Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of this novel will be posted soon.

Woah. This book made me feel every emotion under the sun. Kia Abdullah tackled so many important topics, while keeping the reader engaged in the plot.

Take It Back is a haunting and emotional read that explores race, disability, wealth and sexual assault. It captivated me and made me feel sad, conflicted and angry. This is not your typical courtroom drama- it's really an exploration of society and how class, culture, religion and gender play a role in the criminal justice system and society's perception of crime.

Zara was a posh lawyer, but left the field to be a counselor and advocate for victims of sexual assault. She's assigned to the case of 16-year old Jodie, a young woman who suffers from from neurofibromatosis which cause severe facial deformities. Zara is Muslim and Jodie is white. Jodie is constantly bullied at school and her mother is cruel and neglectful. She comes to Zara saying that four Muslim classmates gang raped her and this sets in motion a devastating series of events.

No one wins in this story. Victims can be both victims and perpetrators. People turn against each other. The truth is never crystal clear. Abdullah does a fantastic job taking us through the case and showing so many different perspectives. And the ending just broke my heart on all sides.

This was my first read by the author and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ecopy to read and review.

4.5

The ending was tough to read, but in a good way.

I’m trying to catch up on my NetGalley backlog this summer, and decided to start with Take It Back by Kia Abdullah. This book kinda blew my mind, you guys. I didn’t know a single thing about it going in, I just remember all of the praise it received when it released at the end of last year. I usually prefer to go in blind with thrillers, but I wish I would’ve at least skimmed the synopsis before diving in. I wasn’t quite prepared for the heavy and extremely serious subject matter, but I’m glad I stuck with it. The story is centered around a courtroom trial involving a rape case. Jodie Wolfe, a 16-year-old white girl with severe facial deformities accuses four Muslim classmates of brutally attacking her. This causes a major uproar in the community, and the trial receives a ton of attention. Abdullah expertly tackles important and controversial issues like sexual assault, race, privilege, religion, and social justice. Her writing is extremely impressive, thought-provoking, and timely. I highly recommend this book, but please proceed with caution. Don’t go in blind like I did, take the time to read the description. Things get pretty intense and quite graphic really quickly. It will make you uncomfortable. Pick it up when you’re emotionally prepared for a heavier read.

This book snuck up on me in a way I didn’t expect - it gets under your skin, making it impossible to forget anytime soon after reading the last page. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The topics covered in this book are heavy: religion, anti-Muslim feelings, sexual assault, physical differences - it’s all so emotionally charged, I was nervous how well the author would handle it all, but honestly, it was brilliant. This book wasn’t a fast-paced thriller, but it was still something I could not put down. No matter how tired I was, I had to keep reading because if I tried to stop, I’d just lay awake thinking about the story and characters. One of the best courtroom thrillers I’ve read in ages.

I was really excited to learn this is the first in the author’s Zara Kaleel series - I can’t wait to read the next one!

I was invited by St. Martin’s Press to read the ARC of Take It Back, by Kia Abdullah, in exchange for an honest review. This book is a compelling legal thriller with unexpected twists and turns, and exceptionally good character development.

Zara Kaleel is a brilliant attorney, and has had a stellar legal career in London much to the chagrin of her traditionally-minded parents. After leaving the legal practice to become a sexual assault counselor, she finds herself caught between the sixteen-year-old victim and her alleged attackers, four Muslim boys.
The issues examined are multiple: bullying in school, rape, the victim’s abusive parent, the lawyer’s unsupportive parents, the demand to adhere to outdated cultural traditions, etc.

This is another case of a bullied teen with an alcoholic and abusive mom who is completely unsupportive. I was kept on my toes believing the victim, then the boys, then the victim, then… I was gratified to learn at the end who was telling the truth.

Oh my goodness this was good. I went into this blind, and it was phenomenal. There are two things going on here, one is the case of Jodie Wolfe, who is a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, and has accused four Muslim boys in her class of attacking her after a party. No one believes her, not even her best friend or abusive mother. Her accusations tear the community apart as these boys are from hard-working immigrant families and the boys have alibis.

The other thing going on in the story is Zara Kaleel, who is the lawyer that is representing Jodie, who is also Muslim, and who has a strained relationship with her family given her proven desire to buck traditional custom and they see this as one more thing she is doing against their culture. She sees it as defending a victim against four attackers and doing the right thing despite all else. As you can imagine, all worlds of sex, race, social justice collide here, and never mind there is an absolute shocking ending that set this book over the edge into absolute perfection.

I felt all kinds of emotions with this one, with how both sides were treated, with how Zara was treated, and how Jodie was feeling given how different she was from the beginning, and my horror at how she was treated by her abusive alcoholic mother. You just cannot assume anything with this one, which is why I think this book is just so well done. I love a good courtroom thriller, and this was next level with all of its complexities and again, that ending.

I cannot wait to read the next one in this series. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced digital copy to review.

When a sixteen year old girl with facial deformities accuses several local boys of an unthinkable crime, a community is torn apart. Zara Kaleel, a rising star in the London legal community, leaves it all behind to work for a local sexual assault center. This is where she meets Jodie and is determined to find the truth and help. OMG this book was so good. The twist at the end I did not see coming. I absolutely enjoyed this thrilling adventure.

Take it Back by Kia Abdullah is a story of Zara Kaleel, who walks away from her job as a barrister in a successful London office to become an advisor in a center that helps victims of sexual assault.. She is given a case of a sixteen-year-old Jodie Wolfe, who suffers from neurofibromatosis which causes disfigurement of features. Jodie, a white young lady claims to have been raped by a group of four young popular handsome Muslim boys after a party. Jodie is scared knowing because of her disfigurement no one will believe her story, Zara hears and believes and gives Jodie her help but the trouble this causes doesn't just affect the case but Zara's life, and that of her family who are practicing Muslims. The boys have their wealthy parents behind them while Jodie stands alone, deserted by her alcoholic mother and best friends from school.
Take it Back is the first in the Zara Kaleel series. It's a page turning read and keeps the reader on the edge wanting to know what's next.
#Netgalley #TakeItBack

Take it Back by Kia Abdullah is a 2020 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Outstanding!

Zara Kaleel was on the path to legal greatness when she abruptly reversed course. She is now working at a sexual assault center-a far cry from the illustrious career her family expected from her.

When a teenager, Jodie Wolfe, comes in to report she’s been raped, Zara embarks on a life defining journey to find justice for Jodie no matter what the personal cost to herself.

What sets this case apart from others is that Jodie suffers from a malady which presents with facial deformities. She has accused a group of nice Muslim boys of sexually assaulting her at a party. As a result, her allegations are met with extreme skepticism by nearly everyone, including her best friend and even her own mother.

Zara, though, is firmly in Jodie’s corner every step of the way, even when her family pressures her to give up on the case, and even when her own life is on the line…

I’m giving this book the highest marks possible! Just as I was lamenting the lack of pure legal thrillers, this book comes along. The author certainly knows how to weave a mesmerizing, unflinchingly raw story and explore every possible angle, from every single perspective. Every page of this book challenged me, kept me in a constant state of uncertainty, and literally on the edge of my seat. My emotions were all over the place, leaving me wrecked, drained, and exhausted before all was said and done- a reaction I seldom have when reading crime fiction.

The pitch perfect pacing kept me in thrall as I absorbed all the repercussions, the consequences, the doubts, and the many layers and complexities of the story.

There are some truly riveting courtroom scenes, from a British courtroom angle, which was interesting for me. That said, this book is much more than a legal thriller. It’s deep, dark, brilliantly plotted, with a no holds barred approach. Yet, the book, as raw and harrowing as it may be, is written with polish and style. This book would make a great book club selection and might even be a good movie-if done right.

I can’t wait to hear more from Zara the brave!!

All the stars!!

I thought this book was very interesting & a little different than what I normally read, but I would recommend it. I really liked Zara from the beginning & thought she was such a strong woman for fighting for what she thought was right, regardless of what her family & everyone else was telling her to do. She is a Muslim woman defending a white woman in trial against 4 Muslim boys for something terrible that happened to her. Her family & friends were appalled she would defend a white woman that was accusing “her own” of this crime. Zara put her life & reputation on the line doing this, but she wanted to do the right thing regardless of her background. I felt so sorry for her & everything she had to endure, but really loved her! She stuck to her guns the entire time & never gave up. I had a hard time keeping up with the characters at the beginning until I really learned who they were. The ending did shock me. I expected it throughout, but then the narrative changed towards the end to where my original thoughts were thrown out the window. It definitely left me hanging & wanting to know more! Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book for an exchange of an honest review.

This is the kind of thriller I enjoy - the kind that surprises me even I think I have it all figured out!

Take It Back is centers around a legal case that incorporates rape, race, culture and religion.

I was a bit apprehensive going into this novel as it involves such heavy topics, but the way the author balanced it all was fantastic. But that is also to say I still had to read a lighter book right after.

The pacing, tone and atmosphere of the book was incredible. The author is very talented and I look forward to reading more of her work.

This book would also be great for a book club - there is so much to unpack and important conversations that could come from such discussions.

I am so glad to see there is a second book since the ending had my jaw hit the floor and I need to see what will happen next!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I don’t normally read legal thrillers so this was a new genre to me.
It was interesting and intriguing. I liked the strong female characters, fighting for what’s right. It was definitely hard to read at times, but the book was well written and portrayed.

Take it Back is thematically a very heavy story. It centers around Jodie, a young white girl with facial deformities who accuses four Muslim boys of raping her. The story is set up in such a way that at no point is the reader able to find stable ground to stand on. Is Jodie telling the truth? Or are the boys (any of them)? Everybody’s stories keep changing, and it’s basically impossible to figure out what’s what.

There are dual narratives – the crime and subsequent trial, and the impact that taking the case is having on Zara – the Muslim woman defending the white girl who is accusing the four Muslim boys of such a heinous crime. All the people involved in this case are tried and convicted in the media long before the trial ever even begins.

I have to give Abdullah props – she has taken a bunch of really challenging subjects and managed to smash them together into one really serpentine narrative. The resulting story manages to at once be impossible to nail down, and compulsively readable. I flew through this book. I mean, we explore not only sexual assault, but also racism, religion, classism, tribalism, gender, drug and alcohol dependency, ableism, media narratives, the criminal justice system, feminism, violence, xenophobia, and truth. Heavy, right? And damned ambitious.

I wasn't sure at first if I would like this book, but ended up really enjoying it. Zara is a complex, strong character torn between life as a modern woman and the expectations of her traditional Muslim family. She finds herself in the middle of a case involving a disabled white girl who claims to have been attacked by a group of Muslim boys. She chooses to help the girl at the risk of being branded a traitor by her own family.

The plot is quite twisty and I had a hard time predicting where where the story was going to go. Was the girl telling the truth or making things up for revenge? Just when you think you have things figured out, something else happens that makes you doubt what yourself.

The book is an entertaining legal thriller and a commentary on race/culture relations, paparazzi, sensational journalism, and the British legal system. But despite it's British setting, it's easy to imagine something similar happening on this side of the pond, too.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although this wasn’t a fast paced book, the story flowed well. I thought the subject matter was timely and many people can relate to it. It took place in England, so some terms I wasn’t familiar with but not enough to take away from the story.

3.5

The main character in the novel is Zara Kaleel, a former high-priced London barrister who now works for a non-profit that supports victims of rape and sexual assault.

She is assigned to a case of a 16-year-old Jodie, a white girl with with facial deformities, who is accusing four male Muslim classmates of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin of raping her.

As Zara dives deeper into what happened, she can't seem to get a straight answer out of anyone, including Jodie. She is also harassed by the Muslim community of which she and her disapproving parents belong to, as well.

What seems like a classic story of she said / he said, becomes so much more with these additional layers of racial and religious tensions.

Take It Back is a well-written tense and harrowing mystery that culminates in an explosive criminal trial. It’s not an easy read though, as the rape description and treatment of the victim could be triggering.

This was 4.5 stars for me. Very well written, and at times hard to read - Ms. Abdullah tackles some very tough topics throughout this novel. Told from three perspectives, I kept wondering who was telling the truth? Jodie's accusation is really believable, but then when it would switch to the four boys...they all were saying the same thing independently and corroborating each other's version of what happened. I kept changing my mind about who was telling the truth. Outside of the she said/they said accusation of rape, Ms. Abdullah has created an excellent main character - former lawyer Zara Kaleel. Zara is fighting her own demons while helping Jodie, and it was her struggles as an independent Muslim woman that I was drawn to the most. I see there is a second book in this series, and I can't wait to see what lies in store for Zara.

I really enjoyed this book! This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

I do like a good British procedural and I was interested in the premise of this book: a young disabled woman comes forward to accuse four young Muslim men of raping her. The young woman's advocate is a former lawyer who is also Muslim. There's a lot of bait and switch about who is telling the truth, who is telling only part of the story, and whose side readers should be on.

I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, and I don't think she even really needed to be in the book for most of the story, honestly. It's a dark book, and our main character is dark too- she drinks too much, doesn't take care of herself, and makes a lot of mistakes. She's got a failed arranged marriage in her past and her relationship with her family is on the rocks. She had all the makings of an interesting character, but I just didn't care much about her.

I also felt like the book wanted to be dark- our rape victim has a horrible life with a horrible mother, all of the young men who are accused are shown to be rather nasty people, and I don't know if there was anyone to root for. I do like to have at least one person that I care about in a crime book and if I can't do that for either the victim or accused or main character then I just don't have a lot to go on. I skimmed to the end of the book, and it looks like the author wants to make a point about how Muslims are the victims of prejudice (which they are) and also can be bad people (which they can). I don't need a book explaining to me that people who are different than me are human too at this point in my life- I get it, albeit probably not perfectly- and this book was too depressing for me to want to take a deep dive into it.