Promise Me Sunshine: A Novel (Dial Delights)

This book did not disappoint, and there is no better feeling than that for a reader. Miles, the man that you are...they way he cared for everyone is his life, but especially for Lenny. While this book is a slow slow burn, I didn't mind it at all, and I didn't find myself wanting the pacing of their love story to speed up. I think that has to do with the way it was written in a true friends to lovers fashion. Seeing their connection develop, how much they cared for each other, how loyal and protective they were to one another, was really beautiful. Lenny is going through an immense period of grief and it sort of stuck not knowing how she'll move on with her life and be ok without her best friend in her world. And while initially she and Miles don't hit it off, they make a deal to help each other with their current struggles. For Lenny, as mentioned, is learning how to live again after the the death of the love of her life (her best friend), and for Miles it's to connect and build a relationship with his niece (whom Lenny nannys) and sister. Speaking of nieces, I absolutely loved Ainsley! She was such a fun character, who also had her own struggles/feelings towards her moms busy schedule. That time spent with Ainsley is what helps Miles form a relationship with her, with the help and support of Lenny of course. And that time spend with each other is what helps Lenny and Miles see one another in a different light, discovering that there is more to the other person than they originally thought there was. While this book does have sad and painful moments that might be difficult for some readers...it also has beautiful cathartic moments that help the main characters heal. They make new friends along the way, make new memories, have fun adventures, and ultimately fall madly and deeply in love with each other. I loved this book, and would 10 out 10 recommend, 5 stars.

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. I was not expecting the first book of the year to have me crying 366 pages in, but here we are! 🤧 Lenny and Miles really surprised me. The growth and character development was beautifully done. ‘𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈, 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. Grieving the loss of her best friend, Lenny has taken short term gigs to get by. During her most recent babysitting job she finds herself ‘stuck’ with Miles, the uncle. After recognizing her grief, Miles decides he will help Lenny but also asks for her to help him get a better connection with his sister and niece. They pull at your heart strings, work their way through so much, build a strong foundation through grief and sheer will to bring joy to each other. Showing that life can go on in wonderful ways even after tremendous loss. “𝑯𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍?” “𝐌𝐨𝐦, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭.” Miles🥹🫶🏻 A beautiful story of healing, friendships, love and coming up for air when you feel like you’re drowning. 🤍 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲. 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮… 📋’Live again’ list ❤️‍🩹Grief & Healing 🤝🏻Strangers-Friends-Lovers 🫶🏻Found Family 🐢Slow Burn 🤧Emotional

I AM UNWELL i don’t think i can properly articulate just how much i loved this book. it hit me right in my chest. lenny and myles are funny and relatable and genuine and the slow burn between them was incredible. i enjoyed watching them get to know each other, to care for each other, to fall in love. a kiss lenny list?! PLEASE i’m LIVING for the audio, the narration is phenomenal. all of lenny’s little quirks and funny comments translate so much better than they would’ve just reading it on my own. alex finke was the perfect fit for this book!!! “life is so f------ hard and every once in a while you get a win.” i love lenny with my whole heart, i have never felt so connected to a character. i’ll be thinking about her for the rest of my life. “get over it, loser.” IM SOBBING i feel like i knew lou. i loved getting to know and love her through lenny. she is a light in the world and i love that that shined through in this story. and last but certainly not least, the man himself, myles!!! serious question, where do i find a myles for myself? he was EVERYTHING. the perfect balance between taking care of the people he loves and allowing them the space to grow and be their own person, to better themselves. I LOVE THAT MAN i’m genuinely in awe over this book, it has consumed me. it is my roman empire.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ This book started strong for me—an easy 4.5 stars at the beginning. It was engaging, well written, and genuinely funny. I listened to the 10-hour audiobook, and the narrator was excellent, keeping me invested even when the story slowed down. That said, this is a very slow burn. The romantic relationship doesn’t truly come together until the very last chapters—roughly after nine hours of listening—which felt a bit frustrating. The middle portion of the book dragged and felt padded with filler, even though the narration helped carry it. My biggest issue was with the main female character toward the end. She became increasingly annoying, particularly during the one intimate scene in the book. While I appreciated that this isn’t a romance overloaded with explicit scenes, her constant joking during what should have been a tender moment stripped the romance out of it entirely. The humor, which worked well early on, became overused and distracting by the end, taking away from the emotional payoff. Overall, I settled on 3.5 stars. The writing is solid, the audiobook performance is fantastic, and there’s a lot to like here. Despite my frustrations, I’ll definitely continue exploring Cara Bastone’s books, as the talent is clearly there—this one just didn’t fully stick the landing for me.

This is my first Cara Bastone book & im hooked. She writes with such warmth that you cant help get lost in the story. I cant wait to read another! This book broke my heart and put it back together, leaving me full to the brim with emotion. It’s moving, endearing, and filled with beautiful quotes. Grief is handled & represented so beautifully, taking us on a journey of loss, healing, and learning to live—and love—again. The character arcs were incredible. Lenny and Miles’ raw, vulnerable moments mirrored real life. I loved the natural, unhurried progression of their friends-to-lovers romance. Together they were sweet, healing, and so real. Fav Quote "Just remember. Something good for you, something bad for you, and a change of scenery. That’s the winning formula."

This was a beautiful read especially for someone experiencing recent loss. Not a huge fan of the ending but otherwise I love it.

I read this shortly after reading Passion Project, somewhat similar situation where the FMC is going through grief. Out of the two books, I thoroughly enjoyed Promise Me Sunshine much more for a few reasons. The FMC, Lenny has lost her soulmate, her best friend since childhood. She can't stand being in their shared apartment while still paying rent in expensive NYC, she takes on short term nanny gigs to pay her way through life. Never going home, staying up all night or finding a place to sleep so she doesn't have to go back to her apartment, she lands a weekend nanny job with a single mom and young daughter. Lenny keeps herself occupied never allowing her thoughts linger on her grief too long, while also not committing to anything long term because things come to an end. During her weekend nanny gig, she finds herself a friend, Miles. Miles and Lenny's friendship starts off rocky, however they both find that they can help one another with things they are having a hard time overcoming. Their friendship blossoming naturally as they both grow was a beautiful thing to read. Everything happens so naturally that it could not have been written any better.

I fell in love with the characters, Great story really brought the characters to life. I was rooting for the two main characters, the whole book!