Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me. While the premise is intriguing - three women band together to take down the system imprisoning them in a cycle of desperation, all while being chased by a sinister yet oddly familiar faction of law enforcement called The Debt Police - the execution came up short.

The main character is relatable albeit a bit incompletely fleshed out for my tastes, and the Debt Police are a fascinating manifestation of the current (rightful) progressive distaste of both police and student loans. The author boldly reminds the reader that the burden of a broken economic system is statistically borne by Black women, a group that is constantly asked to come to the rescue of others without ever being rescued in return.

Still, I found the prose lacking and much of the plot to be too unrealistic for even my flexible imagination to believe. It’s a light and quick read, but there isn’t much of substance here, in my opinion. It has the feel of a low budget action movie, which, to be fair, there is often an audience for. Truthfully, however, that audience is just not me.

I tried really hard to care about this book, but after almost 3 months of starting and stopping, I’m giving up. The premise was interesting, but it felt like it was taking forever to get to the intrigue of the debt police. I didn’t feel especially connected to the main character or the mystery. The potential was there but for me personally, the delivery wasn’t.

What a fun and terribly tense read! I loved the heist and adventure of this book. It was fast-paced, the characters were funny and overall the plot made sense and flowed well. As a Black woman with student loan debt, watching the news and the current Administration's attempt to criminalize everything and everyone that doesn't hold up white supremacy - this was a hard read. Colleges and people who choose to go to college have been ridiculed and berated in a ridiculous manner over the last few years. People with students loans are seen as irresponsible and lazy for daring to wanting to better themselves. The debt police were definitely over the top and cartoonish, but writing this review after seeing multiple videos of plain-clothed police abducting people over protesting...its unfortunately not hard to imagine a police force that's allowed to hurt those with debt. Politics aside, this book was an interesting and fast read though the timing is eerie and may be hard for some readers. I also appreciated the main characters being middle-aged Black women.

Loved this book! Kashana is truly a gifted and hilarious writer. I'm not sure how to describe the The Payback, poignant, critical, satirical commentary on American capitalism, consumerism and the Catch-22ish hellscape of the student loan system? I will not be surprised to see this book among masked protesters outside of debt collection agencies and student loan companies.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to preview The Payback by Kashana Cauley in exchange for my honest review. I wasn't familiar with Cauley's previous work, but I requested this after it was reviewed by an author I enjoy.

Cauley created a world full of relatable characters in our trio of women with loan debt and truly despicable villains in the debt police. It wasn't hard to cheer our heroines on as they planned a heist to erase their debt. This was a fun book but not without flaws. The pacing was a bit off; we don't get to the main event until the book is almost over. I would have liked that to come earlier in the story to give some more time to sit with the outcome.

I liked The Payback enough that I will recommend it and will put Cauley on the list of authors I revisit.

4-4.5 Stars

I read Kashana Cauley's novel, The Survivalists, last year, and I loved it. I was so excited to read this ARC. Thank you NetGalley and Atria!

What's scarier than unsurmountable student loan debt? The debt police, who use threats, violence, and property confiscation to get borrowers to pay their debts. This book was great in so many ways. First, it parallels the current student loan problems but with quite the twist. You inherit your parents and spouses debts when they die and you MUST make your payments or risk a visit from the debt police. Second, it is the perfect amount of satire and dark humor.

This story is centered on Jada and two coworkers who all have college degrees but have unfortunately ended up working at a retail store in the mall. With their jobs, there is no way they can ever climb out of the debt they've accrued. After getting beat up by the debt police, they take matters into their own hands....

The ending- chef's kiss!

I loved this book due to its uniqueness (even though a "Debt Police" sounds terrifying). I liked the pace of it and read about 30% in almost one sitting. It does turn a little bit slow after that, but then it starts to pick up again at around 70%.

I felt the story was well constructed, I loved the author's writing and the final outcome of the story. Satire is very hit or miss with me, but I really enjoyed this book!

Loved!

The Payback is a fast-paced, intense, and deeply satisfying story of revenge and redemption. The characters are sharp and well-developed, and the tension builds perfectly, keeping me hooked until the very last page. With its gripping twists and high stakes, this book delivers everything I wanted—it’s the kind of thriller that stays with you long after you finish.

If you've ever stared at your student loan balance and wondered if that diploma was really worth it, Kashana Cauley’s The Payback is for you. Cauley dives into the messy, anxiety-inducing reality of student debt, especially for Black, first-generation college grads who were sold the "dream" of higher education and the gut-punch feeling when you realize "paying it off" might be a myth. Jada, the novel’s flawed protagonist, lives in a moral gray zone where every decision is weighed against the looming shadow of debt. Jada hits her breaking point, and she and her (reluctant) crew decide to fight back, and the results are truly unexpected. As a Black woman with student loan debt, I relate to Jada’s struggles and the conclusion was utterly satisfying. I would have appreciated more insight on Jada’s co-conspirators, their thoughts and feelings outside of Jada and more detail on their breaking points.

Star Rating: 4.5

Kashana Cauley’s *The Payback* is a sharp, hilarious, and thought-provoking novel that takes on capitalism, race, and power with both wit and depth. Cauley’s writing is fast-paced and full of biting humor, making even the most frustrating realities of economic inequality feel engaging. She has a gift for turning social critique into an entertaining and compulsively readable story without ever losing sight of the bigger picture.

What really makes this novel shine is its characters—flawed, funny, and undeniably real. Their camaraderie and defiance in the face of systemic oppression feel both authentic and inspiring. The dialogue is snappy, the workplace politics are all too relatable, and the stakes feel urgent without veering into melodrama. Cauley keeps the tension high while delivering plenty of sharp, laugh-out-loud moments along the way.

More than just a satire, *The Payback* is a story about resilience and the power of collective action. It’s rare to find a book that is both this funny and this socially aware, making it a standout read. Whether you’re here for the humor, the critique, or just a great story, Cauley delivers on all fronts.

I was so excited for this one - I love a good heist and am also absolutely drowning in student loans. While I enjoyed people fighting back against the injustices of the student loan industry, this one really fell flat for me. The debt police were too weird to be interesting and the plot didn't feel fully developed. I did finish it and was rooting for the characters; I feel awful but it just wasn't for me.

cool speculative fic vibes and interesting themes of debt. cool protag (antihero but rootable for anyways). 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. I was looking forward to this book, because I really thought the main concept, a heist to wipe out student loans, was an interesting idea. Unfortunately the pace of the book really hurt the book. This was like the longest build-up to the world's shortest 1-hilled rollercoaster. The heist itself didn't even start until 90% through the book, and that was the last main chapter. The aftereffects were covered in 1 Epilogue. I get that the goal was to show how student loans, and debt in general, can ruin lives, and that was achieved very well. But, I found myself saying "Come on. Let's get to it." I also found the concept of the "Debt Police," and the focus on their turquoise uniforms a bit goofy, in an otherwise fairly grounded story. All in all, there was, unfortunately, very little pay-off to the Payback.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The plot was engaging and full of twists that kept me hooked until the very end. The characters were well-developed and relatable, and I found myself really connecting with their journeys. The pacing was just right, balancing action with moments of reflection. However, there were a few areas where I felt certain storylines could have been explored a bit more deeply. Despite that, the book offered a memorable experience, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read!

Let’s be honest—who HASN’T fantasized about taking down their student loan company?

Kashana Cauley takes that all-too-relatable dream and cranks it up to eleven in The Payback.

Jada Williams is stuck slinging clothes at a Glendale mall for minimum wage. After getting fired (again) and finding herself relentlessly pursued by the newly instated Debt Police (yes, that’s a thing), Jada decides she’s done playing by the rules. With two equally debt-burdened mall coworkers, she hatches a plan to erase their student loans and bring the corrupt system crashing down.

I loved the biting social commentary laced with humor—Cauley knows how to keep things both thought-provoking and wildly entertaining. The banter between the trio of antiheroes is gold, and the plot keeps you on your toes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is a sharply amusing and fantastical quick read. It's set in a near future where falling behind on paying your student loans can be dangerous for your health and security. I liked how sparsely the author painted the world -- her MC isn't extremely curious about the world other than what is impacting her and her friends and that allows a vividly sketched world that isn't weighed down with a lot of distractions about what exactly the deal is with the weirdos in the debt police.

Satire. Debt, ambition and desperation, student loans, fashion and retail, race issues. The writing really flows and is funny with an ease that’s worth an extra star. This is a quick read with no lag. It’s very heavy handed but overall I like the message and the camp elements/wish fulfillment elements because they tackle the systemic injustice of student debt in a really fun way.

*Thank you K. Cauley and Atria Books for the, The Payback ARC. My opinions are my own.

God bless Kashana for living out our dreams of hacking away our student debt via heist with this book. Also helps that we get to watch the Debt Police (who are the embodiment of some of the dumbest shit older people say about student loans, etc) viciously beat on and mocked. Excellent note to start 2025 on.

In spite of a plot that is somehow both far-fetched and familiar (with nods to Office Space and Fight Club), The Payback is a fun and satisfying read. It works by using its humor to vent against a backdrop of abuse and systemic racism excused as effects of capitalist pursuit, playing off the hackneyed media criticisms of indebted folk daring to treat themselves to mochas and avocado toast. The antagonists—presented here in the form of actual, turquoise-uniformed “debt police”—are faceless and monolithic in the manner of Stormtroopers, but also just as inept. The character of Jada is portrayed with the right balance of humanity and cleverness, and her social awareness and keenness of observation drive the story where it needs to go.

I liked this book! It was interesting and had a good plotline and premise in general. I liked the characters, and the way this book flowed. I was a fan of it! I enjoyed reading it

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!