After reading Ready or Not by author Cara Bastone I was excited to pick up her latest book PROMISE ME SUNSHINE. Her previous book is about a young woman, in New York, who gets pregnant by her one-night stand with a bartender. It was a Friends to Lovers story, heartwarming and left me all fuzzy and happy.

In PROMISE ME SUNSHINE we meet Lenny and Miles Honey, yes that’s the name of the hero though his personality is anything but Honey at least on face value. There is also a seven-year-old kid who initially brings the two together, you will love her nonchalant way of reacting to the adults around her.

The themes in the story are -

• Dealing with Grief
• Friends to Lovers

Lenny (or Helen) is an Italian American young woman, living in Brooklyn with her childhood bestie, who later succumbs to cancer and leaves Lenny devastated. She stops going home, rides the subway and ferry at all hours of the day and picks up part-time Nanny gigs. She barely holds together and things spin out of control for her when her latest gig brings Miles into her life.

Miles has been in the same position Lenny is in today, he’s been through hell and came out on the other side. When he sees Lenny babysitting his niece Ainsley, whom he’s only recently met as his long-lost family, he recognises Lenny’s situation. For his niece's well-being and safety, Miles offers Lenny support and help to get her out of grief, alive and thriving again.

It's an offer, an optimist at heart, Lenny reluctantly but surely accepts. Their grief buddy relationship starts off and on the way they become friends, and end up supporting each other in more ways than they realise. They not only heal each other and become 3 a.m. friends but ultimately become everything for each other. A promise to help one out of grief turns into them promising sunshine to each other. It is a journey I loved, enjoyed and felt every turn of the way.

I loved the chalk, cheese kind of nature for Miles and Lenny, she’s cheerful and positive but shrouded by shadows of sadness and grief. Miles is strong, stoic, and stubborn at times but a total sweetheart and loyal to one’s he loves. The little and big ways he helps Lenny and his niece Ainsley are so unassuming and unexpected that they surprised me. He’s caring, considerate, has a big heart and is full of surprises when least expected. It was affirming to see Lenny get on board with Miles and how he went about planning to finish the list Lou left for her. Towards the end when they get together and Lenny seduces Miles it’s both fun and explosive, like a cherry on the cake.

A story filled with love, friendship, grief, found family and lots of laughs too, I loved reading PROMISE ME SUNSHINE. I would have also liked it to be a bit faster-paced and a few pages shorter than 470.