Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for approving my request to read and review Take it Back by Kia Abdallah.

I struggled with the star rating for this book; because we cannot give half stars (to meet my 4.5 rating), so I am giving it four stars.
Take it Back is a legal thriller that reaches inside of you and entertains while not being shy about pulling on your heartstrings. The writing is immersive, and the plot is paced so you experience the story, not just read it.
I love the complexity of the main character, Zara. She is an incredible female protagonist, a fighter, intelligent, strong, and is not without imperfections and drama of her own.

Take it Back is a thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. I love the writing style, characters, and the relatability of the actions and feelings of everyone in the book. I highly recommend this book!

In this harrowing story of a physically disabled girl accusing four young men of rape, we see the case from different perspectives.

The four boys, fighting for the chance to succeed in a a different country.

Jodie, living with a facial deformity from birth, and her need to be "seen".

And Zara, the sex abuse counselor and former attorney who has a foot in different worlds: her Muslim roots which she has fought against to become Zara the Brave, and her need to protect her client, no matter the cost.

I would describe this book as more courtroom drama than "thriller", but after the groundwork is laid in the first half of the book, the pacing is quick and the scenes Jodie describes and that take place in the courtroom are tense, explicit and shocking.

Abdullah has done a wonderful job of showing the different layers of the Muslim heritage, the complications of deciding where your loyalty lies, and a great empathy for the young woman in her care.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy for review.

5+ courtroom stars

If you are looking for your next amazing book to read, look no further than “Take it Back” by Kia Abdullah. This will finish in my top reads for the year. This is one of those books that I knew was a solid 5 star read for me, no rounding up or generosity needed!

The premise starts as a simple one, a young white teenager comes forward to accuse 4 young men, classmates of hers, of rape after a party. Things get more complicated when you learn that the young woman – Jodie -- has facial deformities, and the four young men are all from the Muslim community. Set in the UK, there were some differences in the court proceedings. However, some things hold true no matter the setting. The defense tries to discredit the woman and the accused are all built up. In this case as wonderful young men contributing to the Muslim community along with their immigrant parents and families. There are some questions around what happened and whether Jodie is telling the truth.

Zara Kaleel is a fascinating character. A former high-powered lawyer she now puts her legal skills to work advocating for victims of sexual abuse. She believes Jodie’s story and the case goes to trial. The tension builds and there are tough sections where the rape is recounted. Racial tension builds in the community, even to the point of violence, and the press is fanning the flames. Zara is Muslim so her community feels that she is betraying them by representing Jodie and even her family is torn. I admired Zara’s passion and bravery, especially standing up to the high standards that women have to face and the culture of the Muslim community. For her, it’s not about race or religion, but doing the right thing.

This one was a wild intense ride and kept me engrossed all throughout the book, even in tears at one point. I thought things were resolved, but there is a lot of story to tell here! I notice this one is called Zara Kaleel #1, so I’m anxious to read the next installment already!

Title: Take It Back
Author: Kia Abdullah
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Take It Back" by Kia Abdullah

My Speculation:

"Take It Back" was one well-told story that will keep your attention as you are turning the pages to see what is coming next for two particular characters Zar Kaleel and Jodie Wolfe. We find Zara was a successful Muslim acting as the victim advocate for Jodie, a white 16year old with a facial deformity who accused four muslin boys of rape.

Be ready for a story that will give you mystery and suspense from 'an assault [rape] that has to deal with race, religions, victims, lies, bigotry, counselors, and most of all hidden secrets that will all come out at the end.' By the end, the read will leave one in a 'thought-provoking and also a heart-wrenching' story that deals with 'issues of sex, race social justice that collide with a very explosive criminal trial of the year that will leave one with a shocking conclusion.'

All that is left to say is you will need to pick up "Take It Back" and see for yourself how well this author delivers to the readers one heck of a good read that I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press, and the Author Kia Abdullah for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tensions run high when four Muslim boys are accused of raping a white girl with facial deformities. This book is very timely in its portrayal of the way people take sides on a matter based on their own beliefs instead of getting all the facts of the matter before making a judgment. The plot moves along at an extremely rapid pace and is full of twists and turns. Not only will you not know what is going to happen next, you won't know who to root for from one minute to the next either. The conclusion of the book is absolutely gut-wrenching and will haunt you long after you've finished reading it.

What a book! Set aside a day or two to read this book, because you won’t want to stop once you get started. Ms. Abdullah takes the reader on a fast paced ride with many twists and turns that kept me changing my mind and guessing until the end. And even then, I kept trying to scroll forward on my kindle, hoping there was another chapter.
Jodie Wolfe is a white, 16 year old young woman in East London trying to live her life with a significant facial deformity. She’s been bullied and treated terribly her whole life and doesn’t have a lot of supporters in her world. Her father abandoned her and her mother, not able to deal with the deformity, and her mother is more mired in her own world than her daughters. And her one school friend, Nina, isn’t really a very good friend.
One fateful night, Jodie is approached by a classmate, Amir, and she thinks this might be her opportunity to be a “normal” teenager. Amir takes Jodie to a vacant warehouse where their lives, and those of three of his friends are changed forever.
During the course of the story, we also learn more about Amir, Hassan, Mo and Farid...all interesting characters in their own right. They’re Muslim, and sons of hard working immigrants, and this leads to a very interesting conflict.
Take It Back isn’t just about Jodie and the aftermath of that fateful evening. It’s also about Zara, a formerly high powered lawyer who’s now an advocate for victims of sexual violence. Zara’s background is also challenging (but in very different ways than Jodie’s) and she’s a young Muslim woman trying to make her own way in the world, while in conflict with her very traditional family and community. She’s also the first person, it seems, who has ever really cared about Jodie.
Take It Back is a wonderful thriller, but it’s also much more as Ms. Abdullah tackles very current issues of race, ethnic tensions, social justice and violence against women. Zara is a great character and I hope we get to see her again in a future book!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Take It Back in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 - What a clever ending!

This is a promising start to a new series. An #ownvoices legal thriller that puts the word of a young, white girl against four Muslim boys in the UK. Very much an introduction to the main character, Zara Kaleel (or Zara the Brave), who is deeply flawed, but purposeful in trying to make a positive difference with her considerable legal talents. I thought there were some brilliant courtroom moments, that led to the clever conclusion. (As a sidenote: I always enjoy reading court proceedings from another country. It's interesting to compare the differences to the US court system!)

I thought the book was perfectly paced and just the right length. The last 15% is worth reading in one go and definitely secured my interest in picking up the next book in the series once it is published! If you're a fan of legal thrillers, I strongly urge you to pick this one up!

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and Kia Abdullah for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.

Review Date: 12/08/2020
Publication Date (US): 12/08/2020

4.5 stars

Disturbing, heart wrenching, powerful, and shattering. A Muslim lawyer takes on the hardest legal case of her career and finds the lines between professional and personal slipping as she defends a disabled white girl in her accusation of rape against four local Muslim boys. This is not a casual read by any description, but it is an extremely powerful one.

Writing: ★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★

A court case surrounding a "he said, she said" rape trial with the added complexities of disability and racial tensions? Yeah, we went there. And it was as messy as you can imagine it to be.

Jodie is a a 16-year-old white girl with facial deformities and a story to tell. When she walks into the Artemis House, a legal institution that provides council to women, and tells her story... it's shocking. In it, she accuses 4 Muslim boys from her high school of violence and sexual assault.

Zara, a Muslim herself, is Jodie's case worker. She believes Jodie and vows to defend her no matter the cost.

However, Zara herself is dealing with several personal issues during this time as well. Her family life is shattered: when Zara flees her husband's family and a bad arranged marriage, she's branded negatively by the local Muslim community. Her family is upset at her lack of tradition, her lack of subservience, her mental fortitude and independence.

Adding this sexual assault trial against "their" boys does not help matters.

It also doesn't help that Zara's struggling with her emotional state and her dependence on prescription drugs. When life throws you curveballs, why not take a chill pill? When one becomes two becomes more.... Zara's sinking here too.

And then more things come out about the case, and Jodie's story...

Just who, exactly, is telling the truth?

My thoughts:
It's a testament to the author's talent that she evokes such strong themes and visceral reactions to her story. For that reason, Kia Abdullah is one my list to watch for future books. While I think I'm done with sexual assault themes in novels for good—NOT the fault of this book, but something I've learned through trial and error this year is not a good topic for me to consume for personal reasons—this was an extremely powerful and well-told story.

One of the strongest elements of this novel is the balancing act between the two storylines and the actual truth. Like most court cases, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I appreciated the author's deft handling of the plot's conclusion... especially as it would have been so easy to misstep and deliver one of the more expected outcomes.

This is the kind of novel that continuously asks you, the reader, to check yourself. Are you experiencing bias by wishing for this outcome or the other? Who are you siding with, and why? How do you respond to Zara's personal quagmires? Just who exactly is "winning" here, or are there no winners?

A complex book. Recommended reading for all readers of the genre and, honestly, other adult fiction readers too. A powerful story that deserves a wide audience.

Thank you to St Martins Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jodie says she was raped by four boys, but nobody believes her. Not even her best friend. But Zara believes in her and defends her in court. This is a shocking, thought provoking, legal thriller. It’s superbly written and the characters are well developed. It’s suspenseful and intense. I was thoroughly enthralled with this storyline from the first to the last page. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review

Wow what a book! This amazing and brilliant yet horrible storyline sheds light on a lot of issues that need to be address and changed. Disclaimer this book did hit a few triggers for me so tread lightly but don’t pass on this amazing book!

This was quite the intense read. It started off strong, and then lagged unit the very end. I found myself holding my breath those last few pages. I would have liked more closure at the end to see what Zara was going to do next, but it leaves you assuming her next steps.

“I just want to take it back.”
Take It Back is not an easy read. It is centered around four Muslim boys accused of raping a disfigured white girl. Then there is Zara, also a Muslim, who is helping the girl secure justice. The fact that she is a Muslim on the other side of the trial causes friction in her family and community. She also has a few personal demons that haunt her. Take It Back deals with a variety of emotions, from guilt, fear, regret, lies, vindication, sexism, social justice, and racism. There are several twists and I changed my mind multiple times during reading as to whether the boys raped her or if she made the story up. I liked that it’s a good captivating, suspenseful mystery that kept me guessing until the end. We see both sides of the arguments and how things happen during this type of trial. A powerful read on a difficult subject. The characters were complex, has a good plot, and the fact that I couldn’t predict the ending made me enjoy even more. This would make a great book club pick.
Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (December 7, 2020)

I expected Take It Back to be a difficult read given the subject matter, but it's also downright disturbing at times. Of course, looking back on it all, there's really no other way this gritty, edge of your seat courtroom thriller could've been. Kia Abdullah doesn't shy away from the hard stuff - not even a little bit, and that hard stuff runs the gamut: rape, race, religion, societal division. Just one of those could make for a gripping courtroom drama, but all of those combined with a brilliantly told mystery, and I was reading into the wee hours of the night. I changed my mind about who did what and who was lying to whom more times than I cared to count, and even when I thought I finally had it all worked out, this author still surprised me. I enjoy a good courtroom drama or thriller, and this one is certainly that, but it's also so much more. It's a thought-provoking story and a suspense filled whodunit that I won't soon forget. The subject matter is hard to read about, and Abdullah makes it all feel real, so this one is the type of story that gets you way down in that spot - you know the one, that spot that tightens your chest and makes your heart race as your emotions run the full course and then start all over.
As much as I hate trigger warnings, this one should probably have one. There are things that some just won't be comfortable reading. That said, if you've got the stomach for it, I really can't recommend this one enough.

Take it Back is a horrifying story about five teenagers involved in a rape case in the UK.

Jodie is a 16-year old girl with a disfigured face who accuses three boys at her school of raping her and a fourth of standing by and watching. The four boys are Muslim and the girl is white, causing intense media scrutiny of the case.

The main character is Zara, a barrister-turned-advocate who supports the girl raped as she tells the police and goes through the trial. Zara is Muslim and left an arranged marriage. She becomes a lightening rod, caught between anti-Muslim extremists and her fellow Muslims who find her complicit.

There are several difficult themes in the book, including women’s rights, rape survivors and whether they are believed, people who are different and the absolute shittiness and cruelty of teenagers.

There are several big surprises and awful plot twists in the last quarter of the book. I will have nightmares for weeks because of this book, on par with those I’ve had after reading books about serial killers. This is a deeply disturbing novel. The characters are all flawed and the take home message seems to be not to trust anyone nor make assumptions about their motivations.

This book hits a number of "hot" topics and if you are afraid of reality then this isn't the book for you. But if you are willing to take a dive into a hotbed of topics then you just might like this book.

The one thing I have never liked about someone accusing another of sexual assault or rape is that it is a woman and no one seems to believe her. She must have "done something" to encourage the attack which is never the case. In this novel, Jodie is a teenager with a deformity that is attacked by four boys from her school. She is white and they are brown and Muslim on top of that. What shocked me was how much the boys' community assumed they were innocent. Yes, it is a case of he said, she said, but why would one girl accuse four boys if it didn't happen? But perhaps their community is no different than any other in presuming innocence of their own.

Zara is the advocate for Jodie and supports her in her quest for the truth. But is everything that Jodie tells her the truth? There are many half-truths that come to light in the course of the investigation and the trial. It is hard to know who to believe and what actually happened that night. Zara believes Jodie, but there are times where she wonders what might have really happened that night. Zara has her own demons to battle including drug dependency, a failed marriage, a dysfunctional family from an outsider's point of view but what culture seems to dictate as normal for them.

As I traversed this novel and learned more at every turn, I too wondered what was the truth and how the trial would play out. Only in the end do we really discover the truth of what happened that night to Jodie but the journey there is hard to endure.

I think I felt sadness for Zara and her life. She was forced into a marriage she didn't want due to the culture of her family and when she wanted out it was nearly impossible to move on and garner the support of her family. On top of that, when they discover she is working on this case they feel like she is turning her back on her community by supporting someone that is accusing four Muslim boys of rape. I was a little surprised that they thought she should believe the boys innocent just because they were like her, brown and Muslim.

The Muslim community was brutal to Zara because she fought for the truth. She was attached and belittled at every turn. I can't even imagine how I would feel in her shoes.

This is a powerhouse novel that hits so many hot topics at once. It will keep you in its grips until the very end.

We give this book 4 paws up.

I really liked the suspense of this book. It was very real with racial tension coming from both sides of the case. I enjoyed seeing it come out through all the people involved with the case. I kept second guessing who was telling the truth up until the last page. Very well done. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this great book.

A sensational read!

I was not ready for this book. The story is thought provoking and the message is powerful. The topics such as race, religion and rape aren’t easy topics to write but the author did a wonderful job in blending them all into the story. Many emotions were felt as I was reading. A lot of it was anger. I also felt hope. There are different points of views and opinions, sure to get you thinking. The pacing is good. You’re kind of jumping around through different characters. There are many twists and turns. I didn’t see that ending coming, which kind of left me speechless. Bravo Miss Abdullah!

This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of thrillers. This story is a breath of fresh air and will have you guessing till the very end. This is my first Kia Abdullah book and I look forward to what she comes out with next. Don’t wait! Read this book today! You won’t be sorry. I give this 5 stars.

A book simply not to be missed!! I loved the court action!! A must read for all legal thriller fans!!

This is the first book that I've read by Kia Abdullah and I was not disappointed. I really liked how the story was laid out - you don't get all the details of what actually happened right up front. Various facts and evidence come to light throughout the book and the twists and turns really pulled me in and kept me on the edge of my seat. You don't know who is telling the truth and who is lying. It's the word of a physically flawed, mostly friendless girl against the word of four well-liked, teenage Muslim boys. Interwoven with the story of what really happened to Jodie is the story of former-attorney-turned-rape-counselor, Zara Kaleel. Zara is put in a dangerous situation as, by helping Jodie, her community feels that she is a traitor (and treats her like one). There is a lot to think about with this book - gender inequality, race, religion, public perception, and so many other things. This is one of those books that you'll think about long after you finish.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Zara, lawyer is in charge of Jodie's case. Jodie is a white girl accusing 4 Muslim boys of rape. But what did actually happen that night? A lot of drama in this one. Some attacks, some lies, some history getting in the way and some personal relationships as well. While not always likeable, the characters were well written. With a bit of an unexpected (or not) ending.

Thanks to netgalley and St Martins Press for the interesting read.