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!

Promise Me Sunshine is such a touching book about a woman in the thick of grief when her best friend dies, and the surprising ways he finds the strength to continue living. That description makes it sound like much more of a bummer than it was, when overall, I found this book delightful to read.

I had to take a few days to come up with the right words for this book. Cara Bastone became a favorite of mine after Ready or Not because the authenticity in her characters. I appreciate books where every person is individually flawed or struggling and how sometimes no one is right or wrong but things are just realistically complicated. Needless to say, this book was that and so so much more.
Grief is such a complex feeling, and you either get it or you don't. This book felt like it was reading my mind because she got it so much. Lenny's journey through her acute grief and Mile's long-term grief felt both exhausting and refreshing because as a reader you truly felt the highs and lows and similar to grief in real life, you never really know what's going to come next. This book is perfect for anyone who has ever felt like their life has lost meaning in the absence of another and it is a wonderful and realistic guide on how to live again after.
My only critique if at all was I wish the ending was less rushed and the book could have been a bit longer. I would have liked to see more development in MIles and Lenny's romantic relationship and read more about Lenny's transition from acute to long-term grief.
That being said, this book had me emotionally unwell in the best way and I recommend to everyone, just be prepared to cry a lot!

I will literally read anything Cara ever writes and eat it up every time! Loved this story and these characters. As soon as it was over, I wanted to reread it. Five stars, no notes.

Thank you Cara, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for an early copy of this amazing book!

This was INCREDIBLE! I absolutely loved the characters and how their storylines slowly intertwined. Their interactions were everything I wanted and more. It was such an honest and heartwarming love story!

This was such a beautiful read. Seeing how Lenny and Miles were there for each other made me so emotional. This book portrayed grief and healing in such a beautiful way.

First thank you NetGalley for letting me read the ARC.
This was a beautiful story of a trying to go through life while grieving the loss of your best friend, of finding yourself and trying to live again for you.
I don't want to spoil anything, but I have to say the friendship between Miles and Lenny was so sweet and heartwarming.
This definitely was a book that made want to cry, laugh and gush.

"My mom asked me if you treat me well, Miles. You know what I said to her?"
"What's that," he says in a low, husky voice.
"I said that you walked into hell and dragged me back out."

I adored Cara Bastone's debut novel (Ready or Not), but, Lordy, this sophomore effort is pure gold.

Lenny and Lou are platonic soulmates from elementary. Lou has two bouts of cancer--the second kills her in her twenties. Her best friend, Lenny, cares for her and is her second in every respect. Lenny cannot come to terms with how to "person" after Lou's death.

Lenny is an excellent nanny--taking on short term gigs after Lou's death. Her current charge is the precocious, intelligent Ainsley. Her weird uncle Miles immediately calls out Lenny's gaunt, disheveled appearance. (I mean, she looks like a druggie, but she's just sad.)

Lenny can't function in grief. Miles, though, knows grief, but, he can't figure out how to form a lasting connection with Ainsley and her mom. Miles propositions Lenny. He will be her grief co-pilot, doula, person. She will help him person (verb), endear himself to his remaining family.

This is the slowest of burns. It is a perfect friends to lovers, slow burn romance. Promise Me Sunshine is about dying and grief but it achieves a level of levity and humor that is outstanding. Read this if you are a human. If you haven't experienced this level of loss, you just haven't yet. Books like this are squarely looking at death, life and living and doing the Lord's work.

Read this. You will be glad you did.

ALL THE FEELS <3
5 stars!
This is a must read for anyone looking for the healing power of an emotional book. Cara Bastone knows how to write about a sad topic while instilling hope and making you laugh.

Grief after death is the primary focus of Promise Me Sunshine. It is written with such care and honesty that you feel like you know the characters personally.

Lenny is quietly grieving the loss of her best friend. She’s functional but not okay. Miles allows her to feel all of her deep emotions while seeing the true person who is hiding inside. He understands grief personally. Their relationship is mutually beneficial as they both navigate difficult life changes. It’s a truly wonderful book about relationships and love. Grab the tissues and prepare to giggle - you will easily laugh and cry while reading the same page!

The cute call out to Ready or Not was a fun surprise!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a breath of fresh air, and a new as well as different take on grief for me. The plot was so much deeper and more emotional than I thought it would be going into it. As a therapist who holds space for those who are grieving and someone who has dealt with complex grief myself, it was interesting to see and read about this different perspective and approach to the healing process. Grief and what is helpful to everyone is not one size fits all, so to see and learn about how the characters in this book approached or often avoided certain things as they went through or described their respective grieving processes was very enlightening for me. This book and approach made me think of certain people I have helped or wanted to help through grief, and it made me consider other ways that we can all try to look at the grieving process. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend that you give this read a try to draw your own conclusions. I also invite you to take what you want from it and leave what you don’t as it really does describe and depict such a personal/unique human process.

As a side note, I think Miles has become a new favorite MMC for me. I definitely felt as though some moments were potentially encouraging a lot of future codependency, but I mainly felt that, given the context of the story/plot, his unwavering and nonjudgmental support was beautiful to witness. Sometimes that is exactly the kind of support a person needs when they are struggling and healing. ❤️‍🩹

Thank you so much to Cara Bastone, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this beautiful book!

Book Title: Promise Me Sunshine
Anticipated Publication/Release Date: March 4, 2025
Author: Cara Bastone


~Alissa R.

I will start off with saying this book was not at all what I expected, but everything I needed! I am notorious for judging a book by its cover and I did exactly that with this one. I thought this was going to be a light, beach read romance and it certainly wasn't. This story was less about romance and more about Lenny’s journey with grief, friendship and loss. However we still got a very slow burn tale of two friends to lovers. I was initially a bit unsure how I felt about the characters, but as they developed throughout the story I came to really enjoy them, particularly Miles. The characters were well developed and had their own backgrounds and flaws to work through as well. While this one was lighter on romance than I was expecting, the love story still unfolded beautifully and it was not without a bit of spice, which I enjoyed.

Will be posted on Instagram.com/therunaway.readers closer to pub date

I laughed and I cried. Cara Bastone writes such unique romances, and although I didn't think anything would be as good as Ready or Not, I was wrong. I loved this book!