My Experience Making a Book with Remento
A Frustrating Journey from Start to Finish
After trying multiple family story platforms over the years, I’m no stranger to learning curves, quirks, and the occasional hiccup. But my experience creating a book with Remento was, unfortunately, one of the most frustrating I’ve had.
I always go into these projects with optimism—I love making family history books, and I’m always eager to explore new tools. But from the moment I placed my order, the road ahead was rocky.
The Trouble Started Immediately
I wish I could say the frustrations began midway through the project, but it happened right away.
❌ The ordering process was a mess
After clicking “Place Order”, I landed on a screen that said “Finalizing your order…”
And it never finished.
I waited. And waited.
Nothing.
I finally had to close the window entirely. When I logged back into the site, I discovered—thankfully—that the order had gone through. But that moment set the tone for what became a deeply challenging experience.
The Onboarding Wall
Once I had access, I just wanted to start making my book. But Remento pushed me through a long, drawn-out onboarding process before I could do anything.
For me, this felt like a barrier rather than a help. I didn’t need guidance—I needed to write. And instead, I found myself stuck clicking through instructions.
Creative Limitations That Stopped Me Cold
This is where things truly fell apart.
❌ Only five cover colors
Very limited, especially compared to other platforms.
❌ Character limits for title lines
Another creative constraint made the process more frustrating.
❌ No ability to freely type a story
This was the moment I knew the platform wasn’t for me.
Remento requires you to work from prompts or recordings.
You cannot simply open a blank page and write.
For a storyteller—for someone who loves words—this was a dealbreaker. If I hadn’t already paid, I would have clicked out and never returned.
❌ No formatting options
No italics, no bold, no real word-processing tools.
Just plain text.
Audio Issues That Made Me Want to Give Up
Remento leans heavily on recorded storytelling. That’s fine—if audio is your method. But even then, there were multiple problems:
- A recording must be at least 15 seconds, even if your story is shorter.
- Recordings can go up to 30 minutes, though that wasn’t the problem.
- The AI transcription is not what you actually said.
It paraphrases. It “tidies.” It rewrites.
I was genuinely upset. I expected a true transcript of my words, not a reinterpretation.
And here’s the kicker:
❌ Every time you edit a story, the audio automatically plays
It becomes disruptive very quickly.
Customer Support: Slow and Frustrating
When I needed help—specifically with changing shipping—it became another pain point.
- The help flow pushes you first to AI answers, which didn’t help.
- When I finally requested a real customer service rep, the back-and-forth took days.
Nothing about the support experience felt simple or smooth.
And No App… Again
Just like Storyworth, there’s no mobile app.
This is a major drawback for anyone who captures stories, notes, or ideas on the go.
❌ One More Big Warning: Auto-Renew
Something I wish I had known when purchasing—Remento automatically sets your account to auto-renew, even if you’ve finished your book and don’t plan to use the service again.
You have to turn the renewal off manually.
For a platform with this many limitations, that didn’t sit well with me.
My Final Thoughts
I hope someday Remento smooths out these rough edges, because the concept—capturing family memories through recorded stories—has a lot of potential.
But the execution was difficult, slow, creatively limiting, and at times downright exasperating.
The whole experience was frustrating from start to finish.
If you love writing your own stories…
If you want true control over your book…
If you want formatting, flexibility, and ease…
Remento is not the platform for that.
And, based on my experience, it’s not a platform I plan to use again.