Cinnamon Haynes’s childhood wasn’t easy, but she’s mostly content with the little life she’s carved out for herself as an adult. Married, a stable career at the community college, and daily lunch hours she spends reading in a quiet park. On Fridays, she spends that time with Daisy, a 19-year-old young woman with a similarly troubled upbringing. Except one Friday when Daisy doesn’t show up and the park’s tranquility is broken by the unexpected cry of an infant. Cinnamon discovers an abandoned newborn baby with a note in her carrier, “Please Cinnamon….” Cinnamon’s choice to take the baby home upends her world and will change her life forever.

This book is so hard to rate. It’s beautifully written and presents a number of thought-provoking themes on motherhood, race, and the foster care system. What does it mean to be a mother, and who gets to decide what and who a mother is? What happens when a Black woman mothers a white baby? Is the foster care system’s goal family reunification always what’s best for a child?

I would have liked a little deeper exploration of these topics, but it seems like the authors skimmed the surface on too many themes rather than really digging in on a few key ones. I also struggled to accept some of the plot points, which seemed improbable at best and occasionally flat-out illegal. Ultimately, I found myself frustrated with Cinnamon and just couldn’t get on board with the basic premise of the story: Cinnamon finding the baby, choosing to keep her rather than going to the authorities, and detonating her personal relationships as a result.

Although this book wasn’t for me, it would be a perfect choice for a book club discussion. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I DNFed this at about 29% and just went to the end to see the very predictable conclusion. I just found it really hard to care too much about these characters, and the writing style was so plain. I thought their first book was ok, but this kind of writing just does nothing for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

After a tough life in foster care, Cinnamon now has a good job at a junior college. Her husband Jason has used all their savings to build a restaurant. She meets Daisy on a park bench and their Friday conversations bloom into a friendship. One Friday Daisy doesn’t show and Cinnamon finds a baby with a note behind their lunchtime bench. Daisy wants Cinnamon to care for her daughter. What should Cinnamon do? Her husband doesn’t want the baby and Cinnamon always thought she was unable to have children. Another detail, Cinnamon is black and Daisy and her daughter are white. The authors do a great job of providing the backstory for both women. Many details about the legal aspects of abandonment and the foster system are al explored. This was 4.5 stars for me. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. I highly recommend it.

This felt a bit like a Jodi Picoult book in that I kept waiting for something really ethically questionable to happen and it just never did. This felt slow and a bit boring at times; I liked the story but it felt longer than it needed to be.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Christine Pride and Jo Piazza's book "We Are Not Like Them" and its focus on Racial Dynamics. You Were Always Mine was another great look at a Black woman's experience with systems that are set up for white people, though in this case the lens was the foster care system. Cinnamon Haynes finds herself parenting a baby, after she herself grew up in foster care and hadn't planned on being a parent. This is only the first of many juxtaposing positions she finds herself in: a Black woman caring for a white baby, a married woman whose husband is not interested in joining her in fostering said baby, and a teen mother who wants Cinnamon to raise her baby, but whose racist grandparents want to raise the baby themselves.

As Cinnamon bonds with the baby and learns how to be a mother, she also learns to come to terms with her own past. The only complaints I had were that problems were resolved too quickly at the end, in an effort to finish the story. I felt that some of the lifelong turmoil was solved a bit too neatly. I would have expected some situations to have remained unresolved re: the grandparents' relationship, and Cinnamon's relationship with her aunt. This gave me some food for thought, though it wasn't as deeply felt for me as it was in the authors' previous novel. Still, this was a very good read!

Cinnamon Hayes is a black woman who works at a community college and loves her afternoon routine of eating lunch at a nearby park. She meets and befriends a girl named Daisy. One day, while waiting for her unusual friend, Cinnamon finds a white newborn baby at the park with a note from Daisy asking her to care for the baby.

The story follows Cinnamon and how everyone in her life reacts to her taking in this baby. Cinnamon grows to love the baby and does everything in her power to make sure the baby is well taken care of. Cinnamon has to make hard decisions and is forced to think of what she really wants in life.

This book covers many topics regarding racism, the foster care system, childhood trauma, abuse, privilege, and motherhood. The authors did a fantastic job of covering these difficult topics and bringing to light many important issues. I think this would be a great book club read because it opens up the discussion for many different topics.

I did like this book but I did feel like it was a little drawn out and it had many different side plots. The chapters were very long and had so many other plots, it was hard to follow at times.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I liked their first book better, but this one was still great! I love how these two are able to hit difficult topics that are couched in an entertaining story. The character development was strong and I felt so much compassion for everyone, but particularly Daisy. I will absolutely be adding a hard copy to my personal library.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 “I think I’ll wait for Santa this year,” -Me, refusing to be left with this gift at the park.

🥂𝒫𝒶𝒾𝓇𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽: Flaming Fireball Shot- you’re not really sure what to do with it, but you take it anyway.

✍️There are few things I enjoy more in life than sitting in the park on a sunny day, reading my book, snacking on chips and let’s be honest…scrolling Tik Tok. No one to bother me, ask me questions or talk to me. #alonetime

If anyone comes within twenty feet of my lounge chair, I’m like STRANGER DANGER ⛔️ and pretend I’m asleep.

Cinnamon, maybe you should have done the same thing! One day, the 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕎𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝔸𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕖 protagonist is relaxing in the park on her lunch hour and the next she has a new BFF. Sounds nice…until that “BFF” leaves her a small gift one afternoon and then straight up disappears.

What’s that small gift, you want to know? Well let’s just say Cinnamon’s quiet time will cease to exist for the next 18 years.😱 #whatsthereturnpolicy

⚠️ May cause readers to take the term “no new friends” a bit more literally.

Cinnamon has had a hard life, but now she's got a husband, a house and a good, steady job. Until one day, she finds a baby, abandoned by a young white woman named Daisy. She finds herself at a crossroads - if she raises this baby, her past will come back to haunt her. Bit how can she not? When the baby's grandparents show up, demanding that they don't want a black woman raising their grandchild, Cinnamon and Daisy's lives become more entangled than ever.

I liked this book. It presented an interesting concept, and it felt eye-opening to read about how people thought that the black woman with a white baby was the nanny or even worse, a kidnapper. Worth a one time read, but probably not a re-reader.

I woke up in the middle of the night and decided that I needed to finish this book immediately. I felt deeply connected to the character of Cinnamon and invested in her journey.

Many descriptions of this book explain the custody battle between Cinnamon and Daisy’s family. I was (pleasantly) surprised to find the story is much deeper. It asks us to consider the many ways families are created, how we were raised impacts our identity, and how mothers impact us (whether they were present or not). For me, this was a story of a woman who finally discovered who she wanted to be in the world after years of being told who she “should” be.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "You Were Always Mine" and all opinions expressed are my own. I did not read the first book by these authors. I thought that there were some things that were left hanging in this story. I felt it was a bit slow to start. Overall an okay book.

Short synopsis: Cinnamon is a Black woman with a troubled past and an uncertain future, when she’s sitting on her usual bench to meet her unlikely friend she hears a baby cry. This white baby has a note with it asking Cinnamon to take care of her.

My thoughts: I haven’t gotten to the first novel by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza quite yet, but after reading this I’m carving time out of my TBR to pick it up!

Filled with issues such as racism, childhood trauma, abuse, the foster care system, and of course motherhood. The authors did a fabulous job of discussing such topics in a straightforward but delicate way, bringing up racially charged ideas I’d never considered.

The pacing was somewhat slow, but overall I really enjoyed the plot and the storyline.

Read if you love:
🌼 Diverse families
🌼 Foster care
🌼 Found family
🌼 Difficult topics
🌼 Diverse reads

I adored the last novel by this author duo and happy to say I liked this new release from the them as well.
A novel exploring what it means to be a mother. A black woman finds an abandoned white baby and this brings up all sorts of questions (of our day) surrounding race, motherhood and what does it mean to “mother?” The storyline at times lagged, but really like the overall message of this book.
Thank-you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this novel.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

I enjoyed Pride and Piazza's first book and was very excited to read this one as well, which did not disappoint. I loved both of the main characters - Cinnamon and Daisy - though the ending left me wanting to learn more about where they ended up.

Thank you so much to Atria books and Simon Audio for the chance to read/listen to this book prior to release.

I have had these authors debut book on my shelf since it came out and haven't read it yet, but after reading this one, I will definitely be going back and reading it!

This one took me a little bit of time to get invested in, but once I was invested, I needed to know how things would end! I disagree with some of what the main character did, but I can still sympathize with her reasoning for her choices.

I do think some of the descriptions were a little more drawn out than was necessary and I wish things could have stayed on track just a little more, but overall, it was a pretty good plot!

The narration was 5/5 and I would highly recommend the audio version!

This book will be available for purchase on June 13th.

What a beautifully written story that addresses the unconventional family and the impacts of multiracial families. Based on Cinnamon's own past experiences with the foster system I can understand her hesitation to involve law enforcement or CPS when she found the abandoned baby. This story magnificently intertwined so many real and tough issues into one great read. It really portrays how childhood and past traumas affect our future decisions. I also enjoyed reading about Cinnamon's journey of becoming a mother even though it wasn't in a way that she would have expected. I admired her ability to love that child like her own and her determination and perseverance in doing what was best for the baby and not letting her go so easily, even despite all the struggles she encountered in doing so.

By the end of the book I was in tears. Not many books can have that effect on me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After growing up in foster care, finding a family member, but getting kicked out at 17, Cinnamon has always had to fight for herself. She now has a good job, a lovely husband, and a home to call her own. When Daisy doesn’t show for their weekly lunch date on the bench, she is curious where she is until she hears a small cry. Taking in the very white, very blue eyed baby is something Cinnamon must do, especially once she sees the note from Daisy asking her to care for the child. When Daisy’s grandparents show up and want nothing less than their great grandchild being raised by a Black woman, the real fight begins.

Well heck, can Christine Pride and Jo Piazza write a damn good book together. This one instantly grabbed me in the way Cinnamon immediately loved and cared for this innocent child. My heart absolutely broke for what both Cinnamon had gone through in her life, but also for what Daisy had fought at the hands of her family. Jo and Christine have such a way to working together and writing about race, family, trauma, and so much more. I truly loved every second of Cinnamon and Bluebells journey, it made me want to be there to watch their love in person.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this arc. The story was interesting and showed a different side of motherhood discrimination; a black women finds a white baby at a park and wants to keep her safe. This book is not as good as their first book, but it was a nice read anyway. I like how the authors can take serious topics nad create a story to display and discuss them.

I absolutely loved this duo’s first book, and I couldn’t wait for another from them. Like We Are Not Like Them, You Were Always Mine tackles racial dynamics head on. Cinnamon, a Black woman, is left with an abandoned white baby and a note asking her to raise it. Her own past is complicated, and baby Bluebell brings everything back to the surface. What unfolds is a slow burn with themes of motherhood and healing. The authors have a great message and purpose behind this book; however, there were moments I had hoped for a bit *more* from the story. Still, the final product has a timely and important message.

You Were Always Mine is the sophomore collaboration by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza. Cinnamon, a Black woman, (who has hidden her past of growing up in the foster care system from her husband and best friend), befriends a young white girl, Daisy, during their daily visits to a quiet park. Nineteen year old Daisy has a past and present she is trying to hide as well. One day when Cinnamon is at the park, instead of Daisy, she finds a baby...a blonde hair, blue-eyed baby abandoned with a note that says "Please Cinnamon..." And so the journey begins....
I enjoyed the book even though I felt parts a little too unrealistic (or maybe I just don't know how things work.) If you do not like a book that goes into detail about trigger warning topics such as rape, incest, or sexual identity you may appreciate this one as it just glazes the surface of those topics and they are a small backdrop in the history of some of the characters. What I like about the book are the questions I believe the book is centered around, "Can a Black woman raise a blonde hair, blue-eyed white baby?" While you see stories of white families adopting Black children (or other races) often, you rarely see the reverse. Will society, in general, give the Black woman the side-eye, assume she's the nanny , or assume there's something wrong with this picture? (Yes, yes, and yes). Is motherhood a right or privilege? Is motherhood for everyone....can any woman be a mother?
Overall, an engaging read. I enjoyed the duos first book more than this one, but I look forward to seeing what this team creates next.