This book is compelling and kept me on the edge of my seat. It tackles difficult subjects head-on. Well-written which takes on all your emotions all at once. Recommended I look forward to reading more from this author

A totally absorbing read, a very difficult subject dealt with very well, gripping from start to finish, I lovws it

This was not a nice book to read.
The author appeared to be totally against Muslims with not a nice word to say.
The story itself has to many twist and turns which left it difficult to follow.
Not for me.

I loved this book, I raced through it. I would definitely recommend it and will be reading more from this author!

A dark and disturbing courtroom thriller that is a very difficult read.  Unfortunately, I found the characters unlikable and the story slow to progress

This isn’t an easy lighthearted read so if you’re looking for that, it’s not for you!

But if you want a gripping thriller then it’s right up your street, what a tension filled novel this one was, very much a he said she said rape court room drama but a fantastic one at that

Loved it

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Without doubt Kia Abdullah has written a timely novel about the festering resentments in Brexit Britain. With her punchy prose and evident conviction to the sometimes distressing and uncomfortable themes she elucidates in her book, this is an author to look out for. Novels of this type rarely come along with any frequency; mainly because it takes a certain bravery on the part of the author to stick their head above the parapet on such emotive issues as sexual violence and its intersection with identity politics. Abdullah has this bravery in spades and she does a wonderful job of bringing into the light the tangled interplay of gender, race and class in contemporary society. I won't recount the blurb - publishers are evidently more able in this respect than I am! What I will do, and this is not something I particularly like doing, is highlighting what I perceived as some of the weaknesses of this book. Firstly "Take it Back" was loaded with stereotypes. Whilst I agree that Brexit Britain has unleashed something ugly in the national psyche, there was no room for the nuances of identity politics in the novel. Secondly, the author tries to tackle too many aspects of identity politics in this book - gender, class, race, religion - to the extent that this felt contrived and deliberately provocative - a sort of paint-by-numbers representation of multicultural Britain. Again, nuances were lost. My main problem with the narrative, however, was with the juxtaposition of victim with the alleged perpetrators of the rape. This felt heavy-handed. Although the author reiterated several times through the course of the novel that rape is primarily about power and not about sexual gratification, the contrast made between Jodie's 'ugliness' and her alleged attackers' more pleasing visage, merely underscored the myth that the author was trying to explode. If Abdullah formed her characters in this way deliberately to explore prejudices of rape, then we must ask the question: who's prejudices? If it is not the author herself, is it societal, her readership? I would hope not, as the former is too vague and the latter is entering the dangerous territory of potentially patronising the reader. Most of us understand that rape is a complex, multi-faceted crime, with a number of different motivations on the part of perpetrators. Moreover, the explorations of Jodie as victim goes nowhere to explaining why only 5.7% reported rape cases end in conviction. There is a further issue. Namely, if Jodie is such an unattractive victim and her attackers unlikely rapists, there is some doubt about whether the case would have gone to trial in the first place. It is no stretch to argue that rape has been effectively 'decriminalised' by our legal system where the proportion of reported rapes prosecuted in England and Wales has fallen to just 1.4 per cent. This is a staggering statistic with various reasons given for the sickening dearth of prosecutions for this heinous crime, with women's groups arguing that this is primarily dictated by the likely response of juries to evidence. If Jodie was such an unlikely victim and a woman's sexual attractiveness an accepted and pervasive motivation for rape, would the case have gone to trial? Mmm, maybe it would have been more realistic if the CPS dropped the case and the truth of events had come out another way. Just a thought...

A good book but questionable in some aspects.

3.5 stars

If you are looking for a compelling legal thriller then Take It Back is definitely for you. A court case between a 16-year-old rape victim Jodie, and four Muslim boys who were the accused. I thought well this is going to be a book full of fluff,  but ultimately, you know what’s going to happen because every time you see this on TV shows that's what happens. Now I am not going to say whether they are guilty or not, ahh that would spoil it for you but I  Well, I am pleased to say I was wrong about the fluff. It highlighted lots of prejudices of religion, class status, gender and race as well as the actual rape. These are things that happen every day in the UK and I think the author did a great job with the writing.
 It was an intense read, full of emotions and it that kept me guessing, I kept swapping my opinions on who was telling the truth. It had me up in arms at times. 
This is the first book I have read by Kia Abdullah, it will most certainly not be my last.

If you are looking for a light easy read then this is not for you, however if you are looking for a highly emotive, explosive, thought-provoking, topical and powerful book then I would 100% recommend Take It Back.

Jodie Wolfe is a sixteen year old white girl living with her alcoholic mother in a council flat.  Born with severe facial deformities Jodie has spent most of her life hiding away and being bullied.  When she attends a local party with her best friend Nina she is subjected to a horrific, violent gang rape by a group of 4 well respected, popular boys, who also happen to be Muslim.  

Consumed by shame and hurt Jodie reports this crime to the police and is then thrown into the public arena and at the mercy of the press and social media as no-one can believe these 4 boys could commit such a crime especially to a deformed white girl.  

Zara Kaleel is assigned to Jodie's case.  She was a top high-flying barrister who walked away from a lucrative career in the City and became an independent councillor at a sexual assault centre.  Battling her own demons and being ostracised from her own Muslim family Zara finds herself in the centre of this controversial and very public case.

You can cut the racial tension with a knife throughout this book and it makes for some really uncomfortable moments.  With themes of violence, bullying, domestic abuse, rape, drug addiction and religion Take It Back is powerful and compelling, emotional and moving, thought-provoking and anger inducing.  With an ending that made me want to cry, this is a book that will haunt me for years to come.

A brilliant read. Following a Muslim lawyer as she represents a disabled girl ina rape case against 4 Muslim boys.

This book is so much more than just a courtroom legal thriller, it is a commentary on race, religion, family values, disability, shame, judgement and community.

This was a great read with lots of lessons to be learnt as well as a gripping storyline and well-rounded characters.

Take it back

This book immediately draws your attention- four Asian Muslim boys are accused of raping a disabled white girl, Jodie.

The story also revolves around Zara, she is a disillusioned, ex-lawyer with commitment and addiction issues. She is Jodies only support throughout. 

It’s a ‘he said, she said’ story with a courtroom trial.

The premise of the book suggests that this was about whether or not Jodie was raped but I felt that it was 
more about racial tensions, disability, stereotypes, anti men and anti-religion. It relies too heavily on tabloid stereotypes and extremes. 

I found that none of the characters were likeable especially Zara, she has too many issues of her own and appears to put the blame on her upbringing, which appears to take every extreme tabloid stereotype. 

Not a book I enjoyed unfortunately.

This is an amazing story about a white disabled girl who accuses Muslim boys of rape, it is told from the perspective of a Muslim lawyer helping the girl....you don’t know what to believe and this was so intriguing and I just couldn’t put it down! A fantastic story thank you.

If I'm truly honest I spent the first part of the book being totally confused - when it hit the trial I became engrossed and wanted to know the truth in what had happened. The only character I totally believed in was Zara, but I think that this was the authors point. The plot was all in all, good, although the ending didn't leave much justice in my eyes.

I would definitely read this author again.

Take It Back is a story that focuses on young Jodie Wolfe, a girl born with face deformities, who accuses 4 Muslim boys of raping her. We are taken into the whirl of a classic “he said, she said” story, where you keep guessing who’s right until the very end. This courtroom drama is well executed, making you doubt yourself while reading, but also feeling sympathetic for Jodie. Keep in mind that throughout the book, the topics of rape, violence, religion and race are explored, so read with caution.

Our main character, Zara Kaleel, is a former barrister turned sexual assault victim advocate. She takes on the case of Jodie and sticks by her through to the very end, through her own family’s disbelief and lack of support, down to Jodie’s own mother and best friend not believing the story. Zara is ridiculed and  verbally assaulted for being a Muslim woman standing against four Muslim teenagers. We read about Zara’s family, who were first to tell her not to get involved in this case. The public has also jumped in to voice their own, often rather obscene, thoughts of the woman. We read about her struggle with self-medication and mental health issues. We follow Zara’s footsteps closely throughout the court case.

I admit I have doubted myself many times throughout the book as to who was right. Abdullah is a skilled writer and she executed her idea very well. Despite the story dealing with such sensitive topics, I did enjoy reading it. 

The only thing that made me roll my eyes is when we’re reading of Zara’s fashion choices, which had nothing to do with the story. We are told once that the woman had good taste in fashion, however, we do not need to be reminded she’s wearing her Lanvin heels and setting her black Celine bag on her desk. As someone who has no idea what those look like, it made no sense for me to be reading about them.

Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to read a good courtroom drama with a main character that is often mis- or under represented in literature.

Oh Wow what a brilliant book.  Superbly plotted and extremely well written. I swayed between being empathetic to Jodie and then having doubts about her story and such was the clever writing that I’m sure this is exactly what the author wanted the reader to feel.  The added element of the religious aspects was interesting and made the story have greater depth.  A well deserved five stars

I received an ARC copy of this book via net galley. The narrative follows the prosecution of 4 Muslim boys accused of rape by a girl with birth deformities. I am conflicted about the book which had too many things going on. Was the main tenet rape, Muslim culture or the treatment of people who look different? The advocate for Jodie also has her own problems, a muslim rebelling against that culture, fighting a battle with anti-depressant addiction and relationship issues. It feels like Abdullah threw everything into the melting pot and failed to come out with a driving force. In addition there is a real bias agains the race and cultural practices of the Muslim population. 

Did they or didn't they rape Jodie? The storyline could have been a real page turner but it simply wound itself into knots. I think the author forgot things that she had put into the narrative as evidence of the "alleged rape" and the outcome of the trial had holes bigger than a colander in it. I didn't really feel anything for any of the characters and found the ending deeply unsatisfying.

i think my rating is generous maybe a 1.5 would better suit the book. Not an author i will be looking for in the future

A girt with a facial deformity and a bad home background, accuses four boys of rape. Lots of side issues and who to believe. Great courtroom drama.

Last month three books stood out in my mind and, when I grouped them together, I realised that they had a common thread. All three of them had protagonists you don’t often see represented in crime fiction and it was this diversity that pulled me to them (as well as the exceptional stories, of course). In Ali Harper’s The Runaway, we have two Northern , working class women, one of whom is gay and black. In Kia Abdullah’s Take It Back we have a disabled girl and a Muslim female lawyer and in D.E. White’s, The Forgotten Child, the main character Holly is struggling to maintain a distance from her family’s criminal past, whilst coping with a controlling ex-husband and being a single parent.
I would love to hear what reads you loved in September and why. Why not leave a recommendation at the bottom. #Lovebooks #LoveReading!

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah is a he said/she said thriller with a legal component and compelling characterisation. What I particularly loved about this was the way Abdullah explored the pressures from community and family when the main protagonist lawyer, Zara chooses to side against the muslim boys accused of raping the disfgured teen, despite family pressure and threats. This was a sensitive exploration of duty, privilege and perceptions. Abdullah leads us to the end with a tense, multifaceted plot that really challenges us. I didn’t see the ending coming and though it was absolutely brilliant. Another fab read that will stay with me for a long time.

So that’s my favourite three reads for last month. Would love to hear what yours were. Why not leave a recommendation in the comments below?

An absolute modern day, realistic masterpiece.

This novel had me hooked from the start. 

It explores both sides fairly, it explores the quick to blame society we live in, and it explores feeling the way I havent seen done before.

This novel will make you angry, up until the very end when the final twist drops and your blood turns cold. 

Read this. I promise its worth it.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book.

I felt this was a compelling read.  A 16 year old girl Jodie accuses 4 Muslim boys of rape to Zara, a rape counsellor.   The book switches to the different characters telling the story with great ease.  You follow the police investigation, the court case and see the consequences of Jodie’s accusation in her local community and to Zara herself.  I found I couldn’t put this book down and wanted to know what happened next, and who was telling the truth.     The author wrote about this sensitive subject really well and had my attention from the first page.  Would recommend.