Promise Me Sunshine

Promise Me Sunshine falls into the genre of contemporary romance. Although the novel deals with serious subjects, such as grief, complicated family dynamics, and mental illness, it is underpinned by lighthearted and comedic moments. Contemporary romances are categorized by their happy endings and familiar plotlines but often focus on the main characters’ personal growth and the obstacles they must overcome to achieve their happy ending. As in Promise Me Sunshine, most contemporary romance heroines and heroes are flawed; these narratives often show protagonists helping each other overcome barriers to not only becoming romantically involved but also being better, happier people.

Just as contemporary romance novels rely on familiar narrative structures, they also often feature tropes, archetypes, and common situations, such as friends-to-lovers relationships, marriage-of-convenience plotlines, and quaint settings. Promise Me Sunshine uses many conventions typical of contemporary romance novels, including the forced-proximity trope, in which continually being in the same settings and situations forces Lenny and Miles to confront the feelings that they had been trying to avoid. Promise Me Sunshine is also a “workplace romance,” in which the main characters have a professional relationship in addition to their romantic one.