Wow---
This is one that I won’t soon forget and highly recommend!

I think this review is best left to a few words that summarize my thoughts:
-Gripping
-Emotional
-Dark
-Brilliant

I hated the subject matter, but loved how the story was told. Raw and realistic.

***Please note that this book deals with rape and racial injustice***

ARC provided by NetGalley

Very well-written, descriptive and gripping. I wish to read more by this author. The voice is strong.

When I read the description of this story I was wanting to know more. And WOW! This story will wreck you and make you think about things. It is not a fast paced story but you will not want to put this book down. This book will be a trigger for some but it is a must read. This is my first time reading Kia Abdullah and it will definitely not be my last.

Sadly I couldn’t get into this story. It felt all over the place and too many characters. I had a hard time connecting with the story and characters.

This is a story about how we decide who to believe.

This book was very, very good. If you enjoy law & order SVU- but would like something more in-depth with a compelling narrative, this is a solid choice. It manages to be a legal thriller, an exploration of the identities that define the characters & a commentary on the victim blaming culture that says victims are only worthy of empathy and justice if they are perfect... which is a lot for a book to accomplish.

Thank you so much you netgalley & the publisher for my e-arc!

I did a lot of self-reflection about the way we're conditioned to question female victims and treat male perpetrators of sexual assault, and I got really invested, but the twist ending felt rushed and needless.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A darkly disturbing legal thriller
I didn't really enjoy it but perhaps of you enjoy this genre, then you may.

I power read/listened to this book in a single day. It kept me engaged with the page-turning action and real life, challenging circumstances.
Essentially, this is a story about an English/white, teenage girl with Neurofibromatosis I, which can cause disfiguring changes in the skin and beneath the skin, leading to what has been known as "the elephant man syndrome" effect. As a girl who has grown up considering herself as different and undesirable to her peers, both due to her looks as much as to their fear of what they don't understand, all Jodie wants is to be pretty and worthy of positive attention for a moment. Her moment appears to come at a school group party where the "cool kids", led by one dominant personality in Amir, seems to show interest in her and after a he-said/she-said type moment his 3 friends get involved.
Zara is a Muslim woman living in England who is an attorney but working for the agency that takes on advocacy for the victims of sexual assault. She gets to work one morning and the case waiting for her is Jodie, who is reporting a gang rape by the four boys, who are also Muslim. Zara takes on Jodie's case without a second thought but as things would go, she becomes a part of the story by trying to do right by her client and staying true to her Muslim roots.
This story has many thought provoking social issues as well as plot twists and turns. It will keep you engaged and would make a good series based on Zara and her coworkers.
Definitely recommend this. I read it and listened to the audiobook and both are great formats. The narration is done by three different people and they do a wonderful job. Highly recommend.
#TakeItBack #StMartinsPress #Netgalley

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jodie. a young white teen, accuses four Muslim boys of raping her after a party. Zara Kaleel works at a sexual abuse center and is assigned to Jodie's case. Jodie and the boys have similar stories of what happened that night but there are also some conflicting statements that question who is telling the truth and who isn't. As the case continues supporters for both sides clash resulting in violence.
This book will keep you glued to the pages till the very last one in a constant state of disbelief.

This was a very thought provoking book! Fast paced and kept you on the edge of your seat! The ending was a little unsettling but perhaps that’s what will stick with me in regards to this book. Great debut book, and I can’t wait to see what this brilliant author comes out with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Take it Back is a complicated/uncomfortable novel, as it plays with the notion of he said/she said and a variety of other issues within the context of a psychological/courtroom thriller.

Zara is a lawyer who has left her Muslim community and her top law position for a role within an organization that works with people who have been sexually assaulted. She takes on the case of a young, white girl who has physical disabilities who alleges that she was assaulted by four Muslim boys from within her community in London. Not surprisingly, this leads to a tense situation and drama within and outside of the courtroom.

Although it's not perfect, it was an excellent but uncomfortable read and kept me guessing throughout. It appears that there will be (or are) other books focusing on Zara and her cases and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and St Martin's Press for an opportunity to read an e-galley.

Well, that was a fascinating journey. I actually felt immersed the culture and the pressure our heroine had placed on her by the expectations of her family and her community. This one will leave you guessing as to who is telling the truth and frustrated by the circumstances.

This legal thriller takes on a LOT. The main storyline is the alleged sexual assault of a white teenage girl with severe facial deformities. The accused-four Muslim classmates. There are LOTS of content warnings for this, but I think Kia Abdullah did a wonderful job of handling dark and intense issues delicately and with due justice.

The MC is Zara Kaleel. She’s a bit of an outcast in her family after pursuing a legal career and ending her arranged marriage. She’s a bit of an outcast in her field after she left her uber-posh law firm to pursue a position with a sexual assault center.

She takes on 16-year-old Jodie Wolfe’s case after Wolfe accuses four classmates of a horrific assault. It’s a case that deeply divides the community. At times, it seems like Zara is the only one on Jodie’s side. It’s a story that will break your heart a little and you’ll most likely empathize a bit with each of the characters at some point in the story. It’s extremely thought-provoking. I went back and forth the ENTIRE book trying to decide who was lying, and the story will keep you guessing until the VERY end. It’s well-written, fast-paced, full of drama, and tackles issues of sex, race, and social justice.

I loved the courtroom aspect of things. I used to love covering trials as a reporter. There was something so enthralling about being an insider to all sorts of cases.

This is book one of a series, and I’ll definitely be checking out the next when it’s released in the U.S.! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of Take It Back.

This is like a legal thriller? Without the thrill. I spent so much of my time reading this book being so mad at the entire situation, feeling like the author was manipulating me. Really would be served by shorter chapters to keep the momentum going as well as to help us follow when we switch points of view. Overall, I was angry and underwhelmed, although I felt the issues it explored were important and worth exploring. I really really had a hard time with this book. I think the overall plot arc was interesting, but I found myself being so MAD for so much of it that it was hard to enjoy it.

I was granted complimentary eARC access to Take It Back by Kia Abdullah from the publisher via NetGalley, but unfortunately I didn't end up finding the time to read and review before publication date. Encouraged by a group blog partner's fierce love for this title, I sought out the audiobook via Libby last week so that I could finally get through this one despite my still too-busy schedule. On one hand, I'm so glad I listened to the audiobook because the narratorss voices and handling of the languages and accents needed in this book were such a pleasure to listen to. (I absolutely love the cadence of Indian languages and how native speakers bring that to their English!) On the other hand, I'm now devastated that I didn't get the opportunity to be part of the pre-release cheering squad for this amazing book.

Take It Back is the story of Zara Kaleel, Jodie Wolfe, and a quartet of Muslim schoolboys in modern-day London. Zara, a former barrister of a more prestigious station, who now works for a non-profit defending victims of sexual crimes. Jodie Wolfe is a white teen with a severe facial deformity and an alcoholic single mother who resents her. When Jodie shows up in Zara's office claiming to have been assaulted by four of her Muslim classmates, Zara finds herself trapped between her duty as the legal council of a victim and the hostile ire of her own Muslim community who see her stance on the case as an act of betrayal.

This is a very emotional book that doesn't shy away from the gruesome details one expects in a case like the one presented, but everything is handled so delicately. The writing is graceful and gentle, yet brutally honest, and it's easy to empathize with every single character introduced. Due to the grotesque nature of the crimes being tried in this book, it is pertinent to mention trigger warnings for rape, child abuse / alcoholic parent, immigrant struggles, and murder. With that said, I do feel that these issues were handled with enough care and sensitivity that I would not discourage fellow survivors from reading this book, provided you're personally ready to explore stories with this sort of content. I did not feel that I was any more uncomfortable or distressed while reading this book than the average reader is supposed to be.

My only complaint is that there are two male non-relative characters in Zara's life who fill different roles and needs in her life, but I wasn't always completely sure which one had shown up at times. One is a lover, the other a colleague, but both care deeply for her and do interact with her in casual situations. This confusion doesn't decrease my star rating or my overall impression of the book, mostly because these are secondary characters and not the focus of the book, and I do think if I had read the book with my eyes first rather than experienced it as an audiobook I might have had an easier time keeping them straight. Their names would have stood out more to me.

Thank you again to all involved in allowing me access to the eARC and sorry again that I didn't get to it in time.

I have mixed feelings on this one. It started off strong for me and i was intrigued and i really didn’t know where i stood. I believed the boys and i felt bad but then I’d think well maybe she’s telling the truth. I think in the end i knew what was coming. In the middle i felt it started to drag out. I was losing interest.
I think this has some heavy topics and plays on the importance of public opinion and how people judge before knowing all the facts and how much damage can come of that. How much damage can come from a false report. And how much damage can come from just being cruel and bullying others.

Also heavy topics including racial issues and how disturbing some people can be towards others. It’s truly sickening but important topics to discuss.

The ending just leaves you saddened and feeling horrible for both parties. I think both did wrong and i don’t know how to feel about it in the end. The world just needs more love & kindness.

I enjoyed this book. It was an intriguing story with strong characters. I give it 4 .5 stars and a strong recommendation.

Take It Back is one of those books that will keep you guessing until the very end. Because the author includes the points of view of the accused, it's never clear who is telling the truth.

This book also discusses racism, but in an organic way and not in a preaching way. The main character, Zara, is of the same religion as the accused and struggles with her place in the trial. I will say that Zara was a bit too hard-edged for my taste. I like heroines who are more likeable. However, I did admire her achievements and understood some of what she went through in her past.

Take It Back is an interesting, fast-paced read. I give it three out of five stars.

Seldom do I want to "cheat" and go to the end of the book to see what happens, but I almost couldn't stand it while reading this thrilling courtroom drama mystery. But I resisted, and it was well worth reading through. It was a page grabber from the beginning and the author did a very good job in character development. Caution those who have issues with reading about assult. I felt the author did a really good job of handling such a sensitive issue.
Giving one of my rare 5 star rating.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book.The opinions expressed are my own.

I didn’t find this book gripping, but it held my attention. This is a story of “they said, she said.” We hear both sides of the story, but who is telling the truth? It definitely had me wondering who to believe. We do find out the truth in the end, but I’m not sure I feel satisfied with the ending.