I'm just not sure about this.

Lots to like- concept is an intriguing one. But the execution of it is not quite so compelling, and I expected it to be more feminist, whereas reactions and outcomes are less so and more wishy washy which I don't get.

The build up to the wedding was tense for the first half, but post wedding day, everything falls a bit flat and gets predictable.

Just seemed to all get lost.

Book clubs will have plenty to talk about, I'm left baffled as to why it took the turns it did.

I love reading books which are ripped straight from the headlines and The List certainly fits the bill.

Michael and Ola are blissfully in love and looking forward to their wedding. The book cleverly starts with chapters detailing the number of days until The Big Day, however Ola's job, for a trendy magazine calling out predatory male behaviour, becomes very complicated when the titular List is published online and Michael's name appears on it. The List being the names of well known males who have been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women.

Why does Michael's name appear on the list? Can Ola believe Michael's protestations of innocence and how well do we really know anyone? The book asks all these questions but also asks about the nature and power of social media and whether it is a force for good or not in this space.

This was a really well written novel and I did enjoy it. There were some points and aspects of the story which I had a few issues with but they didn't ruin my enjoyment of a complex story told well and from both sides.

This will definitely generate debates through the year.

Thanks to Netgalley and Fourth Estate for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Ola and Michael are getting married in a month's time.

And then, one morning, they wake up to the same message about The List.

The List started as a crowdsourced collection of names, and ended up as an anonymous online witch hunt, naming men in a variety of allegations.

Now, socially conscious Ola would have been all over this. She'd have retweeted it, written articles, called for those named to be fired.

Except this time shoe doesn't.

Because Michael's name is on it. And she doesn't know why...

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the arc of The list by Yomi Adegoke.

A book for the current day. Maybe I’m not in the projected targeted audience as I didn’t gel with the book at all. That said it is a semi fascinating and well written read.

This really was not the book for me. Although I always love a book with a feminist POV, this wasn't what I expected and I did not enjoy the writing style or characters so sadly I had to DNF.

Definitely interesting, and with a lot of relevant topics , this is going to be great for bookclubs.
I found myself questioning how I'd act given any of the situations that used trust, and loyalty.
I struggled with the characters though, didn't really ever like them.
I was keen to find out IF the wedding happened, and from there I got more invested.

Definitely a book for these times.

I'd describe this as a finger-on-the-pulse hot and buzzy book but also as one that could have been more polished as a fictional vehicle to carry the important social commentary and debate.

At the heart of the book is what happens when an online journalist for a feminist news site finds her fiancé on The List: a Google doc posted to Twitter that lists creative industry harrassers, users, abusers and rapists. Cue discussions about how to navigate loyalties: to fellow female victims? to the men we love and hope we know? We want to believe the women but Black men, especially, have been historically lynched and murdered on the false rape testimony of white women - think Emmett Till, the Scottboro Boys, both name-checked in the text.

Add to that the unverifiable status of online accusations: a Google doc gives protective anonymity, of course, to women speaking out, but it's also open to abuse as there is no evidence. In the case of Michael, his employers have done a DBS check to prove the accusation of having a restraining order taken out against him is false but that doesn't stop the trolling and online abuse that spills over into real life.

All of this is important material but I found the writing foggy and messy at times with extraneous exposition and descriptions that could have been cut or better integrated - this almost feels written for TV. There are also holes in the characterisation as people do things for the convenience of the plot: jarring instances are the opening scene where Ola and Michael are club-hopping, drinking champagne to celebrate their upcoming wedding, don't get home till 3 am... and then he doesn't stay the night as he's starting a new job the next day? All this just to separate the two protagonists when The List drops on social media.

Similarly, Ola has no friends at her workplace, refuses to go for team drinks, doesn't talk to anyone... just so that when The List appears with Michael's name on it, none of her colleagues know he's her fiancé and she's requested to write about it. Why would Michael even be DBS-checked for a job on a YouTube channel?

So lots of interesting material here and it's a bit chick-lit-y with issues giving it mass market appeal. Despite the two best friends and the £30,000 wedding, this raises questions about internet 'justice' alongside the perennial question of how we call out male violence against women.