A Taxonomy of Barnacles

Things I hated about this book:

1. Inconsistency: For example, at the start of the book both parents are said to have brown eyes, but later in the book a reference is made to the mother's blue eyes.
2. The youngest daughter was made to be a monster. I get it, she is supposed to be the unlikable one, but she is unbelievably awful. Emphasis on unbelievable.
3. Unnecessary plot twists: For example, one paternity issue is interesting, two is excessive. This is especially true when it comes out of nowhere, does nothing to move or thicken the plot, and is not mentioned again.
4. Choppy writing: For example, “[Barry] inched slowly out of the dining room, forcibly removing his daughters from his path... Bella moved quickly from her chair and took the seat next to Barry. She covered his hand with her own and nodded encouragingly.” (p. 357-358). These location sentences are on either end of a paragraph that is about emotions, with no re-locating sentences in it to account for Barry's apparent return to the dining room.
5. All the resolutions came at once. In one night the contest is over, Latrell's father is revealed, and the relationships between Bell, Bridget, and the Finch brothers are decided. Too much at once, it felt rushed.

I liked this book until about two-thirds of the way through, when it fell apart. It felt like the author simply got tired of writing this story and so did everything she could to wrap it up. The result was not good.