In Promise Me Sunshine, Lenny is drowning; she lost her best friend, roommate, partner in crime, and soul mate, Lou to cancer. Now, Lenny rides the Staten Island Ferry all night to avoid going home to the apartment she shared with Lou. She carries around a backpack filled with all her clothes, so she doesn’t have to return to their place. She hasn’t talked to her parents in months. To keep her head above water, Lenny takes short-term nanny assignments. While on assignment, she meets single mom, Reese; her daughter Ainsley; and the uncle, Miles, each of whom will help Lenny navigate the terrain of grief.

Promise Me Sunshine had me crying buckets of tears for the loss that Lenny is trying to learn to live with. It was a heart wrenching novel, but I didn’t feel hollow or depressed when I finished it. Instead, reading it felt like a warm hug. Yes, it was sad, but the themes of love, friendship, laughter, and hope ran strongly throughout the narrative. The characters were interesting, zany, kind, and fully fleshed out. I fell in love with Lenny and wanted to offer to be her new best friend. The book offers a real look at what it means to lose a loved one and to grieve that loss. Overall, it was a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sharing this advanced review copy with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

Lenny is a mess after her best friend, Lou, dies from cancer. She avoids her family, sleeps on the ferry, and cries all the time. Her life changes when she meets Miles, a stern and shy man, and the uncle of the young girl she nannys. Miles becomes her closest friend and helps her through her blinding grief.

'Promise Me Sunshine' is a beautiful book about loss and finding oneself again. This book envelopes the healing process after tragedy. The friendships, love, and grief described are endearing and lifelike. I laughed out loud at the banter and teasing between the main characters. I loved the friendships Lenny gained and the meet cutes that started them. I found Miles adorable and someone I would want on my team. My heart ached for Lenny and I couldn't help but cheer her on as she achieved goals and did things that were hard.

The only issue I have with the book is that the pacing during the first quarter felt choppy. However, this may have been intentional to portray the extreme grief Lenny was feeling. Overall a book I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

Cara Bastone’s voice is always very lovely and fun. This book was heavy on my heart in the best way, as stories that deal so genuinely with grief often are. Miles is too good for this world!

Thank you for the ARC! This was absolutely spectacular! I really appreciated how Cara Bastone wrote about such a big topic and was able to pull every emotion out of you. The book had me laughing, smirking, crying, and kicking my feet! The characters are so lovable and we see them develop so much throughout the story. This was very easy to follow and I can't wait to tell everyone to read it!

Infinity Stars!

It is always hard for me to write a review for a book that changed my life but here I go:

wow! Cara Bastone has quickly become one of my all-time favorite writers and Promise Me Sunshine is her best book yet!

This was my first time physically reading Cara's work (I had previously only experienced her writing via audio) and it was so fucking cool to see how much care she puts into every sentence. She is such a stylized writer and it pays off. Lenny's voice is clear and consistent and she manages to develop the other main character Miles, and the side characters all through Lenny's eyes too, which is not easy to pull off. Every literary device and punctuation choice held purpose and drove the story forward.



One of my favorite things about the book is that it didn't shy away from the ugly parts of grief and instead embraced it in full force. I've never read a grief journey that forced the reader to travel rock bottom in real-time alongside the main character. Lenny's pain over losing her best friend was so raw and honest. We were with her every step of the way as she clawed her way back to life too. I learned so much about myself and even picked up some copying strategies from Lenny and Miles along the way. (Something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery <3)

and the ROMANCE!!!!!!! Cara Bastone is so good at writing about non-sexual intimacy. The slow burn between Miles and Lenny was so delicious. I love that Miles was as equally flawed as Lenny and that they both grew into the people each other needed before they dived into a romantic relationship. Every moment between these two has been imprinted on my brain. Some of the best romantic gestures I've ever read in my entire life. By the time these two do have sex, I was bursting with pure joy!!! Cara is so good at writing sex scenes that feel authentic and at times a little awkward (in the best way). Often with smut in trad-published romances the language and tone switch so abruptly that the smut will feel unnecessary and out of character for the leads. But again Cara is so good at keeping things copacetic!

Cara Bastone is such a gift to the romance genre and I'm so grateful to have read her work. Her commitment to her craft does not go unnoticed and is such a breath of fresh air in a genre where craft can get lost in the sauce at times. And the preview for her next book????? INSANE!!!! I am seated!

5 Beautiful Stars!
This is a beautiful story about two friends, Lenny and Miles, who help guide each other through grief and life. I loved the transition from friends to lovers. This book took readers on the journey alongside them, and I was crying and laughing and swooning the entire time!

Following Lenny as she is reeling from the death of her best friend, I thought Cara Bastone did a wonderful job of portraying her behaviors, feelings, and mannerisms as she adjusted to her new reality. I felt her loss so deeply, and I genuinely felt like I was also grieving. Having a best friend who is truly a soulmate is such a beautiful thing to witness and experience, and I just wanted to give Lenny a big hug from the start of this book. Her character development and journey through grief, with the help of Miles, was so, so good. I cried!! I love her!! She deserves the entire world.

Miles! WHAT A MAN!!! He quite literally is such a beautiful person, inside and out. The way he cared for Lenny, sat at rock bottom with her, and eventually pulled her out of the dark place that is grief and depression, made me cryyy. I loved how he had his own personal dilemma that he needed help with because it sparked such a loving and caring dynamic between Lenny and Miles. They leaned on each other when they needed it most, and I adored it. Miles, the man who instantly dropped whatever he was doing whenever Lenny needed him, is a top-tier man. He was patient, steady, thoughtful, funny, and just overall the kind of man you want by your side.

Everything about Lenny and Miles's relationship development felt very real to me. They started out with a mutually beneficial friendship dynamic that transformed into love and companionship. Their conversations felt so realistic, and their communication was very mature. Their bond was perfectly balanced and genuine. The shift from friends to lovers was slow, but it was so worth it in the end. This is not a fun and lighthearted read. It deals with very serious topics and emotions, but I thought Bastone did a great job of also bringing in light elements that made readers feel a variety of emotions. I know that Lenny and Miles will stick with me for a while. I loved this book so much!!

Promise Me Sunshine was a very real look at the ebb and flow of grief. After losing her best friend to cancer, Lenny is barely surviving. It's all she can do to put one foot in front of the other. She takes on a short-term nanny gig to avoid going home to her (previously shared) apartment and ends up meeting Miles. Miles and Lenny's meeting is the epitome of "like recognizes like." Miles has been through the grief journey and is now on the other side, but he instantly recognizes that Lenny is struggling. He proposes an idea to help Lenny "live again" if she will help him connect with his niece (who happens to be Lenny's babsitting charge). Their relationship, born out of desperation, bleeds into an authentic friendship of trust and transparency, and eventally maybe something more...

I loved the banter between the two - Miles's dry sense of humor was the perfect compliment to Lenny's rambling tangents. She was grieving and depressed, but was still able to throw out a zinger or two - which was refreshing. Cara Bastone did an beautiful job depicting the roller coaster of grief and the ever-changing emotions that come along with it. I appreciated that she wrote it as a journey and not a destination. My only critique of the entire story was the verrrrrrry end. The bedroom scene felt a little bit "silly" for lack of a better word. The vocabulary/descriptions used by Lenny were a bit a juvenile in my opinion and seemed to differ from the tone of the rest of the book. Other than that, a great read that I really enjoyed! Not a "fluff" piece by any means - but one that encourages you to love the people you're with and to remember that everyone we encounter could be fighting a battle we know nothing about. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The book focuses on Lenny as she navigates her grief after losing her childhood best friend to cancer. While the MMC is introduced early on, I liked that the romance developed slowly over time instead of happening immediately. It felt more realistic, especially given the heavier subject matter.

I thought Cara Bastone did a great job melding heaviness and humor throughout the novel. If you enjoy Bastone’s other romance books, this is one of hers that I wouldn’t miss.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

Cara Bastone is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. She write humor and heft like no other. I high lighted so many passages about grief and living your life. I high lighted so many passages that made me actually laugh out loud. I love how well Miles love Lenny and I loved each and every supporting character. I will be revisiting this when it's released on audio. I can't recommend it enough.

It is almost 3am as I type this because I could not put this book down until I finished it. This book was NOT at all what I was expecting. It was much heavier and much more meaningful. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Ready or Not, but this one takes the cake. This book took my breath away, and I am so thankful for the privilege to have been able to read an advanced copy.

Miles is so perfect, and he reminds me SO much of my husband. Always giving, always serving, always caring like a mother hen. 🤭 This book impacted me in such a huge way. Such a beautiful story of grief and love. It’s raw and real, and makes me want to give the author a big hug because there’s no way she wrote this without having lived some version of this grief herself. Lenny is a legend, an icon, the picture of resilience. Cara did such a beautiful job with this!

This is easily one of my favorite reads of 2024, and I can’t wait for this to be out in the world for others to experience as well! I most certainly need a shelf trophy of this one.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley, Random House, and Cara Bastone for the privilege of entrusting me with this ARC.

In case it wasn’t obvious enough, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book.

Promise Me Sunshine will be released on March 4, 2025. Preorder now! 🫶🏻

Promise Me Sunshine is only my 2nd novel by Cara Bastone, but I consider her auto-buy going forward. I feel sorry for those who scan the synopsis and assume they don’t want a book about death and/or grief, because they are missing out on a true treasure. Lenny is highly relatable as the friend who’s trying to pick up the pieces after losing her lifelong bff. Cara manages to gorgeously weave a love story between two people who truly belong together. I wanted to hang out with Lenny and Miles, I genuinely felt like we could be friends irl. I don’t want to post spoilers, this book manages to surprise you, make you cackle, and likely shed a tear or two as you navigate the recovery process with these richly crafted characters. I absolutely adored this book! I can hardly wait for its release next year even though it’s easily one of my favorite reads of THIS YEAR!

My Rating: 4.25 stars

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for the early ebook copy of Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone. This heartwarming and deeply emotional story about Lenny and Miles left a lasting impression on me. Their journey from strangers to friends to lovers was beautifully written, showing how love and friendship can emerge even in life’s darkest moments.

Lenny and Miles meet at pivotal times in their lives, both grappling with loss and trying to rebuild. Their connection felt authentic and earned, with the author skillfully showing (rather than telling) how their bond grew from friendship into something deeper. Miles is an especially standout character—his steadfast support and care for Lenny made me think everyone could use a “Miles” in their life.

That said, be prepared for a story with a heavy focus on grief. It’s the core of this book, so there are moments that feel quite heavy. However, the themes of healing and found family are uplifting, making the journey worth it.

With its mix of poignant grief, slow-burn romance, and the warmth of found family, Promise Me Sunshine is a touching read. If you enjoy stories about emotional growth and love blooming in unexpected ways, this one’s for you.

A beautiful, heartbreaking but inspiring story about learning to live again after loss and grief. This raw and realistic novel broke my heart at times as Lenny grieved the loss of her best friend to cancer and struggled in her grief to do even the most basic tasks like sleeping, hygiene and feeding herself 💔 As someone who recently experienced a loss to cancer I felt this in my SOUL at times and I thought Cara Bastone did a beautiful but respectful job depicting this part of grief.

Lenny meets Miles, the uncle of her latest charge, at her newest nannying job and it turns out he is very familiar with grief. Miles offers to help Lenny complete her "live again" list if she will help him connect with his estranged sister and niece, Ainsley.

As the pair spend more time together, their honest and raw conversations were so inspiring it fed my soul. To find a partner like Miles who loves so deep and with an authentic caring heart for Lenny. The adventures the pair experience through the "live again" list made me smile and believe in a life after loss.

This novel is a beautiful romance between Lenny and Miles but it's also an inspiring story of Lenny finding herself again. Trigger warnings in this novel including cancer, grief/loss and family dynamics but the author is so respectfully I felt in a safe place to experience all the emotions with this novel.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Dial Press for the ARC.

Promise Me Sunshine was deeply moving, powerfully poignant, and beautifully written. Lenny as a character was so lifelike I found myself forgetting she is a fictional character. Cara Bastone masterfully wrote Lenny's grief in such a way the reader can't help but mourn with her. Miles is the ultimate emotionally mature, grief guru. I loved how Bastone wrote a book that promises romance but builds and builds to a moment where the "finally" moment is one where you know both characters are in a place to have a healthy relationship. This was, by far, the most moving, beautiful romance I have read this year out of the 167 books I have read.

♾️♾️♾️

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘈 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

•

𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨.

My favorite romance of 2024 AND my first infinity star rating!? 💖

When grief-stricken Lenny takes a babysitting job to survive after losing her best friend to cancer, she doesn't expect to find healing in the form of her charge's grumpy uncle. Miles Honey sees right through her "I'm fine" act & offers a deal: he'll help her complete her "live again" list if she helps him reconnect with his family.

What follows is pure Cara Bastone magic. Somehow Cara balances soul-crushing grief with moments that make you laugh out loud, creating something incredibly special & that will stay with me for a very long time.

I really love Cara's FMCs. Lenny is the kind of character I wish I could be friends with in real life - hilariously real, refreshingly honest, & somehow managing to be both a total mess & completely lovable while navigating her grief.

And Miles isn't just another grumpy MMC - he's the kind of character who knows exactly when to offer a shoulder, when to crack a joke, & when to just silently show up with food. The way he shows up for Lenny, no questions asked, has officially placed him as my favorite MMC.

The slow burn here is absolute perfection. I could read an entire book on Miles & Lenny's interactions alone. Their conversations with each other had me cracking up so many times. I really appreciated that the focus was on Lenny's grief & healing, but we can still see how their friendship truly transformed into something more. Every moment between them felt earned.

This isn't just a romance - it's a story about friendship & how sometimes the end of one chapter can lead to the most unexpected & beautiful beginning. I really can't wait until more people read this gem. If you loved Eve & Shep from Ready or Not, Lenny & Miles will absolutely steal your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dial Press for this ARC. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟯/𝟰!

What to expect:
☀️ slow-burn
🌅 grief & healing
☀️ friends to lovers
🌅 grumpy x sunshine

The beginning was a little rough (I kept rolling my eyes) but this ended up being a super sweet and tender story. It reminded me of You, Again by Kate Goldbeck which I adored.

I thought Lenny was a fun and quirky (when she's not sobbing about her bff) main character. Miles... I never met a Miles I didn't love and you can print that on my headstone. He was caring, sweet, broody and grumpy rolled into one gorgeous package. The pact they made together made me really see and love Miles. Like he is with other characters like Reese at the beginning, rigid and closed off, he was like that for us too---so having Lenny soften his edges really brought him out of his shell and I loved him.

The grief Lenny dealt with (and frankly, everyone in the novel dealt with) was honest and real and palpable. I thought it was handled spectacularly. I especially loved the family dynamics with Miles, Reese, and Ainsley.

The only gripe I have is the author's writing sometimes and there were some pacing issues--not with the characters but literally when there is movement. Lenny seems to teleport from place to place with no description of how.

I overall really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone looking for something with equal parts depth and sweetness.

Thank you for the arc!

I stayed up till 2 am just to finish this book in one sitting. It was a slow burn, but I adored it. Miles and Lenny's relationship developed perfectly as their lives became intertwined. The writing was so witty and entertaining and joyous at times, considering the subject matter, but that just goes to show the nuance of grief and the ways that people cope to get through a really hard time. 100% would recommend this book, I was so invested in Lenny and her journey to healing and ultimately falling in love along the way.

Thank you Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

“Well, I can’t promise the sunshine, but I can do everything else.”

Miles, honey—you’re the book boyfriend of everyone’s dreams. I rarely finish a book speechless, but I had to sit with this one for a solid 48 hours. Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone perfectly captures grief in all its forms.

Lenny has just lost her best friend to ovarian cancer, and she's drowning in her grief. Her way of staying afloat is by keeping herself busy—babysitting. She takes a gig watching a young girl while the girl’s single mother works. Uncle Miles is broody, grumpy, and yet has a sixth sense for grief. The unlikely friendship that grows between Lenny and Miles makes you believe that every person in our lives is there for a reason.

I can't stop thinking about how incredible this book is. Grief is a difficult subject to tackle—everyone copes differently, and it can be hard to relate unless you're going through it yourself. But not once in this story did I dislike Lenny or feel disconnected from her. I loved her wit, her tenacity, and her heart. I also adored Lou as a main character—she was such a driving force in the plot. It takes a special writer to pull that off. Lenny was clearly struggling, but she never felt stagnant. The short glimpses we got of Lou and Lenny together were integral to Lenny’s character development.

And then there's sweet Miles. I don’t think I ever felt negatively toward him. Sure, he was a little judgmental at times, but it was always out of love for his family (even though they didn’t always deserve it, if we’re being honest).

I’ll still be talking about this book long after its release on March 4. A huge thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Really liked this one! The story was really well written. Both Lenny and Miles were such great characters and were well developed. This story had heavy topics and I thought the author wrote about grief well. Lenny’s journey was not an easy one, but I enjoyed reading about it. I enjoyed her romantic theories about men she met. I thought they were fun and charming. Her grief was the main focus of this book, and the romance was perfectly mixed in. Miles, once he gets over his initial bad vibes, was a heck of a male main character. He felt genuine.

I loved the small nod back to a character from Ready or Not too.

Looking forward to whatever the author writes next!

Thanks for the author, published, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Net galley for the chance to read this arc! A slow burn, but I loved it. Miles was sweet (mostly!) and Lenny and her quirky personality spoke to me. Grief is so deeply challenging and this was portrayed well throughout the story. Definitely recommend!