Promise Me Sunshine

I requested an advanced copy of Promise Me Sunshine based solely on my love of the author's previous work - namely her Audible Originals short stories which made me an instant fan of Cara Bastone. 

I jumped into this book without reading the blurb - not realizing it's about grief and the loss of a friend - and ended up reading it during an emotional month for me. It's been seven years since I lost my friend Kym to leukemia, so this book hit me hard emotionally.

Promise Me Sunshine is a sweet, slow burn love story with humour and heart that uses the Friends to Lovers and Grumpy vs Sunshine tropes. Miles and Lenny were cute together with Miles being a delightful 'cinnamon roll' of a guy with a grumpy exterior who sees through the facade Lenny puts on and relates to the impact grief has had on her life. 

Through Lenny, we witness the complex and emotional journey of someone experiencing grief. We see how she's learned to mask her grief to get through her daily life and the toll it takes on her mental health, relationships and quality of life. Her journey is realistic, relatable and I appreciate that Bastone doesn't offer up an easy fix. 

I read parts of this book with tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat. But I also found myself giggling because Bastone's sprinkles humour throughout this romance to add levity in a story that is a sensitive portrayal of loss that gives comfort and acknowledgement to people who are on their own grief journey.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Dial Press for the complimentary digital copy which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Cara Bastone

Genre: Romance

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: The Dial Press (Penguin Random House Canada)

First Published: March 4, 2025

Read: January 14 - 21, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

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.