A true delight! Cara Bastone’s “Ready or Not” was one of my top reads of last year so I had high hopes for this one. Happily, I was extremely satisfied with this book. It was charming, funny, romantic, life affirming and an absolute joy to read. It had everything I love in a romance. There was banter, personal & relationship development, interesting side characters, a realistic time line & so much love, respect and communication. A big win for me! She should be getting WAY more hype and praise than I’ve seen.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I loved this book so much! What a beautiful novel dealing with grief and finding ones self after a huge loss. Really loved these characters and this story. Highly HIGHLY recommend.

Cara, Miss Ma'am! You did it again! I was not sure it was possible to top the feelings that Ready Or Not gave me, but alas, they have been topped! The writing in this book was phenomenol, so easy to read, and you perfectly captured the personality of each character. I would like to give this book INFINITY stars, but that's not an option. So, instead, I will tell everyone I can to read this book and hope that they love it like I do. You sent me through an entire roller coaster of emotions and I loved every second. Thank you so so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book before it is published. I will think about Miles, Lenny, and Lou every single day.

you happen to be going through any kind of grief or are particularly sensitive to reading that content, I would either skip or wait until you are in the right mindset to read this because the grief content is heavy. The main character Lenny has lost her best friend to cancer and just doesn’t really know how to go on without her. This is a romance and there are plenty of lighthearted moments (I was actually laughing out loud during one scene), so it’s not all doom and gloom but it’s certainly heavier than what you would assume picking up a colorful cartoon cover romance, ya know?

I really liked the book. I thought Lenny and Miles were great characters and I liked Reese and Ainsley as well. All the dynamics between everyone were interesting to read. The whole book was really enjoyable through the highs and lows.

There is a little connection to Ready or Not towards the end that’s nice if you have read that, but nothing that you would need to have read it to read this one.

Ugh yall I love a romance that makes me sad AND happy.

Wow, this one blew me away. A story of grief, friendship and love. It tackled a heavy, hard topic with levity and laughs while being extremely real and relatable. I loved these characters and was drawn into the story immediately.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this book!

If there is one thing you can count on Bastone to do, is write characters that feel emotions deeply and don't shy away from them.

Lenny is in the depths of grieving the loss of her best-friend-soulmate, working the odd nannying job, and spending a lot of time on the State Island Ferry. She is barely surviving, until she meets Miles who helps her tackle her 'live again' list her best friend left her. Slowly but surely Miles helps bring Lenny back to life and gives her something more she hadn't anticipated.

A true slow burn that will have you rushing each chapter to witness these two characters grow and learn with one another. At times Lenny's quirks were a little much for me, but I could overlook that for the charming way Bastone writes. My one grip is that there were a few plot points that felt too unbelievable (i.e. how does one working as a nanny in NYC afford to well, live in NYC... ) and were glossed over, but again, if you don't get hung up on it, they are easily overlooked.

Definitely worth picking up, and I can't wait to listen to the audiobook come pub day. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC :)

4.5 ⭐️! So happy i got the chance to read the ARC! omg i absolutely loved this! The banter was amazing, i found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm infatuated by her writing. I could picture each page in my head clear as day. And the crazy thing is the grief in it made it so sad but its like every time I'd get sad, something funny would be coming up within the next passage or page to turn my frown upside down. Very enjoyable!

WOW. Can that be the whole review? Just WOW.

I’m kidding, I’ll write more. 😂 but holy cow…. This is my first book by Cara, but it will not be my last. This book was phenomenal. I was not sure what to expect, but this was one of the most inspiring and memorable romance books I have ever read.

Lenny loses her best friend to cancer and is not sure how she will continue living life in a way that experiences any joy. Grief consumes her. Then she meets Miles, the man who acts as her “grief guru” and takes it as his own personal mission to walk the road of grief with her.

This book broke me in every best way. The way grief was written about was so true and honest. But Miles? I need to believe men like Miles exist, because his character gave me hope.

This was SUCH a beautiful romance. It is very emotional. Made me cry MULTIPLE times. But was also one of the best romances I’ve ever read.

This was an absolutely beautiful read! This journey of grief, friendship and love was everything I needed. I loved every single character and got all the feels. This was a story I won’t soon forget. Loved it!

Last year I tried Ready or Not by this author but didn't gel with it after a few chapters and so didn't continue. This one, however, was an absolute winner! At 415 pages, this is not your typical romance book, but it was so compelling that I gulped it down in a day. Promise Me Sunshine is a very well paced, deep, and vulnerable look at grief, friendship, and eventually (very) slow-burn love between two people who are really well-developed and three dimensional. The trajectory of the relationship between Lenny and Miles felt earned and natural and messy - and I appreciated that there was good communication on the whole with no contrived drama. The supporting cast of characters felt real too, which is always welcome.

"If we do this, I will not let you drown"

Actual rating: 4.25

Where do I even begin with this unexpected gem of a book. From the beginning? From the end? I don't think there is a place I could choose to start describing just how great it felt to read this book but nevertheless I will try my very best in order to give a good, well deserving review.

Promise me sunshine caught me completely off guard. We follow Lenny, our main character who just lost her best friend, and watch as she starts living her life again with the help of Miles. Typically, I'm not very fond of first point of view but this is what made the book in my opinion. To see how Lenny's brain works, to learn to understand her, to grow to love her, to see the grief that she carries and see how some moments are easy while the next ones are so hard, it was all really beautiful. She was also just SO fun. The dynamic between our two main leads was also incredibly satisfying to watch. They were developed so well and what makes it so much better is that this book isn't really meant to be about "them" but more the process of healing, they were just a plus.

Cara Bastone crafted a story that blends borderline cheesy moments with equally serious ones, somehow managing to create a beautiful heartful narrative about learning to breathe again.

I really needed this book right now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Dial Press Trade Paperback for providing me with this arc!

I can’t say I finished this book, because in reality this book finished me. Here I am, sitting in bed, attempting to write this review while still ugly crying into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream. The wound is so fresh it hurts.

Ok, but on a real note, this book was amazing. I loved every single second of it. I’m not usually a fan of slow burn—or romance without spice in general—but in the context of this book, I think it totally makes sense. And I absolutely would’ve been ok without any spice too (look at me, that’s called growth).

Since this book follows Lenny’s grief as she attempts to navigate through life after the death of her best friend (platonic soul mate), the introduction of Miles is what made me fall in love with this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love Lenny! She is such a likable character! But Miles is patient and loyal. He’s the type of person to give you the shirt straight off his back if you asked him for it. Miles was the support system that helped Lenny learn to live again. He was there to help her through every single stage of her grief, assuring her what she felt was normal, and offered her positive reassurance at every step.

WE MUST PROTECT THAT MAN AT ALL COSTS!!!

Promise Me Sunshine really got me in my feels. For anyone who has ever experienced profound grief, where you've lost your person, this is one you will be able to relate to. Though we all don't grieve the same, Lenny's journey was emotional and relatable.

All aboard the hot mess express ferry that is Lenny's life. Or the Staten Island ferry, whichever. Lenny lost her best friend and is trying to live again. With minimal success. She meets Miles at a nannying job she's taking. He's the little girl's uncle. And he changes everything.

This book was a romance, but it was a journey as well. Miles and Lenny's story was so much more. It was healing, a slow burn, and beautiful. I love Cara Bastone's writing and this was a winner for me!

This was very good. I had heard great things about Ready Or Not but don’t love a pregnancy story so never picked it up. But after reading this one I’m definitely willing to give that one a try too.
This is a story about loss that manages to really convey the weight and emotion of grief while never losing the underlying message of hope and love. Lenny is a hilarious character and seeing her slowly become more and more herself again is truly a masterclass in a different kind of character development.
There are well done side characters, but this is definitely Lenny and Miles story. And Miles manages to deliver a well-rounded character who is in touch with his feelings. Admittedly the premise of him being willing to commit to this “project” with Lenny is a little unrealistic, but I rarely fault a book for that.
I honestly can’t put my finger on what made this a 4 star vs a 5 star read for me. Maybe a little bit more of Lou and Lenny at the start of the book so I emotionally connect just a tad bit more with the loss Lenny is feeling at the start?
Regardless, will definitely check out any future novels by Cara.

Thank you so much for the chance to give this book an early read. This book is definitely a slowwwwwww burn romance but the payoff at the end was well worth it. I loved how the MCs supported one another in their grief and learning to find joy in life again.

Thank you NetGalley & Publishers for this ARC!

This was my first book by Cara Bastone and wow, what a beautiful love letter to life, to second chances.

The people we meet, the places we go, the food we eat are all part of who we are. Losing someone you love often causes you to lose yourself in the process and finding new ways to be happy even when you’re grieving is hard.

Cara beautifully takes us on this journey of loss and love. We get to follow Lenny and Miles’ journey and it’s definitely one of my favorite love stories.

When she says that we all need a Miles in our lives, she wasn’t kidding. He does pull Lenny out of hell, but she also helps him heal in ways that I wasn’t ready.

This book is a solid 5 ⭐️. It makes you appreciate life more, it makes you want to enjoy life more. To love more, to eat good food, and laugh and be intentional. But to also know that it can sometimes get dark, but having the right person next to you can be life saving.

Can’t wait for this book to be out in the world and everyone get to read and fall in love with this story! ❤️

WOW. Just wow. I absolutely adored this book, from the first page I already got the vibes of “yes, this is gonna be a 5 star read for me” and it definitely was. Now, that being said I do have some bones to pick. The ending? I felt like I needed more, maybe that’s me being selfish and not wanting the story to end but I do feel like we needed more, like I would’ve loved to see Lenny and Miles actually go to Lou’s gravestone but I know that’s why they went to the Met but still I felt like that was something Lenny should’ve done, I don’t know. ALSO, I would’ve just loved an epilogue but I absolutely love and adore these two characters, and I would’ve just loved to see where they ended up. Enough of me being picky though because this book WILL live rent free in my head. I loved the premise of it, I loved how real and raw it all was, how accurate it painted grief because grief is such a weird thing.. like you can go about your day and then BAM something reminds you and you’re spiraling again. I didn’t lose a friend by them dying but I recently did lose my closest friend from a falling out and I’ve been grieving the friendship and a lot of what Lenny was going through and actions she took, I noticed I was repeating so I heavily related to her and her journey of grief because it’s such a weird thing to have your person and then all of a sudden have to learn to live without them, like what’s the purpose of doing life without the one person you thought you were gonna have forever with? Onto Miles.. oh god, he’s easily one of my favorite MMCs now. He’s so caring, so patient, so willing to be there for people and make sure they’re okay, like his devotion to making sure Lenny was okay was astounding to me. It was love in the simplest way, the way he would just tell her to call him in the middle of the night, whatever time, the way he would meet her at the ferry knowing she was going though it again.. pushing her to make friends and being uncomfortable because he wanted her to grow and just be okay. I LOVE miles, I love love love him so much. I loved their friendship, I loved the friendships they made, all of their interactions, and I loved their romantic relationship.. I do really wish we got more of that but again I know this book mainly focused on Lenny’s journey with grief but still I NEED MORE OF MILES AND LENNY. Anyways, this book is absolutely incredible.

Ready Or Not was one of my top books of 2024, so I had ‘Promise Me Sunshine’ up very high on my list of anticipated releases for 2025. I will say I was also a little nervous because it’s rare that an author can get two five star ratings from me back to back.

Well, Cara Bastone beat the odds because I absolutely devoured this story. How she can write about such hard things in such a human way and just freaking nail it is beyond me.

I adored it. It is in my favorites of the year so far list for sure and she gained being a must read, preorder everything she writes author from me.

Once again, Cara Bastone can do no wrong.

In her latest release Cara tackles the subject of grief after losing a best friend. The story follows Lenny who is a nanny in New York City after her best friend and roommate dies from cancer. Although the premise sounds extremely grimm, I promise you this book is full of all the charm, humor, and witty banter that Bastone is known for.

When starting her new nanny job, Lenny meets the uncle of her newest charge, Miles. Miles is also dealing with grief and befriends Lenny.

The book follows the ups and downs of Lenny as she navigates to the world without her soulmate/best friend, Lou, while still trying to fulfill her dying wish that she completes a series of tasks. Miles is there at every step to help her along her journey.

I love this book just as much as I loved Ready or Not. I was worried the premise would be sad but Cara has a way of bringing levity to serious situations in her stories. You will fall in love with Lenny just as you have with all of Cara's past FMCs. Miles is a sweet and endearing character after Lenny breaks through his shell. This book made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

How do I even begin?! My goodness - all the feels with this book. The heaviness, the levity, the laughs, wholesome loving, and the tight squeeze of my heart - the push and pull of this book was thoroughly enjoyable.

I loved their love story. The tenacity and fronted grumpiness of Miles and the hilarity and outrageousness of Lenny just captured me. Lou was so loved, Ainsley was so fun and the band of new friends was so beautifully written.

All that to say, wow - the topic of grief can be so heavy when reading but I have to give Cara Bastone her flowers. She continues to capture a precarious topic in an eloquent way that made you root for Lenny every step of the way - in a real, raw way. Well done!