I have the Kobo Clara HD too! Going on 3 years with it and I have no desire to replace it with a newer version. I got it on sale for just under $100. It’s the perfect size and I exclusively read library books with it. With overdrive/libby, it’s just too easy to get free library books so I’ve only ever purchased one book 😅 I do recommend that folks try to borrow an ereader from a friend if they can or do their research to make sure it’s a useful product for them because to make up for the device’s carbon footprint you must read at least 36 books. This is not a lot for big readers, but for people who only read a handful of books a year, I don’t think it’s worth the investment or environmental cost. Just my two cents as I’m seeing them trend more and more and I worry people are influenced to buy them simply because everyone else is. Silver lining though - people may be able to find them in secondhand stores!
I am SO jealous of you for having Libby access! I don’t here in Portugal, and I think it’s so so cool. And I didn’t know the cool fact about the 36 books 😍 pretty sure I did that in the first 6 months hahah but definitely if you plan on keeping it long term it’s absolutely doable as you say. Loads available second hand indeed!