Built a browser extension that scans book reviews for the specific things you want to

BookGlints · 07-27-2026, 04:12 PM

Hi all — new here. I read a lot, and built a Chrome extension called BookGlints to solve my own problem. I'd genuinely value this community's take on it, since you all think harder about reading tools than most.

The problem: I kept abandoning books a hundred pages in over things I'd have avoided if I'd known. A flawless "good at everything" protagonist, a forced romance subplot, a series that never gets finished. It's all in the reviews, but nobody reads 200 reviews before starting a book.

BookGlints lets you define your own flags in plain language ("protagonist too perfect," "series never finished," anything), then scans a book's Goodreads or StoryGraph reviews and shows you the ones that actually match, quoting the real review text. It matches on meaning rather than keywords, so "Mary Sue" and "main character is good at everything" register as the same concern.

The things I suspect this crowd will care about most:

It only reads a book's review page when you click Scan. No background tracking, no browsing history, no analytics on what you read.
Every result is the actual reviewer's words, not an AI-generated summary — you're never trusting a paraphrase.
Works across reviews in multiple languages.
Chrome only for now. Free to try, paid tier for heavier use.

Link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/de...amdfkgifnlpckd

What I'd love from you specifically: does this fit how you decide what to read, and where does the approach fall short? I know this community has strong opinions on reading tools and I'd rather hear the hard feedback now.

JSWolf · 07-27-2026, 05:20 PM

It should also work on Edge in Windows if you don't run Chrome.

BookGlints · Yesterday, 02:01 AM

Good point, thanks! Since it's a Chromium extension it should install fine in Edge straight from the Chrome Web Store (you just have to allow extensions from other stores). I'm on Linux so I can't easily test Edge myself, but if you're on it and give it a try, I'd genuinely love to know if it works cleanly. Might put it on the Edge Add-ons store properly down the line too. Appreciate you flagging it.

rantanplan · Today, 02:27 AM

No love for us Firefox users

BookGlints · Today, 03:44 AM

😄 Firefox is genuinely on my list — the extension code is largely portable thanks to the shared WebExtensions API, so it's more 'when' than 'if,' just needs some Firefox-specific adjustments. Chrome first was really just to get it out the door. Good to know there's Firefox interest here though — that actually bumps it up my priority list. I'll come back and post when it's ready if you'd like.

07-27-2026, 04:12 PM	#1
BookGlints Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2026 Location: Kuwait Device: Kindle Oasis	Built a browser extension that scans book reviews for the specific things you want to Hi all — new here. I read a lot, and built a Chrome extension called BookGlints to solve my own problem. I'd genuinely value this community's take on it, since you all think harder about reading tools than most. The problem: I kept abandoning books a hundred pages in over things I'd have avoided if I'd known. A flawless "good at everything" protagonist, a forced romance subplot, a series that never gets finished. It's all in the reviews, but nobody reads 200 reviews before starting a book. BookGlints lets you define your own flags in plain language ("protagonist too perfect," "series never finished," anything), then scans a book's Goodreads or StoryGraph reviews and shows you the ones that actually match, quoting the real review text. It matches on meaning rather than keywords, so "Mary Sue" and "main character is good at everything" register as the same concern. The things I suspect this crowd will care about most: It only reads a book's review page when you click Scan. No background tracking, no browsing history, no analytics on what you read. Every result is the actual reviewer's words, not an AI-generated summary — you're never trusting a paraphrase. Works across reviews in multiple languages. Chrome only for now. Free to try, paid tier for heavier use. Link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/de...amdfkgifnlpckd What I'd love from you specifically: does this fit how you decide what to read, and where does the approach fall short? I know this community has strong opinions on reading tools and I'd rather hear the hard feedback now.

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07-27-2026, 05:20 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 84,313 Karma: 153744555 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	It should also work on Edge in Windows if you don't run Chrome.

Yesterday, 02:01 AM	#3
BookGlints Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2026 Location: Kuwait Device: Kindle Oasis	Good point, thanks! Since it's a Chromium extension it should install fine in Edge straight from the Chrome Web Store (you just have to allow extensions from other stores). I'm on Linux so I can't easily test Edge myself, but if you're on it and give it a try, I'd genuinely love to know if it works cleanly. Might put it on the Edge Add-ons store properly down the line too. Appreciate you flagging it.

Today, 02:27 AM	#4
rantanplan Weirdo Posts: 1,163 Karma: 13000010 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Wuppertal, Germany Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2, reMarkable PaperPro	No love for us Firefox users

Today, 03:44 AM	#5
BookGlints Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2026 Location: Kuwait Device: Kindle Oasis	😄 Firefox is genuinely on my list — the extension code is largely portable thanks to the shared WebExtensions API, so it's more 'when' than 'if,' just needs some Firefox-specific adjustments. Chrome first was really just to get it out the door. Good to know there's Firefox interest here though — that actually bumps it up my priority list. I'll come back and post when it's ready if you'd like.