Hello lovelies! I’m taking part in the blog tour for Live Like Your Head’s On Fire and today I have the pleasure of sharing my review of the book with you. Massive thanks to Isabelle Kenyon and Story Machine Books for my gifted copy of the novel! Make sure to read on because it’s a book you don’t want to miss out on!

Synopsis:

When fifteen year-old Pen Flowers climbs out of her bedroom window in the middle of the night to dance in the empty streets, she ignites a flame in herself that will change everything.

As soon as I started reading ‘Live Like Your Head’s On Fire’, I was completely hooked by Lomas’ fantastic writing. The writing made the story flow and the descriptions really brought it to life. The novel made me feel so many emotions whilst reading - empowerment, joy, rejection, pain and so on. The character of Pen is definitely relatable, especially as she tried to follow her dreams of dancing but she was discouraged by others who thought it wasn’t good enough. I can relate to this as I’ve always wanted to be a writer and had people tell me that it wasn’t a realistic career. The arts, such as dance, music and writing, are incredibly important but for some reason they are seen as insignificant by a number of people. How else would people be entertained if we didn’t have the arts?

Moving on from my short rant, I thought that, just like Pen, the rest of the characters were well developed and had distinct characteristics. I'd love to be Pen’s and Vivienne’s friend; they are both such lovely characters! It was also great of Lomas to highlight that it’s fine to leave friendships that are toxic and that don’t make you feel good. Moreover, what struck me the most is how realistic this novel was, from the storyline to the conversations Pen had with her friends. A lot of young adults experience the same emotions and struggles in life, and I think that it is important not to sugarcoat people’s experiences but to showcase that, although things can get difficult, it’s possible to overcome bad situations.

Overall, ‘Live Like Your Head’s On Fire’ is definitely one of the best YA novels I’ve read in a while. It’s realistic and it makes you empathise with the character of Pen whilst she deals with difficult experiences. Although the character goes through difficult events, the story is still full of empowerment and hope and will definitely put a smile on your face. Lomas’ writing is brilliant and I can’t wait to read her next book ‘Love Like Your Heart’s On Fire’ and be consumed by Pen’s life again!

Rating: 5 stars

Live Like Your Head’s On Fire by Sally-Anne Lomas is published by Story Machine and available in paperback and ebook. For 20% off your paperback copy, enter the code BlogTour when checking out at www.storymachines.co.uk

About the Author

Sally-Anne Lomas lives in Norfolk and has worked as a television producer and director for most of her life. Live Like Your Head's On Fire is her debut novel.