diff --git a/benches/bench.rs b/benches/bench.rs
index d3b42d8..9526829 100644
--- a/benches/bench.rs
+++ b/benches/bench.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 use byteview::ByteView;
 use criterion::{black_box, criterion_group, criterion_main, Criterion};
-use std::time::Duration;
+use std::{
+    io::{Cursor, Read},
+    time::Duration,
+};
 
 fn cmp_short(c: &mut Criterion) {
     let mut group = c.benchmark_group("cmp short");
@@ -198,22 +201,99 @@ fn eq_long(c: &mut Criterion) {
     }
 }
 
-fn ctor(c: &mut Criterion) {
-    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("ctor long");
+fn ctor_short(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("ctor short");
+
+    let value = b"abcdefabcdef";
 
     group.bench_function("Arc'd slice", |b| {
         b.iter(|| {
-            let _x: std::sync::Arc<[u8]> =
-                std::sync::Arc::from(nanoid::nanoid!().clone().as_bytes());
+            let _x = std::sync::Arc::from(value);
         });
     });
 
     group.bench_function("ByteView", |b| {
         b.iter(|| {
-            let _x = ByteView::from(nanoid::nanoid!());
+            let _x = ByteView::from(*value);
+        });
+    });
+}
+
+fn ctor_long(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("ctor ctor_long");
+
+    let value = b"abcdefabcdefabcdefabcdefabcdefabcdef";
+
+    group.bench_function("Arc'd slice", |b| {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let _x = std::sync::Arc::from(value);
+        });
+    });
+
+    group.bench_function("ByteView", |b| {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let _x = ByteView::from(*value);
+        });
+    });
+}
+
+// Simulates `lsm-tree`-like deserializing of KV values
+fn ctor_from_reader(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+
+    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("ctor long from reader");
+
+    let value = b"abcdefabcdefabcdefabcdefabcdefabcdef";
+
+    group.bench_function("Arc'd slice", |b| {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let mut c = Cursor::new(value);
+            let mut v = vec![0; value.len()];
+            c.read_exact(&mut v).unwrap();
+            let _x: Arc<[u8]> = v.into();
+        });
+    });
+
+    group.bench_function("Arc'd slice - preallocated", |b| {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let mut c = Cursor::new(value);
+
+            let v = vec![0; value.len()];
+            let mut v: Arc<[u8]> = v.into();
+
+            let builder = Arc::get_mut(&mut v).unwrap();
+            c.read_exact(builder).unwrap();
+        });
+    });
+
+    group.bench_function("ByteView::with_size", |b| {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let mut c = Cursor::new(value);
+
+            let mut x = ByteView::with_size(value.len());
+            {
+                let mut builder = x.get_mut().unwrap();
+                c.read_exact(&mut builder).unwrap();
+            }
+        });
+    });
+
+    group.bench_function("ByteView::from_reader", |b| {
+        b.iter(|| {
+            let mut c = Cursor::new(value);
+            let _x = ByteView::from_reader(&mut c, value.len()).unwrap();
         });
     });
 }
 
-criterion_group!(benches, eq_short, eq_long, cmp_short, cmp_long, ctor);
+criterion_group!(
+    benches,
+    ctor_short,
+    ctor_long,
+    ctor_from_reader,
+    eq_short,
+    eq_long,
+    cmp_short,
+    cmp_long,
+);
 criterion_main!(benches);
diff --git a/src/byteview.rs b/src/byteview.rs
index 696444a..56de552 100644
--- a/src/byteview.rs
+++ b/src/byteview.rs
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ impl std::hash::Hash for ByteView {
 
 /// RAII guard for [`ByteView::get_mut`], so the prefix gets
 /// updated properly when the mutation is done
-pub struct Mutator<'a>(&'a mut ByteView);
+pub struct Mutator<'a>(pub(crate) &'a mut ByteView);
 
 impl<'a> std::ops::Deref for Mutator<'a> {
     type Target = [u8];
@@ -253,6 +253,21 @@ impl ByteView {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Creates a slice and populates it with  `len` bytes
+    /// from the given reader.
+    ///
+    /// # Errors
+    ///
+    /// Returns an error if an I/O exception occurred.
+    pub fn from_reader<R: std::io::Read>(reader: &mut R, len: usize) -> std::io::Result<Self> {
+        let mut s = Self::with_size(len);
+        {
+            let mut mutator = Mutator(&mut s);
+            reader.read_exact(&mut mutator)?;
+        }
+        Ok(s)
+    }
+
     /// Creates a new zeroed, fixed-length byteview.
     ///
     /// Use [`ByteView::get_mut`] to mutate the content.
@@ -344,72 +359,6 @@ impl ByteView {
         }
 
         view
-
-        /*   let slice_len = slice.len();
-
-        let Ok(len) = u32::try_from(slice_len) else {
-            panic!("byte slice too long");
-        };
-
-        let mut builder = Self {
-            trailer: Trailer {
-                short: ManuallyDrop::new(ShortRepr {
-                    len,
-                    data: [0; INLINE_SIZE],
-                }),
-            },
-        };
-
-        if builder.is_inline() {
-            // SAFETY: We check for inlinability
-            // so we know the the input slice fits our buffer
-            unsafe {
-                let base_ptr = std::ptr::addr_of_mut!(builder) as *mut u8;
-                let prefix_offset = base_ptr.add(std::mem::size_of::<u32>());
-                std::ptr::copy_nonoverlapping(slice.as_ptr(), prefix_offset, slice_len);
-            }
-        } else {
-            unsafe {
-                (*builder.trailer.long)
-                    .prefix
-                    .copy_from_slice(&slice[0..PREFIX_SIZE]);
-
-                let header_size = std::mem::size_of::<HeapAllocationHeader>();
-                let alignment = std::mem::align_of::<HeapAllocationHeader>();
-                let total_size = header_size + slice_len;
-                let layout = std::alloc::Layout::from_size_align(total_size, alignment).unwrap();
-
-                let heap_ptr = std::alloc::alloc(layout);
-                if heap_ptr.is_null() {
-                    std::alloc::handle_alloc_error(layout);
-                }
-
-                // SAFETY: We store a pointer to the copied slice, which comes directly after the header
-                (*builder.trailer.long).data =
-                    heap_ptr.add(std::mem::size_of::<HeapAllocationHeader>());
-
-                // Copy byte slice into heap allocation
-                std::ptr::copy_nonoverlapping(
-                    slice.as_ptr(),
-                    (*builder.trailer.long).data.cast_mut(),
-                    slice_len,
-                );
-
-                // Set pointer to heap allocation address
-                (*builder.trailer.long).heap = heap_ptr;
-
-                // Set ref count
-                let heap_region = heap_ptr as *const HeapAllocationHeader;
-                let heap_region = &*heap_region;
-                heap_region.ref_count.store(1, Ordering::Release);
-            }
-        }
-
-        debug_assert_eq!(slice, &*builder);
-        debug_assert_eq!(1, builder.ref_count());
-        debug_assert_eq!(builder.len(), slice.len());
-
-        builder */
     }
 
     fn get_heap_region(&self) -> &HeapAllocationHeader {
@@ -736,6 +685,7 @@ mod serde {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::{ByteView, HeapAllocationHeader};
+    use std::io::Cursor;
 
     #[test]
     #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "64")]
@@ -758,6 +708,17 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn from_reader_1() -> std::io::Result<()> {
+        let str = b"abcdef";
+        let mut cursor = Cursor::new(str);
+
+        let a = ByteView::from_reader(&mut cursor, 6)?;
+        assert!(&*a == b"abcdef");
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn cmp_misc_1() {
         let a = ByteView::from("abcdef");
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index dc33220..bc55e13 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@
     clippy::nursery,
     clippy::expect_used,
     clippy::unwrap_used,
-    clippy::indexing_slicing
+    clippy::indexing_slicing,
+    clippy::needless_lifetimes
 )]
 
 mod byteview;
diff --git a/src/strview.rs b/src/strview.rs
index 41efccc..02f9032 100644
--- a/src/strview.rs
+++ b/src/strview.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::ByteView;
+use crate::{byteview::Mutator, ByteView};
 use std::{ops::Deref, sync::Arc};
 
 /// An immutable, UTF-8–encoded string slice
@@ -47,6 +47,21 @@ impl StrView {
         Self(ByteView::new(s.as_bytes()))
     }
 
+    /// Creates a new string and populates it with `len` bytes
+    /// from the given reader.
+    ///
+    /// # Errors
+    ///
+    /// Returns an error if an I/O exception occurred.
+    pub fn from_reader<R: std::io::Read>(reader: &mut R, len: usize) -> std::io::Result<Self> {
+        let mut s = ByteView::with_size(len);
+        {
+            let mut mutator = Mutator(&mut s);
+            reader.read_exact(&mut mutator)?;
+        }
+        Ok(Self(s))
+    }
+
     /// Clones the contents of this string into a string.
     #[must_use]
     pub fn to_owned(&self) -> String {
@@ -176,6 +191,18 @@ mod serde {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::StrView;
+    use std::io::Cursor;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn from_reader_1() -> std::io::Result<()> {
+        let str = "abcdef";
+        let mut cursor = Cursor::new(str);
+
+        let a = StrView::from_reader(&mut cursor, 6)?;
+        assert!(&*a == "abcdef");
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
 
     #[test]
     fn cmp_misc_1() {