Wow. I devoured this book. Although this is a fictional book, the heaviness of the topic of human trafficking really sat with me every minute that I read this book. I found myself reflecting on it when I wasn’t reading too. I could not stop thinking about this book. This is a dark YA book and it not a light one. Some of the descriptions were hard to read through and there are certainly several triggers to be aware of going into this book (abuse, sexual assault, manipulation, trauma). It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” a book on this topic, but I appreciate the story and characters. If you can handle the topic, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book tackles some very hard hitting issues and there are several trigger warnings that should be acknowledged before you pick this one up, including sexual assault, suicide, miscarriage, drug use, and self harm.

This book follows Alexa (Lex) who was just rescued from her trafficker. Lex moves in with her aunt and has to adjust to her new life by learning to trust people and also what happens when she gets hurt again.

What Unbreakable Looks Like hits hard as it was filled with ugly truths that make you want to cry and scream at the same time. It was also a beautiful insight into what it means to heal and have hope. Lex was a great character and you could really see her struggling with her trauma. She sought out unhealthy relationships, struggled to say ‘no’, didn’t want to get too attached, and struggled with her emotions. This book did not try to sugarcoat any of her struggles and made everything seem quite real.

I found this book very easy to read as it was simply written, which made for a quick yet powerful read. My favourite part of this book were the characters and the family/found family relationships. Lex’s aunt, Krys, was probably my favourite character as she was incredibly caring, accepting, and loving. I also adored Zach and Elsa, both of them were so kind, patient, and respectful. We need more characters like these three. Also I can’t forget about Lex’s puppy, because who doesn’t want to read about adorable dogs?

This book made me so angry and upset. Mitch was the worst, but so many other characters did such horrible things and it got me so frustrated. I think the complicated relationship between Lex and Mitch was done really well and it showed that she trusted him at one point in her life.

“She was one of us now. One of Mitch’s flowers. And flowers never bloomed for long.”

Books that tackle such sensitive and important issues are always a great read, but there is always the danger of getting certain things wrong. I was a bit bothered about the lack of proper consent talk as we only get the ‘no means no’ half. It would have be great to have a deeper discussion of consent and that a question needs to be answered. I also think the psychological and therapy side of the story could have been explored in more depth (but that might just be because I want to work in this area in the future). One other thing I did not love about this book was some of the language choices made with frequent derogatory uses of the word ‘bitch’ and some character descriptions seemed laced with some negativity. But I think overall these topics were handled in a really safe and truthful way.

If you are wanting a heartwarming, heartbreaking, inspiring, and hard hitting story, I would definitely recommend you pick this book up.

“Then maybe-like a lot of us-you’ll have to find strength in being a little cracked.”

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

This is a very good YA book about the obstacles one girl faces as she tries to piece together her life after being trafficked as a sex slave.

Lex was taken at a very young age and kept prisoner by a man that changed her name to Poppy, drugged her and forced her to work as a sex slave. After she and the other girls are rescued, her aunt takes her in and gives her a safe home to live. But just because she's living somewhere new doesn't mean that Lex is able to go back to a normal life.

Unable to trust anyone or anything, Lex battles her memories and the voices in her head telling her she doesn't deserve good things. More than once Lex acts out and contemplates going back to her former life. At least there she knows what to expect and understands that she can't trust anyone but herself. But, with the help and understanding of her therapist, friends and family, she starts to make progress. Until she's sexually assaulted by a boy she thought was her boyfriend and his friends.

After the event, Lex shuts down. She resists telling anyone because she fears no one will believe her and it's just easier to shut out the world and go to the safe space inside her mind. But the story gets out anyway, and when she's forced into the spotlight, Lex learns that she really doesn't deserve bad things to happen to her. She decides since all eyes are on her anyway, she may as well use her voice to educate others and help fight against those who would continue to traffic young girls.

Although the subject matter is very difficult to read, the author does a good job of walking the line between giving enough details to tell the story, but not being overly explicit. This is a YA book, although I would skew it toward the upper range of young adult, as it does deal with sexual assault, rape, drug use and violence.

The author does a superb job in giving the reader a glimpse into the psyche of Lex. After being let down by everyone in her life, it's hard for Lex to trust. When things are going well, Lex gets scared because she doesn't trust that it is real or will last, so she acts out to test those around her. Conversely, Lex tries to pretend that everything is ok, buries her feelings and hides bad things that happen for fear her aunt will think she's too much trouble and send her away. Lex is a complicated character, and it is heartbreaking, and yet uplifting, to see her growth throughout the book. Added to all that, Lex also deals with the rejection of her mother and the complicated feelings that go with understanding the abuse, and yet still yearning for validation and love from a parent.

There are a few key supporting characters that help Lex after she's rescued. These characters are a bit too understanding, thoughtful and supportive and always seem to say JUST the right thing at the right time. This is where the book fell short a bit for me, which is why I rated it down a star. I think if the author had depicted these characters having a bit more trouble handling everything that Lex was going through, and perhaps even making a few missteps, it would have been more true to the story the author is trying to tell.

I'm not gonna lie, this is a hard book to read. But, it's an important book and very well written. I highly recommend you read this book.

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

A very compelling story about a former victim of human trafficking that struggles to try to get back to a "normal" life, whatever normal feels like after what happened to her. It is told from the perspective of the girl. Alexa has issues trusting people after everything that happened to her - after all, the person that introduced her to her pimp was actually her mother. But slowly she realizes that, even though some people are evil, some others are just not bad. She just needs to find the right friends to help her get by.

Mitch is a pimp and makes his living by seducing teenage girls and grooming them to become sex workers. Housing them in a trashy motel, men (and sometimes women), roll through and have their way with the girl of their choosing. Poppy is one such girl - introduced to Mitch through her mother's boyfriend and ultimately given over to him by her mother in exchange for fuel for her alcohol addiction.

When the motel is raided by police, Poppy and the other girls are taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for STIs, malnourishment, and any other wounds that have been inflicted upon them. Most of the girls are eager to get back to the life - they don't know anything else and the abuse runs so deep, many are likely suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. But Poppy, Alexa in her real life, has an aunt who wants her and may actually love her. When Poppy's roommate and friend Ivy breaks out of the hospital, Poppy chooses to stay behind, and to leave Poppy behind as well.

Moving in with her Aunt Krys and Krys' husband Jamal in suburban Connecticut is an adjustment. After over a year in the life, Alexa is untrusting and feels dirty and broken. The scars on her body and the scars in her heart run deep and she often wonders if she'll ever be able to escape her past. She has to acclimate to a scheduled day, home cooked meals, adults who care about what she wears and how she speaks, making friends, and going back to school. She slowly builds trust in two neighborhood kids who become friends, and the love and patience Krys and Jamal repeatedly demonstrate starts to crack through Alexa's tough exterior.

But with Mitch still out there, abusing and trafficking more young women, Alexa has to choose every day to stay sober and to stay out of the life. Mitch and her mother's boyfriend will snatch Alexa and bring her back at the first opportunity. Even Ivy has fled back to Mitch and begs Alexa to come back with her. As Alexa learns that she was one of many girls trafficked in the United States, she has to choose how to proceed with the rest of her life. She can go back to Mitch and numb herself with drugs, possibly end up dead like so many other girls in her situation. She can stay broken and fragile, defined by her past. She can choose to be a victim, or even a survivor. What Alexa learns is, she finally has a choice, and a choice is a powerful thing.

A beautiful story of overcoming the most challenging of circumstances, What Unbreakable Looks Like takes a hard look at human trafficking in our own backyard. We see how johns are able to seduce or kidnap young women, manipulate them, strip their identities and emotions, and control their entire being. We also see some of the emotional impact and post-traumatic stress suffered by trafficked women and their loved ones. Powerful, raw, and extremely emotive, this novel has a profound effect on its readers.

Trigger warnings: Rape, violence against women and juveniles, human trafficking, sexual assault, drug use.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was a hard book to read. I think this is a topic that should be understood (human trafficking), but wow, it's rough! There is a LOT of language in this one. I would caution any sensitive readers with this one. Ultimately I felt the book found great resolution, but it was a tough journey to follow! The author touched on all aspects of how a person would get trafficked as well as the mental and physical fall-out of what happens to those victims.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC for my honest opinion.

OMG this book! It was absolutely amazing and so heart wrenching. I can count on one hand the amount of books that have made me cry, this one had me sobbing. It's so well written it feels real. It's such a powerful story of a teenager who was trafficked. It deals with trafficking, slut shaming, bullying, and assault. It's a must read book that should be discussed.

I could feel how unsure and distrustful Lex was of everyone around her after she was rescued and my heart broke for her. Krys is exactly the kind of person she needed after what she went through. Krys and Jamal were patient and supportive and did everything to help Lex as she learns she deserves more.

I love the support Lex got, from the detective to her teachers to her new friends. Her support system was fantastic. Elsa is exactly the kind of friend every girl needs; she's always there for her and stands up for her, always patient and understanding yet will give a little tough love when needed. Zack is the absolute perfect boy for someone who's been through something so traumatic. He sees her for who she is and has such a strong moral compass, he's amazing.

Her journey was rough, painful, and raw but Lex proved that she is unbreakable. I can't say enough good about this book to give it justice and I can't recommend it enough.

He names them after flowers. Daisy. Ivy. Iris.

This is Poppy’s story. She’s one of the lucky ones, if you can call her that, considering all of the trauma she has experienced. He called her Poppy. Her real name is Alexa.

“Am I ever going to feel like a whole person again?”

If you are on the fence, for whatever reason, about how crucial having supportive people around you after trauma is, this is the book for you. I don’t know how extraordinary Lex’s experiences of trafficking are, although I suspect they’re fairly typical. What is extraordinary about Lex’s story is the support she is given from so many people once she’s finally rescued from the life.

The matter of fact way that the events at the beginning of the story are told matched Lex’s flat affect, a result of the trauma she’s experienced, the withdrawal she’s currently experiencing and the dissociation that has helped her survive. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of the survivors of human trafficking but given how much I could relate to the trauma impacts of sexual assault that were explored through Lex’s thoughts, feelings and actions, I have to assume they were also pretty much spot on.

This might sound silly (they’re characters in a book, after all) but if you have experienced sexual assault, take what you need from Krys. Take what you need from Jamal, Zack, Elsa, Detective Willis and Dr. Lisa. Each of them, over the course of this book, will say something that will resonate with you. Something you wish someone had said to you. Something you wish you were worthy of hearing (trust me; you are). Personally, I’m trying to figure out a way to adopt Krys or vice versa; I know I need to hear what she’s got to say.

“Honey, you’re here. Sometimes that’s all the strength you need.”

If you’ve experienced sexual assault and haven’t been believed or have needed to find a way to heal without the love and support of the people who should be there for you, I’m so sorry. You deserve to be believed. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to be loved, safely. You didn’t ask for it, whatever ‘it’ may be, to happen to you and it was not your fault.

“You did nothing wrong. I’m going to keep telling you that until you believe it.”

So, this probably reads like a PSA at this point but, even if there is only a slim chance that someone reading this needs to hear that what happened to them wasn’t their fault, I need to say it.

Prepare yourself for some ugly crying as you hear Lex’s story. If you’re like me, some tears will come as a result of what has been done to her but even more will fall because you’re just so damn proud of her resilience. I was so still as I read this book that I thought I could almost hear my heart breaking at the same time I felt it.

Did I have “Zack is too good to be true” on repeat in my head as I read? Absolutely! Do I hope there really are Zack’s in the world? Do I ever!

When books navigate as much potentially triggering content as this one does it can be difficult to figure out where the line should be drawn between enough information to show the gravity of the situation and graphic content whose only purpose seems to be the shock value. This book walked the line perfectly for me. I learned things about trafficking, particularly around how it can begin, that made my blood boil but the details that were provided, while obviously upsetting, felt necessary to the telling of Lex’s story.

I’m leaving this story (for now) with the wannabe activist inside me trying to figure out the way I can best support people like Lex. Although I’m all sorts of sad and mad after having read Lex’s story, my takeaway is hope. Hope for healing. Hope for more people to understand how to support survivors. Hope that enough people will get riled up over human trafficking that, sooner rather than later, more people don’t experience Lex’s story firsthand.

Content warnings include alcoholism, child pornography, death by suicide, domestic violence, drug use, human trafficking, mental health, miscarriage, racism (challenged), self harm, sexual assault, suicidal ideation and violence.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read this book.

This just wasn't for me. I think it was hard trying to make myself read it now with how stressed out I am about the world. It was just too much for me. I don't want to take away anything from the book or its importance. I wanted to promote it as part of the blog tour with an excerpt, but I think I should wait a while before giving it another go.

What Unbreakable Looks Like is a gritty, no-holds-barred book about the difficult subject of sex trafficking. Lex is a teen who has been trafficked and is living in a motel with other women when the police raid. All of the underage women are brought into a hospital for observation and treatment and Lex is able to get into a treatment facility for addiction and the abuse she suffered. When she is released, she goes to live with her aunt and uncle and tries to reclaim her life.

Lex's character is complicated. She is torn between going back to the life she knew (and the man she wants to believe loved her) and living with her aunt. She is leery of her aunt's motives; she can't believe anyone would do something for her with no strings attached. She doesn't trust the other kids who befriend her in the neighborhood or at school. All of this felt very realistic; people can't just shut off their thoughts and go back to the old 'normal'.

Her aunt and uncle are a little less dimensional. They are amazingly nice people, and it is a little hard to believe. Lex's mother, step-father, and the pimp who ran the ring are also one-dimensional. They fall flat because all they are is bad. But this is Lex's story, and so this can be forgiven. I mean, who's going to say something good about the mother who stays with a man who helps to pimp out her daughter.

This book doesn't pull any punches and tackles a very difficult subject. It will not be to everyone's taste, but overall I thought it was a pretty realistic story.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Unbreakable Looks Like is a raw, gut-wrenching, emotional story of a young girl's long road back to "normal" after being rescued along with a few other girls from a dirty, seedy motel room - all victims of sex traffickers who kept them drugged and in sexual slavery. Alexa spends a few weeks in rehab . . . every minute spent looking for a chance to run back to the only life she knows. She's skeptical of her aunt's offer of a home, family, and love wondering what she and her husband want in return. Alex's pimp has conditioned her to accept that she's the blame for all that happened to her, and she doesn't deserve anything better. He broke her will and spirit. Or did he?

The story that unfolds is one of a survivor of human trafficking digging deep, finding the will, strength, and desire to reclaim control of her life. Through present chapters, readers see and feel Alex's struggle to cope with regular everyday life. She doesn't know how to trust, refuses to allow herself to feel, and is betrayed once again when she finally does. Her loss of innocence, self-blame, and frail self-esteem are evident through often-too-real scenes that broke my heart. Through past chapters, readers experience a little of the horrifying daily life of a young girl trapped in a life of drugs, alcohol, and sex slavery often betrayed by the ones who should be their protectors. I applaud the author for handling the subject with blunt honesty while affording these victims the care they deserve. The way these girls are beat down and broken beyond repair is absolutely heart wrenching. Unfortunately, most are unable to make it out alive and if they do, the road to full recovery is long, hard, and treacherous. Many relapse to the only life they identify with or commit suicide.

What Unbreakable Looks Like is a character driven story that focuses on Alex as step by step she dares to hope, dream and finally reclaim her life. The story is brilliantly rendered through the voice of Alex as she reacclimates to living in a safe place, attending high school, making friends - all the normal teenage things that were stolen from her. Hopefully, this story will open some eyes to the danger lurking around young girls as well as boys - from small towns to big cities - from family friends to boyfriends to evil strangers - no one description fits all sex traffickers. I hope this message of hope reaches those struggling to overcome their pain, grief, and addictions. What Unbreakable Looks Like is the story of a girl who refused to be broken. One who survived and reclaimed a full, rich life. One who could finally look at her own face in a mirror and think, "This is what unbreakable looks like!" While this book is dark, raw, and graphic, its message is one of hope, light, and love. I believe all readers will benefit from reading it. Highly Recommended.

Lex, or Poppy as she is known these days, is being kept in a motel with several girls and trafficked daily to men and woman seeking sex from her captor Mitch.When the police break up the operation and the girls are rescued, she doesn’t know how to go from being Poppy back to Lex. Who can she trust? Is she ever really safe? Mitch is still out there. When he aunt and uncle take her in and show her how loved she is, Lex slowly starts to see that not all men are bad, and not everyone is untrustworthy.

I read this book in a single day. It was so beautifully written and such an important story. I cried, I got angry, and I felt pride when Lex stood up for herself. This book had me feeling all the feels. Lex went through so many different emotions throughout the book, starting with making sure to have no emotions at all. As that changed throughout the story, you were truly able to see how this young girl went from feeling broken, to a strong, take no shit person. I loved her aunt and uncle, and her two best friends. They were excellent characters that stood by her side and didn’t let her force them to treat her the way she thought she deserved. This book showed how these poor children that are being trafficked are manipulated into believing it is their fault this is happening to them. It made me sick, and I hate that this is happening everyday in real life. This book was amazing, moving, and so well done. I can’t recommend it enough.

I love when surprise book mail that wasn’t even on my radar turns into a 4.5-5 star read for me. It is so amazing to get the opportunity to read and review these books and I am as always so grateful to Wednesday Books for sending this one my way!

The story jumps around too much, which can be a little confusing and hard to follow. There is a LOT of editing that needs to be done, punctuation is missing, names are spelled differently wrong (Zack is spelled as Zach), etc.
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Aside from these errors, I think the book is very promising. The story itself was sad but important.

Oh, boy. This book! It was raw and gritty, heartbreaking, beautiful, and also hopeful! (I may or may not have cried)

Full review will be posted soon as part of the What Unbreakable Looks Like Blog Tour! Thank you Wednesday Books for the e-arc!

This is by no means an easy read, but a necessary one. Especially when we read more and more stories about girls like Lex every single day. Being in Lex's head was devastating but necessary in order to understand the true horrors of trafficking. We think so much about the importance of rescuing but what happens after the rescue and to the young girls who have to try and re-acclimate to a world that has repeatedly let them down? I think that is what made this book even harder to read.

This is a must have purchase for YA collections and an excellent choice to open a conversation with teens and young adults about a subject matter that not only has a horrible history but also remains rampant today. This isn't something that should be hidden from teens, but something that needs to be openly discussed so they have an awareness of it and can discuss ways that they can keep themselves safe.

Very emotional read. McLaughlin deftly handled a subject that people don't want to think about, much less read about - human trafficking. I was able to connect with characters because McLaughlin didn't sensationalize the story line and made it feel real.

What Unbreakable Looks Like is the story of Lex, (known as Poppy) who was trafficked and forced to work in hotels as a child prostitute. Once rescued, Lex doesn't know how to deal with her new life and people who really care about her. She can't quite trust her new friends, her Uncle, her new home. She doesn't trust that she deserves any of it. When she's sexually assaulted again, she finally realizes her strength and her power to help others.

Honestly, I cried many times reading this. My heart broke for Lex. I'm "too old" for YA (no such thing) so I remember the late 90s, early 2000s YA and how it was basically either sappy romance where one person dies or the journey from good girl to bad girl and of course teen horror. Crank was a big one when I was leaving high school. I read it, and thought it was an interesting take on how one becomes addicted and despite this not being written the same way or even a story of addiction, I was reminded of it when I read this. I don't really remember a lot of redemption stories about teens going from a bad life to a better life told in such a raw yet beautiful way.

5/5
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

“I want someone to tell me what to do. I want someone to fix me. Or maybe I want to go to sleep and not wake up. I don’t know. I just know I can’t stay like this.”

5/5 stars!

Very happy to be a part of this blog tour! Hopefully y’all will check out some of the other blogs on the rest of the tour!

First off, while I found this book heart-breakingly amazing, it’s also a story that deals with pretty dark topics. I’ve included some trigger warnings in the above graphic for those of you who feel like you might react badly to some of the content in the book. Just take care of yourself and remember that this is a book about hope.

This book is about a girl named Alexa Grace, who was until recently, living in a motel among many other women trafficked by the same man,, Mitch. When the police find her, she’s convinced she has no home to go back to and no one left in the world to care for her. When her Aunt steps up as her caregiver, she starts to realize that there may be some hope left for her. But between the cruelties of her high school peers and the weight of the developing police investigation into Mitch, she’s beginning to wonder if her new life and support is enough.

So I read this book over the course of a few hours, completely enveloped by this story. I was in a bit of a book funk and I thought maybe I’d read a few good pages to just see what it was about. Basically, I just didn’t put it down even when the tears started rolling.

I found Alex to be a super compelling character. She’s super defensive at the beginning of the book and really learns to be vulnerable with others without losing too much of herself in the process. I was a bit confused with some of her dialogue, like the evolution of how she speaks, but it wasn’t anything that hindered my enjoyment of the book. I loved how complicated she was, her humor and smiles amidst all her barbs and cynicism.

One of my favorite parts of the book was seeing Alex interact with her new world. The things that made her nervous or didn’t because of the life she’s lived. I loved how much the book explored her relationships within her new support system. How it stressed the importance of one and the different ways to support someone whose gone through a traumatizing experience. I don’t think there’s one right way to be a friend or ally so I really loved the range of people in the book.

The book really put effort into showing how this issue affects women, on every side of it. Girls who are trafficked, girls who do the trafficking, mothers of all kinds, and women police officers fighting these kinds of crimes. I almost wish the book had included more on boys who are abused as well, but I definitely understand what the author was trying to do.

I also really loved how the book goes into the role of the internet with human trafficking. Obviously, human trafficking has been around a lot longer than the internet, but the internet has shaped how everything is done today. And it’s newness just makes it that much harder to prosecute. The book really analyses the particular struggle with finding these sites and getting then taken down. It was definitely hard to think and read about for me, but ultimately, I feel like I learned quite a bit. The author also includes resources to learn more about this in an author’s note along other pieces of information.

TL;DR: This is a very inspirational, but difficult book about hope amidst seeing the worst of the world. It’s heart-breaking and you will cry, but it’s a great read.

“What if it never happens?” I ask. “What if I never feel whole again?”
“Then maybe – like a lot of us – you’ll have to find strength in being a little cracked.”


Strong CW: sex trafficking, rape, sexual abuse, child abuse, alcoholism

Poppy exists in a motel. She used to be Lex, but now she’s Poppy, and under a fog of drugs and abuse, she is forced to have sex with whichever men her pimp sells her to. Until a police raid leads to her being taken in by her kindly aunt, and learning who Lex is, and whether she can coexist with Poppy.

This is not a light read. Parts of it are – it’s a journey of recovery with huge elements of hope and progress along the way, but just as your heart will begin to swell with hope, things will inevitably crash down for a bit. Recovery is explored in many ways, including its ugly sides, of which there are many.

This is listed as a YA book, and although the main character is a teenager, it really didn’t feel like it to me. Not that it’s not suitable for older teen readers, but just that I imagine it fitting the adult market better.

A strong cast of supporting characters play a big part in making this book so human – Elsa and Zack both befriend Lex and have their own stories and history to explore too. Krys, Lex’s aunt – along with her husband Jamal – create a homely, loving environment for Lex that warms the reader through the pages.

Every reaction of Lex’s throughout the story, even the “irrational” ones, are written in such an honest way that the reader lives them too – or at least as much as they can without any person experiences of the kind of trauma that she has experienced.

One of my thoughts early on in the book was that it would make a strong television miniseries, and by the end of the book that thought stuck in my mind.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press and the Author Kate McLaughlin for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A story about the horrendous and current all to real thing know as human trafficking and all that goes with it.
A most poignant and powerful view is told in this book and should be read with caution. I experienced many emotions reading it.
The Author has written about this in a very tastefully and sensitive manner.
We can only hope this revolting and repulsive phenomenon comes to an end sometime soon.