I couldn't get on with this book at all and only plodded on with it because I was hoping that at some point I would have an epiphany and see what everyone loved about it.
I didn't.

I can't even put my finger on what it is that I didn't like. The writing is fine and the subject matter is something that will speak to many of us living in Britain that are of a certain age.

It’s bleak “up’t north” and this book managed to portray just that. Miv and Sharon are school mates and of course come from different social backgrounds. Their idea of identifying the Ripper by categorising the local men is just the sort of thing I could imagine young girls doing – becoming detectives in their locality. Unfortunately as the tale unfolds it becomes less and less believable.

It’s difficult to believe this is a debut novel. Jennie Godfrey’s writing is assured and she has a real eye for detail. It’s set in 1979; the era of Thatcher and the Yorkshire Ripper. There’s a real feeling for the period which is brought vividly to life. It reminded me of Joanna Cannon; at one level, the writing and characters are deceptively simple and straightforward, but beneath that, there’s a great deal going on.

In compiling the list of suspicious things, the two central characters explore the lives and actions of those around them. Who are their neighbours and what really goes on in this unassuming neighbourhood? Themes of abuse and racism are explored, but this is a very gentle and poignant story, told with humour and insight as friendships, bonds and familial ties are strengthened. A great talent and I hope they’ll be more from Jennie Godfrey.

This book brought to mind The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon and What July Knew by Emily Koch. They all deal with a coming of age story, often nostalgic, and with a mystery attached.
This story is interesting in learning how the Yorkshire Ripper affected a community.
Occasionally I found the plot a little slow moving but overall it was interesting.

We meet 11-yr-old Miv in Yorkshire, 1979, where times are changing and the threat of the Yorkshire Ripper hangs constantly in the air. Things are already difficult for Miv – her mum is unwell, her dad is increasingly busy, and the formidable Aunt Jean has moved in. Not the most social girl, and in danger of being moved out of Yorkshire and her best friend in the world, Miv decides that all will be better if only the Ripper could be caught. So, she decides to hunt him down and find him.

What starts as Miv’s notes on “suspicious things” grows and blossoms into a real coming-of-age tale. Unexpected relationships arise, conflicts are uncovered, and Miv learns the true meaning of friendship. This is a fascinating character study, and Miv felt incredibly real – as did the supporting cast of characters. There were some very dark themes, but these were sensitively handled, as seen through the eyes of a young girl.

The writing is evocative and gives a real sense of the time and place. A powerful debut, I look forward to reading more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Having recently watched the excellent Long Shadow series about the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, it seemed good timing to pick up this book centred around two schoolgirls who decide to try and catch the Ripper themselves. With the backdrop of Yorkshire in the late 1970s, which resonated with my own 80s childhood in the North, this hooked me from the very beginning.

The main character Miv is a bit of a lost soul, her mum stopped talking or engaging with the world a while ago and is mainly confined to her bed. Aunty Jean moves in to help Miv's dad but brings her own set of rules and strong opinions into the family dynamic. When Miv befriends Sharon at school, a pretty and popular girl, Miv's life quickly improves, and with the Ripper investigation to focus on, the girls become inseparable... until boys start to become a new distraction and things change forever. Although the plot is about a serial killer, and involves racism, violence and bullying, all these subjects are handled so well. Jennie is a brilliant writer and I hope there will be more books to follow 💖

Very enjoyable read and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars is the lack of development of some of the ancillary characters.

This book manages to somehow be as cute as a button, yet also sharp as a tack as it follows the daily life of Miv as she navigates home, school and friendship to the backdrop of news articles about the prevalence of the Yorkshire Ripper.

Miv becomes obsessed with catching him and, along with her best friend Sharon, sets out to solve the mystery seemingly convinced they can succeed where the police had so far failed.

Yet the book is so much more than this, it touches on the emergence of the national front and casual racism, it prys into families and relationships and reveals that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. 

Mostly it is a celebration of love and friendship but there is a darker side too and there are several parts of the book that take a sinister path.

Overall, this was a bittersweet read and I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately this books just wasn't my cup of tea. I tried so hard to get into the story, but it was very slow and just didn't grip me at all, despite the promising blurb. Sadly I didn't get past 10%

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC.

It’s the year 1979 in Yorkshire, and Miv is a schoolgirl growing up in a country terrified of the Yorkshire Ripper. A country equally as terrified, though, of women in power such as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; the female victims of the Ripper, who happen to be mainly sex workers, and anyone who ‘doesn’t belong’, which for their Yorkshire town means people of colour, or even anyone without a Yorkshire accent.
Miv has other worries, however – such as keeping a hold of her best friend Sharon, who seems to be floating away from her, and the ever-present worry about Miv’s mum, who stopped speaking one day and hasn’t started since. And then, in the wake of the murders, Miv’s dad and Aunty Jean suggest moving ‘Down South’ where it’s safer. All of a sudden, Miv has to come up with an idea to ensure they stay in Yorkshire, so she can stay friends with Sharon.
She decides she has to catch the Yorkshire Ripper, and stop the killings. So begins her ‘list of suspicious things’, which she keeps in her notebook, jotting down facts about suspicious people and places in the town.
Little does Miv know though, is that those people, and even those close to her, are harbouring other secrets, and that there are other mysteries between the people she meets and comes across, that threaten to have much deeper, darker consequences.

I adored this book. Miv was such a relatable pre-teen character, and her perspective throughout the novel grew as she became wiser – realising more and more things about the people she came across, and their hidden, secret lives. A definite coming-of-age tale, Miv goes from someone sheltered and unaware, to someone who encounters real-world adult issues like domestic abuse, adultery, racism, sexism, and sexual harassment/abuse and pedophilia.
Throughout the course of the book, the many characters Miv encounters become like family to her, and to us as the reader too. She finds parental figures in so many wonderful characters, becomes friends with people she never would have thought to ‘laik out’ with, and experiences a first crush and relationship.

I would recommend this novel to everyone, this book has my whole heart, and I fully intend to buy a physical copy when it’s published, because I am intent on pushing everyone in my life to read this.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, via NetGalley. I enjoyed this book, in the end I couldn't put it down and powered through it! Would recommend and looking forward to more from Jennie Godfrey!

5* The List of Suspicious Things is a very special book. On the one had warm, enveloping and funny and on the other tackling dark subjects at a very difficult time in the history of a community. Jennie Godfrey manages to balance the characters and the plot in such a way that spending time in the book feels a little bit magical.

Miv is a pre-teen living in a working class town near Leeds in Yorkshire in the late 1970s, the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. Her family situation is strained and her salvation is her friend Sharon and the stability of Sharon's family, who welcome Miv with open arms. When it is suggested that Miv might move away from Yorkshire, Miv (and a reluctant Sharon) decide to find the Ripper and to make Yorkshire safe again.

Aiming to make a list of suspicious characters and things, the 'terrible-twosome' become embroiled in the lives of many of the characters in the community. At a time of upheaval, particularly the closure of the mines and overt racism, Miv and Sharon inadvertently shine a spotlight on many of the people they live alongside.

Without doubt this is the best book I have read this year (and I'm writing this at the end of the year). I was hooked from the first paragraph and within a few pages proclaimed that I was reading something very special. The quality of the writing, the characters, the humour, the care-giving and the sense of being together are perfectly intertwined. This is not a saccharine 'uplift' novel, it is a book that hits you hard because you are rooting for people to overcome the situations they find themselves in.

Thanks to Hutchinson Heinemann and Netgalley for an ARC.

Miv is determined to find out the identity and help to catch the Yorkshire Ripper. She, along with best friend, Sharon, start investigating and recording their observations of potentially suspicious local people. In doing so, they - and we - meet a cast of brilliantly written characters and learn more about the neighbourhood and its inhabitants.

I loved everything about this book! I stayed up well into the night to finish it and was totally unprepared for the twist near the end, so much so, that I had to go back and reread it to make sure.

I think the thing I loved most about this book is the clever way that we are introduced to the different characters. The different chapters are told by various people but the way that the author makes these transitions is really clever. We could be reading a Miv chapter, when she bumps into/has a conversation with/overhears another character and then the chapter ends. The next chapter then begins with that character and continues the story from their point of view, until the same thing happens again and we go off with someone else. I really enjoyed this and it added to the sense of community and neighbours knowing and looking out for each other that is clearly an important part of the book.

Miv is 12 and the Yorkshire Ripper is still at large. Her mum has been silent for the last 2 years and Aunty Jean has moved in to look after them all. Dad cannot cope and disappear to the pub..
With her best friend Sharon they decide to do what the police cannot do and that’s catch the ripper. A list of suspicious people are complied and investigated only for another story to emerge, there is racism, domestic violence, loss and grief, divorce and first love.
All surprising to Miv, perhaps a little immature but that is what made her so special, her innocence her so called awakening into an adult world exaggerated.
What she didn’t reckon on was the adult world to encroach on her home, for the distance between herself and Sharon to widen before tragedy and finally truth.
I adored this novel. It was tender, emotional, funny, perfectly capturing societal changes at that time. Godfrey had that knack of placing me right where Miv was, my own sense of the adult world encroaching my innocence as I realised life wasn’t all hearts and flowers
This book is going to be huge and Godfrey deserves every plaudits that will come her way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. "The List of Suspicious Things" by Jennie Godfrey offers a complex narrative it blends mystery with some coming-of-age elements, and a clear social commentary.

For me personally the middle of the book dragged a little, impacting the pacing. However, the story redeemed itself in the later stages, compelling me to finish a significant portion in just one sitting. Certain events were genuinely upsetting and traumatic to read but they did add to the overall impact of the story but as other reviewers have mentioned I do feel a trigger warning would be good for some readers.

In conclusion, "The List of Suspicious Things" by Jennie Godfrey is a thought-provoking novel that combines mystery with a celebration of friendships and solidarity among marginalised communities. Despite some pacing issues in the middle, the book leaves a lasting impact with its emotional depth and societal commentary. I would recommend this book.

Wow so this book really blew me away. It's written from the perspective of Miv, an 11 year old girl who decides to solve the mystery of the yorkshire ripper as a distraction from her troubled home life.

This is a brilliant coming of age story, which uses Miv's hunt for the ripper as a lens to explore the time and place she's growing up in. Through her eyes we see who is protected in this community and who experiences neglect and violence. It looks clearly at the different experiences of race, gender, class, and disability without feeling forced or overly exploitative.

Throughout there is also a really interesting exploration of the double edged sword that is a close-knit community where everyone knows each other's business.

The book occasionally took turns with different narrators to show perspectives outside of Miv's which I think accomplished sharing a more adult perspective on the situation, although I will say I enjoyed some more than others, especially Helen and Omar's.

I also think it could have been a bit more restrained as Miv uncovers a darker side of her community through her investigations, there were some bits in the middle with members of the church community that didn't feel like they added much beyond just piling on to the hidden dark side to the community.

Overall though I think it worked really well and I enjoyed it a lot. Would definetly recommend picking this one up.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5822271092

In this book pre-teen Miv and her best friend Sharon play detective to try to work out who the Yorkshire ripper is, as his murders escalate around them, by reference to their 'list of suspicious things'.

There are many, many good things about it, especially for a debut author - characters who jump off the page, an easy-to-read writing style and a very strong sense of place. I really did feel transported to 1980s Yorkshire while I read, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this.

The main downside, though, for me, was that it all felt a bit contrived. Miv's persistence with the list regardless of all the usual teenage distractions around her - school, boys, bullying - didn't really ring true to me. It felt like it was really just there to create a framework for the book. And she also seems oddly insensitive at times to the real world consequences of her investigations. At one point her well-intentioned but false accusation appears to result in a suicide, but it is all dealt with at an oddly surface level and she and everyone else quickly moves on (and keeps investigating!). Indeed, many of the difficult themes this book brings up, including racism, radicalisation, murder, domestic abuse and child sex abuse, seemed to me to be dealt with in quite a superficial way. And perhaps there are also just too many of them - I think a little less dealt with with a little more depth would ultimately have had a greater emotional impact on me.

But minor gripes aside, I would definitely read more from this author in future. Thanks to her, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

It’s 1979 in Thatcher’s Britain and the search for the Yorkshire Ripper continues without much success.

Miv and Sharon are best friends, and though coming from very different backgrounds they enjoy doing everything together. Miv doesn’t have many friends, but Sharon is a pretty, popular girl with a kind heart who has taken Miv under her wing. Nearly thirteen, they are growing up quickly, but as yet their parents don’t think the girls are under any threat from the terror stalking the streets so they are allowed to come and go pretty much as they please. Miv is convinced that they could do better than the police in capturing the Ripper, so the girls decide to become more vigilant and start a list of suspicious events about the local men.

This is the author’s debut book and it’s well done. I did enjoy it and found it a quick read. The background was dark, with the Yorkshire Ripper case running throughout, which some will find difficult. There are so many issues covered including racism, domestic abuse and suicide, that all add to the sadness within the book. If it were not for these themes I would have put this down as a YA book, as the writing is naive at times, though that’s possibly to be expected when the POV is written mainly by 12 year old Miv.

This is a coming of age book with a difference. One I would recommend with some reservations.

Thank you NetGalley.

The List of AMAZING Things about...

#TheListOfSuspiciousThings by Jennie Godfrey

- You will never believe that it is a DEBUT! The story flows seamlessly. It is extraordinarily well-written.

- The characters are ones that will live with you forever. I wish I had an Omar where I live.

- The protagonist, Miv, is so strong-willed that it's inspiring, and this provides a unique viewpoint for the story to be told mostly through her lens.

- It is based around the time that the Yorkshire Ripper was at large. This makes it SO interesting that you are on edge every time you turn the page.

- This book will make you laugh, cry, and most importantly, think.

- You will feel bereft once you finish it. It took me a few days to process what an original story this book is, it is an absolute triumph.

Well... the reviews are correct. This is an excellent read, and written by a writer who works, I believe, in my home county of Somerset, UK. A fantastic, extremely accomplished and atmospheric novel.

Miv is the main character, a girl growing up in a working-class Yorkshire town. Along with her best friend Sharon, she sets out to try and discover who the Yorkshire Ripper is - the notorious serial killer who plagued people's lives - particularly women's - in the mid-late 1970s and early 1980s. The list, in the title, refers to the people and places they think are suspicious.

Interesting, Godfrey uses the first-person for Miv's chapters - so readers get a very personal viewpoint - and then third-person for others characters' perspectives. We are not just learning about Miv and Sharon, and the somewhat dangerous exploits they get up to, but also that of her father, Austin, the Pakistani shop keeper, the librarian, Helen. Here, we have a book that is extremely evocative of a particular time and place - a real strength - but also, the writer deals with violence and racism, key blights in society today but not to the same extent as they used to be.

I loved this. It is sad. It is thought-provoking. And - I firmly believe it will be a very popular book when it is published in mid-Feb 2024. It deserves to be very successful.