This is definitely a difficult read, but it's also done so well. It shows what the horrors of sex trafficking can do to someone's mental state and the effects of it afterward. This is a gritty, dark book, but one that is worth the read.

| BOOK REVIEW |

Title: What Unbreakable Looks Like
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Format: 🎧
Rating: ✩ ✩ ✩

I wasn't sure what to expect heading into this novel- I went in blind. I was a little surprised that the novel starts with Lex being saved from sex trafficking and the rest of the novel was the aftermath, which was so challenging and hard.


After reading the novel, I can see why women would have such a hard time reintegrating into society after being sex trafficked. Lex is one of very few success stories, and I think this novel likely glossed over many of the difficulties that someone like Lex would have continued to face. I have a feeling that McLaughlin wanted that happily ever after, and while I appreciated that, it likely isn't as realistic as we would hope.


There were a couple phrases or aspects that seemed a little tone-deaf to me. I understand that the author was trying to represent how real people might think and feel, but I wish that there had been a little more finesse into some of that.


Despite the powerful story, there were still a few moments where some of the wording or pacing was a little clunky, which kept this one at a three stars for me, but it is a powerful and important read regardless!

Key Points:
• Intense look at sex trafficking
• Sweet romance
• Chosen family

✨ ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 ✨
What Unbreakable Looks Like
•Author: Kate McLaughlin
•Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
•Genre: YA Contemporary

Wow. Just wow. This book was an emotional roller coaster. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this before. This was so eye opening to human trafficking and the journey that girls go through if they manage to make it out alive. There was definitely some tough parts to read but I really loved this book so much.

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: Lex was trafficked by a cruel man named Mitch. That’s when she became known as Poppy. This story begins with Poppy and the other girls being rescued and continues to follow Lex’s journey to recovery.

A quote from the book "Lex was taken–trafficked–and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again."

Very true with just this sentence. I think the book could have been more blunt and showed the realities of what sex trafficking really looks like and how this can be so damaging to some, but really this book also did that in a lot of places. Lex had a lot to deal with and then she got assaulted again but someone she considered a friend. I don't believe this book romanticized this character and I appreciated that beyond belief especially since it is geared towards YA. I think this book was good and I hope this author continues.

This one is very rememberable. Sex trafficking is a hard topic for anyone to read and it is especially hard to think about other teenagers reading it but hopefully they can understand the depth and magnitude of it. I gave this one 4.5 stars.

This was a fantastic story! It deals with a really difficult topic, human trafficking and prostitution, but it's something that happens in real life, and books need to be able to represent everyone, so I'm really glad that this book exists!

This is honestly a heartbreaking story. Because Lex doesn't think that she deserves to get out of the life. She's fortunate, that she has someone who cares for her, who is able to support her, in getting out, in her aunt. And it's tough to read at times.

What that guy did, of having her service his friends, at school? Yeah that is so horrible. The fact that she felt like she couldn't refuse, that they'd hurt her if she tried to get away, that's not a position that anyone should ever be in. Let alone at school, by other teens her age. It was so aggravating! And while there was some justice, it doesn't negate what she went through.

I loved watching her create this new life for herself, of the friends that she made, the bad messages that she learned that she rejected. That she found a guy who will treat her right, that's something I'm so glad we got to see! Sometimes a fairytale fantasy is what we need. Loved how it wrapped up!

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait to read more by Kate McLaughlin!

What Unbreakable Looks Like By Kate McLaughlin is the heartbreaking story of a girl who survives human trafficking and the challenges she faces once she is rescued. This is truly a story of hope, courage and strength. Wow an amazing read!

I purchased this book for my high school library. My students have enjoyed it. and it has circulated well.
In spite of this awful cover.

I wanted to give this book a try, I really did. The idea of this brave young girls story seems absolutely amazing, but I couldn't bring myself to imagine the situation and horrors that were faced. I think the concept is good for young readers to learn about and give them some much needed strength that they might not feel alone.

A raw and powerful book about the reality of human trafficking. The story opens with the police raiding a hotel where Lex (Poppy) and other trafficked girls are being held. Lex has been groomed into this drug induced life believing Mitch her captor loves her. The storylines are from Lex's POV. Alternating between flashbacks of what lead to her being Poppy and the harrowing journey she endured and the present where she attempts to reclaim her life.
This was quite the debut! While the content can at times be unsettling there was also an underlying hope throughout.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free book.
This is one of the hardest books I've ever read. But it's a necessary story. Lex was trafficked and is now trying to reintigrate into a 'normal' 17-year-old life. This book explores what grooming and trafficking looks like. It shows the harsh, raw realities of these victims and what they go through. It is such a hard book to read, yet could be used to help people understand what trafficking is, and how children are groomed and abused. But also, it shows how hard it can be to go back to normal life and the mental health implications of the trauma these victims have been though. There are so many triggers in this book, please proceed with caution. If you can handle this topic, I do recommend giving this a go.

Gritty and intense, this book was a difficult and emotional read. If your teen reads this, you need to also, because you're going to need to talk about a lot of painful subjects together.

This was definitely a unique abs interesting story. I think it’s best to go I’m not knowing a lot beyond the blurb.

Kate McLaughlin shines a glaring, ugly spotlight on the issue of sex trafficking in her debut YA novel, What Unbreakable Looks Like. With trafficking disgustingly becoming a regular headline these days, this story could not be more timely and in need of being heard. I am equal parts wowed and horrified by this heartwrenching story of a teenage girl’s experience with being used and abused.

What Unbreakable Looks Like unflinchingly tells the story of Lex, formerly known as Poppy, who had her life stolen from her as part of a sex trafficking operation. “Working” in a seedy motel, being forced to have sex with countless men, Poppy is a shell of her former self; however, she gets a second chance at a decent life when the sex ring is broken up and Lex is released to her aunt’s care. It is within the safety and comfort of her aunt and uncle’s home that Lex can finally find herself again and face the demons of her past. The rest of the world is none too kind, however, and Lex’s peers make it difficult to integrate back into a semi-normal life. When she finds herself in an abusive situation once again, Lex has to make a decision - will she remain a victim or will she fight for the woman she has become?

What Unbreakable Looks Like is a such a raw and gripping testament to the will and spirit of one courageous girl. McLaughlin does not hold back in this novel, and readers who are sensitive to topics of sexual abuse and drug use, especially in that of children, should be warned that these topics are covered explicitly in this novel. For those who can stomach these dreadful subjects, you will be rewarded with a hopeful and inspiring tale of a young girl who has every reason to curl up and hide away from this awful world, but instead chooses to face it head on and not remain chained to a past that was not of her choosing. Five stars to McLaughlin for writing such an intense and thought-provoking novel about an all too important topic.

(If you get a chance to listen to this book, Jesse Vilinsky does an OUTSTANDING job. Wow! Such a real and immersive experience!)

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this book was a tough one to read. Not only was it insightful but it was also impactful. The writing leaves the reader with no choice but to confront what has happened to Lex as there are no words to sugar coat what happened. The plot not only revealed what happened to Lex but also that sexual assault isn't always an operation but can be something more secluded and individual. Lex's character development throughout the book isn't always linear, she has multiple moments where she self-sabotages. This book is raw, harsh in its confrontation but also considerate. Please do be careful when reading this book and take note of the trigger warnings; depictions of human trafficking, sexual assault and violence. Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a heartbreaking and painful novel to read, but it handled the topics that it set out to discuss well, without trying to tack on a suddenly happy ending that would ring false.

There's a lot going on in this book, but unlike many novels, it can actually bear the weight of all the issues it tries to discuss. Everything is given it's space, especially Lex's healing process from trafficking and parental abuse/neglect. This book is largely about Lex slowly learning that she deserves good things, and what happened to her is not her fault. There's no magic hand-waving, and suddenly she's a happy teenager, and that's what I appreciated a lot about this book. It dives deep into the process of healing from such a massive trauma, and doesn't make it appear as a speedy process with a guaranteed happy ending. We meet plenty of side characters that suffered from similar things who have much different outcomes from Lex, and this book examines why that is, and what support systems help with healing. And somehow, it does all of this without any victim blaming (the girls that are drawn back into the life they were saved from aren't blamed for it, the book instead tries to rationalize with the reader why they might have made those decisions, and that ultimately it's the fault of their abusers) and girl hate (Lex doesn't hate the girls that haven't gone through her same pain, and a friend character is good at reminding Lex that everyone has their hardships that affect them, even if they aren't technically as bad as hers).

I also liked how this book tackled romance alongside this healing process, both by viewing the negative relationship Lex found herself in after being saved and by looking at a healthy relationship she finds after, and how her experiences shaped her actions and thoughts during both of these relationships. It also focuses a lot on disassociation as a way of not feeling, and how this impacts Lex's approach to relationships, from platonic to familial to romantic. It's all handled really well, and it serves to show Lex's growth in small steps instead of large bounds, a more realistic path of healing than some other books show.

Overall, I can't necessarily say I enjoyed this book, but I thought it handled the tough subjects very well, and I liked seeing how Lex grew as a character, and seeing the path of healing she started in this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit dark and gritty and kept me captivated then entire time.

An amazing, well written book that dealt with very difficult topics in a way so many authors fail to do. It felt real, not everything was perfect, tough details weren't glossed over and all was done amidst a story I was interested in reading not because of the "taboo" (for some at least not me) topics, but because there was so much more to the story. The characters were so well written, lovable or not, they were real. The relationships, the transformation of the main character from beginning to end, and the way the story was able to transition from uncomfortable experiences remembered into a life of some normality with ease. My only regret is that I didn't read this sooner! My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.