A book that will make you smile but also cry in equal measure. A story about grief and family life.
So get that box of tissues ready.

What a lovely book. I laughed, I cried, I wanted more. My first read by Anna McPartlin without realising it was the second in a series (doh!)
I will be going and reading book 1, and then possibly rereading this one. Wonderful.

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

Really nice relaxing read, great for the summer holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Emotional… crying both at the start and end and bits in the middle too. Takes a lot for real tears to fall when reading but Anna McPartlin managed that rather early in the book.

It’s though uplifting, it feels like it comes full circle and if you haven’t read the first book, then it starts with a massive spoiler for the ending of that one!

Split into various parts, and each part we alternate between the focus of various members of the Hayes family as they come to terms with life after Rabbit. It is really easy to follow with each chapter clearly headed and by the end I felt as though I was part of the bigger wider Hayes family.

I have absolutely no words to describe this book, or how it made me feel. It was beautifully written, tugged my heart strings like nothing else and was a really special book to read.

Realistically I can’t do justice to this book, it’s wonderful, it makes me feel glad to be alive and you will need to have tissues ready. The author has written something so fantastic that all I can say Is read it for yourself, without much prior info and be gripped into this family’s highs and lows. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Zaffre and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I feel bad writing this but this book just wasn’t for me.

I hadn’t read the first book so I think that put me at a great disadvantage as I didn’t know anything about any of the characters, least of all Rabbit Hayes.

I got to 15% and I don’t want to continue. I’m not finding it humorous or touching, so I’m sorry to say I’ve given up.

I must be going against the grain here as all I seem to see are 5 star reviews but for me it falls short of this.

DNF

This is the second book in the series.
This is a very moving and emotional story about the Hayes family.
This is a beautifully written book which had some sad moments but also some funny ones

Love Anna McPartlins books. This is a sequel to last days of rabbit Hayes. The author doesn't shy away from the tough story lines. Unlike rabbit Hayes there's more happiness and hope after the darkness of grief

I thought that maybe I should read Last Days of Rabbit Hayes before I read this one but the authors advised it isn't a sequel and can be read was a stand alone story.
I do love a book set in Ireland and the writing style was so good - it reminded me of the TV show from years ago called Bread - but with Irish accents . This book is laugh out loud funny but also made me cry. A sad subject for a book but it also felt uplifting. Life goes on regardless.

After Rabbit Hayes died, aged 40, she leaves her family completely shattered by grief.
Her mother, Molly, loses her faith and feel guilty for letting Rabbit down. Jack, instead is reminiscing the past, through his old diaries. Grace discovers she has the same gene that had exposed her sister to her deadly fate and decided to prevent doing through different operations, but this being some strains into her marriage. Davey finds himself not only coping with the grief of losing her sister, but with the responsibility of caring for her child Juliet. And then there is Marjorie who has lost her only true friend.

Anna McPartlin in this book has been excellent at showing how different people go through grief and how important it is to just have people who love and support you without overwhelming you in the process.
I loved the 5 POVs narrative, as it gave a extensive comprehension of each character state of mind and feelings.
Don’t think this is a book focused only on grief, cause surely it’s not! I laughed, especially whenever Molly was involved, she is a badass mum and probably preferred her character above all others! It’s a book about hope as well and I think there are few points to take home and reflect upon when finishing this book.

Now that I discovered there was a previous book dedicated to Rabbit Hayes and her life, I can’t wait to dive into it and know more about this wonderful women who was so loved by her friends and family!

My thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and The Book Club on Facebook for the opportunity to take part in this Blog Tour. It was a pleasure to take part and I couldn't miss out on reading the story.

When I knew that Anna McPartlin had a new book coming out and that it was the sequel to the Last Days of Rabbit Hayes. I was both really happy and sad at the same time. My emotions were in turmoil to be honest. How on Earth could Anna McPartlin follow the story on?

Well she followed it on brilliantly in my opinion. It was a real roller coaster of emotions, as early on we learn about the funeral and how all the characters in their own way dealt with saying their goodbyes to a much loved mother, daughter, sister and friend. Finding ways of coming to terms with never seeing her again and learning to cope with the hole that she has left in their lives.

Told from the points of view of various characters and in short chapters, this story makes you feel that you are there with them, experiencing all that they are going through.

This story and how the day before the funeral evolved brought back memories of mine surrounding a funeral and the way that it was handled by my family as a Catholic family. How we brought my Dad home on the day before his funeral and the coffin being open until the morning of the funeral. I was around 5/6 months pregnant at the time and how we as a close family, my Mum and brothers stayed up all night comforting one another. Chatting and laughing, remembering all the good times and sometimes the not so good times. Emotions running at a high.

I have always wondered how I would cope with finding out whether I carried a gene like Rabbit and Grace did. How would you cope with it, if you were the surviving sibling and you found out that you had that gene? I have always hoped that I would make the decision that could potentially save my life and prevent it developing into cancer, but unless faced with it you never know what you would do.

Whilst, this could have been a rather sad and depressing story due to the nature of death and life after, it wasn't that at all. It was sad at times and I did shed the odd tear or two, but it was equally uplifting in more ways than one.

Finally, my thanks to Anna McPartlin for taking us on this continuing journey with Rabbit, the family and friends that she left behind.

This was a very well deserved 5 stars or 10/10 read and one that will stay with me for some time.

RIP Rabbit.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and The Book Club on Facebook for the opportunity to take part in this Blog Tour. It was a pleasure to take part and I couldn't miss out on reading the story.

When I knew that Anna McPartlin had a new book coming out and that it was the sequel to the Last Days of Rabbit Hayes. I was both really happy and sad at the same time. My emotions were in turmoil to be honest. How on Earth could Anna McPartlin follow the story on?

Well she followed it on brilliantly in my opinion. It was a real roller coaster of emotions, as early on we learn about the funeral and how all the characters in their own way dealt with saying their goodbyes to a much loved mother, daughter, sister and friend. Finding ways of coming to terms with never seeing her again and learning to cope with the hole that she has left in their lives.

Told from the points of view of various characters and in short chapters, this story makes you feel that you are there with them, experiencing all that they are going through.

This story and how the day before the funeral evolved brought back memories of mine surrounding a funeral and the way that it was handled by my family as a Catholic family. How we brought my Dad home on the day before his funeral and the coffin being open until the morning of the funeral. I was around 5/6 months pregnant at the time and how we as a close family, my Mum and brothers stayed up all night comforting one another. Chatting and laughing, remembering all the good times and sometimes the not so good times. Emotions running at a high.

I have always wondered how I would cope with finding out whether I carried a gene like Rabbit and Grace did. How would you cope with it, if you were the surviving sibling and you found out that you had that gene? I have always hoped that I would make the decision that could potentially save my life and prevent it developing into cancer, but unless faced with it you never know what you would do.

Whilst, this could have been a rather sad and depressing story due to the nature of death and life after, it wasn't that at all. It was sad at times and I did shed the odd tear or two, but it was equally uplifting in more ways than one.

Finally, my thanks to Anna McPartlin for taking us on this continuing journey with Rabbit, the family and friends that she left behind.

This was a very well deserved 5 stars or 10/10 read and one that will stay with me for some time.

RIP Rabbit.

My thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes and always recommend it to those looking for a emotional teary read so I jumped at the chance when I saw the follow up released.
Here we see how the death of Rabbit has impacted on the Hayes family and the different way they all deal with the emotion of the illness taking her from them.
My favourite character by far was Jack, Rabbits Father. I love how the author portrayed him as gentle, caring and very emotional, spending hours in his attic pouring over old photo's and memories when often men would be portrayed as the ones holding it all together as head of the family whilst his Wife Molly was the fiery one, hurt, angry and questioning her beliefs. When Grace Rabbits Sister realises she is carrying the same gene it tests the family again to the limits and as the reader we see the different thoughts.
This book is about that unseen unity found it families, the one that binds you close and bonds you even when faced with adversity. Despite the sad subject the Hayes family made me smile & laugh many times, the characterisation was brilliant and I could visualise the scenes. I only didn't give this book a five as I felt the chopping & changing of characters in chapters confusing and sometimes had to backtrack to remember who was who and I felt the ending a bit abrupt. Other than that a very enjoyable book I would recommend.
My thanks go to the publishers, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

Below The Big Blue Sky Anna McPartlin
This book is sequel to The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes, and I can't even say which book was my favourite.
I loved every single minute of both books. When I finished this book, I straight wanted their to be another book in this series, so we get to live with the Hayes family again. I loved them all, however I really loved Juliet, although she will always be bunny to me.
I totally enjoyed the Irish family dynamics in this book, every single character added to the beautiful story. I had a real soft spot for Rabbits dad, the chapters written from his perspective probably hit me the hardest.
I loved every minute of this book.

So what do you need to know? Well Below The Big Blue Sky by Anna McPartlin, like it’s predecessor is written with heart, humour and compassion. This book picks up where the first left off. We find the quirky, close knit Hayes family in a hospice immediately after the death, from breast cancer, of their beloved Rabbit. Rabbit is, or was, a journalist; but most importantly she was a mother, daughter, sister and friend. A fiery, fighter of a 30-something woman taken before her time and kicking cancer’s sorry ass right until the end.

If The last days of Rabbit Hayes is about coming to terms with Rabbit’s diagnosis, Below the Big Blue Sky is about how the Hayes family begin to cope with life without Rabbit. And it isn’t easy.

For Juliet, life without her mother is numbing. She is now the ward of her Uncle Dave, and this means moving away from Dublin and starting a new life in the United States, a life that fits around Davey’s commitments as a touring drummer. And for Davey himself, grieving his baby sister while parenting a teenager, stretches him to the limit.

Grace is coming to terms not only with Rabbit’s death but also with the fact that she, herself, carries the gene which killed her sister. The decisions that come with this revelation are not to be taken lightly and become a source of family tension.

Losing their daughter rocks the marriage of Jack and Molly Hayes. Both seem changed beyond measure, faith is no longer the bedrock it was and suddenly everything seems to be spiralling out of control.

And what of Rabbit’s best friend Marjorie? Suddenly she is facing huge life changes and chances but without her sounding board and support at her side.

This is a novel that deals with those strange and disorienting days after a death. A novel that faces down the immediate practicalities and the lingering, roaring pain. It details the way a family comes together and equally the way it sometimes fragments as the individual members find their own pathways through their loss. Anna McPartlin creates stunning characters, that convey quite beautifully how unique grief is. And how loss and pain manifests itself in any number of different ways.

This is a novel that focuses on the process of grieving and coming to terms with loss. It is about the things someone will compromise on and the things that really matter. It is about that balancing act of bringing everyone’s beliefs and opinions into play, whilst holding on to the essence of the person who is lost. This novel deals with death in a warm, human and deeply humorous way. The narrative raises all those tricky, but important questions. In a society where we speak of death in whispers and veiled words this book faces things head on. Yes, there is tragedy, but this novel is filled to the brim with humour and humility.


Anna McPartlin’s screen writer background is wonderfully apparent in the novel; the dialogue in these pages is absolutely spot on. These are characters you can see, feel and almost touch. Having read the two novels back to back I felt like I had spent days in the arms of the Hayes family and it was a lovely place to be. And just as the sense of character is grounding, the sense of place, history, back story is equally impressive.

This is the story of family tested to it’s limits. A family that has to refine itself and at the same time remember just what it is that makes them strong and unique.

The story follows family and friends of the late Rabbit Hayes. Each one fighting their own demons and struggling to live life without the vivacious straight as a die Rabbit. The story is very closer to my heart, being a child when my own mother died of cancer. Each character is likable. Each struggle different and personal. Wonderfully written I would highly recommend this book which will have you laughing and crying on the same page ,

A follow on from ‘The last Days of Rabbit Hayes’, this book picks up when the last one left. What happens to the family and how they cope with loosing Rabbit. Now if you’ve read the Rabbit Hayes book you will, like me, just want to dive in this book with both feet and not want to come out till you have absorbed every word. This book does not disappoint! Anna has used her Irish charm to the max and portrayed the family as if we are in the room with them.

Each person is trying to get their lives in order after Rabbit dies and the reader is taken on a roller coaster of a ride with Molly losing faith and Davey being sole responsible for Juliet while being on tour in America. The Hayes family are like no other with their simple love that runs deeper than any river could, the anger hotter than the sun and the stubbornness which sticks more than super glue. A true grit family we all wish we had the pleasure of being in.

I waited months for this and brought it on more than one occasion including book format and kindle. Anna writes like no other author, her Irish-ness flows in the pages and characters are larger than life. She allows the readers in on page one and they are resident throughout the book, lapping up every printed word. The story has us laughing, crying and on the edge our seats, giving us a look into a life in Ireland and the Irish people

Absolutely loved all of this book and would recommend all Hayes books (if any more written), but then would recommend all Anna Partlin Books

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

With this book, one minute I was laughing out loud the next I had tears in my eyes. A brilliant book about a lovely Irish family trying to deal with a tragedy the best they can.

I read The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes in March 2016 and honestly I was absolutely BLOWN away and left almost speechless. Here’s my first review if you don’t believe me “I don’t think anything I write here will do this book justice so all I will say is it is the most moving and charming and exquisite book full of heartbreaking yet wonderfully funny characters and I know that this book will stay with me for a very long time.” However, re-reading it last week I was able to elaborate more and wrote a more detailed review.

When I heard almost 4 years later that Anna McPartlin has written the follow up to Rabbit Hayes I did something I have NEVER, EVER done before.. I re-read the first book purely because I needed to reconnect to Rabbit and her family and I am so glad I did.

Below the Big Blue Sky starts in the hospice where Rabbit has taken her final breath in a bid to catch the “van” leaving her family and friends bereft, heartbroken and trying to cope without her. Each member of her family and friends have to deal with their grief in their own individual way and whilst it’s raw and heartbreaking to read, it’s also handled with immense sensitivity by the author.

No two people grieve the same and there are no instructions on how to cope after a death in the family so following The Hayes family in their attempt to pick up the pieces and move on without Rabbit is so moving and my heart was literally bursting and breaking throughout the story.

You don’t have to have read book 1 in order to appreciate the characters as the author regularly reminds the reader of previous events, however as book 1 is so brilliant I would strongly recommend you read it first.

It’s always difficult to write a follow up to a successful book because the readers have such high expectations and adore the characters so much. The pressure on Anna must have been immense – however I can say with absolute certainty that Below the Big Blue Sky lives up to all of my expectations and more… she has brought the Hayes family back into my life, with their colourful language, Molly’s sharp tongue, Jack’s quiet personality, Grace’s guilt and fear for her future, Davey’s determination to do the right thing by his baby sister and everyone else who has been touched and loved by Rabbit during her short life.

I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more and am delighted that Anna decided to #RememberRabbitHayes in such a warm, caring, compassionate way and give the readers the chance to grieve with the family, rejoice and remember Rabbit Hayes. 5 huge stars from me.

If you haven't read "The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes" stop, don't read this, go and read that THEN come back for this one. We pick up from where book one ended, Rabbit has passed on and her family are trying to pick up the pieces of the heartache and emptiness that Rabbit's death has left. Her mum and dad, her best pal, her brother, her sister, her wee girl Bunny and everyone who Rabbit's life touched. Davey (her brother) agreed to be Guardian to Bunny but Davey is a bit of a big wean himself, musician, travels and based far from Ireland - how can the family cope losing Rabbit and Bunny as Davey goes back to his own life.

Set in Ireland (mostly) the book deals with death, grief, loss and the families attempt to go through the stages of grief whilst attempting to go about their lives. Sadness, a touch of humour dottered throughout as with book one, a look at how each character is touched and tries to cope with life after death of a loved one.

I like McPartlin's books "The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes" was my first and blew me away, whilst I do enjoy her writing there is something about the Hayes family I just love. They are all characters, you feel like you have slipped into the family yourself, it's people you "know" and came to care for from book one. I don't know where she would go from here but I would LOVE a book three, I cannot get enough of this family, they are like your own. 4.5/5 for me - laughter, sadness, grief, hilarity McPartlin has created a world you just don't want to leave.