Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this INCREDIBLE book early!

I literally don’t think I have enough words to describe how much I utterly loved this book. It’s a deep exploration of grief, and it’s SO well done. Lenny is still hurting from the recent death of her best friend Lou when she accepts a job babysitting young Ainsley. However, Ainsley’s uncle Miles also insists on being there. Though he seems rather foreboding at first, he offers to help Lenny through her grief, having experienced a similar tragedy a few years ago. Readers quickly come to realize that Miles Honey is THE BEST MMC in a romance book EVER.

He’s caring, gentle, understanding, and has a killer way with words. Lenny, on the other hand, is a bit erratic and unpredictable; for example, she crafts love stories for every man she lays eyes on, but it’s hilarious.

This was the first book I read on my new Kindle and let me be the first to tell you that I highlighted soooo many passages! It’s just that good. It’s a slow burn, companions to lovers romance with no third-act break-up (thank God!). And that chapter towards the end where the flirting finally pays off… omg. I reread it. Twice.

Make sure this one is on your radar. It’s everything you could ever want in a romance - and then some. And, mark my words, I WILL be buying myself a physical copy as a shelf trophy when it published on 3/4!

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is an emotionally rich and heartwarming novel about grief, healing, and unexpected connections. The story follows Lenny, who is struggling to navigate life after the loss of her best friend to cancer. In an attempt to keep herself together, she takes on a temporary babysitting job for Reese, a single mom, and her daughter, Ainsley. But it’s Reese’s brother, Miles, a man as grumpy as he is compassionate, who starts to challenge Lenny’s assumptions about healing and moving on.

The dynamic between Lenny and Miles is one of the book’s strongest points—while they both initially seem worlds apart, their shared understanding of loss creates a deeply genuine connection. Bastone does an excellent job exploring the nuances of grief and the slow, sometimes messy process of rebuilding after tragedy. Lenny’s journey, helped by Miles’ quiet support, is full of tender moments and small victories that make for an uplifting read.

With its blend of humor, emotional depth, and relatable characters, Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful exploration of second chances and the quiet power of human connection. It’s a heartfelt and hopeful story for anyone who has ever felt lost in their grief, reminding readers that sometimes, the end of one chapter can lead to the beginning of something even better.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Dial Press for giving me an early copy of this book!
This is my second time reading one of Cara Bastone’s books and I’m honestly in love! Cara Bastone’s wit draws readers in an instant but it’s her heartfelt writing that grabs a hold and never lets go.
This books was such a great story about grief and learning to love again after loss. Grief is such a hard topic to write about and this was done so well, almost with ease that made me both laugh and tear up constantly.
There is a great slow burn romance in here that supports the story of the FMC and her journey to living after the loss of a loved one, and finding people to lean on and be there with you when you need it most.
I loved so many of the side characters (so many shined) and the comedy in here was always a delight.
I definitely recommend you pick up this book in March if you love stories about friendship, love, and living your life the best you can!
4.75⭐️

Oh, the feelings I felt throughout this book.

Lenny lost her best friend to cancer 6 months ago, and she’s hanging on by a thread. Shes barely eating, barely sleeping, and her hygiene is the worse it’s ever been. She won’t stay in her apartment because it’s where she lived with Lou, so she sleeps on a train.

She agrees to take on full time childcare because Miles (MMC) saw the state she was in and decides to help.

Both Lenny and Miles were amazing charecters. Both lovable, quirky and relatable. Miles is awkward but it’s so SWEET.

The relationship starts as friends until they both realize it’s becoming more than that.

I loved this book and I’m sad it’s over! They are so cute!

Read if you love:
Friendship
Grief
Slow burn
Healing and loss
Friends to lovers

for a longer review including my longwinded thoughts on my own battle with grief, please visit my review at https://overentertained.wordpress.com... )

I'm new to this author, but the premise really hooked me from the blurb. Two people in New York - both in need of help. Miles in need of connecting with his sister and neice. Lenny in need of...everything...trying to survive after her best and lifelong friend has passed away from cancer. Lenny is introduced to us as an utterly broken person by Lou's death...barely capable of functioning and holding on to a list of things to do to "live again" that Lou has given to her before she died. Together, they work to bring Lenny back from the brink. As she describes him later in the book:

"Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out."

At another point, Miles talks to her about wolves howling:

"So when you hear a wolf call, and then in the distance, you hear another wolf call back, do you know what that can be roughly translated as?"
"What's that?" "The first one saying, I'm here! I'm here! and the other one says, Me too! Me too!"

And that, my friends, is what you need when you are grieving. You desperately need someone to say "Me too! Me too!"

For me...it was Anderson Cooper's podcast on grief, "All There Is" - I highly encourage everyone to check it out (I wrote about it in my 2024 write-up). But for Lenny...it is Miles...and all that Miles does to just be there for another person. The world needs more people like him. And yes...this is a romance and some might call it a "slow burn," though I think anyone who reads this will understand that nothing can happen until Lenny gets to the place she needs to be - and certainly Miles knows that - so when "it happens" it feels both natural, expected, and "right."

There's so much else in this book I loved. The relationship between Miles and his sister, Reese, seemed so real and believable. Ainsley was adorable in all the ways little kids can be. Lenny and Miles's "found family" are amazing. The sense of place in New York City was excellent - it really felt true. The humor is good and the prose... My goodness. This is some fantastic prose, folks. Top notch.

By the end, I was in tears. Tears of joy and sadness, hope, and beauty. This is what I look for in books. Not romance books...literature itself. This is a fantastic book about grief and how we go on with our lives. About friendship and love and all the things that make life wonderful. And how difficult it is to do so when it feels like our heart has been ripped out.

I wish I could talk to my dad about this book. But in a way...just writing this down...maybe I have.

Five stars. Unreserved. Five stars plus. Highly recommended.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this wonderful novel. All opinions are my own and uncompensated. Promise Me Sunshine is out March 4th and can be preordered here.

Now call someone you love. It is never too late.

Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for this e-arc.

How can I put into words just how much this book made me feel and feel seen? Impossible, and yet here is my attempt. Lenny recently lost her best friend Lou to cancer and is slogging through her new life without her. Cue seemingly brooding grump, Miles, who holds her hand through it all.

Seriously this book was a balm to my grieving soul. There’s already something about a MMC who takes care of his partner and then there’s Miles. If you fell in love with tender, sweetie pie Shep in Ready or Not, lock in for Promise Me Sunshine. If only every grieving person had their own Miles (whose only goal this entire book was to take care of our girl Lenny). What made a huge difference for me was that Miles had experienced loss in other capacities as well - he wasn’t just blindly leading our girl to healing through love or something corny. He charmed my pants off while keeping it so real. At times Lenny tended towards a bit much, but there’s nothing I can’t forgive when it comes to the rawness of death and losing a loved one. That kind of loss changes you in ways imagined and unimaginable - it teaches you to lend grace where before you might look away.

Sometimes authors shoot their shot with grief and miss (and miss HARD), but I felt as though Cara Bastone took her time with crafting something real into fiction. Even if you have not experienced losing a loved one, this book is full of tender, caring love, found family, and a FMC who is willing to be vulnerable and open to healing and growth. Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful story about grief, family, healing, and the cherry on top which is Lenny and Miles’s love story.

Pick this one up March 4th! I will always clutch this book to my chest and feel for Lenny, Lou, and Miles. We all deserve to be seen the way Lenny and Miles see each other throughout this novel 🤍 Another hit for Cara for real.

Oh man. As someone who finds almost any and all messages of grief incredibly emotional, you can imagine how this book wrecked me.

I was a little hesitant bc I felt like I was in the minority after seeing so many people gush over Bastone’s previous book, Ready or Not. But I started hearing great things about this one and I’m so glad I gave her another chance! This story was so hopeful and heartwarming and wholesome; so much so that it’s hard to really put into words. Seeing Lenny and Miles’ relationship blossom was a delight, and I just adored Lenny’s humor and tenacity. I loved her interactions with Ainsley and Reese and Jericho.

Everything was just so charming to read about. I felt like I never stopped crying! You can really feel Lenny’s love for Lou throughout the story, and seeing her work to alter her grief was inspiring. Just loved everything about this one!

Immediately a top read of the year! This book was amazing. Lenny and Miles were perfection. I laughed, I cried. This was truly incredible

Cara Bastone has become an auto-buy author for me. Her MMCs are just the most delicious sweethearts, I can't get enough.

Lenny is grieving her best friend and Miles steps in to 100% be there for her. The navigating through grief felt so raw and overwhelming, what I’d actually expect it to be. And Miles was just the cinnamon roll MMC of my dreams. Bastone is on a roll and I can’t wait for what she comes up with next.

Cara Bastone's writing is just pure sunshine and this one did not disappoint! So adorable and heartwarming, I absolutely loved every single second.

Whoa whoa whoa. I started this book and I didn’t really know what to expect. This was my first time reading this author so I went in with an open mind and open heart. Then I found myself feeling profoundly sad…I had to put the book down a few times…I almost convinced myself that you know what this isn’t for me but I had a moment where I couldn’t stop thinking about Lenny. Honest to god I thought to myself literally where is she and what is she doing right now. So I told myself to be brave and finish this book that has evoked such sadness from you. I am so happy I followed my gut. Lenny and Miles healed something in me. I found myself unable to work because I needed to keep reading and then I found myself crying in bed reading the last few chapters. Everything meant something and everyone was monumental. Amazing book I will be reading everything from Cara.

Cara Bastone did it again! I have listened to all of her audible audiobooks and read Ready or Not last year. I love that the book is character driven and not plot heavy. My heart goes out to people who experience anything similar to what Lenny has gone through. Watching her grief journey has been inspiring.

~ARC provided on NetGalley~

Cara Bastone, goddam. I was quick to jump on the Bastone bandwagon last year with her debut, "Ready or Not," and was tickled when the ARC for "Promise Me Sunshine" came my way. I heard only great things online by some other early readers, so I was super excited to pick this up. I knew this book would be handling the topic of grief and loss ahead of time, but I didn't know it would be about cancer and the death of a best friend. I recently lost an important person in my life to cancer, so I feel like I wasn't able to fully interact with the material in the way it was intended. However, the romance was such a sweet antidote to the heavier themes in the book. I loved the premise of the heroine, Lenny, taking a nannying gig with the complaining, self-inserting, Miles. Their instant dislike to gradual friendship worked on so many levels for me, and I felt like I really bought and believed their love story. In her biography in the back, Cara Bastone says she loves capturing real love stories, and I felt that reading this book. She captures the small moments, intimacy, and emotions of falling in love perfectly. I hope I get a chance to revisit this book in time.

☀️"He treats you well?" "Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out." 😭

☀️There aren't enough stars to properly convey how much I LOVED every single thing about this book. Saying it was a 5 star read doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.

☀️Ever since Lenny's best friend died, it feels like she's stopped living too. Unable to go home and face the apartment they shared, she spends her days and nights wandering around NYC, taking random babysitting jobs here and there. It's on one of those jobs that she meets Miles, her charge's Uncle. He wants to help Lenny learn to live again and work through her grief, a topic he himself is all to familiar with. What follows is the most beautiful story of love and friendship that I think I've ever read.

☀️First of all, the characters in this book were nothing short of perfect. Lenny, despite her extreme grief, is funny, self-deprecating, and delightfully messy. Miles is the perfect book boyfriend, despite (or because of!) his constant frown and grumpiness. He understands everything about Lenny, even the things she herself hasn't figured out, and he takes care of her in countless ways. He never hesitates to drop everything and be there for her no matter what she needs. The side characters were all equally delightful, from the rag-tag group of friends that Lenny makes, to her parents, to Mile's sister and niece. They were all written so well and I would love to have all of them in my life!

☀️Since so much of this book dealt with grief, it was sometimes sad and emotional, but Cara's writing was so beautiful that I didn't mind having my heart ripped right out of my body. And the way she healed those broken parts made all the hurt worth it! I truly could go on and on about this book, and it is one that will stay with me for a very long time. Definitely pre-order this one... you won't want to miss it!

☀️"Well, I can't promise the sunshine. But I can do everything else."🥹

This was a story about grief, but it was also cute and funny. Miles is probably the most perfect book boyfriend to ever exist. Are there really men out there like him? I hope so.

Lenny, even while going through so much grief, reminded me of sunshine. She just seemed like the type of person everyone wants to be friends with. Miles and her were perfect for each other and I think they both needed each other.

I think this book started out as a 5 star for me and then got a little long winded in the end. But overall, I think this is going to be a top bestseller of 2025.

I also enjoyed the fact that Miles encouraged her to explore other friendships too. He didn’t want to be her everything, he wanted a healthy relationship between them.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Contemporary Romance, single POV
5 stars

Amazing. I loved this book so much. Cara Bastone will be a 1-click author for me after this and Ready or Not (also loved). Our heroine, Lenny, has just lost her best friend, Lou, to cancer. Not just her best friend, her soul mate. She and Lenny were roommates and Lenny cared for her during her treatment until she died. We don’t see a whole lot of that on page, just a few flash backs. What we do see is Lenny in the deep dark of her grief. She’s not doing well, avoiding her family, not sleeping, not even going to her apartment because its too painful. What she is able to do is take short term nanny jobs. Lenny can pull herself together to hang out with kids for the day and then go back to riding the Staten Island Ferry all night instead of sleeping.

Day 1 of a new job she meets Miles. Miles is the uncle of her new client and boy is he a judgy prick. After a bad first impression, Miles quickly figures out Lenny is really awesome with kids and is a complete mess. Miles has also gone through losing people very close to him, his mom and cousin, and offers to help Lenny through her grief, and asks that Lenny help him build a relationship with his niece. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Miles is shy, gruff and Lenny is the opposite. She’s friendly and impulsive. As a reader you can see that Miles is won over by Lenny pretty quickly but is so kind and respectful and prioritizes her feelings and where she’s at before anything else. He’s able to meet her where she’s at any day. They work their way through a list of activities Lou gave to Lenny to do after she died. Their relationship changes from friends to lovers slowly and it’s so cute - even with the huge amount of grief Lenny is carrying.

This sounds super sad, but it really wasn’t. I love a good cry, but I spent more time smiling over this book that’s I did being sad.

CW: death of a friend, death of a parent, complex parent situation (for Miles & his sister), kid on page but she’s 7 and a delight

Cara Bastone does it again! Somehow she manages to make her characters so relatable and lovable. Lenny is quirky in all the best ways, and Miles is a big, awkward teddy bear. While this is a love story, it is also about grief and learning to live again after the unimaginable happens. I didn't want to put it down and just want to read more by this delightful author.

Cara Bastone's Promise Me Sunshine is the most heartwarming depiction of friendship and love I've ever read. It's a subtle friends to lovers story and it was breathtakingly sweet. It's been a while since I've simultaneously sobbed and smiled as I read a book, but I did just that with Promise Me Sunshine.

Lenny and Miles. Oh, Lenny and Miles. I fell in love with Lenny just as much as I did with Miles. Lenny is a disaster when she first meets Miles. She hasn't been home since her best friend, Lou, died. She's living out of her backpack and sleeping on the ferry between Manhattan and Long Island. She's surviving, but not living. And that's when Miles shows up. Lenny is nannying for Reese, Miles' half-sister, and he stops by on Lenny's first day.

Miles knows a thing or two about navigating grief and he offers her a deal--he will help her live again if she helps him form a relationship with Reese and his niece, Ainsley. Lenny agrees, but she's reluctant in the beginning. I loved the banter and the humor between Lenny and Miles. I cackled numerous times at their interactions, especially as Lenny got Miles to open up more.

Somewhere along the way of coping with the loss of Lou and developing a friendship with Miles, Lenny falls in love with Miles. Oh, Cara, you wove a beautiful story that showcases the reality of dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. I wanted to savor this book, but there was an invisible, irresistible pull by Lenny and Miles to keep reading. I felt as if I had gone on this journey with Lenny and Miles and by the end, I was at peace, too.

Everyone should read Promise Me Sunshine at least once in their life. It's a more than a story. It's a reminder that although we will lose someone we love, we should never forget to keep on living in their memory.

Thank you Dial Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

The author hooks you in chapter one by making you privy to the FMCs inner dialog, and it is hilarious, believable, and incredibly relatable.

The writing of this book and these characters, while done so carefully and with intention, seems effortless because you can immediately see each character's full personality. You can see perfectly how and why they relate to the situations they are in, and the people they are surrounded by. Nothing is written just for the laugh. Every word serves a purpose, and you are gifted so many laughs anyway. It achieves what many books strive for but miss when they ‘add sarcasm here’ or ‘insert obvious witty comeback there’. How these characters interact with each other shows a lightness and everyday normalcy that can still exist while being mired in heavy and tragic circumstances. By balancing the emotional load of the storyline with the life and vibrancy inherent, but sometimes hidden, in the characters, the author shows us not only how the characters grow in their own ways, but that they do it together.

Lenny is starting a new nannying job that she wants to keep short term. After the death of her life long best friend, she can’t imagine others depending on her, when she can’t depend on herself to fulfill her basic human needs. When meeting her new client, a single mom with a seven year old daughter, Lenny learns they are trying to adjust to their new and sometimes awkward family structure. This includes their brother/uncle Miles, who they didn’t know existed until recently. After seeing how quickly Lenny endears herself to his niece, Miles asks for her help relating to family members that are like strangers to him. While Lenny helps him with this, Miles gives her a human life line when things get too overwhelming. He has experienced and navigated a similar grief, so Lenny grabs on and accepts his help with both hands.

I wanted to read this book because I liked ‘Ready Or Not’. After reading this one, Cara Bastone has become an auto-read author for me. I loved it.

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
📖- Promise Me Sunshine
✍🏼- Cara Bastone
📅- March 4, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

Read if you like
☀️Grumpy sunshine trope
☀️Slow burns 🔥
☀️ Emotional reads

𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔

Lenny lost her best friend to cancer. She’s feeling lost without her soulmate. When you lose someone whether you see it coming or not nothing prepares you for how empty you feel. Grieving for the loss of her friend she finds herself unable to go back to the apartment they shared. She takes a job as a nanny where she meets her bosses brother, Miles. Miles himself has dealt with grief, he’s determined to get Lenny’s spark back by helping her navigate through the pain and grief.

𝑴𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 💭

This story was beautifully written. Grief is something we all deal with differently and sadly it is something we are never prepared for. I loved how Lenny’s character developed in such a beautiful messy (grieving) way. Miles and Lenny are perfect for each other, she’s funny and he’s grumpy. I feel like I was there feeling every emotion Lenny felt and sometimes I just wanted to reach in the book and hug her tight. May I say how perfect Miles was, very understanding and patient with Lenny 🥹. This is my second book I’ve read by Cara Bastone and it honestly did not disappoint. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR if you haven’t already done so.