Twice the Family by Julie Ryan McGue is a touching memoir about twin sisters adopted into a big family. It explores identity, sisterhood, and the challenges of growing up with resilience and heart.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and author Julie Ryan McGue for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

A few weeks back, Bill Bryson, an author I generally like, gave an interview to the New York Times in which he said: “I get sent a lot of self-published books and most of the time it is just some anonymous person’s life and it is of no interest.” I begged to differ with him when I heard that, thinking of my experience reading memoirs by other adoptees that let me know I wasn’t alone in the feelings I had. Back in the 1990s, when I first picked up books by adoptee authors, I finally learned that I wasn’t crazy for the feelings I had and that what I felt was normal for an adopted person. It was a huge relief for me.

Unfortunately, none of that was present in Twice the Family. I realize now that the author dealt with her adoption and search in a previous book. I have added that to my “to be read” list because Julie Ryan McGue is quite a good writer. I was just disappointed that adoption wasn’t central to the story in this book.

Growing up as an adoptee and identical twin, Julie McGue will take you on her journey for identity and individuality, searching for answers through tragedy and adversity.

That was the blurb I read that got me interested in the book, which focuses on the author’s experience growing up in a home with three adopted children and several biological siblings. Their parents had always dreamed of a big, Irish family, but were struggling in the early years of their marriage to make that happen, so they turned to adoption. Julie and her sister, Jenny, were very lucky that Catholic Charities in Chicago had a policy not to separate twins and placed them together. There was also a hint that they tried to place children with a family where there was a similar background, so the children would feel like they fit in rather than standing out.

This became an issue as Julie and Jenny grew up. They embraced the Irish heritage of their family, but were always unsure if they really should call themselves Irish. Since the adoption was closed, they had no knowledge at all of their genetic history. This was in the age before you could spit in a cup and get a report back on your DNA.

Most of the book, though, is just a memoir of her life growing up outside of Chicago in a small town in a loving family. The home they grew up in was a small home that was soon bursting at the seams with the Ryan children. Still, the family managed. It wasn’t a perfect upbringing; their mother had a bit of a temper, and the children were afraid of setting her off, although it wasn’t abusive. Julie admits that being raised in a Catholic home and attending Catholic schools led to a bit of a sheltered life. When she and Jenny went away to college, for the first time, they felt they could really try to figure out who they were. That’s not unusual in any family.

The story was interesting, but not what I expected. It does show the bond between her and her twin that existed throughout their whole lives. There were many times they were on the same wavelength with the decisions they were trying to make and the choices they eventually made. It also details a time that’s pretty much gone. Although her parents were protective, parents nowadays wouldn’t understand letting children ride their bikes in a park without supervision.

There are some tragedies that are highlighted. One was the murder of a neighbor boy whose body was found in one of those places where they rode their bikes. That grabbed my curiosity enough to look up the case, and no one was ever found guilty of the murder (one person was tried and acquitted due to circumstantial evidence). I found that more interesting than a lot of the rest of the book. For Julie, their protective parents restricted them even further at the time. There are also several pregnancies that their mother goes through, which result in new siblings. However, twice things did not go as planned, and the family had to navigate terrible grief.

As a memoir, I think people will generally like Twice the Family as it gives insights into a time that is unfortunately long past. It also gives insight into being a twin, which was something I knew nothing about, and I felt like I came out of it with a better understanding of the connection twins share. It was just lacking for me in any real depth into the questions of identity as it relates to being an adoptee. Perhaps the other book will be better in that regard.

Julie and Jenny Ryan were identical twins, born in 1959, by a single mother who named them different names. But their birth mother relinquished them to the state of Illinois and a Catholic Charity set out to adopt them with another Catholic family in need of children. They grew up loved, and their parents kept adding children to their family. Whether by birth or adoption, sometimes making the girls question if they belonged or not.

Memoirs and coming-of-age novels are two of my favorites to read, so this book provided the perfect combination for me. It was like connecting up with an old friend because I had previously read the author's book about searching for her birth mother. Since I also came of age in the Midwest just a few years prior to the author, it was easy to relate to the lifestyle of that time period. Readers should be warned to keep a box of tissues at hand as they read about the ups and downs of Julie's growing-up years. Thanks to NetGalley, She Writes Press and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

A beautiful memoir.

I loved Twice A Daughter, Julie Ryan McGue's first memoir, and so I couldn't wait to read this when I found she had written another. Twice the Family tells the backstory, right from the beginning. It's beautifully written, and so emotional.

Julie and her twin Jenny had been told early on that they were adopted. Wanted. Loved. I read so many sad stories of abandoned and abused children-it's so lovely to read one so different, so many beautiful memories, which just make your heart melt.

Family memories; medical things, all told with warmth, pleasure and emotion. Wonderful memories, happy times, and heartbreaking moments too. Takes you through so many emotions at the family's changing fortunes, all so unpredictable.

A wonderful book.

This book resonated with me as an adopted person, and it is the first one of it's kind that I have read. I usually avoid anything that deals with this subject, not only in book form but movies, documentaries and podcasts too. Julie Ryan McGue was adopted along with her twin sister as a baby and this memoir is an account of her trying to find her birth parents, her life with their adoptive parents, and growing up with siblings who were the natural children of her adoptive parents. It is set in the USA and the closed adoption was arranged through the Catholic Church, much like what happened in Ireland and the UK. This novel is a slow burner, there were a lot of pages where nothing much happened and yet there were lots of insightful discoveries too. `I could not help but compare the tragic lives many unmarried women had in comparison in Mother and Baby homes in Ireland, and the cruel way these women and babies suffered under the mantle of the Catholic Church, right up until the 1980's. This book certainly is an emotional poignant read, and if you are a lover of memoirs this one is for you, it covers all the bases and is written in a simple style that makes you think.

Very touching story. At times, was an emotional read watching the girls struggle.

Julie and Jenny Ryan were identical twins, born in 1959, by a single mother who named them different names. But their birth mother relinquished them to the state of Illinois and a Catholic Charity set out to adopt them with another Catholic family in need of children. They grew up loved, and their parents kept adding children to their family. Whether by birth or adoption, sometimes making the girls question if they belonged or not.

This book shows the events in the twins' lives and how they finally found their own identity, not the ones their parents expected they have.

A beautiful story.

*I received a complimentary copy of this ARC via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
This was a touching and emotional read. The twins are very close and rely on each other to help their mother with the other children in the family. There is a sister that has special needs and is loved and cared for by the family. That ends up being a very sad part of their lives.
I highly recommend this book.

This memoir was raw and didn’t hold back I found myself crying with everything the twins went through and the mother’s relationship unfolds and followed her and shaped what kind of mother she chose to be.

A memoir of adopted twin girls, Twice the Family (2025) by Julie Ryan McGue is a fervid account of her growing up in the 1960s through 1980s, in the western suburbs of Chicago. Aware of her adoption and eventually part of a larger family, it's a heart-rendering tale of family, identity, various tragedies and the complexities of the experiences that form us. At times, it's a difficult read, yet inspiring and a testament to the identical sisters' bond that shines so brightly throughout the narrative. A touching book, in three parts, being Identity, Belonging, and Becoming via the personal lens of Julie’s adoption, family, and becoming the person she is. A tender tale with a four star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to She Writes Press and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

I enjoyed McGue’s second book. This one is about her growing up in a bustling family with all the joys and sorrows.
Ryan writes a heartfelt memoir full of candor and caring.
Her close relationship with her twin shines in every chapter as the Ryan family grows and then suffers some devastating losses.
I really liked the author’s first book about her search for her biological origins.
This book is equally captivating because it fills in her life in her formative years, college experience, and then as a young career woman in the early 80s.
It’s a great read.

Loved this! This was very sad! Crazy to believe that this real, So much of this book had me in tears or just staring at a wall.

A fascinating, engaging, heartbreaking memoir about resilience and relationships. Very intriguing to learn about the twins and their struggles. Highly recommend.

Thank you, #Netgalley #Twicethefamily, for this ARC

Unable to download to kindle, so can't give a review. Have tried several ways to download without success.

I received a free copy of, Twice the Family, by Julie Ryan McGue, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Julie and Jenny are twins from Chicago who were adopted. Being from Chicago I know a lot of places talked about in this book. I really liked this book.

Very interesting book.I really liked the development of these two girls and how they faced obstacles as they got older. The parents were amazing because they wanted to adopt and they did. She also suffered many miscarriages as well.Even after she adopted these children she had some children of her own but some die too. This woman was remarkable because she carried on with the strength of all these tragedies. These 2 girls were adopt.Ed had a great personality.Attitude because they have to strive in a ver restricted catholic upbringing. This was a really refreshing book to read.Because it shows how families can stick together.Despite all the tragedies what happened in this book. The parents were very level headed with their girls and even if my mother was suffering depression. The brothers were fine as well. This was a great book.

Twice The Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood – Julie Ryan McGue – 2025 –
This book is the prequel to Twice A Daughter (2021). Julie Ryan McGue is an award-winning author who has written three books that focus on adoption and family life. She is a grandmother with four adult children and divides her residency between Indiana and Florida.

In 1959, following the birth of identical twin girls at Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the girls were transferred to Saint Vincents Orphanage operated by the Catholic Charities. In a closed adoption, Julie and Jennifer Ryan were adopted by observant and devout Irish-American Catholic parents. The couple adopted a 3-month-old boy called “Skeeter” (1961) and went on to have children of their own: Patrick, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Anne, Mark Edward (d. 04.01.1970) and “Susie” who was born visually impaired with special needs. The Ryans settled in LaGrange, Chicago, their children attended Catholic Schools until high school graduation, and were considerably active in their local parish.

The Ryans always openly discussed adoption with their children. Julie and Jenny were very close, overcoming the stigma associated with adoption, and answered the curious questions of childhood friends. They did not begin to search for their birthmother until adulthood. As the oldest children, Julie and Jenny helped their mother care for their siblings and helped a great deal with housework and other chores. The Ryans were devastated when Susie tragically died from a preventable illness, and Mrs. Ryan was questioned by the police. The memoir concluded when Julie and Jenny attended college and eventually married. The love and value of close family ties was truly appreciated and celebrated. *I had to read this book when I saw the adorable cover featuring the twin girls in matching dresses! With thanks to She Writes Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Julie Ryan McGue for blessing me with an ARC copy.

This was a gripping memoir of family, love, resilience, and coming of age of twin sisters that were adopted. The emotional depth with which Julie wr0te her memoir was captivating. This is a true example of family. Our children need room to grow into who they are meant to be, although the we parents have our ideas of how things should be.

This was a phenomenal read, and I look forward to reading Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging by Julie Ryan McGue.

I would like to start off this review by thanking She Writes Press and @julieryanmcgue for allowing me to read this book, Twice the Family, via #netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

This memoir is a companion novel to the memoir I read last week, "Twice a Daughter." Much like that memoir, the author ratchets up the emotion and pulls at the heart strings in this memoir that begins with her being born and ends, appropriately, with her becoming a mother herself. As a child, her family faces several challenges and deep, tragic losses. These all form the foundation of her faith, beliefs, and sense of self. Most important to her sense of identity is that she has had a built-in best friend in her twin, Jen, since they resided in their birth mother's womb. Equally important to her sense of identity, though, is that she is deeply loved by her family. This causes her to realize that she can form her own beliefs and opinions as she grows into an adult because she knows even if her family doesn't always agree with her decisions, they will always support and love her as they alway have because love is what has brought her family out of their darkest times.

I really enjoyed this memoir. While maybe not as exciting as her first memoir, it gave solid background information into her formative life. I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

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Thank you to net galley for this eARC. Unprecedented love for this book. I loved how author's experiences are put in a book in a manner that is beyond genres.

In a first, a nonfiction would feel interesting to all sections of readers. It's beautifully written. Thre are raw emotions and the backbone of the narrative, i.e. twin sister relationships, and the brother-sister hood associated with adoptive children are worth your time.

The book is poignant, and evocative. It feels like someone very close to you is sharing their story with you.