The Secret World of Briar Rose

by Cindy Pham

A lush and immersive queer “Sleeping Beauty” retelling about escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world, as imagined by YouTube star Cindy Pham

100 years have passed since the last heir of Gyldan fell into eternal slumber and doomed the once-mighty kingdom into poverty and invasion. At least, that’s what the fairy tales claim. 

Corin is a jaded thief who doesn’t believe in fables, even when she searches Gyldan’s underground tunnels to find her younger sister, Elly, who ran away to find the sleeping princess in hopes of a better life. Corin's conviction is challenged when she discovers the ruins of the ancient castle, maintained by beings from the kingdom's golden age, who protect a hidden portal into princess Amelia's subconscious. Following Elly’s voice, Corin jumps in the portal and seals the entry behind her.

Inside the lush world of Amelia's dreams, the sisters reunite for a new adventure as they meet Briar Rose, Amelia’s whimsical alter ego, and Malicine, a sharp-tongued demon with a gift for magic. But as they explore ice castles, sunflower mazes, and star-filled oceans, Corin suspects Briar Rose is hiding darker secrets behind her "perfect" paradise – and that there are some things their subconscious can’t bury forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Young Adult, Queer, Retellings

400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 2, 2026

About the author

Cindy Pham is a queer Vietnamese-American author of fantasy books. Based in New York City, she works as a full-time designer while moonlighting as a fiction writer and content creator. Her YouTube channel, @readwithcindy, has amassed over half a million subscribers and focuses on books, movie reactions, and candid commentary. The Secret World of Briar Rose is her debut novel inspired by her experience with depression and suicidal ideation. Her website is readwithcindy.com.

Note from Cindy: As an author, I won’t engage with reviews for my book. However, if you tag me on social media, I’ll assume it’s an open invite to engage and join in on the fun! As a reader, I’ll continue sharing my thoughts on books I read on my Goodreads and YouTube channel. I hope the casual style and no star rating in my “reviews” makes it clear that this account is just a reading diary for me, not official endorsements or admonishments.

Reviews

[elsa ʚїɞ]

i'm seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because 'it's not june 2026 yet' but i'm simply too seated

[Kartik]

Cindy's videos were what got me into reading as an adult, there's simply no world where I'm not going to read this book!

[Eva B.]

I've followed Cindy's YouTube channel since I was in middle school and her first book is coming out when I graduate college...I feel so ancient

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ .]

omg this cover is insane (/pos++++++)

[yuvi]

OMG
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING
CINDY IS PUBLISHING HER BOOK?!?!!?!
I'M SATTTTT

[Lance]

I've been watching Cindy since her Six of Crows as vines compilation days... THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!

[clicktojointhemafia]

CIIIIIINNDDYYYYY GIVE IT !! (please)

[JB]

I’m sat. the Goodreads employees are begging me to go away cause this isn’t even published yet, but I’m simply too sat.

[♡caro]

This is my Taylor Swift proposal

[Pleiades]

Omg I literally can't wait to see what Cindy was cooking up this whole time - Im ready for tears and yearning

[Maven_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham is a lush, queer retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth that explores grief, escapism, and the yearning for a world that feels kinder and more magical than the one we live in. At its heart this story follows Corin, a hardened thief determined to find her younger sister Elly, who has disappeared chasing the legend of a sleeping princess in a forgotten kingdom called Gyldan.

Reading this book felt like stepping into a dream where wonder and pain twine together in unexpected ways. Cindy Pham’s writing invites you to care deeply about Corin’s fierce loyalty to her sister and to feel the tug of hope even when reality is bleak. The fantasy world inside Princess Amelia’s subconscious sparkles with surreal beauty and imagination, from sunflower mazes to star‑filled oceans yet it harbors shadows that echo the characters’ real world losses and fears (creative dreamscapes are key elements).

What stayed with me most was how the story balances adventure with emotional depth, especially the bond between Corin and Elly which feels alive and urgent.

Rating: 5 out of 5 because it feels both imaginative and emotionally grounded, and the themes of sisterhood and reclaiming hope resonated with me.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story in which Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom is relying on her and instead, she quotes Ali Wong: “I don’t wanna lean in; I wanna lie down.”

What if the heroine just gave up? What if they suddenly realized they simply could no longer bear the burden of rebellion? Had no fight left for societal change? Found themselves too weary for the moral good? What if the heroine simply ran away?

“To be strong meant enduring the shame of her mistakes, the consequences of her flaws. And she did not want to be strong.”

The Secret World of Briar Rose is a fairytale whose gauze is ripped away, the thorny reality exposed. It is a portal fantasy for soft, sad girls. Two lonely girls who feel like they have little agency or hope in their own lives find one another in a dream world. And yet, they soon realize that their problems are now nightmares.

This book is dark and refuses to shy away from the realities of depression.

I had very high expectations due to Cindy’s history of brutal honesty, and she certainly delivered. The prose is lush. The worldbuilding is both dreamy yet harrowing. And the use of Sleeping Beauty— the fairytale princess with no agency in her own fate who sleeps for most of her story? As a vehicle for a tale about depression? Perfection.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The quote referenced above is from an unfinished copy.

[dorian ❂ ☾]

(25/9/25)
I'm SAT, I'm WAITING, I'm EXCITED

I've been a fan of Cindy's videos since I was in high school, and when this book releases I'll be 20. Cannot wait to devour this thing as soon as it comes out

Cindy was the one who got me into reading again as a depressed 15 year old needing some escapism in my life, and now I guess it's coming back full circle 💕

[K.M.]

WAKE ME UP WHEN IT'S JUNE 2026!!!!!!!

[Raynee]

THE ARC IS IN MY HANDS.

[Sava (Fang Runin’s version)]

The author of this book had shitted on so many books that I like so now it’s my turn.
I know I said no ya anymore but I have to see what a person that hated books that I liked and called them weak gonna write.
Plus It’s wlw

Ofc I am jk but yk I don’t hate on books just for the sake of it. I criticise

[seli]

cindy's content is one of the reasons i fell back in love with reading so i am SAT

[Naz]

pre-read:

Pre-ordered it today so it’s ready for my kindle on June 2026 😝

[cate]

CINDY I BOW DOWN TO YOU

[Althea ☾]

just seeing the cover of this book makes me feel so proud

[Yuling]

it's queer and there's siblings. oml oml oml. i'm a harder sell on fairy tale retellings but i'm excited

[Lucy]

I'm so happy for Cindyyyy!! Als this realising in June 2 is such a nice surprise!

[SuperExtrovert . · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I want to say right now is…I am so proud of you. I hope this book is as woke, fruitful, and loud as you are.

I still believe in FAIRY TALES with or without ROSE COLORED GLASSES.

I’m cheering for that stupid ish 🤭✨🫶🏾‼️

[Josh]

I fell over myself to get this in the to-reads. Actively trying not to stim out but it may be stronger than me.

[jess]

oh cindy... i'm already kicking my feet and giggling

[janice]

LET CINDY COOOOOKKKKKKK

[Bunny]

A booktuber I adore wrote a book that sounds amazing?

Well, I need that.

[Ayse]

I have been waiting for this one foreeeveer!!! So excited!!

[anna-lena]

im seated. the theater employees are scared and asking me to leave because its "not 2 june 2026 yet" but im simply too seated

[justine ⊹ ࣪ ˖]

this is the most beautiful cover i've ever seen.