I often will take little notes as I read a book. Things I loved, found interesting, good quotes.
I didn't with this book. I just kept reading. I wanted to stay immersed in it. I wanted to keep feeling like Miles was helping ME along

This is a beautiful story about loss, grief, friendship, and loves of your life. It was wonderful.

Earlier this year I read my first Cara Bastone novel, 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘵 and absolutely loved it. I was eager to get access to her upcoming release, 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄. I had zero chill and dove right in. It's not out until March 2025 but trust me-  you'll want to add it to your TBR now, it did not disappoint. 

I wouldn't describe this as a romance per se, but it's certainly a story with love, found-family, friendship and tenderly crafted characters.  There is a deep undercurrent of grief as our main character, Lenny, comes to terms with the loss of her best friend and platonic soul mate.  She finds herself and love along the way. Her journey feels like it does when you're watching the leaves change in the fall. Delightfully paced and anticipating every small change. 
While there are heavy themes, I found myself laughing alot. The humor and levity made the heft bearable. The found family and side characters jumped from the page. The male love interest, Miles, is near perfect aside from his 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner. :)  

More words: NYC, emotional, reflective, charming, believable, layered. I've reread passages multiple times already.

This book will have you laughing and crying! While I do think the end was a bit rushed, I loved the slow burn romance and the rich story within it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow. Wowwwwwwwww.

What a masterclass in grief and what it means to live in it, through it, to come out the other side still a little broken but also healed and whole in a different new way. What it means for someone to help you, in all ways, big and small, that amount to the kindest acts ever given to you.

What a love letter to friendship. To give validation to all the different loves of our lives. Our friends shape us, they mold us, they create us. Why wouldn't we feel such a loss of life when we lose them? Lenny's grief for her friend is beautiful in its heartbreak. I'm going to treasure this story for the rest of my life for what it means to love a friend so purely.

Don't even get me started on Miles. There are no words.

I'll be thinking about this one for a long while.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Cara Bastone, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for this arc of Promise Me Sunshine out March 4, 2025!

📜Quick Summary: Lenny is struggling to come back to life. After losing her best friend Lou,Lenny is not having an easy time picking up the pieces. She’s deep in the stages of grief, and life is passing her by. Lenny is quirky by nature, and while picking up a new temporary nanny gig, runs into grumpy neighbor Miles. As he is haunted by his own grief, he can tell Lenny is somewhere deep in her grief, and wants to help her live again. With the bucket list Lenny and Lou wrote before her passing, Miles is there to help her get back into the real world.

❣️Initial Feels: On so many levels, I feel like the premise of this book is going to kill me. My best friends and I have been besties for more than half of our lives, and watching Lenny grieve makes me grieve the inevitable future version of me that will experience this. Miles is your typical grouchy, sexy, unknown leading male character, that is of course hiding more than we could even imagine.

👀Trigger Warnings: deep on grief, loss of a best friend, depression

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: I adored Miles. Yes, Lenny was our leading lady and although she made me laugh at times, Miles also went through some heavy stuff and somehow still was the very best friend Lenny needed. He truly went above and beyond for a stranger, simply because of his heart of gold.

📖Read if you want: romance, slow burn, overcoming deep grief

💡Final Sentiments: Overall this book was heavy on the grief and depression, and she really had to work through some demons. Lenny and Miles’s slow burn romance was built on a strong friendship, where both parties worked on healing themselves before submitting to one another. I enjoyed this book a lot, even though a majority of it is truly the journey of grieving someone extremely important in your life. If you are someone who is dealing or has dealt with losing someone special, this book may be difficult for you to read. It makes you look at how you would dig yourself out of an incomprehensible situation, but it’s heavy on the heart.

🌟Overall Rating: 4 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

For personal reasons this took me over two weeks to read but every time I went back to it I didn't want to put it down. Lenny and Miles were the cutest. I've only read Ready or Not by Cara but these two had a very similar vibe to Evie and Shep which I LOVED!! I loved how a majority of the book was about them becoming friends and helping them get through each other's grief. I almost thought it was just a fiction book until part 3. I have zero complaints. I loved all the side characters and their unique personalities, especially the niece. Cara Bastone has definitely become one of my auto buy authors now,

Is it too dramatic of me to say this book changed my life?? Definitely is but WOW did this book exceed every single expectation I had. It’s been two weeks since I’ve finished and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. It is such a beautiful story about grief and how to navigate it while also a story of an AMAZING friendship that blossoms into a romance. Cara Bastone has officially solidified herself as one of favorite authors. She does such an amazing job at making characters feel SO REAL!! I friend of mine who also read this book described the feeling as us (the readers) peaking behind the curtain of their lives and it’s truly the most accurate description. They feel like real people who are innately flawed but are doing the best that they can, which isn’t that all of us? The feelings and emotions this book brought out of me was insane and while this book doesn’t come out till next year, it’s going to be my favorite book of this year i don’t care. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC! I’m so so grateful and I can’t wait to go into more detail once it’s out to the public next year :’)
I will be making a post on my instagram March 4th 2025 once the book releases! https://www.instagram.com/monis.bookshelf/profilecard/?igsh=YXZ3Nmt6YmxtYzY1

Quite the subtle friends to lovers trope. So subtle in fact that I didn't even know it was happening. So subtle I couldn't even tell there was a connection oops. I thought the topic of life after grief was was very well down. The rollercoaster of emotions and turmoils of grief really made you feel what Lou was going through. I wish the grief was the sole focus, because the romance aspect was severely lacking.

Wow, "Promise Me Sunshine" really deserves all the hype it’s been getting! I was totally captivated by the story from the start. The way Cara Bastone balances the heavier themes of love and healing with those light, joyful moments is just perfect.

I found myself completely invested in the characters. I loved following their journey and cheering them on. This book kept me hooked from beginning to end, and if you’re looking for a heartwarming read that lifts your spirits, you have to check this one out!

I strongly believe that books find us when we need them the most and this book was exactly what I needed in life right now. For someone who has been grieving for what feels like most of my life, this book felt like a warm hug and a letter from a dear friend. I had previously seen how much hype Cara had been getting on the book community thru her last book, which I have not read. With that in mind when I saw the title and the book cover on Net Galley, I decided to request it without even reading a previous which I'm so glad for. This book was everything and more and it has become a new favorite of mine. Thank you for the opportunity, I can’t wait for the world to read this.

This book was everything!! This was such an emotional filled read and I loved every second.

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny’s character, who suffered a huge loss when her best friend and soul mate passes away. Not only does she loose a friend but a piece of herself and the author did such an amazing job at depicting ones grief journey. This book was truly heartbreaking, but watching Lenny slowly recover, heal and learn to live again, really brought some “sunshine” into this story.

Miles. Ugh this man was perfection. He was patient and kind and although his relationship with Lenny took alot of time to slowly evolve, it didn’t bother me one bit. This slow burn really built up the depth of their love and made this friendship to lovers story so much more realistic. How can one move on from grief, if they haven’t truly healed? I think Miles really gave Lenny the strength to do this and seeing how much he took care of her yet supported her and pushed her to do this on her own , really made their relationship so much more beautiful to read about.

Although this book was quite sad, there were so many uplifting moments, and their banter had me laughing out loud, while simultaneously wiping away tears.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Cara Bastone for this arc in exchange for an honest review ♥️

Loved this story ! The focus was on Lenny trying to “live again” after losing her best friend. The love story was second but not throwing in as an after thought. Miles’s need to take care of not only Lenny but Reese and Anisley while he himself was still grieving his mother and cousin.

Cara Bastine’s writing is easy to read . She’s funny while still taking on serious issues

Cara Bastone has done it again

Promise Me Sunshine depicts every aspect and phase of grief so earnestly and honestly, while also making you laugh out loud and feel so much for these characters.

Lenny is in the depths of her grief after losing her best friend. She’s barely surviving but putting on a sunshine exterior for her family and friends so no one worries about her. Until she meets Miles who sees her and tries to help her navigate her grief as he has had to do before.

I truly don’t think there is anything more beautiful than someone seeing you at your absolute worst and wanting to be there to support you getting back to your “sunshine”. Lenny never feels like she has to pretend around Miles and allows him to see all the ugliness of her grief and he still sticks around and helps her pick up the pieces of her life.

Everyone’s experiences with grief differ, however, Bastone did a wonderful job of accurately depicting the isolation, the guilt, and the overall struggles that are daily battles when you’re in the depths of grief.

I could go on about this book forever. Two broken people coming together and finding their happy ever after, which isn’t perfect but messy and complicated, but happy together, is just the best ever. Please read this book!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for a digital copy of this ARC in exchange for a review!

As someone who lost a friend to cancer this book really hit me in the feels. I loved the emphasis on healing and that he waited for her to go through the process before becoming a couple. A beautiful story!

I really really enjoyed this book! It was such a beautiful depiction of grief and how it truly changes you. I LAUGHED so hard through the entire book. Lenny was someone I want to be BFFs with. Miles was just the perfect guy who was also dealing with his own grief. 4.5/5 stars. Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

3.7/5.0 Sarah Hogle’s Live Again is a poignant exploration of grief and the process of healing. The novel follows Lenny, a young woman struggling to cope with the loss of her best friend. Her journey is both relatable and heartbreaking as she navigates the complexities of her emotions and the grief. The introduction of Miles, a grumpy stranger with his own baggage, provides a surprising and refreshing dynamic. Their unlikely friendship develops into a heartwarming connection that offers both support and companionship.

While the pacing may be slower than some readers prefer, it allows for a deeper exploration of the characters and their experiences. The novel’s exploration of grief and the importance of finding one’s own path to healing is particularly poignant. Overall, Live Again is a well-crafted and emotionally resonant novel that offers a comforting and uplifting message about moving forward. Hogle’s writing is both sensitive and insightful, making this a truly memorable read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

wow wow where to begin.. this book was beautiful. Heartbreaking and beautiful. The grief in this book really hit me hard.. it was so eye opening to read about.. Lenny going through the stages of grief and the motions and learning to navigate life without her best friend was at times so hard to read about because I mean that’s the reality of life right?.. people get sick and they don’t end up making it and we’re stuck dealing and learning a whole new life without this person with us.. it was emotional. Miles.. sweet beautiful Miles. I loved this man with my whole heart. He picked Lenny up every time. He never left her alone and helped her navigate this grief since he went through his own experience as we learn in the book. He also taught her to be on her own and make new friends.. in exchange she helped him better his relationship with his niece and his half sister which was the cutest while reading🥺🫶🏻 this is indeed a slow burn which I hate, but I enjoyed it in this one because I cared more about the journey these 2 were on than them jumping right into bed (which did not happen till the very end) I also applaud the author for how she wrote the sex scene because it wasn’t perfect. It was messy and that’s what first times can be like.. messy. This is my second book by this author and I don’t want it to be my last that’s forsure🫶🏻❤️

I didn’t think anything could be as good as Ready Or Not, but Cara Bastone has delivered another perfect, swoon-worthy, funny (!!), emotional, and joyful read. I loved Promise Me Sunshine so much and can’t wait for you to get your hands on this book (March 4, 2025) because I know you’ll love it too.

13 Going On 30, grumpy/sunshine, learning to live with grief, falling for an acts of service king, flashbacks, friends like family, and so much love and joy to balance out the sorrow

This was cute! It just didn't capture me as much as her other one did. I had a pleasurable reading experience overall. The characters were cute and witty.
3.5

This is a book about healing from raw grief. It’s tender portrait of Lenny, who, six months after her best friend Lou’s death, rides the Staten Island ferry all night because she can’t bear to return to their shared flat. She’s a mess, barely eating, sleeping or looking after herself. After taking a temp nanny job looking after 8-year-old Ainsley, Lenny finds herself with a ‘grief wingman’, the grumpy Miles, Ainsley’s uncle. Miles is awkward with Ainsley and wants offers a trade. He’ll help Lenny with a ‘how to live to do list’ that she and Lou concocted, if she will help him bond with Ainsley.

This book tugged at my heartstrings. I got so invested in Lenny and Miles. Their romance was a perfectly paced slow-burn as Miles helps Lenny undertake various activities around New York to help her find her way. I just wanted to hug Lenny. She feels completely alone and desperately missing Lou, her soulmate. Miles understands their bond and what Lenny needs as she tries to get through the rawness of her grief and find a way to let in pockets of light back into her life.

Cara Bastone really knocked this out of the park as she conveys Lenny's pain. This book is touching, life-affirming and poignant, while carefully balancing the swoony, slow-burn romance.

‘He walked into hell and dragged me back out.’

Thanks to Random House/Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC.