Twisty, gripping, extremely entertaining. I was really excited to read this and Yomi didn’t disappoint. Almost terrifyingly prescient tbqh!

For a debut novel, the written craft on display in this book is amazing and I'd be so keen to read more from this author moving forward (which is mirrored in my rating). Unfortunately, I struggled with this book, despite it discussing a hugely essential topic. There will be those who adore it, but not one for me.

Sassy, clever, funny and shocking. This is a clever, well written moral for modern times. It is definitely immersed in todays online culture, but the well plotted novel has depth. This is a highly superior beach read for people who want a bit of intelligent story telling while being entertained.

We start in the presence of the instaglam couple Michael and Ola, who are a month away from celebrating their wedding day! Both have good jobs thanks to their online presence, but when a list of men is released on Twitter accusing them (anonymously) of committing sexual acts, violence and abuse, Michael and Ola’s worlds crumble as Michael is named as an abuser on the list.

This book gave so much insight into people, their character, their rationale for explicable acts, the #metoo movement, cancel culture and the court of social media where it’s guilty until proven innocent.

I enjoyed the story, and the characters. I genuinely felt for both Michael and Ola throughout this book - more so for Ola and the decisions she needs to take. I felt things were a bit repetitive at times where the same point was made over and over.

Quite a quick read for me on this one. I was genuinely interested in how the characters would develop and end up as a result of the allegation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 star read! Thank you to NetGalley and publishers 4th estate books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

My thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The List’ by Yomi Adegoke.

I accompanied by reading of the eARC with its unabridged audiobook edition and also took part in an online group read organised by the publishers and hosted by The Pigeonhole. This allowed for group discussion as we read the daily chapters.

‘The List’ is a highly anticipated debut novel; one that I would class as a comedy-drama with satirical elements.

The plot examines issues such as the MeToo movement, celebrity culture, social media toxicity, internet trolls, and cancel culture. While primarily focusing on a young couple, it’s the kind of novel that could be described as ‘ripped from the headlines’ and there are definite echoes of real world cases within.

London, May 2019. Ola Olajide is a successful journalist working for Womxxxn, a high profile feminist magazine. She is young, beautiful, and in less than four week’s time she will be marrying the love of her life, Michael Koranteng. They had met three years ago at a media networking event for Black Brits. Their wedding is going to be huge with relatives flying in from Nigeria and Ghana. They are lauded on Instagram as a celebrity Black power couple.

Following an opening party where we are introduced to a number of main and supporting characters, the next morning Michael is starting his new job at the media group, CuRated. Meanwhile Ola is juggling frantic wedding planning with her busy job and extremely demanding boss. Both Ola and Michael receive text messages asking if they have seen ‘The List’ on Twitter? This turns out to be a list of anonymous allegations exposing ‘the UK media’s most prolific abusers’.

This is exactly the kind of story that Ola would usually cover. Except today as her world is shattered when she sees Michael’s name on it. Elsewhere, Michael is shocked and confused; certain that it must be a mistake. When they meet up Ola gives Michael an ultimatum to prove his innocence by their wedding day or else. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Yomi Adegoke structures the novel by alternating chapters between the perspectives of Ola and Michael, slowly building up a picture of their lives and relationship. It is a thought provoking satire that raises important questions about social media and the very real potential for Trial-by-Twitter to ruin people’s lives.

Adegoke’s use of language is bold - having her characters use slang, make references, and speak in dialects that would likely be unfamiliar to some of her readers. However, I appreciated this authenticity even if I had to look up a few meanings. I was pleased that I combined reading with its audiobook edition as hearing the characters speak assisted me with the language.

Overall, I found ‘The List’ highly engaging. I can imagine it being popular with reading groups as it certainly provides plenty of topics for discussion. I understand that the author is adapting it as a television series.

On a side note I liked the bold colours of its cover art and the use of the cheeky emoji.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

A very "of the moment" read.
Michael and Ola are days away from their high profile wedding when Michaels name appears on "The list" online - a list of men who are exposed anonymously for their behaviour... as homophobes, racists, abusers, assaulters etc.
As a proud feminist journalists Ola struggles to juggle this online rumour with the man she loves and wants to marry. Can he really be the man that has been exposed online? A great insight into cancel culture, the damage that online / social media can do. this very much captures the world we are all living in right now.

The book is about many different topics such as complex love, friendships, cyber bullying, social media, abuse, etc.

A well written book by a clearly talented writer. I read it pretty quickly so it was quite gripping

But I have to say that I couldn’t shake off this feeling that this narrative of false allegations towards men is adding to the biggest issue that women aren’t listened to, heard properly or believed in most cases. I did find quite a few things problematic in fact. I am not sure what was attended from this novel if I’m honest and none of the characters were very likeable.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the writer for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ola and Michael are the ideal social media couple. Ola has a high profile job profiling people, naming and shaming those who have overstepped the mark. Michael is due to start a new job with a blogging company. It’s 28 days before their luxurious wedding, The List is published on social media - this list includes the names of men allegedly who have preyed on women and girls, sexual exploitation and treating women badly. Michael's name is on the list, what should Ola do?
Trial by social media.
We read Ola’s side and Michael's side of the story.
Great twist at the end.

The List by Yomi Adegoke.

There has been a lot of buzz in the lead up to the publication of The List , eye catching cover and a fascinating premise but does it live up to its hype? I am not sure.

Ola and Michael are " couple goals", instagram swoon worthy and all is going well in their lives, four weeks out from their dream and part sponsored wedding. Ola is a journalist at a feminist magazine , successful and respected.. Michael is starting a new job in content creation, their online presence possibly helped him secure his new role. Then they wake up one Monday morning to numerous messages each asking have they seen " The List".

Published anonymously on Twitter via a crowdsourced google doc, the list shares a list of men all in the public sphere who are being accused of harassment /sexual misconduct/ ill treatment of women. Michael is named on the list and their world implodes.

There is a lot that is good in here - the exploration of trial by social media, cancel culture, race, infidelity and I was invested in the story of this couple, I wanted to know what happened and so this held my interest all the way through. However, there was a lot that didn't work for me. From the opening chapter, things didn't ring true ( the couple are on a big night out the night before Michael starts a new job ) and this reliance on unrealistic circumstances continued throughout the book. It was also a little unevenly paced. In trying to examine so many current and relevant themes, the story didn't allow for too much else.
Overall it was just a bit off kilter for me. Uneven and a little frustrating because it had the potential to be excellent.

3 stars.

A powerful read on the dangers of trial by social media and the often toxic behaviour of those who use it. How polarised our opinions can be and so loosely informed,

Really solid book with some very interesting thematic work and character development. I enjoyed following the main character.

An exceptional premise - the moral dilemma stuff of nightmares! You can't help but turn the pages wondering what you'd do in Ola's position... loved this. A thinker and a page turner.

The list is such an important read. A story that needs to be told. I don't think I can compare this masterpiece to anything I have read before and I was totally gripped .I could not put this down. The topic of consent and male privilege is really dissected here. I have already recommended the list to so many people already.

This book is an interesting premise: a tweet from an anonymous account sharing a list of allegations against well known men and the reactions towards it. Our main protagonist, Ola, is a renowned feminist journalist, so when she discovers that her fiancé is on this list and there’s only a month until their wedding she’s understandably faced with a dilemma. Does she trust her fiancé or believe the accusations in The List?
Whilst the overall plot interested me and I wanted to know the truth, I found it quite hard going reading large portions of the book due to the use of patois and social media speak. Perhaps I wasn’t the target audience, but nevertheless I did find this frustrating and ended up skimming through chunks of the book. I’m sure it will however appeal greatly to many. It certainly makes you think twice about the impact of social media and about how easily it can impact people without there being any evidence of whether what is posted is indeed true or false.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

This book has been super hyped!! I keep seeing this book everywhere - so had bit expectations.
However, I just found this book to be far too slow in pace, and it kept repeating itself.

'Is my Fiance really on the list?'
'No he can't be'
'But what if he is'
'No, i'm being silly'
'But what if i'm not'

Literally felt like that for the majority of the book - and it just was annoying. It took too long to build.
Too slow for me!

The premise of this felt really interesting to me, so I was disappointed when it personally just did not live up to the hype.
'The List' certainly raises some important points and discussed issues that I think we should be seeing explored more, but I unfortunately just could not enjoy the execution. Most of all, I found the two protagonists so painfully underdeveloped as characters that it just made the book feel even slower. (The pace of this book was another issue--it really could have cut a lot of pages, or at least spent less time fleshing things out that didn't need fleshing out.) It felt often as if Adegoke didn't fully understand their own characters, emphasised, for example, by the uncertainty surrounding the characters own 'celebrity' level, which is something that was an important point for the plot, but was not at all cohesively done. Though this sounds minor, it is something that bothered me all the way through the novel, unfortunately.

I really liked the idea behind this book as it covers modern issues however I struggled with the book. I found it to be quite slow, however, having said that I will likely watch the tv version.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s one month until Ola and Michael’s big day when the The List drops on Twitter, naming Michael as one of British media’s problematic men. Will Ola, a writer at a feminist online magazine, still marry Michael in light of the allegations of harassment? What does this mean for the once #couplegoals?

The List will certainly be one of the most talked about novels of the summer, it is very (too?) of the zeitgeist and considers themes of representation, cancellation, justice, misogyny.

I felt the narrative could have been tighter, I’m sure it will work brilliantly on adaptation and look forward to watching it.

Pick up this book up if: you miss The Bold Type

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Rapid Downward Spiral..
Contemporary, topical and controversial, this compelling tale is as immersive as it is thought provoking. Meet Ola, about to marry her one love, and Michael, her intended. They seem to have it all. Don’t they? When ‘The List’ begins things are about to take a rapid downward turn - and it’s just the beginning. With a sharp edged and pacy narrative, the author grabs the reader and ramps up the shocks with each explosive uncovering.

Ola and Michael are a star couple, heading towards their wedding and everything to look forward to. Until The List comes out, naming men in the media who have assaulted and harassed women - and Michael's name is on it. Ola's a journalist for a woman's magazine, she can't overlook this and marry him, can she?

This was really, really good. It looks at the impact the list has on the victims of the type of men who belonged on the list, as well as some of the men who were named and of course on their family and friends. How can Ola and Michael get married when The List has destroyed trust, and should trust be unconditional? Different people's reactions to the list were really well done, and the explanation at the end of how Michael came to be on the list was very clever.

Overall, it's a very clever and well done book which is absolutely worth reading!