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The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham cover

The Secret World of Briar Rose

by Cindy Pham

$16.48 on AmazonRead our full review

At a glance

First published2026
Settingcontemporary world and hidden dreamworld
AudienceYA (12-18)

About the Author

Cindy Pham

1 book reviewed

The Secret World of Briar Rose

by Cindy Pham

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers aged 14 and up who want a structurally ambitious, emotionally serious Sapphic fairy-tale retelling and are comfortable with shifting timelines, grief, mental health themes, and queer and nonbinary representation woven into the core cast.

Worth it if

The narrative's emotional demands and non-linear structure suit you — if dark, layered YA fantasy that treats escapism and grief as its primary subject matter is exactly what you're looking for, the starred trade reviews and #1 NYT bestseller status suggest it earns that weight.

Skip if

You're hoping for a breezy, lighthearted fairy-tale retelling — critics and readers alike flag confusing worldbuilding, time jumps, and sustained emotional confrontations with depression and suicidal ideation that make this a demanding rather than comforting read.

4.0from 46 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

Preview the book

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham front cover
Front cover with purple background, gold ornamental floral border, and centered title text in gold lettering.
Open book with purple covers featuring an all-over rose pattern design and colorful bookmark ribbon.

Ask LuvemBooks

Was this helpful?

The Secret World of Briar Rose is a Sapphic reimagining of "Sleeping Beauty" by debut author Cindy Pham, following Corin's search for her missing sister through a hidden dreamworld inhabited by the cursed princess Amelia and the sympathetic nonbinary demon Malicine — a narrative built around escapism, grief, and identity rather than fairy-tale lightness. A #1 New York Times bestseller with a starred School Library Journal review, the novel is a structurally ambitious, emotionally demanding YA fantasy that rewards readers comfortable with shifting timelines, memory-inhabiting sequences, and dark emotional terrain. Those expecting a breezy fairy-tale retelling will find the demands considerable; those drawn to lush queer fiction with genuine thematic weight will find exactly what the critics meant by "somberly beautiful."
Is it worth reading?
For the right reader, the critical record makes a strong case: The Secret World of Briar Rose debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, earned a starred review from School Library Journal, landed on the 2026 Summer Reads Best Books List and the July/August 2026 Kids' Indie Next List, and drew critical descriptions of 'somberly beautiful' from Booklist. School Library Journal praised its 'emotional depth' in exploring identity, grief, and belonging, writing that 'hope, love, and redemption can exist in this darkness.' The key caveat is honest: critical coverage notes the novel 'asks a lot of readers,' with shifting timelines and memory-inhabiting sequences that require sustained engagement — this is a weighty, structurally demanding read, not a breezy fairy-tale retelling. Readers drawn to lush, immersive Sapphic fantasy with genuine thematic ambition are the audience it is built for.
What age is it for?
The Secret World of Briar Rose is designed for readers aged 14 and up, and that lower bound matters — the novel tackles grief, mental health, and the seductive pull of escapism with genuine thematic seriousness rather than as background texture. Critical coverage notes that the narrative's shifting timelines, emotional confrontations, and sequences where characters inhabit one another's memories demand sustained, intense engagement, which means the upper range of the teen audience is the core fit. Younger or more sensitive readers should be aware that the emotional weight is the primary experience, not an occasional element.
Similar books
Readers drawn to The Secret World of Briar Rose will find strong overlap with several titles collected below. V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue shares the novel's preoccupation with identity, longing, and the costs of escaping an ordinary life through a bargain with dark forces. Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart operates in a similar space of fairy-tale-adjacent fantasy with morally complex, sympathetic antagonists. For fairy-tale retellings with a darker, more literary register, Rachel Hochhauser's Lady Tremaine and Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting offer comparable tonal ambition. Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window is another strong match for readers who want immersive, structurally layered fantasy with a gothic edge. Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone is frequently cited alongside Pham's work for its richly built fantasy world and ensemble of morally textured characters.
Who should read this?
The Secret World of Briar Rose is built for readers aged 14 and up who are drawn to lush, immersive Sapphic fairy-tale retellings and are comfortable with structural complexity and emotionally dark terrain. Its core audience is readers who want queer and nonbinary representation woven into the fabric of the story — not as an afterthought — and who are prepared to engage with grief, mental health, and escapism as the novel's primary subjects rather than background texture. Readers who want a linear, lighter retelling of 'Sleeping Beauty' are likely to find the demands considerable; those who gravitate toward 'somberly beautiful' literary fantasy will find a debut that delivers on its critical reputation.
How is the LGBTQ+ representation?
Queer and nonbinary representation is central to The Secret World of Briar Rose rather than incidental. The novel is structured as a Sapphic retelling of 'Sleeping Beauty,' meaning same-sex relationships are at the narrative core, and Malicine — one of the three main figures in the dreamworld — is explicitly nonbinary. Critical reception has recognised this as meaningful representation woven into the cast and central relationships, not added as an afterthought. For readers for whom queer centering is the primary draw, Pham's debut is notable as a #1 New York Times bestseller that achieved broad commercial reach while keeping Sapphic and nonbinary identity structurally essential.
How was it received by critics?
The Secret World of Briar Rose arrived with unusually strong recognition for a debut novel. It debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and earned a USA Today bestseller designation, reflecting broad commercial reach. On the critical side, School Library Journal awarded it a starred review, praising the 'emotional depth' of the characters and writing that 'hope, love, and redemption can exist in this darkness.' Booklist described it as 'somberly beautiful.' It also appeared on the 2026 Summer Reads Best Books List and the July/August 2026 Kids' Indie Next List, placing it in both trade-journal and bookseller recognition — a breadth that marks it as a notable debut within YA fantasy, not merely a viral one.
Is there a special edition?
Yes — Kokila published a richly designed deluxe first edition of The Secret World of Briar Rose featuring an embossed jacket, colored edges, illustrated endpapers, and a gold foil-stamped case. For readers who collect physical books or want to give it as a gift, the deluxe first edition is a notable production investment by the publisher. Kokila is an imprint known for centering diverse voices in children's and young adult literature, and the care put into the physical object reflects the imprint's commitment to the title.
Summarize this book

Summarize this book

The Secret World of Briar Rose follows Corin, a girl searching for her missing sister, who discovers a hidden dreamworld described as 'where your subconscious desires come to life.' Inside, she encounters Briar Rose — the alter ego of a cursed princess named Amelia who chose eternal sleep to escape profound sadness — and Malicine, a green-skinned, nonbinary demon who placed that curse yet emerges as a largely sympathetic figure. All three characters are, at their core, running from things they cannot face, and the dreamworld functions not as an escape hatch but as a pressure cooker that forces each of them toward the emotional reckonings they have been deferring. Published by Kokila, the novel is a Sapphic retelling of 'Sleeping Beauty' that weaves together mental health, grief, identity, and the seductive danger of escapism into a layered, structurally ambitious narrative.

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Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 12–18

Reading level

Young adult

Browse all 12–18 books

Content to know about

grief and loss
mental health and avoidance
themes of escapism and self-imposed psychological withdrawal

Best for: Ages 14+ — emotionally demanding narrative with sustained engagement required; deals directly with grief, mental health, and the psychology of escapism through structurally complex, non-linear storytelling.

Skip if you're looking for a light, linear, or hopeful fairy-tale retelling.

Editorial Review

A #1 New York Times bestseller and debut novel from queer Vietnamese-American author and YouTuber Cindy Pham, The Secret World of Briar Rose is a Sapphic retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" published by Kokila that weaves together mental health, grief, identity, and the seductive danger of escapism through a layered dreamworld narrative aimed at readers aged 14 and up.

Read the Full Review

Books like The Secret World of Briar Rose

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed The Secret World of Briar Rose, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked The Secret World of Briar Rose

In our catalogue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab

Both center a young woman trapped between worlds by a dangerous bargain — escapism, identity, and the cost of forgetting drive both stories.

If you loved how The Secret World of Briar Rose uses a seductive dreamworld to explore what it means to lose yourself, V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will hit the same nerve. Addie is a young woman cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, living across centuries in a kind of beautiful, aching limbo — not unlike Briar Rose's layered dreamscape where reality and escape blur dangerously. Both books ask: what do you sacrifice when you choose to disappear into something that feels safer than real life? Readers who search for books like The Secret World of Briar Rose because of its emotional depth and lush, melancholy atmosphere will find Schwab's prose equally immersive. A perfect next read if you're drawn to stories about identity, memory, and the seductive pull of a world that isn't quite real.

In our catalogue

Once Upon a Broken Heart

Stephanie Garber

A fairy-tale retelling built on morally complex bargains and lush fantasy — shares Briar Rose's Sapphic-coded yearning, dreamlike tone, and dangerous romanticism.

Readers who finished The Secret World of Briar Rose and immediately wanted another fairy-tale world that feels both beautiful and slightly unsafe should pick up Once Upon a Broken Heart next. Stephanie Garber builds a story around Evangeline Fox, who makes a desperate deal with the Prince of Hearts — a figure as seductively dangerous as the dreamworld Briar Rose tumbles into. Both books use the architecture of classic fairy tales (curses, bargains, enchanted sleep) and twist them into something emotionally raw and modern. The themes of grief, longing, and the risk of wanting too much run through both narratives. If you've been googling 'what to read after The Secret World of Briar Rose,' this is the answer for readers who want the fairy-tale retelling energy dialed all the way up with a lush, romantasy-adjacent atmosphere.

In our catalogue

Lady Tremaine

Rachel Hochhauser

Another literary fairy-tale retelling that reframes a well-known story through grief and identity — for readers who loved Briar Rose's fresh take on a classic.

If what drew you to The Secret World of Briar Rose was the way Cindy Pham takes a familiar fairy tale and uses it to excavate something deeply personal — grief, self-discovery, the stories we tell ourselves to survive — then Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser is a natural companion read. Where Pham reinvents Sleeping Beauty, Hochhauser gives a full interiority to one of Cinderella's most iconic villains, asking what experiences and losses could shape a person into who she became. Both books treat the source material as a lens for emotional truth rather than a plot to be retold. Readers searching for 'books like The Secret World of Briar Rose' that center on complex female characters and use the fairy-tale form to explore pain and identity will find Lady Tremaine an equally rewarding and thought-provoking read.

In our catalogue

The Everlasting

Alix E. Harrow

Harrow's fantasy weaves myth, longing, and the danger of beautiful escapes — a tonal and thematic match for readers drawn to Briar Rose's dreamworld and emotional weight.

Alix E. Harrow writes fantasy that feels like a fairy tale told by someone who has actually lived through the grief it describes, and that makes her work a strong recommendation for anyone who loved The Secret World of Briar Rose. Both Harrow and Pham use fantastical spaces — dreamworlds, mythic realms — not as escapism for the reader, but as a mirror for their characters' interior lives. The danger of disappearing into something beautiful, the way longing and loss shape identity, and the question of what it costs to stay in a world that feels safer than reality are all threads running through Harrow's fiction. If you've been looking for 'what to read after The Secret World of Briar Rose' and want something that brings that same literary fairy-tale atmosphere with deep emotional resonance, Harrow's work delivers exactly that.

Not your thing?

In our catalogue

One Dark Window

Rachel Gillig

If the dreamworld ambiguity felt too abstract, One Dark Window gives you the same dark fairy-tale mood with a sharper, more grounded plot and a propulsive mystery structure.

Some readers find that The Secret World of Briar Rose's layered dreamworld narrative — where the line between the protagonist's inner life and external reality stays deliberately blurry — can feel more introspective than plot-driven. If that's what didn't work for you, One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig is the fix. Elspeth Spindle also lives with something dangerous inside her mind, a dark presence she must negotiate with to survive — but Gillig anchors that psychological tension in a fast-moving, atmospheric plot with clear stakes and a propulsive mystery at its center. You still get the dark fairy-tale mood, the morally complex female lead, and the sense that the protagonist's inner world is as treacherous as the one outside. But the story's structure is tighter, the pacing more urgent. A great next step for readers who want the vibe without the dreamlike looseness.