The List

The List

by Siobhan Vivian

Every year, right before Homecoming, The List is posted.

It's highly anticipated and its rulings are law.

Eight girls will be on The List.

Eight girls will have their lives completely changed.

Four of the girls will become the most popular girls in school.

Four of the girls will be shunned.

Four are given the title of Prettiest.

Four are given the label of Ugliest.

No matter which girl gets named, all eyes will watch.

All students will judge.

All decisions are final.

Final thoughts: Interesting story based off of something Vivian had once read and completely believable in this day and age. Burn books have been around for decades. Even Facebook started off as a rating system for college girls. So this book is definitely based in reality. Unfortunately, because there are so many characters to look in on, there are just too many ideas and views to try and follow. Add to that the very real drama of some of the stories, including the anorexic girl struggling with her own view of herself, and the home schooled girl trying just a little too hard to fit in, and it's just really difficult to figure out how to feel about the book as a whole. Additionally, the ending is disappointing, since it seems to leave most of the stories unfinished. After completing this, I felt like there should be a sequel out there somewhere, but there just doesn't seem to be one. I wanted to love this, but it didn't seem to love me back. However, the realism within the pages makes it worth a look.

Rating: 3/5