This was top tier. It was the slowest of burns but in the best way. The main character's journey through grief with help was so well written.

Wow. 4.5 ⭐️

This book was emotional and unlike anything I’ve read before.

I loved that the main focus of the book was living again. The relationship between Lenny and Miles was so well developed but the main focus was their journey through grief together through the complex emotions together. Yes they fell in love but unlike most romances that was not the overwhelming theme in this book.

I took away 1/2 of a star because the ending felt incomplete. I would’ve loved to see an epilogue.

If you loved Shep from Ready or Not you need to read this now.

The way Cara Bastone writes continues to wow me. Can’t wait to see more from her. Adding her to my auto buy list.

Thank you Dial Press, NetGalley and the author Cara Bastone for allowing me to read the eARC.

Cara does it again! And by “it,” I mean convince me that humans are capable of so many different kinds of soul-deep, earth-shattering love. How dare she make me fall head over heels for these imperfect characters who I will never forget and inevitably name my dog after (true story…go ready *Ready or Not* and try not to fall in love with that man)!!!!

Lenny and Miles, even Ainsley and Reese, are a part of me now. I have never read a book that handled grief so perfectly. What a messy, beautiful, touching, emotional story. 5 stars, no doubt will read again and recommend to everyone who has lost someone close to them.

Special thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this highly anticipated ARC! Don’t miss this one; out on March 4, 2025. 🩷

LITERALLY PERFECT! I was so scared reading this book that it wouldn’t recognize Lenny’s grief being replaced with love for Miles and was so please with how it turned out. 5 stars!!

Really really enjoyed Cara Bastone’s latest release. Moments of joy, grief, and everything in between. I’m not one to often actually laugh out loud while reading a book but I absolutely did during this one. There were also a number of heartwarming, and sweet moments that are real highlights of this book. I very much enjoyed all of Miles and Ainsley’s interactions and seeing that storyline unfold.

I also very much loved all the characters in this book. I found myself many times wishing I could join them in whatever they were doing. You really could fully immerse yourself in the story and the characters.

Will absolutely be recommending this one on and before release!

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Cara Bastone’s writing pulls emotions out of me that I didn’t even know existed. Her writing is beautiful and I genuinely never wanted to book to end. If you like “show don’t tell” writing or Emily Henry books, you’ll love this book as well as Cara’s others. 5/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the early copy ❤️

What a beautiful, moving book! While this could be categorized as a romance, it is really about finding yourself again after devastating loss and the people who help you along the way. Bastone treats each of her characters in such a delicate way. As a reader, you can immerse yourself in this world and feel that you too are making this journey. The growth is earned and nothing feels rushed for the sake of the story. The ending is so much more beautiful because you know these characters so well. I highly recommend this book!

“This is what happens when you promised someone you’ll live again”

This book was an emotional gut punch in the best way possible. It follows Lenny, a twenty something nanny , who is sleeping on trains to avoid going home to the apartment she used to share with her late best friend, Lou. Without Lou, Lenny doesn’t know what to live for. One day she takes a weekend nannying gig looking after Ainsley, a precocious 7 year old being raised by a single mom. Ainsley also has an overbearing yet standoffish uncle, Miles, who lives upstairs and takes it upon himself to hover over Lenny while she works. But, when Miles, who has experienced immense losses in his life, sees Lenny’s grief book, he takes it upon himself to be his grief guide.

This is a romance book with the emotional heft of a literary fiction. Lenny’s grief is written so well, the reader can feel it seeping out of the book. Cara Bastone handles Lenny’s grief journey with such care, it’s clear she has experienced loss and lived to see the other side herself. Lenny’s healing journey isn’t linear. She makes progress and then she backslides. She also isn’t magically healed because she falls in love. Love isn’t what saved her. Miles is very intentional about making Lenny live and heal for herself, not for him. This book easily could’ve said that love is the antidote for grief but instead it highlights a harder but realistic truth: when you choose to keep living despite the shit, you can open yourself up to love again, and isn’t that worth fighting for?

WOW WOW WOW! I never expected to be so emotionally impacted by a story! I loved Cara Bastone's previous book that I didn't even read the synopsis of this one before I dove in - and I almost put it down when I realized what the storyline was going to entail (I lost my sister the same way Lenny lost her Lou) but I am so glad I did not. This story was not only romantic and funny - it made me think about my own grief and how people mourn.

"There is nothing wrong with you. You're getting used to a new reality. And you don't know how to live right now. It'll all come back. You'll take care of yourself again."

I was so moved by the story of Lenny and Miles - two people who have a chance meeting and end up bringing each other back to life after tragedy. This is definitely a slow burn romance, but it is so worth the wait! Lenny is hysterical and complicated - Miles is the perfect male lead. This is a story about friendship, friends that become family, and forgiving yourself. While I did laugh a lot this story also made me think about my own grief.

This was the first book I have read from this author. I will be looking for more! I enjoyed this book and read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book.

If I could give it 6 stars, I would. Honestly one of my favorite reads of the year!

I cried with Lenny during her grief. I giggled at Miles through his awkwardness. Their entire friendship was so precious and unconditional. I saw the realistic sides of new friendships, love, grief and family. Long story short Cara nailed it AGAIN!!! Miles and Lenny are ✨everything✨

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC! I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to read it before publication. I can’t wait to reread it and listen to the audiobook on March 4th, 2025 after the official release.

This is such an incredible story and I am so glad I got to experience it. This book follows Lenny, whose best friend just died from cancer. She can’t step foot into their shared apartment anymore, she can barely take care of herself, and she just doesn’t know how to live life anymore without Lou. She’s wondering without direction, until she meets Miles, the grumpy uncle of Ainsley, the new kiddo she’s nannying for. When Miles figures out what’s going on with Lenny, he’s determined to help her check off her live again list if she can help him learn to connect with Ainsley.

I never knew I could love a book so much about life after loss. Cara does such an amazing job of detailing grief and how it affects every person differently, and how loss impacts your life in such a significant way. This is also a beautiful love story but the exploration of grief is the main point and I loved that because I don’t feel like you see that much in popular books. I truly fell in love with Lenny and Miles and their perfect grumpy/sunshine dynamic. This is definitely a slowww burn, but I think that’s perfect for this story. Thank you Cara for this book, I can’t wait for everyone to get to experience it!!

was a good book i cried and enjoyed every bit of this story it was a fun read and a great story this story was an adorable read.

I loved this book! After experiencing my own grief this year, I was worried that this book would be sad and hard to get through but it was full of hope and so much more and made me smile while reading way more often than I would have expected.
I loved the banter between Lenny and Miles, the supporting characters (especially Ainsley!) and loved the slow burn of their relationship.
I loved Cara Bastone’s book Ready or Not just as much last year and think she will be an auto-read author for me going forward! Her story lines look like they’ll be so heavy but she makes them so enjoyable to read!
Highly recommend this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

I have to admit I was not a fan of Cara’s debut novel. However, so many of my mutuals and social media were early hyping up this book. And I have to say after finishing it. The hype is 100% deserved.

I couldn’t even fathom being in Lenny’s position. But Cara took us on a beautifully written journey about dealing with grief. This book did an amazing job of touching on some really dark subjects and mixed it beautifully with lighthearted moments. I had no expectations going into this book. But I was blown away with Cara’s writing. Going in this healing journey with Lenny was therapeutic. Plus we can’t forget about Miles. (For the love of God I need my own personal Miles) He was the most genuine, loyal, sweetest love interest I think I’ve read in a while. He may have been grumpy at first but that man has a heart of gold and could do no wrong in my book.

The romance aspect of the book was also beautiful. Fair warning if you are looking for smut, this isn’t it. Instead we are treated with a beautiful slow burn romance. From start to finish their relationship from grief wingmen, to friends to lovers was beautiful. They both understand and complimented each other throughout the entire book. And I loved them both through it all.

Overall, this was a fantastic read. I highly recommend it and I can’t wait to force my friends to pick this book up. Lastly big Thank you to NetGalley & Dial Press for providing me an arc to read and review!

Promise Me Sunshine tells the story of quirky Lenny, whose best friend since kindergarten, Lou, has recently died from cancer. Lenny is grief stricken, to the point of forgetting to eat and take care of herself, unable to sleep, spending nights on the Staten Island Ferry and refusing to go back to the apartment she had shared with Lou. Lenny signs up for a short term nanny job and meets Miles, someone who grates on her nerves at the very beginning but they become friends, taking care of each other as they work through Lou's healing bucket list for Lenny because she knew Lenny would need it and Lenny helps Miles become closer to his niece and step-sister. I had a very hard time getting into this novel as it was kind of a downer - and many of Lenny's quirks were kind of annoying to me. The novel did get better athrough, and I did like the end. I have read other novels by Cara Bastone and this one is certainly is not my favorite. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it so so much! While I loved Ready or Not, this one is more romance-heavy so I got more out of it. I cannot WAIT to see what Cara Bastone comes out with next.

A romantic story made up of grief, found family, and of course love. When Lenny loses her best friend she doesn’t feel like she can go on. She is floating through life on temporary jobs and with no direction or purpose. A nanny job leads her to meeting a seemingly grumpy stranger and he helps her transform her life but going through a list her best friend made for her to help her heal from her grief. This was a perfect friends to lovers that captivated me from the beginning.

I adore Cara Bastone. The way she crafts a story, how relatable her characters are, the sweet way she weaves romance into a deeply feeling plot...I love everything about her writing. This book was no exception. Lenny's journey through grief is so relatable, and Miles's support and understanding is what all of us look for during that struggle. I'd highly recommend!

Just don’t know where to start.

This pulled at my heart strings to say the least. The story between Lenny & Miles is raw, genuine, hilarious and sweet.

Cara does an amazing job at telling a story of taking care of yourself first before you can love anyone else. The story of grief and friendship is something I’ve never read before in romance.

Please pick this up when it comes out. Thank you again NetGalley & Random House for sending this arc over!