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!

This romance also made me cry, and it taught me a great deal about grief. The author wrote with such nuance, fully-fleshing out all her characters. I really delighted in reading this, and it wasn’t too spicy so I won’t feel guilty recommending it to students in my senior romance elective. A really thoughtful work. Recommend.

Since the loss of her best friend, Lenny’s life has been in a depressed standstill. Unfortunately, she still needs to pay her bills. Only able to emotionally handle temporary babysitting gigs, she starts to nanny a young girl, Ainsley, whose uncle always seems to be hanging around. Uncle Miles soon makes it his mission to help Lenny start living again.

I loved Cara Bastone’s just for audio works on Audible. All of them are whip smart with excellent witty banter. I haven’t had the same impression of Bastone’s books. They are less “meet cute” and more every day. They have a great sense of realism to them, especially the dialog, which I would expect. But, the every day nature of them makes the stories smaller and a bit less entertaining. Instead of a snappy pace and killer back and forth, we are gifted with the slowest of slow burns.

Had I never listened to Bastone’s Audible catalog, I probably would have been immediately charmed with the book instead of wishing it had a little more of the pizazz I know she’s capable of.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of this manuscript to review.

I loved this book!
The characters were all great. I found it very well written - Lenny’s personality was fun yet I could feel her pain and grief throughout.
This was my second book by this author and now I feel I have to read everything by her!

Cara Bastone has crafted a truly beautiful and heart achingly emotional love story. It begins with a heartbroken Lenny who is reeling from the loss of her best friend and platonic soulmate Lou. Her grief causes Lenny to spiral out of control until one day she crashes aimlessly into Miles, the uncle of a new kid she has been charged with taking care of for the weekend.

Miles and Lenny are both too familiar with grief and their deep friendship helps them figure out how to live again. A beautiful romance that really explores what love is and where it comes from. This book allows us to follow along as love blooms from the inside out.

This is a wonderful romance that will speak to anyone who has lost a loved one. Lenny has lost her best friend and is a mess floating from one nanny job to another, not able to sleep or eat, and losing touch with her family. She goes on a nanny job and ends up meeting Miles, the uncle of Ainsley, the adorable child she is watching. Miles is also very familiar with grief and the two of them strike up a deal. Miles will help her with learning how to live again and Lenny will help him get to know his niece and half sister better. What follows is a wonderful story about overcoming grief and falling in love.

I highly recommend this book. I read it in a day because I didn't want to leave the characters behind. There were laugh out loud moments as well as touching heartbreaking moments. This was a touching story that anyone will love. I especially think that people who have dealt with grief will be able to relate as well. A must read!

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I read Ready or Not by Cara Bastone earlier this year and I had such a fun time! I laughed and was so emotionally invested in the character's journey. This one hit so differently for me and I think it was because it involved a death of a friend. I was, again, emotionally invest but in such a different way because Cara made me feel as if I was the one suffering a great loss and it made the book that much deeper for me!

i don’t think i am the target audience for this book. it is just so…not for me. the premise sounded sweet: two people walking through the journey of grief together trying to make their way back to life. that is not what i was reading. i love me a brooding hero but Miles has the emotional maturity of a rock on the sidewalk. he had no substance to him. not like Lenny had any substance either. in fact she might have been worse than Miles. there were multiple times in which she simply LOOKS at a man and starts envisioning their life together. after the third time she did that, i had to give up on the book. i’m not sorry.

This book deserves more than 5 stars! It will definitely be one of my top favorites of the year!

Promise Me Sunshine follows Lenny and Miles as they struggle to find peace after losing loved ones. Lenny's best friend and roommate lost her life to cancer and since then she has struggled with just life. Miles is trying to bond with his half-sister and niece after their father died. The issue with this is his sister and niece did not know he even existed. When Lenny is hired to be the nanny of Miles' niece, they start to bond over their grief. Miles helps Lenny learn to want to live happily again and Lenny helps him with his relationship with his sister and niece.

This book is EVERYTHING!!! I loved the writing and the characters were so real to me. It had some silly moments that would make you laugh in between the moments of pure grief. Cara Bastone has now become an autobuy author for me after reading Ready or Not and now this book. I can't wait to own a physical copy of this book so I can reread it and annotate it!
5 million stars!

TW/CW: death/loss, grief

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

once i got this, i instantly opened up my kindle and was forever changed. this was so good!!!! the romance delivered, the plot delivered, i will be thinking of these two for forever 😭 thank you netgalley for tb arc!!

This book was a lot- and some of it in a good way.
I think it was 200 pages too long and it felt a little disjointed.
The slow-burn, emotional, heartfelt romance and interactions really hit me where I needed them to.

🌅 arc review 🌅

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and Cara Bastone for an early copy of Promise Me Sunshine. The way I screamed me I got approved?!

When I tell you I LOVE Cara bastone, I mean it with my whole chest. I could not get enough of Promise Me Sunshine.

She takes a story of grief and suffering and makes it something extremely raw and beautiful. This book is for the ones who have lost someone important to them and are looking for a way out.

Miles, the man that you are!!! Everything that he did for Lenny to see her way through the grief was out of this world. He’s absolutely taking one of the top boyfriend spots of 2024.

If you love:

Opposites attract
Complex characters
Friends to lovers
Hurt x Comfort
Slow Burn
Women’s Fiction

You absolutely need to read Promise Me Sunshine!

I first discovered Cara Bastone through her Audible originals, which I absolutely love and hope to hear more of soon! After reading two of her full-length novels, though, I think the Audible format might be where her work truly shines.

In Promise Me Sunshine, Bastone tackles the nuanced subject of grief - particularly the often-overlooked grief over a friend's death. I appreciate her attempt to explore this complex emotional landscape, which is rarely given full recognition. However, while there are things to enjoy in this book, overall, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The pacing didn't pull me in, and the build up to the inevitable romance between the main characters felt more sluggish than filled with anticipation.

One highlight is Lenny's personal growth and journey through her grief. However, her quirk of overly fantasizing about each man she encounters was random and off-putting. That said, a strength of Bastone's work is her portrayal of genuinely good male characters - kind, respectful, thoughtful - which is always refreshing to see.

While this book wasn't my favorite, I still appreciate Bastone's talent and would be willing to give her work another try in the future. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press, and NetGalley for providing the e-ARC!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!
“Promise Me Sunshine” by Cara Bastone is a heartwarming journey of healing and rediscovery, weaving a narrative of finding love and purpose after loss. Reminiscent of “P.S. I Love You,” this novel delicately navigates themes of grief, resilience, and the unexpected moments that can reignite hope.

At its core, this story reminds us that love can emerge from the most unlikely places and people. As the protagonist, Lenny, takes small steps forward, she encounters a new connection that shows love is still possible, even in the shadow of past sorrow. Bastone illustrates that it’s often when we’re not searching for love that we’re open enough to recognize it in its truest, most healing form.

More importantly, the book underscores a timeless truth: the most significant relationship we’ll ever have is the one with ourselves. As Lenny learns to confront her grief and embrace self-acceptance, she grows in ways that make room for both love and joy, revealing the power of resilience and self-discovery.

The pacing is gentle and slow, with moments where the plot may feel a tad meandering or disjointed. But despite this, “Promise Me Sunshine” remains a charming and worthwhile read, filled with humor and tenderness. If you’re looking for a story that acknowledges the messiness of healing and the beauty of learning to love again—both yourself and others—this book is a comforting, feel-good choice.

2.5⭐️
I wanted to love this, especially after loving Ready or Not by Cara, but I just couldn't connect to this! This book deals with grief and how it can affect our daily life. We see it in Miles as he deals with his parents & cousin's deaths and Lenny as she grieves her best friend's death. I can appreciate all the lessons and profound quotes on grief in this book but that was about it. This is a slow-burn romance (which is one of my favorite tropes) but I just couldn't get into the romance at all. I loved Lenny and Miles's friendship and them completing Lenny's list but I couldn't believe the romance. I truly thought they were better as friends. I am so conflicted because the pacing of the book just felt slow & choppy but the writing on grief was really beautiful. On the plus, the scenes with Ainsley, Miles's niece, were really cute and Lenny's flashback scenes with Lou were really heartwarming. I really wanted to push through to finish reading to see the romance finally develop but I was 60% in and nothing was happening so I sadly had to DNF.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press, and Netgalley for providing the e-ARC!