A lawyer prosecutes the case of four boys accused of gang rape by a disabled teen. The case is further complicated by racial tensions and the emotional damage inflicted on the victim.

Most legal thrillers are formulaic. There’s a crime. Someone is accused. Evidence is presented. A jury or judge deliberates based on that evidence. Judgement is passed.

But in today’s climate, it’s far from that easy. Judgements are made in nanoseconds. They are made by strangers on the street, our co-workers, our family members, and let’s not for forget the most important - by ourselves.

Although Kia Abdullah’s “Take it Back” focuses on a court case, that’s really a trick. Because this isn’t the average legal thriller. It’s an examination of today’s culture - the court of public opinion, family expectations, and above all - guilt.

Sixteen year old Jodie Wolfe goes to Artemis House to discuss an alleged sexual assault. There she meets Zara Kaleel, an ex-barrister who now works with sexual assault victims. After some thought, she decides to pursue a case against four young boys.

But Jodie is a Caucasian disfigured girl, with only one real friend - Nina. People have mocked her as long as she can remember. Her mother prefers a bottle to her daughter. On the other hand, the boys are Muslim, popular, from good families. Zara is also Muslim, and wracked with guilt over her father’s recent death.

It seems messy. But here these details only serve to make the novel more interesting. It is hard to put down. You form attachments to these characters. The collateral damage will shake you. And although I saw one twist about halfway through the book, I must admit that I didn’t see the final one coming.

Take it Back may be a legal thriller, but it’s one of the most complicated ones I’ve ever read. It is topical, complicated, and engrossing. I highly recommend it, and look forward to more from this author.

Brilliant. Exceptional.

One of the few books that I’ve absolutely loved this year!!!

My emotions were all over the place reading this.

It’s powerful and moving. Something EVERYONE should read.

WOW! Rating this a solid 4.5 and will round up for the review. Kia Abdullah takes on race, culture, family expectations, religion, economic status, disability, and sexual relationships and aggressions in one explosive book.

Jodie is a visibly disabled teenager that reports her gang rape at the hands of four young Muslim boys to a rape advisor and the police. Zara, her rape advisor, is a Muslim herself - though distanced from her family and renouncing her cultural roots. Her family is aghast that she is on the prosecution team against four of their own "brothers" in Muslim; boys of hardworking parents. The book plays out the accusations, trial, and some of the aftermath. Did the boys do what Jodie has accused them of or were they tragically, wrongfully charged by a young woman desperate for attention? I will say that I was shocked at the finale of the book, and I almost wish it could've gone on longer or have a sequel!

If there is one concern - there is just a lot of big themes packed into this. The author does it well, but sometimes when something was revealed about Jodie's life - I thought "what, another hardship?!" But the big themes are handled well and effectively. I genuinely learned a lot about the Muslim culture, which was very interesting. I empathized with many of the characters as they struggled to meet ancient, historic, reverent culture with modern-day life and expectations. This is my second book reviewed by this author, and I genuinely look forward to more!

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 by Kia Abdullah is a courtroom thriller, but it's also so much more. Jodie is a white teenage girl with some significant facial deformities. Amir, Mo, Farid, and Hassan are four Muslim boys Jodie has accused of rape. This book takes place in London so most of the courtroom proceedings were kind of foreign to me, but I didn't feel like that took away from my understanding or appreciation. I was uncomfortable, deciding whether I believed Jodie or the boys. Instinct is to believe women, right? We get the story not from Jodie, but Zara - a Muslim woman, former attorney turned victim advocate of sorts. The tension between the Muslim community and Jodie's white supporters, as well as Zara - seen as turning her back on her people - was disturbing and heartbreaking.

No spoilers here, but this was a wonderful book and it gets 🌴🌴🌴🌴 4.5 from me.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The author was able to directly explore several complicated social issues at the same time. No words held back. A not happy ending but a good ending to the book.

This is one of the most exciting and riveting books I have read this year. I was captivated from the first page. The twists were all thought provoking. The protagonist, Zara, is a totally fascinating woman who could certainly continue into other novels.

It deals with so many issues that surround us today. Racism and prejudice certainly is dealt with. The story revolves around the gang rape of a young, facially deformed teenager. What is true? Who is lying? Why is Zara so involved in this case?

Without a doubt, I will recommend it to both women’s studies seminars and book clubs. I promise the readers they will be enraptured as I was.

Thank you Netgalley for this absolutely fascinating novel.

This was an interesting book. The main character is a British Muslim woman tasked with prosecuting four Muslim boys for the rape of an English white girl who is physically deformed. The reader is never quite sure if Jodie (the rape victim) is telling the truth or the four boys are. The court case becomes more than a rape trial, it becomes very political and deals with racial tensions in the country. Outside the court room, the public forms its own opinion with devastating results. Sometimes a little slow, but all in all a good read.

Four young Muslim men are accused of sexual crimes against a classmate, 16 year old Jodie, who suffers from a horrific facial deformity. Zara, a former successful lawyer, is the assigned counselor who promises to support her through the upcoming trial.

I didn’t exactly expect the ending but it definitely kept me pulled in till the end. This books is very relevant right now since it focused on the he said she said and the stigmas associated with reporting rape as well as the racial divides. The book was interesting but some parts were a little tough to read due to the content.

Four young Muslim men are accused of sexual crimes against a classmate, 16 year old Jodie, who suffers from a horrific facial deformity. Zara, a former successful lawyer, is the assigned counselor who promises to support her through the upcoming trial. As the story progresses, Jodie’s reliability is questioned and the leader of the accused young men has demonstrated questionable behavior towards women. The trial brings racial divisiveness and eventually the principal trigger becomes neither the accuser nor the accused; rather, Zara becomes the whipping post for both sides. She is a Muslim woman working for the other side; she abandoned a successful legal career, her brief marriage and now her community. Violence erupts: a murder and a vicious beating. Threats are made by both sides. Can this schism ever be mended? Kia Abdullah has written a tragic story involving heavily flawed characters, leaving the reader to determine whether justice has been served.

I received a copy of TAKE IT BACK on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Five stars and here’s why:

HOLY MOLY. I was hooked from page one and it became a twisted tale of he said/she said, and in all honesty, my heart was beating so fast. It is very applicable to what could happen in today’s society. If you love excellent writing with a side of drama, and plot twist after twist, then this book is for you. Riveting tale. Total book hanger. Highly recommend!

Take it Back by Kia Abdullah is a very interesting read. It is a courtroom drama. Who do you believe? - Four high school boy's who grew up Muslim or one disformed white girl, Jodie Wolfe The book is fascinating to learn about the Muslim culture from the boy's perspective as young males, the lawyer and social advocate, Zara Kaleel, who is a Muslim woman, Zara's brother's control over the family, and how the community banded together and the town torn apart. This book touches on so many social issues about rape, race, culture, poverty, privilege, alcoholism, disabilities, religion, mixed races.

The book engaged me from the beginning and I finished it in a couple of days. The storytelling keeps you moving along and there are a few surprises at the end of the book. It is worth reading! I think this book would make a good book club discussion because so many issues are raised in this book. The release date on this book is December 8, 2020 and I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

#TakeItBack #KiaAbduliah #NetGalley

Zara is a former Barrister who is now a Caseworker working with victims. She is of Southeastern Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, etc.) decent and was raised Muslim. She is divorced from a brief arranged marriage, drinks and tends to abuse opioids. Jodie is a 16 year old girl with facial deformities who has been victimized her entire life. Her father left when she was a toddler and her mother is a drunk. She comes to Zara as a client and tells her that after a party where alcohol and drugs were available she was sexually assaulted by four classmates. She describes the assault in detail. The four boys are also Muslim, but drink and use drugs. The novel is about the trial and the trials this major case has for those involved. It is very well written and the complex plot is one you will not soon forget. The climaxes are amazing and allows you to come to your own conclusion. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC for an honest review.

This is a shocking ride. It grabbed my attention right from the first page and never let go. What seems like a pretty open and shut case becomes a tangled mess of he said, she said. Literally. I went from moments of believing the stories of both Jodie and the boys accused, to not believing a single thing anyone said, to finally being shocked speechless.

My favourite part is the second half of the story - when the court room drama begins. I love watching court proceedings that are broadcasted for high profile cases and this feels like the reader is watching a living, breathing court case. I can’t begin to describe how realistic this is, with so many relevant and hard hitting points on rape, women in male dominated work environments, race and religion, cultural gender roles, and violence.

This is really well-written and so applicable to many things that happen in today’s society. A definite must read for investigatory crime enthusiasts.

Take It Back is full of thorny issues that constantly leave you wondering what the truth is, and what people are willing to believe because it fits their preconceived notions, or because it challenges their perception of their own culture. Zara, a former high-powered lawyer, now works for a group that defends sexual assault victims. She's handed a doozy of a case when a young white girl with a physical deformity comes in and claims she was sexually assaulted by her four Muslim classmates. Zara herself is a Muslim, albeit one that doesn't conform to traditional norms, and the case quickly spirals into a media circus with not just the question of what happened between Jodie and her four classmates but also whether Zara is a betrayal to her "own people". This story is constantly intriguing because the reader doesn't actually know what happened, just the interpretation of the different people involved - and there isn't much murkier than the he said, she said that goes on in regards to sexual assault. It's clear throughout the book that all the of the young people are selectively sharing information and so the reader is forced to try and make their mind up based on what they learn about each one's character as it's revealed. Then there's several twists that bring everything into a whole new light at the end. There were times that I felt like it ping-ponged too much between POVs, and it felt like there were almost too many personal demons that Zara was dealing with that made it difficult to focus on what I felt like was her true essence - doing what she felt was right, despite having a culture and an upbringing that taught her to acquiesce. That being said, overall I felt this book was really good, and did a great job of showing how a situation like this can get very complicated, very quickly.

TAKE IT BACK is a great suspense novel so skillfully written that I truly wasn't sure who was telling the truth until the very end. The story focuses on Jodie, a teenager with a badly misshapen face and Zara, a barrister turned advocate for women who have been sexually assaulted. Jodie claims she was raped by four Muslim classmates. Zara herself is Muslim and well-versed in the callous way some Muslim men view women and she takes on Jodie's cause. Abdullah does a great job of showing the reader the strengths and insecurities of both Zara and Jodie, and the way their past experiences inform their reaction to the event. But when the Muslim community turns against Zara, branding her a traitor and the right-wingers start yelling "Justice for Jodie", things begin to unravel and situation spins far out of control with disastrous consequences. TAKE IT BACK is a great story, but it also made me think about how much the color of one's skin and one's physical appearance affect whether people will believe that what we are saying is true. And excellent read for the time we find ourselves in. I can't wait to read Abdullah's next book!

Take It Back is the story Zara, a strong Muslim woman that just happens to be a damn good lawyer.
Plus a young white girl with facial deformities that just might be her biggest case ever.
Add in 4 young Muslim men and a racial war just might ignite.

“Zara—and Stark—had worked enough rape cases to know a woman didn’t always say no. She may be scared of getting her head bashed in or a hip caved in. It was unbearably unfair that these crimes were tried by such broad brushes.”

This was a TRULY powerful story. Zara is a sexual assault lawyer working the case of 16-year old Jodie, a facially-disfigured white girl accusing four muslim men of rape. What follows is a story of truth, discrimination, racism, and court proceedings.

How could four boys from hard-working immigrant families be accused of such a malicious cry? The public is outraged and Zara is personally targeted being a muslim woman herself working “against her own kind.” We’re led through the trial and a whole lot of “who-dun-it” and I promise, you won’t see the end coming.

The writing was phenomenal. Abdullah has a way with storytelling that is captivating without dragging the plot along slowly. The only complaint I have is that I wanted the story to be even longer. You will feel all the feels with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read a little bit of this book and just wasnt feeling the vibe. The main character was hard to like. And yet she was written somewhat of a caricature of what a Muslim woman who didnt want to wear a hijab and abide by their rules of their faith....

Don't even know where to start here....my mind is spinning. Kia Abdullah brings a book so full of characters so real you cannot help but emphasize with them. The story is mainly about Jodie Wolfe a disfigured 16 year old white girl who after attending a party accuses 4 Muslin schoolmates of raping her. She does not immediately report the rape, but several days later brings herself to Zara - Zara was a successful barrister who left all behind to become a sexual assault counselor. After listening to Jodie, Zara brings her to make her statement with the police. Not longer after are the boys arrested. While the story is mainly about Jodie and the boys, the back story is Zara who plays a key role -- Zara is Muslim and is on the side of the prosecution which raises a lot of backlash for not protecting "her own". Through the author's words we feel tons of emotions ranging from sadness, empathy to rage. The book brings us into a world most of us have never entered nor can imagine.

The first part of the book prepares Jodie (and the readers) for the upcoming courtroom battle - the she said / he said and all the tricks included in any well publicized and emotional trial. After each witness is placed on the stand and you read their testimony and cross examination you don't know what to believe or disbelieve. Who is credible:? Who is not? It is who has the best attorney or the best looks?

Don't miss out on this one!!