I tried to read this, but gave up about 1/4 of the way through. It was definitely a DNF for me. I would still read more by the author. However, I just didn't connect with this story.

2/5 Stars

A dual-narrative book that never fully formulates due to a lack of detail. Yes the characters are interesting, yes the premise is interesting, but there just is not enough here to make me want to keep going. It was a struggle to finish. I think there are some bright spots along the way, but it doesn't help enough. This was a skip for me.

The Collective is a is a richly realised, coming-of-age debut novel about tradition, change, divided loyalties, the meaning of home and the struggle to be true to yourself. It's 180 years after the Second American War which saw the oppressed rise up and reclaim land that was rightly theirs, and we are introduced to Elwyn, who feels like he's wasting his life in the rural idylls of Badfish Creek, a traditional small-town community deep in the Illinois Territory, Collective Homesteads of America where prospects are slim, and longs for this to change. He is part of the Foresters, a people who have built their homes and community around trees and live by their own communal laws. He is inseparable from his best friend Whim who is at the moral heart of the community, which is one of mutual support between family and friends. So when Elwyn’s uncle, who lives in Liberty city, offers him the chance to leave his rural roots behind, he jumps at the opportunity and grabs it with both hands. He is eager to gain a formal education and in Liberty city the education he craves will be available to him; he also wants to become part of a flourishing urban world embracing a new industrial age. Finally, life seems to be opening up for him. Entranced by city life, Elwyn becomes fascinated by local entrepreneur, Cronus Rhoad. Working on Rhoad’s political campaign, Elwyn learns more of Rhoad’s political and business expansion ambitions.

Moreover, he is horrified to discover that these represent an existential threat to Badfish Creek and its inhabitants. What can he do? Might it be that his discovery could compromise everything he loves, or everything about which he has ever dreamed? Elwyn’s moral dilemma is very much at the heart of The Collective and his lingering affection for Whim, who finds herself at the centre of a maelstrom as Badfish Creek struggles for its very survival; the community he left behind force him to choose his future path. Set in the not so distant future, this is a beautiful, profound and lyrical novel about an imagined America after a brutal civil war in which the country is divided along urban and rural boundaries. It deals with important themes of responsibility, belonging and becoming an adult and is an intense, dramatic and compelling young adult read. It's a powerful tale with a distinctive sense of place and time and the values that underlie them and follows protagonist Elwyn’s efforts to reconcile social pressure with personal ambition and understand the warring factions he must choose between. Emotionally resonant and richly described, this was a much more thought-provoking, intelligent and beguiling story than I initially imagined and touches on some weighty topics including colonialism, slavery, capitalism, land grabs, displacement, racism, greed, loyalty and family and imparts the message that there really is no place like home. Highly recommended.

I didn't love this book, and found myself more confused than anything. I love a coming-of-age story, but it just didn't do it for me.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I just couldn't get into it. I was confused about what was going on.

Netgalley, please disregard this review- I published THE WRONG REVIEW on this title’s page and have contacted the publishers via the “note to publishers” function to explain and apologise! The review that previously occupied this space was about a book called The Subjects, NOT about The Collective. My mistake entirely. Apologies again!

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me, I struggled to connect with the story and the characters. A lot just didn’t make sense and the world building was lacking. I struggled to finish this.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is quite an interesting book. I wasn’t completely engrossed. But I did enjoy it nevertheless. You could certainly spend a worse time , than In the company of these characters.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Moving away from everything you've ever known is something most of us experience once or more in our lifetime and it's something that evokes so many emotions. This story explores that brilliantly through the eyes of the two main protagonists, who are very well written and extremely likeable. As an author Lindsey has as talent for making you believe and feel every emotion her characters are.

This is a really great read and one that brings home the key message, it's all always important to stay true to yourself.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Elwyin lives in the community of Badfish Creek, but wants to change his life, seeing new things and places. When he's offered the opportunity of leaving his home behind he jumps at the occasion, eager for a change. But living in Liberty isn't exactly as he has imagined.

I really liked reading The collective. The main characters, Elwyn and Whim are well rounded and well written and it's easy feeling connected to them, following their feelings, beliefs and thoughts, the contrasts.. It's a book with a very interesting plot, that deals with tradition, changing, finding your home and the difficulty and the importance of being yourself.

This book is a mix between "I live vaguely in the Midwest and contemplate deep things while going down to the lake and into the woods regularly" genre and "the United States has collapsed, welcome to the future dystopia" genre.

It's set up as a contrast between Elwyn, who leaves his small rural town to make his fortune in the city, and Whim, his childhood best friend who stays home. Myself, reading that, I expected a certain something. I don't exactly know what. But whatever it was, I did not get it.

This could be some kind of coming-of-age meditation. It could be a straightforward "fight the power" adventure. It could be an ecological and economic thesis, with points to make about our modern society. Really, it's not any of those things. It left me confused. A protest storms through town and overruns a prison, freeing a man, with hardly any violence. The big bad industrialist drives out to see his new mine with at least two trucks, but some teenagers and a middle-aged woman are able to beat him up with nothing but a pointy rock and a sling. Who was driving the other truck? Did the other men with him just stand around and watch?

Everything just felt somehow false. The atmosphere was the best part of the book, but it didn't deliver any of the deep thoughts or poignant moments that it should have. The actual events seemed strangely unrealistic, and without meaning. I puzzled by the end of it, searching for some point that I was sure had to be there, but that I couldn't manage to find.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book.properly in the near future with an honest teview.

This was a really great read! I really enjoyed reading this book, would definitely recommend. This is a good book for all ages.

Elwyn and Whim are two teenagers from a small place called: Badfish Creek. After the Second American War their ancestors decided to live in the forest, while others decided to go back to the cities and make a living there.

Lindsey Whitlock has written a compelling story by using two narratives: Elwyn - who leaves Badfish Creek for a chance of a better life in Liberty - and Whim - who stay in Badfish Creek for her father and the people who live there.

The history behind the Collective Homesteads of America could be more detailed. Sometimes it sometimes lacked a connection with what the Badfishians (and other Forester towns) were going through because of the missing information.

Whitlock has written a subtle book against slavery, exploitation and racism. Every step of the way, whether it is Elwyn's story of wanting something more or Whim story of keeping what is their own, makes you want to keep on reading and finding out what the future has in store for them. Whitlock makes you think, because the issues addressed in the book are also still a big part of issues that we encounter today.