PROMISE ME SUNSHINE
By: Cara Bastone
Narrated by: Alex Finke
Published: March 4, 2025
Publisher: The Dial Press
Romance
Grief can be all-consuming and gut-wrenching. Lenny’s best friend since childhood and roommate died from cancer. Lenny was her caretaker, Lou was her sounding board, her spitfire, and her whole world. The loss of Lou has wrecked Lenny. She can’t even sleep in their apartment, and she is supposed to be completing a list that Lou created to keep Lenny from grieving. Right now, you are probably thinking…”This doesn’t sound like a romance to me.” Hang on…because I promise you, good things are happening in this novel.
“Not everyone will accept help when they’re grieving. Some people just…go inward and bear it all alone.”
Lenny can’t focus on really anything, so she takes on part-time babysitting gigs like watching Ainsley, the daughter of a professional single mom who travels for work and needs someone to stay with her. What Lenny doesn’t expect is Ainsley’s looming and disapproving Uncle Miles. He seems to be everywhere they go, questioning Lenny’s ideas and decisions. Then Miles finds out that Lenny is sleeping on the ferry and notices the signs of grieving because he has lived through it.
“I’ve spent the entire day pretending I’m not bleeding on the inside. The emotion fights its way out of me in waves. “
Lenny, Miles, and Ainsley go through their days playing games, doing crafts, and when Lenny is off duty, Miles helps her complete the list Lou left behind for her to do. Lenny and Miles’ relationship is a slow burn, starting off as a friendship, and slowly their love for each other begins to grow. As readers, we can see it happening, but it takes Lenny and Miles a bit to realize it.
There are some heavy topics and pure sadness as Lenny struggles with her feelings of loss, anger, and deep heartbreak over Lou’s death. Those who have lost a loved one will easily relate to Lenny and her struggles to even shower and get dressed. But, patient Miles helps her find a way to see the future and herself in it. Miles was like a warm hug to a cold, hungry, and scared animal. The author’s dedication speaks to this perfectly…
“For anyone who has ever been a Miles for someone else. I know it can sometimes feel thankless. So, thank you. This book is a love letter to you.”
There were definitely some lighter and funnier moments in the story, including Lenny’s wild and imaginatively detailed dreams about every man she sees on the street, in the coffee shop, on the ferry, etc, and the kind of marriage they would have, kids, what they would do for fun, and more.
I really loved the relationship that developed between Lenny and Miles. It felt realistic, special, and…frankly…romantic. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Miles offers a bit of advice to Lenny about her grief. I found it so profound and something that I am going to think of when I’m feeling sad (daughter going back to college), stressed (just need a break), or missing my dad. I think you might like it too.
“When everything is going dark and you can’t understand why…when the grief catches up to you again…Just remember. Something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery. That’s the winning formula.”
Cara Bastone is a full-time writer living and writing in Brooklyn with her husband, son, and an almost-goldendoodle. Her writing goal is to find the swoon in ordinary love stories. She’s been a fan of the romance genre since she found a grocery bag filled with her grandmother’s old Harlequin Romances during high school. She’s a fangirl for pretzel sticks, long walks through Prospect Park, and love stories featuring men who aren’t crippled by their own masculinity. Check out her website, HERE.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Alex Finke, Book Review, Cara Bastone, grief, romance