Blog Tour & Review: Take It Back by Kia Abdullah

Today, I’m so happy to be a tour stop on the blog tour for Take It Back by Kia Abdullah. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to participate.

Title: Take It Back

Author: Kia Abdullah

Series: Zara Kaleel, #1

Published: December 2020, St. Martin’s Press

Format: Hardcover, 304 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary:

From author Kia Abdullah, Take It Back is a harrowing and twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page is turned.

One victim.
Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?

Zara
Kaleel, one of London’s brightest legal minds, shattered the
expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal
career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own
demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual
assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like
Jodie Wolfe.

When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial
deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the
community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are
from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis.
Even Jodie’s best friend doesn’t believe her.

But Zara does—and
she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of
public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide,
the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.

My thoughts: I love books that evoke such intense reactions and this book does that and a whole lot more. It’s one that will keep you guessing from start to finish, one that will make you uncomfortable and one that is so powerful it will stay with you long after you read the last page. This is a book that I know I will not be forgetting anytime soon!

I have really come to love legal thrillers but this one is so much more than just a legal thriller. This story is one that will have you questioning everyone from start to finish and I found that as we got deeper into the story, I wavered on my opinion numerous times. I found that at one point or another, I believed everyone and couldn’t decide who was lying and who was telling the truth.

This is such a thought-provoking, emotionally gripping read. Jodie, a white girl with severe facial deformities accuses four Muslim boys of rape and of course they deny the allegations. Who is telling the truth? Instead of going straight to the police, Jodie goes to Artemis House, where she meets Zara, an ex-lawyer who is now working as a rape counselor.

This book kept me hooked from the start and I found that I could not put it down. I was totally invested in everyone’s stories. I loved that we really got to know Zara and her background. She is a force to be reckoned with and I loved that even when things got tough, she didn’t back down. This book is full of tension, and the twists and turns only add to that.

This is a hardhitting, intense book that packs quite a punch. It broke my heart time and again and left me questioning the characters intentions over and over, and has an ending that left me completely stunned.

I am so glad that this is the start of a new series. To know that we will be able to see more of Zara makes this reader one happy girl…now to wait til I can get my hands on book 2! In the meantime, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Books in this series:

Take It Back
Truth Be Told – due out ???

About the author: KIA ABDULLAH is an author and travel writer. She has contributed to The Guardian, BBC, Channel 4 News, and The New York Times. Kia currently travels the world as one half of the travel blog Atlas & Boots, which receives over 200,000 views per month.

Authors Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads