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August 5, 2026 I built an AI reading companion you can talk to — looking for feedback

Hi everyone,
I'm Luca, a solo developer from Italy. For the past few months I've been building something I really needed as a reader.

When I finish a book, I always want to talk about it — share thoughts, compare interpretations, understand characters better. But not everyone around me has read the same book, and sometimes I just want a companion to think with.

So I asked myself: what if I could talk with a virtual reading companion that knows the book as well as I do?

That became Clulib (https://www.clulib.com)

What it does

  • Upload an EPUB/PDF/TXT

  • Chat with an AI that answers only using the book's actual text (no summarizing, no making things up)

  • Talk with characters grounded in the original story

  • Join small book clubs to discuss what you're reading together

It's not meant to replace reading — it's meant to think with you while you read.

Where I'm at

I've built this solo (Angular + .NET, AI grounded via RAG on the book's text). It's live with subscription tiers already set up, but no real paying users yet — I'm still very early in getting it in front of readers and would rather get outside feedback now than keep iterating alone.

If you want to try it more in depth, the free plan is a bit limited — just leave a comment or direct message to me and I'm happy to unlock a fuller plan for testers.

What I'd love feedback on

  • Does this solve a real "problem" for you as a reader, or is it a nice-to-have?

  • What's the first thing you'd want fixed or added?

  • If you were validating this from scratch, what would you test first?

Happy to answer anything about the tech, the RAG setup, etc.

Thanks for reading!
Luca

Luca Zoffoli

14 Comments
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  1. 1
    I really relate to the part about wanting outside feedback instead of continuing to iterate alone. I’m at a similar stage with something I’ve been building. I think the biggest question I’d test first is whether people come back to use it with a second book. Trying it once could be driven by curiosity, but using it again would probably be a much stronger signal that the reading companion actually solves something for them. I’d be interested in testing Clulib and giving you some honest feedback if you’re still looking for testers.
    Zach Bowie's avatar Zach Bowie
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    2 days ago
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    1. 1
      Yes, you can try it. Try the demo, or you can register an account. This project is freemium. If you want let me know what you think.
      Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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      2 days ago
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      1. 1
        I tried the demo with Christopher and I actually liked the concept. His responses felt more like a reading companion than just a basic book summary, especially when I asked what I should pay attention to while reading Frankenstein. A couple things stood out to me. When the chat first opened, I wasn't completely sure what I should ask, so a few suggested starter prompts could help first-time users understand what Christopher is useful for. I also think reading progress could be really useful. I told Christopher I was only a few chapters in and asked him not to spoil anything. It made me think it would be helpful if I could set my exact chapter/progress so Christopher automatically knows what I'm supposed to have read and avoids anything beyond that. Overall though, I understood the idea much better after actually using the demo. The reading-companion part makes sense to me now.
        Zach Bowie's avatar Zach Bowie
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        2 days ago
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        1. 1
          You can set the spoiler avoider by click the the gear in the top right of the chat. The suggestion is a good idea to incentivate the discussion. Thanks for feedback!
          Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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          2 days ago
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          1. 1
            Glad it helped! I completely missed the spoiler setting in the gear, so that might actually be useful feedback on its own for a first-time user. I mentioned earlier that I'm building something too. It's called Zaivy, and it helps people go from figuring out what business fits them through validating it, launching, pricing, finding customers, outreach, and tracking growth. I just opened the beta and I'm looking for a few outside testers. If you'd be interested in trying it and giving me the same kind of honest feedback, I'd really appreciate it.
            Zach Bowie's avatar Zach Bowie
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            2 days ago
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            1. 1

              Sure, give me the link!

              Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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              2 days ago
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              1. 1
                Awesome, thank you! Here it is: zaivy-beta.netlify.app I want to give you as little guidance as possible because I'm testing whether Zaivy makes sense on its own. Use it like you were genuinely trying to start something, and if anything is confusing, broken, unnecessary, or surprisingly useful, there's a Send Feedback button inside the app. Really appreciate you taking the time to try it.
                Zach Bowie's avatar Zach Bowie
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                2 days ago
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  2. 2

    The interesting part for me is that the product seems to assume the value comes after someone has already chosen to read the book, not from helping them discover it.

    From the conversations you've had with readers so far, are they describing the need to discuss and explore a book as something they already felt before seeing Clulib, or is it mostly something that resonates after they've seen the product?

    Aryan Sinh's avatar Aryan Sinh
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    a month ago
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    1. 1

      They are actually still in the early stages of the project.
      I've had some testers from friends and family and haven't asked this specific question. I'd like feedback from people I don't know directly to understand this.
      In fact, before presenting the product, it would be interesting to ask if, like me, they feel the need to talk to someone about it and delve deeper into the topics. This point is very interesting.
      I also found it interesting, at least for me, to talk to a character from the book, even maybe from the book itself, or to set up some sort of roleplay.

      Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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      a month ago
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      1. 1

        That’s helpful context. I appreciate you sharing where the project is currently at and the questions you’re trying to understand.

        I’d like to continue the conversation outside the thread. What’s the best email to reach you on?

        Aryan Sinh's avatar Aryan Sinh
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        a month ago
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        1. 1

          The form tells me: "You're not allowed to post links yet." I'll try to give you my email address like this: luca.zoffoli @hotmail .it (I added the space before @ and before .it, which aren't there)

          Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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          a month ago
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          1. 1

            Thanks! I’ve just sent it over.

            Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have a chance.

            Aryan Sinh's avatar Aryan Sinh
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            a month ago
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    2. 1

      This comment was deleted a month ago

      Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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      a month ago
      1. 1

        This comment was deleted a month ago

        Luca Zoffoli's avatar Luca Zoffoli
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        a month ago

About

I'm a reader, and I like to talk about the books I finish — compare interpretations, think out loud about what I just read. But not everyone around me has read the same book, so I wanted a companion to think with.

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Luca ZoffoliFounder