Heartbreaking and incredibly interesting story, I’m glad Marina shared it with us! While I was fully invested in the book, the writing for me was a bit clunky and repetitive.

I don’t normally rate memoirs for obvious reasons but this book really gripped me. It’s hard to say you enjoyed a book which is filled with such sadness however, the ending was great and I liked that Marina didn’t make out that all her problems were fixed and that she’s still very much on a journey to find peace and happiness.

Overall, I really interesting read and one I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Unsexed is the memoir of a woman who spent the first few years of her life with a prostitute mother and an extremely abusive step-father. When she was removed from this situation she was adopted by an emotionally neglectful asexual woman who believed all things to do with relationships were dirty.

This is an 18+ book and has extensive trigger warnings for abuse, rape and violent sexual relationships.

From page one this book was very poetic and emotional. The author discusses trying to reconnect with her body after it was another persons for so long, first her birth mother, then her adoptive mother and then her ex husband - who never managed to get past the roadblocks she had about sex. I loved the elements of seeing how differently the author parents compared to her own and the way she approaches her own children's sexuality and sexual education based on her own experiences.

There was an element of criticism in this book that I really enjoyed. The author spent a great deal of time concentrating on how the world views sex and sexuality in women and the things men can say and do and get away with. She discussed the fact that the world of sex is obviously set up for men, not women, and the detrimental affect this has on women and young people growing up in this day and age. She discusses how abusive or neglectful parents create the perfect environment for rapists and groomers to find their victims and criticizes how commonplace it is for men to have porn and prostitution normalized for them through the internet and certain careers.

I really enjoyed seeing a different perspective from another woman on sex and relationships. I loved seeing her reclaim herself and the things she loves and the boundaries she has since getting married, getting divorced and falling in love again. This was a very enjoyable and interesting read.

4 stars.

When I saw this title, I was instantly hooked. I have never read something of this type before. That being said, I do love memoirs about family and/or family trauma so this perfectly fit the bill. DelVecchio is unapologetically honest and I love that about this memoir. She writes honestly and openly about her family, her struggles, and how it has, and keeps, impacting her daily life. She did not sugar coat nor did she have a pretentious tone of "I got over it and my life is great now" - in fact, she's honest about how much her childhood trauma *still* impacts her daily life. Again, this is what I loved so much about her writing - she was not trying to convince anyone of anything nor was she trying to prove anything. Her true story is what we got (as far as I know).

I loved DelVecchio's voice throughout and the authenticity that she brought to this story, even if it wasn't always pretty. Even more importantly, I am sure this was not an easy story to tell, yet she did it. I admire her openness and exposure to the world. I think everyone can learn something from this memoir, even if it's just compassion!

It doesn’t matter if we are eleven or twenty or forty-five. Girls only have one purpose. To please men. With or without our consent.

Born in Greece to a violent prostitute and then adopted by a cold and unloving virgin from New York, Marina inherits a sexual identity steeped in fear and shame—one that, as she grows older and becomes a wife and mother, trickles into her marriage and the parenting of her children.

Unsexed by Marina DelVecchio is more than just a memoir. It is a look at how society’s exceptions around growing up, relationships and sex are at times treated as commodities.

Marina without a doubt is a wordsmith and her ability to explain emotions makes you look at life in general from a different perspective. However her words within this book sadly come from a life of trauma started from when she was born.

I must admit, this book is not what I had expected. While Marina does give you a glimpse into her life, as per the synopsis, it is exactly that, a glimpse. The book is mainly about her emotions attached to her trauma and how she has navigated them throughout her life.

First of all, please read the description of this book carefully before you pick it up.
It is not for everyone.

My heart still aches for Marina, her siblings and all the children affected by their carers and the adults’ wrongdoings. The generational trauma is heartbreaking. I am unsure how I feel about Joseph’s story being openly part of this book.

A powerful and unique read which makes you think about the horrors told in this book and what more can be done to protect children as a society.

Sending love to the child versions of Marina, her siblings, and Joseph.

Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced reader copy.

I wanted to like this book so much. The premise--a memoir from a woman raised by a sex worker--was so interesting (to get a more insider perspective of the things that can drive women to choose this line of work and the impact it has on their children), but the writing was so over done that I struggled to get through each page. The writer could've used a stricter editor because there were too many places, for me, where she used ten words when she could've used three. Disappointing.

I keep putting off this read because it was just too heavy. At some point, it felt like a trauma dump but I finally finished it and I’m glad I did. This memoir is about Marina, a 50-something year old Greek woman, recounting her experiences and her life as the daughter of a prostitute.

Now don’t get your hopes up, it’s not a story about motherly love or compassion. It’s about finding mothers love and not getting it anywhere - from biological and adopted mothers.

Initially I was very sympathetic towards Athanasia but seeing that she herself was an abuser, makes me think oh that’s not a good mother at all. With Anna, I could understand her but there’s just too many layers to unpack so I’m going to leave it at that.

From page one, it’s all resentment, anger, trauma and hate towards both of her mothers. You can feel it from the tone, the words and the pages. The language is also very strong so do be aware of that.

Like her mothers, Marina is a very broken woman who lived with extremes all her life. You’ll see the effects of multi-generational trauma, what happens when there’s parental neglect especially the emotional kind and what that does to a child. How it never goes away.

This might be controversial but I didn’t like her sharing her son’s story. It felt too personal, borderline intrusive especially since it’s his story to tell and I felt she used it as points to show that she’s a better mother. But it also goes to show that she does in fact have a favourite child.

Now while she’s judgmental of both her mothers, I think she’s oblivious that she’s doing the same thing to her own daughter - showing love the way she thinks she should. But I’m not a therapist with the full picture so it’s just an opinion.

Her relationship with her husband is one thing I’m too tired to unpack. I’m glad it wasn’t all bad though. That at least during the earlier years, it was actually a good relationship. I’m also glad that she got closure from her sister, two mothers, and that she’s finally focusing on the rest of her life.

Towards the end, there were so many debatable topics. I particularly love the one about lingerie and her unconventional stance on sex because I can relate to how she feels about it.

I honestly don’t know if I would recommend it because of how it takes a toll on you while reading but it was well written and very unique. A point of view you don’t always see.

Unsexed is a powerful true story told through the eyes of Marina, the child of a prostitute.

We follow Marina from a child on the streets on Greece, suffering abuse at the hands of her step father (also her mother's pimp), to her adoption in America to an emotionally distant single mother. She explores how her experiences with both mothers has affected her mentally as an adult and the impact on her future relationships.

This book is harrowing but also empowering as Marina shows how she has survived  and become stronger, despite everything she has been through. Beautifully written, a great read.

I think this memoir was great? I love how raw DelVecchio is with the writing and the story they tell. I love reading books about people who I don't know and lives so different from mine, so I loved reading this and seeing their life.

Actually one of the few memoirs where i found my heart aching and relating so deeply to the author. Wow just wow, Gripping all around and a nuance complicated look into the reality of sex work and that it isnt a girl boss only fans moment but a real thing to sell your body. I understood and related to so much.