Jodie is a 16 year old white girl with severe facial deformities (neurofibromatosis) who lives with her alcoholic mother. Jodie has had a very hard life being constantly bullied at school and neglected at home. One night, Jodie accuses four boys from Muslim immigrant families of the unthinkable and sets in motion an exploration of faith, identity, and the truth.
The book is a roller coaster of twists and turns. I found former barrister and now rape counsellor Zara Kaleel fascinating in the sense of the fact that she is the product of two cultures/religions. She has grown up Muslim in Britain but is also exposed to the Western way of life, particularly as a woman.
I found the conflict in her values thought provoking and interesting.
This is a solid legal thriller that doesn't shy away from controversial subjects but it is also an intriguing exploration of what it means to be a certain race and religion living in a culture that seems to test or conflict with each other.
Highly recommended.

I liked this book and would categorize it as a decent courtroom drama with a bit of a twist. At times it was a bit slow, and overall the story wasn't what I imagined it to be. The description made me much more excited than the book itself.

What an incredible book!

The topic is hard to read, some of the details graphic but this is an important book. It touches on so many different topics and explains them all well. Sexual assault, teenage drama, religion, family status. This was so well done.

The writing is incredible and the author includes just enough detail that you get the picture. It is a quick read. If you don’t include the times I cried or threw the book. Ps that happened twice. This book was a great start to 2021.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Take It Back
by Kia Abdullah
The remarkable story of English law, Muslim conflict, and sexual violence. The story of an English disabled white girl gang raped by Muslim boys from her school. The story highlights the problems with sexual violence, the miss conceptions and miss understandings of the law and the public response to interracial violence. The political conflict because of racial and religious differences feather the pages raising the violence and conflict in the story. Unfortunately rape on any continent has many problems, women and girls who report rape are not accepted, nor understood. They are accused of miss understandings, or maligned intentions, anything but acceptance of their story. The public greed for proving the girl(woman) is at fault is universal. The idea that the perpetrators are innocent is universal. Unfortunately this story only shows how vile this type of trial is and how overwhelming public reaction can make matters only worse. It is heart rendering in its undertaking.

““I—I want forgiveness, for others and for myself. I want to accept that the journey is all there is. That when you get there, there’s no there there and so you keep going, keep trying, keep looking for ways to fill that hole but it will never be filled because we are just human and life has a hole – it just does. That’s what I want.”

Name: Take it Back
Author: Kia Abdullah
Series: Book 1 of Zara Kaleel Series
Genre: Adult, Legal Thriller, Crime, Mystery

This legal thriller will keep you in your toes, fearing for the next wrong move and the next event that will topple and discover the truth of the matter. 4 suspected rapists and 1 victim who is not believed by anyone, not her mother or her best friend. The only person interested in finding the truth of her rape is Zara Kaleel, a rape activist who takes care of these types on cases in court. Apart from the case, Zara is also dealing with a lot of inner turmoil from her family and her desire to be left alone and not live like her parents.

The best thing about the book is the dynamic it used and the controversial themes it discusses. The girl who was raped is disabled with a facial deformity and the boys that are accused are Muslim, consequently Zara and her family's religion. This creates havoc in society, causing the world to turn against each other. Terrorism jokes and disabled jokes take a turn for the worst as these mere kids go through the most traumatizing experience. Truth be told, you never know who is telling the truth. You want Jodie to be lying so that those well bred boys don't waste their life in jail, but you also wonder if this silent and pure girl is not lying and is uncovering a truth no one wants to hear.

This is what resonated with me the most. How much I wanted Jodie to be lying, whether or not she is that is a big spoiler and I'll let you find out for yourself. However, the author makes the characters so easy to follow and we kind of don't want to believe the worst of them. We do not want to believe that the boys we raised are capable of atrocious acts.

The legality of the story and the drama inside and outside the courthouse is what made the story for me. Something I would have deleted (but also understand why it was placed in the story) was Zara's drug abuse and trauma because of her family. It makes sense and it added a layer to her own story, but I also believe this part served no end goal. However, the riots and the violence that begins due to the case does seem to follow an end goal of why it was presented. Zara's issues were not resolved in this story at least and it left me feeling a little distant from her at times.

* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this Ebook in exchange for an honest review*
-- 3.5 stars --

Decent courtroom drama with a twist. The characters were not particularly likeable and I felt it was trying too hard to make some sort of statement.

"Take It Back" is an intense story dealing with sensitive and controversial issues. Zara Kaleel was a highly successful barrister, but a series of personal decisions and family events turned her life upside down, and she ended up quitting her job. She is now an independent sexual violence advisor at Artemis House, a sexual assault referral center in London. Her workday started much as usual, but she would meet a client whose case would be one of the toughest she ever handled, both personally and professionally. Jodie Wolfe is a sixteen-year-old girl with a severe facial deformity (she has neurofibromatosis). Jodie tells Zara that at a party last week she was raped by four of her classmates. Making an already tragic situation worse is the fact that Jodie Wolfe, along with having a disability, is white, while the four classmates are Muslim boys. Much like the US, racism and anti-immigrant sentiment is still all too common in Great Britain. In the story, there had been recent incidents involving sexual assaults by Muslim men in other parts of England that already had a section of society, represented most vocally by the Anglican Defence League, up in arms. The police try to keep the identity of Jodie and the four accused boys under wraps as long as possible, but the information eventually comes out. Making an already difficult situation worse is that while Zara believes Jodie, she also catches Jodie giving a slightly different account to the police of events leading up to her and Amir, one of the alleged attackers, entering the abandoned warehouse where the alleged attack occurred. Also, a private investigator who assists Artemis House talked with one of the other boys, Farid, the only boy who did not take part in the assault itself, as described by Jodie, and she found credible his statement that events did not occur as Jodie alleged; however, he was not willing to say what actually happened.

The story follows the investigation and the trial, with some rather significant surprises and some rather tragic consequences. Zara's personal problems and behavior also become a significant factor in the saga that is the rape allegations and trial. In particular, Zara faces a lot of pressure from her family and the wider Muslim community for siding with a white girl over the four Muslim boys. Past and present behavior that goes against cultural and religious norms/expectations adds to the controversy and leads to threats and acts of violence.

The author does a good job of portraying the difficulties and complexities of a sexual assault prosecution, including the attacks on the character of the victim and assailants (especially if there is something about the victim and/or assailants that enables them to be labeled as "other"), and how even the slightest deviation in accounts will be latched upon as "proof" that someone is lying, as well as the media circus that develops when there is a case that allows for salacious or inflammatory headlines, such as disabled white girl assaulted by Muslim boys. The author also does a good job of developing the major characters, so they don't come across as caricatures.

Zara is portrayed in a manner that suggests she would be a zealous advocate regardless of the client, but she seems to over-identify with Jodie, possibly due to Zara's own personal issues, and this results in a series of "unforced errors." Fate has dealt Jodie a cruel hand. In addition to her facial deformity, her father abandoned the family when she was very little, her mother is a depressed alcoholic who is neglectful and views Jodie with disdain, and Jodie is of average intelligence at best and rather naïve in many ways. Yet, her difficult life has made her a survivor. Zara is beautiful, intelligent, and successful; all things that Jodie is not. However, she has dealt with difficult personal and family issues and had to battle the cultural and religious expectations that her family and community wanted to impose on her (and on women in general); as a result, she is a "survivor" of sorts as well.

The four boys are also quite different. Amir is the leader of the group, handsome and popular, king of the school, able to get any girl he wants; which results in people questioning why he would have anything to do with Jodie. He admits to the pseudo-sexual activity with Jodie, but maintains it was consensual and her idea, and he has a rather crude response when asked "why her." Hassan is the most assertive of the group, arrogant and ready to pressure and intimidate Mohammad (Mo) and Farid, the other two boys. He views Jodie as sub-human and so regardless of which version of events is "accurate", he sees nothing wrong with what they did or what Jodie experienced. Amir and Hassan both come across as "entitled". They are afraid of what might happen to them and their families if they are convicted, but don't see their behavior as wrong or inappropriate, regardless of which version of events is true. Mo and Farid are very different. Farid is the smartest of the four boys and the only one who recognizes that even if they are found "not guilty", their actions will have long lasting consequences that will irrevocable change their futures. Amir and Hassan might be able to weather the fallout, but Farid and Mo do not have that luxury given their family circumstances. Farid regrets his actions and inactions, but lacks the inner strength to tell the truth and make amends; he will end up paying the harshest price for his participation in events. Mohammad (Mo) is the hardest working of the foursome and arguably the most caring and empathic, but he is also effeminate (possibly gay) and his desire to belong makes him an easy target for the aggressive pressure applied by Hassan. He will ultimately make the most consequential decision of any character, leading to a rather surprising and powerful ending of the story.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review

I liked this book but also thought it went a bit slow and didn't ramp up into the story quick enough. The pace fell a bit flat for me and ultimately it wasn't the page turner I was hoping for, from the description of the book.

Wow. This is a book with a unique story and a great who done it approach. I was totally wrapped up in the book from the first page. It centers on a flawed do-gooder Muslim woman who gets the rape case from Hell as a rape counselor. A he said/she said where the accused are 4 Muslim teens. Their accuser is a disfigured white classmate. Whew! Sounds complicated, and it is. Race relations, loyalty and trust all get tested in this twisty tale. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I love thrillers, but this book was way too gruesome, even for me.
I couldn't get past the descriptive scenes. Dark, grisly and disturbing, but not in a good way.
Disappointing.

Not really a book I enjoyed. I DNFed it but others might have a different opinion and enjoy the reading.

Whew! This was intense. This is not the book to pick up when you are in the mood for an easy or light read. First, it deals with sexual assault and examines assault versus rape versus desire. Then, it deals with drug addiction, physical differences, prejudice, family estrangement, racism, tabloid journalism, and mob behavior. Did I mention it's intense?

Zara Kaleel is a lawyer turned sexual assault advocate. When Jodie Wolfe walks into her office, Zara believes her tale and so did I. Before they even get to court, Zara's personal problems start to affect the case. It's complicated further by details in Jodie's story changing and Zara's local Muslim community attacking her for prosecuting four Muslim boys. The community turns on her for believing a white girl instead of defending the boys.

Abdullah presents a powerful story, told from multiple POVs including Zara, Jodie and the boys. We get slivers though, snippets, and Abdullah spins a complicated story, slowly unraveling the different threads, then rearranging them back into a new design. The story drags a bit here and there and yet at times I had to stop and take a break due to the intensity. Still, I was sucked into the story and needed to know what would happen next, and what the verdict would be. I was sure I knew what had happened but less sure of the verdict. I did not see that ending coming. There were several twists near the end that took me by surprise. I should not have been so sure of myself, lol.

Abdullah reminds us that truth is multi-faceted and rarely simple, and doing the right thing is not a simple question of black or white or choosing A over B. Choices and decisions have infinite ramifications and we can't always predict them. The book was fascinating and provocative. At times overly ambitious, it nevertheless was enthralling.

This is a book that makes you think. The book is very emotional. What happens one night has a lot of consciences for more than just the people involved. This book makes you see what happens when you accuse people of a crime. It shows both sides and what it really means to be either a woman, a certain faith or skin color when that happens. It shows that many things still have not changed but a lot still needs to.

*I received this free book from NetGalley and am leaving my honest opinion*

Zara Kaleel is a former barrister who now works at Artemis House as an advocate and advisor for sexual assault victims. She was raised in a strict Muslim family and after she divorced her husband from an arranged marriage, she and her father became estranged.
Her father died before they could repair their fractured relationship.
When Jodie Wolfe, a white teenage girl with severe facial deformities comes in to the center and accuses four Muslim teen boys of raping her, Zara believes her story.
The subsequent trial rips the community apart and Zara is in the middle of it all.
This was a dark and intense controversial courtroom thriller with lots of drama. The writing was excellent and kept me fascinated.
Because of the subject matter, it made for distressing and painful reading at times, but it was a powerful emotional experience.
You won't find out what really happened until the very end.
And you might be left with more questions, like me!
Thank you St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

This was a legal, courtroom drama that had an interesting interplay with the religion and sexist principles. “Take it Back” draws you in from the beginning and keeps your interest throughout a trial where a teenage student alleges classmates of rape. I did not anticipate the path the novel ultimately takes, which I really enjoy in the books I read. 4 ⭐️ rating for this one.

Thank you Netgalley for an copy of TAKE IT BACK for an honest review.
To be honest the subject matter is very disturbing and difficult to read about then how it ends left me really angry. I really don't know what to think .

Zara, a former Barrister, is now a victims advocate at Artemis House. She is Muslim that has chosen to turn her back on what her family expects of her. Zara is a complicated woman, with many facets to her. Zara is met with a case that will turn her life upside down and challenge who she is.

Jodie is not your average 16 yr old, she has a face deformity and her home life is not very pleasing. Her mother drinks, smokes and reminds Jodie that she is more of a burden than anything. Jodie comes to Artemis House with claims of being gang raped by four boys. The boys just happen to be Muslim and Jodie is a white girl with many challenges due to her deformity. This is your typical victim blaming/shaming story and the accused claiming it was consensual, but the twist is the boys being Muslim as well as Zara.. Zara is portrayed as a traitor to her heritage and under goes numerous attacks on her character and where her loyalties truly lie. Jodie is determined to bring justice to her accused even though her own mother and best friend do not believe her. This is a court room thriller that will leave you angry at the end. It did me anyways.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I had a difficult time reading this, I'm not sure if it was the content or what. I do recommend this if you like court room thrillers.

I have to say, I was not a fan of this book. I am not sure if it was the fact that it took place mostly in a courtroom and the trial seemed to drag on or if it was the fact it went back and forth between the characters too much. Either way, I was not a fan. The book was well written and it definitely left you with a huge shock at the ending that made you want to know what else happened.

What I did like about this book was the fact the main character was Muslim. You don't read that very often, so it was nice to read something different. Like I mentioned above, it was well written. It was easy to read and the writer showed that they know their stuff both inside the courtroom and with the Muslim culture.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think the reason why was because Zara is the most flawed, complex main character I have discovered in quite a while. At times I couldn’t stand her, but at other times I was full of sympathy for her. The story itself was compelling and many societal topics are discussed - rape, disability, religion, race, status, addiction...at times it seemed the author was throwing everything going on in the world right now in her plot, but it somehow worked. I honestly didn’t know who to believe - Jodi or the boys. Much like Zara, I found myself believing (and even liking) one over the other and then moments later, my feelings were reversed.

One of my top ten books of the year.

Do not pick up Take It Back unless you have a solid chunk of time to read, as you will not be able to put this book down!

Zara Kaleel had a successful job as a barrister when she walked away from the job to make a "real" difference at Artemis House, a sexual assault referral center, where she worked as an independent sexual violence advisor where she worked with clients from when they walked into the center through a court case if it got to that place. Her job became a whole new ball game when Jodie Wolfe, a white disabled woman walked in, asking for help post a sexual assault by 4 muslim boys at her high school. The tale she tells are what nightmares are made of. Zara believes her when she tells of the horrors she faced, not everyone else is as easily convinced. This case will test every aspect of Zara's life - her job, her family, her relationships. In fact, everyone who is involved in the case will be on one heck of a roller coaster ride, as will you, the reader. Hold on tight!

Kia Abdullah tackles race and the issue of sexual assault in this novel in ways that make the story feel as if it stepped off the front page of this mornings news paper. It was so real in fact, that it made it hard to read at times, as the descriptions felt real and the emotion raw. Reading it felt a lot like what my life might be like listening to one of my own counseling clients. You cannot read this book without being touched by it in a myriad of ways.