The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Butterfly Awakens: A Memoir of Transformation Through Grief
Because Butterfly Awakens was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Jeremie Mondejar
I choose to sample this book based on the program. I will not read this book nor buy this book because the sample doesn't coincide with my belief. I like the fact that perseverance is the key factor in achieving your goal. The title seems based in a dream of "a butterfly dreams to be a man or a man dreams to be a butterfly." This is quite an eye-catching and a thought-provoking phrase. The book has an OBC review that gives a valuable information about the book, but it doesn't affect my decision. The tone of the writing style is very friendly, too. Lastly, I don't see any typos as well as anything for improvement.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 4:54 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Eunice Geres
I wouldn't have checked the sample of this book if it wasn't on BOTD because I don't usually read an inspiring book such as this one. But, the official review has nothing but praises for this, so I'm excited to check the sample. I didn't notice any grammatical mistakes in the sample I've read. The book started great. I like that the book discussed what Meg had made at the start. I also like that the prologue discussed Meg's experience with being bullied. It's sad that kids experience this kind of stuff in a place where they are supposed to develop and grow. I also liked the famous quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I would love to continue reading this book and get to know Meg's story. So, I would read this book. There's nothing I didn't like, and I have no recommendations so far.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 4:48 am by Eunice Geres.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shridhar Suryawanshi
If I had not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would not have chosen to read or sample this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews that I saw because I believe in "don't judge a book by it cover." I won't read this book because the text felt forced. It didn't have the "show, don't tell" aspect. It is exceptionally edited since I did not find any grammar erors. I liked the the fact that many people will relate to the book, but I suggest making the writing style more entertaining. An OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 4:40 am by Shridhar Suryawanshi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The beautiful cover that has flowers and butterflies and the title "Butterfly awakens" do not convey the theme of the book. There are 98 Amazon customer ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars, which is great. The Amazon summary states that the book is about the author's spiritual transformation as a person after encountering her mother's death because of cancer. As I am generally not interested in memoirs, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the author's early life story. As I am not interested in memoirs, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is its powerful theme. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found 10 OBC reviews of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 4:35 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ann Ogochukwu
I liked this book's colorful cover, but it didn't compel me to read the book nor did the OBC review. Now that I've read a bit of this book, I understand better the significance of the beautiful cover.
This book is about the experiences that have shaped the author's life. One of the lessons in this book is the ability to continue with life and love, even when things are not going well. I can tell from the little I've read that this going to be one emotional and mind-resetting book. I would like to complete this book.
I didn't notice any errors in the bit I've read, and I don't think this book needs any improvement.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 4:04 am by Ann Ogochukwu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sou Hi
Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub, the ratings on Amazon, and the cover look alright, but the book is not my cup of tea. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my original guess.
I like the family love featured in the sample. The editing looks good, and I have no suggestions for improvement. However, the memoir is not different from other books of the same genre. It starts with the author's unhappy life, such as being bullied and losing her mother to cancer. Then, it switches to how she overcame her pain. This is a very common motif, so it can't pique my interest. Thus, I won't buy this book.
Error example: I am getting ready to start a new chapter, I need to know you are proud of me. -> Since these are independent sentences, they should be connected by either a period or a semicolon instead of a comma.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 3:06 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
Butterfly awakens meant many things to me, so I could not guess anything about the contents of this book. I read the OBC official review of this book to know about its contents. The OBC official review gave me the idea that this book follows the transformation of a woman through grief. This idea inspired me to read the first ten pages sample of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book was not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "At that point, I wanted this case to be over so I could go find out why my mom had called and end the catastrophizing." The sentence could be as follows. "At that point, I wanted this case to be over, so I could go find out why my mom had called and end myself catastrophizing." I liked the author's courage in continuing to attend to her duties despite being exhausted due to her pregnancy. To my dismay, the usage of some very long sentences made reading a bit difficult for me because I could not get any pause between the consecutive chunks of information. The reading was a bit tiresome to me. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and make it comfortable to read by using shorter sentences. Considering all the aspects of this book, I decided not to purchase and read this book today until the author helps me to read this book comfortably.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 2:52 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
evraealtana
I don't like reading memoirs, so I would not have chosen this book for myself based on the subtitle and official OBC review. The idea of a "soul story" felt very "new-agey" to me, which was an immediate turn-off. I felt sorry for Meg's struggles in elementary school; no child deserves to be treated the way she was treated. When Meg began to talk about her mother's upbringing and her relationship with her mother, it reminded me of why I don't read memoirs: family drama bores me senseless. I did think it was brave of the author to include her heartfelt and deeply personal letter to her mother from when she left for college. Overall, I'm just not interested in any of the content so far, so I will not continue reading. I found no errors in the first ten pages.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 2:34 am by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
I like reading memoirs. Based on the official OBC review's raring and other public reviews, I intended to read this book. I found no errors in the first ten pages. Following an introduction from the founding members of Love Button Organisation, Meg launched into her story. She described how she was relentlessly bullied at school, although her home and her family were a refuge to her. I loved the delicate way in which Meg had described her tribulations. Although they conveyed the helpless grief she experienced, her tone was never accusatory. I didn't think this book required any improvement. Based on my reading experience, I will be glad to read the whole book.
First Ten review added on March 12, 2022, at 12:25 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, or Official OnlineBookClub review because I am not a big fan of memoirs since they tend to be hit or miss with me. Also, I have never experienced great grief in my life, so I cannot say I would relate to the story. After reading the first ten pages, I will not continue reading because I currently just don't feel like reading about the topics presented in this book (grief and hardship). I would prefer reading something more cheerful. From what I read, my favorite part was the words Mary Jo told her daughter in Location 267 ("'I don’t know why you’re going through this....'"). I thought those were very kind words, and I liked that she didn't encourage her daughter to reciprocate the cruelty of the other kids. The book appears well edited, and I can't think of any way to improve it.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 11:52 pm by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, I thought the cover of this book was pretty and the title was cute. After reading the Amazon blurb, I would not have sampled this book because I do not read memoirs. The first few pages were well edited. I could sympathize with Meg when she told Fanny her mother has cancer and realized that since she said it out loud, it was now real. The OBC review was mostly positive, but the reviewer did mention the two parts of the book were very different. The other comments and reviews I saw were also positive. Unfortunately, nothing was able to change my mind. I am not interested in reading memoirs, so I will not be continuing this book. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 9:12 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabrielle Sigaki
Butterfly Awakens by Meg Nocero is a memoir that talks about grief, transformation, and spiritual growth. It contains quotes, poems, and songs that are related to the themes. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review, its genre, its blurb, and its customer reviews since I'm not interested in non-fiction books about loss and transformation. Its title and cover didn't affect my decision. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book because of the reason I stated before. However, the book seems professionally edited, there's nothing to be improved in it, and my favorite aspect was how the author used the titles of the chapters with known references to jokes, such as "trust the process."
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 8:22 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
I'm not typically a reader of non-fiction self-help or memoirs, so if I had not read the sample as part of the First Ten program, I would not have read the book. I do, however, think the cover is very pretty and the blurb is quite touching as it describes the book as a "love letter." In the sample, I really liked how the biopsy news was written — I could viscerally feel Meg's desperation to get all the facts, and how she was trying to hold in all her emotions before breaking down, how saying it aloud made the news seem real, was very touching. Therefore, after reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I would not change anything. It was professionally edited. The official review on OnlineBookClub did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 5:01 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jorge Leon Salazar
The cover and title are striking. However, at first sight, I did not associate them with the process of transformation through grief that the author exposes. Either way, I think many interested readers should be attracted. The blurb comments the book describes the story of the author's transformation after losing her beloved mother. She lost the battle against breast cancer. This tumultuous experience changed her world, opening it to the call of her soul. Additionally, Meg deals with a toxic work environment and intense stress resulting in depression, anxiety, and a somatic nervous disorder. The customer reviews are incredibly positive. Based on these comments, I think I might give this book a try. I liked the Prologue as it offered an overview of how hard childhood and adolescence were for Meg, mainly due to bullying at school. Plus, it made clear the deep bond Meg had with her mother Mary Jo. She was the person who constantly provided Meg with support and encouraged her to move on in difficult times. The first ten pages equally describe that moment when Mary Jo is diagnosed with breast cancer. I was shocked by the moment Meg was in court and noticed the missing calls from her mother and couldn't call her back until the session ended. I imagine myself in her place and think I would have run away. I found it interesting how her job was motivating at first and over time it became monotonous. The expectation of how the events unfolded until Mary Jo's death is raised. The official OnlineBookClub review indicates that the author presents her transformation story in three parts: the duel, transformation, and freedom. In addition, it emphasizes how painful the loss of a loved one is and the need to be surrounded by the right people to cope with it. The editing looks outstanding since I didn't see anything to comment on. Overall, I didn't see anything that I believe could be improved. What I read was moving, and I think Meg's memoir can be inspiring but it didn't completely capture me as I have read some similar stories. In summary, I will not read the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 5:00 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kirsi Cultrera
I loved the cover picture and the title of this book and would probably have checked it out based on those. The blurb, editorial reviews, and everything else I found about this book made me want to read it. I enjoyed the sample pages; the author’s straightforward narration, emotionally loaded lines of text, and touching topic greatly impacted me. I felt the protagonist’s grief and wondered how anyone could survive. I salute the author for writing this book since so many out there are grieving. I think this book can offer great peer support to those people. One thing I did not like about the sample was the mother’s reaction to her daughter being bullied. I couldn’t understand why she did not try to do something about it. However, this detail did not change my overall enjoyment of the sample. I read the Official OnlineBookClub review of the book, which did not alter my image. I had already decided to read it and will be doing it shortly. The editing seemed professional, as I did not catch any errors from the sample.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 3:47 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
The butterfly cover and title seem appropriate for a book on transformation. I thought it was odd that the blurb listed tinnitus as one of the health issues the author had. Although the OBC review was favorable, it did not convince me to read the book. I liked the quotes that were at the beginning of each chapter. In addition to some sentence fragments, there was also a missing comma error at 53%: "...had the respondent [ ] whose case was about to be heard[ ]raise his right hand." I am not going to finish reading the book because the pace is too slow. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 12:31 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
The subtitle makes it clear that the book is a memoir – I do not read non-fiction, so I would not have sampled it. Even a positive OBC review (which I did come across because of BOTD) would not have changed my decision regarding sampling because of the genre mismatch. However, I must say that for a book whose title is "Butterfly Awakens", there are more flowers than butterflies on the cover illustration – perhaps the author could reconsider this issue. Unfortunately, I have also found a couple of errors. At 18% in the sample, the word "dream" in "...to realize his own American dream..." should have been capitalised; this is because the concept of the American Dream (where anyone can succeed, to put it extremely simply) is being referred to here, and hence, it is a proper noun, which, in turn, requires capitalisation. Hence, I suggest more editing – this is because I expect all authors who want to publish to, at the very least, present an error-free read. However, after reading the sample, I like that it is very easy to immerse oneself in the story that Meg is telling. This is because the author knows how to describe the things and people in such a natural way, so that it doesn't seem like info-dumping. To illustrate, when Meg's mum (Mary Jo) told Meg stories about her own experiences of being criticised by her family members, the author made the choice to describe it to the author by directly transcribing her mother's exact words (e.g., "Not as beautiful as your sister"). Furthermore, the author knows how to get straight to the main point by only picking out the important points (e.g., lack of beauty, lack of proper enunciation, etc.). Doing as such allows readers to better immerse themselves in the story that Meg is telling, as well as to allow readers to understand the whole story without having to dump information. Hence, other than the need for more editing to iron out the minor errors, I do not have further suggestions for improvement. I will still not be buying the book today; this is only because I am not in the market for non-fiction – my decision not to purchase has got nothing to do with the quality of the book.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 11:22 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabriella H
The cover looks bright and nice but not attractive enough for me. The title also didn’t appeal to me. I actually thought it was a book about butterflies, their hatching, and lifespan. After reading the OBC official review, the blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews, I thought, “this sounds like a lovely book.” I have read the first ten pages, and I like the fact that the quotes are meaningful, and I also like the addition of poems. I think those are nice additions. I enjoyed the writing style, and I followed Meg’s story with ease. However, even though I acknowledge that this is a lovely book, I don’t want to read a book about how to deal with grief. Therefore, I won’t be completing this book. I have no suggestions for improvement. If I weren’t a part of this program, I wouldn’t have sampled this book because the cover and the title didn’t stand out to me. I didn’t see any errors.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 6:39 am by Gabriella H.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rosemary Owolabi
Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages of this program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, customer reviews, and editorial reviews. The information supplied would have been enough to help me know whether to read the book or not. I rely heavily on customer reviews for decisions regarding reading a book.
I will buy and read the whole book, and I highly encourage other readers who like to read realistic non-fiction books to pick up this book. Reading the first ten pages changed my mind from the original guess.
I will read this book because its storyline was relatable and the main character kept moving from one interesting stage in her life to another. I want to see where the story takes her after missing her mother's calls. She was disturbed, distracted, and pregnant with her second child.
Based on what I read, the book seemed to be professionally edited. I didn't notice any typos or errors. But I did notice some formatting issues.
I liked how honest and straightforward the book was written. The book was written intelligently, and I found it easy-to-understand. It wasn't boring, but it had the tendency to get the reader emotional. But overall, the first ten pages of "Butterfly Awakens" by Meg Nocero were great!
About a federal immigration prosecutor who happened to be five months pregnant and didn't find any joy in her monotonous and boring job of nine years. She kept hearing the immigrants saying the same thing, to the point of not taking most of them seriously anymore. But the phone call she missed from her mother changed the dimension of the story towards the feeling of anticipation, fear, and uncertainty.
What could be improved would be the formatting of the book. I didn't really notice anything else.
There was an official OnlineBookClub review that I saw, but this didn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 6:29 am by Rosemary Owolabi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rodel Barnachea
Following my going over the book’s Amazon page and official OBC review, I opted not to purchase the memoir. I cannot relate to the author because I have not yet experienced the death of a loved one. I am also not fascinated by the “transformation” and “freedom” that she experienced after going through the process of grief and loss. However, I will keep the title in mind since I may need it in case a friend or a family passed on. Perusing its sample did not change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the text intrigued, fascinated, or had me wanting to read the rest of the title. The first ten pages contain a foreword, a prologue, Chapter 1: The Journey Begins, and a few pages of Chapter 2: Hello Darkness, My New Friend. My favorite part is when the author talked about how she was being bullied by her peers because of how she looked. I did not identify any errors in the text; I believe the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 5:14 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Asma Aisha Ansari
I wouldn't have chosen to sample the book based on the cover, the title, the genre, the blurb, the OBC review, and the positive editorial and Amazon reviews because I'm not interested in reading any memoirs. However, I loved reading the sample. I liked the inclusion of inspirational quotes at the beginning of the prologue and each chapter. The way Meg described how she was bullied in her childhood and her choice to isolate herself was painful to read but it also showed how strong she is. I kept reading further because I was captivated by her writing. There is nothing that I disliked about the sample.
The book seems professionally edited, as I noticed only one error in the 'Foreward' section. Here it is: ... Meg was her determination to keep going day after day, even in spite of the weather, fatigue, and ... . In this sentence, the word 'even' should be removed. I've no suggestions for improvement. And, I'm going to read the rest of the book because I liked what I've read so far in the sample.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 3:14 am by Asma Aisha Ansari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
I found the title and the cover captivating, and the Amazon blurb was very detailed. Sadly, as I am not fond of memoirs, I would not have read the book based on the genre. Furthermore, after reading both the sample and the OBC review, I believe this book is too intense for me to read. Throughout her book, the author shares how she embarked on a journey of self-discovery after her life was turned upside down when her mother died of breast cancer. The writing style was pleasant to read, but I especially appreciated the author's conversational tone. I could effortlessly feel her pain and fear when she found out about her mother's illness. I only found some minor errors that did not disrupt the flow of the story. For example, it should be punctuated "Meggie, are you there?" instead of "Meggie are you there?" (location 406 of 684 • 59%) Personally, nothing needs to be improved. As the book has received many editorial reviews and customer reviews, those interested in reading true stories of hope and healing should give it a try.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 2:48 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Harsh Soni 3
After looking at the cover and title, the book seems like a children's book that I, generally, avoid reading. Then, I read the Official OBC review of the book (after that I don't need any other blurb or review) where I came to know that it is a self-help book about how we overcome grief. After reading the sample, I found that every chapter begins with a motivational quote. That is my favourite aspect about the book, as it will motivate them to read further. So, I will buy and read this book because of the reasons mentioned above. I found no errors in the book. I have only one suggestion, that the cover can be changed to make the book appear more like a self-help book.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 2:35 am by Harsh Soni 3.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chinazo Anozie
I was not sure what to expect from the title and cover, but reading the description and the official OnlineBookClub review gave me an idea. This book had glowing editorial and customer reviews, but I knew I would not be interested because of its genre; I’m not a big fan of non-fiction. Although I will not buy and read this book, I think the author did a marvelous job of telling her story, from being bullied as a child and having her mother as a support system to her mother being diagnosed with cancer. This book seems professionally edited because I did not notice any typographical errors. I do not think anything needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 2:18 am by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vidhi Adhikari
I liked the symbolic cover and title of this book, drawing inspiration from the author's life. The description was quite detailed in telling the reader what to expect from the memoir. Although the story has received several positive customer and editorial reviews, I was skeptical about reading it since I do not enjoy emotional autobiographies. The sample couldn't change my mind either and unfortunately, I shall not be finishing this book. That said, I didn't come across many grammatical errors and the book seems to be professionally edited ('Can we remain in our loving with others' - awkward sentence formation). I liked the heartfelt foreward by the founders of Love Button. Instead of just having a flowery background, I would suggest drawing more inspiration from the title and actually showing the awakening of something to give a more mystical air to the cover.
First Ten review added on March 11, 2022, at 2:00 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jennifer Garcia 555
This book has a beautiful cover and title. I wanted to see what the book was about. I read a few official OnlineBookClub reviews and the sample and discovered this was an autobiography about overcoming grief. I really liked the relationship Meg has with her mother. Her mother is very positive and supportive. I did notice a couple of editing errors. The name Belle is not capitalized on page 3. My suggestion for improvement would be one more round of editing. I think that this book could be helpful to people that have lost a loved one and are having trouble moving on. Fortunately, I am not able to relate to this story, so I am not interested in reading it.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 11:57 pm by Jennifer Garcia 555.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
The cover of this book is gorgeous. From the illustration to the lettering, it drew me in. I enjoy reading memoirs, but I need a break from them occasionally. After reading the blurb, I wasn’t sure if this was the right time for a story like this, so I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. The sample pages were as beautiful as the cover. The writing was clear and engaging. The author’s honesty was apparent, and I enjoyed reading about her creative childhood. The book appeared professionally edited, and I did not notice any grammatical errors in the first ten pages. I will buy this book. The author seems like a strong and caring person, and I look forward to reading more about her life. The featured OnlineBookClub review reinforced my decision to buy this book. Other customer and editorial reviews had no bearing. I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 8:39 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mary WhiteFace
Without the First Ten program I would not have been interested in reading a motivational memoir. The cover and title were appealing. The synopsis did influence my decision. My final decision to not read the book was based on reading the first ten pages. I did not read the customer reviews, or OnlineBookClub review before writing this.
The book seemed to be professionally edited. I did not notice any errors. I have no suggestions for improvements. There was no part of the sample that I liked more than another. The narrative was well-written and easy to follow. It basically began with the author telling of how she was bullied as a youngster. Because of the bullying she spent a lot of her childhood alone. The narrative continued to tell of how she became an attorney and was married and pregnant with her second child when she found out her mother had breast cancer. Needless to say that moment totally changed her world.
I believe this book could be a positive influence for someone having a difficult time dealing with losing a person they were close to. The topic of the book is not one I am interested in reading about, so I will not be reading the whole thing.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 8:22 pm by Mary WhiteFace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Stephanie Runyon
The colorful setting of the cover is appealing. However, I would not have sampled this book as I am not interested in self-help books. I find many stories in this genre are not applicable to my personal life. I liked the quotes at the beginning of the chapters. There were some grammatical errors, but they did not detract from the quality of the book. I have no suggestions to improve the book. The OBC review did not influence me to read the book. I will be passing on this because I am not looking for a way to overcome grief at this time. Otherwise, what I read would be an easy way for some readers to deal with hardships in their lives.
Error: We founded Love Button in 2013 to inspire people to reach out to others in loving ways both big and small to overcome differences and foster social cohesion.
There should be a comma after ways and small.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 8:00 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
If Butterfly Awakens hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would have read the sample anyway because I liked the cover of the book. Butterflies are beautiful creatures, so I wanted to know why the author chose the title they did. The description is what made me want to read the sample, and the customer reviews were compelling because this book has received multiple perfect reviews on Amazon.com. I like that I can relate to Meg because I didn't think I was pretty as a kid either, but I have learned to love myself. I felt awful when I read about her getting bullied in school. Because I relate to her, I will be finishing the rest of this book. There were no grammatical errors in the first ten pages, and I cannot think of anything that needs improvement. An official OnlineBookClub review exists for this title, but I did not need to read it to make a decision. If a reader likes books about finding themselves and needs the inspiration to do so, this title may be a good fit.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 7:41 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Hazel Arnaiz
The cover and title match the blurb, and customer reviews are enthusiastic. I seldom read memoirs. Hence, I will skip this book outside the program. From the sample, I like the epigraphs. They are thoughtful introductions for the chapters, and they inspire reflections. However, I will not finish the book right now. I find the hospital moments relatable and still triggering. In time, I might reconsider it. I have no suggestions for improvement. Here are some examples of editing issues.
Location 253. Spelling. Consider adding a hyphen.
He had mange, a disease that had caused infections of the skin since Fred was two years old, and my father would painstakingly bathe him to relieve the itching and sores when a [flareup] attacked his immune system.
Location 261. Grammar. Consider changing the noun form to agree with the quantifier.
I got lost in the colors of painting and design, mostly princess gowns with full skirts and lots of [tulle].
The official OnlineBookClub review is insightful.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 6:55 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
I would have checked this book out based on the cover and title because I love butterflies, and the cover and title both drew me in. After reading the OBC review, I wanted to find out more. I didn't read any other reviews or blurbs; I went straight to the sample and read it. It was exceptionally edited, and I did not find anything that needed improvement. The portion I read is beautifully written. The author was able to pull me into the emotions she was feeling—perhaps because I have gone through losing two sisters to breast cancer, but I am more inclined to think it is just the author's natural talent for writing! I loved everything about the part I have read so far, and I am looking forward to getting the book and reading the rest of the story.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 6:27 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sonya Nicolaidis
I read the OBC reviewer’s comments before I actually had a glimpse of the book, and I have to admit, my first thought was that this was just another book about a woman’s loss and her personal growth from it - a story that has been told many times before. It was only when I saw the book’s cover and the mention of a butterfly’s transformation did my interest pick up. It is purely because of the cover and the title that I would have picked this book up for a closer look. Upon reading the first ten, I was immediately engrossed in Meg’s story. She describes her childhood beautifully and in a very easygoing way which was a pleasure to read. I loved the analogy of her situation to that of a butterfly’s transformation. To be truthful, there was absolutely nothing to dislike about this sample and I saw no errors at all, pointing to a professional edit. There is nothing I can suggest to improve this book as I think it is really well written. Contrary to my first instincts, I would definitely read the whole thing.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 4:31 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Amy Luman
I am not going to read this book. I don’t really like memoirs, and reading the first ten pages of this one made it no exception. Everything that I read, reviews and the blurb, made this sound whiny. The cover art, while beautiful, did not convey to me what the title was about. The title is a reference to Ms. Nocerro’s growth, but it still did not appeal to me. The work does appear to be professionally edited, as I found no errors in what I read. I appreciate the support given to the author by her sisters, the family dog, and her parents, Mary Jo and Michael. I don’t know what could be improved, as my reading did not go very far.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 4:27 pm by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
The Amazon reviews and the blurbs/editorial reviews for this book sound very inspiring. Meg’s story seems very personal in the opening pages as she describes her rough childhood being bullied for her looks. I know from the OBC review that she loses her mom to breast cancer, something that’s also happened to me. I like that the author was able to turn her tragedy into a metamorphosis of sorts and I’m pretty curious to find out what it became for her. I like the cover image and the title a lot, very tasteful. I was also impressed by the awards and honorable mentions the book has received. I didn’t see any errors or mistakes, so I have no suggestions for improvements. I like self-help books so I may consider reading this book in the future, and when I was really grieving, I probably would have decided to read this book if I saw it outside of the program. For now though, I’m going through the process of finding myself, and I don’t wish to return to the darkness we sadly share.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 4:17 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
I'm not a fan of this cover or title because it seemed too flowery. After checking the blurb and OBC review, I was informed about the subject of this book. I like books that talk about grief, but memoirs are not my thing, so I only sampled it because of the program. The Amazon customer reviews and editorial reviews seemed super positive. I appreciated the author's honesty and detailed writing. The author also asks some questions that could make the reader think for a second about the answer. I don't think the sample could've been done better, so there is nothing I could recommend. The editing looks great, as I didn't find any errors. However, the first ten pages didn't win me over because it's not something I would normally read. Since this is a memoir, I'm not planning on reading it any further.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 3:10 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
The cover is so colorful and pretty that if it wasn't for the subtitle, I never would've guessed this book was about grief. I appreciate the inclusion of a brief subtitle so the reader knows, at first glance, what the book is about. I applaud that the author acknowledges that "There are many stories about breast cancer and grief" and explains why this book is different. This is the reason I decided to buy the book based on my first impressions. Of course, the book also has great ratings.
The first ten pages confirmed this book is an ideal pick for me. What first caught my attention is how creative the titles for the chapters are, alluding to song titles, for example. But, most of all, the first ten pages resonated with my own story. For starters, I recently lost my brother, so I could use some inspiration to help me navigate my own grieving process. I've always wanted to trek the Camino de Santiago, as the author actually did, and with a sprained ankle! As the author explains, I too have always "preferred to live in my imagination". And I admit I lack what now I learned is called "negative capability." I also applaud that the author is always aware there's a reader, and she's considering their needs. A silly example of this is how she explains that her dog looked like a tiny Lassie. This makes me think she's aware that not everyone knows what a Shetland sheepdog looks like, and that she cares about her readers understanding even the tiny details of her story. I found a couple of editing mistakes. In the dedicatory (position 90), the author calls Paulina Gutierrez-Tawil her "Camino amigo" but in Spanish, Paulina is a gendered name used for women, so the correct word is "amiga." I understand this is not the author's first language, so I'm not sure this should be considered. However, in position 15 it reads: “As I read Meg’s beautiful words, just beautiful things came up. . . . I appreciate Meg’s courage to be transparent and real and vulnerable to the benefit of us all." An ellipsis should be formed only by three dots. Since this a quote, a [sic] mark to acknowledge the mistake should've been included. My only suggestion would be to fix these minor flaws. The official OBC review furthered my enthusiasm for the book.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 2:03 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Scerakor
After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and review of this book, I would not have read this book. I usually don't read memoirs about grief. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I really enjoyed the openness of the writing I read early on. The letter that was written just before leaving to college was a good example of this. That being said, I'm really not the target audience for this one as I'm not suffering from grief, and therefore wouldn't pick this one up. The book looked well written and edited; there weren't any errors in the sample that I read. The thing I would have improved from the sample I read is to do with use of quotations or italics to make text stand out. For example, italics is used in the book for "Groundhog Day" but quotes are used for "the ballroom". I would have preferred to see a bit of consistency. There was an official OBC review, but it did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 2:01 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Butterfly Awakens' is a memoir written by Meg Nocero. Meg starts off her story by telling us about her awkward childhood. Her take on her relationship with her mother is admirable. I like how each chapter starts off with inspiring quotations. There is nothing that I would change. The editing is fair. I do not wish to read non-fiction books as of now. So, I would have skipped it based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews. After reading the first ten pages, I decided to give this book a pass as I am not in the mind-frame to read memoirs as of now.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 2:00 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Yvonne Monique
The book cover is beautiful, with all the flowers and butterflies. However, at first sight it does not become immediately clear what this book is about. That is probably why I would not pick it up if I would see it in a bookstore. The customer reviews, blurb and OBC review convince me to read the sample as they show that this book contains very worthwhile content. The sample is well edited and the writing style is pleasant. I really liked the metaphor of dying being a butterfly that sheds his chrysalis. Although I enjoyed the beginning of the book, I will not buy it. It stirs up too many emotions that I am not comfortable with thinking about at the moment. I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 1:05 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Astral Magi
The beautiful colors on the cover and the interesting title immediately grabbed my attention. If I hadn't read the first ten pages, I would have read the book based on these. The official OBC review, as well as the first 10 pages of the book, made it obvious that the book assists individuals in seeing light when none appears to exist. The volunteer and customer reviews convinced me that people who are dealing with grief will find the book exceptionally beneficial. The blurb persuaded me that the book is beneficial to all who read it. I appreciated how Meg overcame her childhood trauma, and I'm interested to read how she dealt with her mother's death. There was nothing that needed to be improved. I believe that the book was professionally edited because there weren't any errors.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 12:39 pm by Astral Magi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AntonelaMaria
I love to read memoirs. The cover and the blurb are appealing. However, I'm not interested enough to read this book right now. It is very hard-hitting, and a reader has to be in the right headspace to read it. I will keep it on my TBR for maybe one day. Other reviews are complimentary. There is an informative Official OnlineBookClub review of this book. I didn't notice any errors, and I wouldn't change anything about the book. My favorite part is the writing style. The author is open about all the struggles she went through, starting with the bullying in the school. I love the cover, and it is very complimentary to the premise.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 12:34 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
markodim721
I would choose to read a sample of this book because of the cover and title. I read customer reviews, Official OnlineBookClub review, and the blurb but they did not influence my decision. On the other hand, from the editor reviews, I liked the one written by Jessica Ciosek. This review provided an insight into the wide range of emotions that the book evokes in readers, and it can be said that it influenced my decision in that sense. The cover of the book is full of symbolism while the title is short, clear, and fits well with the cover. I will not read the book because I am not in the mood for books dealing with spiritual growth and self-help at the moment. While reading the sample I did notice one typo (transformation…. instead of: transformation… - no need for four periods at the end of the sentence) but other than that the book seems like it is professionally edited. Reading the sample did not change my mind from my original guess. I liked the detail in which the author described how her father had to shave bald her dog Fred because it looks authentic. I don't think anything needs to be improved in the book.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 12:02 pm by markodim721.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Timothy Rucinski
The cover is very fetching and terrifically uses color and image, against a white background, to capture the eye. However, had I seen this cover in a store, I would have kept on going because it specifically advertises the book as a memoir dealing with grief. I don't typically like memoirs, and I certainly do not enjoy reading books about grief, whether true or fictional. After reading the Official OBC Review, and getting an understanding of the content, I knew for sure that I would never read this book by design. I read no other reviews or blurbs. After reading the sample on Amazon, despite it being beautifully written, I was further convinced that I would not be reading this book. There wasn't anything that I disliked other than the genre and the topic. What I liked most was the passage in which the author built the tension leading up to her mother's phone call. It was skillfully done. I expect that the book was professionally edited as I found no errors. I have no recommendations for improvement.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 11:47 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
I enjoy reading a few memoirs, and I like butterflies, so I would have checked this book out based on its cover, title, and genre. The blurb put me on alert with the mention of breast cancer because, as a breast cancer survivor, many books on this topic are upsetting to me. The editorial reviews, customer reviews, and the OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision not to read this book. I like that the author included the map of Florida and used quotes that give the reader some idea of the chapters' contents. Another thing I liked about the first ten pages was the character development; Meg Nocero did a fantastic job revealing her devastation upon learning of her mother's breast cancer. The first ten pages appear to be professionally edited, but I did find an error at 28% of the sample in the sentence, "The bread and butter of my work involved asylum, where a respondent–a fancy term for noncitizen subjects [to] (delete) removal from the United States–had to show that they feared returning to their native land for a reason that would allow them to remain lawfully in the United States." I have no recommendations for the author. I will not purchase and read this book because of my personal experiences involving the death of family members and breast cancer.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 11:29 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rizki Pradana
Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, customer reviews, and editorial reviews. Because the information that people share about a book could be enough to help a reader decide whether to buy a book or not.
I will buy the book to read the whole story because the writer is good at storytelling. Reading the first ten pages of the book changed my opinion from the original guess.
I liked this book because this book told me about the author's life. She even told about her grief and how to overcome it. This book even told me about bullying. I admire the author because she was willing to tell her life to others.
Based on what I read, the book seemed to be perfectly edited. I didn't notice any typos or errors. I don't think this book needs any improvement.
The book had an official OnlineBookClub review that I saw. But it didn't affect my decision. Instead, it strengthened my decision to buy and read the whole book
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 11:08 am by Rizki Pradana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Theresa Moffitt
I was immediately attracted to the cover art of this book. The bright colors and butterflies are appealing. The title makes me curious about the contents of the book. So, I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The Online Book Club review gave the book a perfect score. It also recommended it to people struggling through grief. This increased my interest in the book. Like many people, I struggle with grief. The OBC review noted that there were a few errors in the book. However, I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. The first ten pages focus on Meg’s story about dealing with insecurities while growing up. She dreaded school and was picked on and bullied by other students. She escaped by using her imagination and creating a fantasy world. She wrote stories and played with her Barbie dolls; however, she dreaded going back to school. I didn’t see any references to the grieving process in the first ten pages. Based on the OBC review and the first ten pages, I am interested in Meg and her story. As a result, I would like to finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on March 10, 2022, at 11:07 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 34%
Butterfly Awakens earned a score of 34%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 34% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Butterfly Awakens
