Live

by Luke Palmer

Year Thirteen pupil George is passionate about his band and his music, even if the three other band members are a little more laid back about it. They play for all their friends parties, and just might, he hopes, hit the big time. But they have surprise competition from new girl Beth and shy fellow-pupil Tadhg. Then disaster strikes. Dealing with loss and grief the whole year group must work out how to rebuild their futures and who their true friends are. Comes with complete song lyrics and accompanying playlist!

Genres: Young Adult

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2025

Reviews

[Ryan]

YA books can be good but this one felt a little immature for me.

[Daniel Sheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the previous 2 books by Palmer (in face, I'm sure that 'Play' will be in my top 3 books of this year), so I was very excited to get into his new one. It was gratifying to discover that this book was also set in the same unnamed little town as the first two, and indeed featured some gorgeous little Easter eggs and even a returning (now grown up) character from Book 1 (if you're really paying attention.) I love the way Palmer juxtaposed his (recurring) theme of death, against something like teen porn addiction, which in any other authors hands might have seemed lurid and in poor taste, but Palmer is a master of prose and atmosphere, and so he manages to balance the themes here with a candid freshness that seems effortless, and yet I know from experience was probably very hard to pull off. I also enjoyed being back in the world of small town indie music, as I played in bands for years before becoming a writer. However, I was never as invested in the characters or the overall vibe as I was with his last two books, and even though I've thought a lot about why that might be, I just can't put my finger on it. Books 1 and 2 (this is not a series, btw), were just so raw and punchy and emotional and beautifully put together, and I'm not saying that this one isn't, I just wasn't blown over like I was with his previous, even though I still shed a tear at times. In short, though, this is still a very large cut above the usual contemporary YA, and he's still one of my favourite new YA authors and deserves to be read a hell of a lot more widely than he is. Soulful, carefully written, intelligent YA. I can't wait for the next one!

[Andrew Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book by Luke Palmer. Again writing for a fogotten market - 14+ boys, again tackling issues facing them and again triumphing. The story is about a boy who is in a local band, at the top of their tree within their school, but tragedy stikes the band and he has to put the pieces back together. There are a vast array of charcters and sub plotlines, perhaps too many is the only complaint i have about this book, but palmer deals with them all with a gentle touch so no one is forgotten about and everyone pretty much gets an ending. There is a fantastic portrait of a minor character that is so realistic it actually reminds me of someone i used to work with. There is discussion of poverty, inequality, the availaibility of porn and other serious issues involving teenagers. The book is not dragged down into debate about these issues like other similar books have been, but shows them in a real, believable light. if i had to rank this book in his output it would be third of three, but it is still head and shoulders above all other current writing for boys, even the title is a nice bit of wordplay for the story..

Netgalley ARC.

[Emma Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book by Luke Palmer that has just as much heart and power as his previous YA novels. When tragedy threatens to tear a group of friends apart, the young cast of characters are left trying to work out who they are in the wake of a huge loss. This novel asks some big questions, ones that both young people and adults can engage with.

Who are we if the thing we love doing is no longer a place of simple joy?

Should the mistakes we make as a teenager define our future? Are they really our mistakes at all?

How does loss change who we are? (And is that change something we should embrace, even if it is painful?)

With trademark empathy, Palmer captures the voices of teenagers with accuracy, honesty and sensitivity. The characters makes you laugh with their insights on the world we live in, and cry when they face its cruelty with bravery and resilience.

Not only does this book remind us of the power of music to heal, but the creativity, compassion and brilliance of young people navigating an increasingly complex and unforgiving world.

I can’t wait to see what Palmer does next.

[Nessa’s Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Luke Palmer book… and definitely not my last.

Honestly, I went in expecting a standard YA band story and came out feeling all the feelings.

We follow George, a sixth former who lives for his band and has dreams of making it big. They’re the it group! No party is complete without them.

But then tragedy hits, and suddenly the amps are off, the gigs are gone, and George and his friends are left trying to figure out who they are without the future they thought was guaranteed.

It’s got grief, friendship, healing, and the absolute power of music all rolled into one. And while it’s technically YA, it’s so relatable and realistic that it works just as well for adult readers. Such a beautiful and powerful read that I would recommend this to anyone that searches this type of read. Be prepared to tear up.

There were moments that made me laugh, others that had me holding back tears, and a few that just made me sit there and feel.

If you want a heartfelt, musical, and surprisingly deep coming of age story, this one is worth picking up…no matter your age. 🎸

[Mars Dweller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one could almost be a four, it is very good, better than the others I’ve read recently that I rated a three :P I found the book charming in the beginning, and beautifully written after Libby’s party, but after George comes back to school, I felt it lost the momentum for me. Also, I struggled to care for the characters at points, even ones I usually sympathised with deeply would suddenly have me struggling to get invested in their story.

[Kate O. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 — I didn't expect much, and what I was expecting was mostly the story itself. It's just a teen story, like The Wallflower or something similar. It's not bad, but it's not deep, and it's very predictable.

[Freya Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this book changed the way I will forever look at other books!!

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jana · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

I truly believe that only 2 types of books exist. A book you read, liked or didn't like and you move past it or a book which stick with you for a long time weather for right or wrong reasons but it sticks with you. This book will stick with me for all good reasons. I highly doubt I will ever forget about it. This book is written beautifully yet its so easy to read. It introduces us to brilliant young minds of bunch of teenagers'. Our main character George leads this amazing band which brings people together, weather they're playing at school or at the party. One day a tragedy happens and we see how all the characters change after the accident and how each of them are dealing with grief after such a loss. It also shows us how the characters rebuild themselves after what happened.
The book is a truly beautiful experience which can make you cry every so often. I genuinely wish I could experience this book for the first time again, and I don't think I've ever said this about the book but this is really worth a reread, maybe not only one.
Only complain I have is that the book for me was just a little bit too fast pacing, I wish we didn't leave the characters behind in this singular book. I really wish we got a duology. But either way this book was an amazing journey and I highly and warmly recommend it to anyone who passes by it at the book store, because you will never guess what kind of story awaits for you behind the cover of this book.

!SPOILER!
I would like to add that out of all the characters my favorite has to be Tadhg. He is this one so well written side character. He is so unapologetically himself but he is scared of showing it. I have never resonated with a character this much. Every time he was brought up I would tear up because I could basically see myself in him. And its not only his actions that were similar to mine but also his problem and his personality, that's why I will keep this character very close to my heart. I really hope I will learn, or be pushed to finally get out of my comfort zone and start to be comfortable outside of my skin just like he was.

And I would really love to take out a quote that stuck with me the most:
"𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙊𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙥. 𝙎𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩. 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙎𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙣𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚𝙨. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩."