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The Secret World of Briar Rose
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26A 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.
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.
400 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
210 people are currently reading
32051 people want to read
About the author
Cindy Pham
1 book131k followersCindy 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
Want to read
September 19, 2025i'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
awaiting-release
September 19, 2025Cindy'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!
Want to read
September 19, 2025I'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
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
what do you MEAN this is supposed to be a Sleeping Beauty retelling 🫤🫤
I expected dark fairy tale drama, maybe a sharp, clever twist on the classic story. Instead I got ✨(boring) vibes✨ and a wander through Clunky Metaphor Land that's 90% symbolism and 10% actual story.
A princess falls asleep. THAT’S IT. That is the most Sleeping Beauty thing that happens in this entire book. I mean... I guess that's all that happens in Sleeping Beauty, too? Everything else is so disconnected it feels almost misleading to call this a retelling at all. The connection to the original is paper-thin.
Credit where it’s due: the writing is good. It's lyrical and polished.
This is the kind of sad-girl prose you can highlight for Tumblr or Instagram to show what a deep, tortured soul you are.
But OH MY GOD… this was such a slog to get through.
Aesthetic sentences only carry me so far before I start screaming internally and checking how many pages are left. And this book leans on pretty prose like a crutch. After a while, the writing stops feeling impressive and starts feeling like a distraction from the fact that nothing of substance is happening.
Because nothing is happening. This is slow and repetitive. It's weirdly exhausting despite having the narrative momentum of a damp paper towel. It’s not immersive; it’s numbing.
I do like the idea of Amelia’s choice having a ripple effect a century later. That could have been fascinating. That should have been fascinating. But the execution just. does. not. land. It’s emblematic of the entire book: interesting in theory, inert in execution.
Corin and Elly? BORING.
So dull.
Their relationship's supposed to be the emotional core, but there’s no weight to it. They're a void. Their relationship lacks any substance, and the book tells you it’s deep, but never does the work to make you feel it. I wanted their sibling bond to wreck me emotionally. I wanted angst. But I got some cardboard cut outs awkwardly bumbling around while the book whispered, "look, isn't this, like, so sad? please feel sad."
I was so detached the entire time and constantly rolling my eyes at the half-hearted attempts at reconciliation that get destroyed the second they appear. I've never seen characters we're supposed to care about have less chemistry. Like, why did we even bother?
Corin especially. Good lord. I understand what the author is trying to do, but she’s trapped in this endless brooding, victim-cycle nightmare, hating her life and making it everyone else's problem that quickly becomes unbearable. She drags everyone down with her, and I never felt compelled to root for her. I wasn’t invested, I was irritated.
The story's aggressively plot-driven. Characters don’t act like people; they act like chess pieces. They go where they’re told and do what they’re told, because the plot demands it, not because it makes sense. It’s so obvious, and it breaks any sense of immersion the book tries to build.
And then the structure comes in for the killing blow.
Dual POVs have been done before. Done to death, actually. But here it’s a constant back-and-forth and then, because apparently the story wasn’t confusing and slow enough, there’s a THIRD perspective?? WHY???
Any tension evaporates instantly every time we jump. The structure's disjointed and the pacing's dead on arrival.
This book is actively working against itself.
This would have worked so much better if the first half of the book had been Amelia's POV and the latter half Corin’s. It would have kept the momentum instead of the plot constantly undermining itself.
This also has my least favourite trope in all media. It was all a dream. I get that the dream world is the point, I understand the metaphor and that it's supposed to be thematic. I see what it’s trying to do and say. But it completely kills tension. When everything obeys dream logic, nothing feels grounded. Nothing matters.
The book asks for emotional investment while simultaneously removing any reason to give it.
My emotional investment went out for cigarettes and never came back.
I wanted to DNF this so bad at so many points. But I also wanted to write an honest ARC review 😣 so I trudged through, clinging to the idea that maybe it would pay off. It did not.
I’ve never heard of this YouTuber before, so maybe if I had some attachment to her or her story, I’d have felt differently. And I think it’s telling that almost all the 5 star reviews are from her fans (most of whom haven't read it). I get it! Support the person you love! But while there is a great book buried somewhere in here, this is not a good book.
Beautiful concept ≠ fully realised story. There's potential but it's buried under pacing and structural issues and characters that don’t land.
The themes of grief and escapism are lurking, but this being YA neuters them. There’s such a noticeable gap between what this book wants to be and what it actually is. It wants to be deep and dark and emotionally heavy and meaningful, but it keeps pulling its punches to stay light enough for the intended audience and you get some surface-level words that don't build to anything. Everything's so diluted.
This would have been so much stronger as a full-on adult fantasy, because it needed that freedom to actually explore the weight it gestures at instead of skimming the surface.
I expected dark fairy tale drama, maybe a sharp, clever twist on the classic story. Instead I got ✨(boring) vibes✨ and a wander through Clunky Metaphor Land that's 90% symbolism and 10% actual story.
A princess falls asleep. THAT’S IT. That is the most Sleeping Beauty thing that happens in this entire book. I mean... I guess that's all that happens in Sleeping Beauty, too? Everything else is so disconnected it feels almost misleading to call this a retelling at all. The connection to the original is paper-thin.
Credit where it’s due: the writing is good. It's lyrical and polished.
This is the kind of sad-girl prose you can highlight for Tumblr or Instagram to show what a deep, tortured soul you are.
But OH MY GOD… this was such a slog to get through.
Aesthetic sentences only carry me so far before I start screaming internally and checking how many pages are left. And this book leans on pretty prose like a crutch. After a while, the writing stops feeling impressive and starts feeling like a distraction from the fact that nothing of substance is happening.
Because nothing is happening. This is slow and repetitive. It's weirdly exhausting despite having the narrative momentum of a damp paper towel. It’s not immersive; it’s numbing.
I do like the idea of Amelia’s choice having a ripple effect a century later. That could have been fascinating. That should have been fascinating. But the execution just. does. not. land. It’s emblematic of the entire book: interesting in theory, inert in execution.
Corin and Elly? BORING.
So dull.
Their relationship's supposed to be the emotional core, but there’s no weight to it. They're a void. Their relationship lacks any substance, and the book tells you it’s deep, but never does the work to make you feel it. I wanted their sibling bond to wreck me emotionally. I wanted angst. But I got some cardboard cut outs awkwardly bumbling around while the book whispered, "look, isn't this, like, so sad? please feel sad."
I was so detached the entire time and constantly rolling my eyes at the half-hearted attempts at reconciliation that get destroyed the second they appear. I've never seen characters we're supposed to care about have less chemistry. Like, why did we even bother?
Corin especially. Good lord. I understand what the author is trying to do, but she’s trapped in this endless brooding, victim-cycle nightmare, hating her life and making it everyone else's problem that quickly becomes unbearable. She drags everyone down with her, and I never felt compelled to root for her. I wasn’t invested, I was irritated.
The story's aggressively plot-driven. Characters don’t act like people; they act like chess pieces. They go where they’re told and do what they’re told, because the plot demands it, not because it makes sense. It’s so obvious, and it breaks any sense of immersion the book tries to build.
And then the structure comes in for the killing blow.
Dual POVs have been done before. Done to death, actually. But here it’s a constant back-and-forth and then, because apparently the story wasn’t confusing and slow enough, there’s a THIRD perspective?? WHY???
Any tension evaporates instantly every time we jump. The structure's disjointed and the pacing's dead on arrival.
This book is actively working against itself.
This would have worked so much better if the first half of the book had been Amelia's POV and the latter half Corin’s. It would have kept the momentum instead of the plot constantly undermining itself.
This also has my least favourite trope in all media. It was all a dream. I get that the dream world is the point, I understand the metaphor and that it's supposed to be thematic. I see what it’s trying to do and say. But it completely kills tension. When everything obeys dream logic, nothing feels grounded. Nothing matters.
The book asks for emotional investment while simultaneously removing any reason to give it.
My emotional investment went out for cigarettes and never came back.
I wanted to DNF this so bad at so many points. But I also wanted to write an honest ARC review 😣 so I trudged through, clinging to the idea that maybe it would pay off. It did not.
I’ve never heard of this YouTuber before, so maybe if I had some attachment to her or her story, I’d have felt differently. And I think it’s telling that almost all the 5 star reviews are from her fans (most of whom haven't read it). I get it! Support the person you love! But while there is a great book buried somewhere in here, this is not a good book.
Beautiful concept ≠ fully realised story. There's potential but it's buried under pacing and structural issues and characters that don’t land.
The themes of grief and escapism are lurking, but this being YA neuters them. There’s such a noticeable gap between what this book wants to be and what it actually is. It wants to be deep and dark and emotionally heavy and meaningful, but it keeps pulling its punches to stay light enough for the intended audience and you get some surface-level words that don't build to anything. Everything's so diluted.
This would have been so much stronger as a full-on adult fantasy, because it needed that freedom to actually explore the weight it gestures at instead of skimming the surface.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
book #3 of m(arc)h challenge, where I try to read ALL the arcs I have in the month of March!
I went into this one genuinely excited, because I have been following Cindy ever since she made the Exes and Ohs video! so getting to read this early via netgalley made the whole thing feel a little more ✨ special ✨and I want to start by saying that I liked a good portion of it, even if my overall feelings ended up being somewhat conflicted.
the final stretch of the novel is easily its best, and I loved how cleanly everything was resolved.
the book leans heavily into themes of depression, particularly the desire to disappear into sleep and opt out of consciousness altogether. that aspect I totally understood!! my own experience with depression did not manifest as a want to sleep forever in the way it does for Amelia, but there is a whole year and a half of my life that I just straight up do not remember (depression & memory loss is an interesting topic to research, if you want to know more). so, I guess in some way, it is like falling asleep forever.
this is less a straightforward "retelling" and more a reimagining, in my opinion. think: sleeping beauty with sprinkles of maleficent woven in.
the writing, on a sentence level, is undeniably lovely. it is lush and immersive, very indulgent in its attention to sensory detail. the environments are described with such care that it'll take you back to 2010s YA books lol.
but over time, that same strength begins to weigh the narrative down. scenes go on longer than they need to and the constant emphasis on color in particular began to feel like repetition.
and repetition is, unfortunately, one of the book's main issues
the romance between Corin and Briar works in principle. I could see the foundation of it, and I didn't find it unconvincing, but I did wish for more space between connection and declaration. it felt like it moved just a little too quickly and skipped over the in-between moments that would have made it more emotionally developed.
── .✦ pre-read 𖹭.ᐟ
Cindy is kinda the reason i even considered becoming a bookish creator so of course i had to read this! got it from netgalley 🤭🩵
I went into this one genuinely excited, because I have been following Cindy ever since she made the Exes and Ohs video! so getting to read this early via netgalley made the whole thing feel a little more ✨ special ✨and I want to start by saying that I liked a good portion of it, even if my overall feelings ended up being somewhat conflicted.
the final stretch of the novel is easily its best, and I loved how cleanly everything was resolved.
the book leans heavily into themes of depression, particularly the desire to disappear into sleep and opt out of consciousness altogether. that aspect I totally understood!! my own experience with depression did not manifest as a want to sleep forever in the way it does for Amelia, but there is a whole year and a half of my life that I just straight up do not remember (depression & memory loss is an interesting topic to research, if you want to know more). so, I guess in some way, it is like falling asleep forever.
this is less a straightforward "retelling" and more a reimagining, in my opinion. think: sleeping beauty with sprinkles of maleficent woven in.
the writing, on a sentence level, is undeniably lovely. it is lush and immersive, very indulgent in its attention to sensory detail. the environments are described with such care that it'll take you back to 2010s YA books lol.
but over time, that same strength begins to weigh the narrative down. scenes go on longer than they need to and the constant emphasis on color in particular began to feel like repetition.
and repetition is, unfortunately, one of the book's main issues
the romance between Corin and Briar works in principle. I could see the foundation of it, and I didn't find it unconvincing, but I did wish for more space between connection and declaration. it felt like it moved just a little too quickly and skipped over the in-between moments that would have made it more emotionally developed.
── .✦ pre-read 𖹭.ᐟ
Cindy is kinda the reason i even considered becoming a bookish creator so of course i had to read this! got it from netgalley 🤭🩵
Want to read
October 7, 2025OMG
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING
CINDY IS PUBLISHING HER BOOK?!?!!?!
I'M SATTTTT
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING
CINDY IS PUBLISHING HER BOOK?!?!!?!
I'M SATTTTT
Want to read
September 25, 2025I've been watching Cindy since her Six of Crows as vines compilation days... THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!
Want to read
September 18, 2025CIIIIIINNDDYYYYY GIVE IT !! (please)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5
first and foremost: i'm emotionally destroyed.
disclaimer: i'm a cindyhead. i've been following cindy's channel for years (soapgate ogs rise up), and i was immediately sat for this book back when it got announced. watching her during her journey of reviewing books to publishing one feels like i've grown alongside her (both of us teenage girls in our 20s). listening to her talk about it and describe the process of creating a cover for it is just magical. it's clear that there was a lot of love poured into writing and publishing this book. but we're not here to review that.
i think this was absolutely fantastic. i loved the setting and the lore. i loved how the retelling turned the original plot of sleeping beauty around and borrowed from maleficent. i especially loved the bond between corin and elly and how heartbreaking it was. amelia as a character was so fascinating to me, especially how devastating it was to learn that the ripple effect of her running away was felt years later when it was exactly what she was trying to avoid. the whole book feels like the most heartbreaking self-fulfilling prophecy you've ever read, and it makes you wonder if you're ever really free to choose your own fate.
i think the romance between corin and amelia/briar rose was adorable, but it lacked development. we went from two extremes (blade to throat etc.) very quickly, and a lot of relationship development was lost. maybe some of the extensive descriptions of the setting should have given place to character + relationship development to make the book feel more well rounded. the writing was stunning to me, even if some metaphors and expressions became repetitive. i think repetition and writing can be done masterfully and work well. the twists shook me to my CORE, and i simply could not rest until i got to the end.
overall, i loved this. from start to finish. i'm so excited to see what cindy will cook up next.
thank you so much to netgalley for the arc!
first and foremost: i'm emotionally destroyed.
disclaimer: i'm a cindyhead. i've been following cindy's channel for years (soapgate ogs rise up), and i was immediately sat for this book back when it got announced. watching her during her journey of reviewing books to publishing one feels like i've grown alongside her (both of us teenage girls in our 20s). listening to her talk about it and describe the process of creating a cover for it is just magical. it's clear that there was a lot of love poured into writing and publishing this book. but we're not here to review that.
i think this was absolutely fantastic. i loved the setting and the lore. i loved how the retelling turned the original plot of sleeping beauty around and borrowed from maleficent. i especially loved the bond between corin and elly and how heartbreaking it was. amelia as a character was so fascinating to me, especially how devastating it was to learn that the ripple effect of her running away was felt years later when it was exactly what she was trying to avoid. the whole book feels like the most heartbreaking self-fulfilling prophecy you've ever read, and it makes you wonder if you're ever really free to choose your own fate.
i think the romance between corin and amelia/briar rose was adorable, but it lacked development. we went from two extremes (blade to throat etc.) very quickly, and a lot of relationship development was lost. maybe some of the extensive descriptions of the setting should have given place to character + relationship development to make the book feel more well rounded. the writing was stunning to me, even if some metaphors and expressions became repetitive. i think repetition and writing can be done masterfully and work well. the twists shook me to my CORE, and i simply could not rest until i got to the end.
overall, i loved this. from start to finish. i'm so excited to see what cindy will cook up next.
thank you so much to netgalley for the arc!
Read
September 19, 2025I’m sat. the Goodreads employees are begging me to go away cause this isn’t even published yet, but I’m simply too sat.
Want to read
September 24, 2025This is my Taylor Swift proposal
Want to read
September 23, 2025Omg I literally can't wait to see what Cindy was cooking up this whole time - Im ready for tears and yearning
December 19, 2025
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.
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.
Want to read
December 15, 2025The 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
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
Want to read
September 25, 2025WAKE ME UP WHEN IT'S JUNE 2026!!!!!!!
January 18, 2026
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.
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.
Currently reading
September 25, 2025(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 💕
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 💕
Want to read
February 28, 2026i cannot believe i got the arc ;-; it’s on ‘Read Now’ on Netgalley for two days!!
this is the most beautiful cover i've ever seen.
this is the most beautiful cover i've ever seen.
March 12, 2026
this book legit made me question if i even like reading (one of the fundamental pillars of my being) just because of how strongly i had to force myself to read it. that sounds so harsh, but like i would sit there and have to literally psyche myself up to read it every time, that’s how painful it was to get through. reading is usually fun for me and let me tell you, i was not having a good time here. i was constantly checking how much i had left and being annoyed at how long it was taking. i should’ve dnf’d but my completionist brain would not allow that. plus, it was an arc and i felt like it was my duty to finish it.
i’ll start with what i liked about the book: the cover. it’s absolutely gorgeous. unfortunately that’s about it.
i can understand and appreciate what cindy was trying to do here and the messaging. however, to me, the execution was flawed and instead came across as ‘i’m 14 and this is deep’. it suffered from too many metaphors and characters and relationships it just couldn’t convince me to care about.
in general, it was just a boring book and way too long. 90% is just descriptions of the dreamworld, which made it quite exhausting to get through. i was falling asleep and zoning out throughout the book, making me have to keep going back to remind myself what was happening, which frankly wasn’t much. i feel like words were wasted describing the aesthetics of the dreamworld over describing action. the things that did happen in the dreamworld were confusing (especially in regards to how the magic worked there). the chapters alternate between two timelines but not effectively. the past was much more interesting than the present dreamworld. however, just when i’d start to get into it, the chapter would end and we’d get thrown back to the present, effectively killing any momentum that was building. everything that i could tell was supposed to be emotional made me feel nothing at all.
the dialogue was also quite bad. everyone spoke like they were a high school student in a disney channel show (malicine being the worst offender) which genuinely made it hard to take anything seriously.
the romance felt very unnecessary and lowkey shoehorned in, which is disappointing because this being a queer sleeping beauty retelling was a big part of the draw. corin and amelia/briar rose had zero chemistry and gave barely any indications that they liked each other and then all of a sudden they’re kissing? the relationship between amelia and malicine felt more romantic than her and corin (though i wouldn’t of wanted that since malicine, age unclear, is supposed to be like a godmother figure). also, i don’t care that the age gap is small, amelia having a crush on her stepmother was weird.
i will say though, that i don’t read a lot of fantasy and maybe that affected my time with the book. perhaps those with more experience and interest in the genre will enjoy it more and if so, i’m happy for them.
i am such a big fan of cindy’s youtube channel, so it is disappointing that i couldn’t connect with her debut novel. that being said, i am looking forward to seeing her career as an author progress and reading any of her future books. i think there was definitely potential here and with time and practice, her writing can only get better.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
i’ll start with what i liked about the book: the cover. it’s absolutely gorgeous. unfortunately that’s about it.
i can understand and appreciate what cindy was trying to do here and the messaging. however, to me, the execution was flawed and instead came across as ‘i’m 14 and this is deep’. it suffered from too many metaphors and characters and relationships it just couldn’t convince me to care about.
in general, it was just a boring book and way too long. 90% is just descriptions of the dreamworld, which made it quite exhausting to get through. i was falling asleep and zoning out throughout the book, making me have to keep going back to remind myself what was happening, which frankly wasn’t much. i feel like words were wasted describing the aesthetics of the dreamworld over describing action. the things that did happen in the dreamworld were confusing (especially in regards to how the magic worked there). the chapters alternate between two timelines but not effectively. the past was much more interesting than the present dreamworld. however, just when i’d start to get into it, the chapter would end and we’d get thrown back to the present, effectively killing any momentum that was building. everything that i could tell was supposed to be emotional made me feel nothing at all.
the dialogue was also quite bad. everyone spoke like they were a high school student in a disney channel show (malicine being the worst offender) which genuinely made it hard to take anything seriously.
the romance felt very unnecessary and lowkey shoehorned in, which is disappointing because this being a queer sleeping beauty retelling was a big part of the draw. corin and amelia/briar rose had zero chemistry and gave barely any indications that they liked each other and then all of a sudden they’re kissing? the relationship between amelia and malicine felt more romantic than her and corin (though i wouldn’t of wanted that since malicine, age unclear, is supposed to be like a godmother figure). also, i don’t care that the age gap is small, amelia having a crush on her stepmother was weird.
i will say though, that i don’t read a lot of fantasy and maybe that affected my time with the book. perhaps those with more experience and interest in the genre will enjoy it more and if so, i’m happy for them.
i am such a big fan of cindy’s youtube channel, so it is disappointing that i couldn’t connect with her debut novel. that being said, i am looking forward to seeing her career as an author progress and reading any of her future books. i think there was definitely potential here and with time and practice, her writing can only get better.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to the publisher & author for an ARC of this book via Netgalley.
I'm gonna be completely honest, it's difficult to come up with positive things about this book besides the cover.
This queer retelling of the sleeping beauty had so much potential, but too much time was spent in the dreamworld, and not enough on the characters' personalities. Both MCs felt very one dimensional, imo. Amelia's plot definitely helped her, meanwhile Corin ended up sounding like a broken record. They had no chemistry and I was surprised that they even kissed.
The best character was probably Malicine. It's a shame they weren't one of the MCs. Seriously, the one character whose backstory is complex and intriguing!
The dual POV was fine, I guess. There were times where the story became interesting right before switching. So, while I didn't have that much of a problem with it, I can see why others would.
Now my biggest problem with this book… I was really struggling and got tired of the constant descriptions of the surroundings, while NOTHING ELSE was going on. I didn't want to give up and dnf, so I could give an honest opinion of this ARC, but it took over 60% for something to finally happen and I started to care less and less.
Was it worth it? not really. It did have a plottwist that I didn't expect, but the rest felt very rushed, it made me wish that it had happened earlier to fully flesh those events out.
All in all, i didn't fully hate it but i also didn't love it lol.
P.s. Never add TWO epilogues. It would've been fine with the second one, but that first epilogue ruined the ending for me.
2.5 ⭐
I'm gonna be completely honest, it's difficult to come up with positive things about this book besides the cover.
This queer retelling of the sleeping beauty had so much potential, but too much time was spent in the dreamworld, and not enough on the characters' personalities. Both MCs felt very one dimensional, imo. Amelia's plot definitely helped her, meanwhile Corin ended up sounding like a broken record. They had no chemistry and I was surprised that they even kissed.
The best character was probably Malicine. It's a shame they weren't one of the MCs. Seriously, the one character whose backstory is complex and intriguing!
The dual POV was fine, I guess. There were times where the story became interesting right before switching. So, while I didn't have that much of a problem with it, I can see why others would.
Now my biggest problem with this book… I was really struggling and got tired of the constant descriptions of the surroundings, while NOTHING ELSE was going on. I didn't want to give up and dnf, so I could give an honest opinion of this ARC, but it took over 60% for something to finally happen and I started to care less and less.
Was it worth it? not really. It did have a plottwist that I didn't expect, but the rest felt very rushed, it made me wish that it had happened earlier to fully flesh those events out.
All in all, i didn't fully hate it but i also didn't love it lol.
P.s. Never add TWO epilogues. It would've been fine with the second one, but that first epilogue ruined the ending for me.
2.5 ⭐
Read
December 16, 2025THE ARC IS IN MY HANDS.
Want to read
September 24, 2025cindy's content is one of the reasons i fell back in love with reading so i am SAT
Want to read
October 22, 2025pre-read:
Pre-ordered it today so it’s ready for my kindle on June 2026 😝
Pre-ordered it today so it’s ready for my kindle on June 2026 😝
Want to read
October 1, 2025just seeing the cover of this book makes me feel so proud
March 20, 2026
Received an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley!
2.5 stars
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year because I absolutely adore Cindy’s channel, and I loved hearing about her publishing process and the amount of thought, love, and care she put into her debut novel, from the themes to the cover design. I usually align and am totally on board with her, and as soon as I got my hands on this ARC, I was so determined to be completely and utterly in love with this book. Dark themes in YA fantasy, mental health and escapism, a fairytale retelling, queer romance: it had all the ingredients that would hook me mind, body, and soul.
However, the execution just didn’t really… land?
Beautiful writing, so descriptive and rich — but that was what consumed most of the novel…. I’d argue, nearly 85% of it. My core issue with this novel were the characters - or rather, the lack of their presence in the plot. One: absolutely corny, one-dimensional dialogue. When they’d argue, cry, scream at one another, have heart to heart conversations, it would just sound so unnatural and a bit gratuitous. And that leads me to two: how they didn’t feel like full-bodied characters with personalities and agencies of their own. They talked and acted like stilted dolls who said the “right” things and moved the plot along, fulfilling their archetypes that felt kind of soulless. Corin is the angry, feisty, jaded MC with street smarts but a secret “heart of gold”, and Amelia is the golden beautiful sad girl who says fake deep shit and we applaud and tear up. And finally, three: literally nothing happened in this book! It was all poetic descriptions of the dreamscape and too much ogling around, but plot-wise, it was just so flat. The IRL world-building was lackluster because most of the word count was solely dedicated to describing the dreamscape through dazzling similes and metaphors, and not enough effort given into full fleshing out the “corrupt, twisted” world that prompted this fantasy escape in the first place. The plot twists were weird and kind of random, and the “villain” was so *slaps head* who actually gaf…
While I was intrigued by her chapters way more than the present day ones, Amelia never 100% convinced me why she escaped for 100 years into this desolate land of dreams and illusions. I was waiting for the build up and the final “aha!” moment for everything to connect the dots, intertwined past and present together, but I never got that satisfaction and ended up feeling quite bored.
While I knew this book would talk about depression and escapism, I was shocked by how little it went into beyond “let’s dream more!” — and maybe it’s because Pham had to pull the reins as this novel is YA, there are so many possibilities to explore, and I’m a bit disappointed by how the premise promised so many things that - while the lyrical prose was beautiful - the characters and the plot left a lot to be desired.
A choppy - but nonetheless impressive and ambitious - debut novel.
2.5 stars
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year because I absolutely adore Cindy’s channel, and I loved hearing about her publishing process and the amount of thought, love, and care she put into her debut novel, from the themes to the cover design. I usually align and am totally on board with her, and as soon as I got my hands on this ARC, I was so determined to be completely and utterly in love with this book. Dark themes in YA fantasy, mental health and escapism, a fairytale retelling, queer romance: it had all the ingredients that would hook me mind, body, and soul.
However, the execution just didn’t really… land?
Beautiful writing, so descriptive and rich — but that was what consumed most of the novel…. I’d argue, nearly 85% of it. My core issue with this novel were the characters - or rather, the lack of their presence in the plot. One: absolutely corny, one-dimensional dialogue. When they’d argue, cry, scream at one another, have heart to heart conversations, it would just sound so unnatural and a bit gratuitous. And that leads me to two: how they didn’t feel like full-bodied characters with personalities and agencies of their own. They talked and acted like stilted dolls who said the “right” things and moved the plot along, fulfilling their archetypes that felt kind of soulless. Corin is the angry, feisty, jaded MC with street smarts but a secret “heart of gold”, and Amelia is the golden beautiful sad girl who says fake deep shit and we applaud and tear up. And finally, three: literally nothing happened in this book! It was all poetic descriptions of the dreamscape and too much ogling around, but plot-wise, it was just so flat. The IRL world-building was lackluster because most of the word count was solely dedicated to describing the dreamscape through dazzling similes and metaphors, and not enough effort given into full fleshing out the “corrupt, twisted” world that prompted this fantasy escape in the first place. The plot twists were weird and kind of random, and the “villain” was so *slaps head* who actually gaf…
While I was intrigued by her chapters way more than the present day ones, Amelia never 100% convinced me why she escaped for 100 years into this desolate land of dreams and illusions. I was waiting for the build up and the final “aha!” moment for everything to connect the dots, intertwined past and present together, but I never got that satisfaction and ended up feeling quite bored.
While I knew this book would talk about depression and escapism, I was shocked by how little it went into beyond “let’s dream more!” — and maybe it’s because Pham had to pull the reins as this novel is YA, there are so many possibilities to explore, and I’m a bit disappointed by how the premise promised so many things that - while the lyrical prose was beautiful - the characters and the plot left a lot to be desired.
A choppy - but nonetheless impressive and ambitious - debut novel.
Read
March 17, 2026not as depressing as it was sold to me, but maybe that's a bigger commentary on my mental state than the book's...?
February 24, 2026
Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent but make is Sapphic and in a dreamworld!
We follow two POVS set 100 years apart. One is Amelia, the princess who is cursed to sleep and does so for 100 years. The other POV is Corin, a girl in current day who jumps into Sleeping Beauty's active dreams.
The book needed to use the word Briar Rose a lot more . It has a really slow start with a search for the characters sister being what brings her (fate) to meet the princess.
I'm not a big fan of dream settings and I didn't realize this book setting is like 90% dreamworld! The epilogue is also a couple chapters long because the true endings needed to be revealed.
I love the maleficent character (Maleficine and enby) birth scene which was crazy good! They were an amazing side character and I really wish they were also in [REDACTED]s epilogue!
This is a Sleeping Beauty retelling but with the plot of Furyborn mixed in!
Gorgeous beautiful cover and chapter headers
Love the back and forth/past present bc I hated the present LOL
Also yes I followed ReadWithCindy before this and honestly her writing really impressed me! Yet the whole time my internal commentary was read in her voice. Like she wrote something akin to "the snowflake dried like a scab" and I could just hear her sardonic tone saying "ew now I'm picturing peeling a scab" so honestly it made this quite an enjoyable read. Can we have her read and review her own book? Jkjk that might be lowkey traumatizing
We follow two POVS set 100 years apart. One is Amelia, the princess who is cursed to sleep and does so for 100 years. The other POV is Corin, a girl in current day who jumps into Sleeping Beauty's active dreams.
The book needed to use the word Briar Rose a lot more . It has a really slow start with a search for the characters sister being what brings her (fate) to meet the princess.
I'm not a big fan of dream settings and I didn't realize this book setting is like 90% dreamworld! The epilogue is also a couple chapters long because the true endings needed to be revealed.
I love the maleficent character (Maleficine and enby) birth scene which was crazy good! They were an amazing side character and I really wish they were also in [REDACTED]s epilogue!
This is a Sleeping Beauty retelling but with the plot of Furyborn mixed in!
Gorgeous beautiful cover and chapter headers
Love the back and forth/past present bc I hated the present LOL
Also yes I followed ReadWithCindy before this and honestly her writing really impressed me! Yet the whole time my internal commentary was read in her voice. Like she wrote something akin to "the snowflake dried like a scab" and I could just hear her sardonic tone saying "ew now I'm picturing peeling a scab" so honestly it made this quite an enjoyable read. Can we have her read and review her own book? Jkjk that might be lowkey traumatizing
Want to read
September 24, 2025it's queer and there's siblings. oml oml oml. i'm a harder sell on fairy tale retellings but i'm excited
Want to read
September 25, 2025I'm so happy for Cindyyyy!! Als this realising in June 2 is such a nice surprise!
September 25, 2025
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 🤭✨🫶🏾‼️
I still believe in FAIRY TALES with or without ROSE COLORED GLASSES.
I’m cheering for that stupid ish 🤭✨🫶🏾‼️
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