This was a fabulous follow on novel, I’d really enjoyed ‘The last days of Rabbit Hayes’ and this catch up with her friends and family both in the immediate aftermath of her death and the couple of years following was a mix of every emotion with a good chunk of humour thrown in. I think I would have liked a better timescale of events, there was quite a focus on the few days after her death and around the first anniversary but year 1 and 2 just told through key details. I personally found the detailed parts had more personality although both aspects were relevant. All in all though this is as much of a gem as the first book, definitely a worthy sequel.

I read 'The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes' a couple of years back and I loved every moment. It was heart warming and sad and full of life. This is no different. Picking up from the aftermath of Rabbit's death if follows the cast of wonderful characters as they face the world without her. Truly a wonderful follow up .

Thanks to Bonnier Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book. Not having read the first one I did not know what to expect from this follow on but what a ,lovely surprise I had.. I absolutely fell in love with the Hayes family, just a normal everyday family that you can laugh with and at and share their ups and downs. A Thoroughly recommended read.

Thank you Anna and Bonnier Books for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this book. Below the Big Blue Sky is a sequel to the Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna, a novel based on a family coming to terms with a loved ones imminent death. Fear not the story is so well told well balanced with laughter and bittersweet moments Under the Bug Blye Sky picks up in the Hayes' life upon Rabbit 's passing. Each family member suffering in their own way. One in two will get cancer and each family will know someone effected. A poignant, lovable, sad novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Anna McPartlin for this advanced reader's copy. I loved, loved loved The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes so I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to read this follow up. This book was written with huge empathy and showed how everyone deals with bereavement and grief in their own way. Grab the tissues for a beautiful and emotional read.

I loved this sequel to The Last days of Rabbit Hayes. It has been years since I read the first book but I was able to pick up with the Hayes family very comfortably. It felt like visiting old friends who you haven’t seen for a long time! The subject matter is extremely sad but the way it is written would have you laughing one minute and crying the next! Thank you so much Netgalley for the chance to read this book. I would highly recommend it to all.

Thank you for opportunity to read this book.I loved Anna's style of writing and didn't realise it was a sequel to the last days of Rabbit Hayes which I LOVE.This is a fabulous continuation to the first book and tells the story through wit about life after the passing of Rabbit and how her loved ones continued living.Loved it a great read and I hope Anna continues writing many more books.

Where do I even start with this. Possibly my favourite book of the year and it just flowed so smoothly from The last days of Rabbit Hayes. I cried within the few few pages then laughed so hard minutes later. The Hayes Family are like friends that yoy visit and go for tea. Such a wonderful book I didn't want it to end. Beautiful and captivating, I have no doubt this will be a massive hit

Having read The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes I was eager to read this one and it doesn’t disappoint.

The story follows the Hayes family and how they each deal with Rabbit’s death. Heartbreaking at times but also full of love and laughter, this was an excellent read which I would recommend.

When a book like Rabbit Hayes has completely undone you, you are excited and nervous in equal measure to read a sequel that starts at the point the first book left off. How can it be as good? But I need to know what happened next. The latter outweighed any concerns about the former - and I was not disappointed.

Below the Big Blue Sky flows seamlessly from where Rabbit Hayes ended and is no less devastating, brilliant and hilarious than the original. I laughed, I cried, I refused to put the book down until the very last page had been read. Such a wonderful cast of characters - I especially loved Molly - that it's hard to leave them behind.

Fair to say that I absolutely loved this book and have recommended far and wide.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes was one of my favourite books of 2014 so I was very excited to hear a sequel had been written. Sequels have a lot of hype to live up to if the first book was a roaring success and can sometimes be a bit of a let down. This however is none of those things, it is every bit as good as its predecessor and it was great to catch up with the Hayes family again and to see how each family member coped with their grief.

It is a story of family,love and life after loss. It is very well written with a great cast of characters.

Highly recommended!

I would imagine that everyone who read and enjoyed The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes will want to read this follow up book and if I’m any judge, they won’t be disappointed. It’s often said that everyone grieves in their own way and you definitely get a sense of that here as the family and friends of Rabbit adjust to life without her. It is both moving and funny and has such a perfect ending that I don’t expect a third book. I didn’t expect there to have been a second ‘Rabbit Hayes’ book but having read it I’m much happier leaving the characters at this point. Definitely recommended to be read as a follow on rather than a standalone.

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ReviewSecond books can be tricky.
You obviously liked the first one enough to read the follow up,so there's expectations.
They can also be so very easy to slip into,because you know the set up and the characters.
I think I liked this book better than the first,despite it bringing tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.
It really does pull on the heart strings as you go through everyone's grief,and confusion after Rabbit dies.
Getting to know the extended Hayes family even better,and seeing how they tackle drama thrown at them.
Laughing with them and at them.
Hoping there will be a third.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is one of my all time favourite books and I was eager to read the sequel. Below the Big Blue Sky is a beautiful book that lives up to its predecessor. It tells the story of how Rabbit Haye's family copes with her loss in the months after her death. This book had me laughing and bawling crying in equal measures. I adored this book and can't wait to red more from the author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

Oh my word, what an absolute blinder Anna McPartlin has written. I remember reading The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes when it came out and loved it. I also had a cancer diagnosis (fortunately not terminal) but so much of it rang true.

This book follows the death of Rabbit and the lives that the rest of her family and friends have to get on with. From her father’s ostrich approach to her mother’s pretending she’s fine right the way through her brother and sister to her daughter! The struggle she has coping without her mother and dealing with things no young teenager should have to go through really pulls are the heart strings.

Even though I promised myself I wouldn’t cry I did, the book is written with such empathy you would be hard pushed no to.

This is now a two book series I can recommend to everyone!

I hadn’t read The last days of Rabbit Hayes but that didn’t make a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a story of how the Hayes family are affected by grief and how they all respond in there own ways. A book of love and laugh mixed in with the grief .
Thank you so much net galley for allowing to read this.

Oh my word.... I loved the Last Days Of Rabbit Heyes so much and cried buckets so was ecstatic to be given the chance to read the sequel!

A truly amazing book, Anna writes so well, I love her Irish, charm and humour mixed with grief and coming to terms with loss. I related to many things in this book., and have come away feeling healed myself.

The characters have evolved in the book but still have their strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies, I loved them all but especially Marjorie and Molly.

A 5 star plus read! Well done Anna

It is not often that I am sobbing by page 2 - and that sets the scene for most of the book. This tale follows on from 'The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes' - Rabbit is dying of cancer, so it is a pretty bleak start for this book. Despite the snot and tears I loved it, a couple of times I did have to put it down as it was getting too sad but other times I did not want to put it down as was enjoying the characters and their varying responses to grief and the realisation that they still had lives that need to be lived.

Great read!

The last days of rabbit Hayes left a huge impression on me particularly as breast cancer has been very significant in my family, I was thrilled to be able to read below the big blue sky and it didn’t disappoint! To be reunited with the chaotic, loud Hayes family was a joy! This book epitomises how families are affected by grief and how they all respond in different ways but that ultimately it’s the love and connection of being family that gets you through those difficult times!this book could have been all doom and gloom but it wasn’t it showed that you could still laugh, be happy, continue living and find love and hope even after loss! Would be lovely to see a follow up from this book to find out how Juliet grows and develops in her newly formed family and if graces surgery has given her the security and reassurance she needs, and how Molly and jack continue to lead and influence the Hayes family!
Thank you so much net galley for this early that has been a total pleasure from start to finish.