Yomi Adegoke’s debut novel, “The List,” one of the most anticipated books of the summer, is a gripping social media nightmare that tells the story of a young couple whose world is turned upside down by the publication of a list of abusers on Twitter.
Arriving with much fanfare, the novel follows Ola Olajide, a celebrated journalist at Womxxxn magazine, who is set to marry the love of her life in one month’s time.
Adegoke, who is also the co-author of Slay in Your Lane, is refreshingly self-assured and unafflicted by the self-doubt and low self-esteem that has become a millennial tic. She is already working on her next book, which will be about race and something she wants to talk about. “The List” is a nuanced debut novel that explores the impact of social media on our lives and the power of speaking out against abuse, a sensational, page-turning debut novel about secrets, lies and our lives online.
Paula Hawkins has described it as “The perfect summer read … Impossible to put down,” while Bernardine Evaristo says it is “Topical, heartfelt, provocative and wise”.
Abi Daré, author of The Girl with the Louding Voice, describes the book as “Phenomenal. Brilliantly written and incredibly clever”, and Deadline calls it “One of the most anticipated British debuts of the coming year”.
Olajide, young, beautiful, successful – she and her fiancé Michael are the ‘couple goals’ of their social networks and seem to have it all.
That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message:
“Oh my god, have you seen The List?”
It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list—she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it.
Adegoke is a multi award-winning journalist and author. She is currently a columnist at The Guardian and British Vogue and is the former host of the Women’s Fiction Prize podcast. In 2018, she co-wrote the Sunday Times bestselling book Slay In Your Lane and the same year was named one of the most influential people in London by the Evening Standard. She also was awarded the Groucho Maverick and Marie Claire Future Shaper awards. In 2021, she was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. The List is her debut novel.
