460 ratings | 569 reviews | avg rating:3.20

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Cindy’s Year In Books

Cindy’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Cindy’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Cindy Pham’s Followers (130,990)

Cindy’s Bookshelves

to-read (265)
currently-reading (2)
read (621)

Cindy’s Friends (4,206)

Laura

1,883 books | 40 friends

509 books | 24 friends

Imane

2,680 books | 746 friends

Liliana

2,073 books | 104 friends

karli

1,407 books | 581 friends

Connie

2,564 books | 41 friends

Jacqueline

1,206 books | 62 friends

Anna Long

3,114 books | 119 friends

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Cindy Pham

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://www.readwithcindy.com/

Genre

Fantasy, Young Adult

Member Since

July 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/readwithcindy

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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 chan ...more

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how did you worldbuild your world? what inspirations did you pull from (if you did?)

Cindy Pham When I first thought about the dreamworld in 'The Secret World of Briar Rose', I pictured the afterlife depicted in 'The Lovely Bones', particularly t…moreWhen I first thought about the dreamworld in 'The Secret World of Briar Rose', I pictured the afterlife depicted in 'The Lovely Bones', particularly the montage in the movie where the surreal landscape shifts instantly between seasons and changes based on the character's emotions. This inspired me to split the dreamworld into seasons: Winterland, Springland, Summerland, and Autumnland. Malicine's magic separates these regions for easy compartmentalization, but the intrusion of characters who cannot compartmentalize their emotional baggage (like the main character, Corin) will disrupt the environment.

I was also inspired by Ghibli films' rich natural landscapes and whimsical aesthetic with underlying themes about war. I like the idea of using a lush fantasy world to ground heavy stories about human suffering.

A big aesthetic inspiration was also cottagecore. This felt fitting for Briar Rose since cottagecore is a response to the stresses of modern life and intertwined with sapphic culture. But it's also a romanticized view of rural life for the privileged and conveniently ignores rural poverty and realism. So it was fun writing that tension between a beautiful world created by a manic pixie dream girl and a cynical main character who suspects the rot beneath!(less)

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What traits/habits of your own would you say you imbued into the characters?

Cindy Pham Since ‘The Secret World of Briar Rose’ is based on my experience with depression and suicidal ideation, many of my traits and habits are imbued into t…moreSince ‘The Secret World of Briar Rose’ is based on my experience with depression and suicidal ideation, many of my traits and habits are imbued into the main characters, particularly when it comes to my flaws.

For Corin, I’ve based all my worst traits into that character and dialed them up by 100, so I’m sure she will be quite an unlikable character haha. She’s overly negative, resentful, selfish, lashes out on people, often spirals into self-loathing… I like to think I’m more put together than she is, but her character is an outlet for me to give in to being deeply flawed. She is not an easy person to root for, and I probably would not be friends with her IRL. But as a writer, I enjoyed digging deeper behind her anger and shame to see the vulnerabilities in how she came to be this way.

For Amelia, it’s her listlessness, passivity, cowardice, and desire to run away from her problems and seek escapism. The character of Sleeping Beauty is often criticized for her lack of agency, but I find that living with depression makes it difficult to be “brave” or “strong”, and so I heavily leaned in to those “weak” qualities with my characters instead.

Malicine will probably be readers’ favorite character because I imbued more of my snarkiness and humor into their dialogue, which will be a nice reprieve from the other characters bumming us out!(less)

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Cindy Pham’s books

Average rating: 4.41 · 37 ratings · 72 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Secret World of Briar Rose 4.41 avg rating — 37 ratings — expected publication 2026 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Secret World of Briar Rose: The lush, immersive fairy-tale retelling of your dreams 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Cindy is Currently Reading

Cindy Pham is currently reading

The Isle in the Silver Sea

by Tasha Suri (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 28, 2026 12:44PM

Cindy Pham is currently reading

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat

by Aubrey Gordon

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 25, 2026 12:34PM

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Cindy’s Recent Updates

Cindy Pham is currently reading The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 28, 2026 12:44PM · 8 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cindy Pham has read An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
cute and cozy. the MC reminds me of amelia bedelia bc of her charm and quirkiness. the LI is sweet and a good match for her as well. the MC's background story, the mystery of her memories, and the thematic lessons about believing in love were a nice ...more
Jan 28, 2026 12:44PM · 153 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cindy Pham is accepting questions on their profile page.
Jan 26, 2026 08:36AM · Be the first to ask Cindy Pham a question
Cindy Pham is currently reading What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 25, 2026 12:34PM · 5 likes · like
Cindy Pham is currently reading An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 25, 2026 12:34PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cindy Pham has read Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
i've been wanting to read more nonfic books about fat politics and am glad i started with this one, although it's going to set a high bar compared to the rest of my tbr! i thought this was a great source of knowledge for intersectionality with fatnes ...more
Jan 25, 2026 12:32PM · 269 likes · like · see review
Cindy Pham has read The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1) by Rachel Gillig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
the Olaf-ication of gargoyles
Jan 25, 2026 12:27PM · 513 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cindy Pham is currently reading Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 13, 2026 08:36PM · 5 likes · like
Cindy Pham is currently reading The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1) by Rachel Gillig (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Romantasy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 13, 2026 08:36PM · 8 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cindy Pham has read Discontent by Beatriz Serrano	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The last 1/3 of the story was amusing but overall the book doesn't in depth beyond the relatability of being a drone in a monotonous corporate environment, making this more of a casual read. Be warned that the English translation has an unnecessary u ...more
Jan 13, 2026 08:30PM · 143 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Discontent by Beatriz Serrano. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Discontent by Beatriz Serrano <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Around the Year i...: Mel's Optimistic 2026 Challenge	1	26	Dec 23, 2025 04:50PM

Cindy’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-12) post a comment »

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message 12: by fey

Dec 26, 2019 10:00AM

Thanks for accepting my friend request! I've been binging your videos for DAYS now and your review style is really informing but also entertaining! Greetings from Turkey!

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message 11: by Rosaline

Dec 20, 2019 11:41PM

Hiiii, thank you for accepting my friend invite. I am looking forward to having lovely book chats with you.
Have a beautiful day and happy reading! :)

PS: I won't get notified if you reply on your own profile, but I will definitely see it if you reply on mine. :)

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message 10: by Argelli (last edited Jul 25, 2019 07:44PM)

Jul 25, 2019 07:43PM

Thanks for confirming, Cindy. ✨
I'm suscribed to your channel on youtube and I watch your videos for stress relief. 🌹

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message 9: by Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️

Jun 18, 2019 06:11PM

Thank you for being a friend !
*Wendy Curtsies

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message 8: by Mira Gail

May 29, 2019 04:11PM

Thanks for confirming! I'm a subscriber and I enjoy your output! Greetings from the Philippines!

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message 7: by elaine

May 17, 2019 03:21AM

hey cindy! i've been following your channel for a while now, and you are one of the most honest, hilarious, and genuine book reviewers. thanks for adding me as a friend <3

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message 6: by Lina

May 01, 2019 10:24PM