The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue

by Zoulfa Katouh

From the celebrated author of As Long as the Lemon Tree Grows comes a poignant novel about a Syrian American girl who uses a magical sketchbook to turn her grief into art, painting miraculous murals of her mother’s life in Syria.

Seventeen-year-old Jihad Dabbagh has always seen life with a heightened sense for colors, one of many magical blessings the women in her family possess. But Jihad's gift changes depending on her mood. When depression sets in, the world is a colorless oasis, and in the wake of her mother's sudden death, the world has become a permanent shade of grey.

Broken by tragedy, Jihad's family doesn't believe her color loss. Her father sends her to the elite Braxton Academy to finish her senior year. There, Jihad's name and hijab put a target on her back. Her haven comes in the form of an old sketchbook carved from a tree in her hometown in Syria — a country she only knew through her mother's stories. Jihad hasn't picked up a brush in over a year, but finds herself channeling the colors of her hurt, pain, and grief as she paints the story of her mother's journey in Syria.

When graffiti of that same mural starts magically popping up all over New York, her art goes viral and the world takes notice, the threat of legal consequences is imminent. To reclaim her voice, Jihad will have to paint a new future for herself and Braxton, guided by the resilience of her mother's story.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Teen

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 2, 2026

About the author

All Zoulfa wanted was to lay in her bed and eat sliced mango all day long with no single thought in her mind, but now she has two jobs, scientist and author. She has girlbossed so close to the sun, that she's burning. She lost the original plot.

Reviews

[Clace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me raging, it had me sobbing, and it made me feel so helpless 😭 I loved how zoulfa write. rtc
___
As long as the lemon trees grow was a masterpiece that I have read 3 times 😭 and my last reread was during Ramadan, so I want to read her new book during this month as well 🤭 like you guys don't understand the mess that book made me, I never cry while reading books but that one made me SOB 😔😔 expecting the same from this <33

[shanayaa]

౨ৎ pre-read:
⤿ started - 20 February, 2026

getting the ARC for this book felt like a dream come true 😭🤞🏻

[fadheela ♡ (ongoing ME war hiatus)]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

⤿🪼19/02/26
OMG I GOT THE ARC, LITERALLY THE BEST RAMADAN GIFT EVER!!😭💓 I can't believe I have her now *crying in disbelief* It's "READ NOW" in netgalley for the next 24 hours, SO RUN BESTIES!!!!!🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️

⤿🪼28/01/26
the cover is revealed now OMG SHE'S A BEAUTY 🥹😭💘 I've been camping out here for 4 YEARS AAAA I'M ABSOLUTELY GOING FERAL RN Y'ALL HAVE NO IDEA ASDFGHJKL 😩✋🏻

[Yusra ☾]

everyone. what book did i read june 4th of 2025 FOR THE FIRST TIME??? as long as the lemon trees grow! what is now COMING OUT june 4th 2026? THE OCEAN WOULD PAINT ME BLUE. what else takes place on june 4th?? MY BIRTHDAY. GUYS. THIS BOOK IS COMING OUT ON MY BIRTHDAY AFTER I READ LEMON TREES THIS YEAR ON MY BIRTHDAY.

THIS IS FATE.

[Azanta (azantareads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

i did in fact have the pleasure of reading this a couple months ago and yes, i wept

I like to think of this book like A Very Large Expanse of Sea but respectful and with much better Muslim representation. it healed something in me that i didn't realize i had been hurting from, and spent the entire end of the book weeping – both in reflection for how beautiful this book was (i love Zoulfa's writing and will read literally anything she writes) but also mourning and grieving for the girl i was in high school who really, really needed to read this book. i feel lucky to live at the same time as books like Zoulfa's, whose FMCs are proud Muslims and pay a beautiful homage to Syria. this was easily one of the best books i've read.

[Saranya [returning soon] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful and evocative read. The fmc and her sister's childhood stories were incredibly moving. I will admit, they brought me to tears many a times while reading this novel. However, while the emotional core was stunning, I did run into a few hurdles with the narrative that kept it from being a perfect 5 star experience.

This story offers a searing look at the mechanics of Islamophobia and the weight of being Arab in a space that does not want you to take up room. While I understand thatthe fmc’s silence is a realistic reflection of the trauma and exhaustion that come with constant discrimination, it was deeply painful to witness. I found myself frequently wishing she would claim her power and it was incredibly frustrating to watch her remain quiet while her name, her faith and her very character were disparaged by those around her.

The characterization was incredibly thin.
Aside from Jamie, the only character who truly resonated with me was Amal. As an eldest daughter myself, I felt a deep, instant connection to her role. But I seriously could not distinguish among the friends. They all sounded the same- no difference. And the whole surrounding- awfully bizarre. It was unbelievable at times seeing that the only person in the school with a sane mind to be the mmc and literally no other pupil. The only person apart from Jamie I liked is Amal (the fmc's sister)- the reason (probably) is that, that I'm the eldest daughter in my family too and I could relate to her.

Now, focusing on the fmc- as much as I wanted to love this, she made it a challenge. She felt less like a person and more like a collection of tragic circumstances. Even taking her trauma into account, it is frustrating because the book had so much going for it, but a protagonist without a clear personality makes for a very long read.

At the same time, I do recognize that her silence and hesitation likely reflect the reality of navigating systemic discrimination. Her behaviour with her father and her sister in her book made me forget about what she was going through and made me want to scream at her and putting some sense in her. And the way she was not standing by herself from the very moment she entered her new school made it incredibly painful to watch everything unfold. Yes, I do understand that- not everyone responds with such confidence. Her reactions did sound real but it was painful to view it all.

.☘︎ ݁˖ 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝:

Although I haven't read As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow yet, the glowing reviews have me intrigued!! Anyways, buddy reading with my granddaughter, ishyyy

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: 2 June 2026

[nadine (semi ia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf @62%. I was really enjoying the book and liked the story a lot. Unfortunately, the fmc made it very hard for me to keep enjoying it.

I understand that the things she went through in her life aren’t easy to deal with, and trauma and discrimination can deeply affect how someone reacts in difficult situations. Still, I often found myself wishing she would stand up for herself. It was frustrating to watch people speak badly about her, her name, and her religion while she stayed silent. At times I just wanted to tell her: why let these idiots make you feel small just because you’re Arab and wear a hijab?

At the same time, I can recognize that her silence and hesitation might reflect the reality many people face when dealing with discrimination. Not everyone reacts with confidence or confrontation, and the fear of making things worse can be very real. In that sense, her reactions added a layer of realism to the character, even if it was difficult to watch her endure it.

Ultimately, I had to stop halfway through because the frustration outweighed my enjoyment, but I can still appreciate what the author may have been trying to portray through this character.

[Aya ☕︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm devastated, satisfied, and unsatisfied all at once. You can say my brain has erred. What happened to Jihad is no less than horrifying 😭 I don't know how she went through all of this and ended up being a decent human being 💔 She was so relatable; being a hijabi and grieving the loss of a parent myself the book physically touched my heart and utterly broke it. I'm both satisfied and unsatisfied simultaneously with the ending; knowing that Jihad didn't get to have her vengeance, yet also realizing that this was the only logical and realistic ending the book could have had. How I wished for an extended epilogue showing how Jihad and Jamie's relationship ended up. Absolutely One of the best books of 2026 💙

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Update:

Oh my God you guys 😭😭😭😭😭 I've got a Ramadan gift 😭😭😭😭 and it's "read now" on Netgalley
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚..........˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
I've been stalking Zoulfa's IG for nearly two and a half years, waiting for this book, and now I'm checking NetGalley every single day, waiting for the ARC to be dropped. So please, please, please, give me the darn book. 😭

[Laura Lovesreading]

After As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow...
I sense another masterpiece with this new release!
I NEED this book NOW!!!
💙💙💙💙

[ishraq ଓ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪼.⌗. three point five stars ★
⊱ publishing on june 2nd, 2026 ˎˊ˗

“I am a blade of grass, the drop of courage, the warmth in a mother's eyes, the sliver of moonlight guiding the path, the lilt of voices speaking in Arabic, the curve of the curlicues, the ink in the calligraphy inscribing poetry on marble walls, the sunrise orange, and the twilight blue.”

⠀ ⠀This was absolutely amazing. I adored every little thing about this book and barely have any complaints.

⠀ ⠀The writing style is what I loved most about this book. It was the very epitome of “show, not tell.” Emotions were described in vivid, dark colors; reading this gave me the same feeling I had whenever I blended my watercolor paints to my satisfaction. The resulting colors were not always the ones I had in mind, but the process of the brush dipping in water and the colors colliding to create something only in your imagination will never fail to be beautiful.

⠀ ⠀The plot was very intriguing. Not to mention, raw and realistic with a dash of magic. It is a well-known fact of the injustice muslim people face. I will never understand the ideology of one person in a community making a mistake resulting in the whole community facing punishment. America is dictated by a pedophile, but I don’t see people pointing fingers at white people and screaming “PEDO!!” Atlas, that’s just the harsh truth of the world, and this book unravels these truths perfectly. Watching our main character, Jihad, struggle as a hijabi and a girl who lost her mother was heartbreaking . The unfair treatment she faced just because of her name and the scarf she wrapped around her head had me frustrated at what society has shaped the world to be. The author did not spare mercy on us readers- she did not soften the reality of what muslims have to face, and I adored her for doing so. Not to mention, not only does Jihad face bullying in school, but she has to deal with financial and family issues. Oh, my heart!

⠀ ⠀The magical aspect of the book had to be the most interesting part of the book, though. The little dash of magic had to be the reason why this story would have any reader ensnared within all the words. Little blessings were being passed to the women in Jihad’s family that were not the normal superpowers in every fantasy book you read, but gifts that spoke to one’s heart. From talking to trees and learning the stories they keep in their roots to seeing the colors of a person’s soul.

⠀ ⠀My only complaint has to be that the ending was pretty dull, after all the conflict and drama the main character faces, I was expecting a much grander ending. But that’s just me.

✴︎ a special thank you to netgalley and author for an arc! 🌊⋆

[_booktique2_ D Amora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: this book did absolutely destroy me in the best way possible

I know this book is absolutely going to destroy me and I’m ready.

[vaishnavi ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*]

── .✦ pre-read 𖹭.ᐟ
got the arc yayyy!!! 🥳

[Aanz ★.ᐟ]

Guess who just found this book on Read now shelf in NetGalley 😝

[✧.*Just Roodina✧.*]

​

​

''You are the entire ocean in a drop.''

​Okay Okay Okay 🌬
​I haven’t read the novel yet, but I am waiting for it on pins and needles! I just know it’s going to break me and leave a mark on my heart that I’ll never forget. Why? The answer is simple: first, because it’s written by Zoulfa; second, just the title alone makes me pause and reflect; and third, because I know she writes with such sincere honesty.
​It’s as if she actually lived with the characters—they aren't just ink on paper, they feel completely real. As a reader, I live alongside them and feel their presence in this world. I find pieces of myself within them, and I’ll never forget the hope that is planted in the reader by the end of the story.
​The ocean would paint me blue
​Why I’m hyped! I’m definitely not alone—everyone who loved her previous novel feels the exact same way.
​
​

''You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.''

​To be honest, my heart is bursting with energy to read this, and I really hope I’ll be among the very first to dive into it... This is probably the first time in my entire reading history that I’ve felt this level of hype for a new release. It has truly never happened to me before!!
​

''The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.''

​I can’t wait to stop talking about it and actually judge it properly, but for now: expect beauty, expect depth, and bring tissues (or sunglasses)!! I wonder... what is Zoulfa going to do to me this time?

[Mira ♡(Hiatus (◕ᴗ◕✿) ♪♫)]

Yesssss...now this's my cue!!!
I looooved Zoulfah Katouh's prev novel As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow and I'm not kidding when I'm saying that I've starved for this book...finally it's announced....wooooooohooooooo!!!!

[engy]

BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MONTHS HELL YEAH ZOULFA OUR QUEEN

[hamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book a few months back when it wasn't officially announced, and having to keep quiet about one of the most beautiful books i've had the pleasure to read was legitimately gruelling. zoulfa has long been one of my absolute favorite authors; she builds skyscapes out of nothing but words and simple sentences, characters that echo past the narrative and come alive on paper. she is my favorite storyteller.
the ocean would paint me blue took me right back home with the same melodic, resounding prose that surrounded as long as the lemon trees grow, a story that's hopeful and in the same breath anguished, about grief, but also about love. i could never describe everything it meant to me, and the tender, soft spots it touched: what it means to be a girl who finds her place in colors and pigments and pages, what it means to be left behind and carry on, to be surrounded by the embers of lost love and finding shreds of hope in it despite. more than anything else, perhaps, it's a story about what it means to be a muslim girl in a world that's already cast you in a certain role, how a slip of cloth alienates you, vilifies you, in a unique situation i think no one outside of it can quite comprehend. i've read a lot of books in my life, and i have never, never come across something as poignant, as beautiful, as thoughtful as this book. every choice—and i do mean every single small, microscopic choice—is made with so much intent it shines through the paper. it's a book that's a love letter to syria, but also a love letter to muslim girls, hijabi girls, a love letter to everyone lost and cornered and finding their way out. it's a love letter to the sea, that bridges a soul to their homeland, a love letter to the crystal blue you find in waves and in the fluorescence of a jellyfish. it's the hard choices you have to make, and the life you can spend reeling from something you never saw coming. the unfairness of the world and the beauty in spite of it. it's one unforgiving brushstroke at a time, and it coalesces into this beautiful, stunning painting that, honestly, try as i might, i'll never be able to fully, properly articulate. i loved the character work and the writing, i loved how every choice and turn the narrative takes is done so naturally and with insistence, how at every instance, the love shines through the ache.
this is a book that i think we've always deserved, a book that takes it upon itself to stand for a reality that's been so contorted, words that have been maligned and used against us for so long. this is a book that i wish had been there for me when i was fifteen and so scared, and i am so elated now that it's finally going to release: there's going to be some muslim girl in the world, reading these words, and know she belongs. that she can paint her own sky, her own ocean, and it doesn't have to bend to what the world might try to impose. that is important. that is what literature means, what everything is for, at the end of the day. there is hope in these pages. there is conviction: that things can be, will be better.
thank you so much to the author for the advanced copy. 5/5 stars.

[Basma · Rating 5 out of 5]

initial reaction: actually one of the most devastating books I’ve ever read, sending Zoulfa my therapy bill brb

Where do I even start? This book is everything. It's heartbreaking, it's healing, it's tragic and hopeful all in one. I think the instinct will be to compare this to As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow and I cannot emphasize enough how different this book this. While it is also devastating, it is a different kind of devastation.

I started crying a few pages in this book and I don't think I ever stopped. The grief that is stepped in these pages is overwhelming, my chest ached more and more with every chapter. I'm crying writing this review just thinking about it. And it's not just the grief of a lost parent. It's the grief of a childhood lost to Islamophobia and a country we long for.

Zoulfa always does an incredible job of putting her readers back together after she's broken them and this book truly healed me, and I am a better person for reading it. I was seen and validated and comforted. I love everything about this book and these characters and I cannot recommend it enough.

[Ayesha Mashiat]

Zoulfa is back!! Can we please skip to June?

After cover real:
How does she come up with the most beautiful book covers?!

[h i n d]

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UPP

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Jihad Dabbagh comes from a lineage of women blessed with magical sight, the ability to see the world in breathtaking, luminous color. But after her mother’s sudden death, that gift drains away, leaving everything muted in shades of gray. Grief doesn’t just hollow her out emotionally; it reshapes the way she sees the world.

When Jihad is sent to an elite academy where her name and hijab make her an easy target, she becomes hypervisible in all the worst ways. Whispers. Assumptions. Words like terrorist, alien, immigrant flung carelessly, weaponized without thought. In the midst of that isolation, she finds refuge in an old sketchbook tied to her family’s history in Syria. As she paints her grief, and her mother’s story, her artwork begins appearing mysteriously across New York City, impossible to ignore. Suddenly, the girl who wanted to disappear is thrust into the spotlight and danger at her school.

This is an important read, not just for high schoolers, but for anyone navigating a world where rhetoric about identity is too often stripped of empathy. At its core, it’s a coming-of-age story about a Muslim girl reclaiming her voice, her faith, and her sense of self in a society that constantly tries to define her from misinformation and false narratives, ignorance, and antipathy.

While the magical realism sometimes feels more atmospheric than integral, and the student bickering may skew younger than some readers expect, the heart of this story is undeniable. It confronts prejudice, grief, and systemic bias with honesty and urgency. More than anything, it invites readers to sit with discomfort, to examine assumptions, and to extend empathy toward those who endure discrimination and racism daily.

It’s not just a story about seeing color, it’s about learning to truly see people.

[Yusra ❥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Upon reflection this story has left a bitter after taste in my mouth. While I read it I was completely invested and loved the characters, now though I find myself venting about the book. The book tackles Islamophobia and depression/grief first and foremost and there just seems to be so much anger and heaviness in the book. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but for my brain it just doesn’t feel productive. Which I know a book should be telling a story but when a book like this, which is representing a huge group of people that rarely get represented the pressure on each narrative becomes much more potent. It’s unfair but so would me inflating this rating be. I still loved the writing and would read another book by this author. Also something to be aware of is there is a subplot of romance in this book that I would argue isn’t strictly halal, despite there being no physical contact between the two parties.

To clarify; the Islamophobia rubbed me the wrong way because of how extreme it was and how many instances happened in this book. This might be someone’s story I don’t argue that but it was a lot and didn’t really make sense why the character didn’t herself out of the situation and prioritise her safety especially considering her past. I don’t know that this is a helpful book for young Muslim women or if the goal is to raise awareness of things we might experience to people who aren’t Muslim?

[Chertzo Ember [s: ia]]

DID I JUST GET MY FIRST EVER EVER ARC?? OH MY GAWDDDDD I AM GOING FERAL.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart hurts.

[khadija &#x1f337;]

i absolutely cannot wait to suffer and have my heart be broken into a thousand pieces by another zoulfa katouh novel 😍😍😍

i have been ANTICIPATING this book!!! even more so since i met zoulfa coincidentally in waterstones when she came to london last month, and i actually spoke to her too she was so so sweet omg core memory 🥹🥹🤍

[Arianne Laporte · Rating 4 out of 5]

my heart needs a moment to heal🥺❤️‍🩹

This read was a rough one. A read that doesn’t make you feel warm and happy, but the opposite. Yet, one can’t ignore its meaning. Islamophobia and hate towards anything or anyone that is different, is still present in our society, and this book offers only a small glimpse into the lives of people that find themselves in front of that hate every single day. From small judgmental looks to words that break your spirit, and in other cases, violence that leaves you broken and breaks others around you. Irreparable damage.

I wish no one had to write these kind of stories. I wish we lived in a world so full of love, hate didn’t know how to exist. But we don’t. And for those reasons, I find it is my responsibility to seek out these kinds of stories, even though they hurt, so I don’t move through this world blinded by what I don’t go through, but that so many experience daily.

I see you.

Existing should never be something anyone has to fight for.

[Adelene Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️🌟

Zoulfa has done it again. I loved this book from the very beginning and could not put it down. And when I did, I kept thinking about it. Zoulfa's writing was so beautiful. Jihad's story is painful and heartbreaking, but it's also full of hope, strength, and resilience. The friendship between Jihad and Jamie was everything and they both need to be protected at ALL costs. The way this book handles grief hit really close to home for me. I'm still processing it honestly, but I know I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time.

Full review to come very soon! 🤍

THIS IS OUT JUNE 2, 2026!

[trix]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

do my eyes deceive me? (⊙ _ ⊙ )

IS THIS REAL?! (つ╥﹏╥)つ

FINALLY oh lord i've been waiting forever for zoulfa's next book after her debut became my favourite book of all time. (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

I NEED THIS NOW.

[brontësaurus]

emotional damage? HERE FOR ITTTTTTTT

[Malak · Rating 5 out of 5]

the most heartwrenchingly beautiful book to ever exist?
all I’m gonna say is you know when a book is so good you feel so well-fed when you read it? that's this book.