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Book Summary and Reviews of This Book Might Be About Zinnia by Brittney Morris

This Book Might Be About Zinnia by Brittney Morris

This Book Might Be About Zinnia

by Brittney Morris

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Jul 2025, 336 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Clap When You Land meets Monday's Not Coming in this moving 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.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Zinnia is told her college essay lacks heart, yet Tuesday's writing is full of emotion. Discuss each character's writing process. How do they use writing as a tool and for what purpose?
  2. Throughout the novel, songs overlap between the time periods. Choose a song from the book and analyze the different situations it comes up in between the timelines. How do the songs work to set the scene?
  3. Whenever Zinnia talks about college, her friend Milo becomes visibly upset. Why does he feel this way? In what ways can you relate to either character?
  4. Tuesday thinks to herself, "I've heard that everyone has a strict parent and a fun parent. Unfortunately for me, I got stuck with the former." (Chapter four) What are your thoughts ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Seamlessly shifting between perspectives, the story remains cohesive and sustains a quick pace. Morris insightfully explores themes of anxiety and the relentless need for perfection as both characters wrestle with their emotions and perceived shortcomings. A compelling, introspective journey into identity and the power of familial love." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"The intricate plot, woven by Morris, requires careful attention to navigate the myriad melodramatic elements and events, including an adoption agency mysteriously burning down, a drowning, a secret late-night trip, and hints about Mafia activity. Period references to technological advances and to popular music and other media contextualize each timeline." —Publishers Weekly

This information about This Book Might Be About Zinnia was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Brittney Morris

Brittney Morris is the author of SLAY, The Cost of Knowing, The Jump, and This Book Might Be About Zinnia and has written video game narrative for Insomniac Games's Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for PlayStation 5, Unknown Worlds's Subnautica: Below Zero, and Soma Games's The Lost Legends of Redwall. She is the founder and former president of the Boston University Creative Writing Club. She holds a BA in economics. You can find her online at AuthorBrittneyMorris.com and on X (previously known as Twitter) or Instagram @BrittneyMMorris.

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