Summary: It happens every year before homecoming- the list is posted all over Mount Washington High School. Two girls are picked from each grade. One girl is the prettiest. One girl is the ugliest. The girls who aren’t picked are forgotten, but the girls who are picked are the center of attention. Following each girl’s reaction, it’s clear that prettiest or ugliest, once you’re on the list, you’ll never been the same.

 My Rating: 4/5 Stars

 My Thoughts:

After recently really enjoying Siobhan Vivian’s Burn for Burn trilogy with Jenny Han and loving Stay Sweet, I decided to pick up one of her most popular books, The List. Besides its popularity, I read this book mostly because I am already HERE for Siobhan Vivian’s 2019 release, We Are the Wildcats. We Are the Wildcats is told in the same vein as The List, and this 2019 release will follow 7 perspectives and take place over 24 hours.

The List follows the eight perspectives of the girls who are deemed the prettiest or ugliest in their grade. For those who haven’t read MULTI-multi perspective books, like Six of Crows or the Throne of Glass series, eight perspectives may seem like a lot, but Siobhan Vivian did a really nice job of balancing all 8 girls. I think multi-POV are more popular in fantasy, but this is  easily the most perspectives I’ve read in a contemporary book.

If you’re in the mood for a high school drama worthy read that does delve into some heavy topics, like self-esteem, eating disorders, and identity, The List is for you. I read almost the entirety of this book floating around my pool! I love a good “throwback” YA book-the book came out in 2012. I couldn’t help but think how different things would be if this book take place in 2018. For one thing, the list definitely would have been posted on social media instead of on flyers around school. I think this would have played into the girls’ psyche even further, and it would been interesting to see if the school administration would find it.

My favorite perspectives to read were Danielle and Margo. I liked exploring Margo’s past with Jennifer, and I just liked reading about Danielle’s life as a swimmer. This book is definitely not perfect though, especially when it came to the girl’s decisions. For example, I think I actually cringed when Danielle sits out of swim practice because of some iMaTUre BOYS.

Overall, The List was a fast-paced, binge-worthy read that I felt I needed to add to my young adult repertoire.

Have you read The List? Could you handle an 8 POV novel? Share in the comments!