From the publisher: Rob Coates feels like he’s won the lottery of life. There is Anna, his incredible wife, their London town house and, most precious of all, Jack, their son, who makes every day an extraordinary adventure. But when a devastating illness befalls his family, Rob’s world begins to unravel. Suddenly finding himself alone, Rob seeks solace in photographing the skyscrapers and clifftops he and his son Jack used to visit. And just when it seems that all hope is lost, Rob embarks on the most unforgettable of journeys to find his way back to life, and forgiveness.

We Own the Sky is not my usual kind of reading. It’s contemporary fiction with an issue. I accidentally requested an electronic advance reader copy from Netgalley, and since my goal is to read and review every e-ARC I request, I read it.

I’m glad I did. It’s hard to believe it’s a first novel. It’s well written and easy to read. Anna and Rob are characters with depth. Both have traits that made me like them and traits that aren’t particularly attractive. Jack was not as well drawn.

Some of the story is told through forum messages, and I found those a little tiresome at times. Also, the technical details of how Rob hacked into a forum and an email account were probably not necessary. But those are minor complaints about a great story.

The narrative moves back and forth in time – we watch Anna and Rob’s courtship, their struggle to have a child after miscarriages, and their relationship with their child. The book is sad, moving, and believable.

The author wrote this book after being diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 36, and he successfully channeled his feelings of fear, frustration, and loss into his book. If you enjoy contemporary literature, you may enjoy We Own the Sky. It is scheduled to be published on April 3 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library.

This is a well-written poignant story about love, grief, forgiveness and moving forward. I could not put this book down, although I was crying for the parents and child throughout. The characters were well portrayed and the title is spot on.

A regret to inform NetGalley that I didn't finish this book. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to preview this story, but I am so invested in YALit that this just couldn't keep me interested. Thank you for providing me with the chance to confirm my reading interests, though.

A sick child, parents desperate to find help, to do anything to cure their child. The story begins with Rob Coates in a low place, depressed, drinking and grieving alone. The story of a family dealing with a crisis is told from Rob’s point of view. Rob and Anna love their five year old son Jack and each other, but as it sometimes happens, relationships are affected as people struggle to deal with sadness and loss. Decisions are made and rifts occur. It’s an emotional read, about difficult circumstances, yet it captures moments of joy that ease the road to forgiveness and healing. I don’t usually comment on book covers, but this one says so much about the story in it’s beauty and simplicity - a man and his little boy.

I’m finding it difficult to write a review without giving anything away so this may seem a little vague, a little short, but I prefer to keep away from specifics. This is an emotional story, realistic and one that drew me in from the beginning, not just the beginning of the novel, but in Allnutt’s note to the reader at the start of the book, where he tells us what his motivation was to write the book : “I wrote it because I thought I was going to die.” Having been diagnosed with a serious illness, on a journey of healing of his own, he wrote this story of healing and hope reflected in the journey of Rob, Anna and beautiful Jack.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Park Row Books/HarperCollins through NetGalley and Edelweiss.

Good read! I got very involved and needed to know the ending so was hard to put down. The human interest and relationships between the characters is what really made the book.

Beautifully written story of love. Found a new author that I’m excited to read more of. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley.

I was sent book review invite - it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a chance.

Debut author
I read the intro by author and I became awestruck!!
A cancer diagnosis changes your thought patterns
"It's about how even when our lives are torn apart, there is always hope."

We Own the Sky is a website- his hobby - focusing on photography.

His wife (and him) suffers through miscarriages - never thought of that word - mis- carriage =the carriage part.
then finally - his birth of his son and all those amazing feelings...I felt like I was there.
At 5 years old his son receives a diagnosis so he begins researching and reaching out to others for
help-for advice -for companionship - for the empty and unknown place to be filled ...

Cancer is a terrible disease = cancer is a gift ?!

I highly recommend this book!!!

Before you sit down to read this book you need to make a cup of tea, have a box of tissues close at hand, and if you have kids give them a huge hug and a kiss. Then and only then should you turn the first page and become caught up in this emotional and heartbreaking tale of love and family that will change you forever.

Rob Coates had the perfect life but everything he loves is suddenly threatened when his little boy becomes ill. As the story moves from past to present we get to see Rob's life before Jack's diagnosis and after, and I am telling you now this book will have you ugly crying.
Such a sensitive topic is always difficult to read but the author has such an honest and raw way with words that you feel what these characters are feeling and you will put yourself in their shoes (which is often harrowing).

WE OWN THE SKY by Luke Allnutt is a story about despair and fear, but it is also sprinkled throughout with hope and love - the love one has for their child and how far you would go for them.
WE OWN THE SKY is a stunning debut and should be on everyone's to-read list this year.

WOW...positively stunning. Let me start by saying, I ordinarily do not read books of this nature. Typically grief is portrayed poorly and I just walk away hating the book in the end and feeling miserable. This book. This author. I had to verify numerous times that this wasn't narrative nonfiction, a memoir documenting a dark, dark time...but no, just beautifully written fiction.

What I loved: The author got it. He got the grief. He understood that there's no roadmap. There's only what you feel and how you react to it. There is not right/wrong/best way. It's raw, it's painful, and it's rarely pretty.
What I liked: I liked the fact that I didn't always like the characters. That their actions/reactions really pissed me off. I liked that...I felt like the author was pulling out all my emotions.
What I hated: All those parts where I cried... Honestly, there was nothing to hate.
What else to read: This book felt a bit like "An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination" by Elizabeth McCracken which is a memoir. Same raw emotions.