A fun, delightful romp for anyone that remembers the world when malls were still alive or those who want to see it.With quirky characters reminiscent of the "Big Lebowski" vibe

3.5 stars

What happens when three women, each buried under crushing student loan debt and stretched thin by multiple low-wage jobs, decide they’ve had enough? In The Payback, Kashauna Cauley takes readers on a darkly funny, satirical ride through a speculative world where the debt police wield terrifying power. With social commentary that's spot on, Cauley shines a light on the absurdity of modern economic systems and social class—and the resilience of those they try to crush.

One of the biggest highlights for me was the humor, especially in the depiction of the debt police—who preach that giving up avocado toast is the solution to every financial woe. The satire is unrelenting, pulling no punches as it critiques not only the student loan crisis but the broader social and economic systems that disproportionately impact Black women. I also loved the unlikely friendship that blossoms between the three women at the heart of the story. Each character felt distinct, and their bond brought humanity to a high-stakes plot. The book’s nostalgic ode to mall culture with rich, vivid descriptions of bustling food courts (I could smell the Cinnabon) and familiar shopping scenes added an unexpected charm that balanced the heavier themes.

That said, I did find some elements of the story a little disjointed. Certain plotlines felt underdeveloped or out of place, making the overall narrative seem less cohesive by the end. The pacing also lagged in spots, with some sections moving quickly while others dragged, pulling me out of the flow.

Overall, The Payback is a smart, timely, and often funny take on the crushing weight of debt and the lengths people will go to fight back. While not without its flaws, the satire and strong social themes make it a worthwhile read for anyone who appreciates speculative fiction and social commentary.

I unfortunately did not connect with this book. I found Jada uninteresting. For a lot of the book she was just complaining about her lackluster life and her debt/debt police, instead of doing something about it. It felt repetitive instead of building the plot or developing the characters.

First thank you to atria books and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Jada is a young woman struggling in retail after being fired from her dream job. She gets fired from her latest job which causes her to get behind on her debt payments. She gets a visit from the debt police who rough her up. She vows revenge

What I liked: this book was a great surprise. The premise was great who wouldn’t want to get revenge against the debt police. This was a contemporary novel that I know will resonate with many people. Jadas struggles but seems to have talent in fashion. I loved her role and plan. I don’t want to spoil anything but definitely worth a read. It is quick and made me think. Excited to read more from this author.

The Payback by Kashana Cauley is a funny novel in which a trio middle-aged Black women pull a heist to eliminate the student loan crisis.

In terms of plagues on American society, cops and student loan debt rank must rank pretty highly. Kashana Cauley combines the two to conjure the Debt Police, a horrifying entity that beats up people for falling behind on their student loan payments (and, for some unexplained reason, wear a lot of turquoise and follow bullshit New Age mystical practices?). Jada Williams is a former film costume designer blacklisted by Hollywood after an on-set wardrobe malfunction. Jada lives and breathes fashion, so upon her exile from the film industry, she settles for the next best job: mall clothing salesperson. She enjoys her job, more or less, but her meagre salary barely makes a dent in the crushing student loan debt she owes from attending film school. When she loses her job, the debt police hunt her down along with countless others—particularly Black women—who are behind on their payments. Jada and two of her coworkers-turned-friends hatch a plan to hack into the student loan data center and erase everyone’s debt balances.

The Payback is an odd little novel. Cauley blends some genuinely strange narrative choices with a relatable premise for an effect that is not quite literary nor thrilling heist story, but that is nevertheless enjoyable. For example, the book doesn’t explore its themes in a particularly deep or interesting way. It is cathartic, however, to read the perspective of a character who loudly rails against the enraging stupidity of the student loan crisis and how it disproportionately affects black women. Jada is a hilarious narrator whose zany obsession with clothing compliments her incredibly relatable predicament of struggling under student debt. It’s heartwarming to see her form a bond with her two coworkers, Lanae and Audrey. The three women differ drastically in their personalities and interests, but they connect over being targets of the Debt Police and their inability to pursue their dreams due to their crushing financial burdens. Their noble criminal activities against the cartoonishly evil debt police provide a fun avenue for wish-fulfillment and empowerment, even if the criminal activities require a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. I think readers who go in with no expectations and appreciate The Payback for what it does well will get the most enjoyment out of it.

Trigger Warnings: Police brutality, death, grief, alcohol, disordered eating, criminal activity

I hope this is made into a movie as I will watch it for sure! This is dystopian story set in the “near” future that honestly feels like it could happen next week in the US. The author, Kashana Cauley scopes you up and takes you along on the heist that has you cheering for the main character and her friends every step of the way. At times I found myself laughing and other times almost in tears as Cauley makes sure her readers understand just how debilitating and soul sucking student debt can be. I look forward to what Kashana Cauley writes next. As the US feels like it might be entering (if not already there ) it’s’ “dystopian era” this novel is a timely read that just might urge readers on to resisting or protesting what is presently happening. Read this book! A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books and Kashana Cauley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book really resonated with me. As someone who has dealt with debt as an American, I can attest to the feelings and treatment the author describes. Of course it’s not as extreme as it is in the future described in the book. I found this book very amusing, easy to read and very entertaining.

Jada works in retail after an incident as a Hollywood costume designer got her fired. Now she’s fired again and outrunning the newly instated, Debt Police. She gets with two fellow mall workers, and debtors, to hatch a plan to erase student loans forever.

This story is a contemporary Office Space meets Robin Hood. I was hooked from the beginning when it starts in the mall. I always love a story that used retail as an environment. It’s a fast read, despite the minimal dialogue. It’s also a big satirical which makes it humorous as well.

“That was me, crime cheerleader, ready with my Pom-Pom’s and an illegal plan.”

The Payback comes out 7/15.

THE PAYBACK - I thought this book was a comedy. While there was some humor, this book took a while to get to moving. I liked the characters and the story lines, but the execution was slow and it took an effort to stick with the book. The heist didn't happen until the last quarter of the book. Then everything was quickly done leaving an unsatisfied feeling. I appreciate the lack of wordiness, fillers and unimportant junk, but the characters need more meat and the pace drug. I liked that the females were Black and they succeeded with the unfairness stacked against them. A quick read. Source: Netgalley. 3*

What a unique book. And it is a social commentary on student loans and a satire of how incredibly ridiculous the whole system is, all while being a very entertaining book. I have never read anything like it before. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I recommend it, even to those that have not had student loans before.

I can tell pretty quick into a novel if I’m not going to connect with it and I just knew this one wasn’t going to work for me, but I would still recommend this to other readers, especially burnt-out millennials or Gen Z readers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Omg I absolutely loved this book! It’s like walking into a dystopian society where having debt is the worst of crimes. But also - everyone who has ever known the feeling of debt and the lengths we will go to in order to afford to survive can relate to this book. A few serious parts but most of the time it was hilarious. Everyone should read this book because you will be thoroughly entertained and quite satisfied by the end.

Thank you Atria Books @atriabooks , and Kashana Cauley @kashanacauley for this free book.
“The Payback” by Kashana Cauley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: BIPOC Dark Comedy. Location: Southern California, USA. Time: A future that’s almost here.

Jada Williams (39) is good at judging people by their looks. She can tell someone’s inseam, pants size, what style they need. She was a Hollywood wardrobe designer; now she works for minimum wage at the Glendale mall-until she’s fired. In desperation, Jada resorts to eating on camera for money. Barely making rent, she now has to outrun the government’s newly-instated, relentless, turquoise-uniformed Debt Police who beat her up as a warning. (“I thought someone would stand up for us.” “You mean us Black women?”) With debt-burdened (and also beat up) coworkers punk Lanae and hacker Audrey, detail observer Jada plans a heist to erase their student loans forever and get back at the system that promised them everything but is now taking it back.

Author Cauley has written a timely and profound take on heist novels. She astutely (and hilariously) questions the capitalist socio-political, racist systems that control our lives. Cauley makes us laugh, and then care deeply about her characters. (“My right to protect my body and face, to go outside again without fear.”) If you can handle class/gender/race-based politics set in California strip malls, with punk and hacker culture and retro 80s fashions, this book is for you! It’s SO fresh, SO timely, it’s a warning, it’s the Handmaid’s Tale for a new generation, and it’s 5 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️. #thepayback #kashanacauley

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I only vaguely read the blurb of The Payback before requesting it, and decided it sounded fun. But it definitely hits harder in the current political climate, where student loans are actively under threat, with the threat of wage garnishment for people who defaulted on them being one of the more extreme actions proposed. So, this book served as wonderful wish-fulfilment for me and, I’m sure, anyone else who’s been stuck in a rut thanks to their loans and the economy.
While I saw the page count before going in, I didn’t expect the story to be as straightforward as it was. The first part begins a tad mundanely, with some everyday retail stuff, but it kicks into gear by the end, with the worst-case scenario, and things propel from there, with Jada and the others planning out and executing the heist, with the fallout occurring just at the very end.
With it being a very plot and theme-focused story, the character development felt rather minimal, which is odd, as the accompanying letter from the publicist drew comparisons between Jada and some iconic antiheroes of pop culture. However, I do appreciate that the narrative follows a Black woman without having the narrative explore racial trauma, although there are some implications that can be made about how her racial identity intersects with the issues of poverty and class which are more directly unpacked by the central premise as it relates to student loans.
While not the most deep or insightful book, I had a lot of fun with it. If you’re in the mood for a book that’s both a rather timely read about student loans and a fun, if somewhat unevenly paced heist story.

“You haven’t been reading the news? Apparently not paying your loans back is criminal behavior, so they can treat you like shit, because nobody cares about criminals.”

This idea of somewhat vigilante, somewhat legitimate debt police, on top of criminalizing falling behind on loan payments, is scarily plausible. US history certainly has a history of criminalizing and dehumanizing people for being poor, black or both.

Really fun and colorful writing, even if the story’s a bit dark. As cute and snarky as it is, even silly in the descriptions of the debt cops being weirdly new-age, super handsome, morally righteous, southwestern style, and turquoise-clad — the commentary on student loans and the debt market is dead serious.

Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Smart, sharp, and socially aware. This novel blends satire and suspense to explore power, race, and justice in modern America. Some plot elements were exaggerated for effect, but Cauley’s voice is strong and incisive. A bold, thought-provoking read.

I flew through Kashana Cauley's new novel, THE PAYBACK. This novel is perfect for summer. Part heist novel, part honest takedown of policing, white supremacy, and American capitalism. THE PAYBACK is told from the perspective of Jada, a Black thirty=something former costume designer working retail in LA to pay rent and pay off her student loans. Then the Debt Police show up and Jada and her two co-workers, each also Black women indebted to an American financial system reliant on debt, find themselves considering a heist to solve their problems. THE PAYBACK is smart and funny, a cinematic page turner with teeth. This is a novel that raises a lot of questions about what it looks like to survive in America. I was cheering these women on from the start.

Set in the near-future where people who are behind on student loans risk a beatdown from the Debt Police, The Payback begins with a lazy shift at an LA mall and increasingly amps up the pace. I loved reading from a retail store employee's perspective. An underutilized profession in novels! More "Mall Novels," please, even if only half of this book takes place in one.

And then it all turns into a heist? One of my favorite genres? Yes, of course I loved this book.

Kashana Cauley rips into capitalism in this sarcastic, funny novel about a trio of friends so degraded by their shitty retail jobs and the ever-looming threat of the Debt Police that they come up with the ultimate solution: a heist to erase their student debt. Think Welcome to Night Vale vibes, without the magical realism/surrealist horror perspective. I really enjoyed it! I wish we got a bit more involved with the three characters, we really only get Jada's perspective, and <spoiler>the heist itself doesn't really come into planning/fruition until the end of the novel, which feels like a missed opportunity</spoiler>. I absolutely recommend for the scathing commentary!

Massive thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this novel! <i>The Payback</i> is set to release on July 15th, please check it out!

3.75 stars

This was a pretty solid and quick read. I did leave feeling like I wanted more but not in an angry way. I am usually a huge fan of books that are kind of bare bones. No purple prose, no unnecessary side roads and no overly descriptive scenes. My favorite thing about this story was that we got right to it. I think there could have been more in part three but not to the point where I am mad about it.
Overall, I had a good time. I laughed, I scoffed and I empathized as those loans are coming through.
I also loved that it centered Black woman in my age group figuring it out.