Dawn Bishop, a 58 year old divorced woman living in London continues to be haunted by a secret from her past when she was a teen in Trinidad. At 16, she became pregnant and her affluent family whisked her off to a convent in Venezuela to give birth and surrender her daughter for adoption. She still feels the weight of this loss every day, and she realizes it shaped the course of her life in dramatic ways. I liked the story but found the writing to be difficult to get through.

At the age of sixteen, Dawn becomes pregnant and is sent away from Trinidad by her wealthy parents
to Venezuela to have the baby, give it up for adoption and return back to her life . Now 58 years old,
Dawn is a divorced mother of two sons who has periodically searched for her missing child. While the
story of her journey to Venezuela was interesting. I didn't find the rest of the story to be a compelling read.
#LoveForms #RandomHouse #Hogarth#NetGalley

I didn't know much about this book going into the story and was blown away by the first few chapters, immediately getting hooked. However, the overarching sadness and despair from Dawn made the story hard for me to read as the chapters moved forward.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Hogarth for the advanced reader copy.

2.5 stars
Main Characters:

-- Dawn Bishop Wilson – 58 years old, divorced with two grown sons, lives in England, working in an office job even though she has a medical degree, gave up a daughter for adoption when she was 16, the Bishops are a well-known family in Trinidad and own a large beach house in Tobago
-- Finlay and Oscar Wilson – Dawn’s sons, Finlay is 30 and single and going through surgical training in London, Oscar is 28 and working on his post-doctorate degree in the U.S.
-- Warren Bishop – Dawn’s oldest brother, he took over the family juice empire in Trinidad, married with four children, Dawn felt he always treated her kindly when they were young
-- Ryan Bishop – Dawn’s second oldest brother, a lawyer who lives with his wife in Barbados, Dawn was a little afraid of him when they were young but says he’s different now

I wanted so much to love this book. The story revolves around Dawn, who spent her life feeling like a piece of her was missing. When Dawn got pregnant at 16, her wealthy and well-known parents sent her from Trinidad to Venezuela by boat in the middle of the night. For the last four months of her pregnancy, she lived in a home for unwed pregnant teens run by nuns. Once the little girl was born, Dawn returned to Trinidad the same way she arrived, and the baby was put up for adoption.

Dawn and her family acted as if nothing happened. She eventually moved to London to study medicine, got married, and had two sons. But most recently she finds herself in online forums, looking for the daughter she gave up in 1980. There were no online records. She had no idea where she lived in Venezuela. As she tells us about her attempts to find her daughter, we learn she is in contact with girl #4.

I expected a heartbreaking journey here as Dawn looks for the child she gave up, but I don’t feel her heartbreak in her words. This reads like she’s narrating a family history while in the throes of depression…almost like she’s talking to a therapist. In fact, there are a couple of times when she mentions that she’s getting off track or that this is the point she is trying to get to.

At least half of the book walked through a drawn-out description of Trinidad’s political and financial history rather than Dawn’s personal experiences, and the book is fewer than 300 pages. I did not expect (or enjoy) 150 pages of Trinidadian history…even though the setting was part of the appeal for me since my late husband grew up in Trinidad.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved the references to Carnival, roti, bake and shark, Maracas Beach—all things I heard about from my husband. But readers don’t need to know about the political coup or the oil prices or the drug trafficking or the crime rates to feel Dawn’s unfortunate foray into motherhood.

I wanted to learn about her journey after the birth. How did her home life change? Why did she go to London? What impact did the discovery have on her husband and sons? We don’t even know why she and her husband divorced. Was she so obsessed with finding her daughter that she stopped focusing on her marriage? Was she so depressed that her husband couldn’t deal with her anymore? Answers to these questions would have helped us understand the journey into her past better than the political and business climate in Trinidad.

She mentions that her family never spoke about “her mistake,” and she always refers to it as a mistake…more than 20 times throughout the book. That really rubbed me the wrong way. She acts like she has kept the baby a secret her entire life but then says her husband found out when their first son was born. Her sons know because they talk to her about the women she has previously connected with in her search.

This story would be so much better if it were actually Dawn’s story, but it’s really not. The publisher’s description says “It’s an emotional journey that leads Dawn to retrace her steps—from Trinidad to Venezuela and then to London….” She doesn’t retrace her steps to Venezuela until the very end when she and her entire family meet for a holiday in Tobago and she talks to her mother. And honestly, the ending was so dissatisfying for me, I just closed my Kindle and tossed it aside in frustration.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, you might like this, but if you’re looking for the mother’s journey, you should skip it.

A family novel set in Trinidad, Venezuela and London as a divorced, 58 year old woman reflects on her life. She begins in Trinidad and later moves briefly to Venezuela and later to London where she becomes a doctor and wife and mother. She longs to find her daughter who she gave up for adoption as a young unwed pregnant girl. Her life of discovery, family and career are all mixed together. I found the book a slow read and wished the pace had been faster. The story captured my attention at the beginning but seriously slowed down as it went along.

I wish to thank Net Galley and Random House - Hogarth for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A woman from Trinidad, who was pressured to give up a baby at 16, moves to London, becomes a doctor, and raises two sons. The storyline concerns the love she has for her daughter and the search that consumes her.

Genre: Literary Family Drama/Caribbean
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: Jul 29, 2025

“Love Forms” is a well-written, moving, and, at times, heartbreaking novel about a woman who searches for the daughter she gave up for adoption at the age of 16. The story explores the many ‘forms’ of love a mother can feel for a child she doesn’t know. Dawn Bishop is the youngest child of a well-known Trinidadian fruit juice dynasty. After a brief encounter at a carnival, she becomes pregnant. We also meet Dawn at the age of 58. Adam demonstrates remarkable literary ability in her handling of time and memory, seamlessly weaving together Dawn’s younger and older experiences. The novel explores themes of family, identity, and international adoption, particularly from the Caribbean during the 1980s.

When her parents learn of her pregnancy, they send her on a secretive, harrowing nighttime journey to Venezuela. Because she is blindfolded and hooded, she is terrified she will not make it off the boat alive. Her destination is a house run by nuns for girls in her predicament. Although the nuns are decent, she feels further isolated because they are black. Dawn is white. She speaks Trinidadian English. They speak Spanish. She spends four months with the nuns, who deliver her daughter. Then she is immediately returned to Trinidad, under the same conditions, where she continues her education as if nothing had occurred. Her family will never talk about that period of her life again. Adam shows how Dawn’s trauma and shame continue at home since her relationship with her older brothers is different now. They hardly look her in the eye or talk to her.
Forty-two years later, she has been married, divorced, has two adult sons, and has spent most of her adult life in England. The author shines in describing how Dawn’s memories are triggered by seemingly mundane moments. Holding her gold necklace makes her wonder if her daughter would like it. Dawn’s questions have only grown more pressing with time. She wonders what region of Venezuela she was taken to. Why can she not identify the nuns? Despite years of emotionally draining research, letter writing, internet forums, and DNA testing, she is still no closer to the truth.

Despite Dawn’s abusive and traumatic teenage years, Adam manages to portray Dawn’s life gently. Unlike Joyce Carol Oates’ latest book, “Mr. Fox,” also about an abused teenage girl, this book does not contain stomach-churning scenes. No disrespect to JCO, she is one of my favorite authors. This book is not as melodramatic as it could have been in the hands of a lesser author. Adam has a poetic style that captures
While there is a lot of drama in this story, it is a slow-moving, character-driven one that I found to be very enjoyable, even though others may want more action. The book is not classified as historical fiction. Still, the novel illustrates how Trinidadian life is interwoven with Venezuelan history through shared geography, cultural exchange, and migration patterns, adding significantly to the storyline. Adam delivers a moving portrait of a woman haunted by the child she gave up. She is the winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize, a prestigious award for debut novelists in the UK and Ireland. This novel proves that she earned the award. I recommend “Love Forms.”

The mother/daughter story at the heart of this absolutely gutted me. The writing was beauitful, great pacing... I think this was wonderful.

This book is about a now 58 year old divorced woman, who at age 16 had a baby whom she had to give up for adoption. Now, she would like to find that child, who would be in her 40’s now. During her search, we find out the details of what happened when she was sixteen.. Her search is through support groups, later on the Internet. There are many details in this novel that are totally irrelevant to the main story and I found myself skipping through them. The ending was a total let down, like the author just stopped writing. I feel generous giving this book 3 stars.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

I believe that I have never read such an accurate and true description of childbirth. Claire Adam captures the physical and emotional memories that will return to any reader who has given birth. The book itself also offers great insights into Trinidadian life and a connection to the history of Venezuela.

Dawn Bishop was born in Trinidad to a well-off family in the fruit juice business and had two older brothers. A thoughtless moment at age sixteen with a tourist leaves her pregnant and shamed. Her parents send her on a terrifying nighttime journey to a house run by nuns for girls in her situation. This event colors her life as she moves to London to train as a doctor, marries and has two sons. The marriage does not last as she spends much of her time and thought attempting to find the daughter she had given up so many years ago.

Love Forms is a beautifully written novel, with perhaps a little too much focus on the internet and DNA testing done in her quest. This book may not be for everyone, but I found it relatable and informative. Thank you to Net Galley and Hogarth Publishing for an ARC copy to read and review.

The story of Dawn. Dawn is now 58 years old and is divorced, with two grown sons. Her relationships with her family are complicated and she is trying to figure out a future for herself.

She begins by searching for a daughter she gave up as a teenager in Trinidad. But doing so will take her back to home and the decisions that were made.

This was good in the beginning and later I just didn’t connect with the story.


NetGalley/ Random House Publishing September 29, 2025

Fascinating to read a novel partially set in Trinidad and Tobago, a place foreign to most (including me). A well-crafted novel that develops the story of a woman searching for her past and in the process, finding her present. It reinforces the bond of motherhood, the risks for seeking a baby from whom you are separated at birth, and ripple-effect that has on those around you.

I'm grateful that the Random House kindly sent me an advance reader copy of this novel in the hope that I would review it, which I'm happy to do.
Set in both London and Trinidad (the island native home of both the author and her middle aged woman protagonist-narrator). Dawn Bishop was literally shipped off to Venezuela by her parents who were disgusted and shamed by her careless pregnancy at sixteen (some forty years ago); the infant girl was taken from her at birth and given to an unidentified couple by the nuns who ran the "home" there. It was a terrifying, traumatic experience, the details of which are vividly portrayed in the novel. Dawn has carried a stifled pain and regret over her own lack of control and the loss of her infant daughter through her subsequent adult life which included education as a physician, marriage, the birth of two sons, and divorce.
Now, on her own in London, she is thinking through her life to date having registered with multiple adoption sites hoping to connect with the daughter she lost. Much of the novel traces her roots in Trinidad and Tobago, her relationship with parents and extended family, and particularly her native culture. Some of this seems slow and less connected to the search, which some readers may look for as an active plot thread of the novel and be frustrated.
Dawn finds a possible daughter connection, as she has on other occasions, as we see her raw longing and eager reaching out. Her search is the long, thin thread connecting disparate part of the story into a cohesive whole for a patient, literary-minded reader .The ending is unexpectedly tender, sad, and yet satisfying.
Overall, I found the writing most evocative and effective during the comparatively long sections set in Trinidad--there, the author's intimate knowledge of that country shines. The emotional depiction of loss comes across as entirely authentic.

A bitter-sweet novel about a woman's quest to find the daughter she bore in Venezuela, at age 1`6, a daughter who was taken from her at birth by nuns and adopted by unknown persons. Dawn spends her life trying to find the child again, even after marrying and having other children.

I enjoyed learning more about the political history and life in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where much of the story takes place, and about their proximity to Venezuela, only seven miles away. The islands are a major part of the story, and form a unique setting.

The book follows how Dawn comes to terms with the future and the possibility of ever finding her daughter again.

I wanted to love this book but it left me confused. I felt like I was reading a "dear diary" sort of story and a "welcome to Trinidad and Tobago" brochure mixed with the character's race and class in society. It felt disjointed. The constant explanation of Trinidadian culture competed with the story about a mothers love for her children and her place within her family and upkeeping their reputation. These narratives could have been more cohesive but it instead, it was distracting.

This beautifully written novel follows Dawn, a woman at a crossroads, navigating the emotional aftermath of a life shaped by silence, sacrifice, and longing. At fifty-eight, with her children grown and her marriage behind her, Dawn turns inward—toward the secret she’s held for over four decades: the child she was forced to give up as a teenager in Trinidad.

What follows is a moving, profoundly human story of one woman’s search for healing. From the sun-soaked streets of Trinidad to the bustling landscapes of Venezuela and London, the novel captures the complexity of memory and the ache of what-ifs. Dawn’s journey is not just physical—it’s a reckoning with all the choices, regrets, and quiet hopes that have shaped her.

The strength of this book lies in its emotional honesty. Dawn is neither a hero nor a victim—honest, flawed, and brave in her vulnerability. Her longing to reconnect with her lost daughter is rendered with tenderness and nuance, making her story feel intimate and universal.

This novel is about the ties that bind us across time, distance, and pain. It is about love—imperfect, enduring, and transformative. Powerful, reflective, and quietly devastating, this book will stay with you long after the final page.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sixteen-year-old Dawn escapes to Venezuela to give birth and give the baby up for adoption. Now at 58 she's living in England with two adult sons. Then she receives a mysterious letter....This is a thoughtful and tender novel about what we will do to preserve our integrity and family as Adam says, "to remember the past is its own gift".
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Ever since reading Golden Child, i've been eagerly awaiting for another book from Claire Adam. This one did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and think its another great summer read.

Nail biting keep you on your toes type of read I loved it and would like to experience this read for another time informative thank you

3.5 stars rounded up.
This book felt like my own grandmother telling me a story about her past. The book piqued my curiosity when Dawn was taken to the women's home to give birth to her baby. This was an experience I wish the author had spent more time on; however, the way it is recalled demonstrates how sometimes it is hard to remember traumatic situations. The lack of resolution at the end of the book was disappointing but it also felt realistic to many adoptee stories.