and won't commit to anything long-term. Then, Lenny meets Miles; he's the uncle of her new babysitting charge. He's grumpy and doesn't seem to like her (or anyone else) at first. But Miles isn't all that he seems.... he recognizes her grief and wants to help her learn to live! Together, they work on Lou's list of how to live and start to fall for each other!

This story was so good! Even through the trauma, I found both Lenny and Miles so endearing. They were the perfect compliment to one another! Their grief was so heartbreaking and I felt myself tearing up more than once in the story. I devoured this book in just one night. Amazing read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a book! Lenny and Miles, I absolutely loved getting to know your stories. Cara Bastone is definitely becoming a new favorite author of mine. She hit it out of the park with her latest novel, which also has a stunning cover. The book itself was written so beautifully. I loved Lenny so much, our FMC. Trust me, Lenny and Miles are a couple you will have a hard time letting go of. I highly recommend reading this book if you’re looking for a book that brings all the feels: love, laughter, tears, nostalgia and more.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Cara Bastone is quickly becoming a go to author for me. I absolutely loved this book. *cracks knuckles* let's see if I'm able to articulate why I enjoyed this book so much.
From the synopsis, I knew that this book was gonna be a gut punch to me. I lost my mom to cancer and battling the grief has been an up and down roller coaster. But actually, I think I saw a lot more of my dad's grief in Lenny's. I really appreciated getting a new take on what it might be like to loose your person, and how do you learn to move forward, keep living? It hurt my heart to imagine, but I love seeing Lenny's journey to learning to put another foot in front of the other and keeping stepping into her future. It gives me hope for the rest of my family too.
And then we had the relationship with Lenny and Miles. I loved the evolution of strangers to friends to lovers. Miles being a caretaker was so swoon worthy, and made my heart flutter SO MUCH. They truly do just get each other, and it was so very obvious in all the big and little moments between them. I was eating it up, I just needed to see them interacting in some capacity at all times.
This is definitely a slow burn romance, but it pays off so well.

This was so good! So emotional and so sweet! I love the dynamic between the main characters. The grief that the fmc is feeling is so well written and real.

I'm fairly new to Cara Bastone books but have enjoyed her work. This one especially. Though it isn't recent, reading this story in the month of the anniversary of my mom passing had me reliving some similar moments to Lenny. It's those waves of emotion that hit at the craziest times and you rarely see it coming even if you think you're prepared for it. I feel like I had a lot of lists I was working through and much like Lenny noticed at the end, crossing everything off doesn't automatically mean anything. There are still good days and bad but finding people to surround yourself with and walk through that with you is a great feeling. I think the best part about Cara's books is that at the end, even though you don't really know exactly what is going to happen after the last line in their written story, you just know that the characters you grew to love are going to be okay because they have each other.

I was given an arc of this book for an honest review and I just have no words and all words for this…. This book took me a month to read, but not because I didn’t like it, I absolutely loved it too much and had to pace myself. I have never cried reading a book before and the way Lenny handles grief in this book is so raw and real, I literally ugly sobbed. Miles is THE book boyfriend, forget Rhysand, Xaden…. Even Cassien. The way this man brings Lenny back to life is just chefs kiss gold. I have a highlighted passage in almost every chapter because I wan to remember some of the absolutely amazing advice this book gives on dealing with grief. 50 stars to Cara Bastone and a huge thank you for bringing this absolute gem of a book into the world. This is my favorite book of 2025, nothing will top how this book melted my heart.

Did I just find my favorite book of the year in February?!?!?!?

Shout it from the rooftops: I LOVE THIS BOOK! I went in, expecting to like this one because I have liked everything I’ve read from Cara Bastone. I was immediately sucked in from chapter one, solely because of Bastone’s writing. She is so clever and witty with her writing and I found myself chuckling multiple times throughout the novel. I feel like I savored every moment of this book with these characters, whether it be their big moments or the small moments in the corner of a page.

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny who, after losing her best friend, takes a temporary nanny position where she eventually meets the grumpy uncle Miles. Lenny is so overwhelmed by grief that she is focused on taking life one day at a time. Miles has experienced grief of his own, so he feels he knows her situation. Therefore, in exchange for a favor of his own, he vows to help Lenny begin living again.

This is 100% a character-driven story. I feel like they were what kept me reading, not the plot. While the plot was definitely there, I found myself more enamoured with the characters than anything else.

Friends to lovers is such a superior trope and I will die on that hill. Lenny calls Lou (the best friend who passed) her soulmate, but I truly believe Miles is the soulmate for her. Miles is such a cinnamon roll with a grumpy exterior. I loved how he was so willing to do anything for the people he loves, literally anything.

One thing I feel Bastone writes SUPERBLY is that moment a character realizes they have fallen for the other one. The yearning, the want, the desperation she writes with is so unmatched and this book solidified that for me. I remember having that thought in the previous two books I’ve read by her, but that specific moment in this book was top tier.

This book is definitely a slow-burn, with the spice not coming in until the last two chapters. Like I said, the characters were the driving force of this story for me. Their chemistry was just so undeniable and raw. I loved how easily they confided in each other and didn’t try to fight their friendship.

I am now a Cara Bastone STAN. She can do no wrong. She is one of the best romance writers of this century. She is beauty and she is grace.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Yea, I hurt my own feelings reading this book. It's a sweet and tender story, and while the romance is definitely a highlight, the heart of this book lies in the beautiful and supportive friendship between Miles and Lenny. Lenny's journey through grief is so raw and real, and Miles is the ultimate grief wingman. He's patient, steady, and just quietly there, helping her navigate her loss without pushing.

The book perfectly captures the non-linear nature of grief; some days are good, some are unbearable, and some days feel like both the end and a new beginning. Miles is practically perfect – his only flaw is his use of 2-in-1 shampoo (seriously?!). But beneath that questionable hair care choice are layers upon layers of self-awareness, which just made me love him even more.

My only complaint? The ending felt a bit abrupt. An epilogue would have been the perfect way to tie everything up, but even without it, this book is a powerful and moving exploration of love, loss, and healing.