My favorite genre of the moment is horror stories where the horror isn't the supernatural or horror elements, but the real world horrors that persist outside of the book and inform it. This is an absolutely perfect haunted house book, where the scariest things are systemic racism and generational trauma (though the haunted house is scary, too!) Five solid stars- although I wasn't sure where we were going on this ride through a haunted mansion, I was all in for it and I was left breathless by the end as secrets came to light and the horrors of one generation are passed down unwillingly yet again. Stick with it and it is rewarding!

"And I think that's because, well, when we speak of a house that is haunted, all we are speaking of is a house that is violent, and many houses are violent."

Rivers Solomon did it again, wrote this magical book that's equal parts beautiful and devastating. We don't get a traditional haunted house story, because it is not in Rivers powers to write something without the ability to transform.

We're following the reunion of siblings after the tragic death of their parents. On the surface it looks like a murder suicide, but based on their history with the home, the siblings believe a ghost is to blame, the Woman Without a Face. In order to learn how this tragedy happened, we have to go back into the past when the family first moved into this home. To the politics of buying the former model home of the community, to being the only black family in a white gated neighbourhood, to growing up "other" and the struggle to be on constant alert to prove you belong.

While there is power in overcoming there is also vulnerability to staying. Whether it damages our mental or physical safety. Is a house a conduit for trauma and resentment, or is there other factors that turn a should be sanctuary into a prison. What is the psychic toll of our parents expectations on our being, and how do these pressures manifest?

It's a book about how hard family relationships can be. How hard society expectations can be. About dealing with racism, sexism, homophobia. It's really just a powerful read that feels very necessary right now.

Thank you to MCD and Netgalley for a review copy of this novel. And take a second to bask in how gorgeous every element of that cover is. Wow.

Slow paced at the start that gave place to a dark, yet full of commentary on issues that affect society in current times such as gender, race and sexuality and the many stigmas on neurodiversity. These commentaries were completely included in the story and didn’t feel heavy or dense, which is amazing to keep the vibes of the story going.

This was not at all what I expected. Definitely don't go into this thinking it's a haunted house story. There is a lot of parent/child and sibling relationship discussions, which some were great conversations. It brings up some very disturbing topics. Check trigger warnings before reading. None of them bothered me but I also wasn't a fan of a few of the scenes or discussions going on. The ending did explain things and wrapped up pretty good. I am not a fan of this writing style at all, and at times I found it hard to follow along or stay interested. I appear to be in the minority on this, but unfortunately, I did not care for this book.

Thank you NetGalley and author for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #ModelHome

I loved this one, the premise was wonderful and the writing was absolutely beautiful. Though, to be honest, the subject matter of this book makes rating it difficult, but I can say that I was engaged for sure

Creepy and bleak; not your typical haunted house story. A story with a dual timeline dealing with traumatic familial relationships. Heart wrenching and horrific

This is social horror that relies heavily on
Vibes. I loved it set up- siblings reluctantly going back to their family home after their parents die- and it gave me a lot to think about. The house was a character itself and I loved that. Maybe a little less scary and a little more social than I typically like my horror, but I get where the author was going.

This is a hard book to review. It’s well written and the author is gifted at putting you in their character’s shoes. The issue for me is I found Model Home listed a horror novel, and went into reading it expecting horror. What I found is more of a drama with elements of horror. It’s a beautiful look at generational trauma and I loved how the literal haunting of the characters played out next to their family trauma haunting them as well. I enjoyed the relationship between the siblings, and the representation of Ezri as a gender-fluid character. However, there were some parts that felt unnecessary and slowed the pace of the book. As a drama, I would give this a 4, but as a horror I would give it a 2. Meeting in the middle to give it a 3.

A lot of people describe this book as bleak and painful - and I couldn't agree more. Yes this is horror, yes this is an excavation of childhood trauma, yes this has so much to do with sibling dynamics and relationships. I loved Solomon's use of the Haunted House and personally appreciated the controversial second half of the novel. To me, it felt satisfying.

Model Home by River Solomon? Straight-up masterpiece. This book is everything—powerful, thought-provoking, and deep on a whole other level. The writing is lyrical and haunting, and the themes around identity, class, and the American dream hit hard. Every page felt like a gut punch in the best way.

The characters were so real, their struggles so raw, and the world-building was absolutely next level. This book isn’t just a story, it’s an experience. It stuck with me long after I finished it.

Big shoutout to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars--

Rivers Solomon is an incredible author. They are at the top of my list of authors who I will read every new release from, though this one didn't hit quite as hard for me as An Unkindness of Ghosts, The Deep, Sorrowland. Even so, this was a gripping gut punch of a horror read.

The Maxwell siblings--Ezri (they/them) and their sisters, Eve and Emanuelle--were raised in a very white gated community in the Dallas suburbs by affluent, upwardly mobile parents with exacting standards of Black excellence for their children. When their parents die in a horrific way, the siblings are drawn back to the home they grew up in. A home that haunts each of them in different ways. A home that may have killed their parents.

Solomon upends the haunted house trope, making their characters and the reader question what's real-world horror and what's supernatural horror. There's a lot to dig into in this book. The relationship between the siblings, between Ezri and their tween child, the history of racism and segregation in the US, how siblings process shared childhood experiences differently, how childhood trauma affects one in adulthood. It's definitely a thought-provoking read, as one should expect from Solomon.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

what a unique take on the haunted house story — not my favorite Rivers Solomon but still very well written and it’s chewing on a lot of themes. Monsters are amongst us!!

This was a whole new spin on the classic hated hours horror movie trouble and it was a wild ride from start to finish. I loved every minute of it.

Thank you NetGalley for the readers' copy but unfortunately I had to DNF this book quite early into the story. Let me be clear, Rivers Solomon is incredible and this book is, I have no doubts, fantastic but this is a question of bad timing. I did not have the mental fortitude for these particular trigger warnings. Pausing reading this was self-care.
I have every intention of finishing it but right now, in this current climate, I’m gonna take a beat.
👍

I love the inclusion Solomon always puts in their stories. This was a haunting tale that explored mental illness, racism and parenthood. Beautiful written and horrifying.

A long, repetitive and not entirely satisfactorily resolved novel that nevertheless is delivered with passion and deep feeling. The haunted nature of living as a successful black family in a wealthy, all white community is not exactly a novel scenario but Solomon does a goodish job of delivering the gothic goods with racial overtones. More problematic is the narrator’s voice which grinds away at their sexual complexity and accursedness to the point of near farce. I wonder if it should have been a novella?

“When we speak of a house that is haunted, all we are speaking of is a house that is violent, and many houses are violent.”

This is a haunted house story like no other. A lyrical masterpiece of a horror story!

You might love this book as much as I did if you enjoy:
💚 explorations of generational trauma
💚 complex familial relationships
💚 disability and lgbtqia+ representation
💚 unique writing styles
💚 nonlinear narratives

From the very first page, I was utterly captivated by Solomon’s writing style. Its deliberately disjointed, metaphor-heavy and nonlinear nature perfectly captures the horror of the events unfolding in the life of the protagonist Ezri and their siblings. Their writing made me question what was real and imagined, literal and metaphorical, and while it fits the narrative, it also made it difficult to follow parts of the plot, which is the reason this wasn’t quite a 5⭐️ read for me.

While the writing was, at times, somewhat difficult to follow, I appreciate how perfectly it encapsulated Ezri’s thought processes, and their own inability to understand their past. I also highly appreciate how Solomon has chosen to illustrate the very different influences trauma can have on people through the depiction of Ezri and their two sisters. They are all complex characters, each dealing with grief and resurfacing memories in their own distinct way.

I’m already looking forward to rereading this in the future, but until then I’ll be busy reading all of Solomon’s other works!

TW: Death of a parent, animal death, sexual assault, child abuse, racism, suicide, hate crimes, grooming, and possibly more.

'Mother is God, and we are here.'

This story unfolds in such a dreadfully lyrical way that has you questioning everything you're reading all the way through. The story revolves around the Maxwell siblings, primarily Ezri, as they are forced to confront the harsh realities of their childhood & home. Some of these areas included abuse, both physically and emotionally, mental health trauma, rape, and racism. While incredibly bleak, I am a sucker for dysfunctional families drama and anything that has me questioning which character is worse. Creeping up on the ending and that final twist had my jaw on the floor. I can confidently say, that that was one of the more disturbing twists I've read in a while.
This was one of my more anticipated reads of this fall and it did not disappoint. Thank you very much to MCD x FSG publishing for my gifted copy!

4.5/5

I absolutely loved the slow, suspenseful build of this novel. The way the book weaves conflict and horror together is just masterful. I need more people to read it so I can discuss it with them!

I am so thankful to MCD, Macmillan Audio, Rivers Solomon, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this galley before publication day. I really enjoyed the dialogue and plot of this book and can’t wait to chat this one up with my friends!