The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Little Book of Bad Intentions: A romp down the road from matrimony to murder...
Because The Little Book of Bad Intentions 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.
Ekta Kumari
After Tessie gets caught cheating on her husband with Garrison, she gets divorced and marries her new love interest. Though, the sparks don't last for long, and soon Garrison realizes Tessie is not the woman he thought she is and he doesn't like her. He wants to leave his belongings for his daughters from his previous marriage, but he knows Tessie wouldn't let him do that after witnessing what she did to her first husband. So, he decides to murder her. Interestingly, Garrison also suffers from Alzheimer's disease. So, now he has to murder Tessie before he starts forgetting things. The plot sounded quite interesting to me. So, I would've read the book. The thing I liked the most while sampling is that the characters are introduced right away. I also like the character sketch of Tessie. The author has made sure to fully flesh out the characters. The humor was also apparent from the writing. The sample did build some anticipation, so I would read the whole book. I didn't find any error in the portion I sampled. The book looks professionally edited. I also saw an official review before sampling the book.
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 4:59 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Lorraine De Vos
I would have chosen to sample this book based on the title. The first ten pages were magnificent. I was instantly intrigued by the characters of Tessie and Garrison. Their inner dialogue and actions seemed contrasting. The blurb also made me want to pick up this book and settle in for a good read. The book does appear to be professionally edited. The official OnlineBookClub review was excellent and confirmed that I will be adding this book to my reading list. I have no recommendations for improvements.
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 4:51 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vickie Noel
I love the mystery and intrigue surrounding the book's title, so I probably would have tried to read it outside the program. As I commenced sampling the book, I felt my original opinions reinforced. From the preface, I knew I'd like the book because of the author's wit and humor. I chuckled when I read, ”The other galvanizing factor was waking up one day to the horrifying realization that I’d somehow morphed into middle age." Unfortunately, Basile lost my interest when she described the book as one that "celebrates the pungent reality of being a flawed, fabulous, nasty woman, who’s shrewd enough to use every tool in her arsenal to get what she wants. You may call her a bitch; I call her triumphantly human." No one should take pride in being nasty in the name of being human, and I can never be sympathetic to people who care only about themselves, giving no consideration to how their actions affect others. Thus, even though I enjoyed the writing style, I'm not inclined to continue reading. The book is professionally edited, yet I found a capitalization error in the sentence, "..."Don’t give it another thought, Young Man,” she purred..." The initial letters of "young man" ought not to be capitalized as it is a common noun. This should be improved on. I saw an OBC review which had initially piqued my interest until I read the author's personalized book description which nullified it.
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 3:21 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Aditi Sapate
From the title, I really couldn't surmise what the book was about. I probably would've passed on the book based on the preliminary information. The official OnlineBookClub review gave me a brief overview of the book. It informed me that this is a dark tale with some humour in it. I was curious to know how the author incorporated humour in such a dark storyline. While sampling the book, I found the first chapter really engaging to read when Tessie gets caught in the jacuzzi and Garrison suppresses his laughter while acting like he's shocked. I found the book intriguing. But then the second chapter disconnected me from the story and the sample ended. I will not be reading the full book as dark stories are not really my genre. The sample did not contain any grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 3:18 am by Aditi Sapate.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
evraealtana
The title sounds salacious, but the cover photo looks gritty, which I found to be confusingly disparate. In reading the first ten pages, I was surprised to read in the sample two features that the official OBC reviewer claimed were not present: namely, a high frequency of errors and a fairly explicit "almost-sex" scene. Given this, it makes me wonder how much of the rest of the review can be relied upon. In particular, the reviewer claimed that humor was a driving force in the book, but so far I haven't seen any. (Not a bad thing, particularly for the genre; just not what the official reviewer claimed.) I immediately disliked Tessie, and my opinion of her only worsened as the book went on. As she is meant to be the protagonist (I think), it is unfortunate that I so desperately want her to fail, crash, and burn spectacularly. Honestly, I don't care to continue reading what happens to her, since any success would be irritating and any failure would be exactly what she deserves. I just felt sorry for Buddy, who didn't ask to be brought into that mess and really needs a way out. I will not continue with this book. I noted four errors: a mistaken homophone in "Queue shrieks of horror" (should be "cue"); an extraneous hyphen in "bone-structure"; improper pluralization in "Bahamas Mamas" (the drink is a "Bahama Mama", so more than one would be "Bahama Mamas"); and a misplaced exclamation mark in "'Tessie,' Garrison exclaimed in disbelief!".
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 2:23 am by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The cover and the title are indicative of the theme of the book. There are only 7 Amazon customer ratings which is not a sufficient number to decide whether to sample this book or not. The Amazon summary is crisp and succinct, and provides an insight into the interesting story, so I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing Tessie's hair getting caught in the swimming pool's motor, and her son Buddy getting introduced to a stranger called Garrison. As I found the writing style to be extremely interesting, I am going to read this book in full! I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is the presence of rich vocabulary. I could not find anything that could be improved with the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 1:13 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. The story about affairs and divorce didn’t seem like something I would enjoy. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I wasn’t really a fan of Tessie showing off and ogling at the pool boy right in front of her husband. That isn’t the type of behavior I like to read about. It also started to get sexual with the “Jacuzzi foreplay” right away. This just isn’t for me. There isn’t anything specific I liked so far. The book did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on June 23, 2020, at 12:53 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
I like the cover artwork and the title. Both would make me take a second look at this book. This is a dark humorous novella filled with divorce, murder plots, and bad people. Some parts will make you laugh out loud. At first it looks like Garrison is madly in love with Tessie, but then you discover that he was really trying to get her hair caught in the pool suction drain so that she would drown. I didn't like that Garrison was so rude to his student Rudy, trying to hide his failing memory. The official reviewer liked the dark humor of the story. I think the book is very well written. I found no grammatical or spelling errors and believe it has been professionally edited. I liked what I have read so far and would like to finish this story.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 10:32 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chelsy Scherba
I enjoyed the author’s introduction. She has a great sense of humor and was able to poke fun at herself for being “over a certain age”. Tessie is an older woman as well, but she thinks she looks no older than 35. After enjoying the pool boy’s attractive appearance, she gets disturbed by her husband who wants some sun screen and an escape upstairs. I’m not a huge fan of sexual scenes, so even though it wasn’t terribly graphic, it was still too graphic for me. I’ll pass on this one. The book is well-written and professionally edited. I saw zero errors. The title is clever and the reviewer was really positive about the funny scenes. I do like the plot of the husband trying to kill his wife before he forgets due to Alzheimer’s, but I’m just not in the market for this genre right now. I would not have found this book outside of the program.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 6:20 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Aubrey Lewis
The overall appearance of the book is appealing and quite eye-catching, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I got the idea that this is a fictional story with dark humor as well as a few plot twists that I didn't expect. If I weren't a part of this program, I wouldn't have read the sample since the genres aren't what I usually like reading about.
When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided to read the rest of the book. The contents were almost professionally edited so far except for a few minor mistakes that I caught. For example, in location 70: ["No one would know I'm a day over 35, she thought with relief."] The last phrase was italicized as well which is not supposed be a part of Tessie's thoughts. Also, in location 103: ["Tessie," Garrison exclaimed in disbelief!] It's supposed to be a period, not an exclamation point. Aside from these very minor errors, the story was surprisingly engaging and mysterious, especially with Garrison's bitter laugh at the end of the very first chapter which intrigued me as to what thoughts were running inside his head.
Since I enjoyed the sample so far, I don't think there are any improvements the author needs to make.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 5:41 pm by Aubrey Lewis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
I thought the title was clever. I did not like the photograph of the girl on the front. Even though the review was favorable, I will not finish reading this book. It seems a little too dark for me. The concept of having to kill someone before you lose your memory was a unique idea, and I can see how it could be humorous in a twisted way. The review mentioned that there were few errors, and I did not notice any in the first ten pages that I read.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 1:30 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sonya Nicolaidis
I was very interested in the description of this book being like a mixture of Jane Austen and War of the Roses and would have definitely stopped to a closer look.. It was not at all what I would have expected judging from the front cover; I didn’t like the grayscale image of the woman on the front cover at all, and don’t think it does the contents any justice. The story, on the other hand, was instantly appealing, and very well written in a sophisticated style that moved along well. The sample contained a few mistakes in grammar and punctuation, such as the misspelling of the word “rein” on the first page as “reign”, so I think it may not have been professionally edited. The best part of the sample was the first few lines, which are really an attention grabber! The worst part would have to be the cover - this woman’s face is very unappealing. Having said that, I loved what I read and also appreciated the wonderful reviews, and so would be very excited to read this whole book. This author is one to watch.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 8:09 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Leen282
A book with a promising title, in a genre I like to read, seems like a sure bet for several hours of entertainment. I would pick up this book even before reading the reviews. The positive OBC review and the writing style in the preface chapter convinced me further to read this book. I continued to read the first two chapters and only stopped to write this short review. I learned I have to pay more attention to the timeline mentioned explicitly in each chapter's head since the book seems to go back and forth a bit. I will do so when enjoying the rest of this novel.
I did not find any errors.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 6:05 am by Leen282.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Susmita Biswas
The Little Book of Bad Intentions by Allison Basile is a C/T/M/H novel. The cover has a woman's face. The title tells that it's not going to be an ordinary book. It has a blurb, and it was enough to inspire to read the novel. There were a few customer reviews, and they were positive. The editorial reviews were good as well, and all of them gave good marks. It has an official OnlineBookClub review, and I wanted to read the book after reading the review. The first ten was also very good, and I liked reading it. I mostly liked the realistic storyline. The book was professionally edited. I didn't find any typos. I would buy the book if I didn't get a free copy because I want to know the full story.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 4:55 am by Susmita Biswas.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Howlan
The cover is quite alluring. The synopsis gives a vague idea about the book. The Official OBC Review is present and provides further important insight into the premise of the book. The first ten pages introduce us to Garrison and his wife Tessie enjoying a day at the pool. But suddenly Tessie starts drowning as her hair gets caught in the pool motor. The pool boy rescues her in time but Garrison is left in shock. After that, we are also introduced to Buddy, Tessie and her former husband's son. Well, the story and characters are quite interesting and I hope the story ends well. So, I am going to read the rest of the book, as I am invested in the characters and I hope the story is as good as mentioned in the review. No typos were found in the first ten pages. I found nothing to improve in the first ten pages.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 4:17 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
psychopathycathy
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book as I really loved the blurb! After reading the sample, I have changed my mind. I felt like the book might be too sexual for my liking; even though it was not exactly graphic, there was a lot of description about "constriction in her loins" and "robust blossoming of his arousal" that I didn't like to read. It was professionally edited. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 3:01 am by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
J_odoyo
After reading the first ten pages of this book, I’ve noticed that The Little Book of Bad Intentions by Allison Basile is a wonderfully written and riveting read. The book opens when Tessie—divorced wife of Frank—and Garrison Hand (her new husband) are on a vacation. Tessie accidentally got pulled by a spinning motor machine that almost killed her. Garrison seems to be okay with what happened to her. It seems there is some dark drama in this marriage. The storyline of this book seems to have been wonderfully written, and I can’t stop guessing what is next. I think the cover page was wonderfully done, and the title was also relevant and attractive. The book’s description on the Amazon website was too brief to allow for an accurate guess of what the book was all about. Luckily enough, professional reviews were available. The official OnlineBookClub review gave insight into what the book was all about. I didn’t find any error (in the pages I’ve read), and I think that the book was professionally edited. The likable thing in this book is its captivating storyline and the superb writing style. Having read the OnlineBookClub review and the author’s description, I’m not going to finish reading this book, because I’m not a fan of this genre.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 2:44 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
The title of the book is what made me want to reach the sample of The Little Book of Bad Intentions. I believe that I would have read it, even if it was not the book of the day. I enjoyed that the author is very creative with the short stories; even the endings of the few of the chapters were quite surprising. However, this kind of humor was a bit too dark for me and I did not see the humor in any part of the sample that I read, so I will be skipping it. There were no grammatical errors that I could find, nor were there any things to improve on. There is an official OnlineBookClub review for this book, but it was not enough to get me to read it. If a reader is dark and enjoys this kind of humor, this is likely the read for them. I would advise anyone sensitive to these kinds of books to steer clear.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 2:37 am by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MeganDJ
I believe I would not have picked up the book based on the cover art and title alone. The brief 10 pages were beautifully written and contained no errors at all. The author did an excellent job in weaving subtle dynamics and underlying agendas in the characters actions and gestures. I only hope that it is continued throughout the book, as I think that it is its stand out feature at the moment.
I will definitely be picking this book up and reading it from cover to cover. I enjoy the author's style of writing and I read the first 10 pages quite easily. The book did have an Official Online Review but I found that it did not affect my decision much, and I would have read it anyway based purely on the first 10 pages.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 1:58 am by MeganDJ.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mai Tran
I’ve heard that money is among the top motives in murder cases, but murdering a spiteful wife to avoid paying alimony still sounds pretty extreme. Although I wasn’t sure if this book was for me, I wanted to see it for myself because the official review was very intriguing. I’d have read this book even without the program. The writing was very engaging and suspenseful. I was surprised by the turn of events, even though I’d known the plot beforehand. It made me question if Tessie’s hair getting caught in the motor was Garrison’s plan. The book seemed well-edited, and I only noticed an unintended line-break: “How about you and I join / forces—come up with a plan to liven things up” (Location 197 of 1407). I’ve already gotten my free copy of this novella and would love to find out what pushes Garrison to the point of murder.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 1:01 am by Mai Tran.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sanju Lali
The book cover and the title indicated to me that this book is based on a dark theme, just knowing that I read the official review of this book because I was curious to know about the story and the setting. The official review was nice and helped me to understand that the book revolves around a glamorous woman, Tessie, who got divorced by her husband, Frank, for her affair with Garrison. Later, Garrison suddenly suffers from mental illness. This information intrigued me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is professionally edited because I did not find any grammatical or typing errors. The thing l liked the most in this book is the quote, "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much..." by Oscar Wilde. However, I found that the sentences in this book are loaded with too much irony. Moreover, the sentences are a bit complex, which made my reading a bit slower. My suggestion to the author would be to remove the unnecessary irony and use simple sentences in place of complex sentences. Considering all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help by addressing my suggestion so that reading this book would be pleasurable.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 12:20 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mrunalpatki
The title was intriguing. Yet the book cover seemed out of place and unattractive.
The ten pages I read seemed professionally edited as I did not find any errors. I liked that the chapters were titled amusingly, and the chapters were short. Keeps the reader going.
I did read the official OBC review, and it only confirmed my liking for the book. I will want to buy and finish this one.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 12:10 am by Mrunalpatki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jeremie Mondejar
As I look at the woman's face, I already sense a little creepy. The title is also an indicator of murder. When I read the OBC, review, it's complementary and very helpful because divorce and murder aren't my thing. While sampling, Tessie and Garrison were enjoying at the Jacuzzi pool. Suddenly, an accident happened. The next chapter also occurs in the pool, in Tessie's house. At first, I'm confused on the story because of the date, but the OBC review mentioned Tessie's affairs, I understand. Overall, the plot is interesting. It has mystery, humor and romantic gestures. However, I will not read this book because of the reasons above. I didn't notice any typos nor I could suggest anything for improvement.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 12:07 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
edztan15
My first impression from the book was that it's going to be a crime thriller with a touch of romance. I was ready to take a pass on this prior reading the review and the first few pages. Reading the review subverted my expectations of it. Apparently, the book is a dark comedy about a man with an early onset of Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, this will hinder him in his plan of murdering his wife. I must say that the review did a great job of heightening my interest in this book, especially its mention of a twist ending. The narration style is also interesting since there are time jumps on every chapter. At first, I found this to be confusing, but I can see that it might be crucial to the way the story unfolds. The author is a copywriter, and it is apparent with this well-edited book. I did not find any errors in it. I have to change my impression on this one and will have this on my TBR list.
First Ten review added on June 22, 2020, at 12:06 am by edztan15.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Lisa A Rayburn
If I had not been a member of this program, it is unlikely that the title, cover, or genre of this book would have drawn me to pick it up. Although the title is eye-catching, the drab cover and (to me) unpromising genre overpower it. C/M/T/H is not among the types of books that I typically enjoy. The author is unknown to me, so that would not have affected my decision either way. The blurb is extremely short and to the point, while still instilling a certain humor in the plot. I found it amusing. There were a few reviews, one of which seemed to come from this program. It was not identified as such, but the wording matched exactly to the official review of the book in this program. All customer reviews, including that one, were given equal weight. Reading the sample was about what I expected it to be given the genre. It was very soap-opera-like as far as overplayed drama, such as when Tessie gets her hair caught in the hot-tub motor and had to be rescued by the pool boy. I did find it amusing that everyone thought her husband was in shock and crying while he was really sitting there laughing. However, as I am not fond of soap-operas and this seems to have similar themes as far as overdone drama, I've decided not to continue reading until the end. The book seemed well-edited. I found no countable errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 10:57 pm by Lisa A Rayburn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
The title was intriguing although the cover was not. The blurb could be a little more elucidating. The official OBC review rates this a full 4 stars. The first ten pages were without editing errors. They feature a couple on holiday, Tessie and Garrison. They were relaxing in a jacuzzi before Tessie's hair gets entangled with the faulty motor and she almost drowns. The premise was intriguing, and the writing engaged me from the beginning. I don't have any suggestions for improvement. I will read this book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 9:56 pm by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mbrooks2518
I was intrigued by the summary of this book, so I would have sampled it without The First Ten. I like how Tessie's written. She's a compelling character who made me want to keep reading. However, I wasn't sure if I was going to read the rest of the book until I read the official review, which convinced me to read it. There were no editing mistakes, and nothing needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 9:53 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I have read it. Although I enjoy books filled with dark humor, this one sounds like it has a little bit too much romance in it for me. 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 enjoyed the action that surprisingly started early. In particular, almost drowning because one's hair gets caught in a tub motor was quite amusing. That being said, this weird mix of romance and crime Thriller novellas isn't really up my alley. 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 June 21, 2020, at 9:31 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Twylla
No. If I had sampled the first ten pages, I would have chosen to NOT buy and read this book because it is not interesting to me.
The text I read looked fine. It wasn’t something I am interested in.
Based on the sample text that I read, the book seems well written and professionally edited. I did not see any errors in the text that I read. My favorite thing about the book is probably the cover.
I think the book could be improved by being less frivolous.
The official review on onlinebookclub.org was great and represented the book well.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 9:23 pm by Twylla.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Stephanie Runyon
The OBC review was appealing and I would have picked this book for that reason. I had difficulty with the story holding my attention. It seemed a bit dry but I really did like the quotes at the beginning of the chapter. I found no errors and believe this to be a professionally edited book. I think the title makes the book sound like a romantic drama. The author was very descriptive with the characters and Jacuzzi scene, which would normally appeal to me. I am not continuing this book due to the story just does not appeal to me.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 9:10 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
HRichards
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up considering the summary didn't appeal to me at all and the OBC review also didn't make the book sound like something I'd like. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book since I didn't really like the content at all. The sample deals with Garrison and his vain wife, Tessie. They are at a pool and Tessie is eyeing up the pool boy while being annoyed that she's married to the aging Garrison. They have a sexual display in the whirlpool, causing the pool boy to ask them to settle their bill. The writing is fine and I didn't notice any grammar errors. The author seems fairly talented and those who like dark humor might like this book. I was not really interested in a plot like this.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 8:37 pm by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
lavellan
I probably would have read The Little Book of Bad Intentions even if it had not been a part of the First Ten program. The Book of the Day review was positive and left me interested in the book. The novel didn't seem like it was professionally edited, and I noticed some errors while reading. For example, "cue" should have been used instead of "queue" in the following sentence: "Queue shrill shrieks of horror." I'm curious to find out why Garrison didn't help Tessie when she was drowning in the pool. I didn't like how the author used a lot of parenthetical statements. I'm going to read the rest of the book because I'm curious to find out what happens next.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 8:34 pm by lavellan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jorge Leon Salazar
The first ten pages encompass two chapters, one titled "When a man hates a woman" which unfolds with Tessie bathing sensually in the hotel Jacuzzi with her husband Garrison. At some point, she tries grabbing her bag to pay the bill and was caught by the spinning mechanism. She screams for help and Garrison remains in shock while the pool boy released her. Next in the second chapter, it turns around Buddy the son of Tessie and Frank, her previous husband. Buddy hated parties in his backyard. He also detested his father's conformity to his mother's domination of the house.
In the bit I read the plot seems to be oriented to the superficiality of Tessie and her failed love relationships with both Frank and Garrison. From the official review, I obtain that there is an ingredient of dark humor with the idea of Garrison to murder her. I think the official review aids me to clarify the plot. However, neither what I read in the first ten pages nor in the review captured my attention enough. Hence, I think I'm not going to read the rest of the book. The cover seems adequate to me with the title and the story. I noted a detail at position 189 where there is an unexpected line break after "join" in the phrase “How about you and I join forces“.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 7:26 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would not have chosen this book because the title and cover don’t appeal to me. For this reason, I don’t intend to read the whole book. I received a free copy through the Online Book Club. Thanks! Reading the first ten pages didn’t change my mind about reading the book, but I did appreciate the author’s humorous writings. Based on what I read, the book seems professionally edited, although the Official Online Book Club review mentioned that it does contain a few minor errors. I didn’t see errors in the first ten pages. What I liked most about what I read is the way the author shares about her writing history and how she leans toward the “Jane Austen” style. I know that readers who appreciate dark humor will like this novel. As far as improvements, aside from proofreading for the minor errors mentioned, I could find no need for any in what I read. I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it insightful. It didn’t affect my views of the book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 6:59 pm by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
The androgynous face on the book cover gave no clues, so I would have read the blurb even if I had not been part of this program. Reading the blurb made my eyebrows arch, followed by a guffaw. More guffaws followed when I stumbled upon the author’s reference to having become a "woman of a certain age." To say I was surprised by the ending of the first story is an understatement. I did not see that coming! I will finish this wildly entertaining book. I was concerned about the erotic content based on the first chapter, but the featured OnlineBookClub review stated that “although sex is alluded to, there are no explicit pornographic scenes.” Perfect!
I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 6:59 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Lee
I'm DEFINITELY going to finish reading this book. The title is what first grabbed me, and the Amazon blurb was brilliant in its understatement. The review was good, too. Honestly, there was nothing I found that I disliked while reading it. In fact, I sat there with a big grin on my face while reading the sample pages.
The review mentioned some issues with editing, but I didn't find them in the sample pages, or maybe they've now been fixed. Either way, this is one book I'm going to finish!
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 6:43 pm by Laura Lee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Nikolas Farmakis
This is a crime novel about a playboy who attempts to kill his wife. I would not have read this book based on its title, its cover, or its genre, as I do not like crime thrillers. I will not read this book as it contained some distracting erotic scenes and some violence. The book seemed professionally edited, as I found no errors in the sample I read. What I liked most about this book was that it had plenty of suspense, tension, and drama, while the main characters displayed emotion, which engaged me. To improve, the author should remove some of the erotic scenes and the violence, which disturb the reader. This book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not affect my opinion.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 4:51 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
I was intrigued enough by the title of this book to check it out; however, the cover did not lure me. After reading the official review, I wasn't sure if this book would suit me due to the profanity. I have a difficult time enjoying a book that has a lot of cursing, especially if it is strong profanity. After reading the first ten pages, I decided that swearing wasn't something I couldn't tolerate if I chose to finish reading the book. I did not find any errors in the first ten pages, so I feel the book is well-edited. I didn't find anything I felt needed to be improved. The author's wittiness in her writing is one thing that makes this book alluring to readers. Although I did not get to read more than the first ten pages, the review hints that Garrison wants to kill Tessie, and I have to find out if he ever does. My curiosity over that, as well as the humorous narrative, is the reason I plan to finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 4:35 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AvidBibliophile
The cover art has a gritty, graphic novel sort of quality to it that many fans of the crime genre would likely gravitate to excitedly. The Amazon product description is incredibly brief, but it certainly gets straight to the point of the story. From matrimony to murder, this is clearly a plot with a purpose. I enjoyed seeing the quote that preceded the start of the 1st chapter, and I found humor in statements like: Tessie gazing upon her aging husband brought up a tinge of tenderness, "which she instinctively suppressed." Moments later, her hair gets caught in the Jacuzzi motor and karma seeks its revenge. There might be a homophone error at Location 104 where "lightening efficiency" is perhaps meant to say (lightning), and at Location 145, the brand name "Dewars" should also have an apostrophe like "Seagram's" does. At Location 194, one paragraph has two sentences transected and a typographical error breaks the flow of dialogue in a strange spot. The one published OBC review is entertainingly engaging and complimentary, as are the 6 currently posted Amazon customer ratings. I don't generally choose novels that focus on playboys and trophy wives, but since I do love snappy dialogue that accompanies witty crime humor, I'm willing to give this one a try!
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 4:27 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Tonika632
Based on the Offical OnlineBookClub review, this is scary, but yet funny book. I would sample it since the title is very intriguing. I love that the author put dates after titles: it is easier to follow the storyline. After ten pages, I got hooked up by this book. Therefore, I'll read it. I haven't noticed errors, and I can tell that this book is edited professionally.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 3:47 pm by Tonika632.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Ungureanu
The title and the cover didn't make me want to read this book. The OBC review, while enhancing, did not change my view of this book but actually made it stronger. I had no intention of checking this book out by myself because the plot didn't seem interesting enough for me. I like how the author starts with a mention of Jane Austen. The sample captures a scene between Tessie and her husband, Garrison at the Jacuzzi. He seems considerably older than her, but their passion is still on. I didn't notice any mistakes in the editing, apart from a little extra space before "Tessie was pleased with the way she filled out her new bathing suit", which is a minor thing. I don't enjoy marital disputes and dramas, so I don't think this book is for me, hence my choice concerning this book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 3:43 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Damis Seres Rodriguez
I was not particularly attracted by the cover of the book, but the title caught my attention. I'd probably pick it just out of curiosity if I saw it somewhere else. The review that I read rated it quite well and that always leaves a good first impression. As for the ten pages that I read, I have to admit it is very well written. The descriptions are vivid and it is easy to imagine the scene. I didn't find any errors that led me to believe it wasn't professionally edited. However, it is not the kind of book I usually read, so I don't think I will continue reading.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 2:35 pm by Damis Seres Rodriguez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Caffrey_19
I decided to sample the book, The Little Book of Bad Intentions by Allison Basile, after reading its OBC review and comments, and I must say that I felt the thrill described in the review. Having read a few pages, I noticed that I was drawn to the writer’s writing technique. It made me enjoy reading the novel. Although, I don’t intend to buy and read the whole book since it isn’t my genre. The book seemed professionally edited and I rarely encountered any errors/typos.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 2:26 pm by Caffrey_19.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliana_Isabella
I wouldn't have chosen this book because I don't usually read books about murder, but the positive review did make me curious about the book. I didn't find any errors in the first ten pages, but the scene in the hot tub was a little more explicit than I usually prefer in my novels. Because of this, I won't be finishing the book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 1:36 pm by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
Based on the cover and title, it looks like a thriller/realist fiction, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled the book. However, I have come across a positive review of the book. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. At loc 35, the word "major" in "...my English Major's passion for..." should not be italicised, as "English major" is not a proper noun. I would suggest more editing. I like that the author starts the story off with a bang; we learn that Tessie is out at a pool with her husband, but when she tries to bend over backwards to pick up her wallet in a bid to show off her flexible body to the buff pool boy, she gets her hair caught in the pool's rotor. Her husband Garrison is left slack-jawed, and the pool boy is the one that jumps in and rescues her. However, the reader is also left curious at the end of the chapter when Garrison, instead of showing concern about his wife, he sits down, covers his face, and laughs bitterly. I will be reading the rest of the book, as my curiosity is piqued.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 1:25 pm by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
moowshiri
I would have let the book pass based on its title. However, upon sampling its first ten pages, I changed my mind. It has an excellent plot, and the humour it contains is breathtaking. The book has an official review from the OnlineBookClub that I saw, and I also never encountered any grammatical errors whatsoever.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 1:02 pm by moowshiri.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sarah_Khan
I like the title and cover of this book, they make me want to find out more. I actually liked the simplicity of the Amazon blurb, I definitely would have sampled this book even without the First Ten program. The first ten pages are professionally edited. Normally, I would not read a book where the majority of characters are unlikable, but the way the first chapter ended with Garrison laughing had me hooked. I am excited to see how this book will end. The OBC review was favorable and it mentioned a twist at the end, which solidified my decision about reading the rest of this book. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 1:02 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
ritah
I sampled the book before reading the official review, I was surprised to find that it wasn't nonfiction because the cover and title gave me that impression. Still, based on the cover and title, I would have sampled the book out of curiosity. The book appeared to be professionally edited and I saw no areas that need improving. I found the moment the pool boy walked in on Tessie's and Garrison's make out session funny. I like the author's writing style and you this isn't a lengthy read. The plot intrigued me, which is the reason I will be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 12:54 pm by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Odette Chace
I love the title of the book but am not crazy about the cover or the subtitle. The synopsis on Amazon was too short to leave much of an impression, so I was glad to read the official Online Book Club review. I love funny books and the reviewer enjoyed the humor of the work, so I am very excited to check this one out. While reading, I did not notice any errors. I thoroughly enjoyed the sample I read and can't wait to finish reading the book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 12:45 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
LinaJan
‘The Little Book of Bad Intentions’ by Allison Basile starts with the following question: ‘Did the snarkiness of that ‘’Bad Intentions’’ pique your interest?’ Yes! That, as well as the cover design, were the very things that caught me unguarded and pulled me right in! Now, having had the privilege to sample it and read the official onlinebookclub.org review, I know that my instincts were right. From the very first chapter, Tessie – the protagonist – is laid bare for what a complex woman she is. She comes across as both shallow and insecure and, simultaneously, deep and confident. Which makes her real. Whether she is likeable on not, well, that remains to be seen. I have not spotted any lack of proofreading, which always compliments any book. The chapters are short, undemanding, and flowy. The author’s descriptive writing is also worthy of praise. And I hear there is some dark humour involved. Seems to me like ‘The Little Book of Bad Intentions’ is a perfect match to that bottle of Shiraz that I have been saving for a special occasion.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 12:42 pm by LinaJan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
I wouldn't have bought this book based on first impressions and it would've been a terrible mistake. The cover gave me the impression of a true-crime memoir and the blurb is too brief to capture how witty and funny this book is. There's an editorial review and the book has good ratings but I often place less weight on other people's opinions than on my impression of the book and the blurb.
I'm glad I sampled the first pages and I changed my mind. I love everything about it. The premise presents a very unique spin on the classic murder-marriage story and it even mocks the domestic noir genre at times. But, by far, my favorite aspect is the humor. It's not only dark and witty but unapologetic, and that's very refreshing. For example, when the author says: "You may call her a bitch; I call her triumphantly human. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: If she were a man, you’d elect her to Congress! (Yeah, I went there!)". The author understands perfectly how society works for most women and she complains in her unique and clever way. If we find her comments so funny is because they're true! For example, her brief discussion on what being a "woman of a certain age" means. Once the story starts I love the pacing and how fast the plot goes into action. The apparently peaceful scene by the pool lasts just enough to get an idea of what the characters are like and then immediately Tessie’s hair gets trapped and action starts to unravel fast. The language is cleverly selected, for example, when Tessie thinks of her husband as "patrician". It all makes for a delightful reading experience.
I did not find editing mistakes, but I would suggest improving the cover and the blurb to make them more suited to the genre. The book has an official review that confirmed me I was right and this book is very much worth my time.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 12:31 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Maria Esposito
I knew I would not be interested in this book before I sampled it, because I generally do not read noir for leisure. I also do not find the cover design and title particularly catchy. The blurb, on the other end, sounds concise and catchy. The book has five positive customer reviews on Amazon, but this did not influence my decision. Reading the first ten pages did not make me change my mind. Tessie and her husband, Garrison, are enjoying the hotel jacuzzi. In an attempt to reach for her beach purse, Tessie is inexplicably pulled down in the water, and the pool boy goes for her rescue. Instead of being upset at what happened to his wife, we find out that Garrison is laughing. I loved the author's writing style: it is humorous, concise, and very easy to read. There was nothing I disliked about this novel: I am simply not into its genre. I did not find any errors so I assume that the book has been professionally edited. I came across an official review on this website, but this had no impact on my initial decision.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 12:07 pm by Maria Esposito.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I was not drawn to the cover of this book. The title made me curious, but the image of the woman’s face didn’t appeal to me or make me want to read the book. It looks to be a negative book. I wouldn’t have picked this book up based on the cover alone. I haven’t read a customer review of this book, but the Online Book Club review was very positive. It gave the book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars and noted that there was a lot of humor in the book. I wouldn’t have guessed that from the cover. The OBC review increased my interest in reading the book. The first ten pages were well-written and I enjoyed the author’s writing style. The characters of Tessie and Garrison were interesting and I enjoyed their dialogue. They are a couple staying at a hotel enjoying time in the jacuzzi when Tessie’s hair catches on something and she almost drowns. It’s interesting that her husband’s response is laughter. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. Because the first ten pages were enjoyable reading and the OBC review was so positive about it being a humorous book, I would like to finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 11:58 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
Although I enjoy reading crime novels, I would not have read the book without The First Ten program. In all honesty, I am not interested in reading a story following a man named Garrison, who is determined to kill his selfish wife in order to leave his inheritance to his two estranged daughters. After reading the first ten pages and the OBC review, I did not change my mind. In fact, although I enjoyed the fast-paced, humorous writing style, I did not feel invested in the story. Furthermore, as I encountered some punctuation errors, I would suggest another round of editing. For example, there should not be a comma after "throat" in the following sentence: "A strangled gasp escaped Tessie’s throat, as she tried to struggle to her feet." (location 115 of 1407 • 8%) Plus, there should not be a comma before "but" in the following sentence: "Buddy looked around furtively, but couldn’t locate him." (location 227 of 1407 • 16%) Considering the book has great Amazon ratings, it will surely appeal to those who enjoy crime novels filled with dark humor and unexpected twists and turns.
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 11:49 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabrielle Sigaki
The first thing that attracted me in this book was its title and the Official OnlineBookClub review because they passed the impression the plot had great dark humor, something I'm really interested in. After sampling it, I found this wasn't wrong, and actually, the novel was even better than I've expected. What I liked most was how the author portrayed the people's frivolities, Basile made a funny x-ray of society. There was nothing that I didn't like, and nothing that could be improved, the book seems to be professionally edited. Therefore, I'm definitely going to read the whole story
First Ten review added on June 21, 2020, at 11:02 am by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 55%
The Little Book of Bad Intentions earned a score of 55%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 55% 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 The Little Book of Bad Intentions
