Lockstep question

Although the more typical use of warp drive and wormhole space travel has been in broad use and is commonly understood by younger readers, the use of long distance space travel described in this novel appears to have gone over the heads of many. The shipboard travel itself is fairly mundane, but the author's use of deep sleep demands some understanding of math. The explainations within the novel cover the details, and the characters make use of the issues of time in their tactics. Some readers go so far as to complain about the repeating of the details, while pointing out how they did not fully comprehend the concept. This novel seems to straddle the unfortunate line between overloading readers with details and confusing them with unexplained concepts. Ironically, this form of travel is actually far less complicated than those others. Is it really the science that has tripped up readers or is it more in how the author has defined the terms?

Is it possible that the publicist had simply sent early copies to readers less than fully prepared to wrap their heads around these hard science concepts?