♾️/⭐️

Wow. There’s something really special about romance books that touch on grief the way Promise Me Sunshine does. I think sometimes to see grief that has felt so solitary and deeply lonely in your own experiences and see it in someone else’s feels like finding a new species or the cure for something horrible. In some of the worst moments in my life, I always was stuck on the how. I circled back to the question, “Is everyone just stronger than me? Do they have better luck? Why am I the only one who seems to be unable to go back to living?” I wish I had had a Miles. I wish I had one now. Not to help me with grief necessarily, but to be my comrade, my companion. Miles’ heart is so pure. There were so many times when I was reading that I expected something to go wrong—that I worried he was too good. Or maybe for things to go wrong for Lenny and in turn ruin her and Miles momentarily? I’m not sure. I just felt like I was holding my breath, and I couldn’t breathe until I read the last line of the checklist. I had been teary-eyed for many parts, but man, those 5 words felt like I just got sucker punched. I cried pitifully into my pillow with a huge grin that only stopped when I couldn’t breathe anymore and was hiccuping. Sometimes I wonder if it would have helped when I had these books when I was younger. I’m not sure I could have appreciated them then, but it hasn’t lost its meaningfulness. I adore Lenny. I cried for her at so many points, and I wished I could have been there for her. And in lieu of me, Miles was even better. His list—somebody sedate me. Seriously, does love like this actually exist in real life? I’ve yet to see it, which scares me.

A huge thank you to Dial for the early copy. Not only did this make my week, but I also just binge-read this entire book in one sitting if you don’t count the crying break I took <3

3.75 ... a four on a good day...

ready or not was one of my absolute favorite books when i read it, honestly i think its been a year and a half and thats SICK. i was always going to pick up cara bastone's next book but the cover and premise for this one just really got me. her writing is so spectacular and so human. it really shines in this book even if i wasn't head over heels in love.

lenny is my girl. she is a human embodiment of realness and i am not allowing her to ever feel sadness again, she can only ever be happy because i said so. she's chaotic, suffering, and a normal person. i adore her. miles is the uncle of the kid she nannies and even though they don't get off on the right foot they come together to help lenny out of her grief. i can't tell you what to expect with this story other than the fact that its an emotional one. the romance is very much a slow burn, its done very well but i was just not there. idk.

my overall emotions toward this book are good. its definitely one that you should pick up when it releases in march. i love the characters and the family they form, not jeffy.. WHY WAS THAT HIS NAME. this is very much a fiction book before its a romance book, the writing is wonderful and if you are struggling with grief i would check some content warnings because it's definitely heavy.

*thank you dial press for the arc !*

I’ll admit the beautiful cover caught my eye and I loved the title, but I was super excited to read this book once I noticed the author’s name, Cara Bastone. I discovered this author in 2024 in a similar fashion (attracted to the beautiful cover and intrigued by the story premise) with her book, Ready or Not. It was funny, heartwarming and real.

Well, she does it again with Promise Me Sunshine only this story follows Lenny who is struggling with grief after losing her best friend to ovarian cancer. Lenny is so grief-stricken that she cannot return to the apartment she once shared with her friend, so she rides the Staton Island Ferry throughout the night. Even though is not really taking proper care of herself, she takes a temporary babysitting job for a single mother, Reese and her young daughter, Ainsley. Although Lenny seems to get along great with Ainsley, she is under the microscope of her noisy uncle, Miles, who lives upstairs. Miles continues to doubt Lenny’s abilities and he follows her to the Staton Island ferry one night only to discover her predicament. Miles makes her an offer to be her grief coach in exchange for her to teach him how to connect with his niece, Ainsley. An unlikely friendship forms and Lenny slowly comes back to life. The author did a lovely job navigating grief, friendship, sadness, complicated feelings and love. I could not put this book down and absolutely adored the love story that came out of it. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to an early digital copy of this book. Don’t hesitate to get it on release day 3/4/25!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Cara Bastone for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I have been anticipating this book so much and so glad I finally got around to reading it! This book is about loss, healing and about learning how to keep going. Lenny and Miles started off as hating each other from the moment they met but as the story progresses, they become friends then lovers. It was emotional and intense ride yet still had all those scenes that makes me smile and kick my feet around as I was reading HAHA If you love an emotional yet slow burn read, this is for you!


Tropes:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Slow Burn
- Cinnamon Roll MMC
- Friends to Lovers

Cara Bastone is back with another stunner of a book, Promise Me Sunshine. It's an eloquent look at rebuilding your life after a loss and how love can help you become a better version of yourself. I dare you not to fall in love with Lenny and Miles' story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

what an absolutely incredible story. promise me sunshine is a stunning friends to lovers romance that showcases grief and depression in their rawest forms with such an authentic lens. i was so moved reading this story. lenny and lou’s friendship was such a precious thing and the agony that lenny felt at her loss was palpable. her inability to live the same way and feeling that nobody understood her was so real and relatable. miles is one of the best male characters i’ve read to date; he too has experienced so much grief and he just wanted to embrace his sister, his niece, and —ultimately— his lenny. lenny and miles are the epitome of beauty comes from the ashes. they found peace and comfort and true friendship in each other, forming the most beautiful of love stories.

I was super excited for this book after absolutely loving Ready or Not! While I loved how the story talked about grief and healing, I didn’t love the characters as much! Lenny was just a bit toooo quirky, I’ve never seen anyone wear a big bird sweatshirt. I did enjoy the read but just didn’t love it as much as ready or not!

This story follows Lenny, a young woman who is coping with the devastating loss of her favorite person: her very best friend, Lou. She’s barely hanging on and taking it one excruciating moment at a time. Enter Miles, a surly but kind of sweet grumpy carebear of a man who sees her far too easily and clearly for her liking. Lenny has this list given to her by Lou, a list of things she needs to do in order to find a way to live again. Miles agrees to help her with her list in exchange for her assistance in connecting with the only family he has left. 
 
Bastone creates an incredibly relatable main character in Lenny. Her inner monologue is hilariously endearing while her grief is so raw that you can feel it like a physical thing coming off the page. I adore Bastone’s writing. The concept of really being there and present for someone while they grieve while knowing that nothing but time can heal this kind of loss is perfectly captured. This level of care, honesty and understanding of human behavior in the face of unimaginable grief is not something I have seen depicted so well on the page in recent memory. 
 
All that said, this is not a story about loss. It’s a story about what happens afterwards. It’s a love letter about the hope and joy we can feel when we find ourselves living again beyond that heartbreak. Truly tremendous, I will read anything this woman writes with no question or complaint as a direct result of this book. Frankly, I would enthusiastically consume her to-do list or her post it doodles. Even the dedication had me tearing up before even starting the book. This is a book that will make you feel all the things, so prepare yourself and get reading!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing this book for review via Netgalley. I feel honored to have been trusted to review such a special story. All opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️- This was such a fun book to read. I loved the story & the way the characters navigated their grief was so beautiful. I couldn’t imagine losing my best friend. I didn’t know how to feel about Lenny the entire book honestly. I feel like she switched from grieving to loving so quickly. I did find that there seemed to be no major over arching event that happened and towards the end I was waiting for something. It just kind of ended. I wish we got more of Lenny being a nanny & more of the brother/sister relationship between Miles & Reece. I thought this was a good & quick read. Get this title out 3/4.

*Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book*

It’s not often that a book simultaneously brings you to tears and make your heart feel so full but this one just that it’s the kind of book that will make you text your best friend at 11 o’clock at night telling her that you love and miss her and can’t imagine the world without her. 🥹

Cara did a phenomenal job showing what it’s like to walk through grief. It’s not always a beautiful process and it definitely is not linear. There is no one way to face grief, and this book shows the importance of being gentle with yourself understanding that time heals all wounds, but you have to do your part too. 💕

I am so grateful to have been able to receive this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I have had the pleasure of being an ARC reader for Cara in the past and have never been disappointed. Thank you so much Cara for sharing your beautiful heart with the world. The people need more people like Miles.☀️

Thank you Cara Bastone and NetGalley, for the e-arc. I am leaving this review voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

Cara Bastone is an auto-buy author for me. Everything she puts out I read SO fast, and just love love love!

This book was a beautiful story about love, loss, grief, and all the emotions that come with it - along with healing. It truly was just so so beautiful, and I loved every single character in it.

Cara Bastone, you’ve changed lives. This is such a poignant reflection of grief and loss, i’m absolutely floored.

I really enjoyed this slow burning, heartfelt romance. Lenny and Miles really stuck with me after reading this story. Both characters are recovering from big losses and come together to help one another. Promise Me Sunshine is about grief, love, second chances, family and friends.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Can we please take a moment to recognize Cara Bastone as the Queen of Book Boyfriends? First Shep; now Miles. Literal perfection. She writes MMCs who understand women. Treasure women. Respect women. Value women. More perfect book boyfriends do not exist.

PROMISE ME SUNSHINE looks at raw and ugly grief. Lenny is debilitated by the loss of her best friend and soulmate. She is incapable of moving forward and has forgotten how to live. She exists day-to-day and has cut herself off from everything and everyone.

Enter Miles. Their first meeting does not go well. He is abrasive and off putting. The more they interact, the more apparent it becomes that he sees Lenny and understands her pain. They strike a deal to help each other and Miles quickly becomes her life preserver.

What I loved most about this book is that it does not portray a quick fix. Miles is not the antidote to Lenny’s profound grief. He is simply a facilitator in her journey, there to gently support her while she finds her way.

I loved this book. It is a tender and beautiful love story between Lenny and Miles. It’s an even more beautiful love story between Lenny’s past and her future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Cara Bastone for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC!
I didn't know what to expect going into this one. I'm truly blown away by Cara's writing. It feels so poetic.
The representation of grief, the friendships, the slow burn. It was all perfect. No notes.
I loved our FMC, Lenny. She was absolutely hilarious but also the way she interacts with kids is amazing. I took notes Lenny!
I need a love story for Reese. I enjoyed her and need to know more about her.

An emotional story full of grief, love, and understanding. Absolutely loved the journey Lenny went on with her grief and that Miles was not only able to understand her but also help her and be such a dependable person for her. Lenny was also infused with Cara Bastone's trademark humor. While
I really loved the relationship in this I do wish I had felt it a little earlier. I understand why it was important to establish a platonic relationship between them first however, I wish I felt their attraction to each other earlier in the book. All in all though Promise Me Sunshine is a great romance with so much depth and excellent character development.

This was lovely. It was pretty heavy on grief, so please read content warnings before going in if you’re sensitive to topics like loss of a loved one, depression, terminal illness (cancer), etc.

Miles and Lenny are such a powerful duo and easily one of the greatest book couples! I wish everyone could have a Miles because his commitment and dedication to his friends and family was so heartfelt. Yes, it was predicable with the friends to lovers trope, but the true story was about grief after loss. Lenny was at rock bottom and struggling to face each day after losing her best friend to Cancer. Then, Miles swooped in and became her life line, allowing to reader to see that sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference and it’s ok to need help.

Overall, an easy 4.5 star rating. The open door romance seemed a little YA, but yet it was fitting with Lenny’s personality. At times, I was worried about the grief dragging out, but it was so well written and organized that it didn’t seem redundant. Also, so many emotions for this one: funny, sad, happy, inspiring and absolutely loved the mention of a Buffalo Bills jersey!!! 🙌🏻

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Book publication date: March 4, 2025*
*Reviewed February 13, 2025*

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone delivers a heartfelt and emotionally resonant story that beautifully explores love, loss and healing. The narrative is deeply moving but its balanced with humor and emotional depth. I loved the realistic portrayal of how resilient humans can be. It definitely made me feel a wide range of emotions from laughter to almost crying. Overall, it was a very heartfelt experience.

"𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬. 𝐀𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞..."

𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝙼𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎: 𝟻 🌟

This book came into my life exactly when I needed it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this absolute masterpiece of a novel early. This novel transcended my expectations of what I expected—a romance novel that dabbled in grief, but this book captured grief in a way I never thought could be done in 33 chapters—fast-paced and heartbreaking. As much as the romance between Lenny and Miles is show-stoppingly perfect and real, the love and heartbreak that exists between Lenny and Lou ripped me to shreds. I'm warning you, only a few pages in, and Mrs. Bastone stabbed me in the chest and kept twisting the knife as the book went on. Losing my grandfather last year was the toughest loss I had experienced, my first one at that, and Lenny's inner monologue and struggles with grief spoke to my soul. The fact that there was a list for Lenny to get through, her list to keep on living, brought all the memories rushing back of my grandpa's motto, "You deserve to live; no matter the state of the world or your mind or your heart, you deserve to live life.". I never had the proper time to process my loss, and this book almost guided me through it and made me feel so heard and seen. I don't feel as shameful breaking down in restaurants when I wish he was sitting across from me, thanks to Lenny and Miles. I truly don't think another book can encapsulate loss and love in the way this one did, or maybe it was just the right book and the right time for me.

Miles is the epitome of healing. I truly wish that I had a Miles to guide me through the mess of grief, but even having him through the pages on my Kindle screen healed me more than I realized. Miles is UP there with some of my favorite MMC's; his grumpy vibes with the gooey exterior are the perfect combo for my ideal MMC to forever fantasize about. Lenny's character is simply perfection, from her humor to her grieving. A special mention to Ainsley for being such a damn hysterically fantastic bonding point in this novel and for being the gateway to Lenny's healing journey to commence. Just remember to keep tissues at bay and read this with an empty schedule that can be filled with moping and hurt and the ultimate revelation that the hole grief leaves may never be filled up the way it was, but it will feel better. I thank you endlessly for this masterpiece, Cara!