First Beta Reader

My first reader was good enough to get back to me within a week, which I greatly appreciated. I don’t know if she found the story compelling because she told me that she “sat down to do a task - read the book-- so she just got it done.” That doesn’t sound to me like it was compelling -- sounds like work! She liked the last third better than the first third but couldn’t say exactly why - so I’ve got to figure that out. When I asked if there were scenes she especially liked, she did mention one or two. That bolstered me even if I had to fish for it. She said she thought I had the “bones of a good book,” and that’s going to have to be good enough for right now. Her input was helpful and I’m grateful. She’s not an editor nor a writing teacher and she never pretended to be. She is an avid reader who wants to be entertained. She’s my audience. I’m currently outlining each scene to see if I can find places where there are gaps or where I can “beef up” the theme.