This book was very very sweet. It portrayed grief in a really heart wrenching and realistic way. I think a lot of people might really love this story, but the writing was just not doing it for me personally. It felt a little too casual, maybe a little too train-of-thought, and it was hard to follow sometimes. I struggled to connect with the characters until about 70ish% in and then I really enjoyed the story, it just took me a long time to get to that point. But again, I just wasn’t vibing with the writing! The romance was cute and fun & the kid she was nannying was adorable. Thank you netgalley for the early copy:)

My words cannot convey enough how truly beautiful this novel was. There are very few books that captivate me from the very first page, immediately feel like a five-star read, and also become something I know I will re-read again and again in my life… And Promise Me Sunshine is now, without a doubt, a new classic-favorite of mine.

This was a heartwarming story about navigating the complexities of grief (old and new) and learning how to gradually cope/ heal. Lenny and Miles’ approach to confront every raw emotion they try to repress to show any semblance that they are okay was a very realistic and human depiction that will deeply resonate with anyone. I found it very easy to connect to their journey.

Although the undertones of the book feel heavy, it was very well balanced through little moments of joy and kindness. The side characters brought warmth and connection that helped uplift our main characters. Lenny, too, who ironically was the one who was emotionally adrift after losing her best friend and soulmate provided comedic reprieve through her constant witty banter.

The romance itself was very endearing and honest. Miles was a gem of a man— so patient and gentle. He was my actual partner fictionalized so I was naturally obsessed with him. The grumpy-sunshine pair clicked so naturally together and this is an instance where a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers scenario worked perfectly well.

Overall, this was a painfully, emotional yet uplifting story. I would not change a single detail about it. You will be touched, cry, and laugh through every turn of the page.

DNF. Got to about 41% but this book is not for me. 3 stars for the part I read. I appreciate being given this ARC. But I am not the ideal reader for this book.

Unfortunately I couldn’t relate to these characters. I am usually someone who loves a good story with themes of grief and loss and healing. Which is why I requested the book, and the topic of cancer. I’ve had cancer myself and most people to cancer. But I wasn’t a fan of the way the grief was portrayed in this book. Lenny is barely hanging on by a thread and I just kept thinking that what she needs was actual therapy. And I was hoping for so much more romance. I didn’t feel any connection between Lenny and Miles either. At nearly half way through the book I was hoping for more by then. I also got the ick within the first few pages of the book when Lenny describes, upon first meeting miles, what her fantasy is about them becoming something and fully describes how their relationship would go. She says “It's probably apropos to mention that I instantaneously spin elaborate fantasies about almost every man I ever meet.” … and yes it is concerning ha. This completely weirded me out and instantly made me think this character has some things to work out with a therapist. And slow burn is an understatement. nothing was happening romance wise.

There are some sweet moments with the kid Ainsley, however I am the least maternal person ever and don’t ever want kids and have no interest in parenting. So I REALLY couldn’t relate to any of that part. I definitely can see some other people enjoying this book, but I am simply not the audience for it.

4.5 stars rounding up.

This is my second book by Cara Bastone and she’s becoming a go-to author for me! This story is more about grief, the human experience, healing, companionship and family dynamics — all slowly building into a deep romantic connection.

I love and appreciate the “love of my life” relationship of Lenny and her bestie Lou who she lost to cancer. I have my own Lou who went through some traumatic health experiences so I found myself deeply affected by this story.

Miles was a dream, loved his grumpy butt, loved his earnest desire to connect with his sister and niece after a super heartbreaking family history.

Lenny’s and Miles’s development individually and as a pair was done so well. So many raw, tender, and sweet moments. True loyalty and care. And lots of funny moments, too. The humor helped lighten up the heaviness of healing through grief.

What holds me back from giving this 5 stars are the convenience elements. Specifically that Miles had come into family money which gave these characters SO MUCH privilege to work through this stuff. Extra homes in NYC? No need to have a full time job? That reality simply doesn’t exist for most of us.

But overall I loved this and can’t wait to read more from Cara!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House (Dial Press) for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The queen of the slow burn is back with another heart wrenching and gorgeous romance. I was obsessed with the authors last book and had super high expectations for this one and my expectations were exceeded. I knew going into this there were heavy themes and it would be sad, so I was prepared but this did break my heart. It was slowly and surely put back together though and so worth it but man does the author write about grief in a poignant and absolutely gutting manner. Lenny was an absolute disaster at the beginning of the book, such an accurate portrayal of grief and Miles was the most patient man on the planet with her. Their relationship was the softest and most tender slow burn but it was also so funny, they had amazing banter and their friendship was beautiful as well. When you are in the mood for an emotional, character driven, swoony, beautiful romance this is a must!

thank you netgalley for the arc <3 !!

tw: death / loss of a loved one / grief

this is my first cara bastone book and i can say w certainty it won’t be my last

it was a very beautiful story surrounding grief, and reconnecting w family and trying to live again after grief

while i can’t say i’ve had direct experience w the topics this book surrounds, i am aware that grief is not a linear process as w most things in life and reading lennys pov it’s almost all consuming how loss can be, where in the beginning of the book lenny is spending her time anywhere but her apartment

and her love story w miles, while it’s not the forefront of the story, it was almost refreshing seeing these two people and how they saved each other from dark times

the way that miles was unconditionally there to support her and never pushed that romantic connection until he knew she was at a place where she could handle it like that’s love

overall it was a very beautiful slow burn love story, surrounding grief and finding yourself again

- bigger than the whole sky
- love is embarrassing
- begin again
- everything has changed
- skinny love
- soon you’ll get better

PROMISE ME SUNSHINE by Cara Bastone (out March 4)

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this free e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Cara Bastone has done it again! READY OR NOT was one of my favorite reads of 2024, and this subsequent book does not disappoint.

Lenny is devastated by the loss of her best friend and soul sister, wandering the streets (and waterways) of NYC in between short term nanny gigs. When she starts nannying for Ainsley, Ainsley’s grumpy uncle sees through Lenny’s cheery nanny facade and offers a trade — he’ll ferry (this will be funny once you read the book) her through this stage of grief (after all, he’s been there himself) if she’ll teach him how to connect to his niece.

This is a tender, sad, SLOOOOOOW BURN with rich characters and unflinching portrayals of grief. I finished it in 12 hours and I’m so sad it’s over! I loved the way Miles cares for Lenny and how Lenny comes into her own as she begins to heal.

CW: lots of death of loved ones (dad, mom, sibling-avatars, cancer, car accident, stroke, in the past)

A novel that will take your emotions on a roller-coaster ride (but in a good way). Sometimes it was laugh-out loud hilarious (a certain talent-show dance!), and other times the Kleenexes couldn’t be used quickly enough (when the author details just how gut-wrenching it is missing a loved one)…

I downloaded and read this two weeks and three days after the loss of my toy poodle Audrey, so I could definitely relate to Lenny’s pain. Her Miles was the balm she needed for her grief. My husband Cary, who also loved our Audrey-girl, has been the perfect balm for mine…even when wiping his own tears away…

Memorable Quotes:
“There’s never anything we can do to keep someone alive, Lenny. There’s no bargain you can make. It’s an illusion. A terrible illusion. The only thing you could ever have done is what you’re doing right now. Sending her off.”

Thanks for this book that speaks volumes about loving and grieving, Cara.

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

First off thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House publishing for providing me with this ARC!!

Now I knew this book was going to deeply effect me, because I am very personally effected and connected to this story. I lost my best friend in 2021 to bone cancer. She also grew up in Manhattan, and was an artist. And all those things are what Lou’s character is about. Lenny loses Lou to a battle with cancer, and this story is all about how Lenny lives again. Lenny gets a babysitting job from a woman named Reese to babysit her child Ainsley. Lenny then meets Miles because he is Reese’s brother. They end up befriending each other because he wants to help Lenny live again, and he has also lost people very close to him. And basically there romance grows from there. The way that Cara Bastone writes is so beautiful, but also freaking hysterical!! I found myself highlighting almost every page, because I absolutely adore her writing. This was an absolutely beautiful book, and shows how Lenny opens herself up to love again. I cried multiple times reading this, because the way she describes the grief Lenny goes through is what I experienced myself. Both this book and Ready or Not were 5 stars reads for me, so Cara Bastone is becoming one of my favorite romance authors. I absolutely loved this, so 5 stars and I think anyone who has lost someone close to them should read this. I think it might help you heal just a little. ❤️❤️

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.