This book is way beyond a court drama, it is fast paced, it is explicit and tackles a LOT of different issues from
rape to religion, from islamophobia to the media to a woman’s place in society.
The meat of the book revolves around 16y old Jodie Wolfe who accuses 4 schoolmates of rape. Judy is white and deformed, the boys are good looking muslims from hardworking, upstanding families.
Is she lying or did they do it ?

Enters the gorgeous, beautiful, intelligent Zara Kaleel, former barrister turned rape counselor. Zara demons are many leading her to breakups, hookups and drug abuse. She is a muslim parting her own way against muslim expectation of women in society.
The tension is palpable and will sustain until the last page with a surprise ending.

Personaly I felt annoyed by Zara’s character who morphs from tough as nail, no emotion woman to being a mess, disappointing for someone her supposed stature.
Also, I didn’t care for the author writing style, a lot of elaborated words used outside of their common usage. Appropriate, yes, but definitely felt like a book written by a foreigner using all her fancy vocabulary words. Maybe the difference between British English and American ?

Again not a bad book at all, and definitely worth reading, just not this perfect book for me.

* Thank you to the St. Martin Press and Kia Abdullah for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review

This book will make you angry. It is shocking that you just have to keep reading to find out what really happens. Who do you believe? You'll have to read to find out. It's so good!!

I told myself that I was reading this fast to get to my next book but truthfully I just couldn’t put it down! I didn’t fully understand the muslim languages and references but I enjoyed
it all the same!
Zara gave up the fast paced life of a big shot lawyer and instead went for a position with more meaning as a victim advocate. When a deformed, disabled white girl accuses four muslim boys of abuse and rape, Zara becomes her advocate and is shown as a traitor against her own kind! Her family, religion and faith will all be tested and laid bare. Before it is all over there will be loss, pain and betrayal amongst all the players in this game!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow. Started out a bit slow but then it was all encompassing, sucked you in and held on to you throughout all the twists and turns. Makes you a bit sick to your stomach but sadly this echoes what can happen in real life.

A chilling and twisty courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page! You won't know who to believe! A fantastic legal thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an opportunity to read TAKE IT BACK.

I'm not sure I would classify this as a "shocking, twisting courtroom thriller", but it was an interesting case of "he said/she said" regarding rape allegations. One thing that made this so interesting was the race angle - one white female represented by a Muslim female vs. four Muslim teenage boys. One of my favorite passages was about the Muslim community thinking that the boys were incapable of evil simply because they share a skin color and belief system and that the lawyer, for the same reasons, should not pursue justice. Takeaways - 1. There are two sides to every story and both probably contain some truth and 2. Everyone - regardless of race, religion, gender, etc. -- deserve to be judged solely on their actions and character.

A legal thriller set in London. Jodi accuses four good boys from a Muslim background of rape. Zara is a counselor at a rape center and hears her story. She try’s to help her with the case. Zara is Muslim also but didn’t stay with her arranged marriage so her family views her differently. The story balance race and religion with the story of trying to figure out who is telling the truth.... the disabled girl or the four boys? The start is a little slow but the end picks up and becomes a page turner.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Zara Kaleel is a caring, strong, compassionate lawyer, now serving as a sexual assault victim counselor. She takes her job very seriously and stands up for those who have been wronged. Jodie needs her help and support. Little did Zara know the havoc this case would cause in her own life. But she perseveres to the end.

Kia Abdullah is a new-to-me author but I knew when I read the synopsis of this book that I had to read it. And I'm glad I did! Take It Back was a riveting, roller-coaster ride with an unexpected ending that I thought about long after I closed the pages of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Take It Back and the character of Zara. I look forward to reading more of this series!

I finished this court room drama, Take It Back! Wow talk about an explosive story with twists and turns. I mean it starts out with an unthinkable crime and then ends with a jaw dropping conclusion on literally the last page.

This is a tough story matter so don’t pick it up thinking it will be a light read. Zara has left her high profile law position to defend sexual assault victims. When 16 year old, Jodie walks through her door, Zara knows this will be the hardest case she has ever had. This story is about sexual assault and the case is very sad, but it also comes face to face with the public, so it discusses issues of race, culture, sex, and social justice. As hard as some of it was to read, I thought it was an outstanding book. Very well written as I could picture each character and what they went through.

Want a book, that will make you sit back & think? This could be it. A gripping thriller that deals with some heavy hitting topics: racism, prejudice, politics, violence. At times, I had to take a break; but it was necessary to digest properly all that was going on. Would recommend.

Thanks NetGalley for the free copy.

Take it Back gripped me from the beginning. I was engrossed because I wanted to know what actually happened. The story is a court room drama in which Jodie has accused Amir and 3 other boys of rape. This is the perfect story of he says and she says where Jodie and Amir kept changing their statements. None of them is actually telling what has happened?.
Zara former barrister and now a rape counselor took the case at the crisis center. Zara accompanied Jodie throughout from reporting to the police to attending court with her.
If you want enjoy courtroom Drama this one is for you.
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Yes, this book is so brilliant and shows how trauma and family lives can really change who you are. Zara has had her fair share of trauma from the way her family treats her. She is a force to be reckoned with and will always stand her ground. I admire Zara and she shows women what a true strong woman will do. Jodie is hurting, as a teenage with facial disfigurement. Zara puts everything on the line to stick up for the teenager.

I never saw the ending coming and recommend you check it out to see if you can figure it out on your own.

A raw, emotional courtroom thriller that deals with sexual assault and social injustice in a well written, character driven novel, I literally could not put this book down. It grabbed my interest from the beginning and never let go. Great characters and unexpected twists make this a book I highly recommend.

This is an amazing courtroom drama/psychological thriller! The author tells this story from several different points of view, so you get the full picture.

Wow! I thought this book was a great story. Although there were some moments of suspended belief, it was still a great tale. A young, deformed girl complains about being raped by four Muslim youths. At first, she is reluctant to go to the police for various reasons, among them is her insecurity. But she goes to a center for abused women where she encounters Zara, a non-practicing attorney, who helps her take the necessary steps to report the boys and gain justice.

The trial is held, the arguments are made, and the results are stunning. However, that is not the end of the story. The characters are strong, believable and engaging. The world of lawyers, social workers, and British standards are interesting. The individual stories of the protagonists help fill out the motivations and driving forces behind their behaviors. A fascinating psychological tale. Well done!

Take it Back by Kia Abdullah is a story you will not soon forget. This one kept me on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put it down until I knew how everything would turn out. This is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Jodie that was born with a major facial deformity. She was brutally attacked and, having very little support at home from her alcoholic mother, goes to a sexual assault crisis center for assistance. This book deals with some heavy topics, but it is written in a moving and intelligent way that will leave you shocked.

I have a lot of feelings about TAKE IT BACK and so many of them are not exactly positive. While there was a moment of vindication at the end, this book definitely plays with some dangerous stereotypes and tropes - from painting a disabled character as both a victim and a villain; to unhealthy stereotypes around Muslim immigrants; to playing with the notion of a false rape accusation.

There was just a lot happening. And it’s really hard to look beyond all the problematic things, even when they were all either wrapped up or dismantled in the last ten minutes of the book. It’s hard to explain without spewing full-on spoilers - but happy to chat with anyone via DMs if you are interested.

Here’s to hoping my next audiobook is a better fit for me, and don’t leave me with such a sour taste.

This was quite an interesting book. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This was a crazy ride of a book! Loved it and can’t wait to read more by this Author! Thanks so much to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to be an early reader!

I was not able to get in to this book but I will try to read it another time when I am in a different head space. The premise sounds very interesting.