BOOKISH FRIDAY: “TAKE IT BACK”

Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which we  share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers who do the same.

Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56D and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists! What a great way to spend a Friday!

Today’s feature is a NetGalley ARC:  Take It Back, by Kia Abdullah.

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Beginning:  She watched her reflection in the empty glass bottle as the truth crept in with the wine in her veins.  It curled around her stomach and squeezed tight, whispering words that paused before they stung, like a paper cut cutting deep:  colourless at first and then vibrant with blood.

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Friday 56:  Hushed excitement pulsed through the room as the doors drew open with a whine.  Jodie, shielded from the dock with a screen, entered the witness box, her lopsided shuffle rustling softly on the carpet.

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Synopsis:  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.

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What do you think?  Do the excerpts draw you in?  Would you keep reading?

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