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A review by beate251
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC.
Lenny has lost her best friend and flatmate Lou to cancer. She works as a nanny so when she starts a short-term job for single Mum Reese and her 7 year old daughter Ainsley, she meets grumpy Miles who seems to just hang around the flat observing her.
I have to say, at that point I was very confused about who he was and why he was always there, with Reese being reluctant to have him around. It turns out he is her half-brother who she knew nothing about for years. Miles has come to make amends and spend more time with her and Ainsley, who he is very protective about.
Lenny and Miles make a pact - she will show him how to connect with Ainsley and he will be there for her when her grief takes over. This means that they spend a lot of time together, whether on the Staten Island ferry, clubbing, cooking for each other, getting matching tattoos or camping with new-found friends, with the help of a "learn to live again" list from Lou.
This is both a heartwarming story about the friendship between two people damaged by grief, helping each other through it and also a very slow-burn romance. Grief is a heavy topic but it is interspersed with gentle humour. By the end I was a huge fan of Miles and very happy that Lenny had finally stopped crying. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
Lenny has lost her best friend and flatmate Lou to cancer. She works as a nanny so when she starts a short-term job for single Mum Reese and her 7 year old daughter Ainsley, she meets grumpy Miles who seems to just hang around the flat observing her.
I have to say, at that point I was very confused about who he was and why he was always there, with Reese being reluctant to have him around. It turns out he is her half-brother who she knew nothing about for years. Miles has come to make amends and spend more time with her and Ainsley, who he is very protective about.
Lenny and Miles make a pact - she will show him how to connect with Ainsley and he will be there for her when her grief takes over. This means that they spend a lot of time together, whether on the Staten Island ferry, clubbing, cooking for each other, getting matching tattoos or camping with new-found friends, with the help of a "learn to live again" list from Lou.
This is both a heartwarming story about the friendship between two people damaged by grief, helping each other through it and also a very slow-burn romance. Grief is a heavy topic but it is interspersed with gentle humour. By the end I was a huge fan of Miles and very happy that Lenny had finally stopped crying. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol