Thank you Penguin Random House for sending me the Advance e-book

"Grief is a relationship,"..."It's the way we figure out how to keep loving them even though they've gone. And in order to do that we have to keep on going. And going and going." - (This quote is from ARC, the final publishes book may differ.)

Beautifully written with sensitivity to the subject, I highly recommend this book and this author to any fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez. Personally, from the books I've read from Cara Bastone, this is the best.

A story about grieving and learning to live again and finding love in the process. Yes, it's a romance book, but it is much more, it's a healing book. It's not all dark and gloom, there are spots of lights and delight which I greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure if it was intentional that the male character's last name is Honey. Even though it is not pronounce like our natural sweetener, I want to believe that it's intentional of the author, because honey is also known for its healing property and I think our male character, Miles Honey is exactly that for our Lenny.

I am not joking when I say I am feel DEEPLY in love with this book. So moving, so emotional yet it didn’t feel depressing. Even with the heavy subject material. Highly highly recommend!

this book was a perfect representation of grief, the importance of different relationships in life, and finding oneself again in a new reality. i loved absolutely every second of it and am so glad i got to experience it at this time of my life.

Cara Bastone has officially become one of my favorite authors. she makes the reader fall in love with her characters alongside them (and i am not only talking about the two main characters). through her skillful setting creation, she makes you fall in love with New York, even if you have never been there. Lenny and Miles will hold a special place in my heart probably forever; the way their relationship evolved throughout this book was i hope every book relationship does.

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This blew me away. It was heart wrenching but also so beautiful and uplifting. The pain of grief and all other emotions that come with it were done respectfully and accurately which I enjoyed and think is very important.

Loved it! Even better than her last one, that took the book world by storm. This is full of honesty and rawness, unique personalities, entertaining dialogue, and joy amidst difficulty. I think Bastone also got better at the intimacy scenes.

My one issue is that the last quarter of the book seemed rushed, paced much faster than the rest. And it was full of what we’d been waiting for the whole time! I wanted more! I think the pacing could have been slower in the end, more detail given, drawn out more. Maybe an epilogue too.

Thank you to Net Galley, and the publisher, for the arc.

“You walked into hell and dragged me back out.” I mean COME ON.

How can a book where the characters don’t even kiss until the 90% mark have me swooning this hard? I absolutely devoured every single word of this book and already know I’ll read it again soon. The poignancy with which Bastone explores grief and life after lost is incredible. The chemistry and the relationship that builds between Miles and Lenny was beautiful — I could not put it down.

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book was a very emotional read. It was about a grief stricken Lenny learning to move on after a death of a loved one while also relearning how to love someone in the aftermath of such tragedy. I really enjoyed this one, the main relationship was so cute and it didn’t even start as that. The writing in this novel was very emotion evoking, I felt like I could feel what Lenny was feeling and it was extremely immersive. One of my favorite ARCs so far

i could not stop thinking about these character! lenny was so relatable and spunky, and miles was her perfect counterpart. their love story is one of true knowing and understanding of each other. this is not a book where i wonder if the couple will last I KNOW they will. the dark place that lenny starts from is so well developed and you can feel the pain she is going through but because of that the transformation she undergoes is truly miraculous!

This is the book. I loved this book SO MUCH. It was absolutely wonderful and oh so heartbreaking all at the same time. It is so heavy on grief, and it’s not always pretty, truthfully it’s not pretty a lot of the time. But watching Lenny trying how to figure out how to live without her best friend was written SO beautifully. And don’t get me wrong it was ALSO such a good time. It was fun and silly and sad and full of so much love it made my heart ache in THE BEST WAY.

The SLOWEST burn was so good, and absolutely necessary and absolutely perfect. The fact that Lenny was somehow still the sunshine in hers and Miles’ grumpy/sunshine pair was perfection. The fact that Miles needed Lenny’s help with Reese and Ainsley. Everything about this book was perfect.

Miles and Lenny were such a chaotic pair and they needed each other in such a big way and the fact that they found each other made me so happy. I loved how complex and complicated they both were. Neither of their journeys were easy, and even by the end, nothing was perfect but they were better. The romance was also very much on the back burner for a long time. They both had way bigger things to deal with first, and the way it played out was so good.

I love this book so much and I already cannot wait to read it again.

ALSO a little Ethan and Miriam cameo 🥹

Thank you SO MUCH to Dial Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Promise Me Sunshine is a story navigating the harsh reality of grief. After losing the closest person to her, Lenny is struggling to live again in her everyday life. During one of her babysitting gigs, she meets Miles who is the uncle to Ainsley the girl she is watching. Seeing through her, Miles realizes that Lenny is dealing with more than she is letting on and makes her an offer: Help him connect with Ainsley and her mother Reece and he will help Lenny navigate through her grief and live again.

This story was so beautiful and touching. Lenny is so consumed by her grief that she will not even go to her apartment unless absolutely necessary. Meeting Miles, they do not get off on the right foot. However Miles quickly realizes that Lenny is in grief. I just adored Miles. He was there for Lenny every step of the way through her grief while dealing with his own struggles with his family. Seeing him there for here over and over again was so touching. I really enjoyed watching Lenny slowly start to move on after losing her best friend.

While I had a hard time fully connecting to this story considering I have not experience the same emotions Miles and Lenny have through loss, I can see how this book could really touch someone that has been through this grief. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to a reread when this book comes out!

This book is an absolute gift to readers everywhere. Lenny’s journey through grief made me feel so seen and understood. Grief is so complex and messy and Cara has a wonderful way of using wit and relatable language to communicate the raw spectrum of emotions that someone going through intense grief feels daily. This also was the perfect example of what a LOVE story is. Not just a lust-ridden romance, but watching two people find friendship and eventually find passion and love for each other. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for this experience. I cannot wait to reread.

the rom com genre is so lucky to have cara bastone. i really enjoyed this story and think it balances grief, growth and romance very well. her characters are distinct and i loved being in lenny's head. it definitely has heavy moments, but everything was handled with so much care. this book is a hug. looking forward to listening when the audio comes out!

3.25 stars
Thank you Net Gallery and Cara Bastone for an ARC of this book. This book dealt with a lot of grief. I enjoyed parts of this book, and didn’t enjoy other parts of it. Overall, I would say this was an entertaining read.

This book is so heartfelt. For me I feel like loss would be something to write about. I love how Cara Bastone made this into something to smile about. Thank you so much for the ARC.

Cara Bastone, you have to stop making me cry like this. This is now the second Cara Bastone book that has wrecked me this year, and it’s safe to say that she’s officially an auto buy author for me. I truly couldn’t wait until closer to pub date to read this once I got approved for the ARC on Netgalley, and I’m so glad I didn’t wait. This was such a beautiful story about grief and love. These characters have my whole heart, and I’ll probably need a while to recover before I can really coherently write out everything I want to say about this.

Cara Bastone is quickly becoming one of my favorite fiction writers! I had high expectations as “Ready or Not” might be my favorite book I’ve read this year, and Ms. Bastone did not disappoint. Her heartwarming and heart wrenching story about Lenny and Miles is going to stick with me for quite a while. The author’s ability to create vivid characters is one of her greatest strengths as a writer, and as a person with anxiety, I appreciate that her books don’t contain any of the typical tropes that tend to stress me out (think misunderstandings, hiding big secrets/true identities from others, etc.). I will be waiting with great anticipation for her next book!

Heartfelt romance that explores love after a loss. Cara does a wonderful job showcasing the struggles of grief, and just how dark life after the loss of a loved one can be.

Miles helps Lenny overcome grief after losing her best friend, Lou. In the process of this, Lenny falls deeply in love with Miles and his charming characteristics.

This was a beautiful story and slow-burn romance. I plan to check out more of Cara’s work soon!

3.5/5 stars. With her last two books, Cara Bastone is becoming one of my favourite romance authors. I really appreciate books that are able to balance heavier themes along with a romance without bringing either down, and this one does that so well. The romantic development is slow and sweet, both characters complimented each other so well. I like how their relationship was built on a solid friendship first, it made them admitting their feelings that much more satisfying. Lenny's friendship with Lou, and her journey with grief, was also handled with a lot of care and its portrayal felt so real and raw at times. Overall, a lovely read and I am definitely looking forward to Cara's future books.

Oh, my goodness. This story is beautiful! I laughed, cried, cheered. Cara Bastone is a must-read for me now. Great writing and memorable side characters, too.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

promise me sunshine (arc)

i was so excited when i got the email saying i was accepted for this arc! i really enjoyed ready or not by this author, so i had high hopes for this one.

at the beginning, i was worried i wouldn’t enjoy the writing—it felt a bit choppy, and the flow wasn’t quite satisfying. it stopped bothering me about 25% in, so i’m not sure if the writing smoothed out or i got used to it.

what i love about cara bastone’s books is the mix of seriousness and silliness. they almost feel more like literary fiction with a strong romance subplot, and i’ve found myself liking that structure, maybe even more than a classic rom-com. the heavier literary fiction vibes give space for deeper emotions and insightful lines, which i really appreciate. while this book deals with heavy themes of grief, they’re balanced with cheesy, silly moments. although the topic is intense, i didn’t feel weighed down while reading, which was nice. at times, our fmc’s grief felt a little exaggerated and maybe not entirely realistic, but part of me thinks that might have been intentional.

miles and lenny were perfect, both as friends and as a couple. i loved the slow burn of their story; before anything else, they were really good friends. i honestly didn’t feel much romantic tension until the 50% mark, but somehow, that made their feelings even more believable and understandable. their story is the definition of a slow burn, but the payoff is so sweet. both characters were equally charming, and their individuality made them easy to love.

miles was honestly ultimate book boyfriend material. quiet in his love and affection but so incredibly reliable, sweet and steady. i cannot describe how endearing his character was.

i was initially worried i wouldn’t enjoy it, but i’m so glad i kept reading, because i really liked this book. it was definitely worth the time, and i found its setup pretty unique.

i can’t wait to get a physical copy to add to my collection when it’s published in march! cara bastone will definitely be an author i read more from!

also a moment for the vibes of this book —> ⛴️🗽☕️📖🛋️🏸💌

4.5 stars