# Yuzu eReader — user reviews > 135 indexed App Store user reviews of Yuzu eReader by Barnes & Noble College, rated 4.50/5 from 14,761 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yuzu-ereader/id1104364222/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yuzu-ereader/id1104364222.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 11,797 · 4★ 1,123 · 3★ 436 · 2★ 251 · 1★ 1,154 ## What do users think of Yuzu eReader? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🚀 Fast and convenient app - 👍 Useful highlighting and note-taking features - 🎧 Helpful read-aloud functionality **Cons** - 🐛 Highlighting and copy/paste issues - 🔇 Poor text-to-speech quality and performance - 📱 Inconsistent user experience across devices - 💻 Limited functionality compared to web version **Commonly reported bugs** - Frequent app crashes and freezes - Login and access issues - Incorrect text formatting and layout - Unreliable read-aloud functionality **Most requested features** - More highlighter color options - Ability to annotate directly on pages - Improved page navigation and layout controls - Seamless integration with note-taking apps ## Newest reviews (18 of 135) ### 2/5 — College Use *2026-09-03, version 11.4.1* Terrible if you want to highlight anything, or make notes because it is not user friendly on a regular phone. I only use it to read my textbooks aloud but it tweaks the screen formatting out which makes it difficult to use any other feature while it reads aloud. Please fix the missing highlight feature, and lower the audio buttons because it is in the way of the text so we can actually read the bottom of the page. ### 2/5 — Reader needs work *2026-06-10, version 11.2.1* The reader on this app is very choppy. It is hard to understand and listen to. I downloaded the ebook because I thought I would be able to listen to the reading while completing other tasks ### 2/5 — Voice Reader sucks *2026-06-10, version 11.2.1* It’s 2026, get a decent AI to do the reading. Audio is stilted and sounds like an old Macintosh computer trying to do voice overs. All other functionality is great but this is just awful. ### 2/5 — UPDATE THE APP *2026-05-24, version 11.2.1* last update was seven months ago, the voiceover sounds incredibly robotic, which makes people like me who read and listen at the same time have a harder time getting through the text. Please work on that so I can actually progress in my classes instead of struggling. ### 3/5 — Serviceable *2026-02-06, version 11.2.1* I would probably rank this as a 2.5 if I could. It’s a perfectly serviceable app but not widely enough used to apply to more than a single class in my course schedule. That’s not entirely Yuzu’s fault, just an annoyance. It’s nice to make notes on my iPad and be able to find them from my computer as I work on papers. I would appreciate if I could access my materials more easily without being kicked out of my login. Credentials don’t work to log back in to the same window and I end up having to close mid-read and re-open the textbook through the LMS all over again. This is probably due to Okta integration, is my guess? This is difficult when I am in a particularly involved study session or I’m in the process of writing a paper. So just be warned that this may be an issue. ### 1/5 — Flaming Hot Garbage *2025-11-19, version 11.2.1* Need this app for my graduate class and the textbook is unavailable in print format. Cannot download PDF chapters to use with Goodnotes or any kind of screen reader/accessibility app. Their “reader” is an unbearable, garbled AI voice. Note taking is nearly impossible. Reading a book should not be made so difficult for a company that is literally a bookstore. Save your money and try to get your textbook in any other way if you can. ### 3/5 — Okay *2025-11-18, version 11.2.1* It would be better if I don’t have to log in so much. I wish I could just open the app and ready my textbook. ### 1/5 — End *2025-11-05, version 11.2.1* Takes forever to load/ ### 1/5 — I want my money back *2025-10-17, version 11.2.1* Horrible formatting. Highlighting selects wrong thing or too much. No Apple pencil support. Margin coach is not visible on iPad. Almost impossible to do my work. Would much rather have a plain PDF scan than this nightmare App. ### 1/5 — Features don’t work *2025-10-02, version 11.2* Annotation features don’t work for some titles. ### 4/5 — Overall good, but UX needs work. *2025-09-21, version 11.2* The app is very convenient, especially when I use my tablet on the go. My only complaint is that the highlight function could use some work. 1. Sometimes I have to drag the cursor over the text multiple times, or from right to left in order for the highlight options to appear. 2. In the app, once text is highlighted, the bottom portion of the text is cut off by the highlighted margins of the text from the line below. I have to take an educated guess as to what the text says. I have tried both enlarging and reducing the font size, but that overlap still occurs. ### 2/5 — Voices *2025-09-08, version 11.2* They have 20 different voice options and none are acceptable. I have to rewind constantly to understand what they're saying. Also, the voices on my computer are different from the ones on my phone. It's doesn't make sense. ### 1/5 — Can’t scan QR code to login *2025-09-05, version 11.2* Useless to me, can’t login with QR code, and doesn’t recognize my bookstore account. ### 1/5 — Yuzu eReader *2025-08-27, version 11.2* Voice reader is monotone and the setting to change the voice is no longer available on the app. If you go to the website you have so many options. Why are these not available on the app? I can’t use the feature bc the robotic monotone voice is so distracting I’m not able to focus on the content. Please fix and I will adjust my review. ### 1/5 — Loads slow *2025-08-26, version 11.2* I am very new to this app. I notice that app loads slow when trying to scroll through the pages. Even when WiFi is very strong. ### 1/5 — THIS is all B&N could create? *2025-07-27, version 10.5.1* I have to use Yuzu for my graduate-level classes. I also have a disability and need a screen reader. The app will not allow me to use my normal screen reader b/c they claim to offer the feature. The reader is a monotone AI/ robotic voice that completely ignores any punctuation so it reads like one giant sentence. Also, it frequently has difficulty with pronunciation so sometimes I have to try and figure out the common word it is reading. It amazes me that a company like Barnes & Noble would think Yuzu is acceptable. B&N sells books! How do they think Yuzu is accessible when: Books read within this platform require the use of the read aloud feature built within Yuzu. Users cannot directly access the text utilizing their personal screen readers and adaptive devices. Incorporates features which cannot be used by non-sighted users and through keyboard navigation, such as the highlight feature. B&N, do better! If I could give 0 stars I would. ### 3/5 — Bugs *2025-06-01, version 10.5.1* A lot of bugs specifically highlighting ones. Please fix ASAP ### 2/5 — Frustrating experience *2025-04-16, version 10.5.1* I find this to be an app designed by someone who didn’t ever learn how study. I get so much value out of pdf textbooks because of how thoroughly I can mark them up. With yuzu all you can do is highlight. Yes you can “write a note” but it’s a typed note tied to a highlight, then the note is hidden away and you have to tap the highlight to read it. Hard to imagine anyone finds that useful. You can’t solve problems in the margins. You can’t markup, draw diagrams, label. You can’t tape the book to conceal vocab and quiz yourself. You can navigate the book, read, highlight, and type notes you’ll never look at again. This semester I have used a pdf textbook in a note taking app and I have used a textbook in yuzu and the difference in my experience between the two books cannot be overstated. I feel like I have engaged deeply with the content of the pdf book, while the yuzu book is held behind a glass wall. I’m sick of this app. I’ll take the hit to my injured shoulders and order a used physical copy of the book instead so I’ll actually read for class. 2 stars because what it does, it does fine, from a technical standpoint. All of yuzu’s problems are in its design. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Avoid at all costs *2026-08-31, version 11.4.1* This app is a nightmare to use and it crashes about every 10 minutes. The voice reader is ancient and just about any other app to read books is better than this. Unfortunately, I have to use it for school. I never bother writing reviews, but this has been horrible. Avoid all costs. ### 1/5 — Horrible App *2026-08-27, version 11.4.1* As an older student, the pages are extremely hard to see, and the read aloud feature is very robotic and not easy to listen to long term. I’m searching for options to allow me to complete coursework, but this reader and app is not the answer. Especially for a reading intense 8-week course. ### 1/5 — Annoying *2026-08-22, version 11.4.1* If you're going to call your app an eReader, than it should be able to read to you in something other than a Steven Hawking voice. It's completely insufferable. Shouldn't be that complicated. Tons of apps have AI readers with more human sounding voices ### 1/5 — Absolute trash *2026-07-07, version 11.2.1* Absolutely a trash product and should be removed front the store ### 1/5 — Terrible UI and coding failures *2026-06-17, version 11.2.1* Every chapter has a series of definitions that you need to click on in order to read the definitions. the pop ups work on the website(though the layout is terrible); but on the app, the definition pop-ups are translucent meaning both layers of text are visible, making them completely unreadable. For an app that is required for my textbook it is infuriating. ### 1/5 — Worthless *2026-02-15, version 11.2.1* Just a waste of time. Won't allow me to access what's in my library and sends me on corcles. ### 1/5 — Terrible *2026-02-03, version 11.2.1* The highlighting feature is absolutely terrible for an app designed for iPad. You cannot use your Apple Pencil to write notes in the margins. You can’t even highlight with native features, you have to use iOS’s highlight function, and then select the option to highlight from the menu that appears. This completely removes any advantage offered by hosting an app on iPad as opposed to desktop. ### 1/5 — Voice reader doesn’t even work *2026-01-31, version 11.2.1* Voice reader doesn’t work, it just skips pages all fast and doesn’t read anything. I’m on iPad OS 26 and iPad 9th gen ### 1/5 — E-reader is lacking *2026-01-30, version 11.2.1* The e-reader read aloud feature is horrible for a time where AI is leading compared to other read aloud platforms. ### 1/5 — Terrible for Note Taking *2026-01-19, version 11.2.1* I purchased this book through my school’s bookstore and I wish I hadn’t. This is terrible for note taking. All you can do is highlights and attached notecards. No underlining. No freehand. No symbols. And the voice it reads to you with is robotic and not smooth. This is a terrible option for graduate schools to use. I wish I had purchased a hard copy or from another seller that didn’t use this app. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Barnes & Noble College *2026-08-12, version 11.4.1* Great system to read textbooks ### 5/5 — 💡 *2025-09-28, version 11.2* ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ### 5/5 — History *2024-10-03, version 10.5.1* Very easy to understand and love the format. ### 5/5 — Worst I’ve ever seen *2024-05-09, version 10.4.1* Idk how B&N did it but they somehow acquired the test book I need for school, then exclusively put it on the worst app ever invented, truly impressive. I’m not sure how man 6 year olds from Bangladesh you hired to give you a 4.5 review but congrats. ### 5/5 — Great app! *2023-10-30, version 10.4.1* Very easy to use. It never bugs. ### 5/5 — Best app *2023-04-08, version 10.2.3* This app is very convenient to use and I like how you can add notes on the page, so you can refer to it as you’re reading the chapter and also highlight important information on the chapters. It really helps me, when I do my assignments and I highly recommend for all students to use this app. The other thing I like about this app is that you can type in the page number you want to go to, instead of flipping through each page one by one. ### 5/5 — Very well done *2023-03-08, version 10.2.3* I love this app. It is easy to use and accessible. ### 5/5 — Using for a Textbook *2021-03-14, version 9.4.3* Yuzu is fast (no bugs), simple, and helpful. Great layout for the user and has a lot of useful tools to make reading a textbook easier and more efficient. Good option for eTextbooks! ### 5/5 — I love this app *2020-08-28, version 9.3* I really am enjoying being able to highlight and add notes to the text. This app then keeps them all for you ! It makes writing papers so much easier and it still feels like paper to pencil, which I love. ### 5/5 — Best for modern Students *2020-07-20* I love the features. The app is for modern students, who prefer to use mobile devices like tablets for reading and note-taking. The YUZU app allows the user to highlight easily with different colors and listen to whatever text you have on the book, thanks to reading aloud where you can even change the reading speed. It also has an option for doing citation work with the citation bottom. Moreover, searching is quick and easy thanks to the index and word searcher(btw you cannot use a word searcher in a traditional book). Also, Look for definition just by clicking or touching the desire word and the option of creating a deck flashcards. Take notes easily or open a note-taking app like notability and split the screen between both apps, the best thing is that YUZU app will resize the format of the book so it won't look weird when stretching it. I am an Ipad pro 11 user. This app works perfectly with it and in a regular desktop PC browser like Google Chrome. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-10.*