Checked 2026-10-29
Is Magic Bookmark worth it for ADHD readers?
A recap that stops at your page targets a classic stall: you put a book down for two weeks and come back to strangers. This is a desk review from the App Store listing and the developer's website, scored only where those sources give us something to score.
Every score on this page comes from the same published rubric. how we score
What it is
Magic Bookmark: Book Recaps is an iPhone app from Yomu Inc. that works alongside your own copy of a book; it does not contain the book. You snap a photo of the page you are on or type the page number, or for an audiobook you enter the last phrase you heard. It then gives you a recap that stops exactly where you are, a cast list built only from what you have read, spoiler-free answers to questions about the story so far, and a chat where characters answer in character and only know the story up to your page. It covers a catalog of supported titles, mostly the romance, fantasy, romantasy, YA, sci-fi and historical fiction books popular on BookTok and Bookstagram, and you can request others in the app.
- Category
- reading-recap
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later). Listing also shows Mac with Apple M1 or later, but says not verified for macOS. No Android or web yet.
- Free tier
- Free download and first Bookmark Credit free (one credit covers one book). No subscription; credits never expire.
- Taps to capture
- Not yet measured
What does Magic Bookmark do?
Four things, all locked to your place in the book. A recap that stops exactly where you are, “not just the chapter”. A cast list of who is who and how they are connected, where new characters appear only once you have met them. Answers to questions about the story so far, without spoilers (the listing’s example: “wait, are they together yet?”). And chat with characters: type @ to summon one, and they answer in character, knowing only the story up to your page.
The developer’s tagline is “We spoil readers, never books.” It calls the model BYOB: bring, buy or borrow your own book. The website says it works with hardcover, paperback, audiobook, ebook or library loan, and with “any edition, any printing” of a physical book.
Audiobook support arrived in version 1.1.1 on 27 October 2026, so it is the newest part of the app. Version 1.1, about five days earlier, added a flow for finishing a book and moving to the next. The US App Store version history starts with 1.0.1 on 20 August 2026.
Why would a recap help with an ADHD reading stall?
A paused book is easy to restart if you remember the story. The trouble starts when you do not: the first page back is full of names you cannot place, so it feels like work, so you put it down again. A recap that stops at your page, plus a cast list, lowers the cost of that first page back. That is the job this app is built for, and it is the job our reading list is sorted around.
It does not help you start a session, stay off your phone, or keep going once you are back in. Pair it with a timer or a body-doubling session for that: see the best ADHD apps for reading and how to finish books with ADHD. It also does not replace the book: you still need your own copy.
How much does Magic Bookmark cost?
Free download, and your first Bookmark Credit is free. One credit covers one book: the bookmark moves with you through that book, so you do not spend a credit per session. Credits never expire and there is no subscription.
- 1 credit: $4.99
- 5 credits: $19.99 ($4.00 each)
- 10 credits: $34.99 ($3.50 each)
- 50 credits: $69.99 ($1.40 each)
For how that compares with subscriptions and free tools, see what reading apps cost.
What are the catches?
- Supported titles only. Check that your book is in the catalog before you rely on it. Titles shown on the website include Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, The Hunger Games, Mistborn, Dune, Pride and Prejudice and The Book Thief. You can request a title in the app.
- iPhone only today, iOS 16.4 or later. The listing also shows Mac with Apple M1 or later, but its header says “Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.” The website says Android is “on the roadmap for later”. There is no web version.
- English only.
- Pay per book after the first one.
- Privacy: the App Store label lists identifiers as data used to track you, and lists purchases, contact info, user content (photos), search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as data linked to you.
- A young app: 4.8 out of 5 from 24 ratings on the US App Store as of 2026-10-27. That is a small number of ratings, so treat it as an early signal, not a verdict.
How does it compare with Kindle’s recap tools?
Amazon has its own versions. Kindle Recaps gives “Previously on...” style refreshers for books you have already read in a series. Story So Far gives a spoiler-free recap up to where you stopped. Ask this Book, launched on the Kindle iOS app in the US in December 2025, answers questions about plot, characters and themes without spoilers. All three are free with the Kindle book, but only work inside Kindle ebooks bought or borrowed through Amazon, in the US.
Magic Bookmark works with a print copy, an audiobook or any ebook, but only for its supported titles, only on iPhone, and per book. A general chatbot can also summarize a novel, but it does not know which page you are on and can mix in later events or invent details, so you have to tell it your place and trust it not to spoil. For Magic Bookmark next to a text-to-speech app, see Magic Bookmark vs Speechify.
How was this scored?
This is a desk review: we read the App Store listing and the developer’s website and scored each rubric criterion only where those sources give evidence. We have not installed the app, timed setup, counted taps or bought a credit, so there is no setup time, no tap count and no total out of 100. The criteria we could assess add up to 55 of the 70 points they are worth; the other three criteria are marked not assessable. The criterion-by-criterion basis is in the table below, and how we assess reading apps explains the method.
Setup, timed
Setup scored 15/20 provisionally, from a desk review of the official listing and documentation. It has not been timed on our clock yet.
Score, criterion by criterion
- Setup friction 15 out of 20
- Capture friction 12 out of 15
- Forgiveness 14 out of 15
- Reward design not assessed
- Notification quality not assessed
- Price honesty 8 out of 10
- Accessibility not assessed
- Staying power 6 out of 10
| Criterion | Score | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Setup friction | 15/20 | Minutes and decisions from install to first real value |
| Capture friction | 12/15 | Taps to Capture, measured with the published protocol |
| Forgiveness | 14/15 | What happens after a missed day: repair options, no shame loops |
| Reward design | n/a (of 10) | Motivating without manipulating: no fake urgency, no loss-framed pushes |
| Notification quality | n/a (of 10) | Helpful re-engagement vs noise; snooze and quiet controls |
| Price honesty | 8/10 | Trial terms as written vs as experienced; desk reviews score the terms as written |
| Accessibility | n/a (of 10) | Text scaling, screen reader labels, reduced motion, contrast |
| Staying power | 6/10 | Update cadence over 12 months, team and funding signals |
What the listing tells us, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Setup friction | 15/20 | Listing and website describe a short start: free download, first Bookmark Credit free, pick your book, then snap a photo of your page or type the page number. One real decision up front (is my book in the catalog?). Not timed. |
| Capture friction | 12/15 | Adapted for a reading app: how many steps the listing describes to tell the app where you are. One photo or one page number; for audiobooks, the last phrase you heard. Not tap-counted. |
| Forgiveness | 14/15 | Coming back after a gap is the use case. Credits never expire, the bookmark moves with you through the whole book, and there is no subscription to lapse. No streaks or penalties are described in our sources. |
| Reward design | Not assessable | Not assessable from the listing. Our sources describe no reward mechanics at all, good or bad. |
| Notification quality | Not assessable | Not assessable from the listing. Our sources say nothing about notifications. |
| Price honesty | 8/10 | Terms as written are clear: first credit free, one credit per book, no subscription, credits never expire, pack prices listed. Not 10 because we have not made a purchase to check terms as experienced. |
| Accessibility | Not assessable | Not assessable from the listing. Text scaling, VoiceOver labels and reduced motion are not described in our sources. |
| Staying power | 6/10 | Active but young: US version history starts with 1.0.1 on 2026-08-20, with 1.0.10 on 2026-10-19, 1.1 about five days before 1.1.1, and 1.1.1 on 2026-10-27. This criterion looks at 12 months; there are about two. |
Assessable points: 55 of 70. No total out of 100 until hands-on testing.
Best for
Readers who lose the story after a break and want back in without spoilers, in print, ebook or audio.
Watch out
Supported titles only, iPhone only, pay per book after the first, English only, and the privacy label lists tracking identifiers.
Price honesty
first book free, then $ per book. Affiliate program not verified. On a hands-on run we cancel every trial we start and note what the cancellation flow was like. Desk reviews score the trial terms as written.
Prices checked 2026-10-27 · See the price tracker
Questions people actually ask
Is Magic Bookmark free?
The download and your first Bookmark Credit are free. After that, one credit covers one book: $4.99 for one, or less each in packs of 5, 10 or 50 (down to $1.40 each). There is no subscription and credits never expire.
Does Magic Bookmark work with paperbacks and audiobooks?
According to the developer, yes. It works alongside your own copy: snap a photo of your page or type the page number, or for an audiobook enter the last phrase you heard. Audiobook support was added on 27 October 2026. It only works for titles in its catalog.
Is Magic Bookmark on Android?
Not yet. It is an iPhone app that needs iOS 16.4 or later. The developer’s website says Android is on the roadmap for later.
Will Magic Bookmark spoil the book?
It is designed not to: recaps, the cast list, answers and character chats are limited to the story up to your page. We have not run it ourselves yet, so we cannot confirm how well that holds.
Did you test Magic Bookmark?
Not hands-on. This is a provisional desk review based on the App Store listing and the developer’s website, checked 2026-10-27. There are no timings or tap counts on this page, and there is no total out of 100: only the criteria the listing lets us assess are scored, 55 of 70 points.
Is Magic Bookmark an ADHD app?
No. It is a general reading companion. We cover it because losing the thread after a gap is a common way a book stalls, and that is the job our reading list is sorted around. It does not diagnose or treat anything.
Where Magic Bookmark shows up
Sources
Changelog
- 2026-10-29 · Added as a provisional desk review. Partial score 55 of 70 assessable points; facts from the App Store listing and developer website (checked 2026-10-27).
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