Cindy Pham 🌻

MY BOOK GOT ANOTHER STAR 🌟🤩🌟🤩 @ala_booklist is a publication by the @americanlibraryassociation since 1905. among the 8,000+ books they review every year, they only give stars to the few books that they deem most outstanding. the secret world of briar rose is now one of them 🤯 the full review won't be available on booklist until june 3rd, but i got permission to share two sentences: “Every character has complexity that clearly goes deeper than what is shown on page, providing villains that are contemptible while being understandable, and heroines that are understandable without being purely sympathetic. ... Overall, this ambitious, intelligent novel hits all its marks and provides a beautiful, challenging read.” i’m very honored that all trade publications have been positive for the book so far and half of them gave a star on top of it all. thank u to all the editors, journalists, and librarians for taking the time to read my story 🙂‍↕️ #bookstagram #yabook #youngadultbook #fantasybook #fairytaleretelling

One month left before THE SECRET WORLD OF BRIAR ROSE isn't a secret anymore 🙀 The book will be released on June 2nd in the US and June 4th in the UK. If you're based in the US and preorder the book (whether that's physical, ebook, or audio format) then you can submit your receipt to get bonus items like 3 custom character cards and a signed bookplate. This includes if you purchase it with your book tour ticket, so long as the purchase is made before June 2nd! Book-included tickets also come with an exclusive pin and art print. For readers outside the US, I'm doing signed and personalized copies for international shipping with my local indie Yu & Me Books. For UK readers, your book comes in a dreamy limited edition sprayed edge first print run, available while stocks last. Ok I think that's everything... FOR NOW!!! I'll be dropping character art, excerpts, interviews, and more leading up to June 2nd hehehe #booksbooksbooks #queerbook #sapphicbooks #reading #booktour

⭐ BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE ⭐ Join me for my book tour this summer, where there will be Q&As, signings, goodies, and other shenanigans! 📕 Monday, June 1, 2026 Somerville, MA @allshewrotebooks at Connexion, 6:30pm With @aislinnbrophyauthor 📕 Tuesday, June 2, 2026 New York City @yuandmebooks at Chatham Square Library, 7pm With @monicakim.jpg 📕 Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Chicagoland, IL @andersonsbookshop at 7pm With @recitrachel 📕 Thursday, June 4, 2026 Austin, TX @bookpeople at6pm With @alihazelwood 📕 Friday, June 5, 2026 San Jose, CA @hicklebees at 6 pm 📕 Saturday, June 6, 2026 Huntington Beach, LA @bnhuntingtonbeach at 2pm You can sign up at readwithcindy (dot) com (slash) events, and I’ll set up some highlights on IG for easy clicking 🫡 If you have any questions about an event, please contact the bookstore that’s hosting, as they are the ones in charge of tickets and logistics! Remember that if you purchase the book before June 2nd, you can submit your receipt to the preorder form to get bonus items like character cards. Outside of that, the only things I'm planning independently are a New York afterparty on June 2nd (deets to come) + I’m bringing a guestbook at each event for people to sign, because I think it’d be cute to exchange autographs with each other! Sign your name, write a message, doodle something, leave stickers, etc… it may be Sad Girl Summer but at least we can make some memorabilia together 🙂‍↕️ #bookstagram #booktour #thesecretworldofbriarrose #yabooks #youngadultbooks @penguinteen

🌻Episode Alert🌻 Listen to our fantastic chat with Cindy Pham all about her debut book, The Secret World of Briar Rose, this Sunday wherever you get your podcasts 🌸 It's a spoiler-free episode, and the book comes out ✨️so soon✨️ so if you haven't pre-ordered yet, there's still time—and I believe you get some fun goodies if you submit your receipt (find more info on Cindy's page @readwithcindy ). Also, keep an eye on @novelfindspodcast because we may be having a giveaway or two in the near future 👀 If you're as not-chill about how cool Cindy is as we are, we have Chill Chat with Cindy coming soon on our patr3on available for all tiers (including free!) So now is a perfect time to sign up 🌟 #bookstagram #bookchat #mentalhealth #queer #fantasy

just mailed my latest batch of bookplates :3 i'm still practicing my author signature but i think i'm getting better (i can still smell sharpie in my nostrils) these bookplates are available when you fill out the preorder form (linked in the 3rd slide and my bio) and provide your proof of purchase for the book! they have a lovely floral border that matches the back of the hardcover too hehe #bookstagram #youngadultbook #fantasybook #yabook #yabookstagram

the secret world of briar rose is split by seasons, and my personal favorite is springland 🌷🌸🪻🌻 the different sceneries intricately drawn by @enid.din will be available as postcards for everyone with a book-bundled ticket at my book tour. each art print will have a quote on the back related to the season. i'll share these in detail each week leading up to book release, starting with springland! there are a lot of things i enjoyed writing here: the snarky talking animals, the sunflower maze moments, and the tense confrontation between corin and briar rose inside her cottage. i also think cottagecore is the perfect aesthetic for briar rose because of how it makes you feel like you're escaping from the stresses of the modern world. at the same time, it's also criticized for romanticizing rural life and ignoring poverty in the way privileged people tend to do. but i'll let corin beef with her over that! #bookstagram #fantasybook #sapphicbook #yabook #youngadultfiction

thank uuuuu @shereadsdotcom for featuring me for the summer issue ☀️ i got to talk about the themes of queerness and sisterhood in the secret world of briar rose, shout out other debuts coming out this summer, share my thoughts on my "role" as reader vs author, and more. the full interview can be found at shereads (dot) com. #bookstagram #reading #writing #interview #yabook

Before Booktok and Bookstagram, there was Booktube ✨ This week on Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast, Cindy Pham, reader and reviewer turned writer, dives into Booktube, rant videos, and more! Visit the link in bio to hear the full conversation. New episodes drop every Tuesday.

before she became briar rose, she was amelia 🥀 excited to reveal the character cards drawn by @enid.din (the same artist for the book cover!) as part of the US preorder campaign. those who preorder the secret world of briar rose and submit the receipt to the link in my bio before june 2nd will receive 3 character cards and a signed bookplate. i’ll reveal each character card in detail leading up to book release, starting with amelia. sleeping beauty as a character is often criticized for her passivity and lack of agency, and i decided to lean into those qualities with amelia. she represents many symptoms of my depression: the sense of listlessness and emptiness, the preference for sleeping rather than being conscious, and the use of imagination to avoid reality. but there’s a privilege with being able to run away from your problems, while others must live with the consequences of them. it’s a privilege to disengage from the world and live in an alternate reality where you don’t have to think about hard things.  she is “beautiful” in the same way that every white, blonde princess in fairy tales are: pretty to look at, but ultimately a blank palette that lacks substance. maybe she could be better, if she does the hard work of confronting everything she’s repressed - but why do that, when it's so much easier to sleep instead? #bookstagram #characterart #sleepingbeauty #yabook #youngadultbook

Ready to sleep the weekend awayyyyyyy !!! #bookstagram #booktropes #memes #fairytaleretelling #yabook

the opening for the secret world of briar rose, plus some other lines 🥀 a longer excerpt can be found at the @reactorsff website if you’d like to read more. the beginning changed a few times before i was ready to query my agent. my writing mentor @bymariellethompson helped so much with shaping this! at first, the book had a prologue written in a more traditional fairy tale style, where sleeping beauty doesn’t wake up after the prince kisses her. but prologues are a hard sell for agents, so i cut it and started with chapter 1, which jumped immediately into action and danger with corin trapped underground and close to death. i wanted to quickly get to the “good stuff” with corin discovering the portal to the dreamworld, but that meant readers wouldn’t understand what was at stake and why the characters needed to escape. finally i rewrote the first chapter with the true catalyst of the story: an argument between corin and elly that changes their relationship forever. the book starts off bleak with corin being a victim of many horrible circumstances. but what was interesting for me to explore as the story continues is how much of her misery is the consequences of her own actions too. finding reconciliation with elly will be corin’s biggest challenge, because it tests whether she is capable of growth and forgiveness, both in her dreams and reality. #bookstagram #writing #fantasybooks #yabook #youngadultfiction

“BookTuber” turned writer @readwithcindy shares how reviewing books shaped and strengthened her writing process. Want the full story? Tune in to this week’s episode of Bookmarked, the Reese’s Book Club podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday.