Mourning the loss of her best friend, Lenny is struggling with life. When a babysitting job becomes available assisting single mom Reese, Lenny jumps at it. Ainsley, the daughter, is fun and brings out Lenny's silly side but Miles, Ainsley's uncle, is quick to dismiss her as not being capable enough for the job. As the two slowly get to know each other, they find that maybe they have more in common than they think.

Wow, I was blown away by this book! There was so much heart and emotion in it. Yes, the main characters embark on a relationship but the underlying theme in the book is grief, showing how just one person can lift you up, providing you let them in. This book just flew by for me. I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait for more by this author!

4⭐

Thank you Netgalley and Cara Bastone for an ARC of this book. Promise me Sunshine will be released on March 4th, 2025!

Blurb: Lenny is wracked with immense grief, trying to move on with the passing of her best friend. Lenny takes on a "temporary" babysitting gig for an adorable little girl, Ainsley, and her uncle, Miles, wants to know how to improve his relationship with Ainsley and Ainsley's mom, Reese, who is also her sister. Miles enlists Lenny for her help, while Miles also helps Lenny process her grief by being her support, and checking things off with her bucket list, something she was meant to do with her departed friend.

WOOOOOF. Give me the slow burn ya'll. I enjoyed Miles and Lenny's story in helping each other and falling in love with each other, but their friendship deserved the spotlight in this book. This book shows us how grappling grief can be, and how difficult it can be to accept help, but it also shows how far you can go with support. You find yourself falling in love with each character (even the side ones) and rooting for all of them. I think it also goes to note that Cara Bastone is such a great author, that you feel that each character was purposeful and had a place in her book (even the jackass that nearly ran over Lenny and the biker).

I just want to hug Lenny and Miles for their grief, but I am happy they have each other.

This book was so lovely! Lenny is funny and so much stronger than she realizes and Miles is perfect for her. I devoured this story and the ending was perfection!

Lenny is struggling after the tragic loss of her best friend Lou and can’t seem to get herself out of the dark places grief can drag you into. When she gets a nannying gig for a sweet seven year old Ainsley, she’s introduced to Miles, the uncle. Lenny and Miles don’t get along right away, but their relationship soon becomes one of helping each other. Miles will help Lenny through her grief and to live again, while Lenny will help Miles connect with his niece and sister. This book was heavyyyy with grief and depression. Cara didn’t shy away from showing the raw truths of losing someone you love. This was a very very slow burn romance between Lenny and Miles and I absolutely loved the pace for them. They became friends first and their whole development was stunning, honestly. This book was heartbreaking, raw, relatable, and one of the most gentle and comforting romance stories I’ve read. It made me want to hug my best friend (she’s not a hugger 😂), and reminded me that although grief is painful, it’s a reflection of all the love you have for the person you lost and that’s a precious thing. This is my first 5 🌟 read of the year!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press, and Cara Bastone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My first five star read of 2025!! Wow! This book.

Bastone’s writing style is refreshingly unique. It's warm, witty, and has this delightful endearing quality that makes you feel like you’re in on an inside joke with your best friends. I could almost hear the laughter of the two main characters as I read.

Miles and Lenny are so wonderfully quirky and real that I couldn’t help but adore them. Their romance is one of the most genuine and tender I’ve read in a long time. Their love is soft and feels like a warm hug after a long day. Miles is so gentle and patient with Lenny. Honestly, it brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. Their connection is raw, authentic, and full of depth. They accept each other’s flaws as much as they cherish each other's strengths. At the end of the day, they are both rooting for each other to be the best versions of themselves for themselves.

At the heart of this story is grief. Both Miles and Lenny have felt the overpowering grief of losing a loved one, and watching them help each other through it felt so real and relatable. This book is not just a love story—it’s a story about finding light in the darkest of times… or finding sunshine :)

I can’t recommend this book enough! Miles and Lenny will steal your heart, and probably convince you to hug someone you love just a little tighter. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. I need an immediate reread to highlight my favorite lines, return to my besties Miles and Lenny, and maybe cry some more.

Thank you to @netgalley and @thedialpress for my advanced copy — RELEASES MARCH 3!!! Preorder now!

One sentence synopsis: Lenny meets Miles in the midst of her grief journey after losing her best friend.

Oh my gosh. This book. This book has my whole heart. I absolutely devoured this and loved every single second. Our main character, Lenny, is going THROUGH IT. As she’s navigating the grief of losing her friend, she’s trying to find her way back to normalcy. She forges an unexpected connection with the uncle of the little girl she starts nannying. Miles and Lenny are IT.

Bastone masterfully blends humor, vulnerability and charm into a story of hope, healing and unexpected connections. The characters are beautifully fleshed out and so very relatable in their individual journeys. While some may find the romance between Miles and Lenny too slow of a burn, I think I was so caught up in the grief journey and the romance took a backseat to that; therefore, it didn’t really bother me.

This story is TRULY about finding light in the darkest of times and you’ll love this if you enjoy an emotional and uplifting story.

Read this if you:
💔 have ever lost someone close to you and felt like you couldn’t go on
💔 enjoy a slow burn romance that takes a backseat to a much bigger story and themes
💔 love checking things off a list ✔️

I really enjoyed this book. I was afraid it was going to be so very sad, and there were sad parts, but overall it was so warm and empowering. I thought the characters of Lenny and Miles were really well developed. I loved Lenny's fun, unencumbered ways as well as her vulnerability to show her deep sadness. Miles' stoicism which was built as a response to everyone's changed views of him after loosing his family members and once those walls came down how warm and caring he really was. I have to admit, I am sad that the book is done. I will miss these characters. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

Thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an arc in exchange for an honest review This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not let me down
This was very easy to follow and such a nice romance. It talks about grief but in a way that reminds you to live life to the fullest and made me feel so happy inside
I also loved the main characters and how they interacted and the way this story was written was so fast paced!

Yes I loved this!!! I felt like the grieving process felt so realistic and the pacing built the tension up so so high. I loved the side characters, the little NYC world they lived in, and the whole storyline. This was the slowest burn ive read and I ate it right up!

There is so much depth to this book, I don’t even know where to start, other than I was hooked! Yes, the story shares Lenny’s heartbreak, and, yes, certain points in the book are sad, but overall this story is a beautiful journey about honoring the ones you love, finding a way through the storm, being strong enough to accept help, rediscovering yourself, and opening yourself up again to others.

Lenny is so damn relatable! From the flashback passages you can see from the beginning that she is wild, eccentric, kind, caring, and fiercely loyal to a soul mate and lifelong friend she is doing life with. The story opens a few months after the death of her best friend Lou due to cancer to find Lenny a shell of the vibrant woman she once was doing everything she can to just get through each day without falling apart.

*Enter Miles*

Miles is simply a beautiful human being I want to wrap in a hug and protect at all costs. He is someone who would walk into hell without a second thought for the people he loves to bring them back out. After experiencing his own devastating losses over the years, he moves to NYC to help his sister raise his niece, only he doesn’t know how to help without getting in the way.

Miles and Lenny strike a deal: Lenny helps Miles learn to take care of his seven year old niece in exchange for helping guide Lenny through her grief. This accord opens both of them up to being vulnerable again through compelling character developments that lead to acceptance, family, and love.

Every character is unique and flawed in different and dynamic ways that will really resonate with people.

Bonus: I loved that Reese was a Lululemon power mom and business woman in NYC who fiercely loved her daughter who wore 90s band shirts, considered “dress up” to be a top hat and waist coat, and wished her name was Blackbeard and never tried to change or hide her for being different.

Honestly, there is so much to love about this book, you should just read it and see for yourself.
—
❤️Slow burn romance
💔Cancer
❤️‍🩹Death of a loved one
❤️Bucket list
💔Grieving
❤️‍🩹Depression
❤️Single POV
📍NYC
—
Thank you Random House Publishing | Dial Press Trade & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 3/4/2025

How do you find yourself after you lose the one you loved the most?

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 by the author of Ready or Not.

Lenny is a complete mess after losing her best friend Lou. She can't sleep, eat or even go back to her own apartment which they shared. She's been making ends meet by being a nanny. She happens into a job for Reese, watching her little girl Ainsley while she travels for her job. We then meet Miles, Ainsley's uncle. As we get to know Miles, we learn that he is dealing with a lot also, which is misinterpreted as grumpy. Miles agrees to help Lenny with her "learn to live again" list. But he just may end up helping himself as much as he helps her. This is a super slow burn type of romance. At times I felt it was a little too long. But I loved them as characters and was rooting for them all along. Ainsley is such a cute character too, she was so spunky and helped draw Miles out too. Overall, a really cute romance with some pretty heavy themes of grief. I have come to really love this author's voice and will continue to read whatever she writes next.

Thank you to @netgally and @randomhousepublishing for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Publishes March 4, 2025.

Wow. This book. I love love loved these characters and this story so much! I laughed, I cried (quite a bit-I mean if you have a best friend how could you not??). Lenny meets miles while she is suffering through the grief of losing her best friend. He helps her through her grief and she helps him build a relationship with his niece-who she is nannying.
I wanted to annotate this book so badly-there is just so much good stuff and so many quotes that I wanted to remember and look at/think about again. Thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me read this-I will definitely be buying a copy when it is released! READ THIS BOOK (and Ready or Not- loved it too-just not as much as this one)!!

Lenny has lost her best friend Lou to cancer and is paralyzed by grief. Every day, she struggles to get through by pretending to be happy and avoiding her parents and the apartment she shared with Lou. Inside, she is a complete mess.

When Lenny is hired as a nanny for bright, funny, and precocious Ainsley, she meets Miles, Ainsley’s brooding uncle, who always seems to be hovering nearby. At first glance, Lenny dismisses Miles as a gruff grump who gets in her way.

However, as Lenny and Miles get to know one another, they develop a friendship. The two agree to help each other because Miles understands grief and Lenny understands Ainsely. Miles promises Lenny that he will be her grief buddy and assist her in completing the list Lou gave her to help her return to the land of the living. In exchange, Miles asks Lenny to help him grow closer to Ainsley.

Initially, I didn’t feel much connection or spark between Miles and Lenny, but as the story progressed, I realized that Miles is the friend everyone wishes to have in their life… the one we can always count on, no matter what. And Miles was Lenny's lifeline as she slowly made her way back to life.

As I reached the final chapters of this book, I laughed and cried. Lenny worked tirelessly to overcome her grief, work through the list, and find a way to live without Lou. I cried when she and Miles finally confessed their feelings, and I laughed when he met her family.

This is my second novel by Cara Bastone, and she has earned a place on my list of favorite romance authors. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book but I absolutely loved it. It’s nice to see how Miles is there for Lenny after her best friend passes away. Along the way Miles and Lenny grow close and fall in love and I really adore their dynamic. I especially loved how Miles was very patient and supportive through Lenny’s grief process even while he was going through his own. Lenny and Miles are so cute and although it took them a while to admit and realize they were in love, I think the timing was perfect because they were able to heal along the way. Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book! I really appreciate it.

This might already be my favorite book of the year, and it hasn’t even officially released yet.

WOW. An absolutely heartbreaking, beautiful, funny, incredible incredible INCREDIBLE read. I can’t think of a character I’ve ever rooted for more than Lenny - she deserves all the lemon muffins and 5Night concerts and oversized hoodies in the world.

I’m acutely, painfully, deeply smitten for Miles. Protect this man and his heart at absolutely all costs.

A round of applause for (literally) every other character - Reese, Ainsley, Jericho, Jeffy, Rica, and of course Lou make this already special story a supernova.

I will not get over this book any time soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC!

i kid you not this is the best thing i’ve read in a longggggggg time like all round best writing, plotting, storytelling and characters. cara bastone, you’ve done it. you’ve officially gained a forever reader in me. i would defend you in (if it ever God forbid came down to it) race war. this story? oh it’s very important to me. i had a cry count of just over 20 with this one. i love lenny and miles with my whole heart and arms and toes. i will say more in a review when i can but for now i will say this story is the most impactful story about grief and love and life, i’ve ever consumed. i can see myself rereading this book forever and ever. this is without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year and i know for a fact it wont change.

I loved the author's previous book, <i>Ready or Not</i>, and couldn't wait to read this one. Her writing captures real life in a way that feels genuine and hopeful, even though the topics can sometimes be quite heavy or offbeat. The author struck the perfect balance with this story and presented grief in such a beautiful and heartwarming way. It sounds incredibly depressing at first glance. but it's written in a way that doesn't make me feel mournful. Yes, I'm extremely saddened by these moments, but I'm also hopeful. It's hard to explain, but despite having dealt with grief in my own way, I never felt like this book was too sad for me. It was jarring to start the book at a quick pace, but after that initial shock, I fell right into the story and couldn't put it down. This one is going to stick with me for a while.

Lenny, still reeling from losing her closest person in the world, meets Miles at one of her babysitting jobs. They don't hit it off at first, but Miles, having been through his own grief journey, offers to help Lenny navigate hers. Their friendship develops in such a wholesome way and I loved their connection. Miles is seriously one of the best book boyfriends I've read in a long time and I didn't expect so many of the thoughtful things he did.

Read this. I absolutely loved it.

This book felt like a warm hug on a cold winter day and I truly loved it! A funny and heartwarming friends to lovers romance about the grief process. Thanks to NetGalley for the complimentary early copy.

Thanks @netgalley @thedialpress and @carabastone for the chance to read Cara's latest, Promise Me Sunshine. It releases on March 4, 2025.

This book felt cathartic in the best way. Cara is one of the best, most voicey romance writers, and she has an uncanny ability to make you fall head over heels for her perfectly imperfect characters. This beautiful story left me aching with the big emotions it elicited.

Nanny Lenny has been barely living ever since she lost her best friend/LOHR Lou. She's avoiding her parents and the old apartment she shared with Lou. The only babysitting jobs she can handle are short-term. It feels too heavy to commit to anything when she can barely commit to getting through the day. Everything changes when she meets Miles, the grumpy uncle of her latest charge. He offers her a bargain--she helps him break the ice between him and his niece and he helps her figure out how to live with her overwhelming grief--something he's all too familiar with. Despite every setback and hard day, Miles keeps showing up for her; he might just be the new beginning she needs.

Steam: 🔥🔥
Tropes: grief, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, babysitter

Where do I even start. This book broke me in the best way, it was so beautiful. I truly believe Cara Bastone has written one of her best books yet and I'm honored to have had the chance to read it before its release. I will forever be a Cara stan after this book. It was so heartfelt and gut wrenching. The discussion of grief and surviving through that experience while coming together with not only someone but yourself was brilliant work. Lenny had me hooked from the start, I want to reach in and just give her so much love. Miles was our introverted bestie through the book and his character had such a pivotal part in Lennys grow. I can not rave more on this book and am excited for the world to experience it come March.