Cover for At the End of the Day

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for At the End of the Day

Because At the End of the Day 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

896308
The story follows Joel who faced a disturbing childhood due to his father's involvement in criminal activities and his unsupportive mother. But his life takes a turn for good when a lady helps him get over his bad behaviors and helps him get better academically, and in return Joel promised her to be there for her when she is old and needs help. I wouldn't have read the book based on its blurb as I wasn't interested in the themes, so the official OBC review didn't convince me enough to read the book. However, I liked how the author has crafted the narrative of this book. The thing I liked the most is how well the author switches between the perspective of Mathew and Joel. I also like that Joel's thoughts are fully fleshed out without following a monologue style. In fact, his story is narrated in an interesting way and keeps the reader engaged. In spite of reading an official OBC review and liking the sample so far, I will not read the whole book as I don't think I'll enjoy the themes. I wouldn't recommend anything for improvements and would rate the book as professionally edited as there were no error in the portion sampled.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 5:24 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ann Ogochukwu

2074422
I like this book's cover—I find it soothing—so chances are high that I would have tried out the book outside this program. The book's OBC review also persuaded me to give the book a try. I liked the book's storyline about fulfilling a long-made promise and taking care of loved ones.
One fateful day, Joel receives a disturbing phone call that leaves him in tears. He immediately invites his stepson, Matthew, to join him on a trip to the United States, and on the flight, he answers Matthew's unspoken question with his life story. I absolutely enjoyed sampling this book. I loved the book's fast but calm pace. It just felt soothing to read this book—I can't really explain it. I would love to complete this book, as I seem to like everything about it.
I believe this book was professionally edited because I didn't notice any error in the bit I read. I don't think this book needs any improvement.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 5:00 am by Ann Ogochukwu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Manang Muyang

176802
Kindness begets kindness. That is what the blurb communicates. Joel, a delinquent child in the Caribbean, meets Whitney, a clear lady who understands him; he later proves her kindnesses to him are not in vain. The cover shows Joel and Whitney facing a Caribbean sunrise or sunset. That the story is based on actual events would have made me sample the book on my own. While the official OBC reviewer found no errors, I found plenty. Some of the errors I noted follow: At 32% of the sample, "Since my mother was sleeping, the Saturday the clear lady was coming on island to meet with my father, he asked me if I wanted to go with him" should have had no comma after "sleeping"; "island" should have been preceded by "the" too. At 63%, "I'm ashamed of the things I did to her and her husband, Trent, after all, they did for me" didn't need the last comma. At 79%, "so he was sent to prison lost his job and pension which really upset my mother" should have had "and" after "prison" and a comma before "which." "She told me it was worth thirty-five hundred dollars" needed end punctuation. The errors made it difficult for me to appreciate the narrative. I also found the narration by Joel unnatural. Sadly, I didn't find anything to like in the bit I read. I will not buy the book. The author should have the book edited again.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

119030
The title "At the end of the day" and the cover that depicts a sunset indicate that the book could be about retirement life. There are only 8 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide to sample the book. The Amazon summary states that the story is about a Caucasian woman and her black child. As I am not interested in this theme, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the protagonist watching his stepfather. As I am not interested in the story, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors in the sample. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 4:46 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Asma Aisha Ansari

1991474
I wouldn't have picked this book up based on the title, the cover, the genre, and the blurb because I found nothing interesting about them. There is only one Amazon customer review which is not enough to arrive at a decision to read the book. The OBC review is well-written and convinced me to sample the book. As for the sample, I didn't find the plot or the characters intriguing. It took a very long time for Joel to meet Whitney, and I feel that this part could be edited to make the story move faster.

I didn't find any notable errors in the sample but came across several sentences that needed reframing to make sense. For example, the sentence 'His face looked like a man in pain.', should be either written as 'His face showed that he was in pain.' or 'It was obvious from the look on his face that he was in pain.'. I suggest that such sentences be improved for a better reading experience. And, I'm not going to read the rest of the book because I didn't enjoy reading the sample.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 4:32 am by Asma Aisha Ansari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

173569
I wouldn't have sampled this on the basis of the genre or cover because my current priorities are fantasy or non-fiction. I also won't buy this today because reading a story based on true events isn't a priority; also, the Kindle version is quite expensive compared to many. Although the official OBC review states "I did not find any grammatical or editing error" (sic), I'm not sure this has been professionally edited because I found several missing words, inconsistencies and punctuation errors. For example, the sentence "Most kids lived with their mother and their grandmother than with their father" should either read "More kids" or "rather than with their father". That OBC review seemed uninspired and my decision was more based on the Amazon blurb and sample. I liked the way Joel's intelligent and empathic character came out in the sample, and especially the way his special relationship covering for his father was portrayed. His expression "diggin' a hole to file a hole" showed a child's insightful perspective, which I appreciated. Perhaps nothing needs to be improved from the point of view of those who like this kind of fiction. A round of editing would improve readability.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 4:24 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Shrabastee Chakraborty

614426
Despite the official OBC review's rating, I wasn't inclined to read the book because of the premise. I could not find any errors in the first ten pages. The protagonist described a day his stepfather came home from work and reminded him about a kind lady they used to have as a neighbour. I did not particularly like anything in the book. There was a sense that something ominous was going to happen. My only suggestion would have been to incorporate something that grabbed the attention of the readers. Based on my reading experience, I decided not to read the book.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 3:58 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Dzejn_Crvena

2079692
Based on the cover, I would have sampled this book outside this program. It made me think of a relaxing slice-of-life story. The OBC review and the sample convinced me to read it. Both mentioned Joel, the man who promised to take care of Whitney, the woman who saved him from his miserable life while he was growing up. The first ten pages are about how Joel and his stepson are going to the United States to see Whitney again. I like the narration of Mathew, Joel's stepson, as he recalls how he met Joel for the first time. Mathew treats Joel as his own father because he's more responsible than his real father. Joel managed to change and became a better version of himself with the help of a kindhearted person. I'm looking forward to reading more about how he repaid the goodness to Whitney. The book seems professionally edited, and I don't have suggestions for improvements.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 3:57 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mutai Marshal

1793503
I wouldn't have read this book outside the First Ten program. This is because I couldn't connect with either the cover page or the title. From the sample, I liked the suspense that ensued before the first chapter. It kept me wondering what awaited Joel and his stepdaughter in the States. The book seems exceptionally edited as I didn't notice any grammatical errors. The OBC suggests that this is an inspirational book. Since I don't relish the genre, I will not buy this book. I recommend incorporating a table of contents or a foreword section to inform readers what this book is about.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 2:59 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sou Hi

1445186
Even without this program, I would have sampled this. There are not many ratings on Amazon, but the official review from OnlineBookClub and the blurb look good. The book's premises are interesting, too.

I like the way Joel tells Mathew about his relationships with his parents and with Whitney. Despite their differences, it's nice to see Whitney treat Joel kindly. However, there are many grammar errors, so I would suggest another round of editing. I will wait until this issue is resolved to buy this book. For now, I won't buy it.

Error example: I started to ask a lot of questions. 'What did this lady look like?' 'How old was she?' Was she Black like us or 'clear' like the tourist people who don't have color and visit our island?' -> There should be an opening quote mark before "Was she Black"

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 1:22 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jennifer Garcia 555

2026742
I like the title and the peaceful cover of this book. I was interested in finding out more about it. The official OnlineBookClub review that I read said spoke highly of this story. I read the sample pages and did not see any editing errors, so this book seems professionally edited. I like how the perspective switches between characters. Joel seems like he had a rough childhood. I have no suggestions for improvement. This book may be inspiring to some, but it is not they type of book I enjoy reading. I avoid books that include mistreated children. I will have to pass on this book.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 1:22 am by Jennifer Garcia 555.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

104096
If I had not read the sample as part of the First Ten program, I would have read the book. This book seems really touching and interesting from the blurb! I am really interested in how race will be handled. After reading the sample, I have changed my mind. I still think the book is really interesting plot-wise, but I think more editing and rewriting is necessary as there were a lot of parts I could not follow. For example, there were recaps of conversations, such as between Joel and a woman who asked his name and age; this was written without any paragraph breaks and the back-and-forth dialogue was difficult to attribute to each character. I also noticed instances where the semi-colon was used incorrectly, with sentence fragments such as "but that just meant more money...earned." Those are the biggest things I'd change and I would be willing to read the book more afterward. The official review on OnlineBookClub did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 12:53 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

97769
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. I didn’t think this book about how Whitney saved Joel from his traumatic childhood would be something that I would enjoy. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I thought a few of the statements as Mathew narrated in the beginning contradicted each other, which made it hard for me to grasp what Joel’s character was like. Also, the editing could use improvement as I noticed errors that told me the book was not professionally edited. For example, in “Most kids lived with their mother and their grandmother than with their father”, “most” should be “‘more”. There wasn’t anything specific I liked so far.

First Ten review added on February 24, 2022, at 12:31 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sanju Lali

739725
"At the End of the Day" meant many things to me, so I could not guess anything about this book. I read the OBC official review to know the contents of this book. The OBC official review gave me the idea that this is an inspirational storybook following the life of Joel, who was born on a small island and had a rough childhood. As a result, I read the sample before purchasing the book. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book was not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, “Since my mother was sleeping, the Saturday the clear lady was coming on island to meet with my father, he asked me if I wanted to go with him." The sentence could have been as follows. “Since my mother was sleeping, the Saturday, the clear lady was coming on the island to meet my father; he asked me if I wanted to go with him." What I liked the most in this book is Joel’s maturity at the age of eight, especially when speaking to his parents by judging their moods so that he could avoid having any trouble with them. The usage of very long sentences made reading harder for me because it confused me about the author’s intended message. This reason pushed me away from this book. I would suggest the author for a round of professional editing and look at my difficulties as mentioned above. After looking at all these aspects, I decided not to purchase and read this book today. I will wait until the author looks at my suggestions so that while reading the book, I can dive deep into the story.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 11:36 pm by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

brooke oakes

2554006
I don’t think I would have sampled or read this book outside this program. I didn't find its cover or title interesting. Also, neither its OBC nor Amazon review appealed to me with the mention of the story including some family abuse. Joel lives on an island in the Caribbean. Joel’s dad has a criminal record. Also, his mom finds reasons to punish him. I liked the character development of this book, but nothing else in the book appealed to me, so I won't complete it.I don't notice any errors, while I read. I don't think this book needs any improvement.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 8:30 pm by brooke oakes.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabrielle Sigaki

1762417
At the End of the Day by Judy Condon is a book that talks about Joel's life experiences. It brings his family issues, the abuse he suffered, but also how his life changed when he met this woman named Whitney. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review and its customer reviews since I'm not interested in books that bring dysfunctional families and abuse. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book because of the reason I stated before. The book's cover, title, genre, and blurb didn't affect my decision. Nevertheless, I think that this book was professionally edited since I didn't find errors, and there's nothing to be improved in it. My favorite part was how the author described Joel's actions and habits through his past experiences and stories, which makes the reader understand better what changed Joel and how he changed throughout his life.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 7:20 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

1225511
The cover and title are creative, eye-catching, and in keeping with the story. I think the target audience should be attracted. In general, I like stories based on true events. The blurb expresses this book is a work of fiction that centers on Whitney, a middle-aged Caucasian American woman, and Joel, a black Hispanic boy. Joel has been physically and emotionally abandoned by his mother, while his father is a criminal. Whitney offers her love to him but cultural differences and value systems present immense challenges for both. Customer reviews give this book a perfect rating. Taking these elements into account, I could try this book. The first ten pages show that the story is narrated in the first person from different perspectives depending on the character. I like this feature as it allows you to view the story from distinct angles. Flashbacks are equally used to narrate the story. For example, when Joel tells Mathew about Whitney when he was a child. I like the value of gratitude is reinforced as Joel seems to have received a call about Whitney and decides to travel to the States to visit her. In addition, Joel's relationship with Mathew shows affection, trust, and respect, which is commendable given that he is not his biological father. The stories of Joel and Mathew are believable and common in countries like those in the Caribbean. Until now, several characters have looked interesting, not only Joel and Mathew but also Whitney and Luis. The official OnlineBookClub review indicates the book conveys lessons to be learned. For instance, if all children living miserable lives were helped, they would live a better life and the world would be a better place to live. Also, it stands out that Joel found helping hands in Whitney and her husband. The editing seems outstanding since I did not see any detail to comment on. Overall, I didn't see anything that I believe could be improved. What I read was appealing and I liked the plot of the unfortunate child helped by a mother figure. Therefore, I will read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 7:15 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Gabriella H

2425845
Since the setting is on a Caribbean island, I think the book cover is fitting. The book title didn’t tell me anything about the book, but after reading the official book of the day review by OBC, the blurb, and the editorial review, I think the title is also fitting. I think it's very sweet that Whitney was there to help Joel turn his life around. If only other underprivileged children could have such an opportunity. The book received good reviews from customers, and I took this as a positive sign. After reading the first ten pages, I think this book is well written and will be a source of motivation to many people who may be going through difficult situations. However, the plot isn’t captivating enough for me to complete the book. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages, and I have no suggestions for improvements. If I weren’t a part of this program, I wouldn’t have read this book because the storyline isn’t captivating enough for me.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 7:02 pm by Gabriella H.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Shridhar Suryawanshi

2889899
If I had not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would not have chosen to read or sample this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews that I saw because I believe in "don't judge a book by its cover." I won't be reading this book because too much information was introduced in the first few pages. It is exceptionally edited since I found no grammar errors. I liked the suspense in the book, but I suggest slowing down the pace to make the book better. An OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 4:23 pm by Shridhar Suryawanshi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rosemary Owolabi

2702082
Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of the program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, customer reviews, and editorial reviews.

I am going to buy and read the whole book because the storytelling is interesting and fun to read. I also enjoy Matthew and Joel's relationship as stepson and stepfather. I like where the storyline is going.

Reading the first ten pages of the book changed my opinion from the original guess.

Based on what I read, the book seemed to be professionally edited. I didn't notice any typos or errors. But the book had some formatting issues.

What I liked most about the bit that I read was the way the story kept getting more interesting. The writer wrote the story cleverly. Matthew's father wasn't acting like the father of the year. Instead, Matthew looked up to Joel, his stepfather, as a father figure and role model. At twenty-one, he remembered when he was five years old and had come into Joel's life. He had great respect for Joel.
Joel had received a call from someone in America that was disturbing. He planned to get off the island on the first plane to America. He had to fulfill the promise he made to Whitney when he was a boy. He wouldn't mind if Matthew followed him to America.
I liked the brillancy and crafting of the story.

What could be improved? That would be some of the observations I made regarding how the writer abbrivated (sayin') on page 1
... but he wasn't sayin' anything. 
(should be)
... but he wasn't saying anything.

Page 1
The writer started the chapter like this:
His cell phone rang many times...

Instead, write something like this:
Joel's cell phone rang many times.

The writer should improve more on the outlook of the book. The structure of the story (content) shouldn't be too close to the chapter.

There was an official OnlineBookClub review that I saw. It didn't affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 3:54 pm by Rosemary Owolabi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Soraya Bayah

2744922
The plot initially caught my attention, and the few pages did interest me, but I find that the book is not my cup of tea. This makes me want to skip it, despite it being enjoyable. I found multiple errors unfortunately. A paragraph intent is missing on location 17, 96, 102, and, 31. Location 108, “Was she Black like us or 'clear' like the tourist people who don't have color and visit our island?(')”- missing opening quotation mark. I would not pick up this book from the reviews, title, cover, or genre, as I enjoy more fast-paced stories. The OBC did pique my interest. I still do not understand the plot from reading the first pages, but I can say that I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and the author did great with them, albeit I was confused at first with what was spoken and what was thought. I am interested in this lady, what exactly was the emergency, and what happened so long ago. I am sure fans of this kind of stories will find it amusing. I will definitely consider reading it when I am more into laid-back stories that teach morals. For what could be bettered, I believe it would be convenient to add quotation marks whenever someone spoke to separate thoughts from words, and be consistent with the quotation marks, like always using double for words and single for the rest and inside of the double.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 2:29 pm by Soraya Bayah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kirsi Cultrera

1629804
This book did not look like something I would like to read. Based on the cover picture or the title, I would not have sampled it without this program. However, the blurb sounded interesting, and I was looking forward to reading the sample pages. The book was written with a warmhearted tone, and its pace was almost sleepy in a comforting way. I enjoyed the atmosphere the author created and wanted to know more about Joel and this clear woman, Whitney. I thought it was cute how the author told the story through Joel’s mouth to his stepson. Joel's circumstances made me sad, and I decided against reading this book. I did not find anything, in particular, to dislike from this book, but Joel’s story broke my heart. Even reading about the message of hope from the Official OnlineBookClub review could not change my mind about this book. Lately, I have wanted to read light books. This one does not fit into the category. I did not find any mistakes in this book and believe it has been professionally edited.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 2:14 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mercy Bolo

2131205
This book's cover didn't entice me to read it. The OBC review dissuaded me when it mentioned that the author narrates the story of an ex-pat who took in a troubled Caribbean boy. That storyline doesn't appeal to me, so I won't read the rest of the book. When I read the first ten pages, I liked that Joel accepted whatever happened as God's will, although he wasn't a religious man. I will conclude that the text underwent professional editing since I spotted no errors. There's nothing I disliked about the bit I read, and I wouldn't change anything about it.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 12:26 pm by Mercy Bolo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Diana Lowery

1202329
Being a lover of all things beach, I would have picked this book up. I was curious about the title and the picture. I wondered if the people were mother and son and if the mother was at the end of her days. The blurb made the book sound interesting, but it appeared to have a spoiler of a happy ending. The OBC review mentioned that there were no errors, but I found errors when I read the first ten pages. Also, the reviewer said it was non-fiction, but the blurb said it was fiction. The first error I found was an incorrect use of a semi-colon. "..no one would blame him if he was bitter [;] but he never was." There should be a comma, not a semi-colon. Even though I liked the premise of the book, I am not going to finish reading it because the writing is too slow-paced for me. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 11:22 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sarah_Khan

89585
At first glance, I thought the cover of this book was pretty and the title was intriguing. I noticed an editing mistake while reading the Amazon blurb (dark. underbelly culture), so I would not have sampled this without the First Ten program. I am happy to say the actual novel seems well edited. I honestly thought it was so sweet that Joel's stepson let him have his emotional moment alone because he did not want to embarrass him. The official OBC review was positive and so were the other comments and reviews. Unfortunately, there is still nothing in the plot that piques my interest. So, I will not be reading the rest. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 11:17 am by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kaitlyn Canedy

1401101
If At the End of the Day hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would not have read the sample of it. The title did not seem to match the cover art, so I went to Amazon.com to see what the book was about. The description was intriguing, and the customer reviews all raved about the relationship between two people. Because of these two things, I chose to read the sample. I like that Joel was open about the struggles he had growing up because these descriptions shape the story. The consistent switching of perspectives was hard to follow, which is why I will be skipping this title. I did not see any grammatical errors, and there is nothing that I can think of to improve. An official OnlineBookClub review exists for this title, but I did not need to read it to make a decision. If a reader likes books about maturing with the help of a mentor, this may be the book for them.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 10:53 am by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vidhi Adhikari

2232380
The cover and title of the book are quite refreshing. However, the description was a little confusing, even though I understood the main plot involving Joel attempting to lead a morally positive life, as a promise made to Whitney. I wanted to read further, mainly because it is a story inspired from real events. Although I came across a couple of errors ('I knew him pretty good {replace with 'well'}), I will be finishing this book as I enjoy reading true stories involving self improvement. The book has also received multiple positive customer and editorial reviews which raised my interest in reading it. What I loved the most about this book was its simple writing style and the suspense element in the first chapter. I would suggest shortening the description and focussing only on the main plot of the story to grab the attention of the reader.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 10:27 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

gen_g

697597
The beach illustration alone, along with the title, makes the book seem to be a piece of realist fiction; I am not looking for books in this genre, so I would not have sampled it. Additionally, whilst there is a positive official OBC review that I came across due to BOTD, my decision regarding sampling would not have changed because OBC reviews are usually not something I take into account when determining whether to sample a book. Moreover, the genre mismatch also means that I am even less likely to sample the book. Next, there are numerous errors in the book, which means more editing is required – I expect all published books I read to be error-free. An example of an error can be found at 10% in the sample, where there are missing propositions: "...Joel was helping [Lucretia] (to) bring (in) broken pieces...". To me, having an error-free read is of utmost importance because the number of errors present, personally, is an indicator of how much effort an author put into writing. With such a high number of errors, I cannot help but think that the book is shoddily written, and potential readers are also very likely to think this way. When a book is shoddily written, it is difficult to understand what is going on, let alone point out what one likes about it. Hence, and regrettably, it should be obvious that I am unable to pick out anything that I like, because it is very difficult for me to fully understand what the author wants to convey to the reader. (The author may claim stylistic license, but, in my opinion, there is only so much that one can claim as stylistic license.) Furthermore, when the perspective changes in the book, what seems to be dialogue is not enclosed in quotation marks, and it is very difficult to pick out if what is written is a character's thoughts or speech. For example, at 15%, in Joel's perspective, the sentence "Mathew, I was only eight years old..." seems more than likely to be a piece of dialogue (from Joel to Mathew); however, there are no quotation marks, so I am not sure what to think about the sentence – is Joel is thinking about what he wants to say to Mathew, or is the sentence meant to be actual dialogue? The former implies a different type of personality compared to that implied by the latter, and I believe I do not need to explain the importance of the reader understanding what the characters' motivations/character traits are in any book. Hence, working with an editor to clean up the writing (for the sake of clarity) is of utmost importance now. I think it should be clear that I will not be buying the book today.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 9:51 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Eunice Geres

1826192
I wouldn't have checked the sample if it weren't on BOTD because the book doesn't seem like one I would enjoy. I don't usually read fiction books like this. However, after reading the official review, I became interested in Joel's story. I wanted to know how much Whitney affected his life. The beginning piqued my attention immediately. It's like I could already tell that it would be a heartwarming read and that I wouldn't mind getting to know Whitney through the eyes of Joel. I love the pace of the narration. It's not too slow to be boring, and not too fast. I would love to read more and see Joel's relationship with Whitney and her husband. I'm also interested to know the context of the promise mentioned. I would continue to read this. I didn't notice any grammatical mistakes, and I have no recommendations.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 7:45 am by Eunice Geres.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Emy Katherine

94929
The story takes place on a small Caribbean island and follows the journey of Joel, an 8-year-old boy who struggles to deal with a dysfunctional family. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets his new neighbor, Whitney, a kind American woman who seems to care about him. Even though both the cover and the title caught my attention, I would not have read the book based on the genre. There were no editorial reviews, but I appreciated the informative Amazon blurb. Unsurprisingly, neither the OBC review nor the sample convinced me to read the whole book. I thoroughly enjoyed the easy-to-read writing style, but there were numerous errors that disrupted the flow of the story. For example, I noticed a missing opening quotation mark at the beginning of the following sentence: "Was she Black like us or 'clear' like the tourist people who don't have color and visit our island?'" (location 100 of 404 • 25%) It should be written "my mother's Victoria's Secret catalog" instead of "my mother's Victoria Secret catalog." (location 136 of 404 • 33%) There should not be a comma after "partner" in the following sentence: "But being my father's partner, sure made me feel important." (location 376 of 404 • 93%) I am pleased that the book has many positive customer reviews, but I would suggest another round of editing.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 3:05 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ari Martinez

1624319
If it hadn't been for the First Ten program, I wouldn't have sampled this book based on its title, cover, or Official OnlineBookClub review because even though the story is meant to be inspiring, I thought that reading about Joel's upbringing might be too sad for me. After sampling the book, I will continue reading it because the sample was a breeze to read - the flow was nice, and I liked the characters. My favorite part of the sample was the way it was narrated. After the first chapter, it really sounded like I was listening to Joel tell his story. I also liked Mathew's questions to Joel because they brought me back to their present situation, and they made the story sound even more like a conversation. I don't think the book needs improvement. l understand the author's choice to not put quotation marks around Joel's narration, but sometimes Joel's words do have quotation marks, and it seems like a mistake. For example, in Location 184, Joel's words have quotation marks ("Yes, and if it wasn't for Whitney, I would have probably gone to prison too...").

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 2:25 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kelyn

741624
If I had not been a member of this program, it is doubtful that I would have run across this book as it does not fit into any of my preferred genres. Even if I had, nothing in particular about the cover, title, author, or blurb would have captured my attention. There are several customer reviews on the Amazon site, all of which are positive. However, I did not see an OBC review there. If I had, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The official OBC review on this site was very complimentary. That gave a good impression going into the sample. I enjoyed that the author used ‘island language’ (i.e., ‘teefing’) to add color to the story. I think that was my favorite part. I found nothing I would change about the book. Joel had a very rough childhood, and I couldn’t help but feel for him. Would that there were more Whitney’s and Trent’s in the world. Perhaps more children would make it out from the darkness of their childhoods. I also noticed a significant fact. Despite the difference in their upbringing, both Joel and Mathew longed for the acceptance and respect of their fathers (or, in Mathew’s case, step-father). I suppose all children do. Unfortunately, despite my engagement with the characters, the book/story simply does not fall into a reading genre I am interested in. Therefore, somewhat regretfully, I have decided not to read the book. I did find errors, one of which was at 8% of the sample: "Most kids lived with their mother and their grandmother than with their father." --‘Most’ should be ‘More.’ However, as the book was almost completely dialogue (either Joel or Mathew was speaking) I do not believe these would be ‘countable.’ I did note that quotations were not used when Joel was speaking. As this was consistent throughout the sample, I suspect this was a stylistic choice, not an error.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 12:45 am by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Stephanie Runyon

1424579
The island picture on the cover is very attractive, and I would have sampled this book based on the appealing cover. I liked how Joel and Mathew conversed back and forth with ease. It shows the strength of the relationship between them. I found some minor errors in punctuation. Other than editing, there is not anything I would change to improve this story. The OBC review didn't influence my choice to continue reading the book. I liked the part where Joel had expressed, “At the end of the day, isn't trust what a relationship is all about?” That statement was something that stood out for me.

Error: I met my stepfather when I was only five years old over fifteen years ago and I thought I knew him pretty good.
There should be a comma after the word ago. Subjectively, the word and can be omitted.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 9:39 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Scerakor

45879
After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and review of this book, I would not have read this book. The dramatic nature of this book seemed a bit slow 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 tension and suspense that book brought to the reader early on. By showing a sense of urgency, needing to get off the island in a hurry, the author sets the stage for what is to come. That being said, this book just doesn't seem to have enough action in it to keep me interested. Although the book looked well written and edited, there was one formatting error that I picked up in the introductory section entitled "Mathew". All paragraph breaks had a full two line breaks (i.e. a full space) in between them. However, there was only one line break before the final paragraph in the introductory section entitled "Mathew". The thing I would have improved from the sample I read is to make it a bit more clear on who is speaking during the chapter. For example, at the beginning of Chapter One, I was slightly confused as to why the first paragraph started with "Mathew". There was an official OBC review, but it did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 9:00 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rodel Barnachea

1816865
Upon perusing the book’s official OBC review and Amazon page, I decided not to purchase the title. I am not intrigued by how Joel’s criminal father and emotionally-abusive mother shaped his childhood and personality. I am not interested in learning how Whitney will help Joel get rid of his bad habits and improve his overall attitude towards life. Sampling the title failed to change my mind. I would not acquire it because nothing in the Amazon sample piqued my curiosity or had me wanting to go over the remaining pages of the novel. I am not interested in finding out if Joel’s promise to Whitney will be kept or broken. The first ten pages include an early section entitled “Mathew” and some pages of Chapter One: The Clear Lady. What I liked most was when Joel told Mathew that if it wasn’t for Whitney, he (Joel) could have been a drug dealer right now. I was not able to note any errors in the sample. The book seems professionally edited. I have no advice to offer to the author.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 8:56 pm by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsH2k

1404847
Other fiction encompasses such a wide variety of stories that the genre did not influence my interest in this read. Based on the cover, title, and blurb, I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. The storyline did not sound like one that would interest me. The sample pages got off to a slow start, but I did form an appreciation for the relationship between Mathew and Joel and learned the story behind the title. I do not believe the book was professionally edited. I could not determine the point of view. The first chapter was narrated by Mathew and included direct dialog in quotes, as expected. However, the second chapter started in dialog by Joel, but there were no quotation marks. Mathew’s quotes were written correctly, and the dialog of other people within Joel’s discourse where correctly punctuated with single quotes, but it was a bit confusing without the overall quotes outlining Joel’s dialog. Also, at loc 168, the point of view switched, and I could not tell who was narrating: “Knowing he had confused Mathew, Joel explained, ‘Give me time.’” An omniscient third-person narrator had not been introduced prior to this. I will not buy this book. Besides not being interested in the story, the lack of professional editing and the slow pacing were a deterrent. A suggestion for improvement would be to have a round of professional editing. The featured OnlineBookClub review was complimentary; however, it mentioned the book was written in the third-person point of view, yet also commented that the author wrote from each character's different point of view. Those comments confirmed my confusion and reinforced my decision not to buy this book. Other customer and editorial reviews had no bearing on my decision.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 6:29 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kira Bonita Reece

2272578
This is a very interesting and encouraging book. Joel shares his story of growing up in poverty with abusive parents. He explains how he was saved from a life of violence by a white woman. I liked the concept of this story. The sample I read was professionally edited and very intriguing. I was invested in Joel's story and wanted to know more. I don't think this book needs any improvements. I will be continuing to read it.

If it had not been for this program, I would choose to read this book based on the cover, blurb,genre, customer reviews and the official online book club review. The author did a very good job

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 5:20 pm by Kira Bonita Reece.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

markodim721

2105861
I would choose to read a sample of this book because of the cover and title. I read the blurb, customer reviews, and Official OnlineBookClub reviews but they did not influence my decision. In addition, most customer reviews seem monotonous. I didn't find any editor reviews. The cover of the book is clearly designed and reminds me of tropical landscapes and sunsets enjoyed by two people of different backgrounds. The title of the book fits well with the cover of the book, it is inspiring and contains rich symbolism. I will not read the book because at the moment I am not in the mood to read fiction written based on true events, which promotes better understanding among people. While reading the sample I did not notice any typos or errors and the book seems like it is professionally edited. Reading the sample did not change my mind from my original guess. I like how the author described childish naivety when Joel asked his mother if the lady from the United States was "clear", meaning whether she was white. The whole event is described with a lot of authenticity. I don't think anything needs to be improved in the book.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 4:48 pm by markodim721.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mariana Figueira

1878669
Before reading the book's first pages, I wasn't interested in it because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book, I don't want to continue reading it because the story didn't captivate me. I like the relationship that Joel and Matthew have, is really nice. This book seems professionally edited and has an official Online BookClub review. There was nothing I saw that needed improvement. Neither the blurb, customer reviews, nor editorial reviews affect my decision not to read the book.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 4:38 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

AntonelaMaria

1285898
I read literary fiction, and the blurb of this book sounds like something I would enjoy reading. However, if I hadn't seen this book through this program, I would overlook it because of the cover. There aren't many reviews on Amazon, but they are all positive. There is an Official OnlineBookClub review of this book that is very useful and informative. But I have to disagree with the reviewer because this book is not told in the third person point of view. After reading the sample, I changed my mind. I don't think I will buy and read this book. I'm not intrigued enough by the story. I don't want to read about Whitney and her savior story of a poor Joel. The story is told from several points of view. The writing style takes time to get used to it. I missed quotation marks. In chapter one, when Joel is talking to Matthew, it seems like quotation marks are missing. The only explanation for lack thereof is if Joel was writing a letter to him. But all of those are stylistic choices of the author. I didn't notice any grammatical errors, and I wouldn't change anything about the book.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 4:27 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Yvonne Monique

1919118
Who does not like the picture of a beautiful sunset? That is the reason why I would pick this book up if I would see it in a bookstore. However, the customer reviews, blurb and OBC review do not particularly make me want to read the sample. Although this sounds like a positive story, the subject itself seems a bit boring to me. The sample is well edited, but I could not keep my attention to the story. The writing style is attractive, but the pace of the first chapter was too slow to my liking. Matthew and Whitney's story could not grasp my attention. That is why I will not buy this book. I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 3:44 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Timothy Rucinski

697172
The cover seemed nice although it conjured up an image of a travelogue rather than a novel. The Official OBC Review didn't sound all that encouraging. Even though the Reviewer awarded the book a perfect score, the Reviewer didn't seem all that enthusiastic. I didn't read any other blurbs or reviews and this specific review didn't convince me one way or another. After reading the section on Amazon, I realized that this book wasn't for me. It's just not a genre of writing that I enjoy. What I liked most about the book was the author's differentiation between "black" and "clear" people. I had never heard that terminology before and found it interesting. There wasn't anything that I disliked about the book other than the topic being of no interest. The book seems to have had some professional editing, but there are errors that could be cleared up with more thorough proofreading. For example, at 29% into the Amazon Kindle version, there are a couple of errors. In the paragraph beginning "I started to ask a lot of questions...." the quotation marks are missing before "Was she Black..." whereas they are present at each of the other questions within the paragraph. In the same paragraph, the comma appears after the quotation marks in the following sentence: "'She's clear', my mother finally screamed." This is inconsistent with other quotations in which the punctuation marks appear before the quotation marks. I have no recommendations for improvement other than to suggest better proofreading of the material.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 3:22 pm by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Laura Ungureanu

620179
The cover looks very calm, so I was actually willing to search more about this book. It seemed to have many positive Amazon reviews. However, the blurb didn't seem so interesting, as I wasn't curious about the story after reading it. After reading about the plot, I lost my interest in this book, so the program was the ultimate reason for sampling this book. I noticed a well-done OBC review. The author gives many details, which make the characters come alive in the reader's head. I like the mystery surrounding the "clear lady," but it's not very thrilling, so I eventually got bored of this. I would've liked some more action to keep me interested. It's good that the book is more focused on the characters, but I'm not interested in reading a whole book about them. I haven't found any grammar errors.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 2:44 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Chelsy Scherba

75151
I didn’t see any errors in this book that weren’t intentional, so I see the book as professionally edited. I like the cover image, the design is really appealing. I have no suggestions for improvements, since I think people who enjoy this genre will like the story. I’m probably not in that target audience since I generally prefer nonfiction to fiction, and would not have been interested in this book outside of the program. The OBC review was highly complimentary of the story, but I’m just not interested in this type of book today. I think the author did a good job establishing what life on the island was like, particularly with a stepfather like Joel and not having your biological father involved in your life.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 1:51 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Chinazo Anozie

1351397
Despite the nice title and book cover, the positive customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review, I knew I would not be interested in this book once I read the description because I do not like this genre. Although it seemed like a heartwarming story from the first few pages I read (especially when Joel was narrating how Whitney changed his life for the better), it did not change my decision to pass on this book.

I also think this book will benefit from another round of professional editing. I noticed some inconsistencies that made the writing seem a bit muddled up. For example, when Joel was narrating his story to Matthew, the author consistently switched from Matthew asking questions to Joel responding. Most times, Joel’s responses were without quotation marks, and it was a bit confusing. An excerpt of this error from page three is provided as follows: “Did your father get the job, Joel?” [“]Yes, but I didn’t hear much more about the lady from the United States…[“]

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 1:46 pm by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Astral Magi

2482704
The cover and title piqued my interest. I'm always drawn to the ocean, so if I hadn't read the first 10 pages, I would have chosen the book solely on the cover. I was curious about Joel and his unique past after reading the official OBC review and the first ten pages. According to the blurb and customer reviews, Whitney had raised Joel and I'm curious about the circumstances that led to this. Joel's description of his fear for his mother was fascinating. I'm looking forward to learning why he needs to travel to America. Because there were no errors and nothing needed to be improved, I believe that the book was properly edited.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 1:30 pm by Astral Magi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

712962
From the cover of the book, I thought this was a memoir. I wasn't so wrong, since the book was "based on actual events." What I didn't like was that the blurb reveals the end, so there's little incentive for the reader to buy the book. This is why, despite the high ratings, I wouldn't have bought the book based on my first impressions.
The first ten pages changed my mind and convinced me to read the book. I admire how introspective Mathew is. For example, how he reflects: "I always thought he just didn't want to have anything to do with my mother, and that was why he didn't want to have anything to do with my brother and me." I also applaud how well the author portrayed the character of Joel as a child. For example, how he thought the lady who was going to buy the house would look like a Victoria's Secrets model because that was his only example of how white women looked. There are a couple of editing mistakes. For example, in the passage I just mentioned, the brand is misspelled as "Victoria Secret" in position 117. I suggest fixing these minor editing mistakes and shortening the blurb to make it more intriguing and less revealing. The official OBC review confirmed this will be a read I will enjoy.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 1:30 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kajori Sheryl Paul

997537
'At the End of the Day' is written by Judy Condon. Matthew's stepfather, Joel, is on his way to the States to meet Whitney. Whitney and her husband were Joel's neighbors on the island. Whitney played a big role in Joel's life. I like how Joel bonds with Mathew by telling him his story. I found some errors. For example, it should have been "Victoria's Secrets" instead of "Victoria Secrets." Another round of editing would do good. Apart from this, I would not change anything. The OBC review is appreciative. Based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews, I would have skipped the book as the blurb did not catch my attention. After reading the first ten pages, I have decided to read the book as I want to know how Whitney changes Joel's lives.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 12:40 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sonya Nicolaidis

1005818
When I read the OBC reviewer‘s comments about this book, I wasn’t sure if it was the right one for me. The cover was quite appealing, but also very unoriginal, as was the title, and so I likely would not have paused for a closer look. Upon reading, I saw that there were no errors that I spotted, leading me to think that this book had been professionally edited. The writing was clear and concise, but I felt the opening pages did ramble on a bit and I was quite bored. The thing I disliked the most was the part where the mother held her son‘s hand over the stove to teach him a lesson. That was quite brutal. I also didn’t like the way the story began with a series of almost a Q and A, a technique to give some background. I felt more developmental care should have been taken with the story. If I were to change anything, it would be this, as I felt it was poorly handled. I wouldn’t read any further because this story doesn’t interest me at all, and the writing technique needs attention.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 11:36 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Bertha Jackson

1904023
I have mixed feelings about this book. The cover makes it look like a non-fiction book, and I am very particular about those types of books. The title is appropriate for the cover, and I enjoy reading fictional books. The blurb and customer reviews did not have an impact on my decision. There were no editorial reviews to influence me. I found the first ten pages interesting, and I am curious about how Whitney helps Joel overcome his terrible childhood. I am also curious about how Joel helps Whitney. The OnlineBookClub review did not influence me either way. The book appears to have been edited by a professional editor because I did not find any errors in the first ten pages. I have no recommendations for the author to change anything. I will not buy and read this book because the book's price is a little steep. However, I may change my mind later.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 11:24 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 24%

At the End of the Day earned a score of 24%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 24% 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 At the End of the Day