I don't care who you are, or how old you are; you should read this book. EVERYONE should read this book. While it is a fictional story, it is based on real life issues.
I first remember hearing about sexual slavery, or trafficking, when I was in college. There was a group on campus that supported an organization called Daughters of Cambodia, and they rented the school's theater one night to show a documentary. I can't recall what the name of it was now, but as far as I know there are several on Netflix about trafficking, and I highly recommend you give those a watch as well. This is an issue that should be given so much more attention than it gets, and while this book is ultimately hopeful, it is also enraging to know this happens to young girls, boys, and women around the world. Although it isn't just something that happens overseas. It happens here, in the United States.

Alexa spent her sixteenth-seventeenth year of her life being trafficked, kept in a motel with several other underage girls that were being pimped out by this P.O.S. named Mitch. The novel also tells us how she was lured away from her home - Mitch was friends with her mother's boyfriend; he gave her gifts, told her she was pretty, and took her on dates. Until one day, he says, "Do you love me? I'm in trouble, big trouble, I owe someone money and I fear for my life. But he'll allow payment in the form of YOU," is basically what he says. And it gets worse and worse from there, until she's well and truly trapped, and Mitch turns violent. He keeps the girls drugged as well.

The girls are rescued very early on (it's in the synopsis, so not a spoiler), but Mitch wasn't there so he escaped. Lex is reconnected with her aunt Krys (not her mother, who is another P.O.S.), and is sent to a rehab facility for girls who have been through what she has. The author makes a great point of showing that the girls who have the most support structure are the ones who successfully make it out of "the life"; it's heartbreaking how many go back because they have nothing better or don't know how to function outside of that.

Lex goes through the ups and downs of dealing with her trauma, and sustains more sexual abuse at the hands of her so-called boyfriend and his friends (also in the synopsis), but that is really the turning point for her. She starts to take more control over how she responds, and her friends Elsa and Zack, and aunt and uncle Krys and Jamal are there for her every step of the way. I also like that Krys wasn't portrayed as perfect. She knew she'd make mistakes when learning to live with Lex, and when she did she owned up to them. Elsa was an awesome best friend, and Zack was an amazing character as well. He took things at Lex's pace, and never pushed her. He was also very protective, and had scars of his own that he shared with her. Detective Willis was another favorite; you could tell she really cared and would do whatever she could to help. We need more police like her. Lex is an unsung hero. To survive that and then be able to move forward and help others. This book has an apt title.

Please read this. Trafficking happens because there are so many people complicit in it. The pimps, the johns, landlords, doctors and policemen who turn a blind eye or get something out of it, and just regular everyday people who don't speak up when they see something off. Don't be one of those people. Educate yourself, and do what you can to help. Reading this book is one way to start.

Wow! This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. It was gritty and angering and emotional and amazing.

Something feels very wrong about saying you enjoyed a book about sex trafficking. However, What Unbreakable Looks Like deserves praise. Don't get me wrong. There were many times that I cringed while reading this book. The fact is that awful things happened to Alexa (aka Poppy). She experienced humanity at its worst. She was literally broken down with zero feeling of worth. She didn't believe she deserved anything good in her life. She was used in ways most adults wouldn't survive and she was only a teenager. She was hooked on drugs because it was the only way she could somewhat escape her reality and it kept her loyal to her "pimp." When she is free, she has a difficult time trusting anyone, which is understandable when you know what she's been through. It's absolutely heartbreaking. It only gets worse when you see people she tries to trust later betraying her as well. You just want Alexa to catch a break.

Yet, through it all, Alexa survives. She eventually realizes she is worth it and she deserves happiness. She also deserves justice for the crimes committed against her and others. Fortunately, she has an aunt and uncle who have only her best interests at heart. She also manages to make two very good friends. All of this support helps her to find the strength she needs to persevere. It's not an easy journey to go from drug addicted sex slave to a teenager looking at colleges and trying to establish healthy relationships. However, it is a worthwhile journey and one I'm happy I chose to take myself when I read this book. I have to give Ms. McLaughlin props for accomplishing something I wasn't sure could be done....a happy ending for this book. However, in the context of this story, I feel like it might be more like a "Hopeful" ending. It was a beautiful story about the strength of the human spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and Ms. McLaughlin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think this is a very important topic that does need to be discussed more, but this book just wasn't for me. Some of the writing felt a bit disorganized and the tone and emotions of the main character fell a bit flat for me. Also, some of the wording just felt...off as in the language the characters used. Overall, I think this had great potential, but did not live up to what I expected.

Rating: 3.5/5

I think this book has the potential to be a very important book. It covers a very hard-hitting topic that I don’t think is talked about nearly enough. Lex gives us an unflinching look at recovering from sexual trauma: the ups, the downs, the times where she thinks she’s fine, when she’s definitely not, and a few not-great choices she makes in the wake of her trauma. This book will be important in that readers will all see that the aftermath of trauma is a journey and not everyone goes through it in the same way.

All that being said, something with the writing style didn’t quite click with me. The pacing felt a little bit off at times, some of the dialogue didn’t exactly flow together well, etc. I’ll still be recommending this to my library to buy and hope it gets into the hands of the teens who need it.

Musings:

First of all I am honored to have read a book like this one. It’s a hard hitter and I was in tears at so many points and yet it tells a truth of what goes on far too often. Yet, reading through it I never once feel like Lex is truly a victim. She comes out after everything standing tall and starts to figure out the kind of person she wants to grow up to be. Yet, the truth is she was given away to endure countless times of pure assaults to her person. What she went through. What so many young teens go through is an atrocity so foul I could never imagine what being in their shoes would be like. Reading through this book you can tell how much love went into it. How much research and care to write not only a story of a teen going through one of the worst things anyone could go through, but to also make it a story of hope.

I was in tears at the acknowledgments. Where Kate talks about the girl she’d spoken with who had gone through human Trafficking. Even re-reading it just now gets me teary eyed. No human being should have to go through this. Yet, I love that there is no brokenness to be found there. It truly is ‘What Unbreakable Looks Like’.

What I Loved:

The Friendship. Lex finds herself two amazing friends who support her and love her for all that she is. They don’t shy away from what she went through and they stand by her through it. They stay by her side and fight with her (and not just for her) to keep her safe and to lift her up.

The puppy! The part of the book that made me cry the most was when Lex gets a little Pitbull puppy. It’s one of the sweetest most hopeful moments and yet Lex feeling like she didn’t know if she deserved the love that that little one gave her broke my heart.

Lex’s Aunt. Lex’s aunt is such a wonderful soul. She fights for Lex and loves her truly for who she is. She’s gentle approaching her and talks with her openly. She is the kind of woman I think every child deserves to have in their lives. As their relationship grew closer it made my heart soar.

It’s difficult to read at times. With all the hope and the soaring highs this book has it is not without the dark parts. Knowing with detail at times some of the things she went through. How she was groomed. The drugs given to numb them out and keep them complacent. The awful condition the girls lived in. The pain inflicted upon them. Then the truth that many are killed and will never make it out. In a lot of ways this book is as educational as it is difficult. So much I didn’t realize about human trafficking. The weight of it is something no human being should bear. Let alone teens and children.

All in all:

This book is a must read. It’s unflinching and full of love and yet shows what true darkness looks like. The writing of which was handled with grace and with so much love. It is a book I will never forget.

Wow! I don't know what I was expecting from What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin but it was so much more than I ever could have imagined.

For a debut young adult novel What Unbreakable Looks Like sure hit me hard. I was laughing and had tears in my eyes throughout the entire book and it was a real work of art. I don't think human trafficking gets talked about in books enough as it is but having a survivor story is just even better. This book is raw and emotional and will make your heart hurt, but it was also hopeful and helps you believe in healing. There are a lot of strong messages in here and I thought the way McLaughlin approached them was both straightforward and realistic.

I think the story told in this novel is incredibly important, and it was definitely a quick read. I may be a 34-year-old woman, but I thought Lex was still very relatable and it was easy to form a connection to her. Even if you aren't a huge fan of YA I would still recommend checking out What Unbreakable Looks Like if you are up for a dark, gritty book that speaks up about something that isn't talked about enough.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars !
What Unbreakable Looks Like is telling the story of Lex who was trafficked. The story starts the night Lex and the other girls are rescued and follows her on the journey of finding herself and purpose again.
This is a highly informative novel for people like me, who didn't know enough about human trafficking and I am glad there is a YA novel that will bring more attention to it in the future.
The story itself is straightforward and honest, Lex experience isn't sugar coated and her flashbacks at her life in the motel with her pimp are hard but necessary to read.
But throughout the novel there is a feeling of positivity and hopefulness .
The writing style wasn't 100% my thing, the infamous line 'let out a breath I didn't know I was holding' appeared a few times and I would have appreciated a little more depth to the characters.
All in all this a highly promising new YA novel and I hope many people read it and take action against human trafficking.

!! Trigger Warning !!

Sexual Assault, Abuse, Drug Use, PTSD, Language

This is a heart-wrenching story of survival, finding love and trust in others, and learning to let go of the past in order to build a new future.

Lex has been a victim of human trafficking and now she finds herself walking the halls of her high school while trying to avoid reminders of her past life. When her “boyfriend” forces her into a situation she thought she’d never be in again she has to decide whether to let him get away with it or to speak up.

Lex doesn’t trust anyone, especially men, but with the support of her loving aunt and uncle, a therapist, and friends Elsa and Zack she may be able to find peace with her past and move forward by holding those who took from her, physically and mentally, accountable.

This novel was difficult at times to read. Kate does not sugar coat the experiences these young girls go through. You’ll find the content to be very real and in your face but to me that is what is important about Lex’s story. The novel goes back and forth between the past and present as Lex tries to navigate how to get through all the abuse she endured. I think that showing Lex going through therapy brings a positive light on mental health such as PTSD. She doesn’t see herself as a victim in the beginning but as you keep reading you see all the progress Lex makes and how she transforms into a beautiful and strong survivor.

If you struggle with the deeper issues, like human trafficking, than I wouldn’t recommend this to you, but if you really want to feel something and learn about the aftermath of being forced into such a situation than I would recommend this one.

Title: What Unbreakable Looks Like
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Genre: YA
Rating: 5 out of 5

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.

After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to feel truly safe. Except, she doesn’t trust it. Doesn't trust her new home. Doesn’t trust her new friend. Doesn’t trust her new life. Instead she trusts what she shouldn’t because that's what feels right. She doesn’t deserve good things.

But when she is sexually assaulted by her so-called boyfriend and his friends, Lex is forced to reckon with what happened to her and that just because she is used to it, doesn’t mean it is okay. She’s thrust into the limelight and realizes she has the power to help others. But first she’ll have to confront the monsters of her past with the help of her family, friends, and a new love.

This book was an incredible read! There isn’t much that’s actually set while Lex is trafficked, as it opens with the cops showing up—but there are many flashbacks to that time. McLaughlin paints a clear, evocative picture, but she doesn’t attempt to wring a response from the reader with the horror of Lex’s situation. The horror just comes naturally, as you see how Lex has been scarred by her past.

The kids at the high school where Lex ends up are awful. AWFUL. But, sadly, completely believable. Zack and Elsa were wonderful secondary characters, and I loved them and Lex’s aunt and uncle. But those other kids…This novel was so well-done, I can’t think of anything bad to say…except its subject matter is horrific and so unbearably sad.

Kate McLaughlin is from Novia Scotia but now lives in Connecticut. What Unbreakable Looks Like is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Can she become Lex again?

What Unbreakable Looks Like is one of the hardest books I’ve read in a while because it is about how Lex is trafficked, renamed Poppy and finally rescued. Lex moves in with her aunt and uncle and slowly comes to terms that she is no longer a victim but someone that can stand up for herself but there will be many bumps in the road getting there.

What Unbreakable Looks Like is Kate McLaughlin’s first book but it is an unflinching telling of Lex’s story that is harsh and realistic and it needs to be told.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow. This was a powerful story that was hard to read but important to hear.
The beginning was so abrupt but it was such a quick read and so focused on the characters that you get pulled right in. The topics are handled with care but nothing is glossed over. It's quite difficult to read at times so I only recommend for those that feel they're able to but it is worth reading.

After being rescued from a hotel room with other girls who were being trafficked, “Poppy” finds herself being given an opportunity to have a “normal family”, something she never had growing up. Now she needs to find her way back, shedding the tough skin of “Poppy” and becoming Lex.

After a brief stint in rehab, she is trying to learn to trust again, trust that her aunt and uncle do want and love her and won’t reject her and send her away. Going from a sex trafficked, drug addled victim, to suburban high school senior is not an easy path for Lex and when she does decide to trust again and tell her boyfriend her entire story, she too exploits her and she wonders if that is just the life that she is meant to have.

With the love and support of her aunt and uncle and two good friends, she pushes forward, only realizing after the brutal murder of another girl in the group rescued from the hotel that NOBODY deserves that life.
Can Lex learn to trust again or will she always crave the numbness that comes with the pills, the familiarity of going through the door in her mind to escape the ugliness?

This is not an easy subject to write about and certainly not an easy one to read. Lex had a very genuine voice and her struggles were well written, her flaws weren’t glossed over. The small depictions of the other girls that got out, for however long or short a time were also believable.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. It was a very fast and engaging read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you read the description for this novel, then you probably know if comes with trigger warnings. So, for posterity, trigger warnings for human trafficking, sexual assault, violence, and substance abuse.

When I was offered the chance to review What Unbreakable Looks Like, I jumped on it since I assumed it would have a similar impact on me that Sadie by Courtney Summers did. I was not wrong. What Unbreakable Looks Like is a raw and unflinching look at human trafficking and the trauma it inflicts. What makes this novel stand out is its setting and main character. When most people think of human trafficking they may think about the seedy places in Europe or third world countries. What Unbreakable Looks Like presents readers with a young white girl in the United States recovering from being trafficked in the city she grew up in.

What Unbreakable Looks Like has scenes that are difficult to read, but are never gratuitous. McLaughlin walks a fine line of heavily implying what’s happening to the main character without ever describing all the horrific details. So, if you’re worried about heavily descriptive scenes you don’t have to be.

What Unbreakable Looks Like highlights the need for healthy coping mechanisms and a strong support system. McLaughlin doesn’t sugar coat the recovery process by allowing the main character, Lex, to adopt healthy coping mechanisms right away and heal. Instead, Lex stumbles often and if it weren’t for her support system she may have reverted to her life of being trafficked. This novel highlights the importance of a support system, but not just for individuals who have faced significant trauma. A good and healthy support system is important for any person regardless of their trauma.

Overall, What Unbreakable Looks Like is a raw and unflinching look at human trafficking and its trauma. Human trafficking is not just a problem overseas, but right here in our own backyards. McLaughlin does not shy away from the horrific experiences these women experience. What Unbreakable Looks Like is definitely worth the read.

I want to acknowledge that this book does contain content that may be inappropriate for younger readers and highlight some of the content warnings, such as the following: rape and sexual assault, child abuse/pedophilia, and human trafficking. 

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If you've read the blurb or heard anything about What Unbreakable Looks Like, then you can probably guess that it is a difficult book to stomach. This is true for many reasons, mostly because of the fact that this book goes into unflinching detail about the experience of being trafficked.

In What Unbreakable Looks Like, the main character, Lex, is rescued from a hotel where she and multiple other girls were trafficked and abused. Lex, named Poppy by her abuser, is taken to a hospital and reunited with her aunt who vows to take care of her and protect her. This sounds like a happy ending, but this book acknowledges and reinforces that although it is undoubtedly a positive thing that Lex has escaped abuse, the next part of her story is not simple or easy.

Now that Lex is free from the abuse, she is tasked with facing and trying to heal from the trauma of her experience. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with the judgment and abuse of her new classmates once they learn about her past.

I truly appreciate the way this book raises awareness for human trafficking, especially the fact that this crime doesn't just happen to girls who are kidnapped and taken far away from home. There are a lot of myths associated with human trafficking, and I really appreciate the way this book challenges them.

"By far the most pervasive myth about human trafficking is that it always - or often - involves kidnapping or otherwise physically forcing someone into a situation. In reality, most human traffickers use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor." –– National Human Trafficking Hotline

This book is and can be a great jumping-off point for educating yourself and others about human trafficking, but the aspect that really resonated with me about What Unbreakable Looks Like was the emphasis on healing and Lex's support system. Not every survivor has the same tools and support available to them as Lex, so in many ways, her experience is not representative of the challenges that many survivors face.

Although I appreciate and value the messages and awareness in this book, it's not without flaws. There were several instances while reading where the plot or characterization would feel disorganized. There were some inconsistencies with the narrative, and sometimes the perception of a certain character would drastically change without any previous set up or indication. Overall, I just often felt like this book needed to be more tied together.

Lastly, while I applauded the lack of "sugar-coating" in this book, sometimes the phrasing of certain things or the ways some ideas were incorporated felt insensitive or offensive, so I do want to warn readers about that. It caught me off guard and while the language used might reflect the reality for these situations, I'm not sure the fictionalized use of the language is worth it or justified.

Overall, What Unbreakable Looks Like is a powerful book that tackles a difficult topic in a way that highlights healing and challenges the myths surrounding human trafficking. But I did feel that the narrative could have been better organized and more nuanced. This isn't an easy book to read, but it is an important one.

My Two Cents: This novel hit me hard in a lot of ways so this won’t be a regular book review of what is an incredible book that everyone should read. Human trafficking is a cause that I’ve always felt passionately about. For a time, I wanted to move to DC to be able to work at one of the organizations (mainly based in DC) that help victims and fight this inhuman insanity. (If you know of ways to get involved in NYC, please leave me a note in the comments!)

Thankfully, I’ve never experienced or been personally affected by any tangible version of human trafficking. For the most part, it’s an ignored reality. I don’t know if people are just turning a blind eye or if we really don’t see it – and I’m saying that for myself too. I live in NYC so in theory I KNOW that this is happening. There was a lengthy article in the New York Times last year about victims of trafficking in Queens (the borough I live in), but I can’t say I’ve ever actually seen it. This bothers me because I have to wonder if I’m just not really seeing what’s right in front of me.

This books also hit closer to home than I expected because I’m actually from Hartford, CT where this story begins. Spanning Hartford, West Hartford, New Haven and Middletown – this story of a sex trafficking ring takes place right in my hometown – where I lived, where I worked and where I partied. Again the thought strikes me because I know that it does happen, but why have I never seen any signs of it? The fact that we are so blind to this issue and many people think it it only happens in other countries and not in the U.S. is one of the many reasons this novel is so important.

I have to commend Kate for making her debut novel such a significant and weighty story. Lex’s character was realistically flawed with all of the trauma and shame that would likely come with such an experience. The only thing I thought was improbable was Lex’s naive willingness to jump into relationships with other males after everything that happened to her. Her first boyfriend slowly and methodically placed her into prostitution without her realizing it until it was too late. I think it would take a significantly longer time for her to make friends and even begin to try trusting another human being, let alone another guy in her life, but I understand that for the purpose of the story it was a bit more rushed. However, it is a poignant and illuminating story that teaches teens (and all readers) about consent, bullying and slut-shaming.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for a digital ARC of 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘜𝘕𝘉𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘒𝘈𝘉𝘓𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘒𝘚 𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌 by Kate McLaughlin.

This book is told from the perspective of Poppy, a teenager, as she escapes a sex trafficking ring. It examines her re-entry into society as Alexa and the obstacles she needs to overcome to trust, not only others, but in herself. It recounts her experiences of sexual assault as well as how she was lured in by her pimp, Mitch.
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Wow. Just wow. This book blew me away. McLaughlin took such a heart breaking topic and turned it into something of perseverance and hope. Incredible!

Look for this on 6.23.20!

This is such a raw, powerful, and painful book to read. Lex (or Poppy as she was known to her pimp) is a victim of human trafficking. She is used to living in a motel room, doing what she needs to to stay alive, and not caring about anyone or anything.

Then they are rescued and she doesn't truly know if she wants to be. Throughout her time in a recovery home and then heading to her aunt and uncles house she doesn't trust anything. Anything that Lex can get close to is another thing than can abandon her.

Then she is sexually assaulted by her boyfriend and other people start to stand up for her. Can Lex be able to trust others to know that she deserves more than she thinks and going back to her old life isn't the way it has to be.

This book pulled on every one of my heartstrings and was hard to read, but also was a book that I felt I needed to read.

This is Kate McLaughlin’s first novel. The writing is superb and pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. Her poignant writing makes you strongly feel for all these dysfunctional characters and you want to root for them to the end of the book. This novel is about a teenage girl who is rescued from human trafficking and her struggle to reintegrate into society and live a normal life. The story does not hide behind the bushes and can be explicit. It is an eye-opener and helped me understand better this dark world and the difficulties these young women or men face after they are rescued. In some way, this reminded me of Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks but with a more positive ending. I appreciated the family and friend support angle provided in this book. This is an emotional and beautiful read.

It's very rare that I read a book that brings tears to my eyes from the beginning to the end. Kate McLaughlin's What Unbreakable Looks Like is one of those books.

Raw and gritty, this book is about the aftermath of sex trafficking. Lex (aka Poppy) was lured away from her drunk mother and Mom's boyfriend by Mitch, a man she thought cared about her but instead, dumped her in a cheap motel, changed her name to fit the "flower" theme of dehumanization of his girls, and kept her on her back and punished her physically when she didn't behave.

Lex is a lucky one, though - when the police raid the motel, her Aunt Krys comes to take her home. But Lex has been Poppy so long, she doesn't know how to be Lex. And can she trust Krys's husband, Jamal, to not do what all other men do?

McLaughlin gives Lex a wonderful supporting cast in best friend Elsa, who she meets when adopting one of Elsa's mother's dog's puppies, and Zack, the son of one of Jamal's colleagues at Wesleyan University. With the help of family, friends, her therapist, and the female detective she met during the raid, Lex starts a journey toward finding herself again.

This is a very difficult book to read, but it is an important one. While fictional, it opens one's eyes to the realities of sex trafficking and how it's not just kidnapped girls shipped away to foreign lands. And while the subject matter makes it an emotional roller coaster of a book, McLaughlin's writing makes it easier to come along with Lex as she tries to rediscover what it means to not be Poppy.