The author hooks you in chapter one by making you privy to the FMCs inner dialog, and it is hilarious, believable, and incredibly relatable.

The writing of this book and these characters, while done so carefully and with intention, seems effortless because you can immediately see each character's full personality. You can see perfectly how and why they relate to the situations they are in, and the people they are surrounded by. Nothing is written just for the laugh. Every word serves a purpose, and you are gifted so many laughs anyway. It achieves what many books strive for but miss when they ‘add sarcasm here’ or ‘insert obvious witty comeback there’. How these characters interact with each other shows a lightness and everyday normalcy that can still exist while being mired in heavy and tragic circumstances. By balancing the emotional load of the storyline with the life and vibrancy inherent, but sometimes hidden, in the characters, the author shows us not only how the characters grow in their own ways, but that they do it together.

Lenny is starting a new nannying job that she wants to keep short term. After the death of her life long best friend, she can’t imagine others depending on her, when she can’t depend on herself to fulfill her basic human needs. When meeting her new client, a single mom with a seven year old daughter, Lenny learns they are trying to adjust to their new and sometimes awkward family structure. This includes their brother/uncle Miles, who they didn’t know existed until recently. After seeing how quickly Lenny endears herself to his niece, Miles asks for her help relating to family members that are like strangers to him. While Lenny helps him with this, Miles gives her a human life line when things get too overwhelming. He has experienced and navigated a similar grief, so Lenny grabs on and accepts his help with both hands.

I wanted to read this book because I liked ‘Ready Or Not’. After reading this one, Cara Bastone has become an auto-read author for me. I loved it.

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
📖- Promise Me Sunshine
✍🏼- Cara Bastone
📅- March 4, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

Read if you like
☀️Grumpy sunshine trope
☀️Slow burns 🔥
☀️ Emotional reads

𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔

Lenny lost her best friend to cancer. She’s feeling lost without her soulmate. When you lose someone whether you see it coming or not nothing prepares you for how empty you feel. Grieving for the loss of her friend she finds herself unable to go back to the apartment they shared. She takes a job as a nanny where she meets her bosses brother, Miles. Miles himself has dealt with grief, he’s determined to get Lenny’s spark back by helping her navigate through the pain and grief.

𝑴𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 💭

This story was beautifully written. Grief is something we all deal with differently and sadly it is something we are never prepared for. I loved how Lenny’s character developed in such a beautiful messy (grieving) way. Miles and Lenny are perfect for each other, she’s funny and he’s grumpy. I feel like I was there feeling every emotion Lenny felt and sometimes I just wanted to reach in the book and hug her tight. May I say how perfect Miles was, very understanding and patient with Lenny 🥹. This is my second book I’ve read by Cara Bastone and it honestly did not disappoint. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR if you haven’t already done so.

Thank you to Cara Bastone, Dial Press, and Netgalley for the ebook ARC!

I read Ready or Not by this author and really enjoyed it, so I was excited for this one. I went in completely blind, and let me just say – WOW.

This book is absolutely incredible, surely it’ll be one of my favorite reads of the year. It is primarily focused on grief, in particular the loss of a best friend to cancer, but it’s also about finding friendship as an adult, family, and so much more.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I loved it! It was very well written and relatable. I found myself really loving all the characters in the book. Will definitely recommend this book and can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you for the opportunity to read this before it comes out!

Before I begin, I want to thank NetGalley for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this story was so sweet. While I haven't gone through what Lenny went through (losing her best friend to cancer), I know what it's like to grieve a future you deeply desired and Cara Bastone illustrated that struggle very well. I appreciated Miles and Lenny's slow burn romance, given the kind of grief that Lenny was enduring, and I loved that Miles gently pushed Lenny out of her comfort zone and was so present with her the entire time! The empathy level was off the charts!

What I wish was more fleshed out in the book was Miles's relationship with his family. I understood his past but I think this could have benefitted from a dual POV with Miles's story as well as Lenny's.

Overall, I enjoyed this and I will pick up Cara Bastone's previous novel, Ready or Not, as well!

Promise Me Sunshine is a story that I will always carry with me. It talks about the hard moments and the raw emotions. It talks about those who’ve moved on. It talks about the ones that sit with you and stay with you, those who meet you where you are. Then it talks about when it’s time to come up for air. It’s a dedication, a transition from the before and after. It’s a different kind of love story. Lenny is uninhibited, Miles is inscrutable, and the bond that they form is unlike any other. It’s the kind that one could only hope for in their own life. And Ainsley, she’s everything you could possibly want in a little human. She’s who you wanna be when you grow up.

Cara Bastone has easily become a favorite. This is like The Seven Year Slip (minus the slip) with a hint of A Walk to Remember (with a happier ending) and a dash of Uptown Girls (yeah, the movie). And I’m here for all of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC!

I’m DNF this book 51% thru. I can’t take it anymore. I really enjoyed Ready or Not but this book is so boring. I’m waiting on something to happen and skimming pages. I can’t bring myself to waste another minute.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. And I have too many books to read to waste more time. So for what I did read- 2 stars. Maybe one day I’ll come back to it.

“He walked into hell and dragged me back out.”

This is the second book I’ve read by Cara Bastone and the second book I’ve loved. She has the ability to make you feel the emotions of the characters and to live all of those emotions at once.

This story is a love story, but it’s also about coming back to life after grief. And it’s a reminder that there is no one way for people to experience grief; there’s no right or wrong way to grieve. So while a reader may find characters’ actions or responses to be unreasonable or unfathomable, perhaps just understand it might not be how you would react but it makes sense for the characters.

I really enjoyed the developmental journey Lenny took over the course of the story, and the selfless and loving way Miles supported her and helped her find her way through the grief.

I also appreciated that, like grief, the writing had me riding through a roller coaster of emotion. You never knew what you were going to get: laughing one minute, swooning at flirty banter the next, then hitting me with tears of sadness.

On a tangential note, I appreciated the entirely accurate depiction of the family meals. It was 100% the same way I remember my big Italian meals with my family.

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Another amazing book by Cara Bastone! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this eARC.

I was first introduced to Cara Bastone's writing through an audible original, Call Me Maybe, then I was happy to pick up the book Ready or Not and have found a real love for Cara's stories and writing style. In this book, we meet Lenny who is in a silent life spiral. After losing her best friend to cancer, she is having a hard time even living day-to-day. Lenny isn't eating, sleeping well, showering, or staying at the apartment that she shared with her best friend, Lou. No one would ever be able to tell all of this just by looking at Lenny which is why Reese thinks it's a great idea to have Lenny babysit her daughter Ainsley while Reese is on a business trip. Everything is a go until Miles shows up, the semi-lurky brother of Reese. Lenny isn't sure if he's spying on her or what but she's happy to end her time watching Ainsley (even though she's had a great time with Ainsley) just to get away from Miles.

Miles is also misunderstood and after Lenny agrees to stay and watch Ainsley more regularly, Lenny and Miles commit to each other to help them with what they need most. Miles will help Lenny live again and Lenny will help Miles be the best uncle to Ainsley he can be.

This story was definitely more sad than I thought it would be, but the story is truly heartwarming. I also liked the way Cara included Ainsley in the story, sometimes it can be risky on how kids show up in a romance, but this was the perfect balance. I felt and cared about both characters which shows great character development. I highly recommend this book.

Ugh Cara bastone did it again 😭 I didn’t think it was possible to love this book more than her last one & this one topped it.

How she wrote grief and how Miles was there for Lenny the whole time, he never pressed her to do anything, but always just there for her when she needed him. Whenever she’d call and he was on his way in 20 mins. Just absolute chills reading this book.

Love Cara’s writing & truly obsessed with the way she writes her MMC.

Also as emotional as this book was, I loved the funny bits here and there from Lenny & Miles.

Truly need a man like miles asap.

Easily a 5⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: What an absolutely gut wrenching, beautiful, story. I have no idea how to put words to this story. This could end up being my favorite romance of the year. Not many books have made me feel the way this one did. Cara Bastone has a unique way of writing heartfelt stories that touch a part of my soul not often reached. I know that sounds dramatic but read this and you will see what I mean. I loved Ready or Not by her as well but this one was even better somehow.

Bastone develops characters in such a slow, authentic way that once you reach the end of the book you realize how subtle and believable everything was. I seriously don't know how to put into words how good this book was. The small moments are so large and memorable. I would recommend reading this with someone else and looking up the trigger warnings. Grief is a strong topic throughout and seriously hits hard but in a way I will never forget. It's so well written, it feels like the author saw a movie in her head and wrote it out for us.

I can't say enough good things about this, will be in my favorites of the year I'm sure. Take care of yourself while you read it.

Two Sentence Summary:
Still reeling from the loss of her best friend, Lenny is just trying to keep it together—until grumpy, no-nonsense Miles offers her a deal to help them both move forward. As they tackle grief, second chances, and an unexpected connection, Lenny starts to wonder if love might be part of truly living again.

Thoughts:
This book was everything. The slow burn was absolutely perfect, with the kind of tension that keeps you hooked, and the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Miles and Lenny was chef’s kiss. But what really set this one apart was how real and raw the portrayal of grief and depression felt—there was no sugarcoating, just heartbreak, healing, and the messy, beautiful process of moving forward.

Honestly, this was one of the most emotionally real romance novels I’ve ever read. It made me feel everything—sadness, hope, love, and that slow, aching build toward something new. If you love romances that hit deep and stay with you long after the last page, this one is a must-read.

This story started out very weird. Miles walks in Lenny starts day dreaming strange dreams about him. Then he hangs around while she is babysitting. Why didn't Reese just have Miles babysit. I don't know I found the whole story just odd.

I read Ready or Not by this author and really enjoyed it, so it was not the writing. I just think it was the story that never grabbed me.

As a fan of this author’s debut novel Ready or Not (the male main character in that one was adorable), I was incredibly excited to read Promise Me Sunshine. This book is much heavier, dealing with grief and loss. If stories about cancer are difficult for you, perhaps consider skipping this one. Lenny’s life is in upheaval as she tries to carry on without her very close best friend who passed away during her second fight with cancer. She’s putting on an act to get through the day, only able to maintain an outgoing, magnetic, and goofy demeanor in small doses before grief becomes overwhelming. While nannying for a little girl, Miles, the kid’s grumpy and concerned uncle, finds Lenny to be a bizarrely captivating mess of a human. He strikes a deal with her—he’ll help her remember how to live again if she helps him become more of the kind of person his family can rely on. Overall, this was a cute read despite the heavy subject matter.

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

AHHH. I was so excited to receive this book as an ARC after reading “Ready or Not” and wow. I absolutely love Cara Bastone’s writing. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s meaningful and these characters have so much baggage, making them such a real character with raw emotions. I truly feel like I am reading a non-fiction book sometimes with Cara’s writing and I love it. This book was funny and sad and overall so cute and tender.

This story follows Lenny, our FMC who is dealing with the death of her best friend and soulmate, Lou. When she picks up a temporary nanny job, she meets Miles and her life changes. Miles is determined to help Lenny check off items on her “to live again” list and Lenny in return is helping Miles build a relationship with his half sister Reese and her daughter Ainsley. A book about the main characters helping each other check off a bucket list is always such a good trope.

Overall, this book is a 5 star read for me. I can’t say anymore good things about this book, you just have to read it and feel the emotions for yourself.

Tropes:
☀️ Friendship and grief
☀️ Slow-burn
☀️ Cinnamon roll MMC
☀️ Grumpy vs Sunshine
☀️ Friends to lovers
☀️ Healing and loss

Characters:

He treats you well?”
“Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out.” - Lenny

Helen “Lenny” Bellamy is our FMC and the story follows her through her healing journey. She lost her best friend Lou and is in survival mode at this point. She meets Miles while taking on a temporary nanny job and Miles is determined to help her complete her list to “live again”.

“Home is where the heart is. My heart died in a cancer ward six months ago.”

My sweet Lenny is such a beautiful character. She has gone through so much, but yet she will always put others before her and that just shows with her caring for Ainsley and trying to help Miles better his relationship with his niece Ainsley and his half sister Reese. Like any other character in a Cara Bastone book, Lenny can be seen as a relatable character for many people who are also going through grief, loss, healing and taking things day-by-day

I am just so happy and overwhelmed with joy that Lenny was able to be herself again with the help and love from Miles. He really pushed her in the slowest and best possible way to get out there, heal and make a life of her own, while still honouring her best friend Lou. Also a huge shout out to Miles for telling Lenny to make friends because Jericho, Jeff and Rica are definitely found family for Lenny (and Miles) now.

"Hey! I love looking at you. Looking at you is one of my favorite things to do in the world” - Miles

Miles Honey is our MMC and he is also going through his own problems. He is trying to build a relationship with his half sister Reese and her daughter Ainsley after the death of his father. Miles knew about Reese growing up, but Reese didn’t know about Miles and kind of resents him due to her father’s doings (<spoiler>Their father had an affair and Miles was born exactly 9 months after Reese was</spoiler>). In addition to this situation where Miles is trying to fit his new life, he is also grieving the loss of his mother and his cousin Anders.

”I want to twist these braids up, but my arms are noodles. Will you do it for me?”
He clears his throat. “Yeah.”
Miles stands behind me and takes directions well. He only gouges my scalp with a bobby pin once.”
THIS SCENE AHHH SWOON.

Miles at first is a grumpy character and always judging Lenny and even Reese. With the help of Lenny, Miles loosens up and also becomes the best version of himself and this book really shows him grow as a person. Miles is truly a sweetheart and book boyfriend material.

Pros:
- MILES HONEY. He is such a sweetie and even though he’s grumpy on the outside/grumpy at first, he is truly a softie.
- Lenny. I love her character so much and she deserves the world.
- Ainsley and Reese just add so much to this story even though they are side characters. I loved reading about them.
- Jericho’s bakery sounds so delicious, I was wanting to try the lemon muffin mentioned throughout the book.
- Miles and Lenny finding happiness and healing.

Cons:
- I said this about “Ready or Not” and I am saying it again, Cara Bastone needs to add epilogues..PLEASE. Like I am not ready to say bye to the characters, but a glimpse into the future is enough for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing and the author Cara Bastone for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

・₊✧ Quotes ・₊✧

”Lenny, the stakes are low with you because you’re the most loyal person I’ve ever met. You’re fully on my team. Now that you’re here, I think there’s very little I could do to kick you out … I don’t have to worry about losing you. I can just …relax.” - Miles

"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. You’re not betraying her by healing, you are honoring her. You are learning to love her exactly as she is. As someone who isn’t here anymore… that’s who she is now. And this journey through grief.. it’s what we do for great loves of our lives” - Miles

"Why should I be scared of kissing you, Miles? I’d just be getting even closer to the safest place in the whole world.” - Lenny

”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 kissed me.”

”I’m never sleeping when I close my eyes like this with you.”
“Then what are you doing?”
He pauses and I think he might not answer. But then he says, “I’m committing the moment to the memory.”

If you've ever grieved for the person you loved most then Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone will feel so relatable, and if you haven't then this book holds a fairly accurate, though grief is always individual, portrayal of grief.
When we first meet Lenny, she is holding on to life by her fingernails after the death of her best friend, the first love of her life. She is going through the motions and doing the bare minimum to get through her days. We know off the bat that Lenny is a caregiver, she is quirky, and silly and loves children. The only person she can't seem to care for is herself, enter Miles.
"He walked into hell and dragged me back out."
Miles is Lenny's new charge's uncle. After mistaking Lenny's grief for irresponsibility, he talks Lenny into letting him be her grief co-pilot. He wants to help her get though her grief if she will help him learn how to be better with his niece and sister. Together they learn how to really live again.
Promise Me Sunshine is a medium paced story that focuses on overcoming grief first but is a charming, often funny and lighthearted romance. I love how we were able to see more of Lenny's infectious joy as she started coming out of the fog.
I highly recommend. Five stars.

Thank you to Cara Bastone, The Dial Press/Random House, and Netgalley for the eARC of Promise Me Sunshine in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The only way out is through.”

Wow. @thischarmingreader was not kidding when she said this book was amazing! I feel gutted, changed for the better, and feel like I need to make my own little Live Again list. Lenny’s character development is raw and startlingly authentic - I love that Cara didn’t shy away from the rawest parts of grief. And Miles?? What a perfect specimen of a man 🙌🏻. Promise Me Sunshine is a brilliant read and you should definitely put it on your tbr asap. Just make sure you have a box of tissues on standby.

This was a really sweet book! It tells the story of Lenny, and the people she meets who help her overcome her grief after losing her best friend Lou. All of the characters are written beautifully. I especially liked the banter between Lenny, and the MMC Miles.
The themes of grief and loss were written well. It is a slower burn story, which I normally don't mind, but some parts of the story seemed slow. There were also parts that seemed sort of YA, which were my only complaints.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, and would recommend!
Thank you to Random House Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

amazing, sweet, i loved it. lenny is a quirky and interesting fmc and her journey is awesome, miles is so sweet, and i really liked the other characters. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Let me start off by saying that I love Cara Bastone. I think she is just the real deal and I adore her.

That said, I kind of had a complicated relationship with this book.

I started it on my Kindle over a month ago and then I put it down and didn’t revisit. I have a difficult time with super millennial quirky girl books if that makes sense. I find zany girls , but also a little bit annoying. The main character in this book is extremely quirky. She has an odd habit of imagining specific scenarios about every man she meets, and it was distracting.

The first half of this book was probably a three to me. But the depiction of grief was a five throughout the book. I loved Miles, but he really seemed like a friend and once it turned into friends to lovers, I had a difficult time making the leap to lover.

I would not categorize this as a romcom. It is incredibly sad and deep and insightful. And also it is the most slow burn slow burn I’ve ever read. I don’t think there is any romance until 90%? Which I didn’t mind because like I said, I loved their friendship.

I ended up settling on a four because like I said, the grief aspect was absolutely phenomenal.