alexblackreads's review
3.0
I didn't dislike this book, but it was pretty close to a two. It may have actually been a two if I wasn't in just the right mood for a high school drama. I do like Siobhan Vivian, but I don't think this is her best work. I kept thinking there was going to be something more to this story, something different, something beneath the surface, but it was just pretty generic. There's a list of the prettiest and ugliest girl in each grade. Some have good experiences with it, most bad. Then it ends. Very abruptly too. I was reading this on ebook and flipped to the next page not realizing the book had ended.
It almost felt like she was going for social commentary then forgot to add the commentary. I was expecting something, even a heavy handed message, but it seemed a bit lacking. I picked up this book because I'd always been curious as to what it was like beyond the basic premise, but I didn't come up with a whole lot more. It was just kind of par for the course. Being pretty isn't all its cracked up to be. Ugly is a social construct that doesn't mean anything. Love yourself. Looks don't determine your self worth. Etc etc.
My biggest issue was that there were so many characters. Eight different girls narrate, two from each grade to represent the prettiest and ugliest, and that's a lot. By the time I remembered everyone and what their story was, it felt like the book was winding down. It's about 300 pages, but divided by eight means each narrator only gets about 40 pages of screen time. It definitely felt like a number of them were throwaway characters who only existed because the premise demanded it. Each individual story felt so brief that it was almost a little like an after school special. There just wasn't time for much depth.
That being said, there were a few characters whose story I was interested in. Abby and Danielle I was always kind of happy to see, and even Laura to a degree. But three out of eight isn't fantastic odds and I liked Danielle's story despite how painfully generic it was.
I don't know. It wasn't bad and Vivian is definitely a good writer, but there just wasn't much about this book that grabbed me. If you're intensely curious about the premise like I was, then sure go ahead. It kind of felt like a waste of time, but not necessarily in a bad way. I'm reading a lot of YA contemporaries very quickly right now and I was okay with this being one of them.
It almost felt like she was going for social commentary then forgot to add the commentary. I was expecting something, even a heavy handed message, but it seemed a bit lacking. I picked up this book because I'd always been curious as to what it was like beyond the basic premise, but I didn't come up with a whole lot more. It was just kind of par for the course. Being pretty isn't all its cracked up to be. Ugly is a social construct that doesn't mean anything. Love yourself. Looks don't determine your self worth. Etc etc.
My biggest issue was that there were so many characters. Eight different girls narrate, two from each grade to represent the prettiest and ugliest, and that's a lot. By the time I remembered everyone and what their story was, it felt like the book was winding down. It's about 300 pages, but divided by eight means each narrator only gets about 40 pages of screen time. It definitely felt like a number of them were throwaway characters who only existed because the premise demanded it. Each individual story felt so brief that it was almost a little like an after school special. There just wasn't time for much depth.
That being said, there were a few characters whose story I was interested in. Abby and Danielle I was always kind of happy to see, and even Laura to a degree. But three out of eight isn't fantastic odds and I liked Danielle's story despite how painfully generic it was.
I don't know. It wasn't bad and Vivian is definitely a good writer, but there just wasn't much about this book that grabbed me. If you're intensely curious about the premise like I was, then sure go ahead. It kind of felt like a waste of time, but not necessarily in a bad way. I'm reading a lot of YA contemporaries very quickly right now and I was okay with this being one of them.
emjrasmussen's review
Mostly, I have heard mediocre things about The List, so I went into it with mediocre expectations. Luckily, it was a little better than I thought. The plot starts immediately, the list being the first thing the reader sees after skimming the short prologue explaining the tradition of the list. There are a lot of different stories and names to keep track of, but you will pick them right up as you go along.
The problem, though, was the way the plots felt completely suspended in space, with no background information to support them and no solid conclusion. At the end of the book, I felt very unsatisfied, and not in a "The author intentionally left the ending open to my imagination" way, but in a “The author didn't care enough" way. All in all, the storyline very intriguing, but the writing is just not very good.
I didn't love The List, but I would say that I liked it; it is an interesting but not very well executed story. Readers who go into it looking for an amazing piece of literature will be disappointed by the detached plots, but readers who are simply looking for a quick, fun read may find The List to be enjoyable. I have not read any of Siobhan Vivian's other books, but if you have enjoyed them, be sure to give this one a try!
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
The problem, though, was the way the plots felt completely suspended in space, with no background information to support them and no solid conclusion. At the end of the book, I felt very unsatisfied, and not in a "The author intentionally left the ending open to my imagination" way, but in a “The author didn't care enough" way. All in all, the storyline very intriguing, but the writing is just not very good.
I didn't love The List, but I would say that I liked it; it is an interesting but not very well executed story. Readers who go into it looking for an amazing piece of literature will be disappointed by the detached plots, but readers who are simply looking for a quick, fun read may find The List to be enjoyable. I have not read any of Siobhan Vivian's other books, but if you have enjoyed them, be sure to give this one a try!
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
trin_ney18's review
5.0
2020 Thoughts
3.5/5 Stars
I'm really glad I reread this before buying it for my collection. When you read something as a 15-year-old and then as a 20-year-old, your perspective changes drastically. I noticed some really toxic mindsets (which did help to create well-rounded characters). There were also some things left unresolved that just didn't sit right with me. As a story, I really did have fun reading it and I still found myself shocked by the final reveal.
2015 Thoughts
5/5 Stars
The List is a novel about a high school in which it is a yearly tradition for a list to be made. Said list will contain the ugliest and prettiest girl from each grade. Eight very different girls are given a chance to tell their stories dealing with their position on the list leading up to the homecoming dance.
I found these characters extremely relatable. The story was something I was telling friends that was so out there and fresh. Often you read about the struggles of high school but this took breakups and gossip to a whole other level. It was somewhat of a mystery because you constantly ask yourself, "Is she the one who wrote the list?" When it finally came out with who did put together the list I was shocked. This book is definitely worth the read.
The beginning was quick and easy. The middle, suspenseful, and enticing. Even the end was something to cherish. Despite the book's ability to keep me interested it didn't leave me wanting more. I was content with how it was. Maybe this is the way the author intended it to be but for me when a book ends like the way this one did I want to be left with a grudging respect for the author. I no doubt respect Ms. Siobhan Vivian for creating such an easy yet raw book but I didn't get invested into everything to the point where I put the book away with a hollow sense of finality.
3.5/5 Stars
I'm really glad I reread this before buying it for my collection. When you read something as a 15-year-old and then as a 20-year-old, your perspective changes drastically. I noticed some really toxic mindsets (which did help to create well-rounded characters). There were also some things left unresolved that just didn't sit right with me. As a story, I really did have fun reading it and I still found myself shocked by the final reveal.
2015 Thoughts
5/5 Stars
The List is a novel about a high school in which it is a yearly tradition for a list to be made. Said list will contain the ugliest and prettiest girl from each grade. Eight very different girls are given a chance to tell their stories dealing with their position on the list leading up to the homecoming dance.
I found these characters extremely relatable. The story was something I was telling friends that was so out there and fresh. Often you read about the struggles of high school but this took breakups and gossip to a whole other level. It was somewhat of a mystery because you constantly ask yourself, "Is she the one who wrote the list?" When it finally came out with who did put together the list I was shocked. This book is definitely worth the read.
The beginning was quick and easy. The middle, suspenseful, and enticing. Even the end was something to cherish. Despite the book's ability to keep me interested it didn't leave me wanting more. I was content with how it was. Maybe this is the way the author intended it to be but for me when a book ends like the way this one did I want to be left with a grudging respect for the author. I no doubt respect Ms. Siobhan Vivian for creating such an easy yet raw book but I didn't get invested into everything to the point where I put the book away with a hollow sense of finality.
mholtberg's review
2.0
The premise is great. Girls battling with inner demons, and finding their true self and friendships. This book opened a whole bag of pain teen girls go through. I would have rated it higher, but the ending was awful. Some of the characters were battling something so awful. Bridget, did she get help? Did Lauren stay? Is Candice nicer? Yay Sarah showered LOL Are Abby and Fern Ok now? I need more closure than just a plastic crown.
cassidylynnereads's review
4.0
Ending 2017 on anothe reread since I wanted something short before inevitably being loaded with good books to read after Christmas. I was surprised to find that I actually really enjoyed this book a lot more than I remembered. Most of the girls had very similar voices with Sarah being the most distinct of them all, but I could still empathize with them all in the end. I’m not a fan of how almost every YA author seems to leave their books with unresolved endings that leave me with more questions than answers, hence the fact that this rating is probably closer to a 3.5 than a 4, but overall I think it’s an interesting read in how it develops so many opposite personalities into one story. There are a few things I want to say that involve spoilers though, so only read on if you wish to know details about how the book ends.
Spoiler
The thing I liked least about this book is how it ended. I know the whole point of the story was that it built up to the Homecoming dance, so it only makes sense to end it there, but there is so much that is left unresolved. I want to see what happens with Lauren and I really wish she had forced her mother to listen to her rather than letting herself be pushed into doing something she didn’t want to. Her mother is way overbearing and seems more interested in what she thinks is best for her daughter than what her daughter actually wants, and her holier-than-thou attitude was super annoying. I ended up liking Candace a lot more than I thought I would and I want to see how things turn out with her as well. Did she actually change as a person, or will she always be a stuck up, bossy, bully? Also why were Lauren’s “friends” so quick to dump her? Clearly they were only interested in listening to what the list had to say but I find it hard to believe all of them are so quick to dump Candace for Lauren and then Lauren for Candace again without even stopping to think about it. I want to know what happens to Bridget and see if she ever gets help (I hope she does) and if Lisa ever stops being a brat to her and actually tells someone instead of blaming her sister for a mental illness. I want to know if Jennifer gives up the stamp, why Rachel and Dana turned on her so quickly, if Ted ever confronts what he did with her, and if Margo ever reveals the truth about who made the list. There is so much more I want to know and it upsets me that the book ended with no clear resolution. Vivian did a great job developing these characters in such short chapters, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of a solid ending. Some cheap cop-out meant to push the moral of the story on readers at the last moment doesn’t count as a great ending. I also find it hard to believe that the current principal (Ms. Colby? Wow, I already forget her name) is the first one to question the tradition of the list. Maybe suicide rates linked to bullying are only becoming an obvious issue in recent years, but I still have a hard time believing this would not be shut down immediately. I know it would be if it had happened in my school, and I didn’t even go to a very great one.blaarrosir's review
4.0
The descriptions in this book were absolutely fantastic. That was the first thing I noticed, the author's way of so vividly describing sights, smells, sounds. I was fascinated with the 8 main characters and their way of individually dealing with their names being on the list - from one girl deciding to prove she can be as ugly as the list said to another taking the list as proof that she made a good decision in becoming anorexic. It All seemed very real and showed that it isn't only hurtful names that can shape your life, but also ones meant to be compliments. My only complaint is that it seemed unfinished and unresolved. There was no clear cut conclusion and that left a lot to be desired. It had the feel of there being a chapter or two missing.
ththalassocracy's review
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
horsepoo7's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I found this book boring all the way through until about the last 6 or so chapters it picked up then but the ending wasn't completely satisfactory either so idk
nyssab_22's review
3.0
I legit have wanted to read this book since I was in middle school and I probably would’ve enjoyed it more then tbh. It had so much potential! Wasn’t bad but was a little disappointing. And the ending was so lackluster :/