REVIEW: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

In Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone, When Lenny Bellamy lost her best friend since childhood, Lou, about six months ago to cancer, she couldn’t imagine herself one day moving on with her life. And honestly, she still can’t all these months later. The only bright spot in her meager existence is being a nanny. And after a referral to take care of seven-year-old Ainsley Hollis in the Upper West Side of NYC, Lenny becomes smitten with her new charge. And with Ainsley’s broody uncle, Miles. He’s a man of few words who admits to also having gone through the grieving process–and who’s willing to help Lenny cross a few items off the list she promised Lou she would accomplish to prove she’s still alive.

“You are not betraying her by healing,” he whispers directly into my ear. “You are honoring her. You are learning to love her exactly as she is. As someone who isn’t here anymore… That’s who she is now. And this journey through grief… It’s what we do for the great loves of our lives.”

As Lenny and Miles work through the Live Again list, a friendship blossoms that takes them both by surprise. Bit by bit, Lenny is able to help Miles bridge the distance with Ainsley and his sister Reese while he proves that she’s completely capable of making it through each day. It’s still a struggle sometimes. But eventually Lenny realizes she’s making solid strides, even if she feels guilty to be the remaining one in her and Lou’s dynamic duo. Miles is there through every step. And she soon finds herself wondering if what she feels for him is real. How her feelings of friendship have grown into that of romance, perhaps even love. And if she has the capacity to share her heart again so soon after Lou’s death.

‘How much of my personality is grief and how much is me? I am who I am because of Lou, but am I also who I am because Lou died?’

A novel that tackles some intense subjects but that managed to be an inspiring, joyful read as well, PROMISE ME SUNSHINE was another heartfelt story to treasure by Cara Bastone.

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

CW: View Spoiler »Grief, depression, cheating (historical, secondary cast), loss of a parent. « Hide Spoiler

PROMISE ME SUNSHINE could have been a very heavy, gutting novel about heroine Lenny losing her best friend, her soul mate, Lou to cancer about six months ago. And while, yes, there were some heart-rending moments that got me all misty-eyed, author Cara Bastone tempered it with laughter, care, and warmth. *And* with a cast who were 100% offbeat but completely real and lovely–plus an Easter egg from her previous novel Ready or Not!

It was cinnamon roll hero Miles–and his whip-smart seven-year-old niece Ainsley–who won me over from the start. You could just tell that he wasn’t normally a grumpy, standoffish guy. He was hurting. And it made him even more socially awkward than normal. Something that Lenny, who had a knack for reading people, figured out pretty quickly. But Miles picked up on the fact that Lenny was grieving just as fast and offered to help her through it, having been down that path himself several years ago.

It meant that there was a very, very, *very* slow burn of a romance that built between Lenny and Miles. I was completely okay with the slowed down pace, though. Lenny needed to work through some of her emotions after losing Lou. While I worry that some readers will see her as immature or wonder why she couldn’t just move forward, I thought Lenny was delightfully free-spirited and so very compassionate. You never knew what she’d say or do, which was part of the charm that Miles adored so much.

QOTD: Do you have a bucket list? If so, what have you crossed off so far?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: March 4th, 2025 | The Dial Press |

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 hole 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.