E‐book sales are down nationwide, and younger readers are proving to be surprisingly persistent in their preference for printed books. Although 66% of schools nationwide offer e‐books, adoption is growing at a slower than expected rate. This study takes a closer look at high school students’ experiences as they read John Steinbeck's fictional novella Of Mice and Men, some using e‐books and others using printed texts. Using a phenomenological approach to data collection and interpretation allowed for a focus on the lived experiences of the students; results showed that students’ experiences were affected by factors such as the time and place of reading, the physical structure of the text, and the ways that others in the social context relate to the text. These factors are often hidden influences that teachers should take into consideration when assigning texts.