Below the Big Blue Sky

As a huge fan of the prequel to this book, The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes, I was desperate to read the follow up and how glad I am that I did!An absolute rollercoaster of a read that had me crying snotty tears one minute then laughing uncontrollably the next - often during the course of the same page! Following on from Rabbit passing away, it's the story of the next two years in the life of the Hayes family and their friends as they come to terms with their loss.It is desperately sad, hilariously funny and incredibly moving all at the same time and I adored it from the first page to the last. Definitely my book of the year so far.

Wow. Wow. Wow. The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is one of my favourite books ever & I had put off reading this sequel just in case I was disappointed. How very wrong I was, if I could give this 10 stars then I would. It is my favourite book of 2021, I know it’s only March but I am exceptionally confident in saying this is my book of the year.Its fair to say I absolutely loved it. Nearly 500 pages of love, death, grief, hope, sadness, happiness, friendships, new life and most of all family. The riotous Hayes family to be precise, and my goodness, I shall miss them all and their antics now I’ve finished this book.This was always going to be an emotional read for me as I’ve had the same risk reducing surgery that Grace has had in this book. Anna McPartlin portrays this issue very thoroughly and sensitively. Interestingly, my dad, like Grace’s dad, didn’t agree with my decision to have surgery at first and the book covers the myriad of emotions, thoughts and opinions that come with such a life changing decision both from the perspective of Grace and her various family members. Ultimately Grace’s decision and subsequent surgery is portrayed in a positive but realistic light, everything was beautifully written.However, Graces surgery is not, by any means, the sole focus of the book. The book contains many references to the late Rabbit and Johnny, and it focuses on the lives of all of Rabbit’s extended family members after Rabbit’s death, with many sub plots beautifully interwoven.Ultimately, this is a happy and uplifting book with the most beautiful and fitting ending. No spoilers here, but please, buy this book and immerse yourself in the world of The Hayes family. It’s a rollercoaster of a read and I honestly cannot remember a book where I’ve literally laughed and cried on the same page. Thank you Anna McPartlin, you are a total genius.

I have read and loved every book by this author, but Rabbit and the Hayes family have always held a special place in my heart. So I was beyond excited when I knew there was a sequel to The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes, and it absolutely does not disappoint!! I loved it, just like the first book, I laughed and cried my way through it in equal measure. The really heartbreaking part was finishing it.

I recently read the first book in this saga, The last days of Rabbit Hayes and this is the follow up. It tackles such big themes of life after death, cancer, lost love, bringing up children, being true to ourselves but not hurting others in the process. It's so joyful, sad and warm all at the same time. What a wonderful, many layered family of amazing characters Anna has created. The dialogue is wonderful, the humour abounds and made me chuckle while feeling moved. It feels as if this roaring, rumbustious, gloriously funny, achingly agonised Irish family are real warm breathing personalities. A lovely book.

I love, love, love the Hayes family. They make me laugh, they make me cry and Anna Mcpartlin paints them so vividly that you feel you are right their amongst them in the delicious chaos of their household.Here we see them each dealing with their grief following the loss of their precious Rabbit and we see them lose one another a little as they each deal with this in very different ways. Their experiences are raw and intensely moving but humour is still used to give this family light and to make you love them just little bit more as they must adjust and find a new way to be.