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.
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It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the story and the characters. Promise Me Sunshine is a tender yet tragic tale of love, friendship, grief, and healing. I have no words to fully express how many emotions went through me while reading this story. It was one of the most emotional books I'd read this year, but it was so beautifully written and full of emotion that I couldn't stop reading. My heart broke for Lenny on several occasions, and I wanted to draw her into an embrace. Lenny is the character that you can easily understand and empathize with, even if you have never experienced the type of loss that she has. I didn't lose my best friend, but I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was 16, and then my cousin nine years ago, both of whom were my best friends. I remember experiencing the same emotions that Lenny was feeling, as if part of me was missing, and feeling guilty for the times I was okay when they were gone. Promise Me Sunshine had me in tears on several occasions.
The writing blew me away. The feelings portrayed in this novel were realistic and genuine. Bastone portrayed grief so perfectly; one minute you think you're fine, and then it hits you and you can't stop crying. I believe that of all the books I've read about sorrow, Lenny was one of the characters with whom I could most connect with. Miles: I could say so many things about him. I loved how he tried to help Lenny 'live' again despite his own grief. It demonstrates how everyone may deal with grief differently. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with Miles; not only did he make an effort to get to know his niece, but he also did everything he could to help Lenny heal. It didn't take long for me to see that the friendship had transformed into love, something I had predicted before either of them. Some of what he did for her was not something you would do unless you were in love with them.
Lenny's emotions were genuinely raw and heartbreaking. I cried beside her. I believe Lenny was intended to get the job and meet Miles. I adored how Miles and Lenny transitioned from strangers to friends, and it felt so natural and genuine. Their bond took time to grow. I loved the scenes between the two of them, and there were a few quotes that made me smile and experience a variety of feelings. Promise Me Sunshine was the first book that I read by Cara Bastone and I cannot wait to check out the others.
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