Name: Promise Me Sunshine
ISBN: ISBN139780593595732

Cara Bastone

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.

Promise Me Sunshine 

The next day is here but I haven’t done anything to say farewell to the last one. Time dogpiles me and I marvel at the fact that anyone, ever, has the strength to get up off the floor.

Let me set expectations first, because they matter for this book. Promise Me Sunshine is not literary fiction and never pretends to be. It isn't reaching for philosophical depth, and it isn't vain about its own cleverness either. What it does, and does well, is hold all of us in its palm and let us be ourselves. Bastone knows exactly what kind of book she's writing, and that self-awareness is half of why it works.

Structurally, this is a fascinating little machine. It's almost entirely dialogue, with very little narration carrying the load. That construction usually fails. Books that lean this hard on dialogue tend to feel thin, like you're watching characters talk in a void. Here it doesn't, because the pacing carries you through without ever forcing it or dragging, and because the voices are distinct enough to hold the weight the prose isn't trying to. It's fast, the sentences are short, nothing is vivid or ornate, and that simplicity consistently serves the accessibility rather than costing the book emotional depth. This is a deliberate, controlled choice, not a limitation.

The grief structure is the smartest thing Bastone does. This is a grief story wearing a romance as its outer layer, and the two aren't just stitched together, they grow from the same root. Lenny and Miles fall for each other while trying to save each other. "He walked into hell and dragged me back out." But Bastone never lets the romance neatly resolve the grief, which is the trap most books like this fall into. The grief keeps showing up, in small things, threaded all the way through, and the love blossoms from inside it rather than erasing it. That honest tension is what gives an otherwise light book its real weight.

Lenny is the fully drawn character here, and she runs the show completely. Her grief, her wit, her chaotic mind, all of it is rendered with specificity. Miles, by contrast, functions more as the steady, patient vehicle for her healing. You see parts of him as he reveals himself to her, but it's clear whose story this is. I'd normally count a love interest who exists mostly to hold space for the protagonist as a flaw, but in a book this committed to one woman's interior journey, it reads as a deliberate framing rather than an oversight.

The predictability is worth talking about honestly, because it's predictable from the very first pages and it does not matter at all. This is the advantage of a feel-good book done properly. There's no pretense, no sense of being misled, you know exactly where it's headed and you happily ride there alongside them. Comfort fiction is supposed to feel good, and the reassurance of knowing the shape of the ending is part of what makes it safe to feel something while you're grieving. Done badly, predictability is a weakness. Done like this, it's the entire point, and a genuine strength.

My honest criticism, and this is personal taste, is the spice. I'm a closed-door reader by preference, so the roughly five pages of detailed foreplay weren't for me, and I skimmed. The moment Bastone referred to his manhood as "his pal," I was fully out. It's a small thing, but the cutesy language clashed with the emotional sincerity of everything around it.

Fair warning on tone: this book runs on a lot of Gen Z energy. Lenny is as quirky as they come, and if you don't enjoy over-dramatic, chaotic characters, this might not land for you. For me, it was infectious. The banter made me laugh out loud more than once, and that levity is doing real structural work, giving you somewhere to breathe between the heavier grief beats.

I listened on audio, and Alex Finke carried the whole damn book. I ran it at 2x speed, which I recommend, and even sped up she captured every emotion in it. Every sigh, every heartache, every grief-stricken thought Lenny carried. In a book that's mostly dialogue, the narrator is doing an enormous amount of the characterization, and Finke delivers it. I've already ordered a physical copy, which is the highest compliment I can give an audiobook.

At its core, this book takes your grief-stricken, broken heart, heals a small part of it, and sets you down among other grieving hearts. It reminded me that as I move through my own grief, the happy, smiling people around me are carrying theirs too, in the only ways they know how. Two moments I'm taking with me: Lenny inventing a quick, kind future with every new person she meets, judgment left at the door, and Miles closing his eyes to savor a moment, committing it to memory.

I'd never read Cara Bastone before. Consider me converted.

Michelle Dsouza

Where do I even start with this one.

Let me set expectations first, because they matter for this book. Promise Me Sunshine is not literary fiction and never pretends to be. It isn't reaching for philosophical depth, and it isn't vain about its own cleverness either. What it does, and does well, is hold all of us in its palm and let us be ourselves. Bastone knows exactly what kind of book she's writing, and that self-awareness is half of why it works.

Structurally, this is a fascinating little machine. It's almost entirely dialogue, with very little narration carrying the load. That construction usually fails. Books that lean this hard on dialogue tend to feel thin, like you're watching characters talk in a void. Here it doesn't, because the pacing carries you through without ever forcing it or dragging, and because the voices are distinct enough to hold the weight the prose isn't trying to. It's fast, the sentences are short, nothing is vivid or ornate, and that simplicity consistently serves the accessibility rather than costing the book emotional depth. This is a deliberate, controlled choice, not a limitation.

The grief structure is the smartest thing Bastone does. This is a grief story wearing a romance as its outer layer, and the two aren't just stitched together, they grow from the same root. Lenny and Miles fall for each other while trying to save each other. "He walked into hell and dragged me back out." But Bastone never lets the romance neatly resolve the grief, which is the trap most books like this fall into. The grief keeps showing up, in small things, threaded all the way through, and the love blossoms from inside it rather than erasing it. That honest tension is what gives an otherwise light book its real weight.

Lenny is the fully drawn character here, and she runs the show completely. Her grief, her wit, her chaotic mind, all of it is rendered with specificity. Miles, by contrast, functions more as the steady, patient vehicle for her healing. You see parts of him as he reveals himself to her, but it's clear whose story this is. I'd normally count a love interest who exists mostly to hold space for the protagonist as a flaw, but in a book this committed to one woman's interior journey, it reads as a deliberate framing rather than an oversight.

The predictability is worth talking about honestly, because it's predictable from the very first pages and it does not matter at all. This is the advantage of a feel-good book done properly. There's no pretense, no sense of being misled, you know exactly where it's headed and you happily ride there alongside them. Comfort fiction is supposed to feel good, and the reassurance of knowing the shape of the ending is part of what makes it safe to feel something while you're grieving. Done badly, predictability is a weakness. Done like this, it's the entire point, and a genuine strength.

My honest criticism, and this is personal taste, is the spice. I'm a closed-door reader by preference, so the roughly five pages of detailed foreplay weren't for me, and I skimmed. The moment Bastone referred to his manhood as "his pal," I was fully out. It's a small thing, but the cutesy language clashed with the emotional sincerity of everything around it.

Fair warning on tone: this book runs on a lot of Gen Z energy. Lenny is as quirky as they come, and if you don't enjoy over-dramatic, chaotic characters, this might not land for you. For me, it was infectious. The banter made me laugh out loud more than once, and that levity is doing real structural work, giving you somewhere to breathe between the heavier grief beats.

I listened on audio, and Alex Finke carried the whole damn book. I ran it at 2x speed, which I recommend, and even sped up she captured every emotion in it. Every sigh, every heartache, every grief-stricken thought Lenny carried. In a book that's mostly dialogue, the narrator is doing an enormous amount of the characterization, and Finke delivers it. I've already ordered a physical copy, which is the highest compliment I can give an audiobook.

At its core, this book takes your grief-stricken, broken heart, heals a small part of it, and sets you down among other grieving hearts. It reminded me that as I move through my own grief, the happy, smiling people around me are carrying theirs too, in the only ways they know how. Two moments I'm taking with me: Lenny inventing a quick, kind future with every new person she meets, judgment left at the door, and Miles closing his eyes to savor a moment, committing it to memory.
I'd never read Cara Bastone before. Consider me converted.

"The only way out is through."


Strangely enough, I feel like they would have been better as best friends too. The friendship was so beautifully crafted and I think that's what drew me in to stay until the end. 

💌 : “grief is a relationship... it's the way we figure out how to keep loving them even though they're gone. aand in order to do that we have to keep going. and going and going.” ⋆˙⟡

this book was a whirlwind. at first i didnt like miles, he was an asshole and passed judgment with not a care in the world, but then when they had their first proper interaction i was like, wait... maybe he really is a softie at heart. 

as i got to know both lenny and miles i grew more and more connected to them in their own ways. lenny is full on and weird and i loved her. miles was closed off and broody and guess what? i also loved him too. 

they were honestly perfect for each other and exactly what the other needed. the way they learnt what each other needed and were that for each other was beautiful. i could not imagine them ever breaking up which just means they are soulmates (i'm always right.) 

learning about lou through lenny was heartbreaking and it often made me weep but i know she's looking down on her and she's so proud. 

cara wrote grief so beautifully and i just am in awe. this book was a masterpiece and i will now go read everything she has ever written (fuck you for making me cry though.) 

“i’m never sleeping when i close my eyes like this with you.” 

he pauses and i think he might not answer. 

but then he says, “i’m committing the moment to memory.”

💌 : “grief is a relationship... it's the way we figure out how to keep loving them even though they're gone. aand in order to do that we have to keep going. and going and going.” ⋆˙⟡

୨ৎ — 5/5

this book was a whirlwind. at first i didnt like miles, he was an asshole and passed judgment with not a care in the world, but then when they had their first proper interaction i was like, wait... maybe he really is a softie at heart. 

as i got to know both lenny and miles i grew more and more connected to them in their own ways. lenny is full on and weird and i loved her. miles was closed off and broody and guess what? i also loved him too. 

they were honestly perfect for each other and exactly what the other needed. the way they learnt what each other needed and were that for each other was beautiful. i could not imagine them ever breaking up which just means they are soulmates (i'm always right.) 

learning about lou through lenny was heartbreaking and it often made me weep but i know she's looking down on her and she's so proud. 

cara wrote grief so beautifully and i just am in awe. this book was a masterpiece and i will now go read everything she has ever written (fuck you for making me cry though.) 

“i’m never sleeping when i close my eyes like this with you.” 
“then what are you doing?” 
he pauses and i think he might not answer. 
but then he says, “i’m committing the moment to memory.”

“grief is is the last and final act of love.” i read somewhere that we never truly heal, we just learn how to live around our wounds. the size of grief stays the same but we grow, we get bigger and that is what makes the difference. we carry our grief wherever we go. sometimes, it burns a hole through our hearts. others, it helps us get through our life. grief is such a difficult emotion to hold, to carry and i’m deeply touched by how gentle the book is—towards its readers, towards the topics it talks about. it’s a kind and caring book. to carry grief is, perhaps, a proof that we have loved and will continue to. miles didn’t promise lenny sunshine but he tried to give it to her and that’s what matters—to be seen trying and to have someone try for you. 

開花

Annabella

So there is no denying I was nervous to read this one. I didn’t love Cara Bastone’s previously released book, and I didn’t originally plan to read this one. But my friends convinced me to read it so I went into it with as open of a mind as I can. Now I did like the plot line for this book than the other one which made me very hopeful. I also have to give it to Alex Finke, the narrator of the book, Alex put her absolute all into this book. Now I can see how people would absolutely love it, I’m on the fence. That leads to my biggest drawback was the quirkiness of the FMC. I know that a lot of it was a shield but I can’t lie that as I was listen it took me back and the amount of times my eyes widened from how exuberant parts of the book was and how I don’t think I liked it. But the overall storyline and the message was good and I think had I physically read it I think I would have loved it more. So I can say I’ll be interested in what Cara releases next especially if the storyline and emotional impact are like this. 

Priscilla Stanfield

3.5/5⭐️ • 1/5🌶️

So there is no denying I was nervous to read this one. I didn’t love Cara Bastone’s previously released book, and I didn’t originally plan to read this one. But my friends convinced me to read it so I went into it with as open of a mind as I can. Now I did like the plot line for this book than the other one which made me very hopeful. I also have to give it to Alex Finke, the narrator of the book, Alex put her absolute all into this book. Now I can see how people would absolutely love it, I’m on the fence. That leads to my biggest drawback was the quirkiness of the FMC. I know that a lot of it was a shield but I can’t lie that as I was listen it took me back and the amount of times my eyes widened from how exuberant parts of the book was and how I don’t think I liked it. But the overall storyline and the message was good and I think had I physically read it I think I would have loved it more. So I can say I’ll be interested in what Cara releases next especially if the storyline and emotional impact are like this. 

✨But the thing about losing the person you love the most on earth is—somehow—you still have to do mundane things like tie your shoes and make enough money to continue to exist in this punishing world.

✨“If we do this, I will not let you drown.” I gasp for air. He’s winded me. The water rushes in. Is it silly that I didn’t realize I was drowning until he told me he won’t let it happen?

✨“It’s not pronounced like honey. It’s Ho-nee. Rhymes with—” “Baloney.” “I usually say pony, but sure. Whatever.”

✨“Something good for you.” He points at the oatmeal. “Something bad for you.” He points at the croissant. “And a change of scenery.” He points at the bakery. “Huh?” “It’s hard-won wisdom. A formula I figured out in my dark days. One I still need sometimes. When everything is going dark and you can’t understand why… when the grief catches up to you again… Or when your sister shouts at you and you feel like the world’s biggest tool. Just remember. Something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery. That’s the winning formula.”

✨“If I run up this hill… I want… an afternoon beer. And… sunshine. And… a basket of fried shrimp. And… a view of the ocean.” He blinks at me. And then at the cloudy sky. It’s been a full day since my trip to the Met and the clouds haven’t let up yet. “Well, I can’t promise the sunshine. But I can do everything else.”

✨I want something that feels… natural, even if it’s not always sexy. Because relationships change so much while you’re in them. And so do the people. Even if you start out wanting one thing, a few years down the road you might want something completely different.” “That’s… the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard.” He laughs. “No, it’s not. Think of it this way: relationships have phases and they’re supposed to. If you’re gonna be in a relationship with someone for life, it’s like driving from one end of the country to the other. If you do the whole thing in first gear, you’re gonna overheat and cook your engine.”

✨“Hey, Lou. Miles says when you left, you took my heart with you. He says it was like a heart transplant. Only…” I lean forward and thump my chest. My hair falls in a tent around me, blocking out the light. “I don’t know what this new heart is supposed to be living for.”

✨Miles: Just double checking here: have any of you ever actually been camping? Lenny: Nope. Jericho: Nah. Jeffy: No. Rica: What part of this conversation makes you think I have?

✨“Lenny, the stakes are low with you because you’re the most loyal person I’ve ever met. You’re fully on my team. Now that you’re here, I think there’s very little I could do to kick you out… I don’t have to worry about losing you. I can just… relax.”

✨“I think I might be falling in love with someone, Mom. With someone who has saved me these last few months.” I cover my face with my hands. “I don’t know where I’d be without him. And I mean that literally. He’s kept me earthbound, Mom. The only reason I’m standing here right now is him.

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

✨I slide my fingernail between the curling lamination and peel it slowly open, careful not to tear the paper. And there, written in her artsy handwriting, with a pencil she’d surely just been sketching with, are Lou’s last words to me. 

Mariaaa

✨But the thing about losing the person you love the most on earth is—somehow—you still have to do mundane things like tie your shoes and make enough money to continue to exist in this punishing world.

✨“If we do this, I will not let you drown.” I gasp for air. He’s winded me. The water rushes in. Is it silly that I didn’t realize I was drowning until he told me he won’t let it happen?

✨“It’s not pronounced like honey. It’s Ho-nee. Rhymes with—” “Baloney.” “I usually say pony, but sure. Whatever.”

✨“Something good for you.” He points at the oatmeal. “Something bad for you.” He points at the croissant. “And a change of scenery.” He points at the bakery. “Huh?” “It’s hard-won wisdom. A formula I figured out in my dark days. One I still need sometimes. When everything is going dark and you can’t understand why… when the grief catches up to you again… Or when your sister shouts at you and you feel like the world’s biggest tool. Just remember. Something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery. That’s the winning formula.”

✨“If I run up this hill… I want… an afternoon beer. And… sunshine. And… a basket of fried shrimp. And… a view of the ocean.” He blinks at me. And then at the cloudy sky. It’s been a full day since my trip to the Met and the clouds haven’t let up yet. “Well, I can’t promise the sunshine. But I can do everything else.”

✨I want something that feels… natural, even if it’s not always sexy. Because relationships change so much while you’re in them. And so do the people. Even if you start out wanting one thing, a few years down the road you might want something completely different.” “That’s… the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard.” He laughs. “No, it’s not. Think of it this way: relationships have phases and they’re supposed to. If you’re gonna be in a relationship with someone for life, it’s like driving from one end of the country to the other. If you do the whole thing in first gear, you’re gonna overheat and cook your engine.”

✨“Hey, Lou. Miles says when you left, you took my heart with you. He says it was like a heart transplant. Only…” I lean forward and thump my chest. My hair falls in a tent around me, blocking out the light. “I don’t know what this new heart is supposed to be living for.”

✨Miles: Just double checking here: have any of you ever actually been camping? Lenny: Nope. Jericho: Nah. Jeffy: No. Rica: What part of this conversation makes you think I have?

✨“Lenny, the stakes are low with you because you’re the most loyal person I’ve ever met. You’re fully on my team. Now that you’re here, I think there’s very little I could do to kick you out… I don’t have to worry about losing you. I can just… relax.”

✨“I think I might be falling in love with someone, Mom. With someone who has saved me these last few months.” I cover my face with my hands. “I don’t know where I’d be without him. And I mean that literally. He’s kept me earthbound, Mom. The only reason I’m standing here right now is him.

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

✨I slide my fingernail between the curling lamination and peel it slowly open, careful not to tear the paper. And there, written in her artsy handwriting, with a pencil she’d surely just been sketching with, are Lou’s last words to me. 

Get over it already, loser.

Utterly wonderful and poignantly memorable. I loved these two characters and the exploration of grief was just spot on. Also he CRAWLED TO HER need I say more? 

Promise Me Sunshine

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