3.5 stars rounded to 3! I will start this by saying I am a SUCKER for haunted house novels. Anything haunted house related, sign me up. Add in LGBTQ representation and we have a winning combo. The writing in this is what sort of threw me for a loop. In some moments, I adored the way the story unfolded and at others I was a little thrown off. I do think that that is more a fault of my own and not the authors, however. Overall, this was a wildly different take on the haunted house trope and the ending was wild!

Quick blurb from publisher: Rivers Solomon turns the haunted-house story on its head, unearthing the dark legacies of segregation and racism in the suburban American South. Unbridled, raw, and daring, Model Home is the story of secret histories uncovered, and of a queer family battling for their right to live, grieve, and heal amid the terrors of contemporary American life.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC/ALC!

This one wasn’t for me but this author is a talent. I will still recommend their work without hesitation.

So, I really liked some of this: the "woman without a face" imagery, the horror of a black family moving into a white neighborhood, the trauma of being in abusive household, and, also, just the relationships between the siblings. But ultimately, this book was not for me. I had a hard time following it sometimes because it jumped around so much, and because the narrator went on several long rants. My ADHD does not take kindly to getting side tracked like that. Also, honestly, I hated the ending. The reveals changed the story from ruminations on interesting topics to a ridiculous thriller, in my opinion. Also, some of this just made me uncomfortable, but that's definitely a me-problem. There are some storylines that I don't like reading about and this had one of them.

No complaints about the narrator though. They did a good job with the material.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This is my first Rivers Solomon book, and I now absolutely understand the hype around their work. While I anticipated a "haunted house" horror story, this novel was ultimately so much more than that. Yes, there were certainly elements of horror and suspense, and I was genuinely afraid for Ezri the entire time. But the book's strengths lie in the character development, the narrative voice, the relationships between family members, and the development and reveal of the thing that has been haunting them all along. I also thought Gabby Beans' narration was exceptional, and I highly recommend the audiobook format. (Although, truth be told, I had both an audio and physical copy, and I enjoyed going back and forth between the two so that I could highlight my favorite passages.) To truly enjoy this book, I think it is best to go in knowing as little as possible, so I will leave my review at that. Thank you so much to NetGalley for my advanced copy. I'm looking forward to reading more of Solomon's writing in the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook copy!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

MODEL HOME by Rivers Solomon follows Ezri Maxwell and their two sisters. Ezri has been called back to Texas by their sisters when something has happened to their parents. Their parents still live in the home the Maxwell siblings grew up in, a home that they each left far behind as soon as they were able. It is a home that never felt safe and always had an air of menace around it.

Returning back to their roots, forced to deal with tragedy, the siblings begin to remember more about their childhood days and the traumas they went through. As they ask more questions and speak about the unspoken, more answers come to light.

All I knew going into this book is that I have really enjoyed Rivers Solomon's writing in the past and that this was promoted as a "new kind of haunted-house novel". I think it does live up to that label, but it also maybe sets up some wrong expectations. This is a book much more focused on family and identity and trauma than an actual haunting, so I wouldn't recommend this book to those looking for a haunted house story".

That said, this book grabbed my attention very quickly and I think it played with the tropes of a haunted house well in the mix with everything else going on. I really enjoyed Ezri as our main character and the relationship we see with their daughter and their sisters as they go through everything this book contains. The book lived up to my hopes with Rivers Solomon's writing as well.

MODEL HOME just came out in October, so it is available now!

Three adult siblings return to their parents' haunted Texas home, the only one owned by people of color in an otherwise white neighborhood, when one of them receives unsettling text messages but can't get any response. A horrific discovery awaits, and from that point on the siblings begin to uncover disturbing truths about their upbringing.

This was truly one of the most f*cked-up books I've ever read/listened to (I listened to the audio for this one and the narrator hit all the right notes). I don't read horror, hardly ever, but the themes of race, gender and sexual identity, and family drew me to this one, not to mention the haunted house aspect.

I thought the story was compelling but it seemed to wander a bit in places. All in all, a unique and unforgettable book that was beyond my expectations.

Trigger warnings for mental illness, racism, child ab*se, p*dophilia, disordered eating, s*icide, and animal harm.

3.5 stars.

Not for me. I requested this to read in October, as I always like to stock up on "spooky stories" to get me in the Halloween mood. This wasn't quite what I expected, and not my favorite.

This is a book that demands to be read at least twice. While there is a story of a "haunted house" on the surface, it isn't really what you would traditionally think of. There is a lot more going on below the surface with this one, most of it revolving around politics of race and class in the United States. Very nicely written but sometimes a bit dense to get through; read this one close and more than once.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

"The comfort of a particular history, no matter how horrid it might be. Its ours. A magic only we can weave."

MODEL HOME by @rivers.solomon is not your normal haunted house story so be ready to be taken through a not-so-fun-house of unexpected horrors. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers @mcdbooks and @macmillan.audio for the e-ARC and audio-ARC.

🏠🏠🏠

After the death of their parents, Ezri and their two sisters go back to the home they grew up in to sort out their family affairs but they are greeted with more questions and an outpouring of childhood memories and trauma. A mostly wealthy white neighborhood, the family moved in when the kids were young and their mother was desperate to be the most perfect family on the block going so far as you telling them to be slivers meaning quiet, well-behaved and barely seen or heard. Very soon after the family moved in dark, scary things started happening in the house that the siblings have all but tried to bury in their memories.

Overwhelmed by the reasons they originally moved to England with their daughter Elijah in tow, Ezri begins unpacking more than they originally bargained for.

🏠🏠🏠

Bedazzlingly spooky and deeply layered with an undertone of anxiety, this dual-timeline story weaves a tense family entanglement built on suffering in silence and the dangerous facade of perfection or in this case, "black Excellence." A whole new level of exposing the family's dirty laundry is a major theme and the discussion about the siblings remembering events differently was one that really hit home as I have often found the same with my siblings - "Jarring. The different versions of events we all have."

There are so many trigger warnings here including childhood sexual and emotional trauma, deeply seeded racism, wild parental expectations and being "othered." There is a lot going on here and I would not be surprised if I pick this one up again for a reread someday as it is so compelling but I suspect I did not catch all the intricate layers. This one was definitely hard to read but well worth the effort.

This novel started our slow but quickly grew into a suspenseful read that I didn't want to stop. I'm not someone who normally likes haunted house stories but this one worked because the focus really wasn't about this house.

This novel also leans heavily into social commentary and representation for black, queer neurodiverse individuals. The author does not shy away from those aspects but instead weaves them into the narrative. The story was also surprisingly adult with plenty of “adult situations”. I find it refreshing when author's don't sensor themselves.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Model Home was my second attempt at reading a Rivers Solomon novel, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me again. I was initially drawn in by the unique premise—a haunted house story centered on the hidden horrors families leave behind, exploring trauma and generational pain as the real ghosts lurking in the home. It sounded like a fresh and intriguing approach to the haunted house genre, one that would examine the weight of family secrets and unresolved issues as lingering presences.

However, the writing style made it challenging for me to stay immersed. At times, I couldn’t tell if events were actually unfolding or if they were metaphors, blurring the line between reality and symbolism in a way that felt disorienting rather than engaging. While I appreciate the ambition and artistry, the style just wasn’t for me. Still, thank you to the publishers for the early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for providing an arc, and to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Model Home releases October 1, 2024

“This house lures in animals with a death wish.”

Model Home was such a disjointed read, and I’m unsure if that was due to the main character having a dissociative disorder, or if it was just the writing style in general.

I struggled with the inconsistencies of quotation mark placement and only choosing to use them for dialogue half of the time.
I found that the audiobook did a poor job reflecting that Ezri and Elijah moved from England to America as there were no distinct British accents.

If you’re looking for a traditional haunted house story, this isn’t it. However, if you like when a book’s horror is defined by racism and trauma (similar to The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson), with a focus on family drama told through the lens of a gender-fluid main character, then this might be for you.

I can’t say if it was the narrator or the actual story but I had a hard time with this story. It to me was so all over the place. I had read so many great reviews but honestly for me it just wasn’t there unfortunately. I listed to this thru audiobooks and my mind would hust wander and it just couldn’t hold my attention very long. I am glad that so many others did enjoy it tho

4.5 rounded down. I reallyyyy loved this. It's been a while since I read <i>The Deep</i> so I was thrilled to be reminded just how lyrical and haunting Solomon's writing is. While this isn't the first book to use the "haunted house as trauma" metaphor, it's executed in a way that I found very moving. Solomon writes so intentionally and emotionally about mental illness, racism, queerness, and family trauma. I especially recommend this as an audiobook.

Ezri returns to their childhood home where they and their siblings grew up as the only black family in a white suburb to find her parents dead in an apparent murder suicide. Ezri and their siblings are forced to confront their pasts and their presents to determine what really haunted that house their entire childhoods.

As with many of Solomon's reads this dealt with a lot of difficult topics including racism and child abuse. It was a good book, but a hard read. I felt that it was more of a thriller than a horror novel.

I thought did a good job switching between perspectives within the book.

I definitely struggled to get into this one due to the voice/audio narration. I found the storyline intriguing and the ending blew me away, but the voice was difficult to enjoy.

A haunted house story unlike any other. Ezri moved all the way to England to escape the house they grew up in. But now something is wrong. All three Maxwell siblings will have to return to the house that still haunts them in order to move on. But is the house really haunted--or is something else going on?

Go ahead and plaster every trigger warning imaginable on this one, because true to Rivers Solomon form, it gets dark. The exploration of trauma and sibling relationships was expertly done, and the twist at the end took me truly and horrifyingly by surprise.

I haven’t had time to read this yet — I’m so sorry. I plan to read it when Libby has the audiobook available.

Model Home is an intense emotional rollercoaster. It deals with family dysfunction, trauma and racism conceptualized into horror. Ezri has been running away from her past and is forced to deal with it when her parents are killed. Ezri and their siblings are complex characters that are dealing with their childhoods in different ways. There are many instances that have you wondering, what really happened in that house? And who is responsible for their parents deaths? Solomon explores the themes of racism, family trauma and how we carry it with us through strong characters and eloquent writing. At times, the pacing was off, some scenes lingered too long and others felt too abrupt. The narrator imbued the complexity of Ezri and the creepiness of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC.