mrscorytee's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
fitbooks's review
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Eating disorder
lhodgson26's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I think this is a really important book which everyone both men and women need to read. It shows the misogynist world which we still live in and the way abusers still continue to get away with the hurt they cause to the victims. The injust world we leave in when the police evidence is hardly ever enough to get a conviction and how wealthy public figures continue to abuse their trust and use money to make the problem disappear. However, it also showcases how trial by social media in the modern age can get out of hand, when rumours with limited credibility can destroy lives such as Lewis ultimately taken his own life. It is a powerful how someone's one lie can cause destruction in both professional and personal life's. I did like Ola and Micheal and they were a good example of how you can think you know someone it can all change in an instant with one piefe ot information and make you doubt everything. I did find it infuriating that Micheal did not come clean in the beginning as the issues which unfolded with the lie were a lot worse and it was such a waste of a good wedding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
ropey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Couples Ola and Michael are embroiled in a scandal involving a “list” of perpetrators that draws much of its inspiration from the MeToo movement. It shows the consequences of trial-by-public with social media, cancel-culture, and how little regard many of us have for online credibility. While I liked how the author included different perspectives in this book, it also felt strangely mechanical.
The final chapter made the story somewhat uncharacteristically removed. It’s as though it spent so much of the first chapters building up this believable set of characters only to turn them cartoonish at the end (I wouldn’t fault the author for this as they did mention that they’d considered writing nonfiction first)
This is the kind of book I’m not certain I could rate. It raises important topics that are normally scoffed at and shrugged off, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it, nor would I read it again.
The final chapter made the story somewhat uncharacteristically removed. It’s as though it spent so much of the first chapters building up this believable set of characters only to turn them cartoonish at the end (I wouldn’t fault the author for this as they did mention that they’d considered writing nonfiction first)
This is the kind of book I’m not certain I could rate. It raises important topics that are normally scoffed at and shrugged off, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it, nor would I read it again.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
aunticles's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a definite page-turner and very thought-provoking. Very skilfully written. Making the chapter headings a countdown to the wedding really helped keep the stakes high. I could feel Ola's sense of being on a runaway train she couldn't stop. Clever switching between the 2 main characters' pov, managing to keep both voices strong. Excellent dialogue and depiction of online discourse. Michael was far more sympathetic than I'd expected. I wanted to feel he was the villain but it was more nuanced than that. An uncomfortable read that puts the reader firmly in a moral grey area and dares them to judge. I can see lots of book club arguments coming out of this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Car accident, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Suicide
naddie_reads's review
3.75
"The List" by Yomi Adegoke is a contemporary novel that focuses on one of the most insidious aspects of most social media platforms: cancel culture and its dangerous consequences.
Ola is a journalist for a feminist magazine and is set to marry her longtime boyfriend Michael who has just landed a PR job at a coveted company. Together, they have amassed plenty of followers on their social media and became known as the Black "It" couple throughout London's social circles, but they are about to learn how this fame would backfire when ‘The List’ is published on Twitter. Anonymously crowdsourced, The List reveals the names of well-known men accused of various things, from homophobia to abuse. Less than a month away from their wedding, Ola discovers that Michael’s name has been put on the list as an alleged abuser. When her boss insists that she covers the story of The List for their magazine, Ola has to find out if the allegations are true while people on social media are out for blood to crucify the people on The List.
My thoughts on this book is as cluttered as the novel itself. “The List” tries to juggle so many themes, and though the author manages to pull it off, there’s still room for improvement. The dual narrative from Ola’s POV to Michael’s can be a bit jarring, especially when one POV acts as a recap to give us a glimpse into what both characters felt of the entire situation. However, I appreciate how Adegoke represents both viewpoints. Ola’s feelings of betrayal and the dichotomy between how Ola-the-feminist would react to the allegations vs. how Ola-the-alleged-abuser’s-fiancée actually behaved are believably portrayed, while Michael’s slow descend into depression as he grapples with the accusations from an anonymous woman who seemed to be spreading lies about him as well as the anonymous keyboard warriors behind Twitter et al is so hard to read about. Michael’s POV was especially valuable to see how the toxicity of the cancel culture can have devastating consequences for the people who are targeted by it (and well do I know of twtr’s toxicity & how its mentality sucks you into an echo chamber, so much so that I’ve deleted the app).
I’m also not enamored with the ‘mystery’ aspect behind the investigation into The List & Michael’s accuser, mostly because the reveals and flashbacks felt a bit forced. It’s almost as if the novel is geared for a Netflix production (and I believe it’s been picked up for screen adaptation), hence why it was written the way it was. Still, FWIW I still gasped at the revelation towards the end & almost threw the book in disgust because the conclusion was so effective at making me mad lmao.
Despite my minor complaints, “The List” is nevertheless a gripping novel that highlights the fact that for every good social media & wide internet access has given us, there is always the darker side where a person can be unjustly persecuted and their life upended (or ended) by a cancel culture that is so dependent on the tendency of groupthink that doesn’t allow for nuanced discussions. Fans of No One Is Talking About This or So You've Been Publicly Shamed will definitely appreciate the fictional takes in “The List”.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK & 4th Estate for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available in bookstores in July 2023!
Ola is a journalist for a feminist magazine and is set to marry her longtime boyfriend Michael who has just landed a PR job at a coveted company. Together, they have amassed plenty of followers on their social media and became known as the Black "It" couple throughout London's social circles, but they are about to learn how this fame would backfire when ‘The List’ is published on Twitter. Anonymously crowdsourced, The List reveals the names of well-known men accused of various things, from homophobia to abuse. Less than a month away from their wedding, Ola discovers that Michael’s name has been put on the list as an alleged abuser. When her boss insists that she covers the story of The List for their magazine, Ola has to find out if the allegations are true while people on social media are out for blood to crucify the people on The List.
My thoughts on this book is as cluttered as the novel itself. “The List” tries to juggle so many themes, and though the author manages to pull it off, there’s still room for improvement. The dual narrative from Ola’s POV to Michael’s can be a bit jarring, especially when one POV acts as a recap to give us a glimpse into what both characters felt of the entire situation. However, I appreciate how Adegoke represents both viewpoints. Ola’s feelings of betrayal and the dichotomy between how Ola-the-feminist would react to the allegations vs. how Ola-the-alleged-abuser’s-fiancée actually behaved are believably portrayed, while Michael’s slow descend into depression as he grapples with the accusations from an anonymous woman who seemed to be spreading lies about him as well as the anonymous keyboard warriors behind Twitter et al is so hard to read about. Michael’s POV was especially valuable to see how the toxicity of the cancel culture can have devastating consequences for the people who are targeted by it (and well do I know of twtr’s toxicity & how its mentality sucks you into an echo chamber, so much so that I’ve deleted the app).
I’m also not enamored with the ‘mystery’ aspect behind the investigation into The List & Michael’s accuser, mostly because the reveals and flashbacks felt a bit forced. It’s almost as if the novel is geared for a Netflix production (and I believe it’s been picked up for screen adaptation), hence why it was written the way it was. Still, FWIW I still gasped at the revelation towards the end & almost threw the book in disgust because the conclusion was so effective at making me mad lmao.
Despite my minor complaints, “The List” is nevertheless a gripping novel that highlights the fact that for every good social media & wide internet access has given us, there is always the darker side where a person can be unjustly persecuted and their life upended (or ended) by a cancel culture that is so dependent on the tendency of groupthink that doesn’t allow for nuanced discussions. Fans of No One Is Talking About This or So You've Been Publicly Shamed will definitely appreciate the fictional takes in “The List”.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK & 4th Estate for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available in bookstores in July 2023!
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
sillylilbooks's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt
frombethanysbookshelf's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
"It's just interesting that you've been more than happy to talk about 'believing women' until the one tmie it actually requires personal sacrifice. And by 'interesting' I mean 'total hypocritical fuckery.'"
The List is a highly topical and timely story with a bold voice that fearlessly jumps into the complexity and absurdity of modern life. Our main character explores the way our online lives have the power to improve or destroy lives, and how different a curated image of life can be to reality. And aside from the whip-smart commentary, it tackles the need for abusers to be held accountable and visible, for women to believed and the way abuse and sexism is so normalised some people don’t even recognise themselves as abusers — as well as discourse about intersectional feminism especially for black women and women of colour.
Ola is wickedly funny and relatable at times, endearing and inviting as a narrator — an woman who knows what she wants but really isn’t sure how she’s meant to do everything. I felt her deep confusion, being torn between ‘innocent till proven guilty’ and believing victims without discrimination. It asks us how we’d act in a situation that forces us not only believe in solidarity and feminism, but take action for it. She leads this story with a personal and emotive voice as she tries to find the truth and wrestles with her love for Michael and her love for her fellow women. Hearing from Michael was interesting and at times unsettling — someone who hasn’t always been a good person and might be deserving of hate, but doesn’t think he’s guilty of the crimes he’s being accused of.
There’s some villains in this story that are clear cut, there are some that are more complicated and make us wonder if redemption is ever truly possible when you’ve hurt people. While the story may be about these two people, as the pages go by we watch as this incident ripples out into the world with catastrophic effects, bringing unsaid truths to the surface for all to see.
Every single character in this story was a vibrant, complex person — although I had a particular soft spot for Olas’ colleague Kiran and their personal bland of honesty and sarcasm. We get to know everyone intricately, at times the story slows to a stroll, just spending time trying to figure out how our characters are feeling before we pick up another piece of the puzzle.
A fiercely feminist triumph of a novel — this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of reading Adegokes work but I don’t think it’ll be the last.
Ola is wickedly funny and relatable at times, endearing and inviting as a narrator — an woman who knows what she wants but really isn’t sure how she’s meant to do everything. I felt her deep confusion, being torn between ‘innocent till proven guilty’ and believing victims without discrimination. It asks us how we’d act in a situation that forces us not only believe in solidarity and feminism, but take action for it. She leads this story with a personal and emotive voice as she tries to find the truth and wrestles with her love for Michael and her love for her fellow women. Hearing from Michael was interesting and at times unsettling — someone who hasn’t always been a good person and might be deserving of hate, but doesn’t think he’s guilty of the crimes he’s being accused of.
There’s some villains in this story that are clear cut, there are some that are more complicated and make us wonder if redemption is ever truly possible when you’ve hurt people. While the story may be about these two people, as the pages go by we watch as this incident ripples out into the world with catastrophic effects, bringing unsaid truths to the surface for all to see.
Every single character in this story was a vibrant, complex person — although I had a particular soft spot for Olas’ colleague Kiran and their personal bland of honesty and sarcasm. We get to know everyone intricately, at times the story slows to a stroll, just spending time trying to figure out how our characters are feeling before we pick up another piece of the puzzle.
A fiercely feminist triumph of a novel — this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of reading Adegokes work but I don’t think it’ll be the last.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Sexual harassment
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