Shelfy: Book Tracker & TBR

So I’m going to write a review now so I don’t forget to, and I’ll update my review as I use the app more as it’s only been a few days. So far I really like it. I love having the bookshelf and being able to customize it. I’ve had some issues with the sorting where I sort by authors last name and some books won’t group together but it’s really no biggie. I think my main complaint is the discover section, which I was most excited for. I love that it tells me what book I’ve already read that the suggested book is similar to, but the description of the book doesn’t help much. Also, it just likes to show me the same books over and over which was disappointing. Other than that, I find it’s been motivating me to read a lot more :) it’s very user friendly and aesthetically pleasing as well.

I downloaded the app because I have been wishing for something like this as an alternative to Goodreads. I love the premise. I was annoyed that the entire app locks down after setup unless you agree to a 3 day free trial. The App Store said I would have to cancel 1 day before my subscription renewed, so that’s really only two days free. I can’t even explore the app without agreeing to these terms. The nail in the coffin is that when I searched a pretty popular book, it was not even in the system. I could not add the most recent book I read. What is the point of the app if I can’t even add the books I just read? Note to the developers: I see the arguments you are making about a subscription being the only way for you to keep it ad-free. I get it. You need to make money for your hard work. Please hear from your target audience: we would like an option with ads so that we can try before committing to a subscription. If you can fix that and also make it so the books your users are reading will show up in your system, I would be willing to try again. I probably would end up subscribing, but under the current circumstances, I will be deleting the app. Best wishes on your brilliant app! Please let me know if it becomes more user friendly!

I guess I should have read the reviews before downloading. Like many other one stars, I got too excited for this app and spend a good 10-15 minutes setting up the app only to get to the end and get prompted to subscribe. If this app actually had a free version, I wouldn’t have been as upset. But not telling anyone your app required a subscription to be useable is horrible marketing. Again, there is no free version. This app REQUIRES you have a subscription to use it. A free trial you cancel anytime is not the same thing. I wouldn’t bother wasting your time unless you can afford the extra subscription fee and are willing to pay it. Such a shame that an app with so much promise fools people into being hopeful and excited- especially those on a budget who can’t afford those extra few dollars a month.