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.

MY HEART. This was incredible.
okay okay firstly, I want to thank Cara Bastone for supplying the world with this beautiful story, and a great thank you to Random House Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of it. I feel honored.
Oh Lenny, how I loved watching you grow and go through the stages and find your way. And Miles, for being her number one supporter and healing yourself in the process too.
This book was spectacular and portrayed grief and life so well. I am a person who deals with grief and death terribly, I can never find the proper words to acknowledge it, and can only ever rely on my actions to be there for others experiencing such a loss. I love Miles, and I felt really connected to him throughout the whole story. I have always been the type of person who acknowledges death with an apology and then tries to be there for the person through my actions and making distractions. I have always struggled with saying the right words because in my opinion, no matter what a person says to one who is grieving, nothing helps, at the end of the day, those words don’t mean much to someone suffering such a great loss, and although Im usually fairly good with what to say, when it comes to loss I quite literally freeze up. This book, specifically seeing how Miles spoke to Lenny has helped me see things a little differently. Like Miles, I would use tactics through distractions and try to be there for the person whenever they needed me, if they needed me, but would always stumble when it came to speaking about it. I would listen, but would never know what to respond with, I just suck at it, what can I say. But truly, some of the things Miles said in certain scenes really stuck with me and have buried their way into my brain. I am thankful for that because it gave me a new look of certain aspects and way to be there for a person with words if that’s what they are in need of. I fear I am still the same way and will most likely freeze up still, but I have no doubt in my mind that some of Miles words will linger into my mind at the right time when its needed for the right person.

This was such an emotional read. The depiction of grief and healing was incredibly raw and heartfelt—it felt so real. Of all the romance books I’ve read where grief plays a major role, this one stands out as the most honest and layered portrayal of that journey.

Miles was an incredible MMC. The way he supported Lenny through her healing process, never rushing her and always understanding where she was emotionally, made him one of the most patient and thoughtful love interests I’ve read. This is a very slow-burn romance, and I really appreciated that choice because so much of the story focuses on Lenny coming to terms with her loss. There were also so many layers with Miles and his own family struggles which added even more depth to the story.

Despite the heaviness of the grief Lenny still felt like sunshine. She was goofy, fun and had the best banter with Miles which balanced out the emotional weight of the book. Both characters felt incredibly real and their dynamic was so heartfelt. Experiencing Lenny’s grief alongside her was heartbreaking but it was also deeply moving.

This book was beautiful, emotional and so well done. Miles is the ultimate supportive MMC and now I need to read everything Cara Bastone has written.

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful story about love, loss, and found family; it will likely make you cry, but it will also heal your broken heart.

Lenny is lost in grief and leading a “half life” after the devastating loss of her best friend, Lou. She is avoiding the apartment they once shared, her parents, and the list of things meant to help her live again. Instead she is barely surviving by taking short-term babysitting jobs and riding a 24-hour ferry at night in order to avoid going home.

Everything changes when she lands a job helping single mom Reese and her 7 year old daughter, Ainsley. Miles Honey is Ainsley’s grumpy, judgemental, and (unfortunately) ruggedly handsome uncle. Although they initially clash, Miles recognizes in Lenny the same grief that once nearly consumed him.

Miles offers to help Lenny complete her list if she agrees to help him connect with Ainsley and hopefully overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. It seems like a simple enough arrangement, but it leads them on a journey of self discovery and emotional healing.

Miles allows Lenny to fully experience her grief without judgment and is always there to help her pick up the pieces. He becomes her safe place, the person she can turn to when she feels like her sorrow is threatening to overwhelm her. He celebrates her breakthroughs and consoles her after her setbacks. Lenny sees the real Miles, the person who loves and cares deeply, the man who is desperate to form a lasting relationship with his sister and niece. The man who is still heartbroken over his own loss.

Lenny and Miles become indispensable to one another and along the way they fall softly and irrevocably in love. Lenny never imagined that the loss of her life, Lou, would lead to the love of her life, Miles.

Wow, this was the perfect slowburn friends to lovers story. Not only was the romance amazing, but the exploration of grief was so emotional and genuine, I felt that it was portrayed really well. I loved the characters, their personalities, and their growth as both individuals and as a couple. I just loved this story and the writing so much. It was humorous, romantic, and emotional. This was my first book by Cara Bastone and it is definitely not my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

♾️/⭐️

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.