Novelly Is Here: A New Book Discovery and Book Club App for Readers Who Want More

You know that feeling when a friend says, "You have to read this book," and they describe the mood, the vibe, the feeling it gave them, without spoiling a single thing?

That's the experience we built Novelly around. And honestly? We can't stop grinning about it.

Today we're opening our doors. Not with a big keynote or a billboard campaign, but the way your favorite restaurant does it: a soft launch. The lights are on, the kitchen is running, and we're inviting readers in to see what we've been building.

What Is Novelly?

Novelly is a free book discovery app that helps you find your next great read by swiping through spoiler-free book descriptions. Think of it as a dating app for books. Instead of judging by covers and blurbs that give away the ending, you're reading curated descriptions designed to capture a book's mood, themes, and writing style without revealing the plot.

Novelly is also a book club management platform. Every account includes a free book club with invite links, book polls, virtual meeting links, and reading history tracking. Paid plans unlock club discussions, achievements, custom icons, and more.

The app is available as a progressive web app (PWA), which means you can install it directly from your browser to your home screen on any device. No app store download required.

How Novelly Works: Book Discovery in Four Steps

Novelly's core experience is built around a simple, satisfying swipe mechanic:

1. Read a spoiler-free description. Every description is written to convey mood, themes, and tone without revealing twists, character fates, or endings.
2. Swipe right to like, left to pass. No complicated rating systems. Just a gut reaction. Trust your reader instincts!
3. Liked books go to your reading list. When you're ready to buy, a link is waiting for you.
4. The title is revealed after you swipe. During the swipe phase, you don't see the title or the cover. The decision is made on substance alone. (This part is so fun.)

We currently have over 40,000 books across 16 genres, including Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller, Romance, Historical Fiction, Horror, Magical Realism, Young Adult, and more. New titles are added daily, including 2026 releases as they come out.

What Makes Novelly Different from Goodreads and Other Book Apps

There are plenty of book apps out there. Here's what makes Novelly special:

Spoiler-Free Descriptions

Most book discovery platforms use publisher-written synopses that routinely reveal major plot points. (We've all been burned by those "and then she discovers the truth about her father" descriptions.) Novelly's descriptions are specifically crafted to intrigue you without spoiling anything. You get the feeling of the book, not a summary of its first 200 pages.

No Cover Bias

During the discovery phase, book covers are intentionally hidden. This is one of our favorite design choices. A self-published debut with a modest cover design deserves the same shot as a Big Five release with a six-figure marketing budget. When you remove the packaging, hidden gems rise to the surface. And trust us, you will be surprised by what you fall in love with.

The title and cover are revealed after you swipe, so your reading list still looks exactly the way you'd expect.

A Recommendation Algorithm That Learns from Every Swipe

Novelly's recommendation engine learns from every interaction. Not just what you like, but what you pass on too. Both signals shape your future recommendations. The algorithm considers:

• Your preferred genres (selected during onboarding, adjustable anytime)
• Excluded genres (genres you never want to see)
• Swipe history (likes and passes both contribute)
• Rating preferences (set minimum quality thresholds)
• Publication year range (focus on new releases or explore classics)

Unlike store-driven algorithms that push bestsellers and paid placements, Novelly has no sponsored books, no promoted listings, and no pay-to-rank. Every recommendation is based purely on your taste. It's like having a friend who just gets your reading vibe.

Book Discovery and Book Clubs in One App

Most book apps make you choose: discover books or manage a book club. Novelly does both! Your discovery feed and your club's reading list live in the same place, so the transition from "I found a great book" to "let's all read it" happens in seconds. No more copying links between three different apps.

Book Club Features: Free and Paid Tiers

Every Novelly account includes a free book club with real, useful features. Not a stripped-down trial.

Reader (Free, Forever)

• 1 private book club with up to 5 members
• Shareable invite links (one tap to join)
• Book polls and voting (up to 10 options per poll)
• Club reading history
• Virtual meeting links for remote book clubs
• Meeting location selection from 16,000+ US public libraries or a custom address

Curator ($9.99/month or $99/year)

Everything in Reader, plus:

• 2 book clubs with up to 15 members each
• Club discussions: a dedicated space for talking about the current book
• Club achievements: collective milestones earned together
• Email notifications for club activity
• Pin announcements, custom club icons, and member roles
• 10 custom bookshelf lists
• 7-day free trial included

Curator Pro ($14.99/month or $149/year)

Everything in Curator, plus:

• 3 book clubs with up to 30 members each
• Reading challenges: set group goals and track progress together
• Push notifications for club activity

Here's what matters most: all core discovery features (swiping, recommendations, your reading list, friends, achievements, streaks, and reading stats) are free forever. Paid plans only enhance book club collaboration. No ads. No paywalls on discovery. No data selling. Just books.

Social Features and Achievements

Books are better when you share them. (We will die on this hill.) Novelly includes a full social layer:

• Add friends by searching for other readers
• See what friends are reading in real time
• Discover books through people you trust, not just algorithms

There are over 30 achievements to earn across categories like reading milestones, genre exploration, author loyalty, seasonal reading, social connection, and streaks. Your reading stats dashboard tracks books read, pages consumed, your current streak, top genres, and monthly reading trends.

These features exist to make reading more rewarding, not to gamify it into a chore. Every achievement represents a genuine milestone in your reading life. (And yes, the streak counter is very motivating.)

Why a Soft Launch?

We could have waited. Polished more features. Added more books. But we believe the best way to build something great is to put it in front of real readers and listen.

A soft launch means:

• The core experience is ready. Discovery, book clubs, friends, achievements, reading stats: it all works and we're proud of it.
• We're actively listening. Your feedback during this phase directly shapes what we build next.
• It's invite-only for now. We're growing carefully so we can give every early reader a great experience.

If you're reading this, you're one of the first people through the door. That means a lot to us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Novelly free? Yes! All core features (book discovery, recommendations, reading list, friends, achievements, streaks, and reading stats) are completely free. Paid plans ($9.99/month and up) are optional and only enhance book club features.

How many books does Novelly have? Over 40,000 books across 16 genres, with new titles added daily.

How is Novelly different from Goodreads? Novelly focuses on spoiler-free discovery with hidden covers, a swipe-based interface, and a recommendation algorithm based purely on your taste. There are no sponsored placements or bestseller bias. It also includes built-in book club management with polls, discussions, and achievements.

Is Novelly available on iPhone and Android? Novelly is a progressive web app (PWA) that works on any device with a browser. You can install it to your home screen from Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android) for an app-like experience. No app store download needed.

How do book clubs work? Every account includes one free book club. Invite members with a shareable link, vote on books with built-in polls, and track your reading history together. Paid plans add discussions, achievements, custom icons, and more.

Can I use Novelly without joining a book club? Absolutely. Many readers use Novelly purely for personal book discovery. Book clubs are totally optional.

Who built Novelly? Novelly is developed by Dcipher LLC.

What's Next

We're working on expanding the library, deepening recommendation signals, and building new book club features based on what early readers tell us they need. We'll share updates here on the blog and through the app. This is just the beginning, and we have so much planned.

Start Discovering

If you have an invite code, sign up here and start swiping. If you don't have one yet, ask a friend who's already in. Every user gets invite codes to share.

Discover your next favorite book. No spoilers. No cover bias. Just stories.

Welcome to Novelly. We're so glad you're here.