this book might be about Zinnia” vid review 🙂‍↕️
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these are some thoughts I jotted down while reading:
📌wants perfection, borderline narcissistic
📌self centered but expected from a Teenager (self absorbed, youthful narcissism)
📌self awareness; projection of standards in relationship with her mom (imperfect caregiver in a perfectionist’s world)
📌“Imperfections make the family”
📌THE DEDICATION!! The book goes beyond zinnia and her journey but also Tuesday’srelationship with her mom. Learning the meaning of boundaries

thank you @simonteen for the eARC!
pub date: July 1st, 2025

In 2024, Zinnia Davis is fighting to gain a Harvard acceptance, supported along the way by her book-loving best friend. But his latest gift to her, a fantasy novel titled Little Heart, throws things into confusion. The story tells of a mother giving away her baby, a princess with a unique heart-shaped birthmark. Zinnia is adopted and has that same birthmark, but it's the little details that make things hit a bit too close to home. Could Zinnia's favorite author actually be her birth mother?

In 2006, a girl named Tuesday Walker is trying to get her life back on track after giving away her baby. She still maintains feelings of a sort for the baby's father, but a new coworker is beginning to seem like a much stronger match. As she sorts out her feelings, she keeps a diary, turning her story into a fantasy epic. But things become fraught when Tuesday learns the truth of her baby's father's family and their connection to her family. And then her diary disappears.

This Book Might Be About Zinnia covers a lot of feelings in a relatively short space: the feeling of having a family but wondering about your "real" one, the grief of giving up a child, the disconnect between a privileged life and the trauma of being a caretaker for a parent. While Zinnia's goals are initially set on crafting an interesting essay for her Harvard application, she soon learns that her desire to excel could be costing her things that really matter—and making her less aware of the world around her. YA novels can often miss the mark when it comes to how teens think and talk, but this turbulent novel (with an ultimately satisfying ending) hits the nail on the head time after time.

While I didn't love this as much as SLAY, it told a beautiful, if a bit messy, story about both sides of adoption. Zinnia was kind of self-absorbed (as teens can be), but I liked Tuesday's story a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Special thanks to the author & @simonteen #SimonTeenInfluencer for my gifted copy‼️

This book was absolutely amazing from start to finish. I was curious to see how the author would tie together both timelines for Tuesday and Zinnia and she executed everything perfectly.

This Might Be About Zinnia is a touching and heartfelt story about a young biracial teen seeking the truth about her birth mother and where she comes from. Showcasing the effects of overly controlling parents, uncovering trauma, the support adoptive children often require, how “protecting” our children from the truth can do more harm than good, and exploring the highs and lows teens experience. Brittney Morris created an unflinching portrayal of finding family from the perspective of mother and child.

I was rooting for Zinnia the entire time and wanted so bad for her to find her birth mother. I love how Morris twisted the plot and had us thinking things would unfold so easily. But that twist was unexpected and took the novel to a different level by adding a bit of suspense to the story.

Zinnia was such a courageous character for taking matters into her own hands. I love how her friend Milo was there every step of the way even with dealing with his own issues. Both timelines give us the backstory we need to understand the characters. Tuesday’s mother was at fault for a lot and had she supported her daughter or at least told the truth about her past Tuesday could’ve potentially kept her baby. Justin made me want to ring his neck although he acted out of kindness he completely overstepped.

Overall, this YA book was EVERYTHING‼️ The characters were well-developed, and I loved how the dialogue really brought the story to life. The plot flowed seamlessly and left no room for holes or confusion so I highly recommend this book.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that we know pretty early on that yes, Zinnia is Tuesday’s child. The “loss” that Tuesday experiences—missing months of school, etc.—is clearly her pregnancy, and since she’s not currently raising a child, we know that she gave her baby up for adoption.

I like that Zinnia has known since childhood that she’s adopted. There’s no traumatic revelation, no coming to terms with that fact. I also like that she isn’t fazed by the birthmark on her face; she wears it with pride.

At first, Zinnia’s decision to find her birth mother seems shallow. She just wants to have a strong college admission essay. And she’s in a time crunch; her first essay was rejected and she has a limited time to resubmit. She’s been aiming for Harvard all her life, and she’s right on track to get there—if she can fix the essay problem. So when a favorite author’s new book has references that are suspiciously close to Zinnia’s story…she pursues it.

Simultaneously, we get the story of Tuesday’s recovery from her pregnancy (which no one at school—including the baby’s father—knows about), the betrayal of the boy who impregnated her, and her borderline abusive mother,

As we watch both of our protagonists, we see the threads of past and present come together. There’s heartbreak. Friendships are tested. Zinnia’s single-minded pursuit of her birth mother blinds her to best friend Eli’s family struggles, and their friendship fractures because of it. (So do a lot of her other high-achieving habits. Parental relationships are tested. Tuesday’s breaks; Zinnia’s strengthens.

I love some dramatic irony (when the reader knows things the characters don’t), and we get plenty of it as we draw toward the climax of the book. All in all, the resolution and aftermath are satisfying.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Some cursing, including the f-word. Mention of teenage sex, including mention of condoms and STDs. Kissing. Vaping. Arson. Parental death.

Who Might Like This Book:
People who like coming of age, found family, adoption stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/07/past-and-present-collide.html

#BrittneyMorris #NetGalley #BookReview #YALit #ThisBookMightBeAboutZinnia

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved this book!!!

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for this new release (7.1.25). High school senior Zinnia, who has dreamed of going to Harvard her entire life, receives word that her admissions essay is lacking originality at the same time that her best friend gets her the newest book by her favorite author, in which the main character has a few too many details in common with her - a heart-shaped birthmark on her hairline, no record of her birth mother, an allusion to the same adoption agency - and it sends her on a journey to find out if this author is actually her mother. Every other chapter is the actual story of her birth mother in 2006, as she discovers her own family’s unsettling legacy as she deals with giving Zinnia up for adoption and having her journal given up to an author looking for inspiration. This is intended for high school readers, and I would say it’s accurate. I would hand it to readers in grades 9+. #highschoolreads

this novel follows two teen girls, set apart by eighteen years, as one searches for her biological mother and the other copes with giving up her baby. zinnia is an adoptee who’s been told her personal essay is lacking heart. when she notices some similarities between herself and the main character of a book, she wonders if the author might be her biological mother. tuesday is barely surviving after one loss, and after losing the journal that helped her cope, she feels like she’s gone through another loss. as she searches for her journal, she uncovers dangerous secrets about her past, her crush, and her own mother.

i love books with dual timelines, and books featuring adoptees, so i was looking forward to this one! this was my first book by brittney morris and definitely won’t be my last. i loved getting to know both zinnia and tuesday. though they are so very different, it was clear how their own stories impacted one another. i also appreciated seeing them grow up a bit. for example, zinnia starts off as being not-so-attuned to her best friend’s troubles, instead focusing on her own. this changed throughout the book, which i appreciated!

overall, this was a lovely book. i’d recommend this to anyone wanting a book featuring two teenage girls taking their own journey to adulthood.

I really went on a journey with this one. This book was wild in the best way. I had so much fun reading it! The story was chaotic, hilarious, and full of drama and I loved every second of it.
There were some characters I seriously adored, and a few I absolutely couldn’t stand (in a good, “you did your job as a character” kind of way). But honestly, that made the whole thing even more entertaining. It was a messy, fun, emotional rollercoaster, and I was totally along for the ride.
If you’re looking for something with a bold voice, some real attitude, and a main character who keeps you guessing, definitely give this one a shot.

THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA by Brittney Morris

Pub date: July 1st, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Rating: 3 / 5


"But I never forgot my Little Heart...I hoped that maybe, just maybe, one day, she'd find her way back from the Wise Old Oak. Back to me."

Zinnia Davis is set on joining Harvard's Class of 2029. The only problem? Her personal essay detailing her adoption isn't strong enough to impress the admissions board. When Zinnia relates to a few uncanny details in her favorite author's newest book "Little Heart", she begins to wonder if the author could be her birth mother. Meanwhile, in 2006, Tuesday Walker is simply trying to survive. Her only outlet? Channeling her energy into her journal, writing about the baby girl with a heart-shaped birthmark that she gave up.

THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA is a YA novel that packs a lot in its pages; from plotlines about no-contact adoption to socioeconomic differences, introspections from your average teenager stepping outside of their own perspective, and even a mystery element with mob-related murder. The best parts of the story are rooted in both Zinnia and Tuesday finding their support systems and learning to accept, and forgive, painful life experiences. The dual timeline also felt fairly balanced in terms of character development and pacing. Unfortunately, given the myriad of plotlines and themes featured, the book at times felt too busy. The pacing of some chapters felt slow while others sped by. Certain plot points also required a lot of suspended disbelief, especially in the final act. Still, even with the winding storylines, this book shone a light on the complexities of transracial and no-contact adoption. Readers looking for a contemporary mother-daughter tale with an undercurrent of a mystery/thriller should pick up Brittney Morris's latest book.


(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

If you’re into emotional adoption stories and messy family drama, this book will totally pull you in. Told through dual timelines, we follow Zinnia—a Harvard-bound high school senior—and Tuesday, a teen mom dealing with too much, including a gaslighting mother and family secrets.

Zinnia searches for her birth mom. Meanwhile, Tuesday is dealing with the heartbreak of giving up her baby and figuring out her dad’s shady past. Both girls are relatable—Tuesday is all grit and heart, while Zinnia’s more self-focused.

Watching their stories intertwine is one of the best parts—it’s full of tension, surprises, and “wait, what?!” moments. It’s not a light read, but it does have those little flickers of hope and humor that keep you going.

If you like character-driven books with flawed people, hidden connections, and big emotional payoffs, this one’s worth your time.

This was a really beautifully done Ya contemporary read that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did! I loved the two duel timelines and how beautifully written both story was. There was a lot more suspense and mystery then I expected but I really enjoyed seeing things come together! There were a lot of heavier topics but written sensitively and I am for sure going to read more from this author. This one will stick with you!

I actually feel bad for how awful I thought this book was. I'd previously read SLAY by this author and loved it. There was nothing technically wrong with the writing. My problem was with the characters and plot.

Starting with characters: was I supposed to like any of them? Because I didn't like a single one. One of the main characters had a side plot where she thought she might be a narcissist because all she thinks about is herself and I think that tells you all you need to know.

The plot had the potential to be twisty and shocking, but it was predictable. It was so predictable that I thought "surely that can't be where it's going" and then lo and behold... that's where it went.

I also hate it in books where there are excerpts from a book and you're supposed to think it's good, but it's not. The book had the potential to be a scathing commentary on parenting and the lasting effects parents have on their children. But it wasn't. It wasn't anything.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Simon teen for the gifted e-arc!

“Clap when you land meets Mondays not coming”

This is one of those beautiful and heartwarming books that is sure to stay with you! I absolutely enjoyed this. Zinnia is a high achieving perfectionist with her sights set on Harvard. As a legacy, they’re pretty sure she should gain acceptance. She is gifted a book from her best friend. The book has some scarily similar details to her, such as the main character having a heart shaped birthmark which is identical to hers and in the same place. As an adoptee, she wonders, what if this is my birth mother? What if this story is about me? She then embarks on a journey to find details while also using this as an opportunity for material for her Harvard essay.

This is dual time line, dual POV. Just years earlier in 2006, Tuesday as a young teen is forced to give up someone very dear to her. At such a young age, she experiences loss, heartbreak, and betrayal. To cope, she journals and is a beautiful writer. there is one person who sees the talent in her, but when a good deed leads to a lost journal, Tuesday must pick up the pieces and attempt to right her life.

The two stories amazingly collide as Zinnia continues on her quest. I found the characters like-able and the relationship between Zinnia and Miles very wholesome and something to be held on to and cherished. My heart longed for Tuesday, wishing she had a better support system, but I understand her mother thought she as doing the best for her.

This was a page turner as I became more and more invested in seeing the outcome of the story! I enjoyed the way things came together. There were two-three unanswered questions that I had, and I wished they would’ve been answered in the epilogue.

Overall I highly recommend this book and will definitely need a shelf trophy!

African-American Zinnia, adopted by a white couple, tries to find the mother she never knew. Both Tuesday [the birth mother] and Zinnia relate their experiences.

Thank you to Simon Teen for the ARC of This Book Might Be About Zinnia by Brittney Morris. All opinions are my own.

For years I’ve been fascinated with stories about adoption and reuniting families, so that was my main reason for choosing to read this book. While it wasn’t quite what I expected, I overall enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other people.

While this book has some light moments, it’s an overall pretty serious and emotional story about characters experiencing a lot of difficult circumstances.

This book is split between two timelines and points of view. There’s Zinnia, who’s a high school senior preparing to go to Harvard. She’s had a relatively easy life with her adoptive parents and never thought to track down her birth mom until she sees similarities between herself and a character in a new book.

The other timeline follows Tuesday, who’s a teen mom struggling with the fact that she gave her baby up for adoption and is dealing with a mom who constantly gaslights her. There’s also a lot of secrecy around her dad and his connection to the baby’s father.

I enjoyed reading from both perspectives, but I think I liked Tuesday a little bit more just because of her strength and bravery. I didn’t dislike Zinnia, but it frustrated me how much of her life revolved around herself to the point that she didn’t pay attention to the struggles of her best friend and that she dismissed her mother’s worries for her safety.

I liked how the two timelines came together in an interested and unexpected plot. It was fun trying to piece things together throughout the story.

Overall, I think this was a solid book. If you like stories with complicated family dynamics, flawed characters, and platonic relationships, then I think you’ll like this story.

I'm so glad Brittney Morris is back. This gave me Tiffany D vibes to me. This story was nothing but amazing and I will be getting a copy for my shelf when it comes out officially.

This Book Might Be About it Zinnia is dual POV between two teens that grow up in different decades.

Zinnia is a high school senior searching for a way to make her Harvard admission essay stand out among the rest. When her best friend Milo gifts her a novel written by one of her favorite authors, she believes it may give her the material she needs for her essay. This is because she and the protagonist of the gifted book share some uncanny similarities that lead her to believe the book may actually be about her adoption story.

Tuesday is a teenager navigating a complicated relationship with her mother and processing a difficult decision she had to make at a very young age. She is also discovering that her mother has been keeping secrets from her.

I really enjoyed the characterization of Zinnia and Tuesday, along with some of the secondary characters. Zinnia’s best friend Milo is a major presence in Zinnia’s story line, and he will tug on your heart strings. In fact, Zinnia’s treatment of Milo towards the end of the book caused me to have less respect for Zinnia.

The climax of the book gets really complicated and has maybe too much going on…somehow including a mob boss and a missing person alert. Overall, it’s a fast paced, engaging read but some of the characters actions were questionable and caused it to lose some stars for me.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

fun and welldone storyline(s). the plotting is great and the two ideas connect really beautifully. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Told in two timelines, two very different girls at the same age share a connection. In 2024, Zinnia gets a heads up on her personal essay to Harvard University; it lacks heart. It seems like a sign when her favorite author releases a new novel about a princess with a heart-shaped birthmark on her forehead separated from her mother at birth—just like Zinnia. Her personal essay could be about following a bestselling novel to find her birth mom. Doesn't get more original than that!

In 2006, Tuesday Walker is coping with a loss and huge secret. She is barely making it through high school after what her mother calls "the incident." Tuesday writes her feelings in a journal that is later lost. It is the entries told in that very journal that brings the two girls together.

What a heartwarming story with unexpected suspense. Themes of bravery, independence, parenthood and security are explored within its pages. Such a beautiful tale wonderfully told with the right pacing. I do not favor multiple points of view and past/present narration but Brittney Morris' writing style made it clear and easy to read.

The author mentions going no-contact in the Acknowledgments. This was actually my favorite section of the book and a strong message that I needed to hear at this time. Sometimes we have to protect ourselves and respect our own boundaries. Like Zinnia, she protected her peace while discovering herself and searching for the woman responsible for her life and could change it moving forward. Again, this is a level of bravery that all young adults could strive for.

I recommend the perfectly titled This Book Might Be About Zinnia for young adults to read this summer. Make it a buddy read with a friend or mom. Soak in the lessons and sunshine.

Happy Early Pub Day, Brittney Morris! This Book Might Be About Zinnia will be available Tuesday, July 1.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie