Depression and grief can be crippling and debilitating. Finding a way out can truly feel like climbing a never ending mountain. It’s that lump in your throat clogged with emotions that remains bottled. It’s hard, it’s painful and doesn’t feel like it’ll ever end. It’s just relentless. Navigating that pain is like drowning in tar, with your limbs moving slowly and fighting to get out.

Promise Me Sunshine is its title. A chance of once again grasping the light, a hopeful nudge, the assurance that you can once again love yourself and life. It’s a gentle pat on the back with an author giving readers the time to breathe again and the reminder that: you will be okay. That alone is moving.

Thank you Dial Press and Cara Bastone, for this. Truly, an accessible read for readers and will help so many heal.

Thank you to Dial Press for the ARC. I read all of Cara Bastone's books this year after I fell in love with her writing in Ready or Not. This book was absolutely incredible and so moving. It is a beautiful picture of grief and how we process it as well as a beautiful love story. The characters were both imperfect but came alongside each other to heal from immense grief and tragedy. Their love was a slow burn but so worth it in the end. The book has multiple moments that made me want to cry and also moments that just left me with a huge smile on my face. Cara Bastone is officially an auto read author for me. This one is her best yet! See below for a synopsis:

Lenny is a nanny by day who is struggling with the death of her "soul mate" friend who she knew from. Very young age. They were very ingrained in each other's lives and Lenny doesn't know how to move on without her. When she takes a short term nanny job, she meets Miles who is the uncle of the kid she is watching. He has overcome grief of his own and recognizes hers and offers to help her complete a to-do list left my her late friend. In exchange, she tries to teach him how to relate to his niece. They are an unlikely match but he becomes a steady constant in her life. Their relationship develops slowly but surely and is beautifully imperfect and so moving. 5 bright shining stars. Such a good book!

This book was a treasure. It made me laugh, cry and smile, all at the same time. I absolutely adored the two main characters. The way that Miles cared for Lennie had my heart absolutely melting. This book made me feel grateful for my life and for my friends. It made me want to hug each of my friends a little tighter. I also liked that this book was a romance novel, but it was more of a realistic romance novel than most. Miles and Lennie were friends first and didn't fully realize they were in love until about 75 percent of the way through. This also meant that the spice was minimal, which I appreciated. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel. It wasn't quite a 5 star read but I would give it a solid 4,5 stars! Definitely worth the read.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC because oh boy was it so good! I’m giving her 4 stars but may bump it up to 4.5. This book is all about finding your way back to yourself, your life, and your heart after grief. And the MMC 😭 He was absolutely perfect. I’ve never met a Miles I didn’t love. My only qualm was that the middle did drag on a bit and was pretty slow but the overall story was so gosh dang beautiful. I read Ready or Not (Cara’s previous book) earlier this year and it blew me away and I was so surprised by it. And then this book?? I’m officially a Cara stan.

A heartfelt, cozy read about finding your way through grief and having help along the way.

This was tender and hopeful. Lenny’s sense of humor kept this from feeling overly heavy though I didn’t fully see what Miles saw in her. Miles is a sweetheart and it was lovely to see him open up as he supports Lenny through her grieving process. Overall, a sweet romance between two people who seem destined for one another. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

title: Promise Me Sunshine

author: Cara Bastone

publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback

publication date: March 4, 2025

pages: 416

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: lots of talk of death and grieving

summary: Lenny (Helen) is barely getting through since her best friend Lou died six months ago. She can't sleep, eat, or focus, except on the short-term babysitting jobs she gets to pay her rent (on an apartment she can't make herself enter because it still has all of Lou's stuff in it). When she gets a weekend job taking care of seven-year-old Ainsley, she meets the girl's overbearing uncle Miles. Miles offers to help her get through her grief if she helps him get along with Ainsley and his half-sister Reece. 

tropes:

no way out but through
learning to live again
cute kid
trade skills

what I liked:

believable process of coming back into the light
great characters
slow burn

what I didn’t like: n/a

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

Cara Bastone writes such good books. This book has definitely solidified her as an auto buy offer for me. Promise Me Sunshine felt so real, emotional and heartfelt. Miles is in the upper echelon of book love interests for sure, he just treated Lenny so so well. Bastone writes romance in such a way that really makes you root for the couple, as well as be so invested in the real stuff the character is going through. Such a great book, made me feel all the feelings.

I was not expecting the spice in this book. I have read other books by the author without spice. It was a cute story with a lot of depth. The characters are dealing with loss and grief and learning to live again. Sweet fun story.

PROMISE ME SUNSHINE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. (Release date 3/4/2025) This book! Lenny, is a mess. After recently losing her best friend to cancer, her grief is so heavy & complicated…she’s ignoring life. With a temporary babysitting job comes along, she instantly falls for the kid, however, her grump uncle is constantly around. When he offers to get her with her “get back to life list”, her world begins to change. This book left me in sobs several times. I’ve never read grief so honest, raw, true, painful. This book also is a story of love, friendship, trust, personal growth. I absolutely loved it, and can’t wait for the world to read it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

almost knocked off half a star because this guy uses 2-in-1 shampoo, but he was unfairly described as “not good looking. low grade sexy,” which is a heinous crime to humanity, so I am returning the half star.

✧ 5 stars, this was the most dark, emotional, and in-depth exploration of grief in a book that simultaneously has the most hilarious writing style.

thank you to random house publishing group for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you SO much to Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

This is my favourite book this year hands down. I don’t think anything will top it. I am currently having an emotional hangover from this book and I have so much to still process. But I do already miss Miles & Lenny.

This story is way more than a love story. This is a story about working your way through grief, dealing with life head on, and finding people who care for you along the way.

While reading this I identified so much with Lenny and loved that underneath her pain she still could hold on to some life and happiness. And Miles… I mean… he might just be the perfect MMC. He experienced so much loss and pain in his life. Even though he is on the reserved side he is so loving, loyal, & caring. He showed up for Lenny when she needed it most and did not waver. The way he also showed up for Reese & Ainsley too was just heartbreaking. Even when he wasn’t sure that he was doing the right thing he still showed up and tried. And the fact he did the DANCE with her!!! Ahhh swoon.
I loved these two so much I honestly didn’t even care if it didn’t turn into a romantic relationship. I just wanted them to be happy together for the rest of their lives because their friendship was so beautiful. That being said, their relationship developed so naturally and authentically it brought tears to my eyes. The way they just knew it was time and that it would be forever reminded me a lot of my husband and I. We were friends for a long time first and when you know it’s time you do have a freak out moment because you know it’s a life long decision you are making. I would honestly would read another book about them just on the rest of their lives together.

I also feel that this book should be made into a movie. It would be a fantastic way to show others how to care for someone who is grieving. Just listening about their person, feeding them, getting them out of the house, letting them cry and letting them know it’s okay to have intense moments. This story as a book & a movie could be a beautiful tool for others.

Here are some beautiful quotes I loved from the book:

“Lenny, when I look at your face, I feel like I’m finally home after a really long day at work.”

“His eyes are as glossy and dark as the water underneath the ferry. I’m reflected back to myself as Miles sees me, wonderfully human, trying my absolute hardest, dubious haircut and an honest attempt at living.”

“Every time I fall in love with you there’s lightning.” He closes his eyes, opens them and there’s his brilliant love. “There’s only you, Lenny. Every time … it’s just you,” he says, muffled as he kisses me. “And you.” He kisses me again. “And you.”

“But with you, Len, when I met you … I sort of feel like I met myself.”

5/5 absolutely. VERY highly recommend.

I will be publishing this review on September 21,2024 on Goodreads and on Amazon.ca March 5,2025 on the publish date.

Wow. Where to start? I think this is the best book I have read this year. I loved Ready or Not by Cara so when I saw the ARC for this book, I applied right away. Best decision ever. Promise Me Sunshine is so beautifully written. I love being inside Lenny's mind. Her POV is emotional, insightful and so funny. I cant help but go through the emotions with her - sad, happy, in love, I felt it with her. It made me really root for her. Losing her bestfriend and the love of her life, Lenny is understandbly going through the worst bouts of sadness and grief. In comes our wonderful MMC Miles. How do I describe this wonderful specimen of a man? Haha I fell in love with Miles too! He is just perfect for Lenny and exactly what she needs in her life. I love how he navigated his issues with Reese and Ainsley with Lenny's help. Love all the side characters - Jericho, Jeffy, Rica, Emil and Lenny's parents of course.

Yes the book is about Lenny and Miles' love story but I think Promise Me Sunshine is a lot more than that. It's about family, making and maintaining friendships, starting over, learning to live!

I cant wait to get the physical copy of this book when it comes next year. Cara Bastone is now an autobuy author for me. ♾️/5 highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, Cara Bastone and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this amazing book.

I loved reading Ready or Not and was absolutely honored and ecstatic to receive this ARC.
In Promise Me Sunshine, we follow Lenny's journey through her grief after losing her best friend/soulmate to cancer, with Miles as her guide. This book dealt with a lot of serious topics, namely grief, cancer, and death, and Cara Bastone writes about these phenomenally with a lot of depth. Lenny and Miles' characters were great together, when they were friends and when they were possibly more (banter was A+). They understood each other, were patient with each other, and were always 100% there for each other. I loved Lenny's character, and I admired her humor, resilience, and her determination. While she was suffering, she also had the space in her heart to help Miles with his struggles. It was uplifting to see Lenny gradually getting herself back and opening herself back up to friendship, family, and love. While this book was really heavy and emotional, there was still a lot of instances of funny/humorous moments sprinkled in between. I absolutely recommend this book, and I thought the grief was portrayed accurately and resonated very well.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was lovely in so many ways. This is an auto-buy author for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

I can honestly say this is the best book I’ve read in 2024. I know this book comes out in 2025, but honestly this is complete perfection.

In this novel we follow Lenny who just lost her best friend to cancer and has taken a job as a babysitter. As she’s babysitting, the uncle (only 5ish years older than her) shows up and is a bit judgmental until he finds out about Lenny’s friend. Miles says he will help her learn to live again if she will help him learn to be a good uncle. Together the two embark on a story that is pure love in so many forms: family, friendships, and romantic love.

I mean it when I say I am sort of speechless. This book just hit me hard but I loved every moment of it. I’ve lost many loved ones in my short life, and what Lenny experiences is exactly what it feels like. It’s raw, unforgiving, and just plain old life.

Lenny is a great FMC. I’ve never quite read a character like her. I felt a connection with her immediately. It didn’t take long for me to love Miles. He is so selfless when it comes to Lenny, his sister Reese, and niece. I wanted to hug all these characters because they have been through so much.

Shout out to Jericho and his friends as side characters. I swear, this book was just filled with amazing people. I especially loved Lenny’s mom and dad. They were perfect - I wish we had more scenes with them.

I will say this is a slow burn (think Marianna Zapata level slow). So slow but in the best way possible. It enhances the character development and plot 100%. You really have to earn the love. There is romance, but it isn’t all about kissing and bedroom scenes. No, this is deep “I will do anything to help you get better because you are my soulmate and I want to keep you safe” type of love.

Please read this book, but only when you are ready for a book that is deep and will slightly wreck you. You won’t regret it.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review. These are my own opinions.

This might be my favorite book of this year so far. I finished it in 2 days and couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It was beautifully written, the pain was viseral. I have enjoyed Cara's books in thr oast but this was next level.

Promise Me Sunshine is another heartfelt release from Cara Bastone, who remains one of my favorite authors of recent years.

This book is more than just a romance—it’s a moving exploration of grief. Bastone offers a raw, honest portrayal of grief with Lenny and Miles. Their shared experience of grief is what brings them together and heals them both.

Read if you like:
🩵 Grumpy x Sunshine
🩵 Found family

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for an eARC of Promise Me Sunshine. This book is sure to be one of the top releases next March!

This book starts in heartbreaking devastation and slowly transforms to utter joy in a way that is so raw and beautiful and profound to experience.

Cara Bastone creates some of the most vivid, alive characters I’ve ever read. Even in the midst of shattering grief, Lenny is so vivaciously alive. And the way Miles brings her back to the land of the living is so tender and pure.

Everyone deserves someone who understands grief in this way, and since many of us won’t get it, I truly hope this book helps readers process the losses in their lives.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a beautiful, tearful read! This book held on tight from the first chapter and all the way to the end! Cara Bastone has once again had me in tears! Each character was described in such a way that I felt like I was walking in this story beside them. Grief is easier when you are walking in it together!

I wasn’t sure anything could top Ready or Not for me. I shouted from the rooftops how much I loved this. And now Promise me Sunshine was even better. Cara Bastones writing style feels like magic. The pain, the grief, the LOVE. Lenny and Miles are going to live in my head and heart for a long long time.