Where do I start? This book is heavy, realistic and just beautiful. Its a story about life after grief and the struggles after losing someone. I feel like the book is a little long but I still love every bit of it! The romance and love story is also very natural and very realistic. Definitely recommend! ❤️

Cara Bastone is one of those authors that’s a given for me. I’ll read anything she writes and have read them all. This book did not disappoint. Lenny is in the midst of some horrible grief. She meets miles and he is essential to bringing her back. It’s super cute. I love the characters from the start. I felt their connection and grief. Thanks to NetGalley, Cara Bastone and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Promise me Sunshine is one of the best books I’ve read this year! I loved every. single. word.

Lenny is lost in her grief after losing her best friend, Lou. Miles is desperate to connect with his sister and niece, his only remaining family. A last-minute babysitting gig drops Lenny into Miles’s life, and the ensuing connection they find leads to a beautiful story filled with humor and emotion.

Main characters Lenny and Miles are a dreamy grumpy-sunshine match. They’re flawed and relatable, and I absolutely loved their character development. The secondary characters are equally entertaining, and added so much to the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and, of course, Cara Bastone for this ARC opportunity!

Promise Me Sunshine held my hand and gently guided me through falling in love with Cara Bastone’s writing, again. I devoured Ready Or Not last year, giggling at a reading party in Brooklyn. It was the first of her novels I heard about/read. This one being the second. Now I have to go through the rest of her works — obviously. I’m in love.

As for a review, how do I say this concisely and comprehensively? NYC is one of my favorite cities to read about and there’s nothing like seeing this city illuminated in black and white, by an author who just gets it (much like there’s almost nothing worse than suffering through the POV of someone who doesn’t).

Cry in public! Hug in the middle of the street! Make out like no one else matters! These are moments pulled straight from my reality, and it makes imagining these characters all the more interesting. I truly love a blue collar worker. I adore the concept of a lovely and delusional ramble-brained lady.

When I read CB’s characters, I see myself reflected and I feel real. The whimsy and the laughter and the completely ‘unreal’ POV that most other people often ridicule and clearly don’t understand. Picturing myself in the oddities and strange synchronicities of it all is beyond words.

Long story short, Ready Or Not made me cry. And Promise Me Sunshine? My tears may or may not have been coincidental. I love Miles, I love Lenny, I love Lou. Every focal character in this book is deliciously flawed, but also kind and nuanced and enjoyable. I love it! (Can you tell?)

Thank you Cara Bastone for writing this book. Thank you #NetGalley for the digital ARC. Thank you for the existence of books about grief that can help me face my own losses and channel my tears through something more abstract than myself. And thank you for love stories that always make me want to see the other side.

4.5 stars. What a beautiful story of friends turning into lovers and a realistic portrayal of grief and losing a loved one. Lenny & Miles worked their way into my heart with their tender and easy way of being there for each other. The way Miles cared about Lenny and wanted to make sure she was happy and safe was actually everything to me. This book was not an easy read with the grief and flashback scenes but I thought the author did an amazing job keeping it lighthearted with humor and friendship. The character growth was absolutely stunning and I truly loved every character. The story was entertaining and fast paced, and I loved how Miles and Lenny were true friends to lovers. That really made this book for me and I loved it so much. Cara Bastone books will always tear me apart and put me back together and I love her for that 🧡

This book was amazing. I loved it. The raw grief that was portrayed was so emotional and real. Cara Bastone really knows how to write a good story!

I really enjoyed Promise Me Sunshine. The premise of the book, finding someone to help you through the dark days when grieving, isn’t something I’ve read before. I think this topic could have turned in a really dark direction, but Bastone did a great job of creating a lighthearted protagonist who portrayed the realities of grief while also having a great sense of humor.

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I loved the slow burn romance between Lenny and Miles. By the end I felt like I was practically screaming for them to get together already, and I appreciated how she let them each begin to heal together and separately before they proceeded with their relationship.
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I felt that the secondary characters were really well developed, and added so, so much to the overall storyline. Nobody felt gratuitous, everyone played a crucial role.

My only “complaint”, and I wouldn’t even say this is one, is that the book is very dialogue heavy, and that’s a writing style that is sometimes difficult for me to read and lends itself better as an audiobook for me to listen to. Really, that’s just an issue with my processing more than anything.

Bastone is making a name for herself on my shelf, if I ever want to really feel something when I’m reading/listening, I’ll be picking up one of her books.

Thank you to Cara Bastone and Random House Publishing for an eARC copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/4.75⭐️

this was my second book from Cara Bastone and now if she writes it, I will read it. I love the depth to her books and while this book wasn’t my fav compared to ready or not I absolutely loved it and the romance had me giddy. Cara knows how to write mmc that completely steal my heart and have me obsessed with their quiet steady love and it’s beautiful to see and read. Also the cover is absolutely stunning!

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Bastone, and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautifully relatable novel that explores grief, depression, and the slow, healing power of friendship and love. Lenny, a nanny between jobs, is a deeply empathetic character whose internal monologue brings so much warmth and honesty to the story. Her journey is complicated and real, especially as she navigates grief while daydreaming about a future with her charge's uncle, Miles. I appreciated how Ainsley, the seven-year-old Lenny is nannying, was portrayed with such realism—smart, funny, and true to life.

One of my favorite aspects was the slow-burn romance between Lenny and Miles. Their friendship builds naturally, with Miles offering unwavering support as Lenny copes with her past. This story really felt more like a friendship journey until about 80% through, when they finally shared their first kiss. For a romance novel, it made the experience feel special, even if I found myself impatient for that romantic turn! The mutual feelings and restraint made the payoff deeply satisfying.

At the end, the “live again” list was a wonderful touch, encouraging readers to embrace life and experience more. It felt like such a fitting conclusion to a story about moving forward and finding hope. This book was moving, beautifully written, and well-paced, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.

loved this one!!! although it felt a bit too long and i did find myself zoning out or skimming at a couple points, overall this is a really great story about grief and love and the journey of it all.

this is deffff a slow burn so keep that in mind going in, but i do think it’s worth it by the end. i love the love between lenny and miles, it just felt so geniune and emotional.

the portrayal of grief was done really well, although a bit .. dramatic? at times. another review on here says it almost felt like a caricature of what grief is “supposed” to be like and i feel like that describes it perfectly. it’s such a complex emotion and of course everyone goes through it in different ways, but it felt really basic at points.

if you want an emotional romance with hard hitting themes and possibly a couple tears mixed in, go for this one!! it does drag a bit but is still just a really great story.

thank you to netgalley & random house publishing group for the arc!! all opinions are my own <3

Promise Me Sunshine is a gorgeous novel about loss and love. Bastone does such a beautiful job of letting the reader into the mind of Lenny, the protagonist, as she navigates the raw grief of losing her lifelong best friend. The book portrays her struggles to function in her daily life and soon, meeting a stranger who also has personal experience with deep grief could be a way forward.

The tender ways in which Miles cares for Lenny are heartbreaking and sweet, and it was so beautiful to watch her slowly progress through many days and moments of blinding grief to finding joy again. This book doesn’t gloss over grief in any way, but shows how deeply healing it can be to walk through it with someone who’s been there.

The romance almost feels secondary in this novel, but not really! It's just an amazing slow-burn romance that feels utterly real and life-changing. I have to go and read all of Bastone’s prior novels now that I’ve seen what incredible emotional depth she brought to these characters. I cried while reading this, yes, but overall it left me with such a feeling of hope and determination to live well.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this read. I liked Resdy or Not last year so I was happy to read Promise Me Sunshine this year. Oh I loved these characters and it was so easy to ready. Cara, you got great humour for writing !! Whatever she comes out with next I want to read.

I really loved this sweet and heartfelt book. Miles is so genuine, sweet, gentle, and thoughtful. The beginning of this book feels pretty chaotic being inside Lenny's head, but upon reflection I'm sure it is meant to as that reflects where Lenny is at mentally and emotionally at that time. We really go on a beautiful, emotional journey with Miles and Lenny and I already miss them! I will be re-reading this one for sure!

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautifully written story about Lenny and Miles and dealt with the heavy topic of grief and the journey towards healing. I could feel Lenny’s pain from losing her best friend and how she was struggling to move forward in life while grieving. Miles knew how to support her to accomplish her Live Again list, resulting in Lenny depending on and taking care of herself. I loved the truly slow burn romance between Lenny and Miles and also the friendships they made along the way.
Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This wasn’t my first Cara Bastone book and it certainly won’t be my last either.

I loved Ready or Not, so I was excited to get my hands on this one!

Overall, I loved it. I found it took me a bit to get into it, but once we really got into knowing Lenny and Miles, I was hooked.

This was my second Cara Bastone read (Ready or Not was my first - and I LOVED it) - and I really enjoyed this one too. It was deep and emotional but sweet and hopeful. Solid 4 ⭐️!

📖 The Details:
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Grief | Best Friends & Found Family | Personal Journey

⏱️ Quick Summary:
After her best friend passes away after a long illness, Lenny tries to follow through on her promise to "Live Again" through a series of tasks - like visiting the Met as much as possible, eating something famous you can only get in NY, fall in love with a gorgeous man, etc. She takes a job nannying and ends up hanging out with the young girl's uncle, Miles - who knows a thing or two about grief.

💁‍♀️ My Take:
This was emotional at times, funny at times, and very very sweet at times. You could feel Lenny's grief through the pages, and you just wanted to be her friend and give her a hug. Miles was the perfect "grief wingman" with his own tragic backstory and thoughtful insight. They worked so well together and made you feel so many things along the way. Would recommend!

This book was difficult to read, but I loved every word! Lenny's heartbreak was devastating; Miles's patience was perfection; Jericho, Rica, Jeffy were fantastic; and Ans and Reese were just enough. The journey that Lenny went through felt real so I guess that's why I liked it so much. There was grit and perseverance and then love and acceptance...it was just really solid!

**Thanks NetGalley for the e-arc!

I fell in love with Cara Bastone's writing with Ready or Not (though unpopular opinion, I wish Eve had ended up with Ethan). So of course I jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of this book, and I'm so glad I did! Promise Me Sunshine is such a beautiful story of coming back from grief and loss and finding a new community of people who love and support you. It's also about finding your person. I loved both Lenny and Miles. Miles comes off as rough around the edges and leaves a terrible first impression, but he's actually a large teddy bear who would do anything for the people he loves. Lenny is so endearing, and I loved her voice. I think her journey through grief is universally relatable, even though we all grieve in different ways.

This is a very slow burn friends to lovers romance. I loved Miles and Lenny together. We also got an Ethan cameo, which was fun!

I definitely recommend this book. At times it's heavy, but it's also so heartwarming.

Thank you to Dial Press for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you for the ARC, I loved every second of this book, I can't wait to buy it and put it on my shelf!!!

Lenny lost her best friend to cancer. Lou was her guiding light, her joy, her partner in crime and now she is gone and Lenny is not coping. Formerly a full time nanny she now only takes temporary gigs because she refuses to let a kid down and showing up everyday is more then she can handle. Her newest job taking care of Ainsley comes with a slightly overbearing and judgmental uncle who won’t let the two out of his sight. But Miles is the first person in a long time to really see Lenny, and her overwhelming grief. The kind of loss you can only recognize from experience. Miles offers to help Lenny so her loss doesn’t consume her.
@carabastone has a real gift for writing about the hard and messy sides of life, without judgment. She finds the light in the dark for her characters without dismissing their emotions. This was a beautifully written book. Releasing March 4, 2025 I do recommend keeping an eye out for this emotional beauty.
Thank you to @netgalley and @thedialpress for letting me have a copy to review.
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