Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is a story about love, loss, and finding the courage to move forward, set against the vibrant yet isolating backdrop of New York City. Ready or Not was one of my favorite reads of 2024, so needless to say, this was a highly anticipated release for me—and it did not disappoint.

Lenny and Miles have the kind of connection that feels raw and real. Lenny is struggling—grappling with grief, trying to rebuild, and doing her best to stay afloat. Miles, steady and patient, helps her through her grief, and in return, she helps him forge a relationship with his sister and niece.

“He treats you well?”
“Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out.”

Do not get me started on Miles—this man has officially raised the bar for all book boyfriends going forward!

It was sad, it was sweet, it was funny (I laughed out loud multiple times)… I just adore Cara’s writing. I can’t wait to get a physical copy to annotate.

I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year!

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5⭐️

Promise Me Sunshine is my second Cara Bastone book, and it definitely won’t be my last! I’m officially Cara’s number one fan, completely devoted to her beautifully devastating stories filled with love, hope, heartbreak, and incredibly soft romance.
Promise Me Sunshine broke me and then brought me back to life. I cried multiple times! Cara handles grief with such a tender touch, reminding us that life goes on and love never dies. This story will forever stay in my heart, and I know I’ll be coming back to it again and again.

"He treats you well?"
"Mom, he walked into hell and dragged me back out"

Lenny was such a well-written character. Over the course of the story, I related to her on so many levels. I can't even begin to fathom the grief she was going through, and my heart broke every time she mentioned her best friend. Even though we only meet her through Lenny’s stories, it felt like we knew her, her friendship and love for best friend so well.

This book is so much more than just a romance. It’s about surviving unimaginable loss and learning how to move forward while carrying that grief with you. It teaches us that even in the depths of sorrow, we can still carry on, and that even if you’ve lost all your purpose, there’s still so much more worth living for.
Lenny starts in such a dark place at the beginning of the book, barely surviving each day. She works as a nanny for a lively 7 year old girl, always being professional and cheerful on the outside while hurting deeply on the inside, until she meets Miles. Miles who day by day slowly brings her back to life. Miles is the kind of person who would do almost anything for the people he loves. His and Lenny’s characters couldn’t be more different, yet despite that, they balanced each other so beautifully. Their chemistry was perfect, and I lived for their banter and every small, tender moment they shared.

If you're looking for a fluffy, smutty romance this isn’t the book for you. While the story is filled with humour, banter and countless cute, romantic, and tender moments, it leans more heavily on the emotional side. If you're a fan of Emily Henry or Jessica Joyce, you’ll definitely love this book as well!

If you haven't already, please add Cara Bastone to your author auto-buy list! She stole my heart with Ready or Not last year, and now with Promise Me Sunshine! I’m hooked. I’ll read anything she writes! The book was just published, but I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, the audiobook is AMAZING! Narrator Alex Finke does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. I can’t recommend it enough!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was perfection, and the chemistry between the two was so realistic and refreshing. Emotional, funny and with banter that kept me turning the pages. Ive even asked my kids for a physical copy for Mother’s Day!!

Wow, this book was special. Yes, it's a romance story, but it is so much more than that: it's firstly a story about grief and everything that comes with it; it's about friendship and family; it's about moving on and life after loss; and it's about love, both self-love and romantic.

I immediately loved Lenny and felt for her and what she was going through. The author did a really good job in writing her grief and how she is being affected by it, and I felt Lenny's anguish and heartbreak. She was very relatable and it made me so happy to see her slowly move on and start taking care of herself. Miles was a really great MMC, he was awkward, sweet, and reliable, and so swoon-worthy. His backstory was sad but I loved that he made a big effort to connect with Ainsley and Reese. His relationship with Lenny was so honest, loving and understanding, and it was a pleasure to read. I actually loved that it was awkward and funny when they first get together, because it was just so fitting to their relationship and personalities!

The pace of the story was good, and although there are a lot of heavy and emotional moments, there were lots of heart-warming, light-hearted and funny scenes as well, so while you may tear up, you will be laughing too!

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline Eternal, and Cara Bastone for the opportunity to read an eARC!

Let me start by saying that this is my second book by Cara Bastone and it was absolutely beautiful. This is SO much more than a romance book. This is a story about grief, about moving on and about friendships we find along the way.
This book is just beautifully written and so raw and emotional. If you ever lost someone I think you'll find a lot of comfort in this book but also you'll feel seen.
The romance is a slow burn but absolutely beautiful. It's heartwarming and I just can't stop thinking about it.
Can't wait to get a physical copy to reread and so pretty annotations. There are so many beautiful quotes!!

Thank you Headline Eternal for the arc for this book!!

“Lenny, when I look at your face, I feel like I’m finally home after a really long day at work.”

Ever since cancer stole away her best friend, Lenny has been completely lost. Having just landed a temporary babysitting job, she meets Miles, a grumpy guy who seems to know a lot about grief. He offers to help her through it as she helps him to connect with his little niece Ainsley and her mother Reese.

I couldn't help falling in love with this from the beginning. Lenny was quite the character with her quirky humour and love-at-first-sight fantasies. The brokenness within her was so raw but it never scared Miles away. Even as they grew closer while he helped her, I loved that he put her first before anything else.

I loved watching Miles connect with Ainsley. Reese had no choice but to soften up from all the cuteness overload. I also loved Ethan's cameo (from Ready Or Not). I wonder if he'll ever get a story 🤭

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5⭐
Steam level: 3.5🌶️ One moderate open door scene

An emotional read. Lenny is struggling after losing her best friend to cancer. When she meets Miles they do not get along, but as she starts to get to know him, and finds out that he understands grief more than most, they start to spend more time together. he is her rock, but will he become more? A fab read.

I really felt like the grief representation and conversation around it was done so well here! I really liked the characters and the build up of the relationship between Miles & Lenny. I did feel like it lost me a bit in the middle but I did get back into it towards the last 25% I appreciated that there was no third act breakup and I loved the way it wrapped up!

I don’t think I can put into words how much I loved this book. What a heartfelt and emotional ride that was. Lenny and Miles are just adorable and the support they showed each other was everything. I always devours everything Cara writes but this one was just perfection for me. Honestly, just read it.

Taking such a thoughtful approach to its heavy subject matter, this was a poignant yet hopeful read. The story leant compassion to its characters and easily had me rooting for them.

Would I recommend?... Yes! But be forewarned that this book doesn't shrink away from the messiness, rawness and complexities of grief.

Read for:
- sensitive discussion of grief
- tender romance
- kind-hearted characters who go above and beyond
- repairing of family bonds
- gentle pace

The teariest, most beautiful 6 stars for an all time favorite right here! This was such a profound exploration of grief, real and relatable. If you follow my reviews, you'll know that one of my pet peeves in romances focused on grief that we never get a real connection to the deceased person, making it harder to center the story around them because they are already gone. The author here did a phenomenal job of making Lou feel present and real even though she is already gone before the novel starts.
The characters in this were stellar! Lenny and Miles (and Jericho, and Ainsley, and Reese, and Rica, and Jeffy, and Lenny's parents, and EMIL!) have my whole heart. The romance was so real and believable and tender, and it just felt like falling in love yourself. And while I adored the romance truly, I just have to say how much I LOVED LOVED LOVED our FMC Lenny. Ugh. I could relate to her so much, to how hard it is to pull yourself out of a dark place like this. And she was so real and messy and honest and vulnerable, and her journey isn't linear, and I'm so proud of her.
This book really hit me in my feels and I can't recommend it enough.
This is my first novel by Cara Bastone, but I will now dive into her backlist. Really impressed with her lyrical and at the same time whimsical writing.
(Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Bastone and Headline Eternal for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

I don’t know where to start. This book gave my heart such a workout. Bastone portrays grief in such a raw and relateable way, but balances it with an intensely genuine, sweet and swoony romance. I absolutely savoured Lenny and Mile’s journey and was really sorry it had to end.

This is a slow burn romance, and rightly so, as Miles helps Lenny to heal and find her way back to herself. Their relationship is patient, safe and respectful, and I loved the way they were able to find and celebrate the best pieces of each other.

Filled with humour, warmth, and enough tears to justify having a box of tissues on hand, Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful story of loss, friendship and romance. My favourite read of the year so far, I would highly recommend.

Thank you Headline for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Promise Me Sunshine is a beautiful story about loss, grief, healing, navigating the world after losing a soulmate, and learning to live again.

By 10%, I already knew I loved this book, and throughout the following 90%, my love for it only grew.

“This is a love story, I swear. This is what happens when you’ve promised someone you’ll live again.”

This book made me feel a wide range of emotions, starting with being completely devastated for Lenny, her loss, and everything she was feeling. I felt her sadness, heartbreak, and hopelessness about continuing to live without a person who was so important to her. Her character made me face the hard truth that my style of coping with grief is also avoiding it, which made me feel even more attached to Lenny.

When Miles stepped into the picture, I couldn’t help but swoon and kick my legs. I swear Cara wrote this book thinking of me because I am nothing if not a sucker for small, quiet acts of love and care, and there were so many of them that I was literally in my personal heaven. Buying a shampoo and conditioner for her (when he’s more of a 2-in-1 kind of guy) and washing her hair, feeding her, and finding her his own nickname because all the people who love her have one for her?! That’s just a few of the swoony things Miles did that made me melt into a puddle.

I loved Lenny and Miles’s dynamic, especially the way these two people, who had been through so much, found each other and helped each other through their struggles. I absolutely loved Miles’s bluntness and the way he steered Lenny through her grief, which complimented Lenny’s mysteriously working and fun brain, her charming weirdness, and sunshine attitude (when she wasn’t drowning in tears — for obvious reasons). I can’t even explain how soft my heart is for these two.

Promise Me Sunshine is one of those books I know I’ll return to in the future, especially in moments of grief when life feels too heavy. It will remind me that even in times of great loss, life gets easier with each passing moment.

Thank you Headline for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Fabulous!

I can smell New York. I can see the water over the side of the Staten Island ferry. I can hear the city, and taste the turkey sandwiches in this terrific romance.

Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend Lou, only six months before. She's stuck in her grief and has effectively stopped functioning. She gets a short-term gig as a babysitter as she can't manage a permanent job. There she meets seven-year-old Ainslie, her mother Reese, and uncle Miles. These three have a hostile and complicated family dynamic. Once Miles realises the extent of Lenny's grief, he offers to help her, if she can help him navigate his family.

Cara's writing is beautiful - and delicious. It’s just so vivid. The characters are so knowable. I can feel Lenny’s desperation, her sleeplessness, but also her humour. Even at her lowest, Lenny is hilarious, and it doesn't take long for Miles to be enchanted. He takes care of her in the most heartwarming ways, but also teaches her to take care of herself.

The depiction of grief is visceral: "Time dogpiles me and I marvel at the fact that anyone, ever, has the strength to get up off the floor. " Lenny’s journey back to living from her darkest time unfolds in the small stuff. It’s tender and gentle and wonderful.

I was hooked from the first page. I adored all the characters, cried for Lenny, laughed at Miles, and couldn't wait for them to get together. I had to though, as it's a super slow burn. Between all the little things - sandwiches and sweatshirts, thrift shop outfits, new friends, Live Again Lists and all the possible permutations of family, this is glorious! It all threads together as an elegy to Lou, a serenade to New York and an almost-perfect celebration of romance 💕💕

Thank you Cara Bastone, Headline Eternal and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I write this review while on my way to add every single book from Cara to my TBR. This is my second book from her (after Ready or Not) and my second 5 stars.

This was such a strong story. Lenny is drowning in her grief from loosing her best friend, and Miles recognises it and understands it because he’s been there before. He offers her support, a shoulder to cry on, someone to call in the middle of the night, he makes her eat and sleep, and helps her take it one day at a time until there is more to life than her grief. In return, she can help him connect with his sister and niece, and find how he fits in their family. This is much more than a romance but a story of finding strength and living life again, and Cara’s writing was outstanding.

If it's one thing I'm going to love it's a romance where the main character is also on a grief journey. Don't ask me why, but I fall for it every time.
This was a beautifully raw portrayal of grief, balanced with romance and humour. It was well paced, the yearning and growth of relationship between Miles and Lenny.
5 stars.

MILES, the man you are! 💜🫠

<i>”Well, I can’t promise the sunshine. But I can do every thing else.”</i>

Miles can actually promise sunshine as he brings light to everywhere he goes.

This book was such a surprise! It just crashes your feelings to fix them up after. A devastatingly beautiful love story about how to learn to live again. I have nothing but praise for it.

Nothing beats friends to lovers when it’s well written, and this is it!

<i>I would like to thank Headline | Headline Eternal and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This was such a pleasure to read from start to finish.

📚 friends to lovers
📚 slow burn
📚 nanny x uncle
📚 washes her hair
📚 grief
📚 “grief wingman”
📚 single POV

🌶️

“Home is where the heart is. My heart died in a cancer ward six months ago”

|Thoughts|
This story made me fall in love with the friends to lovers trope. And whilst it is a true slow burn, it’s actually for a really sweet reason that fits with the characters and story.

So glad I picked this one up. I’ve listened to the authors duet narrations and loved them and this was no exception.

“She’s not a mess,” he says in a low voice. “She’s perfect”

Whilst this is a love story a strong theme is grief, which I think is handled well and had me teary at times.

“I feel like I’m down two daughters”

As difficult as Miles finds it to connect to his family, he is truly such a walking green flag. And he is just so swoony in how he continues to care for Lenny, even in the small ways. The way he goes out of his comfort zone to help her finish her list was so enjoyable to read.

“Say If your a bird, I’m a bird”
“That’s not even from the right movie!”
“Just say it”

So glad I picked this one up. I’ve listened to the authors duet narrations and loved them and this was no exception. Reminds me of Jimenez.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!

Today is finally the publishing day and I'm excited for everyone else to read this! It was so fun to read this slow burning journey between Lenny and Miles. Their friendship was sweet and the author captured Lenny's grief perfectly. Reminds me of that quote from WandaVision - "What is grief if not love persevering?" Looking forward to more releases from this author!

This book was a breath of fresh air wrapped up in a warm hug. I simply adored it and everyone who has known someone who is grieving should read this. Both main characters were simply incredible but for very different reasons. Normally I will like one more than the other but in this one I just couldn't choose. As the author says in her dedication, everyone needs a Miles in their life. Someone who loves you unconditionally and lets you be your own self no matter who that is. The romance was a real slow burn but in the absolute best way that when it got there it really got there. This one will stay with me for a while. I will read and buy anything this author puts out just based on the strength of this book. Not to be missed, you won't regret it.