Yet another great read by Kia Abdulla! This was filled with tons of tension and emotion! Loved the characters and flipped pages long into the night!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Kia Abdullah is officially now my favorite author. I don’t say that lightly because there are some REALLY great authors out there. Truth Be Told, like its predecessor Take it Back, kept me gripped from the beginning until the end. But there are a lot of books that do that. What sets Kia apart from other writers is that she has this amazing ability to immerse me in a culture/religion I don’t know and weave words together to make me actually empathetic to every single character from one extreme to the other. She tells amazing stories and everything flows perfectly. Take it Back made me burst into tears at the very end. Truth Be Told made me cry several times during the book feeling the anguish right alongside the characters.
I really liked that we got to learn a little more of the aftermath from what happened after Take It Back ended. Kia writes in a way that makes the characters living, breathing people rather than just words on pages.
I’m already desperate for her to write another book about Zara the Brave.
Both Take it Back and Truth Be Told are now at the very top of my permanent list of books to recommend.
I’m also obsessed with her standalone books, Next of Kin and Those People Next Door (UK)/Perfectly Nice Neighbors (US), and am jonesing for her next book to come out!!!

A gritty, powerful and intense legal thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Kamran Hadid is a 17 year old Pakistani boy from a wealthy London family who attends a prestigious male boarding school. Raised with traditional and strict parents, his future is bright with plans to attend Oxford after graduation. Zara Kaleel is a twenty something women’s assault counselor and former attorney who also hails from a traditional Pakistani family that has left her dealing with traumas of her own. Their paths cross when Kamran seeks her help following a drunken school party resulting in a sexual assault against him .

Author Kia Abdullah is a powerful and insightful voice who writes with compassion, humanity and sensitivity on difficult topics including racism, culture, religion, stereotypes and sexual assault. Her superb character and plot development captures you from the start and always deliver a twist you never saw coming.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper 360, HQ for the opportunity to read this powerful and thought provoking thriller in exchange fir my honest opinion.

Kamran Hadid is a senior at an elite boarding school, bound by its strict honor code and by his impossible to please Pakistani father’s dictates. After a raucous evening of drinking, he passes out in his own bed and is awakened by attempted rape. In the morning, unsure of what really happened, he contacts a rape counselor. Zara Kaleel understands the cultural restraints that make him reluctant to accuse his assailant, Finn Andersen, a kind, easy-going boy who doesn’t fit the picture of a rapist. With Zara’s support, he goes to the police. Finn is arrested and a trial is scheduled. What happens next is shocking, sad and totally unexpected.

In a colorless world where everything is black and white, Kia Abdullah sees the grey. In a world of right and wrong, Kia Abdullah sees the maybes. In a world of final decisions, she sees the what ifs. Put all those possibilities and doubts together and you have Truth Be Told, a compelling, mesmerizing mix of mystery and family drama. This complicated novel will leave you with more questions than answers and eager to see what Kia Abdullah writes next. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper 360 and Kia Abdullah for this ARC.

I’m a huge Kia Abdullah fan, and I’m ecstatic to see this book finally released in the US, it’s Our Girl back to defend another creep. Definitely good to hold us over until Zara Kaleel #3.

This is an excellent drama with lots to think about. Zara, a Muslin counselor, a former lawyer works as a rape counselor, as she heals from an attack and an addiction to sleeping pills. She gets involved with a 1 yr old boy, the eldest son in a Muslin family, who has been sexually assaulted by another male student. It discusses lots of issues about consent and what happens to men to create them as they are, as well as what happens to women and what is choice and who is allowed to be vulnerable. A sympathetic heroine, strong , gutsy. This author is not afraid to tackle hard topics. I wish Kamran' motives for reporting the rape were explored further, as it was not what I would have expected him to do, given the circumstances

Truth Be Told reminds me of tossing a pebble into a pond and observing the expanding concentric circles widening out. One action as a causal factor felt across the entire surface.

Hampton College prides itself for being a long-standing establishment turning out the finest of young men. Its graduates go on to Harvard in America or the prestigeous Oxford University. Wealth opens doors.

Kamran Hadid, 17 years old, and his younger brother, Adam, sixteen, attend Hampton. The Hadid family is a no nonsense unit with plenty of determination and plenty of money to arrive at their objectives. Sofia, their mother, is a stay at home mom and an heiress to a steelwork fortune. Mack, their father, is a successful businessman with extremely high expectations for his sons......And they follow through without question.

And yet, life delivers a set of circumstances beyond the controlling realm of these rigid parents. Prepare yourself for the straight forward storyline involved in Truth Be Told. Kia Abdullah doesn't back away from the hardcore realities confronting us in today's world. She did a remarkable job in the first book in this series, Take It Back, in which we were introduced to Zara Kaleel, an attorney representing a young female rape victim. Abdullah tells the story from all sides of the spectrum to give the reader a clear panoramic view of the situation at hand.

In Truth Be Told, we will find young Kamran Hadid as a victim of male rape that occured in his dorm room at Hampton. Kamran will contact Zara Kaleel who is now working at Artemis House as a crisis counselor. Confused and traumatized, Kamran is unsure of what his next step should be. To report the rape or not? And at the core of his quandry is how to present all this to his Muslim family.

And this is where the author shines, once again, in her presentation of personal tragedy and recovery. Truth Be Told can certainly be read as a standalone. The benefit will come full circle if you choose to read the first book, Take It Back. Zara Kaleel has a very complicated backstory herself. She's encountered some earth-shattering situations within her own family. Her compassion and her dedication to her clients is remarkable. Although the circumstances are heavy-duty here, Abdullah presents a form of action for victims wronged by the system and wronged by society's expectations. Truth Be Told shines a light on all that and more. Bravo, Kia Abdullah.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to HarperCollins Publishing and to the talented Kia Abdullah for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Truth Be Told.

Ms. Abdullah has become my new favorite author; her blend of domestic and courtroom drama hits the spot for me nearly every time.

She adds just the right amount of courtroom mumbo jumbo and legal jargon and family drama and discord to draw you into the narrative.

There's always a good amount of tension and anxiety, confusion and doubt among the relatable characters, who do you trust, who do you believe, does each character have the best intentions, to keep you guessing.

Truth Be Told revolves around the issue of consent and how do we hold those accountable when their senses and moral judgement are impaired?

Does it matter more or less when the individuals in question are men? Is there a double standard for women?

The only issues I had with the characters was Sophia and her complacency.

I understand she was born and raised in a patriarchal society but after so many years of marriage, she's still surprised her husband continues to act in a dismissive manner even after their son is assaulted?

In a way, I found her submissive behavior more jarring than her husband's domineering personality, though I'm not shocked since I was raised in a similar environment.

This was a good read with a storyline that echoes one of the many social issues of our present day.

How does Kia Abdullah manage to create such compelling plotlines, centered around sensitive issues like racism, sexuality, harassment, verbal and physical abuse, and transform them into perfectly executed novels with deeply layered characters? Her ability to weave these themes into her stories, coupled with stunning court statements in the third act and unexpected plot twists, is truly remarkable. Right from the first act, her books start with a slow burn, drawing you in with an impactful incident that turns the characters' lives upside down. As the pressure mounts, each chapter's pacing intensifies, leaving you hooked. In the second act, you witness how the characters' lives are shaped in the aftermath of the incident, gradually spiraling out of control. The third act introduces legal thriller elements, offering perspectives from both the victim and the presumed perpetrator. After the courtroom drama concludes, the story wraps up with a dark, smart, and heart-wrenching twist that will leave you gasping. Kia Abdullah has mastered this brilliant formula for her psychological thrillers, and each of her books will tear your heart apart. If you haven't yet met Zara Kaleel, I highly recommend reading "Take It Back" to gain a clearer understanding of the events in this book.

In her latest novel, Zara Kaleel sets out to help a male rape victim, Kamran Hadid, who is unlike her previous cases. Kamran is a privileged 17-year-old student at Hampton, an elite all-boys school, hailing from a powerful and wealthy family. His future is carefully planned, with dreams of attending Oxford and pursuing a business master's degree in the US. However, one fateful incident at a campus party, where Kamran gets excessively drunk and forgets to lock his dorm room, changes the course of his life. Seeking help, he finds himself in Zara Kaleel's office, known for assisting assaulted underage young women. Zara aims to save Kamran from the traumatic aftermath of the incident, which raises questions about his secrets and sexual preferences, given his Muslim background. Can a gay Muslim perform the religious rituals while grappling with this trauma? Kamran faces further challenges as his bullying, alpha-male father pushes his boundaries, and his best friends question the credibility of his assault report.

And what about the presumed perpetrator, Finn? Could he have been influenced, clouding his judgment about the consequences of his actions? How can he continue attending the same school as his friends, who suspect him of being a sexual predator targeting vulnerable boys?

I'll stop here to avoid spoiling too much. (I've already revealed quite a bit!) Overall, I devoured this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm eagerly anticipating more Zara Kaleel books that will undoubtedly blow my mind.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to NetGalley and Harper 360/HQ for providing me with a digital review copy of this incredible book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Kamran Hadid is a student at a very elite school. Still the outsider as an Asian and a Muslim he does his best to fit in. When he is attacked in the dorm he is unsure of where to turn. Zara Kaleel, Kamran becomes involved and thus a twisty turvey story that spans countless topics and genres. Kia Abdullah is a master ! Her novels always, always surprise and her themes always embrace big questions without preaching.

Abdullah is a gifted author and you will care deeply about the characters involved and be shocked by the ending! It will be some time before I stop thinking about Kamran and his family. If you love a courtroom story, an elite school disaster or a fabulous Muslim heroine, Truth Be Told is for you! #KiaAbdullah #TruthBeTold
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