
The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Seized: Searching for Health In the United States
Because Seized 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.
Alice Heritage

The subtitle put me off as I'm not in the United States. Maybe because of that, the book isn't free, except with Kindle Unlimited. I was, however, intrigued to read it on the basis of the blurb because the idea of an illness giving as much as it takes away is a message of hope that got my attention. I will, therefore, read this to find out more about that as I have personal experience with the limitations of the medical system. I don't think this book was professionally edited as I found the following errors. "I lay in bed" should read "I lie". There were missing periods at the ends of sentences in these two instances: "I search desperately for an explanation to my situation, talking out loud" and " "... so uh I," I try again". "I plea" should read "I plead". I l liked the author's descriptions of her amnesia as it's fascinating to read a firsthand account of something anomalous happening to a human brain. The editing could be improved, and I'd find a few more descriptions of places or the weather interesting, but quite a lot is described. I didn't see an OBC review; my decision was based on the sample.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 4:53 am by Alice Heritage.
Aubrey Lewis

The overall appearance of the book is intriguing and quite eye-catching, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the book since I'm not fond of reading memoirs at all. When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. The contents seemed professionally edited so far, and I felt my heart race with panic when Holly couldn't even remember that she had created a hit-and-run incident. However, the genre and topic just aren't my cup of tea, so I'll have to pass on this one. Since my reason is due to my own personal preference, I don't think there are any improvements the author needs to make.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 4:09 am by Aubrey Lewis.
Jeremie Mondejar

I thought this book belongs to a children's genre because of the cover, but as I started reading the sample, I am confused because I cannot connect the story based on the cover photo. The OBC review confirmed my thoughts, this book is a memoir, which is I'm trying to ignore. I am careful in reading a memoir because the emotion of the author is somewhat loaded to me. In the portion, I read, it looks good, but I notice that the word "God" often times written as "god". I also like the fast-paced scene, but I don't like the profane words. If, possible this memoir must be written without profane words.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 3:48 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Vickie Noel

I may have picked this book up outside the program because of its cover which looks like a children's book. Upon discovering that it isn't one, I'm not disappointed, but I'm not too excited either. I would say I won't be reading further for entirely different reasons, one being the fact that I didn't enjoy Holly's self-dialogue; it appeared forced than natural as I tried to picture her confusion. I can't claim to understand what she went through on that discovery, especially in the prime of her life, but this is how I felt reading it...initially. Also, the narrations had been too long and tiring and I was just about ready to throw it up in the air when I read up to the point where she couldn't figure out where she was. Admittedly, that's the part of the self-dialogue I complained about, but I became interested. I kept holding my breath when I read her conversation with Jon, half afraid that he'd flip on her and label her crazy. I was touched by his compassion, and relieved that she had a real (and literal) shoulder to cry on. The error I found was a lack of punctuation mark after "loud" in this sentence, "I search desperately for an explanation to my situation, talking out loud “How the hell did I get here?" It appears the book is well edited. I saw an OBC review, but neither that nor reading the sample will make me read further because the healthcare systems in America aren't available to me, so I can't resonate with it. I'll keep the book in mind in case a situation occurs where health challenges cause abrupt and unexpected changes in one's life, but until then, I'll hold off for now.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 3:33 am by Vickie Noel.
va2016

The cover and the title are not indicative of the theme of the book. There are only 3 Amazon customer ratings. The Amazon summary gives a clear description of the book. As I am not interested in epilepsy stories, I would have skipped reading the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing Holly discussing her dream with Jon. As I am not interested in family stories, that too related to epilepsy, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I don't have any suggestions for improvement. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 3:17 am by va2016.
Nuel Ukah

I'm attracted to books that deal with health issues. I like the simple cover and title. I am going to buy and read this book to find out what happened between Holly and her father that causes her sleepless nights. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my original guess.
The book seems to be professionally edited. I didn't notice any error. What I like most in the bit I read is how Jon was there for Holly. Their relationship really lasted. This book is about health issues. I did not notice any thing that needs improvement. The book has an Official OnlineBookClub review.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 2:03 am by Nuel Ukah.
Annelore Trujillo

I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I was kind of interested in her story. I felt for her when she “woke up” disoriented. This can be a confusing situation for anyone, but this being followed by an arrest for a crime she didn’t remember committing is even worse. However, this is a pretty long book. According to Amazon, it is over 600 pages. I have a difficult time reading books this long. I prefer books in the 300 page range. This is just one of my preferences because my attention span for books tends to be short, unfortunately. It did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 1:41 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Scerakor

From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I have no interest in the subject matter note am I interested in reading about Holly's experiences. 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 appreciated the build up and personal touch early on in the book. Especially as Holly remembers actions her dad took, things get serious. That being said, I'm just not interested enough in the subject matter to buy it. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 11:03 pm by Scerakor.
Sarah_Khan

At first glance, I would not have picked up this book because the subject matter does not interest me. I like the title and cover. The first ten pages seem well edited. The relationship between Holly and Jon was very sweet. I was surprised to hear that people can start getting seizures at a later age. Unfortunately, this book does not interest me enough to want to keep on reading. I do not think the author needs to change anything, it is just not my cup of tea. I did not read any OBC review.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 10:52 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Fu Zaila

The cover looks alright, nothing stellar. The blurb was interesting but the official review made me think that this memoir wouldn't be worth my time, even though it was positive. The sample seemed to be well-edited, even though the review said there were a few errors. I liked the sample. I like that the author has given her name to her character. It was touching to see that Holly really did try to take care of her father whom she was never fond of. Her and Jon shifting to the couch to make her Dad comfortable, was nice. I thought the narrative sounded very personal and straightforward. There wasn't anything I disliked. But based on the genre, review, and the sample, I'm not interested in reading further.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 10:08 pm by Fu Zaila.
Ekta Kumari

In this memoir, the author describes her journey through Epilepsy, and how it propelled her towards self-discovery and finding the balance between health and sickness. She also highlights her views on American healthcare system. This sounded like a truly inspirational read, and I really liked sampling the book. Although I wouldn't have read it as I wasn't planning on reading a memoir, this book is very well-written. Somehow it touched my heart from the very beginning. The thing I liked the most was the author's transparency in sharing her life. An intimate look into her life gave me a good standpoint to understand her daily struggles and her views on them. I also like the book's title and the cover page. Both of these align with the main subject. The book seems well edited for the most part, but I did find one error in the portion I sampled. The error is in this sentence, "Maybe he tired of screaming and hitting to get what he wanted." I believe 'Is' should be used before 'Tired'. Otherwise, the text looks clean, but I would still recommend another round of editing to polish up the text. I did see an official review. In spite of all the positives, I'll not be reading the rest of the book as I don't want to read a memoir for now.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 9:43 pm by Ekta Kumari.
OliviaLouise

Based on the review, I have no doubt that the author has quite a story to tell, and my interest in the book was piqued. After reading the sample, I found the narrative disjointed and disorganized. For example, one moment the author is talking about her dad’s hospital treatment and the next she is describing her physical characteristics and wondering where she got her dimples from (loc 95). Much of the book lacks sentence to sentence connectivity, which is annoying and distracting. Although I did not find any editing errors, I will pass on finishing this book.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 9:00 pm by OliviaLouise.
unamilagra

Before sampling this book, I would not have picked it up. I don't personally know anyone affected by epilepsy, and I didn't like the wordiness mentioned in the OBC review. I found the first ten pages to be interesting, but also confusing. Starting with the nightmare and the brief explanation about her father seemed an odd place to start a book to me, especially because it didn't seem to have anything to do with the events of the next chapter when she became confused trying to drive home. I didn't feel pulled into the story, so I don't plan to continue reading this book. I didn't notice any errors in the pages I read.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 5:18 pm by unamilagra.
Juliana_Isabella

I wouldn't have chosen this book because I usually prefer to read fiction, but the review did make me curious about the author's experiences with the American healthcare system. I didn't find any grammatical errors in the first ten pages, and Holly's premonitions and accidental hit-and-run intrigued me. However, the author's writing style makes the story feel like it's moving very slowly due to the length of each individual scene. Because of this, I won't finish the book.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 9:37 am by Juliana_Isabella.
Howlan

The cover is average and really does not justify the beautiful story it contains. I would never have picked the book based on its cover. But on reading the sample I got hooked right after the accident took place. The narration is flawless, and the way the Holly is shown to tackle her seizure felt real and practical. The author puts her own experience into use in this book, and that is sure to help epilepsy patients. I will buy this book and read it eventually. I pass over these kinds of books but in this case, I feel this book has grabbed my attention and curiosity. No typos were found in this book. The Official Review is present and believes that this book invites reflection.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 4:23 am by Howlan.
Catherine Hsu

If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book as I do not think this is my genre. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind; some of the writing sounded a little awkward like the part explaining spooning. I did like how the author wrote the character’s panic with all he questions running through their head. Overall, it was professionally edited. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 3:37 am by Catherine Hsu.
Cristina Chifane

I wouldn't have read this book without the first ten program because it seems to target a specific type of audience, that is people suffering from epilepsy. I am glad for the author that she found the inner strength to fight epilepsy and the courage to tell her story. There are only 3 customer reviews, but I'm sure there will be people interested in reading this book. The first chapters felt more like part of a novel rather than a memoir. They are well-written and made me quickly relate to Holly and her struggle with both her personal and professional life. In terms of editing, I couldn't find any errors. However, since I'm not a member of the target audience for this book, I'll not add it to my reading list. The OBC reviewer also mentions the fact that the book is perhaps too long and sometimes repetitive. If it had been shorter and less detailed, I might have tried reading it.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 3:36 am by Cristina Chifane.
Kelyn

Even if I had not been a member of this program, the cover and title of this book would likely have caught my attention. Both give a very sci-fi feel to the book, and that is a genre I greatly enjoy. However, discovering through the blurb and customer reviews that the book is a memoir would almost definitely have made my interest wane considerably. Memoirs are not generally a genre I enjoy reading, and it is a genre that I tend to avoid because of this. The author is unknown to me, so this would not have affected my decision. Reading the sample, though I found Holly's story compelling and was very sympathetic to the difficulties she had with the medical system, did not engage me enough to want to finish the book. However, one line, in particular, stood out to me. I found the statement that most U.S. doctors do not practice using anatomy and physiology (which is what they should do, in my opinion) but from the view of pharmacology to be sadly accurate. The book seemed well-edited. I found no errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 3:28 am by Kelyn.
Shrabastee Chakraborty

The title is quite clever, the blurb lengthy yet full of necessary background. The official OBC review lists both the positive and the negative aspects of the book. However, the first ten pages, although devoid of errors, did not appeal to me. I am a fan of memoirs, but this one seemed to lack the charm. Maybe it was because the book starts abruptly in the middle of night when the author wakes up from a nightmare. Starting there, she describes the following days where an unease continues, without divulging much about what else is going on. This part generated no interest in me to know either her past or her future. Depending on the above observations, I decide against reading this book.
First Ten review added on December 25, 2019, at 12:50 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Juliet+1

Based on the title, cover, blurb, and OBC review, I didn't think I would want to read this book. I have been down this difficult path with a friend and wouldn't wish to read about another person's struggles with the same issue.
Reading the first 10 pages confirmed my initial opinion. The author's anger at the beginning, even to the point of being rude to Dr. Kellog, is typical but not fun to witness. I don't intend to read any more of "Seized."
The writing does an excellent job of conveying the confusion and anguish of someone afflicted with a seizure condition, and the book appears to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 10:45 pm by Juliet+1.
Brenda Creech

When I first saw the cover and the title of this book, I wasn't interested in checking it out. The cover did not entice me, nor did the title. After reading the official review, I was not interested in the topic of the book. After reading the first ten pages, I am still not interested in reading the entire story. However, I do agree with the author on her opinion of today's healthcare. As a retired nurse, I have experienced having patients with seizures. It is a complex disease, and I empathize with the frustration of the author, but I am not interested in reading about anything medical right now. What I liked most about the part I read was Jon's support of Holly at the beginning of her seizures. The only thing I would say needs to be improved is the language in the narrative. There is a lot of profanity used. I only found one error in the first ten pages I read, and it was the absence of the word 'to' as follows: "Holly, you're going make me crazy..." (location 401 Kindle). I will not be reading the rest of the book as I do not want to focus on anything medical at this time.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 9:41 pm by Brenda Creech.
Washboard

I normally don't read books in this genre. The title and cover art are both eye-catching. The official review makes the book sound appealing too. The sample I read introduces Holly and her husband Jon, as well as describes some of the anxiety issues Holly faces from a tough childhood. I won't be continuing to read this one, since some of the childhood trauma sounds more intense than I want to read. I didn't notice any errors in my reading.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 9:39 pm by Washboard.
LV2R

The book cover and title matched well, as the cover depicted someone possibly lost in some kind of problem. The Amazon blurb described the author, Holly Eckert, as being on a journey of personal growth, awakening, and healing from having epilepsy. She found that the American medical industry has many problems. She realized over time “that illness does play important positive roles in a human life.” I was not sure about reading the book or not. The sample began with Eckert waking up from a frightening dream from her childhood and telling Jon about it. Her father is staying with them, as he is receiving cancer treatments. She has premonitions of something bad that will happen to her. I best like that she is a dancer and a choreographer trying to start a dance company. I get the feeling that dancing is where her heart is and it is important to her. The book seems to be edited well, as I did not notice any errors. The OBC review mentioned that there were some errors. The reviewer also mentioned that there were a lot of details about epilepsy and conversations that Eckert had with doctors and others about it. I do not want to read this book because it seems that there is a lot of focus on how terrible the American health system is. I already know the flaws of it and do not like to just focus on the problems without answers.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 8:56 pm by LV2R.
gen_g

I have come across a positive review of this book, and it has piqued my interest. There are a couple of errors present. For example, at loc 90, "personifies the essence of passive aggressive" should be "personifies the essence of passive-aggressiveness". There is a missing hyphen (as it is being used as a compound word), and the noun form should be used, instead of the adjectival form. Still, I like that the author has seen fit to develop the main character (Holly) - the reader learns Holly was previously abused by her father, but now, she is still taking her of him due to his cancer treatment. I would suggest that the book be sent for another round of editing; more polishing of the writing would also be good as there are quite a number of instances of awkward syntax, which detracts from reading flow. I will not be purchasing the book today, as I'm not a fan of stories told in the first person and the writing style is a bit too rough, personally.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 8:37 pm by gen_g.
Kajori Sheryl Paul

'Seized' is a book written by Holly Eckert. The title, cover, OBC review and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.
The sample of the book leads me to believe that it is a non-fiction book. Holly Eckert, an independent choreographer, lives with her boyfriend, Jonathon. One day she gets into an accident, but does not remember it. From here on, her life changes. I like the tone of the book. I found some errors. For example, the pronoun “I" should be used before “went" in “so went back through evening traffic to pick it up before heading home” I do not think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a skip as I am not in the mind-frame to read a book of this genre as of now.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 5:06 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
HRichards

I normally wouldn't have picked this book up as the summary didn't really interest me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book since the plot didn't really appeal to me. The sample deals with Holly, who has a nightmare about her dysfunctional parents fighting. She is very upset being reminded of her past since her father is living with her while undergoing cancer treatment. The writing is fine and I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like dramatic books might like this one, but I was not really interested in the story. I read the OBC review of this book and it didn't convince me that I'd like this book any more than I originally thought.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 4:36 pm by HRichards.
Emy Katherine

I am not fond of memoirs, so I would not have read the book without The First Ten program. Unfortunately, I did not change my mind after reading the first ten pages and the OBC review. Throughout her book, the author shares how she started a journey of self-discovery after being diagnosed with epilepsy at 34; she particularly shares how she struggled with the U.S. healthcare system. I found the blurb too long, but the writing style was descriptive and enjoyable to read. Sadly, I am not sure the book was professionally edited; I encountered some missing commas and a missing period at the end of a sentence. For example, there should be a comma before the coordinating conjunction "or" in the following sentence: “Holly, we better keep our voices down or we will wake up your dad." (location 90 of 10155 • 1%) Also, there should be a comma after "flashes" in the following sentence: "In these unnerving mental flashes I see myself as part of something disturbing." (location 109 of 10155 • 1%) I am not the target audience, but those who enjoy reading thought-provoking memoirs will appreciate this one.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 3:39 pm by Emy Katherine.
AvidBibliophile

Prior to reading the subtitle, the cover art immediately brought to mind someone floating peacefully on a pool surface or ocean waves. After reading a brief description of the story, I find some irony in what seems to be an aerial shot of an aquatic floating lady, especially since patients prone to epileptic episodes are advised to avoid water (and bathtubs) on account of the drowning risk. I may be detecting unintentional humor, but I think it actually helps bring some light-hearted levity to the malady at hand. The Amazon product description is persuasively thorough and will likely resonate with many fellow sufferers of chronic illnesses. While the first page begins with immediate, frantic action, I felt the word "god" appearing 5 different times in various contexts of informal dialogue seemed overly excessive. I enjoyed reading the poetic diary entry. At Location 157, there is a period missing after "loud" and at Location 173, there is another one missing after "again". I did not care for the amount of internal dialogue profanity at Location 173, and while it is meant to convey the confused panic of the situation, for me, it is distracting. The one published OBC review brought about some interesting points about perceived verbosity, but I suspect that impression would be subjectively specific among a varied group of readers. The trio of Amazon user ratings offered two useful chunks of applicable feedback. While our existing healthcare system certainly has an unhealthy reliance on the pharmaceutical industry, not all physicians (or neurologists) are in egregious disregard of their patients' afflictions. As an osteopathic physician, I don't generally read stories of this nature, but maybe that's just because I already hear enough disheartening patient battles that I feel powerless to rectify. Based on the first ten pages, I will not be reading more, but perhaps this tale can be a reminder to "seize" each day before it inevitably "seizes" back. The future is uncertain for us all. Never stop advocating for yourself.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 3:00 pm by AvidBibliophile.
ritah

Based on the title and genre, I wouldn't have sampled the book because I don't usually go for books in this genre. I read the official review and sampled the book. I liked Jon's efforts to calm Holly as she panicked and recalled a terrifying event that had invoked fear and anxiety in her. The book appeared professionally edited as I saw no errors in the pages I read nor did I see any areas that need improving. However, I won't be reading the rest of the book because the content isn't for me.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 2:52 pm by ritah.
MsH2k

I would not have chosen to sample this book had I not been part of this program. I did not understand the title or the cover (I thought the woman was floating down a river), and I didn’t feel the need to find out more. The blurb about the author was long, and some information in the author’s blurb was repeated in the book’s summary. I was annoyed by the repeated use of “god” in the opening dialogue, and it bothered me that her partner seemed lackadaisical when she frantically asked for his help. I would love to learn more about epilepsy through a personal account such as this, but I do not connect with this book. The featured OnlineBookClub review noted the verbosity of the dialogue, and I agree with this assessment based on the sample pages. I will not finish this book. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 2:18 pm by MsH2k.
Nikolas Farmakis

I would not have read this book, as I was not intrigued by the title or the book cover. I will not read this book, because I found it boring, monotonous, and cliche. I also do not like books that contain romantic scenes and vulgar words, which is another reason I will not read this book. The book had an error ('Maybe he tired of screaming...', whereas it should have been 'Maybe he is tired of screaming'), so I suppose it has not been professionally edited. What I liked most about this book was the extensive description made by the author, which create a clear image in the reader's mind, helping him/her understand the meaning of the story. To improve, the author should make the book more original by creating a more realistic scenario. In other words, the author should make Holly, the main character, display real-life behavior. The book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not affect my opinion.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 1:23 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

The cover of the book is too dramatic for my taste and if I only took that into account I wouldn't have picked up the book, but the blurb caught my attention because I can relate to the author's struggle, especially with all the obstacles that the medical community can impose on chronic illnesses' sufferers. The reviews I read are mixed but never too negative. Based on my first impressions, I would read the book. The first ten pages confirmed I want to finish reading it. I especially enjoyed the poem the author shared and the description of the first time she lost control while driving. Although I knew about epilepsy I had no idea that it could be so terrifying. I was able to truly empathize with her experience. The book seems professionally edited and I didn't find any mistakes. There are several instances of "God" without capitalization (positions 72 and 86 on the Kindle app, for example), but I can't say for sure that this is an error because it's a contentious subject. The only thing I think could be improved is the cover to depict something more complex than just the seizures, because the author's experience is much more complicated and intricate than that. The book has an official review that neither hindered nor furthered my enthusiasm.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 12:09 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Kaitlyn Canedy

I chose to read the sample of Seized because of the cover art. The picture of the lady seemingly falling was intriguing, and piqued my curiosity. I liked the author's take on the American healthcare system; in fact, it is my favorite part of the book so far. It is no lie that the American healthcare system is flawed; I am without it because of its fallacies. I want to hear what else the author has to say about American healthcare, so I will be finishing the rest of the book. I did not see any grammatical flaws in the sample at all. I don't think that anything can be done to improve Seized any further; it is very informative and straightforward. Honestly, there is nothing that I disliked about it. There is an Official OnlineBookClub Review for this book, and it provided more information that encouraged me to read the rest of it.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 11:18 am by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Laura Ungureanu

The cover is attractive to me. I think I would've tried it by myself because of the review. Holly wakes Jon to tell him how she dreamt of her childhood. The way Jon comforts her is cute. She also has to take care of her father who suffers from cancer. Although I enjoyed the sample, the review said the information about the disease might get too overwhelming at times. I also don't enjoy memoirs, so I'm not interested in continuing this book. The review mentions errors, but I didn't find any noticeble ones.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 11:11 am by Laura Ungureanu.
MarisaRose

I don't know much about epilepsy, and I enjoy expanding my horizons. So at first glance, I was intrigued by Eckert's "Seized." However, I'm always unsure about memoirs and prefer to get a taste for the author's writing style before making a decision about whether or not I'd like to purchase the book. That being said, an OBC review might sway my opinion in this case because many times reviewers focus on writing style, pacing, and content. Although I wouldn't purchase "Seized" blindly, I'd consider reading the sample for the book before disregarding it completely. After reading the first ten pages, I was curious about Holly's story. The opening passage makes it clear that she has a troubled relationship with her father, whom she takes care of. I wondered what happened between the two and how Holly earned the responsibility of being her father's caretaker. I was also intrigued by Holly's profession. She is a choreographer, and as a previous dancer, this commonality with the author piqued my interest. I was also curious why Holly's boyfriend, Jonathan, hadn't proposed to her, something that clearly bothered her. Further, I enjoyed that this book is made up of short chapters. As for the writing, I found Eckert's style engaging. I noticed no grammatical errors, and thought the sample was well written. There was really nothing I disliked about the sample, and I feel a connection to the author, so I'm looking forward to reading more of "Seized." I will be downloading the book today!
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 10:57 am by MarisaRose.
cpru68

This book begins with the author waking up from a dream where she can barely breathe. All she remembers is that it had something to do with her childhood and feeling hated and unloved. Her partner Jon comforts her and reminds her they must be quiet as her dad is staying with them while he undergoes cancer treatment. His visit, she surmises, is triggering memories she has stuffed down. After her dad’s visit ends, she continues to have poor sleep habits which greatly affect her ability as a dance choreographer. Lack of sleep drags her down physically leaving her in somewhat of a fog. A few more pages in, and she recounts a scene where she has been in an automobile accident and can’t recall how it happened. She was involved in a hit and run, and once home, officers are waiting for her to tell her she is under arrest and facing ten years in jail. She simply accepts the news, complies with what they ask but cannot recall the accident.
I won’t be finishing this book. I have read so many memoirs, and I’m burnt out on them. The review offered more help in that I felt this book would be better suited for those who are in a similar situation of having an undiagnosed medical condition and help navigating the healthcare system. While the book may help many, its not suited for me.
The reviewer mentioned this needed another round of editing. I found this: an explanation to my situation, talking out loud (Location 154)
There’s a missing period at the end of the sentence. If the reviewer found more like this, I would agree that it needs another slight round of proofreading. Also, I noticed at times the author would go from present to past tense in the same sentence. Memoirs are generally about the past, so the writing seems more natural when it’s the author recounting in past tense.
I appreciate the opportunity to read the sample pages of this book, and I will send it out on my social media for others to look into. I probably wouldn’t have found this one without the online book club because the market is so flooded.
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 10:41 am by cpru68.
kperm

Before reading the sample, I thought that I would like this book. Judging by the cover, I expected a completely different story than it actually was. After reading the sample, I decided not to read the book. It was not what I expected. I found the book very emotional. It was very hard for me to read about the struggles of a woman whose father is diagnosed with cancer. I didn't particularly appreciate reading about how the protagonist had a very conflicted relationship with her father. This book is not something that I will enjoy reading. I read the official review of the book, but it did not change my decision. I noticed multiple mistakes in the text. For example, there is a missing comma before "and" in the sentence:
"His friendly reminder turns my stomach and a quick surge of fear again pulses through me, sending a shiver up my spine."
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 10:11 am by kperm.
Theresa Moffitt

I don’t really like the cover of this book. It doesn’t tell me what the book is about and it didn’t attract me to the book. I would not have picked this book based on the cover alone. The title also doesn’t tell me what the book is about and would not have made me pick the book up alone. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. The first ten pages introduce the character of holly who is taking care of her father while he has cancer treatments. She has nightmares about how he used to be abusive when she was younger. The sorry then jumps to her working as a choreographer and worrying about a new production. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages so I believe the book was professionally edited. The first ten pages did not draw me in tot he story enough so I will not finish reading this book. I will read a review and may change my mind based on that review, but I will not finish reading this book based on the first ten pages alone
First Ten review added on December 24, 2019, at 9:37 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Total ~ 16%
Seized earned a score of 16%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 16% 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 Seized