I've been working on PagePal, an eBook reader designed to help people with ADHD and/or poor memory actually follow and finish books (of course, many people with ADHD can read fine, I just happen to have the kind that gives me Dory-like working memory).
A little over a year ago, I was trying to get into reading. I’d be enjoying a book, then hit a wall as soon as too many characters or place names came up (it doesn't take much — five character names and I’m lost). I remember thinking: “If I could just tap on a name and see who this is...”. Then I realised AI could make this possible.
A few years earlier, I left my career to learn software, hoping to make a cool educational app one day, but I wasn't sure what form that would take. This, combined with my desire to read more easily is how PagePal was born. I’ve since teamed up with another developer, and we’re now looking toward investment and early traction.
There are plenty of book summary products out there, but most are about skipping the book, not helping you read it. PagePal is about helping more people actually read.
A few core features:
- Instant, spoiler-free summaries up to your current page: Last Page Recap, Story So Far, and Character/Story Elements - Simplify and explain tricky text or passages - 100+ classic books in a curated library - Available on iOS & Android
The summaries are AI-generated and pre-generated for each book, so they load instantly.
There’s a short demo video under the “No more re-reading pages!” section on the site. Beta is starting soon.
Would love your thoughts.
Feedback, questions, or critiques are all welcome. https://www.pagepalapp.com
ADHDan•9mo ago
euan_c•9mo ago
ADHDan•9mo ago
Right now, it's fiction only — but non-fiction has been one of the most requested additions. It was always on the roadmap, but the demand we’ve seen so far has definitely bumped it up the list.
We’ve also had a few people ask about adding their own books. The tech to support that is already in place, but it's currently disabled. Since there's a cost involved in processing each book, it's not part of our short-term plan — but if enough people request it during testing, we’ll definitely consider moving it up the queue.
Our current thinking is to build around a Netflix-style model with a curated library, and continuously grow it, but we're keeping an open mind based on how people actually want to use it.