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.

A young disabled woman accuses four Muslim teens of brutally raping her. Zara, a successful, glamourous lawyer-turned-victim's advocate believes her and is determined to achieve justice. However, as a Muslim woman, she knows this crime will start a media storm in an age of rampant islamophobia.

Take it Back is one of those novels that gradually sinks under your skin until you cannot stop thinking about it. The next you know you are staying up into the early hours to finish it. I am writing this review a few weeks after finishing it and the novel still plays on my mind, which I think really shows the power of this novel.

This novel is an filled with multilayered and complex story-telling, examining race and the criminal justice system in 21st century Britain. Zara is dedicated to achieve justice for a young victim of rape but, as a Muslin woman, she feels torn with loyalty to her community. Her family and friends feel for the young Muslim boys, who seem to be victims of an islamophobic dialogue as the media is drawn into a fever over the victimisation of a young white victim. Yet Zara stands firm in the knowledge that she is pursuing justice.

However, it soon becomes clear that nothing is black and white, with the victim's account rife with inconsistencies. Zara is left in an uncomfortable position; is the girl lying or is it the ableist society we live in that leads people to doubt whether four good-looking young men would desire a disfigured girl? It is a real whirlwind of a tale, and the tension never lets up. I loved how realistic this novel felt, with an ending that felt just perfect.

Upon first finishing Take it Back, I was satisfied, but now that I have had time to ruminate after setting it down, I am so impressed and moved with what Abdullah achieved with this.

Wow. This book is definitely up there as one of the best books I've read this year.

Jodie is a white teenage girl with facial deformity who accuses four of her male classmates of rape. All of the boys are Muslim. Before contacting the police, she informs Zara Kaleel, a former barrister now working as a rape counsellor, she is also Muslim.

The story is so deep, powerful and thought-provoking. You have Jodie who is used to being bullied and judged her whole life, the Muslim boys and how they are perceived in London and how tough it can be for them and you also hear about Zara's background; how she had been shunned by her family by fleeing her arranged marriage and doing her thing and, in her words, not giving into oppression and standing up for herself.

As Zara is Muslim and on Jodie's side, prosecuting against four Muslim's, the community in London turn against her in scenes that are so emotional and disturbing.

The court scenes are fantastically written and I honestly don't think I can fault this book at all. I'm left wanting more.

Zara is an ex-lawyer who is now a support worker for victims of sexual assault. A young girl, Jodie, comes to see her and says she was raped by some boys from her school. Zara helps Jodie pursue the case through the courts when the boys deny Jodie's allegations.

Zara has her own problems. She has intimacy issues, substance issues, and she has problems with her family too. She is a Muslim woman who doesn't necessarily live how her family think she should. So when she becomes involved in a case with a white girl accusing four Muslim boys of rape, Zara faces a tough decision between her own personal problems and supporting Jodie, and doing her job and what she feels is right. She believes Jodie, and believes she is on the right side of the case, but others believe that she is on the wrong side of a fight against her own people. Honestly, I didn't really like the character of Zara; I felt there was nothing about her to like and she was quite selfish and self-involved.

This is a hard book to read at times. The issues it raises around rape and also around social attitudes are current and important. These are real problems in society happening right now, so I think a book like this is a good thing to bring those issues to attention. The things that happen in this book I am sure will happen to people in the UK on a regular basis, and that's why it's tough to read.

I enjoyed this book because it kept me guessing. I was never 100% sure who was telling the truth, and it was written in a very clever way. It was tense through the entire thing, and it had a bombshell ending which was absolutely fantastic and the perfect ending.

When Jodie Wolfe walks into Artemis House to accuse four young Muslim lads of rape, Zara believes every word she says and takes on the fight for justice. Jodie suffers severe disfiguration and the four boys are handsome and popular at her school but Zara encourages her to continue with her fight in court. As the court case starts, Zara realises that Jodie is an adept liar and the boys are full of charm so it keeps you guessing on just who is telling the truth.

Zara's dealing with the case is complicated as she is also a Muslim so faces the backlash from her family and the Muslim community for trying to put four "innocent" boys in prison on the word of a disabled, white girl.

Its a strong story that does detail the prejudice, anger and hatred towards all the characters from the various viewpoints of the public.

A great read and look forward to more from this author.

This is a legal thriller that is very prescient for our times. Jodie is a sixteen year old girl with neurofibromatosis and she claims to have been sexually assaulted by four muslim boys. This is written in such a way that when you read Jodie’s story you absolutely believe her but then when you read the perspectives of the four boys you believe them. The novel follows the legal case but also the way the community deals with the accusations. This book certainly makes you think and would make a good book club read as it brings up lots of issues that would make for interesting discussions. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me, it just felt like something didn’t quite sit right with me and I can’t even put my finger on what that was. I did enjoy it though and I would recommend it. I’m looking forward to reading whatever Kia Abdullah writes next.

It takes a highly skilled writer to tackle a subject as controversial as this, but Abdullah has that skill.

A white teenager with facial deformities accuses four Muslim lads of raping her. The case has the potential to devastate the community with tensions high and prejudice against Muslims growing. Yet when the accuser proves herself to be a highly adept liar, questions arise over whether she is telling the truth or if there's something else going on.

Abdullah keeps you guessing in a tale filled with well drawn characters and unexpected plot developments. When I first started this, I thought it would be just a standard legal thriller, but it pulled me and forced me to read it in one sitting because I had to know how on earth the story could be resolved satisfactorily.

I'll say it again - there's serious amounts of skill within these here pages.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I loved this book. A story of a disfigured white girl who accuses 4 Asian boys of rape. Throughout the majority of the book you wonder who is telling the truth. One minute you are siding with one if them, then you think they are lying and side with the other. Then 6ou switch again. And again. Fill of twists and turns with a great ending. Definitely recommend this book!