

One of my main frustrations with Goodreads has always been its tendency toward streamlined categorization. The StoryGraph keeps it simple, sticking to just list-making and recommendations. Goodreads is, and has always been, best for keeping track of book lists. One of the biggest problems facing Goodreads is that, because of its many sections and clunky web design, it’s confusing, at times to the point of being almost unusable. That’s where the similarities end - and it’s a big part of why The StoryGraph succeeds. Goodreads is confusing, at times to the point of being almost unusable. There’s a community subsection of the site, which, like on Goodreads, functions as a scrollable feed.

The StoryGraph’s core functionality will feel familiar to Goodreads users: add books to your to-read list, mark the ones you’re in the middle of as “currently reading,” and review the books you’ve completed (or given up on).

“It wasn’t meant to be an all-encompassing book tracking and recommendations website.” She soon realized the app wasn’t compelling enough on its own, though, and began working with friends and book bloggers to add a much-wanted feature: high-quality, individualized book recommendations. “It was originally an app to track and share reading lists,” Odunayo tells Input. Software engineer Nadia Odunayo started The StoryGraph as a side project back in 2019. After all these years of Goodreads, The StoryGraph is a breath of fresh, Bezos-free air. The StoryGraph is a thoughtful, nuanced take on the online reading diary. It’s into this market - though calling it such is something of a stretch at this point - that a new website called The StoryGraph launched last month. The problem: Very few alternatives exist, and even fewer of those alternatives offer additional features that might entice longtime Goodreads users to jump ship. The publishing industry has latched onto this massive userbase and its willingness to share its opinions as a free test group - giving the platform’s reviews an astounding level of credence. Still, users flock to the site in the tens of millions as of mid-2019, Goodreads had more than 90 million registered users.
