Member Reviews

Yomi Adegoke’s novel The List is messy. And intentionally so. Her delve into the world of online outing of abusers and defamation goes deep, is never simplistic and explores every avenue. After The List appears on Twitter naming names, including that of Ola’s fiancé Michael, nothing is simple for either of them. The novel explores trust in relationships and loyalty in friendships as well as the more public aspects of the fallout. She looks at the casualties as well as the Teflon survivors of the naming of names. Yomi Adegoke has taken what could have been a cool academic look at the subject and created a real page turner with great, emotional characters who we really care about.

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This was interesting. It poses a lot of ethical questions and gets you wondering about what you'd do if someone you knew turned up on a list of sexual predators. Given the revelations of what goes on behind the scenes with many famous faces, this is a timely novel that will have you continuing to ponder the issues raised long after you finish reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC without obligation.

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The awkward meeting Michael had about taking time off work was triggering for me because I’ve been in that situation and it wasn’t pleasant at all. I wish I got to finish this book but my reading device went on strike and I couldn’t access my library anymore. I gave 3 out of 5 stars due to how far in the book I got; I think this might have been a 5 star if I had finished it.

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A book about the world of metoo, cancel culture and the power of social media…readable and an important read.

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This book followed an important topic around sexual harassment/assault. As well as how hard it is to be believed. How you will say you always believe victims until someone accuses your loved one.

The first half of this book was good. It interested me. Seeing how people reacted to the list. The struggle some had to believe the victims.
Then sadly the second half of the books dropped. It felt like a different story being told. I suddenly lost interest.

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Just... incredible. Nuanced, thought-provoking and totally gripping from beginning to end. One of the most interesting explorations of celebrity culture and online toxicity that I have come across

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This book was a huge success!

The book is based on the #metoo movement, cancel culture and online influencers where readers are led by a twitter trial and dual point of view. There are so many characters, online attention and emotions fuelled into this book that it creates a realistic sense of the events taking place. We are reminded of the victims, those who anonymously submit sensitive information, and those who fuel the online shaming.

Yomi Adegoke wrote this book in efforts to seek radical change in movements like on social media that have been created for personal gain.

I want to thank Netgalley, the publishers and Yomi Adegoke for the ARC.

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Yomi writes a current, bold, and brilliant story. Twitter is such a small community when you’re a part of it that this is so relevant to now. Brilliant. Thank you Yomi.

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OMG!!! I AM LITERALLY OBSESSED WITH THIS! I absolutely flew through this and haven't stopped telling everyone about it, IT'S AMAZING

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Fast-paced and gripping! Loved the different perspective it gave and moral questions it forces the reader to confront.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is a really thought-provoking novel. At its heart it's about the potential perils of the Internet, secrets and how hard it can be to really know another person. However, it also deals with difficult issues of sexual harrassment and abuse, which sometimes can overwhelm the plot. I understand why Adegoke chose to explore these topics - it's much more readable than a novel about someone posting anonymous bad reviews of a restaurant, for example - but it does muddy the waters a little when thinking about who is in the wrong, considering how sensitively these issues need to be handled. The ending definitely comes out of nowhere and leaves you more confused than you were before!

Saying this, I thought Adegoke dealt with all of these issues very well and the novel is extremely readable. It also deals with mental health, homosexuality and suicide with great sensitivity, as well as presenting a different side of Black Britishness that is seldom explored in fiction.

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Good read! Really enjoyed it in the end. I found it a bit slow to start but eventually it really got my attention and kept me intrigued throughout

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This book did not live up to the hype or expectations it created. I imagine it will do well on book tiktok, but for me, it did not deliver. Not a great experience

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I was obsessed with the idea of this book. As a feminist who has built a career on believing women, what do you do if your partner is anonymously accused of assault and harassment. What happens when #MeToo means someone is falsely accused? How do you square your belief in what’s right, against what you believe in the man you love?

Fascinating topic and a great premise for a book. But it didn’t quite hang together for me. I couldn’t get behind the idea that the “right” thing for Ola to do was ditch someone she supposedly knew and loved without any investigation. Perhaps I’d have better understood her friend’s perspectives if we’d heard more about their past up front. I hated the twist, what did it add to the plot? (Thought would have loved it if it had been Celia for instance). The dialogue was sooo slangy, that it became hard work to read.

That said, it’s really interesting, a very original theme, would be a good bookclub book. But ultimately didn’t deliver on its promise for me.

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Thank you for offering this book for an honest review. I'm absolutely sure this one will find an audience that loves it, but it wasn't for me. I didn't make it very far, so maybe take my review with a grain of salt. But after about 5 or 6 chapters, I just became a bit annoyed by the characters and the drama. But I'm sure many will love it!

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This novel was okay. The characters I couldn't connect with in this genre. I think I need something with more meaning as this felt very materialistic.

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A satisfying twist in the tale of social media harassment, feminism and holding people accountable for abhorrent behaviour. This is such a brilliantly written fresh story that is truly relatable and dazzlingly modern. Recommend!

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This is such an addictive, fast-paced read. Loved the premise and the way the story unfolds with some great twists and reveals. I'm recommending this to all my friends asap.

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I was really gripped at the start of the book, but the pace really slowed in the middle causing me to lose interest, although the third part did pick up again thankfully. The twist at the end felt quite forced and would've been much stronger if they had perhaps been an anonymous POV throughout. Yomi Adegoke is obviously a talented writer but I think she could've pushed the issues even further, although I did appreciate some of the questions being asked. Since reading I have had some great chats about this with others and think it would make a perfect book for book groups!

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The List is a fast paced read that has strong themes of social media ‘justice’ , honesty between partners and abuse but in my opinion it tries to deal with too many issues and this dilutes the strength of the book. I enjoyed reading it yes and thought the twist at the end was clever but in places the plot just didn’t ring true and I found myself becoming distracted by this unfortunately.

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