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thepagelady's review
4.0
The Collective by Alison Gaylin
“The recipient of the Martha L. Koch Humanitarian Award this year is a young man who exemplifies public service.”
Five years ago, Camille’s daughter Emily was killed at a fraternity party. Five years with no justice and now they are going to reward her murderer with an award!
Camille joins The Collective, a group of women who want the same thing “JUSTICE” for their lost loved ones. At least that's what she thought when she accepted the invitation to join. When Camille finds out the club's true intentions, she will need to decide if she wants justice or revenge! But also how far she will go to make it a reality!
This was a gripping twisted classic revenge story or at least that’s what you will think going in, but this one, the author, has added a unique twist! I have read a few revenge books but not like this one! It is a little slow going at first, but once it gets going, I promise you won't be able to read fast enough! The plot is complex but Alison Gaylin did a great job bringing it altogether but also keeping that realistic feel to it! Overall, a great read! Happy reading everyone!
Thank you William Morrow and Custom House for sharing a e-galley with me in exchange for an honest review!
“The recipient of the Martha L. Koch Humanitarian Award this year is a young man who exemplifies public service.”
Five years ago, Camille’s daughter Emily was killed at a fraternity party. Five years with no justice and now they are going to reward her murderer with an award!
Camille joins The Collective, a group of women who want the same thing “JUSTICE” for their lost loved ones. At least that's what she thought when she accepted the invitation to join. When Camille finds out the club's true intentions, she will need to decide if she wants justice or revenge! But also how far she will go to make it a reality!
This was a gripping twisted classic revenge story or at least that’s what you will think going in, but this one, the author, has added a unique twist! I have read a few revenge books but not like this one! It is a little slow going at first, but once it gets going, I promise you won't be able to read fast enough! The plot is complex but Alison Gaylin did a great job bringing it altogether but also keeping that realistic feel to it! Overall, a great read! Happy reading everyone!
Thank you William Morrow and Custom House for sharing a e-galley with me in exchange for an honest review!
spaces_and_solaces's review
4.0
This book is the ultimate antidote to a reading slump. After a few not so great contemporary romance novels, I'm glad I took a chance on this one.
The collective is an amorphous amalgamation of thrill, horror, grief, justice & revenge. The story flows freely with a single person narrative & with every chapter just building up the suspense and ending with a climactic high.
The storyline is unique and if you were to ask me to describe the core of this book in 1 word, I wouldn’t be able to. Though the underlying theme of this book is grief, - but it’s so intertwined with violence, horror, pity, revenge, and justice it’s hard to tell which came first.
Camille Gardner is grappling with the loss of her daughter, who was taken from her five years ago at the age of fifteen. Her grief is so overpowering that she's spent the past few years consumed by the desire to punish the person responsible. Even though he was cleared in court, Camille knows deep down that he not only raped her daughter but also left her for dead.
Her grief has destroyed nearly every relationship in her life, and now as a divorced freelancer working from her old home, Camille drifts through life feeling numb and alone. That is until she’s invited to “The Collective” - a bunch of badass women going through their loss of loved ones & dishing up justice in the name of retribution.
It’s precisely at this point I expected the story to pick up pace & flow with sharp edges but instead it dropped down in speed. And then as the ongoing chapters lacked substance, the only thing that kept me going was wanting to find out what happens at the end..
But overall, a good thriller that you can probably finish in one sitting!
The collective is an amorphous amalgamation of thrill, horror, grief, justice & revenge. The story flows freely with a single person narrative & with every chapter just building up the suspense and ending with a climactic high.
The storyline is unique and if you were to ask me to describe the core of this book in 1 word, I wouldn’t be able to. Though the underlying theme of this book is grief, - but it’s so intertwined with violence, horror, pity, revenge, and justice it’s hard to tell which came first.
Camille Gardner is grappling with the loss of her daughter, who was taken from her five years ago at the age of fifteen. Her grief is so overpowering that she's spent the past few years consumed by the desire to punish the person responsible. Even though he was cleared in court, Camille knows deep down that he not only raped her daughter but also left her for dead.
Her grief has destroyed nearly every relationship in her life, and now as a divorced freelancer working from her old home, Camille drifts through life feeling numb and alone. That is until she’s invited to “The Collective” - a bunch of badass women going through their loss of loved ones & dishing up justice in the name of retribution.
It’s precisely at this point I expected the story to pick up pace & flow with sharp edges but instead it dropped down in speed. And then as the ongoing chapters lacked substance, the only thing that kept me going was wanting to find out what happens at the end..
But overall, a good thriller that you can probably finish in one sitting!
pages_and_papercrafts's review
4.25
In the mood to read a dark and gripping novel? One that focuses on revenge and what lengths a mother would go to for their children? Do you have the time to read or listen to this straight through because you have to find out the conclusion to the messed up, twisted story? Pick this one up then. You won’t be disappointed.
shahlasmith's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
gmm1966's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thephdivabooks's review
5.0
Grief and revenge collide in this absolutely wild, twisted thriller by Alison Gaylin. The second half moves at breaking speed as you learn what is really going on with The Collective.
I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever read a book quite like this before! Camille lost her daughter five years before and her grief is so overwhelming I struggled through about the first third of the book. At the same time, I recognize this as the reality for so many who go through the unimaginable pain of losing a child. The way Gaylin writes Camille’s story, I can see why her grief became so all consuming that her marriage fell apart. It was almost impossible to not get dragged down with her.
But this is not simply a book about sadness, grief, and loss. This is a book about anger and revenge. As Camille spirals, lashing out at the privileged male she blames for her daughter’s death, she gets recruited to join an anonymous group of mothers going through the same thing who are simultaneously a support group (if you can call it that) and a match lighting the flame of revenge that will drive these women to seek their own form of justice.
The planning and precision of the tasks intellectually fascinated me. Each woman is assigned a job that is only a small piece of a larger plan. But the trick is, they don’t know what the plan is. I could see why Camille found the tasks soothing and cathartic in their own way. She sees this as a sort of role playing exercise where she can work through what it would feel like to seek justice in a very safe way.
I don’t want to say much more about the plot but let’s just say that things get very strange as the book goes on. These women are flawed but relatable. This is the sort of book that makes you question morality, justice, and right versus wrong.
There are tons of twists and turns and I felt surprised and shocked at every one—I was just enjoying the ride! I felt so intrigued by the anonymous group of women and how it all worked. The second half I truly couldn’t put down. The ending is unforgettable!
I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever read a book quite like this before! Camille lost her daughter five years before and her grief is so overwhelming I struggled through about the first third of the book. At the same time, I recognize this as the reality for so many who go through the unimaginable pain of losing a child. The way Gaylin writes Camille’s story, I can see why her grief became so all consuming that her marriage fell apart. It was almost impossible to not get dragged down with her.
But this is not simply a book about sadness, grief, and loss. This is a book about anger and revenge. As Camille spirals, lashing out at the privileged male she blames for her daughter’s death, she gets recruited to join an anonymous group of mothers going through the same thing who are simultaneously a support group (if you can call it that) and a match lighting the flame of revenge that will drive these women to seek their own form of justice.
The planning and precision of the tasks intellectually fascinated me. Each woman is assigned a job that is only a small piece of a larger plan. But the trick is, they don’t know what the plan is. I could see why Camille found the tasks soothing and cathartic in their own way. She sees this as a sort of role playing exercise where she can work through what it would feel like to seek justice in a very safe way.
I don’t want to say much more about the plot but let’s just say that things get very strange as the book goes on. These women are flawed but relatable. This is the sort of book that makes you question morality, justice, and right versus wrong.
There are tons of twists and turns and I felt surprised and shocked at every one—I was just enjoying the ride! I felt so intrigued by the anonymous group of women and how it all worked. The second half I truly couldn’t put down. The ending is unforgettable!
lady_luckless's review
3.0
I found myself asking the main character “Why are you doing that??” multiple times in this book. It felt like she spent the first 90+% of the book not knowing what was going on and then she figured it out and it ended IMMEDIATELY afterwards. Like slowly putting a puzzle together but after placing the last piece someone swipes it off the table before you can even see the whole picture. I wanted to read about ‘The Collective’, not a new member blundering through doing grunt work no one cares about.
readingfourme's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Woof. This is a rough one. So well written and tense as a coiled spring. Will definitely read more from the author. Really enjoyed the audiobook narrator as well!