Tag: Cara Bastone

This Chick Read: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

Lenny has been completely lost since her best friend died of cancer. She’s avoiding both her parents and the apartment where she and her friend lived. She carries with her a laminated card filled with a “live again” list which her grief keeps her from checking off. She takes what’s to be a short term job as a nanny for a single mom and her daughter Ainsley. She’s counting on those days to distract her from her sadness, but what she doesn’t figure in is the grumpy uncle who shows up determined to be a part of Ainsley’s life and ends up becoming Lenny’s rock.

I am used to Cara Bastone’s novels making me laugh and even shedding a tear or two, but this one struck my heart. Grumpy Miles recognizes Lenny’s grief because he too has had to overcome his fears and feelings. Once he’s figured her out, he shows up everywhere for her, becomes her friend, and helps her get through that “live again” list. This novel was one of those great slow burn novels that allow you to get to know the main characters and really come to love them before they actually love each other.

The secondary plot of this book is Miles’ own story about how he’s trying to connect and build a relationship with his half sister Reese and his niece Ainsley. This too is a slow build of discovery and romance, albeit between a small family who learns to lean on each other. I loved this story as much as the main love story, it held just as much weight.

Cara Bastone’s novels, for me, are almost always perfect. This one is a great example of some exceptional writing. Enjoy!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Promise Me Sunshine

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Ready or Not by Cara Bastone

Eve Hatch’s life is comfortable and steady. She’s in a job that is just ok, she lives close to her best friend Willa, and she loves her little one bedroom apartment. Her life doesn’t have any surprises, until she has a one night stand and gets pregnant. Her best friend who is struggling to get pregnant has trouble with the news and her brother, Shep, steps in to help Eve. From notifying the father-to-be to navigating pregnancy, Shep steps up. Delivering surprise lunches, listening to her complaints, and well, being her best friend. Suddenly she finds him kind of hot. Is it just pregnancy hormones or does Shep feel the same?

I discovered Cara Bastone by listening to her Audible Original novels and loved her ready to love characters and the way her humor shines through in her writing. Ready or Not may not usually have found itself to my TBR but because I’ve laughed my way through a couple of her novels I wanted to give this one a try. I am so glad I did! This was a true friends to lovers slow burn romance. Pre pregnancy, Eve’s life was kind of a hot mess. Her best friend’s goofy older brother Shep became her rock and she wasn’t the only one who saw him become more and more attractive. His faithful friend act was sweet and her growing attraction to him and his obvious feelings for her were a joy to read. And yes! There was some laugh out loud scenes in this novel too.

I think we all have a bit of an Eve inside of us. We feel like our lives are not quite as great as we’d like them to be and aren’t quite certain how to get ourselves over that hump and live our dreams. This made me like Eve so much which made reading this novel so pleasurable. Throw in a hero like Shep who was described as goofy and likable, which at first made me picture a Labradoodle, and then see him slowly transform into leading man material was unexpected and very attractive. I felt all of those mixed emotions with Eve and ate up each detail as it was revealed. I couldn’t find anything to dislike about this novel and plan to spend a credit getting the Audible book so I can experience the magic of Cara Bastone’s writing again.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Ready or Not

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: Seatmate: Love Lines #3 by Cara Bastone

Gwen and Sam sit next to each other in what must be the worst seats on the bus. The aisle seats next to the bathroom. Sam’s a handsome guy with a streak of blue in his hair who visits his mother once a month in Boston by bus. Gwen is on her way to NY for an interview that could change her life. She has exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get there. Surely this 3 hour bus ride will be on time? This is the hilarious story of two people who meet on a bus trip gone awry.

Seatmate is written strictly for audio and is free with your audible subscription. It has all of the sound effects of a movie with different voices for every character, sounds from the road, toilets flushing, we hear it all and it’s so much fun. I forgot I was listening to a book and enjoyed myself immensely, laughing along and rooting for Gwen and Sam to find their HEA’s, despite everything that happens to prevent that.

The only good thing that seems to happen to our main characters is the fact that they sat next to each other on this bus. Their seats stink, his mom sets him up on a blind date to pick him up from the bus stop, the bus gets a flat tire, they save a litter of kittens from the middle of the freeway… There is a LOT packed into this five hour audiobook. I’ve never read anything by Cara Bastone, but I immediately downloaded the first and second books from this series. Seatmate has been the first really feel-good audiobook that I’ve listened to in a while. The narration was spot on, the movie sound effects add to the tension and fun, and I literally laughed out loud at all of the “is this really happening” scenarios. If you love audiobooks, you shouldn’t miss listening to Seatmate!

Disclaimer- Yes, this is a love story, but it’s all about the meet cute! The story leads up to the relationship and has a ton of charm and tension, but no love scenes. If that’s going to disappoint you, then I suggest you don’t take a listen, but if you love laughing out loud, then this is the audiobook for you! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Seatmate

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads