Books can do many things to you, and many of them can determine whether you like the book or not. They can make you cry, invested, scared, happy, cringe, and a plethora of other feelings. One thing that is always an instant hit in my opinion, is when a book surprises me, and that is exactly what Promise me Sunshine did.
Bastone’s writing surpassed all of my expectations and has instilled herself on my list of favourite authors with this one book. While I enjoy a romance book now and again as a pallet cleanser between some more complex books, a romance book with depth and characters I can connect to is more than just a guilty pleasure to breeze through. The energy and love Bastone poured into this story is palpable in every line, every sentence and every aspect of her characters and made this much more than just a love story. It is an exploration of grief, finding our way through life and finding connection.
Plot
Following the death of her best friend Lou, Lenny has completely lost her way in life. When she takes a temporary job nannying Ainsley, the little girl’s uncle, Miles, wants to strike a deal with her. In exchange for Lenny showing him how to connect with his niece and her mom, he will help her through her grief by crossing off Lou’s ‘live again list’. Apprehensive at first, Lenny decides she can use all the help she can get, because living after losing her other half… seems impossible, and though the road is hard, she might find even more than she had hoped for at the end of it.
Characters
Lenny and Miles are a case of opposites attract, but I also loved how when they were with each other, they could just be. No need to cover themselves, no need to pose as someone they are not, every speck of self was not only seen by the other, but invited, welcomed and eventually loved. Lenny is a bright and bubbly character, who thrives on social connections. She is great with Ainsley, Reese and strangers she has just met, which is all in stark contrast to who she is when she is alone. Only with Miles could she give in to how exhausting it was to always perk up for other people, pushing down her grief in public. Miles on the other hand, is calm, stable and a good guy through and through. While their surface levels are as different as can be, their deeper layers have such a strong connection that made them truly compatible.
This book also has such a great cast of side characters. Ainsley is the kid Lenny is babysitting, and she is just a ray of sunshine, for everyone in her life. Reese, her mom, has to work quite a lot as a single parent, and this added dynamic of both mother and daughter struggling with time away from each other added another layer to the story. They were both so welcoming to Lenny, that reading about the time spent with each other felt cosy and homey, which is a real treat for when you want to disappear in a book.
Then there’s Jericho, who is again such a bright character that he felt like the perfect new friend to Lenny. Rica and Jeffy completed the friend group to draw Lenny out of her shell and make her connect with her extraverted self again.
Lenny’s parents also play a significant role in the story, especially the second half. The Sunday night dinners felt so comforting to read about and their storyline highlighted the complex balance of parents wanting to be there for their children when going through things, and children wanting to protect their parents from seeing them suffer. I think it is wonderful that Bastone added this to the novel, because it is something many families presumably struggle with, even without an event as traumatic as loss of a loved one.
Grief
It is almost impossible not to include this, because it is such a significant part of the story. Grief is different for everybody, but the way it was portrayed in this story was so beautifully raw and real that I feel it can truly help people going through this. Some of the things Lenny realised or Miles said near the end of the novel about grief made sense and felt comforting. Especially when Miles said she is learning to love Lou exactly as she is at that moment, a person who is no longer alive. Grief is something that never really goes away, but the way you live with it changes. the way Miles both allowed her to wallow and indulge in things that were ‘bad’ for her, and encouraged her to take care of herself, both mentally and physically by guiding her towards more healthy coping mechanisms felt like the perfect balance for what Lenny needed. I liked how Miles took her by the hand and guided her through her grief, but letting her do it on her own terms.
Setting
The novel is set in New York and includes many different boroughs, shops, café’s, parks etc. A fun setting always makes a story so much more enjoyable, especially when the author really makes good use of the location. New York is such a huge city that it lends itself perfectly for a book where location plays a role, but more specifically I think it ties in well with the theme of grief. It is often when we are surrounded by so many people, but unable to connect that we feel lonely. Lenny lives in New York, surrounded by millions of people everyday, and she has people in her life supporting her, but she feels so alone in her grief. The novel highlights the importance of real connections, rather than numbers.
Narration
Since I listened to this book as an audio, I wanted to take a moment to applaud Alex Finke, who narrated it. She did such a great job in adding life to all of the characters and making them each stand out from each other. I could feel all of Lenny’s emotions when listening, from her grief, sadness, loneliness and frustration, to her excitement, happiness and elation. Ainsley truly sounded like a little girl and although Finke does not have a male voice, she contorted it to perfectly embody Miles.
It was truly such a treat to both read and listen to Promise Me Sunshine, and I will be quick to pick up both Ready Or Not and No Matter What by Cara Bastone soon.
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