The comparison is even more apt when you remember that the official Reddit app also used to be the most popular and great 3rd-party app called AlienBlue, which was purchased from 1 guy and rebranded a decade ago.
It's pretty clear that the reason why the official Reddit app isn't good is because a good experience for their users isn't their goal.
Honestly, I would recommend the audiobook over the book; having someone else figure out how to say the special names makes it much easier to keep track of them in your mind, I find