I’m literally so in love with this book. It’s coming out a timely time and it covers the reality of human trafficking, the power that social media and the internet has within that evil system, and how a survivor lives after. This is a must read for high school girls!

Grab yourself a hot cocoa, recipe is in the book, and get settled. You are going to need a box of kleenex and a strong stomach to get through this detailed book on sex trafficking.
THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK FOR EVERYONE! Especially teenage girls, their parents, anyone who is around children should read this book...FULL STOP! READ THIS BOOK!
Alexa was groomed as a young adult to fall in "love" with an older man who needed a favor. This favor turned her into a drug addict and led to her being raped over and over again.
This book is so much more then just the sex trafficking and the addiction.
Its about struggle, self loathing, but most importantly REDEMPTION!
This is such a great book. It pulls you in and does NOT let go!

This book was an emotional roller coaster that everyone will want to ride! Trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault though. I wouldn’t recommend reading it if you’ve been through that. Otherwise this book was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were developed really well and the plot was definitely intense. As soon as I finished this book I went ahead and preordered a copy!

The book is expertly crafted, the characters are well described out and the demons that Lex faces are scary, as they should be and real. This should be required reading now that social media has made this situation more of a reality - it is well written so it does not sound like a lecture but it does ring true as a warning. Teenager's parents should read this as well and make sure that their kids feel safe. Modern age reminder of the famous book speak.

Buy this book.
Read this book.
Discuss this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher by invitation in exchange for an honest review. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email on vacation inviting me to access the ARC. I had limited WiFi so I downloaded the book with little attention to the subject of the book. As there should be with this book, there are trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. Based on the subject of human trafficking, this warning doesn't give anything away. While it is a tough topic, it was, in my opinion, well worth the read and some may feel empowered at the end of the book. But if you are a survivor of sexual abuse or assault, you may want to consider the warning.

The Alexa we meet at the beginning of the book is very different than the one we find at the end. Her healing process was written very realistically. Her support system of her aunt and uncle, best friend Elsa and friend Zack were the very best you could imagine. Zack starts out as a tutor, then a friend, then perhaps the best book boyfriend I've seen in a while. Lex's bravery and courage after being trafficked for nearly a year is admirable. Her story is powerful and the writing was excellent. I highly recommend this book if you can get past some of the flashbacks of her time at the motel. And definitely have tissues and possibly pizza nearby.

This book tackles a very difficult topic: human trafficking. The book felt very well-researched, and it goes into a lot of detail about how young women (and men) are groomed and eventually coerced into sexual slavery. What I liked about this book is that this process is shown through what happens to Lex, rather than the author simply explaining it. It can be difficult to understand why people fall into these traps, but when you see it happening in the story, it becomes abundantly clear how easy it is. Anyone is susceptible to this sort of coercion, and it is very insidious how these pimps lure youth into a life of prostitution.

Lex is a deeply scarred character, both physically and emotionally, and my heart broke for her so many times. The topic of human trafficking in the United States is not widely addressed in YA literature, although I think it should be. It is unfortunately more common than people realize, and could be very well happening in their own backyard, so to speak. Other things happen in this book that demonstrate the lack of education in regards to this topic, and the ignorance of people who choose to look at forced prostitution as a choice. This book is largely about Lex accepting her self-worth, healing, creating personal boundaries, reclaiming her sexuality, and recognizing what makes healthy relationships. At the start of the story, she is broken and recovering from addiction, but by the end, she is learning how to build herself back up and how to stand up to her abusers. It is a painful and beautiful story, and I hope to see more like it in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this beautiful book.

This book is heavy- there's no doubt about it. It touches on difficult topics such as human trafficking, suicide, sexual and physical assault, as well as harassment. It's very hard to read a book about these topics without glamorization or fetishization; however, each subject was treated with respect. While the author doesn't shy away from the events and consequences of human trafficking, I didn't feel like I was reading "torture porn".

It also threw a lot of questions back in the reader's face such as "how does someone survive this?" "how do they learn to overcome horrific trauma?" with answering questions "why shouldn't a woman/man be strong enough to survive?"

I would caution that this book may be triggering, but I definitely feel like it's a book that should be shared out to socialize important issues such as trafficking and sexual assault.

"The human body's a resilient thing. It heals with very little memory of what's been done to it...The mind that gets twisted and broken."

(a note here: I really want to put a comma after mind in that quote, so I do hope that gets fixed in editing)

Poppy was once known as Lex, and her childhood was less than ideal. So when she's wooed by Mitch, a friend of her mother's boyfriend, it's with stars in her eyes that she follows him and finds herself trafficked and addicted to drugs. The life is horrible and it all seems hopeless, so when she finds herself rescued, it is her aunt who is waiting there, only Lex doesn't know how she could go back to a "normal" life. She distrusts everyone, especially men, and she doesn't trust her aunt's husband at all. So it's going to take a lot of support and care to find who she can be now that she's out of that life.

I think Lex was one of the lucky ones because she had such an excellent support system. She had an understanding aunt and uncle, who would do anything to give her a future, and she had friends that understood her, to a degree and looked past what she thought of herself, to see the good in her. I think the bullying that she went through at school is sadly not unexpected. People mock what they don't understand and kids can be so cruel.

The story could use a little bit of editing in a few areas, but outside of that, this was a compelling read. It's relevant to our society today because trafficking is such a problem, and there are so many means in which people make it happen. The writing was easy to understand, the subject matter a tough one. Watching Lex finds her strength was uplifting, and the fact that she went on to help others was incredibly brave.

What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin is a raw and uncensored look at the world of sex trafficking, and the fictitious account of a teenage girl who has been to hell and back, but somehow manages to come out on the other side. This was a difficult read due to the graphic nature of the subject matter, yet the author adeptly manages to create an empathetic figure in Lex, while at the same time shining a light on the realities, and sheer brutality, of human trafficking.

This is a novel that is geared toward a young adult audience, and I believe that it will really strike a chord due to the honest, straightforward voice that is put forth by protagonist Lex, aka Poppy. When Lex is recruited into a local sex ring by her mother's boyfriend, she is subjected to the very worst of humanity, yet she is somehow able, through an abundance of love, support, and therapy, to see her way to the possibility of a better future.

This is a novel that will linger in my consciousness for a long time to come.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin is an incredibly raw read about a young lady who was formally trafficked trying to assimilate back into the “normal” world of being a teenager. The book is definitely an eye-opener, showing how victims are manipulated into becoming trapped in the horrible world of sex trafficking which has become all too common place. Lexi, or Poppy as she is known in the trafficking world, has been through it all, yet when the police raid the hotel where she has been held captive and sets her free, she still wants to go back just like the rest of the girls. Where her story differs is that she has a family member who takes her in and loves her for who she is. She soon has a support system in the way of friends; however, not everything is perfect. She still has desires to go back, classmates find out her past, people assume the worst about her, and, quite frankly, people are cruel. Lexi goes from being a victim to a survivor to an activist. A harsh and beautiful story, readers will be left wanting to take action.
Considering the subject matter, readers shouldn’t be surprised at the language and raw descriptions used.
#NetGalley Publish Date: June 23, 2020. #whatunbreakablelookslike #KateMclaughlin

I loved this story. In fact, I read it in one day! Lex, the main character, took me through all the emotions. One moment I'm angry at her situation, the next I'm crying for her pain. Most of all, I love how she answers people's questions truthfully in her head then says what she thinks they want her to say.

I've seen a few people comment on how the book jumps around, and it does, sort of. I think the way the ARC is formatted is to blame for the shock between scenes. I'm sure the final structure will have indications that a new scene is starting. The ARC does have indentation markers, but they're kind of hard to see. Thank you for letting me read!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing.

To use my son's words, this book shattered my heart into a million billion pieces. But then puts it back together. This book tackles so many tough subjects that are so necessary. Will definitely be recommending ut.

I received a copy of Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Netgalley + St Martin's Press!

*This YA novel included a warning at the start that it contains graphic content. If sexual abuse / trafficking are topics you do not want to read about, this is not the book for you.

"What Unbreakable Looks Like" is the story of a sex-trafficking survivor - a teenage girl living in Connecticut named Alexa - and how she rebuilds her life the year following her escape from abuse.

I think overall this story is incredibly important for teenagers to read - and I appreciated it as an adult. It lacks a little bit of depth into the overall psyche of the main character, but because it is a YA story, I think it worked. While reading, I couldn't help but compare this to "A Little Life," because it also deals with sexual trauma and sex trafficking. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that the two couldn't be more different. "What Unbreakable Looks Like" reads the way I would imagine a teenager would think - it's blunt and matter of fact more so than the literary eloquence of "A Little Life." Both work, but "A Little Life" was far more gut wrenching.

Overall: I flew through this book and would recommend this read to both young adults and adults.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I was not able to finish this book as the subject matter hits too close to home. This is something that needs to be discussed so others can be informed of what really goes on in sex trafficking, the manipulations, the beatings. You must be in the mindset to read this book. I will try to pick it back up when I am in a stronger frame of mind, but for now I give it 1 star.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher WednesdayBooks,, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own

Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like, is a dramatic, raw in your face fictional account of human trafficking. Alexa, is a innocent 16 year old, with red hair and blued girl, who’s home life is dysfunctional. Living with an alcoholic mother and her mothers boyfriend, has made her an easy target. Vulnerable and looking for attention, she attracts a guy who zones in on her. He brings her gifts and feeds into self esteem by complimenting her. All the while he is actually grooming her, and when she realizes what has happened, she is trapped, and the nightmare has begun.

Given the name Poppy, she is slowly losing her self with the beatings, drugs and abuse. She is mentally and emotionally In constant survival mode, that when she is finally rescued from this horrific vile world. She doesn’t know how to acclimate herself into a normal functioning environment. Her aunt takes her in, and shows her real love, and Lex is able to start the long journey on the road to finding herself once more.
This exceptional riveting storyline captures Lex’s horrific experience, and it shows you how vulnerable young people are to this incredible growing problem. The author gives a compelling voice to the survivors and anyone who is fighting this ongoing worldwide growing epidemic.

This compelling book will blow you away, an emotional, gut wrenching.
The characters are fleshed out and well developed. The blurred hidden world of how young people lured into a nightmarish existence is depicted through the pages of the authors descriptive writing. The plot line was seamless, from start to finish.
Lex’s story is heartbreaking and, thought provoking, of one girl’s voice recovering from the hells of what it’s like to be trafficked. To realizing her own inner strengths, and to come to realization that she’s is unbreakable.

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What Unbreakable Looks Like deals with the emotional aftermath of a girl being trafficked and does a good job exploring her feelings and damaged sense of self-worth. It provides a good template for what supports can help young people recovering from similar situations. One thing that stood out was how consistently horrific it was whenever the main character alludes to her experiences; all too often that would be sensationalized, almost eroticized in the media, but here it's portrayed as horrible and dehumanizing (as it should be).

As a story it falls a little flatter. It's character-driven, but Poppy feels more a vehicle for the narrative than a character, just as most secondary characters are there to vocalize emotional support or enlightening points. I've worked with trafficked and abused girls so I know how a story like this resonates, but it might struggle to gain traction with a wider audience. That said, for those who had been there, I'm glad books like this exist.

I was asked to review this book and was given a free ARC from NetGalley.

This book is about a girl rescued from trafficking and sex work and how she rebuilds herself afterward. I have a lot of good things to say about this book. Honestly, some of it was difficult to read, but it’s a very difficult, hard-to-digest topic. Parts of this book are fairly graphic, but also represents the stories of those who have been trafficked quite well (based on some of the stories I have read and heard—but obviously every experience will be different). I think it’s an important topic that doesn’t get a lot of attention because it makes people uncomfortable.

While I’m all for a happy ending, I feel like this all ended a little too neatly though. I feel the author did an alright job depicting the ups and downs someone may experience when recovering from an incredibly traumatic experience. Until you near the end of the book and the author seemed to feel the need to tie everything up in a neat little bow. So I would like to include in my review a disclaimer that recovery (from trauma, from addiction, from mental health problems, etc) is not linear. Things don’t start out shitty then keep getting better until everything is perfect. Recovery is messy, and complicated, and sometimes it feels like you’re going way backwards. I get that this is a story, and recovery from a complex trauma, like trafficking, is hard to depict. I applaud the author for doing it as well as they did

*I WAS PROVIDED AN e-ARC THROUGH NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOESN'T AFFECT MY OPINION*

I made it through about 7% of this book before I started getting bored.

Firstly, I want to take a moment to point out the pacing of this novel. It's all over the place. And when I say that, I *mean* it. This book started out quick, and it continued on quick. Half of what occurred in the first few chapters didn't even make sense with the pacing that was used, and it really threw me off.

Another thing that really irked me was the writing style. I felt that the style in which the author used was very immature, and it didn't do any good to help the story whatsoever. It almost felt as if someone decided to take a really heavy topic and throw it together in the shortest amount of time they could.

Don't get me wrong, I was really excited for this book. I want this topic to become a bigger focus in YA books, and I want to see audiences enjoy them. But this book is not what will do that. I feel this book needs a lot more time before publishing and a major shift in writing style.

For that, I've rated it 1 star.

A very fantastic read! A realistic novel of emotions and feelings and excitement. I couldn't put this book down! Loved every minute of it!