You are here

Back to top

What Unbreakable Looks Like: A Novel (Hardcover)

What Unbreakable Looks Like: A Novel Cover Image
$19.99
Email or call for price

Description


"Raw, unflinching, and authentic, Kate McLaughlin's thoughtful What Unbreakable Looks Like carefully crafts a story exposing the vulnerability of underage trafficked girls and what it takes to begin the process of healing from sexual trauma."–Christa Desir, author, advocate, and founding member of The Voices and Faces Project

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.

About the Author


KATE MCLAUGHLIN grew up in rural Nova Scotia with only her imagination and the Bay of Fundy to keep her entertained. That imagination was encouraged by her mother, and Kate began writing at age eight. She’s published more than 50 books under different pen names, including What Unbreakable Looks Like, Daughter, and Pieces of Me. She, her husband Steve, and her four fur-kids live in Connecticut.

Praise For…


Praise for What Unbreakable Looks Like:

A YALSA 2021 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
2022 White Pine Award Winner

Book Riot, "The Ultimate Guide to Spring 2020 YA Books for Your TBR"

Culturess, "13 must-read June YA book releases to start your summer off right"

"This shines a light on a little-talked-about topic that involves teens." - Booklist (Starred Review)

"This story of resilience and recovery is gritty and heavy but ultimately hopeful... A gut-punch story with an uplifting ending." - Kirkus

"[A] beautiful insight into what it means to heal and have hope. ...If you are wanting a heartwarming, heartbreaking, inspiring, and hard hitting story, I would definitely recommend you pick this book up." - The Nerd Daily

"Gritty and moving, What Unbreakable Looks Like is a compelling story about recovery and the problem of human trafficking that persists today." - Young Adult Books Central

"With unflinching honesty, What Unbreakable Looks Like exposes the injuries and scars we wear on our skins or in our souls. Hidden damage is tragically common, but helpful others who dared embrace hope invite Alexa to step onto the healing path. This novel may offer a springboard for a reader's own healing or foster empathy for life's walking wounded." - Liz Coley, author of international bestseller Pretty Girl-13

"Raw, unflinching, and authentic, Kate McLaughlin's thoughtful What Unbreakable Looks Like carefully crafts a story exposing the vulnerability of underage trafficked girls and what it takes to begin the process of healing from sexual trauma." - Christa Desir, author, advocate, and founding member of The Voices and Faces Project

“This is a powerful book about a sobering topic that I found myself thinking about for days after I completed it. It is wonderfully poignant, painfully real, and even laugh out loud funny at times. Not everyone can truly wrap their minds around the trauma these victims endure and yet somehow, despite all of it, are still just regular kids. But Kate McLaughlin gets it. ‘Lex’ is truly what unbreakable looks like and you’ll fall in love with her spirit.” - Tanya Compagnone, Trooper First Class

“Sex trafficking continues to seep into all our communities. In this novel, Kate McLaughlin brings to life the trauma that transpires in youth who forced into the life of sex trafficking. Her novel is a reminder that each of us can make a difference in someone’s life.” - Dina R. St. George, MSW, Juvenile Re-Entry Unit OCPD

Praise for Daughter:

2023 ITW Thriller Award Finalist
2023 White Pine Award Nominee
A Top Ten YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

"A dark, surprisingly moving tale... Packed with great characters and a plot that often feels a little too much like real life, Daughter also manages to ask thoughtful questions about complicity, agency, and what justice really looks like." - Paste Magazine, "The Best New YA Books of March 2022"

“A chilling story of victimization, shame, and the casualties of crime, McLaughlin explores the myriad of emotions involved in discovering a heinous truth, and the obligation one can feel to fight for those who no longer can. Haunting and memorable, this book is perfect for true-crime junkies.” - Laurie Faria Stolarz, bestselling author of The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep

Praise for Pieces of Me:

The Nerd Daily, "YA Book Releases To Add To Your TBR In 2023"

Quill & Quire, "2023 Spring Preview: Books for Young Readers"

"[An] empathetic portrait of a mental health condition. McLaughlin deftly integrates and fleshes out the various alters [in this] respectful and well-researched exploration of one teenager’s experience living with dissociative identity disorder." - Publishers Weekly

Pieces of Me is a chilling, yet empathetic, look into Dissociative Identity Disorder. With her calm, pure, voice, Kate McLaughlin delves deep into the crevices of this misunderstood disorder and a young woman's mind. I had to keep reading not only to understand Dylan, the main character—but to understand all of the people inside Dylan’s head." - Hayley Krischer, author of Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf and The Falling Girls


Product Details
ISBN: 9781250173805
ISBN-10: 1250173809
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2020
Pages: 336
Language: English

*Search results on this website are not a real-time indication of our in-store stock. To see if a title is available for immediate pick-up, please contact us by phone (502-223-8018) or by email (poorrbooks@aol.com). Thank you! *