This was a very well written, intensely powerful, and extremely emotional story. Jodie, a sixteen year old girl with facial deformities accused four Muslim classmates of rape. But the storyline went beyond the typical “she said, they said” scenario. It dealt with a clash of cultures, intrusive media behavior, unsavory tactics of lawyers shaming victims, and the backlash of Jodie’s sexual violence advisor, Zara, who faced verbal and physical attacks by her own Muslim community.
This was one of those stories that was difficult to discern who was telling the truth. The author gave nothing away. She did, however, set the stage with each compelling chapter for an unexpectedly dramatic conclusion.
This was one of the best legal dramas I have read this year. Thoroughly riveting!

I don't rate books 5 stars very often but Take It Back deserved it and then some. Jodie, a teenage rape victim, goes to Artemis house, where she's assigned a sexual assault counselor, Zara who gave up a high paying high society barrister position after a series of traumatic life events. Jodie is accusing 4 muslim boys she attends school with of having attacked her after a house party. With even her alcoholic mother and best friend not believing her story - who would want to rape a girl with neurofibramatosis - a rare condition that causes severe facial deformity? A thrilling, moving, frustrating and handled with subtle grace courtroom thriller, this book was absolutely amazing down to the very last sentence. Fantastic read!

Wow! There is so much to say about this book and I hope I can give it justice.

I love me some court room drama. Although the court room scenes came a bit later in the book it still worked well that way.

Jodie Wolfe is a 16yr old girl who was born with facial deformities, has come forward claiming 4 Muslim boys have raped her. Jodie has had a rough upbringing with already the loneliness that she feels with having this deformities and now this rape.

Zara Kaleel a previous barrister turned sexual violence advisor and is also Muslim is helping Jodie with the case. Zara is being scrutnized for going against her own people. But will Zara allow this to steer her in a different direction? This is one of the best books I have read this year.
Thank you @ Netgalley and publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for my review.

A riveting courtroom drama with layered themes makes this a superb read. Zara Kaleel is a lawyer and a Muslim. She has eschewed many of the traditional Muslim practices much to the chagrin of her family. She finds herself in the media spotlight when 16 year old Jodie, with a terrible facial disfigurement, comes to her claiming rape by four of her school mates who are 'good Muslim' boys whose immigrant parents have worked hard to give them all the opportunities a good English education can bring. Is Jodie telling the truth? As the trial progresses, it takes devastating turns for all involved.
So much more is explored in this novel than the difficulties of a rape trial. What does it mean to be Muslim in London today? What kinds of prejudices are still entrenched surrounding disability and gender? How does someone navigate a Western culture when your roots are Eastern? What is the immigrant experience? How does race and class intersect? And can a Muslim woman lawyer prosecute Muslim boys without being regarded as a traitor to her culture?
I rarely give 5 stars to a book but this one ticks all the boxes for me.

Kia Abdullah's fast-moving, compelling legal thriller is a skillfully written and well-developed story. The author intelligently and incitefully deals with matters of race relations, sexual assault, disability, prejudice, and relationships, all with a gentle hand searching for the truth. Abdullah adroitly looks at social issues with clarity and sensitivity. At the same time, in a carefully crafted understory, she creates and develops characters and relationships that pull the reader even deeper into the complexities of the plot which also has a twist at the end. Highly recommended for its excellent writing and thought-provoking investigation of faith, honor, and loyalty.

Parts of this book were really hard to read. I was interested to find out what the truth was so I kept reading but I admit I had to skip a lot of the really descriptive parts it to me I did nothing to the story. But in the end the book turned out to be well worth reading.

Double. Gut. Punch.
WOW.
This book wasn't my usual "thriller," but I'm glad I gave it a chance. Once I started reading this one, I could NOT put it down.
Set in London, a rape case involving a white girl with facial deformity accusing four Muslim school-mates. Zara, our main character, is assigned as the special consultant to the victim. Zara is Muslim. Zara's past creeps up to haunt her in this chilling story of one night gone wrong and 6 lives that will be forever changed.
Beautifully written.
Actual stars: 4.5
Excellent read, easy to recommend who like harder reads with difficult/troubling narratives. Triggers - this books details a fairly graphic rape.

Easy read! The story never gets boring so it definitely keeps you reading. There were a few parts where the situation could have been summed up a bit but for the most part, the plot was intriguing and you really won't know who to believe. You want Justice for Jodie but you're confused by the boy's recollection of events -- he said she said! Was a little disappointed near the end but then the book redeemed itself! I gave it three stars instead of four because nothing really made it stand out and it seemed like the author was equally trying to force not only Jodie's story but Zara's as well which was a little exhausting to follow.

Take It Back is a gripping read and I couldn't put it down even when I tried. This book takes over your life! The author has something special here and I am thrilled to have been able to read an early copy. You can bet I'll be singing high praises for this novel when it comes to release day!

This book started out slow for me but picked up mid way through. The story of Jodie, a 16 year old girl who accuses 4 classmates of rape is a hard one to digest. As the trial builds I found myself hoping one thing and then another. This push and pull made the entire end of the book fly by.

I gave this 3 stars, but it’s really closer to 3.5.

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.
The book is about a rape case of a 16 years old girl, Jodie who´s deformed face make it difficult to look at her. When people look at her, they feel pity, shame or disgust. That´s why when she accuses 4 students from her school of rape after a party, people can hardly believe her, even her best friend or her mum don´t believe her. She´s a white girl, the teenager boys are from hard-working immigrant families.
The case worker, Zara, is from the same background that the boys. I didn´t think much of them because she is doesn´t get on with her family at all, mainly with his brother after she divorced 2 months later of an arranged matrimony and after that she just uses men. So when for a careless talk to a friend in a bar is overheard by somebody working for the news, the girl and she become known to the press. That follows up with big demonstrations and confrontations outside the court between those 2 groups. The ones who believe the girl and the ones who trust the students and don´t think they did anything to the girl and can´t believe that Zara is doing the impossible to put them behind bars.
The book is very quick pace especially when Zara and Jodie are coming in and out of court. You will really want to know what happens at the end of the book, where there is a turn in the events that you would never have guessed.
The book is about 2 very sensitive subjects. Rape and Race. I didn´t enjoy the book as much as I don´t like any of the subjects. I always feel uncomfortable with those topics. I just can´t understand how people can be judged because of their race or religion and I also don´t understand why people would rape their victims just for fun or hate or a laugh. But it is obvious that those things happened before and happen nowdays.
My feelings were mixed. First you think Jodie has been a victim of four fearless boys who only care about their looks and about not to compromise any of the ones in the group. Then the books continues and you think that Jodie only is looking for attention. Some attention that she didn´t get it from her dad who left when she was two, or from a mum who is always blaming her of being abandoned by his husband because of her and her face.

So here I am with my mixed feelings. Really good mystery book but didn´t enjoy the topics that much.
3.5 stars

This book was not what I was expecting at all, it was much more powerful than the typical courtroom thriller. This is a heartbreaking, emotional, gut wrenching read that not only shines a light on the she said, he said struggle but also racism, religion, economic status, and disabilities and so much more. They’re all weaved into a moving, dramatic story about Jodie, a sixteen year old girl that has severe facial deformities, who accuses four Muslim boys of rape. Zara, a Muslim herself, is a former barrister now working as an advocate for rape victims when she meets Jodie. As the case moves forward Zara and Jodie are faced with many adversaries. Does truth prevail? What is the truth? This book had me until the very last sentence.

The writing style felt heavy at first and took me some time to get used to, but starting from about halfway it wouldn't let me go of its grip and it fit the book very well.

It took me a while to start understanding Zara's character but I'm glad I eventually did, because she was very interesting. I liked the parts with Mohammed and Farid's PoVs as well, Jodie just felt very very distant. The side characters like Mia and Erin and Safran were also really interesting.

The ending fit the book very well and caused a lot of emotion, at first I was sort of frustrated and shocked but the more I think about it I feel like it really fit the book.

While the the book handled a ton of important and heavy topics, it sometimes felt like there were a bit too many themes it was trying to get across. I feel like all the different issues handled in the book would've all deserved a bit more time? Like there were a bunch of issues that could've easily gotten their own book to give them justice

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Painful. Less of a psychological thriller than courtroom drama about a very intense assault. Well written but triggering. Read at your own risk

Wow. This is an incredibly written, heart-wrenching courtroom thriller. It’s hard to say I enjoyed it because of its topic, but something of the equivalent.

Jodie is a white female with a physically deformed face. She shows up in Zara’s Office with accusations that four Muslim boys raped her. Zara is Muslim herself, although she has modernized her ways and because of it is estranged from her family. The story tells the process of the trial, from Zara‘s point of view, Jodie’s point of view, and that of the boys. The trial stirs up an incredible race war, people feeling very strongly on both sides. As the trail progresses and evidence becomes known, people form opinions about the boys’ guilt. I honestly did not know who to believe throughout the entire book.

I will be thinking about this one for a while. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Take it Back in exchange for an honest review.

Man oh man. What a gut punch. I haven't read many - if any - books that have left a mark on me like Take it Back has. This was real and raw and gritty and heartbreaking and empowering. It was infuriating and sad, unbelievable and disgusting. This book was so many emotions wrapped in one that I am still trying to get my bearings.

Take it Back is about Jodie, a horribly disfigured 16 year old girl who, after a an evening partying, accuses four bright and handsome young Muslim boys of rape. What happens after Jodie's accusation is a story of loss, sadness and maybe a little bit of hope. London is thrown on its head in trying to determine who to believe; do you believe the young woman who has no benefit in bringing more unwanted attention to herself or the four handsome young men who come from hardworking and high performing immigrant families? To make matters more complicated, Jodie's appointed lawyer is a beautiful woman who also happens to be Muslim. She will have to go up against her family and her culture if she's serious about finding Justice for Jodie.

There were so many things I loved about Take it Back. I love court room dramas but as far as I can remember, this is the first court room drama I read that took place in London. It was really cool learning more about their judicial system and how it differs from that of the US.

Zara - Jodie's lawyer - was a fabulous character. She was strong and brave but also flawed and extremely frustrating. She embodied the bad-ass Muslim lawyer that she was but she was also real - scared, angry, prideful. She was everything you would want a daughter to be even though she was never able to see or understand that. It was eye-opening to learn more about the expectations and requirements of the Muslim religion; it was easier to understand the pressure that people - especially women - are under to keep the traditions of the culture alive.

Jodie - oh Jodie. What a devastating and heartbreaking character. I know that pity is something most people cringe at, but that's all I cold feel for Jodie. Deep pity and sympathy for a young woman who has experienced so much horror and grief during such a short life. Teenagers (and heck, adults) are so mean, even to pretty girls. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to live in the shoes of someone like Jodie. During the entire story I was just hoping someone would give Jodie a hug.

This was such a wonderful book - one that left me deeply sad after I read the last page - but one that brought light to a topic that's usually shrouded in darkness. I cannot recommend highly enough.

I almost passed on this book. Did I really want to get involved in such heavy subject? I am so glad I read it. Reading about a different culture was eye opening. Zara was such a complex person. Brilliant and unhappy. Jodie's story was so sad, but was she lying? The boy's stories: were they lying? I tried to guess how it would end. I was right! I was wrong! At 3:00 in the morning, I sat with open mouth. Read this book.

Riveting and heartbreaking, a truly enthralling story that puts a new spin on an old and horrible story of violence against women.

Take It Back is the third book I’ve read this year that tells the story of a fictional rape trial – after Valentine and The Night Swim – and it is easily the best. It was well-written, it was emotional, it was nuanced, and I recommend it to anyone who can handle the obviously very sensitive material it discusses.

Take It Back follows a rich and complicated cast of characters. First, we have Zara, a Muslim woman who left behind her life as a highly successful barrister to take a low paying job as a caseworker for sexual assault victims. I found this aspect of her character a bit cliché, but thankfully there was a lot more to her than that. Her complicated relationship with her more traditional family and her conflict with the Muslim community were complex and interesting threads in this multi-layered story. I had zero interest in her love life, and her drug addiction wasn’t explored as thoroughly as I would have liked, but overall, I found her a strong, dynamic, impactful protagonist.

Next, we have Jodie, the alleged victim. Jodie is disabled, with a very visible facial deformity that prevents her from fitting in with her peers. She was very easy to sympathize with her after everything she’s gone through, from her neglectful, abusive, and alcoholic single mother who leaves Jodie to take care of herself and their household to her history of bullying and low self-esteem. Kia Abdullah never gave too much insight into Jodie’s thought process so as not to reveal the answer to the book’s central mystery: Is Jodie telling the truth about what happened to her?

Finally, we have the four alleged perpetrators: Amir, Hassan, Mo, and Farid. I didn’t expect to sympathize with them, but I did, which made it surprisingly easy easy to believe both sides of the story. I wanted to believe Jodie because my first instinct is always to believe the victim, but at the same time it was difficult to reconcile what I learned about the boys from reading their perspectives and meeting their families with what I learned about them from Jodie’s accusations. I felt like another member of the jury, trying to distinguish fact from fiction without letting my own personal biases get in the way.

Moving beyond the characters, the plot of Take It Back was right up my alley. I love court proceedings. I’m not very familiar with the British legal system so it was interesting to get a glimpse of that. And the question of who’s telling the truth and who’s lying was intriguing enough to keep me reading, especially when combined with the small subplots in each of the characters’ lives and the book’s exploration of important themes like rape culture, misogyny, and Islamophobia.

I had only minor complaints that kept this book from earning a full five stars. Although for the most part I loved Abdullah’s writing style, her dialogue could use some work. Almost every time her characters discussed something serious, they would say things that made me think, “People don’t really talk like that,” which took me out of the story.

That ending, though…

Ekkkk I am so loving this book! Y’all the thriller novels have been fantastic this year... the main character was phenomenal. Y’all are going to love this book.