It Will All Be OK brings Paolo Hewitt’s landmark memoirs together in one new powerful volume 
 
The Looked After Kid and But We All Shine On united for the first time in a single edition, with a new introduction by the author. 
 
Pre-order by 29 January for a chance to win an invite to the launch event.
 
For the first time, Sorrento Books presents We Will All Be Ok, bringing together both of Paolo Hewitt’s acclaimed memoirs,  The Looked After Kid and But We All Shine On, into one definitive volume - two deeply moving accounts of childhood in care, resilience, friendship, and the enduring power of the human spirit. 
 
Starting with The Looked After Kid, Hewitt’s celebrated memoir of growing up in Burbank Children’s Home after a painful early childhood marked by abuse and instability. Sent into care at the age of ten, Hewitt finds himself among fellow outsiders, forging bonds that help him survive bruising fights, failed love, brushes with the law, and the search for belonging. Ultimately, salvation arrives through music and literature. 
 
A testament to resilience, The Looked After Kid gives voice to children who “go to sleep at night believing the world to be a dark and terrible place,” yet emerge to illuminate their own lives — and the lives of others. 
 
In But We All Shine On, Paolo revisits Burbank years later as he sets out to find the friends who shaped his childhood. Along the way, readers meet Des, Norman, David, and Terry — each carrying their own stories of survival, reinvention, and quiet heroism. Through these reunions, Hewitt reflects not only on the struggles and triumphs of life after care, but on his own journey, and on the indomitable strength that carries people forward against overwhelming odds. 
 
Together, these two works form a profound portrait of childhood, memory, and hope. 
 
Praise for The Looked After Kid and But We All Shine On 
“An uplifting story about refusing to give up on your dreams...real inspiration to loads of people who have had similar backgrounds to Paolo.” Irvine Welsh, author. 
 
“I cannot tell you how moved, touched, horrified, and amused I was. I rate it with Catcher in the Rye.”  Jilly Cooper, author. 
 
“Powerful, moving, touching, and funny. Paolo Hewitt has given a voice to those who are often unheard. The characters stay with you long after you have turned the final page.”  John Grace, The Guardian. 
 
“With his pen Paolo projects light on the darkest path as he seeks the family that never was and unravels a tragic, comical, magical and moving story...We need Paolo Hewitt with his torch. Shine on, Paolo Hewitt. Shine on.”  Lemn Sissay MBE, author. 
 
Pre-order by 29 January for a chance to win an invite to the launch event.