This was an eye opening look into how adoption affects the children involved. While we tend to look at adoption as a beautiful, happy moment, I've never thought about the negative things and anxiety it would cause the child. The emotion was felt in this writing.

an emotional read based on the adoptee viewpoint. from finding out she was adopted to eventually meeting her birth mother, she was it filled in all the questions that arise in this situation.
well written.

This book was great! It was really interesting, and I really enjoyed hearing about the author's life. I enjoyed the little snippets from her past, and it was so cool when she got to meet her birth parents.

Quite often, when you hear the word adoption, you have a positive view of all facets of it. This story by Liz Harvie presents an alternate view of adoption and the effects it may have on the adoptee. This was a well written story detailing the thoughts of an adoptee and the trauma that reverberated throughout her life due to the removal from her biological family. There were many assumptions that Liz believed throughout her life such as, her mother did not want her. These thoughts deeply affected Liz. This story detailed forced adoptions that occurred in the 1970’s, which I wasn’t even aware of. The feelings of grief and loss was portrayed in this story. My heart broke for Liz and the emotional trauma she has endured. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering adoption. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a good and a sad read about a kid growing up wondering about why her mother gave her up and the answer you have to read to find out.

A rather upsetting book, how can things like this happen, a young child is told she has been adopted, Her new family are good people but she cant understand why her mother would give her up. It left so many unanswered questions, she was told told her parents were not married and could not look after. But years later she found her biological mother and was told the truth. She had just been removed by a social worker because they thought
her mother unfit. A good read, very emotional.

I feel so badly for the author. I wonder if she would have experienced so much anguish about her adoption if her adoptive mother had been at all nurturing. How amazing that the author’s birth parents turned out to be so lovely! I hope that all the victims of forced adoption find a supportive community and start to heal.

Update: I have posted a review for this book on Amazon, but for some reason, the NetGalley website link didn’t take me directly to Amazon. This is why on the NetGalley website, on my shelf for this book, it looks like I haven’t posted a review.

You can find said review under the username Pererau here: https://us.amazon.com/Unspoken-Silent-Behind-Lifelong-Adoptee-ebook/dp/B0CL7S1N54/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16RNOD6DT1C7U&keywords=unspoken+liz+harvie&qid=1701816973&s=books&sprefix=Unspoken+Liz+ha%2Cstripbooks%2C154&sr=1-1#customerReviews

Thank you

Unspoken by Liz Harvie and Eve Hatton is a traumatic true story about a woman who was the victim of forced adoptions in England and Wales in the 20th Century. The emotional connections Liz lacked with her adoptive family echo through her whole life. She seeks connection and is able to find it with her own children. After finding her biological mother, she learns that her adoption trauma is shared, but the healing is not automatic.

This book is a great read for people looking to understand the problems following forced adoption, looking to find others who may have the same experience, and for those who know that healing is never complete, but life can be.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I’d like to thank Ad Lib Publishers, Mardle Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Unspoken’ written by Liz Harvie in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

From two years old Elizabeth (Liz) knows she’s adopted, her mother telling her numerous times that she’s been ‘chosen’, but it isn’t until she reaches the age of sixteen that she’s shown her adoption papers and learns about her birth parents.

‘Unspoken’ must have been a difficult book to write as Liz tells of her childhood when she’s bullied at school, throughout her years of further education which she thoroughly enjoys, to when as an adult she feels ready to contact The Children’s Society and put her name on the National Adoption Contact Register. Her meetings with her birth mother Yvonne and father Andy are touching and I can feel her hurt at how her adopted mother treated her for wanting to meet her birth parents. Thank you, Liz, for letting me read about your experiences and learn more about how adoption can affect both the mother and child, and I’m so pleased at the way your life has turned out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for access to this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I feel privileged to have been allowed to read this book. I felt sadness, anger against the adoptive family. I'm happy with how everything ended for Liz, for everything she's found. I think that maybe, other adopted children will find answers in this book, trying to find themselves and their feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Unspoken by Liz Harvie. This book was a well written account of a forced adoption in the UK. It was full of a lot of emotions that I'm sure were difficult to live through and then to write about at a later date. I'm not sure I understand the difference between a forced adoption and a regular adoption from the point of view of the adopted child. It is definitely very traumatic for the mother. That is clear to me. I really don't feel that adopted children suffer as much as this book seems to convey that they do. I welcomed the opportunity to read an account of a forced adoption.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book is well written and the story is really painful. But I found that the book doesn't convey the emotions the author talks about.

When I first started reading this, it wasn't about adoption and it took a bit before it got to what I was expecting. I realize adoption affects everyone differently but I'm on the opposite side, I didn't feel any of this and I knew my entire life I was adopted so that's not to fault the author. I think the issue is, I was expecting an entirely different book.

This book is about forced adoptees, people that are adopted as children with no say in the matter. Elizabeth was told from a very young age that she was 'chosen' by her adoptive parents and that made her special but her adoptive parents made little effort to engage with how this made her feel. As an adult she pursued her birth parents and this is her account of the experience and it also touches on other people this happens to and the trauma that results from being taken away from your birth parents. It's an interesting read and a perspective I've never really thought about before.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Reading adoption stories always brings up a rollercoaster of emotions. This was a well written account of a forced adoption that tells her experience with her adopted parents and then eventually meeting her biological parents.
This brings awareness to the forced adoptions of the 1970s.

Unspoken was so well written. I got lost in the story about Liz and her journey all about adoption. As an adoptive mom I found her story to be so helpful in how to provide help and guidance to my teenage son. Based on the things that Liz discussed and her feelings, it gave me insight to that time in an adoptee's life. Well done! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.