I Left Goodreads After 10 Years — Here's Why I'm Never Going Back
A personal story of breaking up with Goodreads and finding something better.
I still remember the day I joined Goodreads. It was 2014, and I'd just finished The Night Circus. I wanted somewhere to capture that post-book glow, to remember how it made me feel, to find others who understood why I'd stayed up until 3 AM to finish it.
Goodreads seemed perfect. A social network just for readers. I added my books, connected with friends, and joined my first reading challenge. For the first few years, it worked.
But somewhere along the way, the magic died. What started as small annoyances became daily frustrations. And last year, after a decade of loyalty, I finally walked away.
This is the story of why I left — and why I'm never going back.
The Interface That Time Forgot
Let me paint a picture of my daily Goodreads experience.
I finish a book. I want to log it. I open the app, which loads slowly. I search for the title and scroll past seventeen different editions, trying to find mine. I click on it, but the page jumps around as ads load.
The interface hasn't meaningfully changed since I joined in 2014. And it wasn't exactly cutting-edge then.
A platform for book lovers that makes you hate opening it. The irony wasn't lost on me.
When Amazon Took Over
Amazon acquired Goodreads in 2013, and people immediately worried about what that meant.
The recommendations became suspiciously aligned with what Amazon wanted to sell me. "Buy" buttons appeared everywhere. The whole platform began to feel less like a reader community and more like a very sophisticated shopping cart.
The Features That Never Came
Every year, the reading community asks for the same things. Every year, Goodreads stays silent.
Visual bookshelves. We want to see our libraries.
Better statistics. I want to know my reading patterns.
Achievement systems. Gamification isn't a gimmick — it's how habits form.
Improved reviews. I want to track characters so I remember who's who in series.
The platform had a decade to evolve. What did we get? A slightly updated logo.
Finding Something Better
Then I found Enchanted Reads.
The first thing I noticed was the bookshelf. An actual bookshelf. Books arranged on wooden shelves, spines visible, exactly like my physical library at home.
Then I discovered the achievements. Over a hundred of them, celebrating everything from reading streaks to genre diversity.
For the first time in years, I actually wanted to log my books. Not because I should. Because I wanted to.
One Year Later
It's been a year since I left Goodreads. I've read 67 books. I've unlocked 34 achievements. I've written more reviews than in my entire decade on Goodreads.
My virtual bookshelf is beautiful. My statistics tell a story. My reading habit is stronger than ever.
Your reading life deserves an app that loves books as much as you do.
Maya is a team member at Enchanted Reads and a lifelong book lover.
Ready to join the readers who left Goodreads behind? Create your free Enchanted Reads account and see what book tracking should feel like.
