Regretably, not for me. I misinterpreted the genre type and synopsis. The writing was strong and I wanted to read more, but the characters just didn't make me want to support them.

I received this ARC in exchange for a review. Unforntunently this novel was not my cup of tea. From someone whos dealt with sexual assault as a child, I just found it hard to read, bringing back the unwanted memories. I believe if the novel didn't affect me as it did, I might have liked it better. I do appreciate though that McLaughlin wrote this novel. One thing I wish is that there would be warnings in the description of what this novel covers gicing those who have experienced these events a warning beforehand.

This is an amazing story! This book presents the serious topic of human trafficking in a believable and informative way. This is a real and tragic situation that will find the reader empathizing with and routing for Lexi as they learn of her experiences. So powerful in the story presented and so hopeful for her character to triumph and learn to be cared about and loved by family and eventually a boyfriend. Kate McLaughlin does an outstanding job at relating difficult scenarios while creating characters readers will remeber long after reading this story. There are times in this book where suble cues are given as reminders for us all to take action when something doesn't seem right. One was with family regretting not getting more involved earlier in Lexi's life and another was a glimpse by a stranger when Lexi thought there may be an escape. I cannot recommend this enough! Powerful! Brave! Memorable!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I honestly LOVED this book!

I rarely end a book where I say wow and feel truly wrapped up in a story like this one. Wow is all I could say after finishing this book! I will admit it was a tough read at first and a possible trigger for some people but Lexi is such a powerful main character. Kate's writing style is amazing and you are pulled both into the pain and the power of Lexi's story, she doesn't feel like a fictional character. This was a page turning book for me and I felt myself toward the end cheering on Lexi as her character developed and she took power and control over her own life. Truly an amazing story!

Sadly human trafficking is all to real and while this is a work of fiction, it does pull you into the world of a girl forced into this shady world and how she survived it once she escaped. A truly powerful book and a top read so far in 2020. Very few books leave me thinking about the book hours after I have finished it like this one has. This is a five star review and it is extremely rare for me to give those!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's press for the ARC of this book which is set to be published in June 2020.

5 stars

This is a powerful YA novel with extremely mature - and also incredibly important - themes.

Lex is trafficked by a piece of human waste who is 20 years older than she is...and a friend of her mother's and step-father's. Her mother, who is drunk throughout the historical and present day scenes of the novel, is too lost in her disease to function in a way that is at all safe for her daughter. It's important to note that her parents' connections to her situation, as well as the proximity of the motel Lex is taken to and her whiteness, all combat some of the stereotypes folks hold about who victims of trafficking are.

As any person who has read even a brief summary of this work can guess, it is NOT easy to stomach. There are revolting scenes of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, exploitation, stalking, physical abuse, emotional abuse, drug use, and more, and these scenes mostly involve underage girls. Also, they are not localized in the novel. Appropriately, Lex has many flashbacks in the form of intrusive thoughts and dreams as she continues her life. Her trauma is very much present for her, and so - responsibly, on the author's part - readers are forced to face it incessantly, too.

Though this book is difficult to read, it is also essential. The topics covered here are not gratuitous but real. Lex describes various rapists throughout, saying that most of them are just regular dudes. In a sea of troubling material, one of the hardest moments for me is her description of an altercation she has with a motel employee. A "normal" guest - i.e. a person who has not come to the motel to exploit young girls - sees Lex and the employee arguing. She gets the sense that the guest knows something is wrong...and then he does nothing. This moment encapsulates one of the central ideas of this work; that we cannot - and should not - ignore this issue. It's not distant or elsewhere or in some way DESERVED by those who experience it, and it is our responsibility to raise awareness and to stop it.

I'm sure folks will ban the heck out of this one in certain places because the material is so gritty, but that is an incredible mistake. This content is vital, the narrative is handled well, and one's fury after reading is a good thing. The movement from victim to activist? Well, it should similarly go from passive bystander to activist - or at least active bystander - for those of us who connect with this work. As an added bonus, there is an abundance of fantastic ancillary characters as well as pit bulls galore. I can get behind that for sure.

What Unbreakable Looks Like is a powerful story that will make you want to rise up and make a change in our society today. Human trafficking is a timely subject that is quietly happening in many cities. The book starts with a bang of action as 17 year old Lex is rescued from a motel. She is the lucky one who has someone to love her and help her readjust to "normal" teenage life. The first person narrative feels like a real life experience. Emotions are raw but mature. I was sure the author end note would tell us this was partially memoir, but it is fiction. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 4 out of 5 Stars.

I really enjoyed this book, even though the prose sounded really intense, and like something that would punch me in the gut. While it was very sad, I was able to read through it and finish the book. (Which I was fearful I wouldn’t be able to do) The Author had a very tasteful way of writing on such a terrible topic. I was nervous that it would be graphic and descriptive. So I was surprised to find it wasn’t.

Lex goes through a lot in this book, and the amount of bad people in her life outnumber the good. However, she was written as a strong female, and she chooses to surround herself with the like. She comes to her senses in this book early on and realizes when good things were happening for her. Part of me does feel like things were a bit too easy for Lex, and that it wasn’t a very realistic outcome. Regardless, I still devoured it in two sittings. It was a very fast paced read.

The sex trafficking topic is very hard to stomach, and the deplorable conditions that Lex/Poppy and the other flowers were kept in, and what they all experienced together was enough to really just hurt my heart, because that kind of thing is not fiction. This is a real issue going on in our world, and I am glad that YA Authors are shedding a light on this topic.

I loved Lex’s Aunt, Uncle, and her two friends, they really are the bright light in the darkness of this book.

Wow... what a punch to the gut.

Kate McLaughlin delivers a raw and powerful story about sex trafficking, drug use, prostitution, and sexual assault. I will say this is not the easiest book to read but I thoroughly enjoyed this so much.

Lex was taken and is now in the life known as "poppy." Lex was rescued at a hotel with a number of other girls. Lex was taken in by her aunt and uncle and is trying to survive as Lex and not "Poppy."

Kate McLaughlin truly approaches the topic of sex trafficking without holding anything back... and I respect the hell out of this author for writing about such a hard topic. We slowly see Lex's story unfold about her horrors of being trafficked and the reality of the aftermath.

It truly was so heartbreaking, beautiful, and emotional to see Lex work through her demons and pain through a world of darkness. I wanted to scream with Lex, cry with Lex, smile with Lex, hug Lex, and love her through this entire novel.

McLaughlin's talent shines across the pages of this novel that will haunt you in your sleep. This book will not leave me for a long time and I can't recommend enough to others. This isn't for the faint of heart and are some graphic descriptions of sexual assault and trafficking but I'm hoping it will leave a mark on your heart like it did mine.

5 stars!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub day: 6/23/20
Published to GR: 2/2/20

This book gave me all the feels! It is so heartbreaking and I loved this book. I could not put it down. I was so intrigued by the story and how the author was able to describe the story so vividly!

The story line and plot was solid and highly recommend this book! This will not be my last book by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like in exchange for an honest review.

Human trafficking, according to fbi.gov, is believed to be the third-largest criminal activity in the world and I love that Kate Mclaughlin shined a light on it.
This story opens with cops busting into the hotel where Alexa (Poppy) and the rest of Mitch's girls are held. The reader follows her through her recovery as she attempts to learn to trust and respect her body and emotions. The story moves fast and the reader is constantly left wondering will she go back? Will she stay? Will she trust again? This is a great book for young adults. It is not graphic in it's descriptions but gives the reader just enough detail so we can grasp the situation.
I wasn't a huge fan of Alexa's character. She felt almost too strong? She seemed to get over her pill addiction and exited 'the life' rather fast. I think situations like this are not as black and white as the book made it seem. I loved Jamie (Ivy)'s character. She was BRILLIANT! Her struggle felt more real and honest. The relationship between Alexa and Jamie was my absolute favorite part. Seeing their relationship unfold in both the past and the present was beautiful.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It illuminated important topics such as human trafficking, consent, and abuse. I am thankful for the opportunity to read the pre-pub version.

What Ubreakable Looks Like was well crafted and a detailed look into the implications of today’s social media culture. Lex’s struggles with reintegrating into “real” life were difficult to read in that they were gripping and moving. This book was so well written it was definitely hard to read at times. Overall, it was a fantastic read, even if it was tough to get through at times.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This book was amazing it started off right in the middle of the drama and didn't let up at any point. I like when stories give you both before and after tales of the current situation. This one did that but it wasn't at all confusing and it was perfect. Our main character Lexi (AKA Poppy) was trafficked and forced into the sex trade for god knows how long.However she is now rescued and living with her aunt and uncle. With her life back on track she struggles to live the life she had as the girl she was before is long gone, for now she is the prostitute Poppy. This book takes tough topics but makes them readable and more manageable for the reader. I really enjoyed how the book was mostly about Lexi regaining who she was before she was abused with flashbacks instead of actual moments happening to her. I think that was a very creative way to write the book that you don't see to often especially with this delicate of subject matters. It was also very sad to see the reaction of her friends and people that she knew before she was taken. It was crazy to see how they looked down on her and pitied her as well as seeing her as an object. This book was really good and I would recommend it to everyone.
With a young girls life broken and torn apart to a young girl who finds the strength to succeed and get her life back on track. It was sad but very powerful to see Lexi go through hell to get back to becoming the girl that she was and still is under all of the abuse. The only thing I didn't like was the time jumps were a little confusing to the reader to differentiate between. If they were a little clearer I think that it would have made a perfect read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was beautiful and heartbreaking.

Lex is sent to live with her aunt after being trafficked and spends her days waiting for the other shoe to drop and find out her aunt is using her.

This book is incredibly compassionate.

After being turned out Lex, known as Poppy, lives in a hotel with several other girls. When the police raid the hotel, she is hooked on drugs, malnourished, and completely untrusting of anyone around her. When her aunt takes her in, Lex is immediately wary, constantly wondering what her aunt wants from her. As she struggles to return to a normal life, Lex must fights her own urges and instincts to turn back to a familiar and drug fueled existence.

This was a well paced, interesting, and heartbreaking book. Lex felt completely realistic, she could have been anyone. Overall, well worth picking up.

This is such a powerful book - equally tragic and harrowing as it is uplifting and hopeful. With an explicit depiction of the dangerous situations that can lead someone unwillingly into exploitative situations that they cannot escape from, this story is so important at this time. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I will come back and add to this, but I'm still working through my emotions on this book. It was such a powerful book about a subject that is very real but no one likes to talk about.

I'll be back to update once I process this, its that good.

This book is about as raw as it gets for a fiction novel based on sex trafficking. Dove right into the mental struggle of being trafficked and how hard it is to want to leave that like when you believe it’s the only time you’ve been loved. With a strong cast of characters supporting Alexa into the life she deserves after being rescued from a motel. The average days and the lowest of lows while Alexa tries to adjust to a “normal” life. I was educated, horrified, heartbroken, and happy.

A brutal, unflinching look at a subject which doesn't seem to get enough attention - human trafficking.
A hard read, emotionally challenging, but worth it. It felt like the author did her research so as to be able to write Lex/Poppy's story as realistically as possible, and shine more light on a subject which desperately needs it.

This is my honest, uncompensated review. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing the review copy.

*Disclaimer: I have not been/do not know anyone who has been trafficked. This review is my opinion only.*

I really liked this story because it gives insight into some of the challenges that are faced after someone is rescued from being trafficked. I loved the relationship that Lex was able to develop with her aunt throughout the story. This story was a tough one to read and know that this stuff (and worse) actually happens, but it was a good story about how things can change for the better. It is a book I would recommend as long as you are prepared for it, but it is definitely not for everyone.

4.5 stars

First there are a lot of trigger warnings for this book. This book contains human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse, pedophilia, talk of suicide, suicide and violence. The author mentions this at the beginning and I really like that! A book that comes with trigger warnings.

This was a hard book to get through. I had to put it down a few times. Some of the things that Alexa goes through is just horrifying. What makes it even worse is that this actually happens in our world! Young girls and boys are tricked into trafficking and it’s just so horrible!!

This is a story about Alexa, she is rescued from a human trafficking situation and is lucky to be able to go home with her aunt. At the beginning we see how Alexa struggles to even live a normal life and how the mind of a person that has gone through this trauma thinks. She feels she doesn’t deserve any kind of love or to have people that care about her. Things happen to her while she is supposed to be safe and healing and it just made me so upset! This is a strong story and an important story! It really touched my heart because this kind of thing happens and we should all be preventing it from happening and being there for each other.

I totally recommend reading this book and I am very thankful for the opportunity of reading this before it comes out. As long as you are in the right head space to read then definitely do it!