This was a thought provoking read.

A moment (or two!) of madness changes and affects so many people! This is a story of what it means to teenagers to be alive and to understand what they have to look forward to. An unexpected accident means that one of the characters loses his life unexpectedly. The knock-on effect on his close friends and extended school community is harrowing at times, and felt painfully truthful. Alcohol, drugs, porn, anxiety, cyber-bully, and relationship issues and all strong themes for this book and it is probably most suitable for 16+ due to these mature themes. Having said that, I think Palmer delicately handles the fallout from the accident and how each character responds and starts to recover. Music and its ability to unite and heal is a strong feature of the story.

I found the character development compelling and (whilst being a long way from sixth form age myself) it felt gritty and realistic. A tough but satisfying read.

A beautifully written and essential book for older teen boys, about overcoming difficulties. Touches on many difficult topics while keeping them accessible and relatable for the target audience, and allowing parents and trusted adults to increase their empathy and understanding for what these experiences are like.

Absolutely loved this by Luke Palmer. Totally believable narration and storytelling from the male adolescent perspective which is so refreshing. I can’t wait to discover more by this author

Luke Palmer just has the most magical way with words that despite covering some darker topics, you feel at ease with everything he creates. Superb!!

Live is a powerful and heartfelt read that dives into grief, friendship, and how music can help us heal. The story follows George, a sixth-former who's all about his band and dreams of making it big. But when something devastating happens, George and his friends are forced to deal with loss and figure out how to move forward.
Being a rock fan myself I really enjoyed the story , Luke Palmer always gets the voice of teenage boys pitch perfect , and the emotions feel real and raw. Together with his earlier books Grow and Play, this one rounds out the trilogy beautifully.
Live is thoughtful, relatable, and filled with heart. Whether you're a teen going through tough times or just love stories about friendship and music, this book is worth checking out. Would make a great addition to secondary school library shelves.

Having read both of Luke Palmer's previous books, I knew that trying to resist an early read of Live would be impossible to resist. Luke writes YA novels that manage to create realistic scenarios whilst also keeping readers gripped with the plots, and Live is no exception. Where Grow deals with recruitment into far right groups, and Play immerses readers in county lines and drugs (you can read my review here), Live tackles what happens when a group of sixth-formers lose a friend.

Once again, Luke has manged to write a book with very real and believable characters whose lives change in unimaginable ways. One minute, they are living their lives, doing their best to balance studies, friendships, relationships and their love of music; and then in an instant, everything changes forever. The plot is powerful and heartfelt and reminds readers that everybody deals with death differently. Like his previous novels, Palmer masterfully weaves relevant issues for teenagers into the plot, covering themes such as depression, porn addiction and financial issues.

Live is a powerful novel that will stop readers in their tracks; full of empathy and reality, Palmer expertly highlights the importance of boys discussing their emotions (something we are always promoting in school).

Publishing on the 5th June, Live is a book that should be in Senior School libraries and is a must-read for teenagers aged 14+.

Palmer’s writing always sparkles, and add to that his ability to capture the cadence of adolescent boys’ voices and lives, in this he has added a worthy third to his brilliant Grow, Play, Live trilogy.