The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Endgame
Because Endgame 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.
Manang Muyang
The cover and title screamed "thriller!" As a thriller buff, I was excited to look into the book. But the blurb mentioned terrorism, a plot point I have developed a revulsion for. So outside of the program, I would not have read this one. The sample did not make me change my mind. I think Nat's plan was "a fantasy." I also found a couple of errors: At 16% of the sample, "...but today he needed to buy some time to finish what he had started" needed end punctuation. At 50%, "There was a knock on the door, and Angela, Nat's secretary poked her head through the door opening" needed a comma after "secretary." I also think "Nat's secretary" was superfluous because the reader was already given that info earlier. I like that the author gave a good background of the status of "worldwide terrorism," although I don't know if any of it was made up as I am not really interested in the topic. I think the book will get its share of thrilled readers, but I will not be one of them. I have no suggestions for the author. The official OBC reviewer gave a great rating for the book, but the review did not influence my decision.
First Ten review added on May 8, 2023, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
The cover photo is quite eye-catching for fans of this genre. I read the reviews and book description of this book before sampling it. I'm curious when the old lady smells something not good in the garage where four Muslim students did something to a van. Later on, Nat heard a loud noise, which further intrigued me in the story. I decided to finish reading this book because I read the OBC review, which piqued my interest. I like that the author included a balanced life with Nat's family, his wife Sonja, and his two children. I didn't see any errors in the sample or anything to dislike. There's nothing I can recommend for improvement, either.
First Ten review added on May 8, 2023, at 4:25 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
Had I not been a part of this program, I would not have read the book based on the genre, cover, or published reviews. The OBC review did not change my mind. I found no errors in the first ten pages. The prologue shows an aged person noticing her neighbors reconstructing a van in their garage. The first chapter shows Nathaniel James waking from his sleep with a plan to infiltrate a terrorist organization. I liked the suspense that kept me intrigued from the first page. I had no suggestions for improvement. Based on my genre preferences, however, I will not read the whole book.
First Ten review added on May 8, 2023, at 3:54 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sou Hi
Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub, the cover, and the blurb are fine, but the book's premise is not my cup of tea. Besides, there are no ratings on Amazon.
I like nothing in the bit I read. The pace is slow without tension, and the story is obscure. I have to guess that the modified van belongs to a group of terrorists, and they are trying to bomb somewhere. Since the plot can't pique my interest, I won't buy this book. The OBC review was helpful in making my decision. I also suggest another round of proofreading.
Error example: He would normally find his own breakfast, which, more often than not, consisted of cereal, a banana, orange juice and coffee, but today he needed to buy some time to finish what he had started -> The sentence needs a period at the end.
First Ten review added on May 8, 2023, at 1:55 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Anna_Hernandez
Even if I hadn't been part of this program, I still would have been drawn to this book based on its cover image and title. As someone who enjoys political thrillers and military adventures, I was immediately intrigued. After reading the first ten pages, I am definitely planning to finish the book. The writing style is captivating, with rich details even in the most mundane scenes of getting ready for work. I did not notice any errors in the first ten pages, so I think the writing is solid with no need for improvements. The opening pages left me eager to see how the plot will unfold once the action really starts. While the official featured review of 'Endgame' by William Reed on OBC did not impact my decision to read the book, it did make me even more curious to learn about how the story develops.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 9:36 pm by Anna_Hernandez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mariana Figueira
If I wasn't part of the First Ten program, I wouldn't have read the book because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book I don't want to continue reading it because the story didn't captivate me. I like that Nat thinks about his family first when the idea for infiltrating al-Qaeda comes to him. This book seems professionally edited, I didn't see any typos; plus, it has an official Online Bookclub review but that didn't affect my opinion about not reading the book. I didn't see anything that needed improvement.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 8:55 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shanesha Sammerson
The OBC review and Amazon summary were very interesting and made me want to read the book. This is not my usual genre but it did interest me and I found the cover enticing. I would not buy it after reading the first 10 pages because nothing interesting happened as yet to pique my interest. I found one error Pg 4 bin Laden was spelled with a common b. I enjoyed reading about how Nathaniel met his wife in the library. I would have enjoyed it better if it started with some excitement like a terrorist attack.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 8:32 pm by Shanesha Sammerson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, or title. I didn’t think this book about terrorism seemed to be for me. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I thought the background information on the characters was kind of dry, which could use improvement. It talked about the parents and what they did. I found myself having a hard time staying engaged during that piece. The book did seem to be professionally edited; I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages. There wasn’t anything specific I liked so far.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 8:20 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Donna Walker
Based on the genre, cover, and title, this is a book that I would look at in a store or online. I love stories of terrorist plots and espionage. Having read the OBC review, this one is definitely going on my "to read" list. However, I would not have known about this book if not for OBC. The first 10 pages were very interesting and captivating. I found nothing that I would improve upon. I certainly want to keep reading. I already liked the characters, especially Nat, after just a few pages. I also found no errors, so it looks professionally edited to me. Perhaps I'll choose this book for review.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 7:28 pm by Donna Walker.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
OTrain Disene
The cover fascinated me with its read backdrop. I would have chosen the book outside this programme because of the stunning cover. The first ten pages introduce Nat and his wife, Sonja, whom she met in the library. It is clear that he’s still smitten, even after all these years. Nat is compiling a report for the European joint task on fighting terrorism alongside America. I liked everything, more especially the background story of Nat and his wife. It showed what more was to come. Nothing I disliked. I will be reading this book because I’m interested to see where Nat will end up. No errors in the first ten pages. The official review from OBC was helpful in my decision.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 5:23 pm by OTrain Disene.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mayang Bature
I was drawn in by the description of this book. The praise for the book in the official OBC review drew me in as well. If I wasn't in this program, I would have chosen to read this book. After reading this sample, I liked how the author slowly introduced us to Nat's life, not rushing us, and also provided a really suspenseful prologue. I'm curious how Nat will carry out his crazy plan after only a few pages. Every aspect of this sample that I read was enjoyable to me. There was nothing repulsive about it. I discovered a typo in which Bin Laden was spelled with a small "B." In the end, I'd like to read the rest of this book. It's exactly my type of story.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 4:02 pm by Mayang Bature.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kaitlyn Canedy
If Endgame hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would have checked it out because I have seen this book on OnlineBookClub before. The cover is very suspenseful, and the description of the book is quite unique. At this time, there are no customer reviews for this book, but I did not need any reviews to read the sample. I liked the crazy idea that Nathaniel had for flushing out the terrorists; while risky, this idea seems like it would work. I found nothing to dislike in the first ten pages I read, and there is nothing I can think of that needs improvement. There were no errors in the first ten pages that I could find. An official OnlineBookClub review exists for this title, but I already knew I was skipping the book because I am not a fan of terrorist novels.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 3:30 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Olga Markova
But for the First Ten, I would have sampled or read this book because its cover, title, genre, blurb, and editorial and customer reviews suggest that it is a mystery thriller, and it is my preferred genre. Sampling the first ten pages, I liked the opening chapter about a van in the garage and the family life of Nat offsetting the perils of his counter-terrorist idea. I did not find errors and have no suggestions for improvement. After reading the first ten pages, I will buy and read the whole book because I liked the sample, I like thrillers, and the OBC review was very encouraging and confirmed my decision to read this book.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 2:04 pm by Olga Markova.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sanju Lali
I got all the necessary insights into this book from the OBC official review. I could not find any customer or editorial reviews of this book. I liked the way Sonja, a beautiful woman at thirty-eight, was supportive of her husband, Nathaniel Jameson. I learned that Nathaniel Jameson had to relocate four times to different places. The cover, title, and genre of this book caught my attention, so I would have read the sample of this book outside The First Ten program. I learned that this book needs a round of professional editing because I found several grammatical mistakes. For example, the sentence, "Killing bin Laden, Zawahiri and a few other al-Qaeda and ISIS leaders since, had not done much to reduce the activity of radical groups around the world." This sentence could have been as follows. "Killing bin Laden, Zawahiri and a few other al-Qaeda and ISIS leaders since had not done much to reduce the activity of radical groups around the world." Sadly, I will not buy and read this book today because I felt that the flashbacks were abruptly brought out in the scenes. My suggestion to the author is to consider bringing up the flashbacks at proper times.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 1:58 pm by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ekta Kumari
The book has themes of terrorism, religious fundamentalism, and warhead threats, with an undertone of familial warmth and love existent in the family of the central character, Nathaniel Jameson, who is the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in London. The plot kicks off when he comes up with a plan to infiltrate al-Qaeda, but the twist is that he needs the help of different people to accomplish the mission, including the US president. I wouldn't have read the book based on its blurb and the genre because the themes of terrorism, CIA actions, and warheads didn't interest me. Regardless, this is an engaging read, and the fact that I like the most is that the narrative is well-rounded. The author doesn't just talk about terrorist activities, which is the leading theme of the book, but he also highlights the main character's family life quite a bit. The first few pages sum up the crucial details fairly quickly. We get to know the initiation of some terrorist activities in a neighbourhood as well as Nathaniel's basic plan of action. The parts describing how he met his wife, Sonja, and the growth of their beautiful relationship were entertaining to read and offered another dimension to this action-packed novel. While this multi-dimensional approach is wholesome and reflects different aspects of Nathaniel's life, I do not have enough interest in the themes to read the whole book. So, I won't be reading it. The book is well edited for the most part, but I was able to find one error in the following sentence: "She was lying on her side with one knee tucked up, exposing her slender, golden-brown legs, her hair falling softly over her face leaving only her forehead and long eyelashes showing." There should be a comma before 'leaving'. Perhaps another round of editing would clean up any of these small errors. I saw an official OBC review that was useful and quite accurate in assessing the positives of the book, but it didn't influence my final decision. There's nothing I can suggest for improvement.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 11:43 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amy Luman
The OBC reviewer recommended this book, and I'm going to finish it. I really like C/T/M/H in general, and especially books about terrorism. The cover appealed to me, even though I was a bit confused by the title. There were no editorial or customer reviews, so I couldn't use those. I didn't find errors in the portion that I read, and I also didn't find anything that I didn't like. I did, however, enjoy the part where Nat met Sonja at the library in college. I was especially entertained when I realized that she practically had to ask him to leave her alone because she had work to do. There is nothing that I would change.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 10:29 am by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kelsey Roy
I was initially intrigued by the cover and title of “Endgame.” The book appears to be action-packed from these details. The burly identifies the genre as crime/mystery/thriller, which I usually enjoy. The blurb and OBC review discuss topics such as terrorism and the CIA, so I know this will be a crazy and adventurous plot! I can’t wait to read the sample.
I found no grammatical or typographical errors in the first ten pages of the book. I enjoyed the swiftly changing POV in the first few chapters. It seems the author is setting up the action from multiple vantage points. I can tell this will be a fast-paced thriller. The author does an excellent job of including small details to build the characters. For example, he added Darwin, the dachshund, and Nat not enjoying black coffee. I found nothing to dislike in this sample. I have no recommendations for the author. I will be purchasing and finishing this action-packed novel!
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 10:04 am by Kelsey Roy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
If I had started to read this book without knowing that it dealt with terrorism, I would have kept reading because I liked the breakfast scene with the husband and wife and the natural dialogue between them. However, the cover, the title, the blurb and the OBC review all mentioned terrorism, which convinced me to not read the book. I found a wrong word error at 6%, "Two weeks later, they must have [done] should be [come] because . . ." I am not going to keep reading because the OBC review stated that this is for readers who like action thrillers, and I am not one of those readers. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 8:54 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Hazel Arnaiz
The cover, title, and blurb all suggest an espionage novel. The plot intrigued me; therefore, I will sample the book outside of the program. Customer feedback is not available. I became interested in the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict, which prompted me to read the book. A glossary of major events in the history of Israel-Palestine relations would be a nice addition for people interested in history. Here's an example of an editing issue.
Location 10. It seems "disclaim sany" is a typo error.
The publisher has made best efforts in preparing this book, but makes no representations or warranties with respect to the opinions of the author and specifically disclaim sany implied warranties.
There are several official OnlineBookClub reviews, each with a different rating. Their insights are equally useful.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 6:17 am by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rodel Barnachea
Upon going over the book’s Amazon page and official OnlineBookClub review, I decided not to purchase the political thriller. I am not fascinated by Nathaniel Jameson's idea on how to infiltrate the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. I am not intrigued by how Jameson plans to make the U.S. President the bait in his idea to infiltrate al-Qaeda at the highest level. I am not interested in finding out if the U.S. President would be willing to take the risk that comes with baiting the terrorist organization. Poring over its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the text had me wanting to read the rest of the book. The first ten pages include a prologue and some pages of the first chapter. My favorite part is when the old lady said she swears that she saw the text “BBC News” written on the side of Vahid’s white van. I was not able to 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 May 7, 2023, at 5:27 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Pauline Parnell
Even if I hadn't been a part of this program, I wouldn't have read the sample pages of this book. Both the subject and the book's cover lack any real appeal. The first ten pages didn't entice me to buy and complete the book. I don't think Nathaniel, the main character, will be able to penetrate Al-Qaeda. How will the president of America participate? No errors were observed. I admire the author's creativity, but more is required to make the scheme seem more plausible, other than a brave individual. I made my decision without considering the OBC evaluation.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 5:21 am by Pauline Parnell.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
SINGH JAY
I did not participate in this program previously, but I am now, and I like it. Yes, based on the cover, editorial reviews, and customer reviews, I would have read or sampled this book. Yes, after reading the first page, I would like to purchase and read it. As I read the first ten pages, I found no errors. I like that the Jameson family is mentioned in this book. First off, I anticipated a significant portion of the book to be on warheads, weapons, military invasions, and other similar topics in a book about terrorism. And even though this was mentioned, the author was still able to add an engaging family plot to the narrative. Nat and Sonja had two adorable children, who were included in the plot at every turn like any other American couple with children would. This was a great concept because the novel also deals with love, family, friendship, and warmth in addition to brutality. I enjoyed this aspect of the novel. I found nothing too negative to mention, dislike, or complain about in the first ten pages of this book. Yes, OBC reviews help readers decide whether to buy this book.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 2:13 am by SINGH JAY.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vidhi Adhikari
The book makes a decent first impression with its attractive cover design, straightforward title, detailed description, and multiple customer and OBC reviews. Since the book is about counter-terrorism, I was reluctant to read the sample. The OBC review spoke about the Al-Qaeda angle, which dampened my interest. That said, I loved the simple writing style of the author. There were some minor grammatical errors, but nothing that would affect my reading experience (The old lady had been very apprehensive {add comm} when four Muslim students had moved into the house opposite in the small cul-de-sac of twelve redbrick townhouses.). Sadly, since the genre is not to my liking, I will not be finishing this book. I would suggest that the writer add pictures to better grab the reader's attention.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 2:02 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for the First Ten program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, OnlineBookClub review, or other reviews because I have never enjoyed books about terrorism since they tend to be too biased and political. After reading the first ten pages, I will not continue reading the book because I thought Nat came up with his plan too effortlessly. I prefer books that begin with a bit more complications. From what I read, my favorite part was when the author described Nat's marriage to Sonja. I liked getting to know them as a couple because it highlighted their personalities. In Location 116, there's a missing period mark ("... but today he needed to buy some time to finish what he had started"). I don't think the book needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 12:17 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Hazel Mae Bagarinao
It's against my heart to say that I won't read the whole book. Based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, and editorial review, I am not in the mood to read a book that involves terrorism and political conflicts now. I don't see customer reviews of Endgame. I searched on Amazon and B&N, but I found nothing, so it worsens my interest in the book. Honestly, I don't mean to sound rude to the author or publisher, but the "Book of the Day" is out of my interest. I'm sorry. The first ten pages are free of errors. It was perfectly edited. The only likeable aspect I've noticed in the book is the understandable language of the author. I know that the book focuses on terrorism between the US and Russia using nuclear weapons. I don't have a problem with my "first ten" reading; it is just that the narrative is not my cup of tea. I don't think the book needs improvement; it is already attractive to the intended audience. I found no confusion with it. The OBC review is clear and straightforward, stating how engrossing the book is. Without offending anyone, the book is not my thing, so I don't have a plan to buy it.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2023, at 12:03 am by Hazel Mae Bagarinao.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
The monochrome cover doesn't work for me and wouldn't have caught my attention. The blurb uses a question to hook the reader, but I'm tired of terrorism plots. I think they've been explored to exhaustion. The book also lacks ratings, so I wouldn't have bought it based on my first impressions.
The first ten pages almost changed my mind. The old lady describing the strange comings and goings with the neighbor's van was both intriguing and endearing. Later on, the part about Nat and Sonja was boring. On the plus side, I didn't find editing mistakes. I recommend improving the cover. The official OBC review didn't change my mind because I still don't fancy the topic.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 8:25 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Stephanie Runyon
The title of this book indicates it would be a fight against something with a criminal element. I would have sampled the book based on this impression. I liked the amount of detail given for the family and business functions for Nat. This made the idea easy to envision as the story unfolded. I did not encounter any errors and believe the story is professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improving the book. The OBC review did not influence me to read the book. Nothing online altered my decision. I like the realism and the suspense building for Nat to execute his plan. I would like to finish the book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 7:41 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
MsH2k
The cover, title, and blurb reflected a political thriller, and since this is not a genre I enjoy, I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. The author also reinforced the content of the story by sharing why he uses a pen name. The first ten pages introduced Nathaniel well, and the writing was descriptive. I could easily picture his and Sonja’s lovely home as he went down to his library that morning. Besides the topic, there were a few things I did not appreciate in the first ten pages. The first thing was the attitude of the “old lady” in the prologue that implied the four Muslim students moving into the neighborhood ruined its “respectability.” The second thing was Nathaniel’s sexist remark about his wife: “Sonja was still a beautiful woman at thirty-eight.” Thirty-eight?? At what age does a woman stop being beautiful? My first objection could be attributed to the author setting the stage for the upcoming animosities. I cannot find an excuse for my second objection. I will not finish this book, primarily because of the political and religious topics. It appeared professionally edited, but I noticed a minor grammatical error at loc 65. Commas are required around DC—it is treated like a state: “Sonja had been born in Washington DC only four months after her parents had entered the country.”
The featured OnlineBookClub review was positive, but I did not notice any Amazon ratings. Neither of these factors influenced my decision. I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 6:02 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
Although I found neither editorial reviews nor customer reviews, I would have read the book based on the genre, cover, title, and blurb. The story follows the eventful journey of Nathaniel Jameson, a deputy U.S. ambassador in London, who is determined to put an end to international terrorism by infiltrating Al-Qaeda. I enjoy reading crime thrillers, so my interest increased after reading the OBC review. Unfortunately, I changed my mind after reading the sample. Although I enjoyed the realistic, engaging dialogue, the writing style was too descriptive for my taste and prevented me from getting invested in the story. Plus, I found some errors that distracted me from my reading. For example, it should be written "if I could please stop off at Conran’s" in the following sentence: "Pat called and said she needed my opinion on fabric for new curtains and asked if I could I please stop off at Conran’s." (location 429 of 753 • 55%) I noticed a missing period after "time" in the following text: "We’ll take it one step at a time The president can say no, or his advisers may say no." (location 362 of 753 • 46%) All in all, I would only suggest another round of editing.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 5:30 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nemanja Jankovic
I would choose to read the book based on its cover and title since they make me think of action. I read the blurb and the Official OnlineBookClub review, but they did not influence my decision. I didn't find any customer or editor reviews. Because I'm not in the mood to read political thrillers right now, I won't be reading the book. The book doesn't seem to have been carefully edited because I discovered two typos while reading it (Tanya, 12; and Gregory – Tanya, 12 and Gregory… ; …he had started – he had started.) Nat made a joke about his behavior while they were eating dinner with Sonja’s parents, and I enjoy it because it feels genuine. Nothing in the book, in my opinion, needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 4:35 pm by Nemanja Jankovic.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Olivia Bird Whitworth
I like the title of the book but I wouldn't have decided to sample it based on the OBC review, which mentions the book's predictability. After reading the first ten pages, I'm not interested in finishing the book. The idea at the center of the book seems outlandish; it's not something I can get behind. I liked how the prologue left questions unanswered so that I wanted to find out more. However, once the main story was underway, I wasn't as interested. This book seems well-edited; I didn't find any errors in the first ten pages.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 3:28 pm by Olivia Bird Whitworth.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
"Endgame" is written by William Reed. Nathaniel Jameson, chief of mission at the US embassy in London, wakes up with a great idea to dismantle al-Qaeda. I found one subjective error. It should have been "A few days later, they must have come.." instead of "A few days later, they must have done.." as the registration papers that were supposed to come through are being talked about here. Apart from this subjective observation, I did not find any errors. There is nothing in need of improvement. I liked the relationship between Nathaniel and his wife, Sonja. The way he introduced himself to her while they were in college was adorable. Though I did not find any reviews on Amazon, I found the OBC review to be helpful. I would skip this book based on the cover, title, genre, and blurb as I am not in the mood to read books of this genre as of now. For the same reason, I have decided to skip this book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 3:20 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chinazo Anozie
I was initially interested in this book from the title, cover, description, genre, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review. However, I changed my mind after reading the first few pages, so I’ll not buy and read this book. I was initially intrigued with the prologue about the old lady and the four Muslim students, especially regarding what the latter were doing in the garage. However, I got put off when I read about Nat and his seemingly perfect family. I really dislike when characters have been airbrushed to be too perfect, and I felt that way about Nat and Sonja’s family. I will not read this book. This book seems professionally edited because I didn’t notice any typos.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 3:12 pm by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
Crime thrillers are one of my favorite genres, so I was excited to check this book out based on the brilliant cover and title, even if it had not been part of this program. There were no ratings or customer and editorial reviews to read to influence my decision. The blurb and OnlineBookClub review did not impact my decision not to purchase and read this book. I liked the humor in the first ten pages when Nat introduced himself to Sonja by asking her if she was Nick Carter’s sister when he knew no one named Nick Carter. I am curious how Nat’s plan to fight international terrorism by infiltrating al-Qaeda allows them the opportunity to assassinate the president of the United States and fake Preston’s death. However, I did not like the slow pace of the first ten pages. I expect action in the first few pages of any C/T/M/H book. For this reason, I will not purchase and read this book. I recommend the author pick up the book’s pace. The first ten pages appear professionally edited, as I saw no errors.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 1:28 pm by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Timothy Rucinski
I like simple covers, such as the one for this book, and I would have looked more closely at the book based on the cover alone. Not so much based on the Official OBC Review. After reading the review, I didn't have much of an idea of the book's plot, just some vague ideas of some of the content. I didn't read any other reviews or blurbs. I won't read this book because I've had my fill lately of thrillers featuring Islamic terrorists. If there were a "maybe" category, I'd think about it. But for right now, I don't think I'll take this on. It seems to be very well written, and I particularly liked how the author began the novel with a Prologue that created a heightened tension even before the story got underway. There wasn't anything that I disliked, but I do not believe that the book was professionally edited. For example, at 5% of the sample, a comma is missing between "Washington" and "DC." At 12% of the sample, the paragraph that begins, "'No, I told him...'" ends without a period. At 15% of the sample, there is a comma missing before the quotation in the following sentence: "He got back to work and put the full stop after the final sentence just as Sonja's voice sang out 'Come and get it!'" My only recommendation for improvement would be for the author to have the book proofread.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 10:30 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nisha DSouza
The title and the book cover did not reveal much about the book's contents. The blurb narrated an intriguing plot about a man plotting to end terrorism. There was no Amazon customer comment. The official OBC review was captivating. I enjoyed reading the sample pages. I was eager to learn how Nat was planning to infiltrate Al-Qaeda. I liked the author's simple and smoothly transitioning writing style. The scene between Nat and Sonja showed a loving and caring husband and a supportive wife. There was nothing that needed changing. One thing that will prevent me from reading the rest of the book is its volume; it has 579 pages, as per Amazon's product description. I don't usually pick books this big. So, I will not be buying this book. I found no errors in the first ten pages.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2023, at 8:13 am by Nisha DSouza.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 31%
Endgame earned a score of 31%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 31% 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 Endgame
