Grief is something really hard to depict. It has many faces, it's complex and it changes from person to person. Cara did an amazing job at portraying that! This was a heartfelt book. And a VERY slow, slow burn.
I enjoyed a lot of parts of this book but I did struggle with others.
Lenny, the FMC, did get on my nerves at times. Miles, the MMC, had a bit of a hero complex to him. I did struggle with getting into their relationship, I feel like they could've stayed really good friends and that would've been prefect.
Overall, I did enjoy the plot of the story and how Cara tackled grief/death and the journey Lenny went through.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I haven’t read anything by Cara Bastone before but I was intrigued by this book when I saw it on NetGalley. I started it and finished it in nearly a day as it was so well written and the romance was amazing. I really loved how Cara portrayed the FMCs grief as realistic but it did not overtake the entire plot of the book. I also loved Ainsley as a character even though I am not one that usually likes kids in books or the single mom type drama. Overall, everything about this book was done so well, and was really reminiscent to me of Abby Jimenez books (one of my favorite authors!). I’d recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat who is looking for a real portrayal of romance to settle in and escape to.

I absolutely loved Ready or Not and I somehow adored Promise Me Sunshine even more! This book altered my brain chemistry.

Lenny's life is in shambles after her best friend died of cancer. She's sleeping on the Staten Island ferry because she can't go back to the apartment they shared together. But then she meets Miles, who is the uncle of the little girl she's nannying for. Miles has walked through his own grief journey and offers her a proposition: He'll help cross off items on her "live again" list if she helps him connect with his niece (and his sister).

This story felt utterly unique in every way. It wasn't completely built upon tropes, which is the case for many romance books.

And Lenny and Miles? Some of my favorite characters ever. They were fully realized and their dialogue was incredibly natural.

While this book deals with heavy topics, it was also hilarious! Cara Bastone is the queen of banter and funny quips, and I found myself laughing out loud many times.

This book touched my heart in so many ways. I loved seeing Miles go into hell with Lenny and drag her back out, as she tells her mom. I loved Lenny giving Miles the gift of connection with his remaining family in return. These two characters truly have a soulmate connection.

Cara Bastone's depiction of grief was so raw and relatable, too. At one point, she talks about the first time you really need someone who's gone to be there for you...and I immediately started crying. I felt for Lenny on every page.

Cara is officially an auto-buy author for me and I cannot wait for whatever is next from her!! Thanks so much to Cara, Dial Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

Lenny's best friend and roommate has died way too soon of cancer. Ever since then, Lenny has been nearly incapacitated by her grief. She ekes out an existence by stringing together short-term babysitting gigs, not feeling able to commit to anything long-term.

When she accepts a gig from single mother Reese and babysits her adorable daughter Ainsley, Lenny feels purpose and a slight twinge of happiness for the first time-even though she bothered by the Ainsley's ever-present grumpy uncle Miles, who doesn't seem to trust Lenny or her babysitting prowess.

When Lenny decides to take a chance and commit to a longer job babysitting Ainsley, she makes the most unlikeliest of agreements with Miles, who she reluctantly confides in about her devastating loss. Miles makes an unlikely proposition: he will shepherd Lenny through her grief journey as he too, has some experience in that area. He will be a "grief" guide, helping her to eat, sleep, and learn to take care of herself again in the midst of her crushing sadness.

Maybe, just maybe, a whole new life and love waits for Lenny on the other side. of the journey.

Promise Me Sunshine is a moving exploration of the process of grief and trying to find meaning and purpose in life again after unconscionable loss. Bastone captures the essence of grief and the different ways that people travel through this experience. Miles and Lenny are memorable characters. This novel will tug at your emotions and definitely bring tears to your eyes.

Definitely check out this moving loss-and love-story.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy!! Although it was a great story, the grief aspect hit me a little hard as I've been going through that this past year. But still a delightful read and I will check out this author again!

I loved this and thought it was a beautifully written story about the journey of grief and losing your loved ones.

Watching Lenny try to piece herself back together after losing her best friend, and find out how to survive without the other half of her soul was heartbreaking. Miles working through his own grief and difficult situation wanting to be part of another side of his family and then meeting Lenny and seeing past the mask she puts on, realising how difficult she is finding it to make it through the day, and wanting to help her - by sharing what he's learnt and just being there for the her and helping work through her 'back to life list'.

This aching beautiful slow burn made me break down crying so many times, making both Promise Me Sunshine and Ready or Not, two of my favourite reads this year.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After losing her best friend to cancer, Lenny’s life has become a bit of a mess. She’s avoiding her family, her apartment, and her old life. Enter Miles - a grumpy jerk she meets through her new job as a nanny. Although they have a rough first encounter, Miles may be just what she needs to help her find herself again.

This was such a beautiful story about friendship, grief, and love. I loved that Miles and Lenny’s relationship was grounded in friendship, and that the book focused on her healing journey. It was a refreshing take on a romance (with some signature Cara Bastone humor thrown in) and it definitely tugged on my heartstrings!

Overall a wonderful read and would definitely recommend!

This review has also been published on Goodreads.

Wow I loved this! The love story and characters were amazing and I couldn't stop reading it. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Cara Bastone!

This is the second book I've read from this author, and she covers hard topics so well. This is a slow burn romance, but what i love is that the friendships in this book and the healing are the main focus. It's not just another smutty romance, although there is a bit of spice.
The fmc is dealing with a heartbreaking loss, which if you have ever lost someone who made you feel empty inside, you understand the trauma she faced and the long, hard road to healing. It was exceptionally well done. This is a great book for someone with a broken heart or recovering from a loss.

I went into this book having no idea what it was about, I definitely was interested because of the cover alone. And omg I fell in love! I loved the slow burn and I absolutely loved the MMC 🥹🩷 such a warm read and I 100% recommend this. 4.5 for me!!!

Giving this one 4.5 stars, rounded up. Loved the relationship between Lenny and Miles. Their banter was so refreshing and it didn’t feel like this book fell into the same plot pattern as other contemporary romances, which I loved.

This is one of those books that tugged at the heart strings. Grief can be difficult to write about and I think that Cara Bastone did an amazing job of portraying the act of grief and the healing process of finding yourself again. I loved the authors debut novel and was super excited to read this one. She deserves all the love and praise that I know that she's going to get from this touching novel.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is a story of grief, healing and love. The love this book focuses on is not just the romantic kind but also love between friends and more specifically, friends who are soulmates. Lenny has recently lost her best friend Lou after a battle with cancer. Lenny is broken but surviving, doing exactly as much as she can to get by and she takes a temporary babysitting gig for Reese and her daughter Ainsley and through this meets Miles, Ainsley’s uncle who is always around. Miles having experienced the tragic loss of his mother and cousin years earlier offers to help Lenny with her “live again” list if she in turn helps him connect with Ainsley and build a relationship with his sister Reese.

Lenny is quirky and unpredictable and Miles is grumpy and awkward and they are both relatable as characters, neither of them perfect but they were perfectly human, having been shaped by their experiences. The grief you experience through Lenny and Miles is raw and honest and you see their experiences with grief that is both recent and also grief that has existed for years.

TW: grief, cancer, parental abandonment

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Big fan - loved how Cara portrayed the journey of group. Loved the little found family for Lenny and actual family for Miles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was a quick read and I enjoyed a lot of the plot. The only thing that didn't work for me was the FMC's immaturity... it didn't really match with the things she was supposed to do, like take care of a dying friend, take care of a child, etc.

I absolutely loved "Ready or Not" by Cara Bastone, so I was super excited to read her next book.Overall, I really enjoyed this and appreciated a fresh take on a rom-com.

What a beautiful story! Processing grief and continuing to live is a hard subject to cover in fiction and Cara did an amazing job! The story was heartbreaking and uplifting and I was rooting for the main characters the entire time. I cried and I laughed; I will recommend this book to everyone!

Honestly didn’t expect to love this as much as I did

The grief and emotional journey we’re taken on with Lenny feels so real and raw and I think Cara did a great job of not glamorizing such a difficult time like loosing your other half. Throughout the whole book I just wanted to give Lenny the biggest hug!

At first I was kind of annoyed with Miles but boy did his character grow on me I love him, Cara writes her male characters too good

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I loved this book and read it in one day. The writing was witty and had me laughing or smiling most of the book. Lenny was quirky but so relatable when talking about her grief. There were moments I wanted to tear up relating to her loss. Miles was just the best!

I don’t think I’ve ever referred to a book as “lovely” before in a review but here you go. Promise Me Sunshine is lovely. It’s not like the fun audible Cara books but it’s a book I didn’t know I needed. Grief is a tough SOB at times and I think we Lenny’s journey “through it” is relatable.

Miles is possibly the best book boyfriend ever. His support is so warm & genuine. The truest friend will walk you through your grief.