my biggest problems  were the twins and how utterly unlikable they where, especially in their naivety about everyday life aspects.
which i could understand for jeanie -she was taken out of school, couldn’t read or write and with that was very much in a position where people could tell her things she wasn’t able to check or look up. and without those things she was also very much stopped from finding actual jobs, since let’s face it most jobs that are legal require to know at least basic writing and reading skills. 
but what where julius’ excuses? why didn’t he get a real job? he surely could have found one even without being able to be in a car. 

there are just a lot of very convenient  moments in the book that are never actually explained or make much sense, especially with the utter dependence of the twins on Dot. 

i also disliked how careless both twins were in regards to other people that where so kind to them. and both of them treated each and everyone of them as if they burned the twins instead of helping them. and the twins just took everything everyone offered without question, but kept being unhappy about everything and everyone.

i also found the entire cottage situation over the top, the distractions and all of that with nathan and the two others… another thing added to the story without any real explanation or actual real reason as to why it what it really brought to the overall story other then more conflict. 


i think the story should have stuck with being about dot and all the secrets the twins had to figure out and what they found out about their mothers life and lies. 
and about them having to figure out life and money out on their own.

i think that would have been enough of a story. 
and it would have made more sense with the last bit reveal of what Dots done to jeanie . 

i think all the other things - the vandalism, the shooting, what happens to julius and how his story ends on this book, the moving even the stuff with maud the dog, all that stuff with rowan and the cabin, why was all that added? 
other than filling pages and adding drama - nothing of that gets actually resolved or  really completed. 
i didn’t get it and found it over the top to be honest.


a story of poverty, a mother who wasn’t what she pretended in front of her kids, and twins that at 51 had to learn the world anew would have been a great story.

but this book tried to do too much.