How do you practice reading in the early stages of learning?

I know, I know, by reading… But I'd like to know what worked for others when starting their learning journey. I'm still a beginner and I know hiragana and katakana but I'm VERY slow at reading and sometimes miss or mispronounce words or syllables. How did you improve at reading? Did you use an app? Did you read books? Any other tips you'd like to share?