Promise Me Sunshine focused more on grief than on romance. There is a romance in this book, but it is a slow burn and, in my opinion, was not the main focus of the book. We follow Lenny, who has recently lost her best friend to cancer. Lenny is struggling with her grief. Lenny takes a job as a temporary nanny as a way to distract herself from her grief. Her most recent job has her looking after a child called Ainsley, which leads to her meeting Ainsley's uncle Miles.

Initially, Miles appears to disapprove of Lenny, but a friendship soon develops between the two as Miles helps with Lenny's grief. The relationship develops slowly, with an emphasis on emotional intimacy and mutual support rather than grand romantic gestures. I personally would have liked to see more of the romance.

There were times when this book felt a little too slow. Overall, I thought this was an ok read.

This is my first Cara Bastone book and it won’t be my last by her.
It took me a little while to get into the story. Once it happened, I fell in love with Lenny and Miles. Mile has been through first-hand what Lenny’s currently feeling. The way he helps her with her grief (of losing her best friend) was so beautifully written. The way Cara Bastone handles grief in general in this book was remarkable. My heart was crying for Lenny and Miles too who also lost important people in his life.
But this is only one side of the story. While Miles helps Lenny with her healing, Lenny helps Miles to find a connection to his half-sister and his niece. The effort Miles put in for his niece was so beautiful to read.
The romance is weaved in so organically and the slow burn was a very slow burn yet such a perfect pacing for this story. The tension especially the last few chapters was so satisfying to read. For my taste I didn’t need the spice scene, it could have been closed door.
All in all it was a heartwarming story with also lots of humor that gives a little breather of the sad major topic of the story.

This book gutted me. I have never cried so much in the first half of a book before. This was the first time Ive read a book focused around the loss of a best friend, so trigger warning if that is not the topic for you, and it was heartbreaking.

When Lenny and Miles meet, they are both the worst versions of themselves. Lenny is a living ghost, unable to function after the loss of her best friend Lou. Miles is clumsily trying to be there for his half sister after their shared fathers death revealed his existence to her (and he beloved dad's affair). But together, they make each other better. They are each others safe space, because if someone has already seen you at your worst, what do you have to lose?

I loved watching these two broken people heal and fall in love with each other, and the world around them. Bastone does a really good at making the story equally tragic and romantic, and it was an incredible read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Cara Bastone and Headline for the e-arc. All opinions are my own!

Super sweet slow burn romance. Would be a difficult read for those also grieving but really enjoyed seeing their journey.

Wow, this book hit me hard in the most amazing way. A beautiful story of grief and love and family (both blood and found)
I’m not sure how to adequately express how much I loved this book, it touched my heart and made me cry but ultimately it is a book about hope and about the ways we can find ourselves again after tragedy. Cara Bastone writes incredible, believable characters who behave in ways that may not always be in their best interests.the relationships between characters feels authentic and natural, every character gets their own story and none feel superfluous. This is definitely going to be one of the best books I read this year, and likely the best romance. I already want to read it again to have my heart broken and then put back together again.
Thanks to Headline and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t even bring myself to write a review that could possibly describe everything I loved about this books.
I never once saw grief written this way. So raw and beautiful.
What I love most about Cara Bastone’s writing is that we could se ourselves in the same place as the characters. This could be my story. Your story. Their story.
I found myself crying, giggling and hopelessly in love with this characters.
Can’t wait to read more books from this author.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a beautifully written journey of grief and learning to live again after losing someone important in your life.

Lenny's best friend passed away 6 months ago and she's been struggling to find her way out of the grief that constantly weighs her down but when she takes on a short nannying position looking after 7yr old Ainsley, she meets Ainsley's uncle Miles. He recognises very quickly that there is something Lenny is hiding from and so he starts to keep an eye on her, following her onto the Staten Island ferry that she's taken to sleeping on every night as she can't face her apartment.

Miles is fighting his own battles to get to know his niece and learn how to be someone Ainsley wants to spend time with so he enlists Lenny's help to get better with children while he becomes her grief companion.

Their friendship is amazing. Miles has lost people close to him as well and got through it alone so he understands what Lenny is dealing with and he does everything he can to just be there for her and guide her when she needs him. He shows up every single time Lenny calls him and he constantly checks in on her, encouraging her to eat, sleep and cry whenever she needs to.

I loved both characters. Lenny was so relatable even though it made me remember my own journey through grief. And Miles was the absolute best friend to her. I thought it was really sweet that he wanted to wait until Lenny was able to take care of herself before he was willing to start a relationship with her even though it was pretty clear they had both fallen in love.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I loved this! Their story
was so beautiful, raw, heartbreaking and the perfect depiction of how it is when you lose a loved one!

Also the perfect friends to lovers!

I loved this one but not quite as much as I did Ready or Not. Whilst the romance is there, the focus is on Lenny – I felt like I was reading it to see her growth and healing – which I was not opposed to and both broke my heart and put it back together. I felt like the romance with Miles was just a bonus to it. I enjoyed the sub plot of Miles and his family and will definitely be continuing to read more of Cara’s work as I can.

I really liked Cara Bastone's last book, Ready or Not, so I expected to like this one as well, but I didn't just like this - I LOVED this! So much!

I don't think I can articulate exactly what and why I loved this, but it just worked so well for me. Weeks after reading it, I still think about these characters, and I see myself re-reading it again and again! I love Cara's writing and characters. They felt real and had me sobbing while reading.

I loved this and I am so excited to read whatever comes next!

This was everything to me. It wrecked me but healed me at the same time.

As someone going through grief, this is one of the most honest, accurate depictions of grief I think I've ever seen. I cried so many times, not only over Lenny's grief but over the sheer understanding of grief that this book explores and how beautiful that was.

This is a romance, and it is deliciously slow burn, with Lenny and Miles slowly becoming friends before ever realising their feelings for each other. They were literally perfect together, and the love that Miles showed Lenny, unflinchingly, made me very emotional. How they get each other through their darkest days was beautiful, and I just felt like this story was incredibly powerful. Despite how much I cried, this book also made me laugh, and that's exactly what I wanted from it.

Without a doubt my favourite read of the year so far.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 4.85 stars ⭐️

⤿ 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 april 15
⤿ 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 april 25

⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🧡 strangers to friends to lovers
☀️ slow burn
🧡 grief
☀️ found family
🧡 grumpy x sunshine
☀️ healing

this book was such a beautiful portrayal of grief and depression. cara's writing is so genuine and everything felt so natural. like i could connect to lenny on such a deep level it was so insane. her feeling's of hopelessness and sadness just overpowering everything in her life.

she's frozen in time where here best friend died and never left. she hasn't been able to live after the funeral, barely surviving. miles is the one to bring her from the darkness and realize how important the small things are in life.

i can't believe i put off reading this one for so long because it's truly amazing and i need to buy my own copy asap.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

𝜗𝜚 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲
i just related to her on such a deep, huge level. her feelings and mental state for the first 30% of the book? it was like reading about my inner thoughts... so crazy. i think the reason i put off reading this one faster than i usually do is bc of that. like how in your face it is about important topics- mental health. she's so strong and i loved how we saw snippets of her life with lou. life sucks and sometimes takes away people who mean the most to you. i didn't relate to her on a grief level but everything else.

her realizing she needed to take care of herself before she could be in a relationship was such a mature and healing thing for me. like that does not happen usually in romance books- needs to be normalized. people should be in a healthy mental state before jumping into a relationship bc it's not just 'being in love' that's important.

literally the first 60% was not even about romance. i love that bc you need time to grow and restore your mental being before anything else. it's the priority and i loved that miles didn't like rush that.


𝜗𝜚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬
oh my gosh. everybody need a miles (at least i do) like the person who checks up on you when you can't check up on yourself.

guys i can't even write this review properly without tears falling bc of the acknowledgements the author left:

finally, one of lenny’s hardest lessons: the phone call. no one can be your miles if you don’t call them when you need them.

okay back to miles. so he's the guy who's always there for lenny whenever she needs someone to talk to. ugh he just makes me cry bc of how precious he is. like how many people can say that they have a miles in their life? not much for sure.

this book made me realize how important it is to actually live your life and not just go through the motions. like take a walk outside and enjoy the fresh air or the sunset. look for the small good things.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

ᝰ.ᐟ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥
this book was so good + anyone who's on the fence about this: go pick it up!! the first 30% might be kind of hard but PUSH THROUGH. so SO worth it, i literally binged 70% today lol

the spice is only like 1-2 scenes and not descriptive and it's at the very end so it's not important.


thank you to headline and netgalley for an e-arc

This book broke my heart and put it back together. Cara Bastone’s tale of love after loss is a must read for 2025

“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.“

Tropes:
-Grief & Healing
-Very Slow Burn
-He Falls First
-Friends To Lovers

This is my first book by Cara but it absolutely won’t be my last. Promise Me Sunshine was an emotional journey of loss, healing and how hard it can be dragging yourself out of the depth of grief.
I think books about grief are particular favourites of mine, it’s such a raw emotion & Cara conveyed this beautifully.

Lenny was such a fun character & I felt connected to her even in her vast grief…but star of the show was Miles I don’t think you can get a MMC more perfect. The sentences coming out of his mouth actually melted my heart. He is everything, prepare to make way for a new book boyfriend!

This book is a stark reminder that life can be awful, but with the right people helping you and quite literally dragging you back from hell, the sun will shine again. You will feel the joy of life again.

A massive thank you to @headlineeternal for my e-arc.

This novel is written extremely well because the emotions really hit you as you read. Predominantly, the depression and grief is evident throughout which actually made it hard for me to read because there was so much of it present. Definitely not a lighthearted read but thought provoking and inspiring to follow the characters' journeys together and see how they support each other too.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the eARC.

This book completely stole my heart. It’s one of those books that makes you feel everything—grief, healing, hope, and love—so vividly that I had to pause just to breathe sometimes. Lenny’s pain was so raw and real, and watching her slowly come back to life through the “Live Again” list was just... wow. It hit deep.

Miles? I adored him. Their relationship felt so genuine and tender. it wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly what both of them needed. I cried, I laughed, and by the end, I just wanted to hug this book and the characters.

This was my first read by Cara Bastone, and I’m already adding Ready or Not to my list. Her writing is emotional in the best way, and this story will stick with me for a long time. One of my favorites of the year for sure.

A million thanks to netgalley & @headlineeternal for the arc in exchange of an honest review!

6 ☆
if you’re in search of a cute, light & fluffy romance, let this be your warning.. this book is not that. it is riddled with grief, loss & healing.

‘promise me sunshine’ follows lenny & miles. lenny has recently lost the person she loved the most in this world, her twin flame, one half of her heart & her soulmate.. her bestfriend, lou. miles promises to help her complete her ‘live again’ list if she helps him better his relationship with his sister & niece..

lenny’s character is a heartbreakingly accurate portrayal of what life after loss looks like and how grief can turn your world upside down. how even the most mundane of tasks seem like they carry the weight of the world with them. this story is laced with sadness & the raw, heart breaking emotion of loneliness.

miles is the most selfless character i have ever read about. whilst dealing with his own loss of his parents and cousin, he helps lenny deal with her grief. he has the biggest, most purest heart. his emotional intelligence spoke to my heart. he is easily one of my favourite book boyfriends of all time 🥹

their love story is one of my most favourite love story i’ve read about in a long time. there were no big gestures, no over the top scenes. they have the kind of love that settles deep in your soul. the kind of love that grows so quietly. the kind of love that captivates you. the kind of love that anchors you.

in such a gentle & simple way, cara bastone crafted a story with characters that are unforgettable, a story of love that lives on & a story of grief. she shows how grief can be messy, raw & deeply gut wrenching while simultaneously reminding us that healing is possible and it will come.

this is a six star book simply because each page resonated with me & i know it will beckon me to return to its pages. it’s engraved into my heart. i would recommend this book to absolutely everyone 🧡

Promise me sunshine
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I've seen a lot of people praising this book and I can certainly understand why since it was a really sweet and heartwarming story.
The first thing that caught my attention upon reading was that this is not a romance book at all, or not primarily. It's more of a novel about overcoming grief and trying to find our footsteps again after losing someone we loved. In this sense, I believe that the author did an amazing job representing the topic in a way that felt realistic and not to overbearing with sadness, focusing on the ups and downs of the daily life.

The characters were really cute! I do love myself a gentle MMC who is present and stable. The friendship that's slowly forming between both of the main characters, for me, was the biggest ace on the book. It's set on daily small moments, on being there for each other and listen despite their differences.

However, even tho, in overall, I had a good time with the reading I also felt the plot lacking in several aspects. I would have loved to have the MMC's pov too. Miles had a very interesting story to tell, with his own losses and his family dinamic and I feel that all of this topics were pretty much brushed over, they had no real depth.
Also, the autor did, like I said, a really good job portraying the friendship but not so much the romance honestly. Except for a few small moments, it was almost as if the FMC suddenly start developing romantic feelings in the last 20% of the book and from that point on everything related to this felt rushed. Cause, I understand and love a good slow burn + friends to lovers but they were only giving friendship vibes nothing else, I missed a prior attraction on both ends and a also a bit of tension. For all I felt, they could've just stayed friends and not a couple, due to this some of their finale romantic scenes were kinda weird for me to read.

This said, I still recommend the book! It's hopeful, if not entirely a light read, heartwarming and in general a good experience.

I love Cara Bastone and I loved this book. I have read a lot of her books and this one did not disappoint!

Such a heartwarming beautiful story that goes much deeper than a simple romance book. It was a whirlwind of emotions making you feel a whole range of emotions with a special focus on friendship, loss and healing. The author did a really good job on the subject of grief and everything that comes with it which is what truly makes this book so special. I really liked the characters, even though i didn’t immediately love Lenny it’s impossible not to end up liking and connecting with her. And Miles? Miles is the standard. I love him with my whole heart.