✨ Let’s get into it ✨
⏱ 2 min read
💡 TLDR
Co-Star’s new bookish dating app Readme is a total vibe, but the algorithm is currently glitching harder than a millennial in a crisis. It’s great for literary meet-cutes, just don't expect to find anyone local since it keeps matching you with people in Tokyo.
📑 Quick Jump
Dating apps are officially entering their niche era, and now we have an app specifically for people who actually read books. Developed by the astrology giant Co-Star, Readme aims to spark those dreamy bookstore “meet cute” moments through psycholinguistics rather than just mindless swiping. While the concept feels very Brooklyn, my actual experience was more “ambitious mess” than “soulmate seeker.”
The Quiz And The Vibes
Setting up your profile involves a 25-question quiz designed to explore how you relate to others through literature. You pick between quotes from authors like Casey McQuiston or Robert Frost, while answering questions about your politics and communication style. The copy tries really hard to nail a specific, ironic, millennial energy that can feel a little grating at times—like when choosing book genres offers options like “the writing on the wall.” After you finish, it spits out a personality report; mine labeled me a “Former Gifted Child” because I prefer metonymy over metaphor. The report also details How I Love and What You Need. It even gives you conversation starters for a first date, which is actually pretty helpful if you’re feeling socially awkward. Interestingly, despite being a Co-Star product, there’s zero mention of astrological compatibility or anywhere to input your birthdate. So, if you’re looking for your cosmic match, this isn’t it (yet).
💫 The report also details How I Love and What You Need.
The Location Problem
Even though the aesthetic leans heavily into that indie sleaze, Y2K vintage vibe, the functionality isn’t quite there yet. One major feature allows you to filter matches by friends of friends, but since the app just launched, finding mutuals is basically impossible right now. More importantly, the algorithm seems to have a massive location glitch. Despite living in Chicago, every single one of my recommended likes was in New York, Vermont, or even Tokyo. There’s currently no way to filter by distance, making the app almost useless if you aren’t living in a specific coastal bubble.
While Readme definitely knows its target audience—likely women who value intelligence and empathy in a partner—it feels like an ambitious project that needs more polish before it can truly compete with the big players. Until they fix the radius settings and expand beyond the Brooklyn-coded crowd, I’ll be sticking to my real-world bookstores.
Are you looking for someone with a shared reading list, or is the dating app fatigue hitting too hard?
❓ People Also Ask
What is the Readme dating app?
Readme is a niche dating application developed by the astrology company Co-Star that focuses on connecting people through literature and psycholinguistics. Instead of traditional swiping, the app uses a 25-question quiz about reading habits, politics, and communication styles to create personality reports. Users receive insights into how they love and what they need in a partner, along with specific conversation starters designed to help ease the social awkwardness of a first date.
How does the Readme profile setup process work?
The profile setup process centers on a comprehensive quiz designed to explore how users relate to others through books and language. Participants select between various literary quotes from authors like Robert Frost and provide information regarding their political views and communication styles. This process results in a personalized personality report that uses specific labels to describe the user. For example, the app might categorize a user based on their preference for certain linguistic devices like metonymy.
Why is the Readme app currently difficult to use for local dating?
The Readme app is difficult to use for local dating because it currently lacks a functional distance filter and suffers from significant location glitches. Users may find themselves seeing recommended matches from entirely different geographic areas, such as Tokyo or Vermont, even if they live in cities like Chicago. Because there is no way to set a specific radius for matches, the app remains largely limited to people living within specific coastal bubbles.
Does the Readme app include astrology features?
Readme does not include astrology features or cosmic compatibility tools despite being developed by the astrology giant Co-Star. There is no option within the app to input a birthdate or view how celestial alignments might affect a potential match. While the developer is well-known for astrological products, this specific application focuses entirely on literature and psycholinguistics rather than providing users with a cosmic match or astrological insights.
💬 What do you think? Let us know in the comments! 👇
📰 Source: Mashable