The writing style on this was great but goodness, the content was tough. This is one I was invited to read and just when I thought I'd figured out who was telling the truth, the entire story shifted.
One lonely 16 year old girl's word against the word of 4 other male teens on a rape charge is something you never hope to come across, especially when they girl has a deformity that she's had to deal with her entire life. Poor Lydia has had the toughest life. . . but is that life enough to make her fabricate a story against her peers for attention?

Jodie Wolfe is accusing four Muslim classmates of raping her after a party. The four boys continue to insist they are innocent. Everyone is lying about certain aspects of the evening, but will the courts be able to break down what really happened?

Wow this book. You start by immediately of course believing Jodie, however then there are a few things that make you question her story. Meanwhile the boys don’t exactly seem like a truthworthy group either. This was a great book that really broke down a rape court case, and showed you the effects on everyones life, not just the victim or the accused. This one kept me flipping pages to find out what had actually happened that night. It wasn’t an easy read by any means, no book with rape ever is, but I really enjoyed (that doesn’t feel like the right word either?) this book!

Kia Abdullah presents a well-written courtroom drama that draws on several delicate subject matters. Race, religion, and sexual abuse all play key factors in this storyline and are approached with consideration. The plot is a bit sluggish and slow to build but fits with the entire pace of the storyline itself as this is not a fast-paced thriller. The characterization is well put together but left the reader wanting more. Overall a decent read. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TakeItBack which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#readmorebooks #bookish #netgalleyreviews #offtheshelf #bookstagram #bookblogs #booktweets #wayward_readers

A rape case involving a sixteen year old disfigured London girl and four Muslim boys rocks a tightknit community when a Muslim lawyer turned rape counselor takes the case on behalf of the victim.

When Jodie Wolfe seeks counsel for a rape involving four boys, she is thrust into a nightmare as those closest to her refuse to believe her story.

Zara Kaleel is a former attorney turned rape counselor and one of the few who does believe Jodie. When Zara takes the case, she suffers opposition from her strict Muslim family and endures vicious attacks from those who don’t care for the case or Zara’s position.

When the absolute truth of that night gets so obscured that even Zara starts to doubt Jodie’s story, their fragile relationship is tested and Zara begins to question all she thought she knew.

The criminal trial is the stage upon which truth is revealed slowly as Zara and Jodie’s lives are forever altered.

BRB Rating Read It.

Courtroom drama, religion, status, gender, race. So many things are touched on in this book. It was really well written, and presented nicely.

I am currently reading Take It Back and hate to have to stop to work! I teach fourth grade and know some of the realities of the characters in the book are reflected in the lives of students of all ages. I applaud Kia Abdullah's ability to write about such serious subjects. Life is not one event, but many identities, activities and feelings woven into one. I highly recommend this book to everyone no matter the gender, ability, ethnicity: it is a window into the lives of many.

I received this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the mystery in the book.

Take It Back is incredibly thought-provoking and will keep you thinking long after you finish reading. After leaving a very successful job as a lawyer, Zara Kaleel begins working as a victim advocate - helping victims of sexual assault navigate the criminal justice system. Jodie Wolfe is a teen girl who comes to her for help. With an unloving mother and a facial deformity that makes her the frequent target of bullies, Jodie needs someone on her side as she accuses four Muslim teen boys of sexual assault and Zara believes in her and is willing to risk it all to get her justice. The case takes on a life of its own and becomes about culture, religion, disability, justice and division. As the trial gets closer and closer to its conclusion and numerous acts of violence impact those on both sides of the case, readers will find themselves wondering what really happened and whether the system ever truly protects those that speak up.

Take It back is an intelligent thriller by a promising author. I did feel it was a bit slow at times and the ending not what I hoped it would be, but all in all, an engaging mystery and one I'd recommend to fans of crime fiction and psychological thrillers in particular!

Wow this book has left quite an impact on me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read Take it Back. I will definitely be reading more of Kia Adbullah’s work.

This book felt like watching an episode of Law & Order SVU (which is one of my favorite shows). Zara was a big time lawyer who left her fancy job for a more rewarding life. She works for a small organization who helps victims of sexual assault. This story follows her journey with Jodie, a teen with facial deformalities and a hard life, who claims to have been raped by 4 Muslim classmates. The story gets more complicated as Zara is also Muslim and hasn’t always followed in the Islamic beliefs.

Like any sexual assault case- this book provides the “he said” and “she said.” Right away we want to believe the victim as that is where the story is being told but just like the jury we are shown both sides of the story. Who is telling the truth? But then more important questions arise... Why does race and religion matter in a case about assault? Why do looks come into play? How can your home life affect you? Would it all be easier if you could “take it back”- the moment, the party, time, etc?

I couldn’t put this down- I read this book in a few short days. I had to know what happened. Also as a mother of both a boy and a girl it made me so worried for my kids. How easy it is to be accused of something. How easy it is to be mislead by peers. How easy it is for your name or life to be ruined. What an important story Kia told. I think teens should read this as well as parents. It was so eye opening about Muslim culture and rape culture.

WHAT??

JUST WHAT??

I mean, I'm still processing this book. It seriously blew my mind! I'm going to have to come back once I'm able to put into words what I am feeling

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley

Take It Back Kia Abdullah
I am not sure where to even start with reviewing this book, because I don't know if my words can do it justice, but I will try.
I received a review copy of this book but already had it on audio, so had planned on switching between reading and audio, however the narrators were so fantastic I just kept listening.
Jodie is a white teenager who's face is disfigured, she accuses 4 Muslim boys of raping her. Throughout the whole book, the thing I struggled most with, was I believed them all at one time or another. I went back and forth from chapter to chapter as to who was telling the truth, and each chapter had me fully believing it, yet obviously someone was lying.
We also meet Jodies lawyer, a Muslim woman, we learn of her struggles too, wanting to support Jodie while those close to her fight her all the way.
This book is not for the faint hearted with scenes of rape, misogyny and racism.
With exceptional court room scenes, I could see this book being made into a fantastic movie.
Lastly, the narrators for this book are exceptional, I'm sure I would have loved it if I had read it buy these narrators absolutely made this book for me.
Out if 115 so far in 2020, this just might be my favourite so far 5/5

How many lives can be damaged by lies compounded by half-truths? Arrogance of privileged male adolescents, a need for someone/anyone to care, a crumbling self-confidence cloaked in fierceness all play into this depressing tale. In London four Muslim youth fueled by drugs and peer pressure abuse a disfigured white teen girl. What had started as consensual sexual activity becomes violent. When the girl reaches out to the one boy with whom it was consensual and he doesn't reply, she goes to a women's advocacy group and accuses all four boys of rape. The female counselor who talks to the girl and takes the case is also Muslim, but who has refused to take the role of a complacent housewife. The investigation and the subsequent trial launches a series of demonstrations, riots, physical attacks and a death. Sadly, racism and dual standards for males versus females become the central theme, which gets lost a bit in the gruesomeness of the narrative.
Unfortunately, this ended with a cliffhanger, reminiscent of a TV show season final episode. Disappointing in a book that totaled barely 200 pages.

I really enjoyed this book. Some spots were a little dragged out, but overall, it kept me interested. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

This book is great and has a lot of issues that need to be discussed and thought about. Zara, a lawyer, wanted to make a difference in the lives of abused women so she became a counselor for rape victims. Zara is a Muslim but defies the traditional role of women. She believes in being her own person. Jodie, her rape victim, is a teen aged girl with deformities, who has been ridiculed all her life. She tells Zara she was raped by four Muslim boys from her school. Zara is determine to get justice for Jodie but wonders who will believe her. Peer pressure makes the boys do unspeakable things when individually they feel sorry for Jodie. The Muslim community resents Zara’s work against her own kind. The factions of the Muslim community and “Justice for Jodie” groups are at odds harming innocent people and making matters worse. Zara loses much trying to help Jodie and Jodie’s life will never be the same. Is this a case of rape or is Jodie trying to get revenge?

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Not my usual genre and needs several trigger warnings.  A heady mix of courtroom drama, light British police procedural, social work, teens, and clashes between cultures.

Ceelee's Review of Take It Back by Kia Abdullah

bookshelves: 2020-books, arcs, ebooks, literary-fiction, made-me-cry, suspense-mysteries
Recommended to Ceelee by: NetGalley
Recommended for: Adults interesting in sexual crime and courtroom drama.


2020 seems to be my year for courtroom drama. Not that I am complaining. Courtroom drama is exciting and it is interesting to see how the stories unfold in the course of an investigation and trial. An author who does their homework and are familiar with how a trial works can bring a lot of insight to the reader. When NetGalley offered Take It Back and I read that it was a courtroom drama I jumped at the opportunity to read it. At first I admit I was a little uncomfortable about the subject as it almost immediately goes into the story of 16 year old Jodi Wolfe's experience at a party where she was raped by four of her male classmates. It is never easy to read about that particular crime but as the story progressed it became more intriguing and very challenging both intellectually and emotionally.

The book is story about rape and how society views the victim. It is about the legal process and how unfair it can be for women. The story is also about racism, family ,religion and how the court of social media can impact a case and fuel the fire of hate that peaks to a dangerous and deadly peak.

We are witnesses to Jodi's experience with a detailed account on what happened in the warehouse. where she was lured by a cute boy on whom she had a crush. Poor Jodi was a victims from the start. She was born with a disfigured face due to her mother's drinking alcohol when she was pregnant. Jodi was a normal teen girl who liked to chat online, and liked the music and fashion that was popular with other girls She tried to fit in but people would never truly accept her in her class or the outside world. Her mother was even disgusted by her. and friends believed she was lying about the whole situation. One of the reason was because of her disfigured face. Very often a character would say thta it couldn't be true because she wasn't attractive. So there you have it. Only pretty girls are attractive enough to be raped? It is all about sex, not a violent act against females? That is how much we have progressed in out society (or in British society as the story is set in London UK) The incident is made even worse because Jodi is white and the boys are all Muslim from well l respected families and popular at school.

So you can see why this is a tough book to read. The story is also about Zara Kaleel , a former successful barrister who quit her job to become an advocate for sexual abuse victims. Her first case is Jodi. Since Zara is a Muslim herself, her family and members of the Muslim community objects and pressures her to not tale the case and tension mounts as the media and angry social media become involved It is a volatile situation that is set to exploder and it does with deadly consequences.

This is an amazing book and yes it can be difficult to read some of the things that happen in the story but it is so important to look at the issue of sexual abuse and rape and try to change the narrative against women in general, but also disabled people, those who do not share our religious beliefs and learn tolerance and acceptance. It is the only way we can progress as a society. I applaud the author Kia Abdullah for taking on this subject and writing a realistic novel. Sure it is tough to read but in the end it is worth it and i do mean worth it!

Thank you to Ms Abdullah, St Martin's publishers, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read such a thought provoking and challenging book! It is not easy to "enjoy" a novel that touches so many sensitive topics but I ended up feeling it was worth it to learn and understand the many influences that affect any case especially a sexual crime.



READING PROGRESS
August 21, 2020 – Started Reading
August 21, 2020 – Shelved
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: 2020-books
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: literary-fiction
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: arcs
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: ebooks
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: made-me-cry
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: suspense-mysteries
September 25, 2020 – Finished Reading

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a good book. Jodie is a 16 year old girl who has a severe facial deformity. She goes to a party with her best friend and then says she was raped by 4 Muslim boys from her school.

Zara is a lawyer who left a very lucrative corporate job to work for a center that helps women who were raped. She takes Jodie's case and even thought there are some holes in her story, believes that these boys raped her.

The story weaves back and forth between the Jodie, Zara and the boys. What is the real truth? What she said, what he said or somewhere in the middle.

The twist at the end left me wanting more of the story.

Abdullah gives a gut wrenching account of Jodie a genetically deformed 16 year old white girl who accuses four Muslim classmates of raping her. Jodie goes to a rape centre where Zara a beautiful Muslim lawyer takes on Jodie's file. This explosive story will keep you captivated until the last page. You will never guess what happens.

When Jodie Wolfe shows up at Artemis House, Zara Kaleel believes her story that she was raped by 4 Muslim boys from school. As a Muslim herself, Zara must learn to navigate the ever changing narrative that she’s going against her own, even though it is her job to believe and preorder the victims of sexual assault. As the case heats up, Zara must figure out how to keep Jodie safe, get the jury on her side, and fight off the protestors that are forming outside the courtroom. In a twist on the age old tale of “he said/she said,” will justice prevail? Or will Zara have to figure out how to protect Jodie in different ways?