Two seemingly opposite people come together in a truly heartfelt, moving story of love, overcoming grief, and learning to live again.

Lenny’s best friend, Lou, was more sister and soulmate than anything else. When Lou died of cancer, Lenny’s world completely collapsed and she can barely hold it together. And by that I mean, she is hanging onto just being a functioning human by the tiniest thread. She takes on babysitting gigs to pay her bills but can’t handle a permanent job. Her current situation also includes her charge’s grumpy, hovering uncle, Miles.

Miles has dealt with his own share of grief and recognizes it in Lenny. And a deal is struck: He’ll help her through her grief and she’ll help him cultivate a better relationship with his niece and half-sister. And then the story really begins.

The story was so touching, and really delves into the often irrational grief that comes with losing a close loved one. And Lenny’s grief truly is irrational from an outside observer (but maybe not for someone who’s experienced it before). Miles and Lenny’s relationship slowly grows and develops as they share more and more with each other—feelings, experiences, hearts, pain, love. There are heavy moments, with some light ones too, and just so much feeling. The side characters add fun and interest to the story without overshadowing the main characters.

Loved it!

I want to crawl inside this book and never leave. I want to wrap myself up in a Miles blanket while Lenny simultaneously spews Gilmore Girls worthy commentary at me. I want to fall in love with their love story again. And again.

I loved this book.

NetGalley and Dial Press, thank you so much for my ARC of Promise Me Sunshine in exchange for my honest review.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is a tender, slow-burn romance that gently explores love, loss, and the sometimes messy road to healing. Lenny is navigating life in the wake of her best friend Lou’s death, and she’s honestly just barely holding it together. Babysitting for Reese and her adorable daughter Ainsley brings some stability, but it’s Ainsley’s grumpy uncle Miles who truly shakes things up.

Miles has his own scars from loss, and although he comes off prickly at first, he quickly sees through Lenny’s brave face. His proposition to help her tackle her “live again” list in exchange for her help connecting with Ainsley is where their journey really begins. Slowly and unexpectedly, these two broken people find solace—and maybe even love—in each other’s company.

Cara Bastone’s writing is heartfelt and raw, capturing grief with authenticity while also allowing moments of joy to slip in. Lenny’s gradual, hard-earned transformation is so rewarding to witness, and the slow-burn connection between her and Miles is beautifully done, filling the book with both tender moments and hard-won hope. Promise Me Sunshine is an emotional read that leaves you feeling grateful for love and second chances. Solid 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to receive the ARC.

Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend Lou. She is a mess and is struggling to get through each day and has not been home to the apartment that she shared with Lou in months. Reese is an overworked single mom with an active 7-year-old daughter, Ainsley, who desperately needed someone to babysit while she travels out of town for work. Little did Lenny know that caring for Ainsley would mean having to tolerate her uncle Miles who is constantly around. Miles offers to help Lenny with her grief to help her complete the Live Again List that Lou gave her.

Ready or Not was one of my favorite reads of 2024 and I'm SOOO happy that Promise Me Sunshine was just as good! I LOVE the journey of Lenny and Miles. As a mom, I loved some of the parental tips that Lenny gave Miles in the book. There are definitely days that I feel like Miles and am clueless to how to handle these tiny terrors. Cara did an amazing job creating the dynamic between Lenny and Miles, the banter made me laugh out loud. This book is a great representation of friendship, the highest highs and the lowest lows, and that love comes in many ways and it's not always about the romantic love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dial Press for this ARC!

🔎 ARC Review

Promise Me Sunshine

@carabastone
@thedialpress
@netgalley

Publication Date: March 4th, 2025

My Rating:
🌟 5/5

📚 Read if you like:
Grumpy X Sunshine
Slowburn
Exploration of Grief


Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.

🔎 My review
This is my first book by Cara and it was so touching 🥺. I loved seeing Lenny and Miles grow individually and together. This book gave me all the feels and is 1000% worth the read.

Thank you @carabastone, @thedialpress, @netgalley for the ARC!

#books #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookstagram #bookobsessed #romance #carabastone #thedialpress #NetGalley #PromiseMeSunshine #arc

Cara Bastone is becoming a new auto buy author for me. This book is a beautifully written love story between Lenny and Miles, exploring their journey from initial dislike to deep friendship and love. The author skillfully balances the heavy theme of grief with lighthearted and uplifting moments, making the narrative both compelling and heartwarming. Lenny and Miles are complex, well-developed characters whose slow-burn romance feels genuine and believable. Their loyalty and commitment to each other shine through, creating a sweet and realistic dynamic. While the book is long, the detailed development of their relationship makes it worthwhile. The realistic portrayal of their first intimate moment adds authenticity to the story. Overall, this book is an emotional rollercoaster that blends grief, healing, and love in a truly relatable way.

This book is like a warm hug wrapped in humor and heartache. Lenny is struggling to move forward after losing her best friend, barely holding it together with babysitting gigs. Her latest job brings her face-to-face with grumpy (but secretly caring) uncle Miles, who sees right through her facade. Miles, who has his own baggage, offers to help her tackle her "live again" list if she helps him connect with his niece. Their late-night talks and unlikely adventures are filled with laughter, vulnerability, and healing. It’s a touching, feel-good story about finding new beginnings in unexpected places.

Lenny’s life is a mess, her best friend in the world has died and she is not been able to pull herself back into life and so she does temporary babysitting jobs because she cannot commit to more. When sitting for single mom Reece and her daughter Ainsley, Lenny meets Reece’s very grumpy brother Miles; he obviously does not trust Lenny and watches over her the whole time she’s there. However, it turns out Miles is also very familiar with grief and offers Lenny a deal - he will help her work through her grief if Lenny can teach him how to get closer to Ainsley and Reece. As Miles helps her re-engage in society, Lenny begins to count on Miles more than she ever imagined as the two grow closer…and closer.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one but I ended up not being able to put it down (like ignore husband and child to read). I’m not sure what it was about these characters’ dynamics and backstory but it really worked for me. Ironically the grumpy character didn’t frustrate me, but Lenny was a bit immature and that did irk me at times (but maybe I’m just old). I thought their backstories were well fleshed out and their characters gained dimension throughout the book - the ancillary characters added a lot to the story and all in all just a really great read. This author writes about NYC well (I’ve gotten frustrated lately with authors who choose NYC as a location but reflect the city inaccurately) and I always enjoy a hometown novel.

4.25

I recently saw a funny meme about someone who finds a new favorite book and they realize they're about to go stalk the author and their entire catalog of books...this is now me. This book seriously gave me all the feels. Miles is not only SUCH a great book boyfriend, but the plot and characters were somehow realistic and unique and I gushed over this relationship the entire time I read this book. It's so relatable and fresh and heartbreaking and lustful and just...good. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen and we will be purchasing this for the library.

Grief is something really hard to depict. It has many faces, it's complex and it changes from person to person. Cara did an amazing job at portraying that! This was a heartfelt book. And a VERY slow, slow burn.
I enjoyed a lot of parts of this book but I did struggle with others.
Lenny, the FMC, did get on my nerves at times. Miles, the MMC, had a bit of a hero complex to him. I did struggle with getting into their relationship, I feel like they could've stayed really good friends and that would've been prefect.
Overall, I did enjoy the plot of the story and how Cara tackled grief/death and the journey Lenny went through.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I haven’t read anything by Cara Bastone before but I was intrigued by this book when I saw it on NetGalley. I started it and finished it in nearly a day as it was so well written and the romance was amazing. I really loved how Cara portrayed the FMCs grief as realistic but it did not overtake the entire plot of the book. I also loved Ainsley as a character even though I am not one that usually likes kids in books or the single mom type drama. Overall, everything about this book was done so well, and was really reminiscent to me of Abby Jimenez books (one of my favorite authors!). I’d recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat who is looking for a real portrayal of romance to settle in and escape to.

I absolutely loved Ready or Not and I somehow adored Promise Me Sunshine even more! This book altered my brain chemistry.

Lenny's life is in shambles after her best friend died of cancer. She's sleeping on the Staten Island ferry because she can't go back to the apartment they shared together. But then she meets Miles, who is the uncle of the little girl she's nannying for. Miles has walked through his own grief journey and offers her a proposition: He'll help cross off items on her "live again" list if she helps him connect with his niece (and his sister).

This story felt utterly unique in every way. It wasn't completely built upon tropes, which is the case for many romance books.

And Lenny and Miles? Some of my favorite characters ever. They were fully realized and their dialogue was incredibly natural.

While this book deals with heavy topics, it was also hilarious! Cara Bastone is the queen of banter and funny quips, and I found myself laughing out loud many times.

This book touched my heart in so many ways. I loved seeing Miles go into hell with Lenny and drag her back out, as she tells her mom. I loved Lenny giving Miles the gift of connection with his remaining family in return. These two characters truly have a soulmate connection.

Cara Bastone's depiction of grief was so raw and relatable, too. At one point, she talks about the first time you really need someone who's gone to be there for you...and I immediately started crying. I felt for Lenny on every page.

Cara is officially an auto-buy author for me and I cannot wait for whatever is next from her!! Thanks so much to Cara, Dial Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

Lenny's best friend and roommate has died way too soon of cancer. Ever since then, Lenny has been nearly incapacitated by her grief. She ekes out an existence by stringing together short-term babysitting gigs, not feeling able to commit to anything long-term.

When she accepts a gig from single mother Reese and babysits her adorable daughter Ainsley, Lenny feels purpose and a slight twinge of happiness for the first time-even though she bothered by the Ainsley's ever-present grumpy uncle Miles, who doesn't seem to trust Lenny or her babysitting prowess.

When Lenny decides to take a chance and commit to a longer job babysitting Ainsley, she makes the most unlikeliest of agreements with Miles, who she reluctantly confides in about her devastating loss. Miles makes an unlikely proposition: he will shepherd Lenny through her grief journey as he too, has some experience in that area. He will be a "grief" guide, helping her to eat, sleep, and learn to take care of herself again in the midst of her crushing sadness.

Maybe, just maybe, a whole new life and love waits for Lenny on the other side. of the journey.

Promise Me Sunshine is a moving exploration of the process of grief and trying to find meaning and purpose in life again after unconscionable loss. Bastone captures the essence of grief and the different ways that people travel through this experience. Miles and Lenny are memorable characters. This novel will tug at your emotions and definitely bring tears to your eyes.

Definitely check out this moving loss-and love-story.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy!! Although it was a great story, the grief aspect hit me a little hard as I've been going through that this past year. But still a delightful read and I will check out this author again!

I loved this and thought it was a beautifully written story about the journey of grief and losing your loved ones.

Watching Lenny try to piece herself back together after losing her best friend, and find out how to survive without the other half of her soul was heartbreaking. Miles working through his own grief and difficult situation wanting to be part of another side of his family and then meeting Lenny and seeing past the mask she puts on, realising how difficult she is finding it to make it through the day, and wanting to help her - by sharing what he's learnt and just being there for the her and helping work through her 'back to life list'.

This aching beautiful slow burn made me break down crying so many times, making both Promise Me Sunshine and Ready or Not, two of my favourite reads this year.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After losing her best friend to cancer, Lenny’s life has become a bit of a mess. She’s avoiding her family, her apartment, and her old life. Enter Miles - a grumpy jerk she meets through her new job as a nanny. Although they have a rough first encounter, Miles may be just what she needs to help her find herself again.

This was such a beautiful story about friendship, grief, and love. I loved that Miles and Lenny’s relationship was grounded in friendship, and that the book focused on her healing journey. It was a refreshing take on a romance (with some signature Cara Bastone humor thrown in) and it definitely tugged on my heartstrings!

Overall a wonderful read and would definitely recommend!

This review has also been published on Goodreads.

Wow I loved this! The love story and characters were amazing and I couldn't stop reading it. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Cara Bastone!

This is the second book I've read from this author, and she covers hard topics so well. This is a slow burn romance, but what i love is that the friendships in this book and the healing are the main focus. It's not just another smutty romance, although there is a bit of spice.
The fmc is dealing with a heartbreaking loss, which if you have ever lost someone who made you feel empty inside, you understand the trauma she faced and the long, hard road to healing. It was exceptionally well done. This is a great book for someone with a broken heart or recovering from a loss.

I went into this book having no idea what it was about, I definitely was interested because of the cover alone. And omg I fell in love! I loved the slow burn and I absolutely loved the MMC 🥹🩷 such a warm read and I 100% recommend this. 4.5 for me!!!

Giving this one 4.5 stars, rounded up. Loved the relationship between Lenny and Miles. Their banter was so refreshing and it didn’t feel like this book fell into the same plot pattern as other contemporary romances, which I loved.