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.”
What Unbreakable Looks Like is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 23rd 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like is a gritty, ultimately hopeful novel about human trafficking through the lens of a girl who has escaped the life and learned to trust, not only others, but in herself.
