If we empathize with the character we have a stake in reading more, to find out what happens to this person.
In revising your writing, see where you can add in emotion, or where you haven't taken the opportunity to express it fully, to give the reader a picture of the situation.
Showing vs. telling
You can tell: Sally was sad.
OR You can show it by writing: Hot tears sprang to her eyes.
Think about new ways to show that emotion in a visceral way. What happens when we're angry? How do you know someone else is disappointed? Show it and your reader will keep reading.