Amelia Bright is an intelligent and ambitious young girl who seems to have it all going for her … except that for some reason everyone in school dislikes her and she has somehow attained the nickname ‘Maggot’. After the publication of The List on social media which places Amelia at the bottom of all the girls in her year, she is determined to make people like her, no matter the cost. 

This story follows Amelia in her attempt to gain popularity - sadly falling into the trap of thinking that she is the one who isn’t good enough. She tries to improve her popularity online by posting TikTok’s and she is excited to see her ‘like’ count slowly rising but it doesn’t seem to change anything. Until Evan comes along. A boy who seems to like her for who she is, the boy she shares her first kiss with and the boy she hopes will elevate her from the bottom of the list. Until she shares a private image of herself and things escalate beyond her control. 

I both loved and loathed this story. I love it for the simple fact it is bringing such a poignant issue to the forefront. As a high school teacher I know how frequently young people are finding themselves in Amelia’s position. I loathed it because it made me feel desperately sad for Amelia. That she had such a low opinion of herself and seeing how it all panned out. 

Both Amelia and Evan’s characters reflect how truly complex it is to be a teenager in our current social climate. The pressure from peers both in person and even more so online is astronomical and leads so many young people to make disastrous choices without understanding both the immediate and long term consequences. 

I loved Amelia as a character and the dynamic with her older sister Hannah. Whilst Hannah is everything Amelia wishes to be, I thought they had a really lovely relationship. It is also refreshing to see a book with divorced parents who are able to coparent effectively with their children at the forefront of their decision making.

I would highly recommend reading the Letter from the Author at the end of the novel which is a reminder to all readers that whilst this story is fiction, it is sadly the reality for many teenagers today. 

Thank you to Usborne, Tamsin Winter and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.