Past and Present Collide

 

This Book Might Be About Zinnia
By Brittney Morris
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: July 1, 2025
Print length: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1665904018
Reading age: 12 years and up
Grade level: 7 – 9

 Publisher’s Blurb:

Clap When You Land meets Monday’s Not Coming in this “compelling, introspective” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel told in two timelines as one teen searches for her biological mother and the other copes with giving up her baby from the acclaimed author of SLAY.

Two moments in time. Two very different girls. And one story that connects them both.

It’s the year 2024, and Zinnia Davis is on a mission to ace her personal essay. But when an admissions rep hints that her adoption story is “lacking heart,” she has to figure out a new spin. Frankly, Zinnia doesn’t know much about her birth parents; that is, until her favorite author releases a new novel—Little Heart—about a princess with a heart-shaped birthmark on her forehead and separated from her mother at birth…just like Zinnia. Could this be her birth mother?

Flashback to 2006, and teenager Tuesday Walker is barely making it through high school after experiencing a loss that had her on leave for months. To cope, Tuesday writes a series of entries in a journal, but when the journal is lost, it feels like reliving the trauma all over again. Tuesday’s search for the journal uncovers dangerous secrets about her past, her crush, and her own mother’s story.

If Tuesday isn’t careful in her search, Zinnia will have to reap the consequences in the present.

 My Thoughts:

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.

 #BrittneyMorris #NetGalley #BookReview #YALit #ThisBookMightBeAboutZinnia