Great idea! Thanks for asking for these comments. I hope you get some blunt criticism because it helps to hear what you all think. I strongly recommend a great book, "The First Five Pages" that lays out exactly your point, in detail. The opening of a book, and it's first five pages, make all the difference in whether an average reader will pick up the book... or keep reading.
One technique I've used with success is to develop a team of 30+ readers who help review my first and second draft of the novel, before it heads to the publishing editor. They often find a problem that the author completely misses.