The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for House of Hoops: A Hillary Broome Novel
Because House of Hoops 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
The story documents the struggles and challenges faced by the leading lady, Hillary, in the face of local politics, mass violence, and the concern for the safety of her daughter. I liked the premise but wouldn't have read the book as I wasn't into the book based on the blurb and the genre. The thing I enjoyed the most while sampling is the characterization done by the author. The writing does full justice to Hillary's character and introduces her as a strong female influence in the plot right from the start. I also like that there are quotes in the beginning of every chapter. What I missed was a table of contents at the beginning of the book. I would recommend including that. As for the editing, I found one error in this sentence, "In her mind’s eye she pictured TV images of tear-streaked faces, of candles, flowers and teddy bears after school shootings." I think there should be a comma after 'eye'. I did see an official review before sampling. But I wouldn't be reading the whole book as I don't think I'll enjoy the plotline.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 4:59 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
I think the cover art for this could be better — it looks like clip art was photoshopped together and the text is a little hard to read. After reading the sample, I did not change my mind. The writing just wasn't that interesting to me, and some of the writing and the thoughts were written in a way that did not seem like how real people talked. I think there were too many sentence fragments in the dialogue and choppy sentences like "Come see downtown commons. We call it DOCO. It used to be a slum. Now it's thriving!". Maybe another round of editing could have fixed that but other than that I think it was edited well. The official review didn't affect my decision and I think maybe I was put off by the slow beginning that was mentioned.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 4:58 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
This isn't a book I'd have sampled on my own as thrillers aren't usually a priority. Also it's book 4 in a 4-book series, and I haven't read the other 3. I won't buy this today partly because it seems to contain a lot of references to the other books, and also because according to the OBC review, there is a lot of content about basketball, which I don't understand well. So that review supported my decision. I liked some of the unusual images - Hillary describing someone as looking like a "sad Pillsbury doughboy" was succinct and evocative. The references to past events took me out of the story, though nothing necessarily needs to be improved in terms of the whole book's structure. For example, the passage about Hillary reflecting on her mother while eating with Stacy seemed a tangent, but it may have its place in the structure of the book as a whole. At a more micro-level though, there was a point of view change where Hillary and Stacy seemed to hear what the coach was saying to the girls in the huddle - even from their seating position, this seems unlikely, or at least, it was hard to imagine. So maybe that could be improved, but that's a small matter. I didn't see any errors; this may well have been professionally edited.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 4:58 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The title "House Of Hoops" convey that it is a book related to basketball. The cover containing the basketball confirms the same. There are only 8 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary provides a clear description of the story which is about Hillary fighting old mindsets in Sacramento, to build a community. As I am interested in this theme, 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 Hillary pondering over the school shootings. As I am interested in this topic, 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 its theme. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of 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 April 4, 2021, at 4:57 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vickie Noel
I'm not a fan of basketball, so I wouldn't have been attracted to this book outside the program based on its title and cover art. Reading the sample totally changed my mind. It has a tinge of mystery that is absolutely suspenseful. I completely adore Gilliam's writing style and her use of figurative language. For example, after Hillary heard the news of an active shooter at Mercury High School, "dread poured through her veins." But when she got to Claire's school and saw that her daughter was very much involved in the basketball game in progress, "relief washed over her." These are picturesque expressions for creating a realistic mental image in the mind of the reader. The book is beautifully written with minimal errors. One of such occured in the conversation with Stacy who'd said, "It's no never mind, honey." I believe that if this is the colloquial expression, "[pay something] no nevermind," then the space between "never" and "mind" in the original quote should be absent. Also, the text messaging between Hillary and her husband was a bit out of place because it appeared in bold italics without quotation marks. Also, its lack of the most minimal punctuation mark made it initially incoherent. It took a while for me to figure out what was being said. I think it shouldn't be emboldened, should be somewhat punctuated, and placed within quotation marks. This is my recommendation for improvement. I saw an OBC review, but it didn't influence my decision.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 4:47 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jeremie Mondejar
When I came across this book, I was hesitant to sample House of Hoops because I couldn't relate to basketball. If not for this program, I will not even read the sample. The first scenario is about Stacey and her mother who recently heard a mass shooting. I still find the sample worth entertaining, but it doesn't hook me to read the rest of the book. I also read an OBC review that gives a good picturesque of the entire plot, but it doesn't affect my decision. I like how the author portrays the mother's emotion after hearing a bad news because it seems realistic. When in terms of editing, I don't see any typos. The sample looks professionally edited. I also cannot give anything for improvement because the book seems can stand alone and without any issues.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 4:28 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Manang Muyang
I still haven't figured out why Gillam uses "House of" for this series. This book seems to have sports at the center, particularly basketball. It is even dedicated to Gianna Bryant. Sentimental me would have been moved to sample the book outside of the program. After reading much of the sample, I was not particularly impressed by the story. I decided not to read further. I also found many punctuation issues, perhaps stylistic in the author's eyes. (She was an English and writing teacher, after all.) One of the more jarring sentences was at 52% of the sample: "Get back to here and now, would you" needed a question mark in place of the period after "you." I also wonder why "striped bass" was capitalized at 49%. I like that Gillam built the characters well, though. The accompanying official OBC review mentioned the slow start and the rushed ending, but these did not keep the book from getting full marks. However, I would suggest a fine-tuning of the editing.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 4:09 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sou Hi
The cover matches the title and the book's blurb. The official review seems interesting, but there are not many ratings on Amazon. The plot is appealing, so I decided to give the sample a try. The story begins with Hillary coming to watch one of her daughter's basketball matches. Claire is a twelve-year-old player with high potential. However, the game is interrupted by a mysterious call, and the adults fear that it's from a terrorist. Meanwhile, the father of Claire's coach dislikes his son-in-law's plans to change the city.
I like the mixture of mystery and basketball. It makes the plot more interesting and refreshing. The editing is fine, though there are some errors. I have no suggestions for improvement. Since this book is intriguing enough, I want to read on. I will buy it.
Error example: "Creamery's gone now, replaced by your high priced, packed close, houses." -> Since "high priced" and "packed close" are used to modify "houses," I think they should be hyphenated. Also, the comma before "houses" is not needed.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 3:32 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
The cover and the title conveyed that the book had something to do with basketball. The official OBC review praised it, and I would have read the book based on that. I failed to find any errors in the first ten pages. They narrated a school day when Hillary Broome went to watch her daughter playing basketball. The principal announced a lockdown based on a threatening phone call. I loved that Gillam conveyed the sense of panic and urgency even within these initial pages. Hillary's long-seated sense of fear and insecurity was evident here. I found nothing to dislike nor any areas needing improvement. I have previously enjoyed Hillary Broome novels, so based on my experience, I will read this book.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 3:06 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rodel Barnachea
Upon reading the title's Amazon page and official OBC review, I opted not to acquire it. I didn't find myself interested in learning about the lives of the two protagonists, Hillary and Charlie. I'm also not intrigued by how their characters will evolve or how the two of them will affect each other. I believe the story is not my cup of tea. Perusing the book's Amazon sample did not change my mind. I wouldn't purchase it because nothing in its Amazon sample piqued my curiosity, engaged my attention, or convinced me to read the rest of the novel. The first ten pages contain some pages of Chapter One. My favorite part is when Hillary thought of inviting Walt over a family dinner since his face looked puffy, maybe due to loneliness. I wasn't able to identify any errors in the text; I believe the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 2:57 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. The content involving school shootings is too heavy for me. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I liked the style of writing. It flowed well and seemed natural. However, this story is just too heavy for me. It starts out with a news flash about a shooter at a school followed by an active threat happening at the basketball game. I need a lighter book than this one. The editing also needs improvement as I noted errors that told me it wasn’t professionally edited. For example, “girls locker room” should be “girls’ locker room”.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 2:36 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
I could not guess anything about this book from its cover and its title because "House of Hoops" meant many things to me. So, I considered reading the official review of this book to know its contents. The official review gave me the idea that this book is dedicated to Gianna Bryant and her legendary father, Kobe. This idea piqued my interest to sample the book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Keeping an eye on Claire, who was ahead of her in the line, Hillary moved along toward the hallway leading to the parking lot...". The sentence could have been, "Keeping an eye on Claire, who was ahead of her in the line, Hillary moved along the hallway leading to the parking lot... ". The thing l liked the most is the author's idea to highlight the horrors of mass shootings and public safety lapses. However, for an average reader like me, some more details of the scenes were required to visualize them properly. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and also to consider the shortcomings pointed out by me in the above sentences. After looking at all these aspects, I decided not to purchase and read this book today. I will wait until the author considers my suggestions so that reading the book could be helpful to me.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2021, at 12:23 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
The cover is too plain and doesn't show that the story is a thriller. I don't like the bright purple. This story concerns basketball, and since I am not a fan, I would not buy this book from the cover alone. The official reviewer liked this book and gave it a high rating. I found no spelling or grammatical errors and believe it has been professionally edited. This story has more depth then I first thought. I like that it tackles school shootings, homelessness, and urban renewal. However, the action seems slow to develop. Also, I don't like the character of Charlie. He is a bitter man who isn't happy about anything. I am not drawn into this story and don't care about any of the characters. I will not be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 11:55 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
I would have sampled this book even if I were not part of this program. Basketball is my favorite sport, and I enjoy the author’s writing style even though I have only sampled her books. I especially like that this story is about girls’ basketball. I recognized the WNBA slogan at the beginning of the first chapter and had a feeling I was going to like this book. I was quite impressed that Keisha could dunk in high school. It looks like she has a great start on her goal to play professionally. The sample pages were engaging, and the author gave an adequate backstory for the characters and their friends and family. I enjoyed the storyline, and I will buy this book. It appeared to have been professionally edited; I did not notice any grammatical errors in the pages I sampled. The featured OnlineBookClub review was very good, and it reinforced my decision to buy this book. I did not read any other ratings or reviews. I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 11:19 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mbrooks2518
From reading the summary, the story sounded interesting and thrilling with Hillary being targeted because of her work, so I would have read the sample even without The First Ten. I liked the writing style. The author was able to quickly create a feeling of suspense in the beginning with the mention of a school shooting and Hillary's reaction and worries as she arrived at her daughter's basketball game, which then played well into the threatening phone call the school received during the game. The official review made me even more interesting in founding out what happens, so I am going to buy the book.
There were no editing mistakes. And nothing needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 9:55 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Justine Ocsebio
I wouldn’t have sampled this book based on the cover, as I’m not into basketball. In the sample, I like the sense of suspense. The story began with a threat of a mass shooting in a school. The reader follows Hillary, the protagonist, as she goes to the school where the threat is. I’m not captivated by the premise, so I’m not going to read the book. It seems like, according to the official review, basketball isn’t the only thing there is in the story. The book tackles relevant social issues as well. However, I’m still not interested in reading the book based on its premise. I disliked nothing, and I didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The text is well edited.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 9:43 pm by Justine Ocsebio.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabrielle Sigaki
House of Hoops by June Gillam is a book with crime, politics, family drama, and a lot more. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review and its themes since I'm not interested in books about basketball, politics, or family drama. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind, and I won't read the entire book since the themes didn't catch my attention. However, the book seems professionally edited, there's nothing to be improved in it, and I liked the fact that this book approaches of a brave and strong woman who has realistic descriptions with relatable sentiments and feelings.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 8:57 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
Personally, I am not a fan of the cover of this book. I feel like it looks unprofessional. I do like the title. After reading the Amazon blurb, I would not have sampled this book if it was not a part of the First Ten program because the plot does not sound original. The first few pages are well edited. The book starts in a gut-wrenching way with news of a school shooting and a lockdown. I could also sympathize with Ed wanting his kid to at least have one grandparent. The OBC review was positive, but it did not change my mind. I do not think the plot of this book is interesting enough to make me want to commit to reading the rest. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 8:32 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mvictoria
After reading the online book club review and the summary, I wasn’t that interested in the plot. The sample, however, had me hooked from the second paragraph! I think this sounds like an intense crime mystery involving basketball and a young, talented team. I’m really interested in basketball and the plot of this sounds interesting, but some of the dialogue was confusing for me. Specifically, the dialogue from Stacy, for example: “It’s never no mind.” I had to read that a couple times to figure out what she was saying. It seems like this character frequently uses incorrect English and I personally have a hard time reading it. I found no errors, but will not likely read this book because I found it was sometimes hard to follow. One example is when Hillary is talking to her husband and they discuss the school shooting and Hillary’s mother at the same time. I had to read and reread that section to figure out what was being said. With that said, I don’t think I will read this book. I think it has a very catchy first chapter and likely an interesting plot, but the dialogue is hard for me to follow.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 6:16 pm by Mvictoria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Howlan
The first ten pages introduce Hillary Broome, her daughter Claire, and her husband Ed. Claire in the middle of a basketball game when an evacuation drill takes place due to the threat of shooting in the area. Hillary takes Claire home and worries about Claire's next game. Ed explains the situation and brings in more news about the matter, The first ten pages are good and the narration is easy to understand. I like the plot but I am not going to buy and read this book as this book is part of a series and I do not read a book without reading the prequels. No typos were found in the first ten pages. I found nothing to improve in the first ten pages. The Official OBC Review is present, and the reviewer rates it highly.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 4:38 pm by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
smolbird
Looking at the book's cover and title, I already knew this wasn't a book for me. Reading the official OnlineBookClub didn't change my mind either. After reading the sample, I thought that the book was well-edited as I didn't catch any errors. One thing I liked about the book was the fact that it's easy to read. I also really liked that I could differentiate what was a narration, a thought, and a text message. I cannot think of anything that could be improved. Although I did like reading the sample, books that center around sports aren't to my liking.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 10:10 am by smolbird.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
Based on the title and cover, it seems like a piece of suspense fiction, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled it. I have also come across a positive OBC review of the book, but this would not have changed my decision not to sample, since this book does not belong to a genre that I am looking for. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. For example, at 14% in the sample, there is a missing comma after the introductory phrase: "Last week(,) there was an active...". I suggest more editing. However, I appreciate that the author had included little details of the protagonist's past whilst describing the events of the present; this helps develop the character, and hopefully, doing as such will also help to maintain the readers' interest. To illustrate, we learn that Hillary is now a mother, but she was a journalism student in college. During the 80s, she was part of the college newspaper theme, and her editor had sent her to drive the fifty miles south to cover the Cleveland School Massacre. She still had nightmares from that, and hence, as a mother today, her first reaction is being afraid for her daughter when news broke that there is an active shooter at Mercury High School, even though her daughter is at Sacramento Jr. High (which then went into lockdown later). However, as I am not in the market for suspense and also that this is not the first (but the fourth) book in the series (as I prefer reading from the beginning), I will not be buying the book today.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 2:59 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
I don’t often choose books in this genre, so that’s why I don’t intend to purchase House of Hoops. That said, I know that this story will appeal to fans of this genre because the suspense is indicated within the first few paragraphs. What I liked most was the main character’s concern for her daughter. This book takes readers into real, current-day situations that will keep them turning pages of this book. It seems professionally edited. I enjoyed the sample. I don’t see any need for improvements to what I’ve read so far. I read the 4-star review by the Online Book Club. Very nice job.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 2:06 am by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
J_odoyo
After reading the first ten pages of this book, I’ve realized that it is a riveting and seemingly well-written book. I think the book’s cover page is wonderfully done. The title is attractive and creative. I liked the book’s description on the Amazon website; it was precise and informative enough to allow for an accurate guess of what to expect in the book. The book also had an official OnlineBookClub review. The review gave insight into what the book entails. I didn’t find any error (in the pages I’ve read), and I would wager that the book was professionally edited. In the opening pages, June Gillam writes a very riveting story. While on her way to watch her daughter's basketball team play, Hillary receives disturbing breaking news of an active shooter at Mercury High School. Her adrenaline slows when she finds Sacramento Jr. High (her daughter's high school) peaceful, and everything is running as normal. Before long the school's principal strides in and stops the ongoing game before announcing the lockdown of the high school. The progress of this story is promising, and fans of this genre will find it unputdownable. Sincerely, I didn't notice anything to recommend for improvement. Having read the first ten pages and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m not going to finish reading this book because I’m not a fan of this genre.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 1:19 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Stephanie Runyon
The cover is simple but tasteful. After reading the OBC review, I would not sample this book. I have read other books by this author and didn't like how slow they were. This book fell into the same format. I didn't care much for the opening. I have no idea why a school would pack people into a small area. If an active shooter was present, this tactic makes everyone an easy target. The shift to Charlie's view was done well, but his cynical view of the future progression of buildings by his son-in-law was uncalled for on his daughter's birthday. The book appeared to be professionally edited but to improve the book there could be a little more action to help with the slow beginning. I am passing on this book because I had trouble with staying interested in the story. I didn't connect well with the characters despite how well they were developed.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2021, at 12:48 am by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb, I wouldn't pick this book up. The themes are very relevant to today's time but I prefer reading more light-hearted fiction books to escape reality so I'm not the target audience for this. After reading the first ten pages, I spotted a few minor grammar and punctuation errors. In chapter one, "Last week there was an active shooter drill..." there should be a comma after week. The errors were not distracting however. What I liked best about the book so far was the realism. When Hillary was driving to her daughter's basketball practice listening to the radio, and hearing the news about the school shooting, the feelings she felt was all too familiar. The feeling of dread and despair about such violence is unfortunately relatable especially in today's climate when we hear news about mass shootings and violence. I thought the scene was written very well. I do not have any suggestions for improvement. There was an onlinebookclub review. However, I'm not interested in this genre so I won't be reading the rest.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 11:21 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, or Official OnlineBookClub review because I am not a basketball fan. After reading the first ten pages, I will not continue to read the book because, based on what I read, the story does revolve a lot around basketball, and I just don't like that sport. What I like most about the sample is the relationship between all the characters, especially the relationship between Hillary and her daughter. I like the dynamic between the characters because I'm sure it will play an important role in tugging at the readers' hearts during important parts of the story. The book does not need to be improved, and it appears to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 11:00 pm by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
I likely would have read the sample of House of Hoops even if it was not the OnlineBookClub's book of the day. I have read a couple of books by the author, June Gilliam, which is one of the reasons why I would have sampled it. To be honest, the only thing that I really enjoyed was the color of the front of the book. The sample started off nearly immediately with a reference to a school shooting. I live close to where the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting occurred, which is why this topic is very sensitive to me. Because of this, I will be skipping the rest of the book. I didn't notice any grammatical errors at all, and there is nothing that I can think of to suggest for improvement. I read the official OnlineBookClub review as well, and I am happy that I made the decision to skip the book. The reviewer mentioned some ideas and groups that I do not agree with, so the book does not appear to be a good fit for me. However, if a reader is able to look past any of these fallacies, then they may enjoy the book greatly.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 9:45 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'House of Hoops' is a fictional novel. It is written by June Gillam. Hillary was on her way to watch her daughter's basketball game. On the way, she gets to know that there was a shooting at Mercury High School. She hurries to her daughter's school. All goes well there. However, in the midst of the game the principal declares a lockdown. I like the way the author interspersed real-life events in the story. I also liked Hillary's bond with her daughter, Claire. There is nothing in need of an improvement. I found a minor error. The sentence construction seems to be fauty in "It's no never mind, honey." However, it is a dialogue so it can be a way of speaking as well. Apart from this, the editing is good. The title, cover, OBC review, and the Amazon reviews are apt. I will skip this book for now as I like reading series in their proper order.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 4:38 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
TheMazeRunner
This is a perfect book for basketball and fiction lovers. I am not a fan of such books, and that is why I wouldn't sample it. As I sampled this book, I noticed no mistakes. This book has the official review and is professionally edited. What I like the most is that the author told a story that is both real and fiction. The writing is easy and interesting. I won't read the book because I don't find it interesting enough for my taste. I would improve the cover: it is too simple.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 4:11 pm by TheMazeRunner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AntonelaMaria
If I haven't read the sample of this book through this program, I would have read this book eventually. I have read books in this series, and I have been interested in picking other books up. I like the way this author writes. After reading the sample, I am interested in reading more. Hillary is a great protagonist, and it was nice to see that this book takes place when Claire is in high school. The premise is timely and important. I didn't notice any grammatical errors. There is nothing I would change about this book. This book has an Offical Onlinebookclub review. It has an excellent summary of this book, and it is very informative.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 4:08 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Yvonne Monique
The book cover and title insinuate that this book is about basketball. It is not entirely clear what kind of story (mystery, crime, sports) this is, though. I would not pick this book up if I would see it in a book store because basketball is not a sport I am interested in. Thanks to the blurb and OBC review, I got a better idea about the book's content. The first ten pages are well edited and written in an understandable way. However, the first chapters were not able to catch my interest. I did not find the mention of the shooting incident engaging, nor did I feel sympathy towards the protagonists. For these reasons, and the fact that I do not like basketball, I will not buy this book. As an improvement, I suggest to add some more information on the front cover. This will make it easier for potential readers to decide if this book is suitable for them.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 3:49 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kelyn
If I had not been a member of this program, it is unlikely that the genre, title, or cover would have enticed me to pick up this book. I generally do not peruse general fiction as I prefer the genres of
sci-fi and fantasy fiction. The title and cover featuring basketball, which is a subject I have no interest in, would almost certainly have made me pass it by. I am unfamiliar with the author, so that would not have influenced my decision. The blurb seems to indicate that the book involves city politics and forced progress simply in the name of 'progress.' This subject harkens back to unpleasant experiences with city politics in my own life I would rather not revisit. However, the themes of motherhood and protectiveness toward one's children did resonate with me. The customer reviews, though few, were overwhelmingly positive as was the review on this site. This raised my expectations of the sample. Although I did not see a review on the Amazon site explicitly identified as being from this program, if I had, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The sample itself, while mildly interesting, was not 'gripping' and failed to pull me into the story. Basketball is not my thing, so that part of the book holds little interest for me. I can empathize with Charlie wanting to keep the neighborhood as it has been - kind of a tribute to its (and his) history. Unfortunately, I have seen (as a child) how lives are thrown into chaos just in the name of 'progress.' Sorry, but I just disagree with pressuring people to give up homes that have been in their family for generations just so the city can use the land to forward its own agenda. So I'm on Charlie's side in this. The book, as far as I can tell, address its themes effectively, so I can think of nothing, in particular, I would change. I did not find a favorite part of the sample, but if I had to choose it would be the quotes at the beginnings of each chapter. They each seemed to capture the nature of the chapter's content. Because of the political theme which runs through the book and what seems to me like an emphasis on progress for progress's sake (themes with which I do not resonate), I have decided not to continue reading the book. The book seemed to be well-edited. I found no 'countable' errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 3:32 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
When I first saw this cover, I immediately had the feeling of familiarity because I know June Gillam's books. However, since basketball is not a subject that interests me, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I have to admit that it was touching to learn from the OBC review that the book is dedicated to Gianna Bryant. The book starts strong with the news about the school shooting. I like it when the book is action-packed. Unfortunately, a basketball scene follows, making me lose all my interest in the plot. Since this subject doesn't interest me at all, I don't see any reason for continuing the book. It's probably just the personal taste involved in this decision, as I can't name anything that could be improved. I didn't notice any grammar errors.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 3:27 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rayah Raouf
I would not have chosen to sample this book. The cover shows a basketball, and I am not interested in basketball. It is also the fourth book in a series, so I have no reason to want to pick it up or even sample it. It is crime fiction which is interesting, but I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t check out the description. I will not buy and read the whole book. The sample did not appeal to me. There was nothing special that stuck out and I do not want to continue reading it. I do like to read crime occasionally, but this isn’t my type of crime book. I noticed no grammatical errors in the sample. Therefore, the book seems to be professionally edited. The texting language used was not grammatically accurate, but it is intentional. I like how the texting language used was similar to what people would use nowadays. That made the texting seem more authentic. I cannot think of any improvements to be made. There was an official review, and it did not affect my decision. I still do not want to read the book even though it was rated highly.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 3:20 pm by Rayah Raouf.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kirsi Cultrera
I have very little interest in basketball and did not find the cover of this book inviting. However, I am familiar with former Hillary Broome novels. Therefore, I would have checked this book out even without this program. The writing style was familiar to me from other books of the same author, and it was again top-notch. Also, editing seemed professional to me. I could not think of anything that should have been done otherwise. However, reading the sample pages felt frigid. The school shootings and the threat of violence around the school environment were too close to reality. These tragic things happen in real life, and it is enough to read about them from newspapers. I do not want to use my spare time reading a fictional book built around this topic, and even the Official OnlineBookClub review could not change my mind about that.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 2:47 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Odette Chace
I don't like the title or the cover. However, the synopsis on Amazon was interesting. I still have some reservations about the book because I have sampled other books in the Hillary Broome series and wasn't impressed. The official Online Book Club review gave the work a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. However, it did nothing to ease my misgivings about the book. I was a little confused while reading. The radio announcer says the shooter is at Mercury High School and I wasn't sure if that was where Hillary's daughter goes to school, if that's where her basketball game is, or if that's just close to where she goes to school. I did not notice any errors in the first ten pages and believe the work was professionally edited. Other than my initial confusion, I enjoyed sampling the book and plan to finish reading it one day. My favorite aspect of the sample was the immediate tension that doesn't let up.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 1:40 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Brenda Creech
I wasn't drawn to the title or the cover of this book. I am not a basketball fan, so I wasn't interested in checking it out. After reading the official review, I was a little curious. The sample I read was well edited, and I did not find anything that needs improvement. The portion I read was about Hillary's daughter playing basketball and a threat coming into the school after a shooting at another school fifty miles away had just occurred. There was also a part about Sacramento's areas being re-developed and causing many people to become homeless as they could no longer afford housing in the new apartment buildings. A lot of the focus in what I read was on basketball, so I never could get really interested in what I was reading. Therefore, I don't plan on reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 1:37 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
xsquare
I’m not a fan of reading books out of order in a series. Having sampled the second book in the series before and deciding not to read it, I don’t think I would’ve sampled this book if it hadn’t been part of the First Ten program. I like the interesting start to the book – I think the author did a wonderful job writing the tension that Hillary felt and the anxiety that she was facing with regards to her daughter’s safety. I did not see any typos, and I don’t think that there was anything the author could have done better. I agree with the official OBC review that this book can probably be read as a standalone. However, I don’t think I will be reading the rest of the book as I personally didn’t find the sample very compelling. For one, basketball doesn’t really interest me. I’m also admittedly not very interested in the politics that go behind real-estate development.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 1:20 pm by xsquare.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
The story follows a reporter named Hillary Broome, who is on a mission to help build a new community center in downtown Sacramento. Unfortunately for her, there is an old professor, Charlie, who will do anything to save his historic neighborhood and stop the construction of that community center. As I am a huge fan of crime thrillers, I would have read the book based on the genre and OBC review. Unfortunately, I changed my mind after sampling the book. The writing style was pleasant to read, and I particularly liked the first three chapters were told from the perspective of both Hillary and Charlie. Sadly, I did not feel invested in the story. I also found some distracting errors throughout the sample. For example, there should not be a comma after "sympathy" in the following sentence: "Hillary nodded with sympathy, but withheld that she’d grown up without a mother." (location 158 of 413 • 38%) It should be written "Creamery’s gone now, replaced by your high-priced, close-packed houses" instead of "Creamery’s gone now, replaced by your high priced, packed close, houses." (location 298 of 413 • 72%) Other than another round of editing, I found nothing that needed to be improved.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 1:15 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I wouldn’t have picked this book up based on the cover alone because I am not a basketball fan. From the title and cover art, this appears to be a book devoted to basketball. The Online Book Club review described this book in glowing terms and gave it a rating of four out of four stars. This increased my interest in the book because it appears to involve more than just basketball. I didn’t read an additional customer review. The first ten pages were interesting and I didn’t see any errors, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. The story begins with the main character in her car listening to music when a news report interrupts that there is an active shooter at the high school. This immediately increased my interest in the book. It became suspenseful and very timely. I would like to finish reading this book based on the OBC review and the first ten pages that drew me into the story immediately.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 12:28 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
"House of Eire" was one of the best books I read in 2020, so just by looking at the cover, I knew I wanted to read "House of Hoops". I was relieved to see that the book is not just about basketball, and I will not quit reading this series until I know what happened to Hillary's mother. The ratings are mostly good, and I know the author is awesome, so I would have bought this book based on first impressions, without any hesitations.
I can't say I loved the first ten pages, because they're grim. But that's reality, too. I do love seeing Claire all grown up and being a basketball star! I met her as a tiny, quirky kid in "House of Eire" and it's like looking at a little relative grow. That's how well June Gillam builds her unforgettable characters. But I can't possibly imagine Hillary's dread when the school went into lockdown. Literally, I can't even wrap my head around it, because we haven't had that kind of tragedy where I live. But I can totally empathize with her and her husband. Once again, the talent of June Gillam at work.
There's nothing I disliked, and I didn't find editing mistakes. The only thing that irked me is that the "Praise for previous Hillary Broome novels" lacks full stops at the end of the paragraphs. I would suggest fixing that. The official review furthered my enthusiasm for the book.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 12:17 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Timothy Rucinski
The Official Review was very well done and sufficient to make me interested in reading this book. One day, I will, but not now. I have read one of Gillam's books in the series, but I just don't like reading out of sequence. So until I've read the other books in the series, probably binging on them this summer, I'm going to pass for the moment. I didn't like the cover very much at all. Being someone who truly does not enjoy the sport of basketball, I would have not shown any interest in picking this off a bookshelf for a closer look. However, Ms. Gillam's writing style is impeccable. I particularly liked the manner in which she created Charlie as a representation of the reluctance to change. She does a great job with all of her characters but something about establishing Charlie's prejudicial villainy was exceptionally done. There is nothing I disliked about what I read, nor did I find any errors, prompting me to believe that this book was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 11:22 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Bertha Jackson
I am not fond of basketball, so the book cover and title would have prevented me from checking out this book even though I like the genre. The blurb, customer review, and OnlineBookClub review reveal the book’s plot does not revolve around basketball. I enjoyed reading the first ten pages, although the flow was slow. The struggle between and progression and retention of the past is intriguing. I like the definitions at the beginning of the chapters. I believe a professional editor has edited the book as I did not see any errors in the first ten pages. I did not see anything I would improve in the first ten pages. I will skip this book because of the slow flow, and the book did not grab my interest.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2021, at 9:55 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 25%
House of Hoops earned a score of 25%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 25% 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.
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