Coming to an Asaya night?

A ticketed evening at an independent bookstore where everyone's single and the shelves do the introducing. Asaya matches you with a handful of people for short one-on-one conversations, with plenty of open time to browse and mingle in between. The whole idea is in the tagline: meet first — over books, not bios.

In New York City, at independent bookstores, usually on weekday evenings — think 7 to 9pm. Every event lists its exact date, venue, and neighborhood. Browse what's coming up on our events page.

Book-loving single adults — usually around forty of them, all 18 or older, all verified Asaya members. Guest lists are named and ticketed, so it's a real room of real people, never an anonymous walk-in crowd.

Both. Asaya is built for romantic connection, but not every round will be a romantic match. Sometimes you'll get a Friend Intro instead — someone we think you'd genuinely enjoy talking to, just not as a date. That way nobody is ever left sitting out a round.

Not at all. One book that stayed with you is plenty. A favorite book is just a better icebreaker than a bio — it says something about how you notice things, what you find funny, what you love. You don't need a reading list, only something honest.

New York is live now, and we're rolling out city by city. If you're somewhere else, add your name in the Get Notified box on our home page and we'll tell you the moment events open near you.

A few things that actually say something about you:

• The basics — name, age, neighborhood, who you'd like to meet, and what you're looking for
• At least three photos
• A short "Where you're leaning" step, where you pick the statements that feel like you
• A few written prompts

You can also add books you love, interests, and a note on what matters to you. The more you share, the better your matches — but you don't have to do it all at once.

From what you tell us — the books and answers on your profile, how you describe yourself, and who you've said you want to meet. Asaya looks for genuine conversational and relational fit, not just a photo you'd swipe on. And it's always mutual: you're only matched with people whose preferences line up with yours, too.

A small, curated set — usually around five people. Enough for real conversations, not so many that the night turns into a blur.

No — and that's on purpose. Your matches stay sealed until you check in at the venue, so you walk in curious and everyone's on equal footing. They're quietly loaded onto your phone ahead of time, so they appear the instant you arrive, even if the bookstore WiFi is spotty.

Yes. You choose who you'd like to see — men, women, nonbinary, any combination — and matching respects that on both sides. We also program identity- and community-specific nights, like queer evenings, together with our bookstore partners.

Yes — set your gender preferences and age range in your profile, and matching honors them.

That happens, and it's completely fine — nobody owes anyone a spark. There's open mingling time to meet people who aren't your matches, Profile Swap to trade details with anyone you hit it off with, and city-wide matchmaking in the app for the days between events.

In the app, you send a like to anyone you'd like to hear from again. If you both like each other, it's a mutual, and you can open a chat. Conversations you start from an event are free to open for 7 days afterward.

Once the event starts, you can send up to ten likes — to the people you were matched with and to others who attended. You have a 7-day window after the night ends to send them, so there's no pressure to decide on the spot.

A Start is what you spend to open a brand-new conversation from a mutual. Accepting a chat someone else opens is always free — and, again, chats from an event are free to open for a week. Free members get 2 Starts; Asaya Plus gives you 6.

A quiet, mutual signal inside a chat. You flip it on and the other person can't see it — but the moment they flip theirs on too, you both find out at once. It's a low-stakes way to say "let's actually meet up" without either of you having to be the brave one.

Then nothing happens — quietly and privately. No notification, no rejection message. As the app puts it: if there's mutual interest you can keep talking, and if not, nothing happens.

Every guest is a verified member on a named, ticketed list — no anonymous walk-ins. Each event is run by a trained Asaya host from setup to close, so the booksellers never have to mediate. And we hold a zero-tolerance line on harassment and misconduct, at the event and in the app afterward. Our full community guidelines spell out exactly what that means.

Sign-in is by phone with an SMS code, new profiles are reviewed before matching unlocks, and every photo is moderated. It isn't a background check, but it's a real bar to clear — and reporting handles the rest.

Right in the app — you can block or report any profile or message, and you never owe anyone an explanation. You can also email zack@asaya.app. We act on reports of abuse or objectionable content quickly, typically within 24 hours.

We collect your phone number for login and the profile details you choose to share. We don't sell your data, and we don't use it for advertising or cross-app tracking. The AI that helps find and explain matches runs under zero-retention agreements. And the human rule matters just as much: what someone shares with you at Asaya is meant to stay between you. Full details are in our privacy policy.

You must be 18 or older to use Asaya or attend an event. No exceptions.

Anytime, right in the app — it fully removes your profile, photos, answers, matches, and chats. If you get stuck, email zack@asaya.app and we'll take care of it. See our Terms of Service for the rest.