A literary horror story about a wealthy Black family and the creepy haunted house they move into. This story has great neurodivergence and disability rep (diabetes and mental health disorders) plus very relatable queer characters

This was powerful and unflinching. It was a bit dark for me, but that was expected. Highly recommended.

I read Model Home based on my faith in the author, Rivers Solomon. I normally do not read horror - horror readers might not even consider this horror. But for me, it definitely slides from creepy into actual literary horror (whatever that is). A sense of dread permeates every crevice of the book. Horrific things happen. I give Model Home five gold stars and don't want to read anything like it for a long, long time. Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

At its core, Model Home is about the ways adults do not protect children. It is also about memory and family and forgiveness. It is about race and class and identity. But the horror at the heart of the book is the very real experience each of us has had of not being protected by someone who should have stood up for us, and about the adults who preyed on us. While many of us do not experience the extreme horrors found in this book, I think most of us had the family friend who always insisted on a neck rub, or being bullied and a parent choosing to ignore the situation. The author took these common experiences and turned them up to eleven. Part of the book's horror is how easy it is to see how things came to be the way they are. This book explores many interesting ideas, never taking the easy way out, always insisting on the full, rounded, truth. We humans are both unimaginably harmful to each other and also, we are the best things about each other's lives. There is beauty and love and hope among the greatest grief.

Ezri's family is the only Black family in their gated community south of Dallas, Texas. And Ezri is probably the only genderqueer kid in the neighborhood. But that isn't why they or their two younger sisters have been estranged from their parents for decades. The Maxwell children left home because disturbing, unexplainable things happened there, perpetrated by Nightmare Mother.

When they suspect something has befallen their parents, Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle return to their childhood home to confront their ghosts and understand what has happened to their parents. A haunted house story that explores themes of racism, family dynamics, gender identity, and the cycle of abuse, Model Home was a deeply impactful story and I think will be one of my favorite books of the year. Honestly, this book deserves to be a modern classic next to Beloved.

I love that Ezri is deeply flawed and makes missteps in nearly all of the relationships we see in the novel. They are not painted as a great queer saint, but rather as a human who is trying their best to exist in a system that is often working against them. Their sisters and daughter likewise all make various missteps throughout the novel, but they are all actions driven by grief or adolescent naivete. I appreciate that all of the choices feel human and consequences feel rational. (Yes, I am saying this about a haunted house book.)

Gabby Beans' narration of this book is absolutely phenomenal. She inhabits the character voices -- it was like listening to a radio drama. I wish I could award an extra star just for her performance. It was just incredible. I cannot say enough good things about it.

I do not often re-read books, but after having experienced the full story and getting to know all of the characters, I found myself wanting to immediately start the book over again. I wanted to try to know them better and I was not yet ready to leave Ezri and their family.

This book contains descriptions and implied instances of abuse. Please check trigger warnings and take care of yourself while reading this book.

I have seen Model Home described as a story about a haunted house and haunted people. It is this and so much more. It is a story with many complex themes including trauma, grief, abuse, mental health, and racism. Model Home is a work of speculative and literary fiction with beautifully written prose. I don't usual annotate books, but there were many sentences and passages that deserved to be highlighted.
I read the book while also listening to the audio book. The audio book is narrated by Gabby Beans. She does a great job bringing this story and characters to life.

Thank you to Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Macmillan Audio for the ARCs.

This is my first Rivers Solomon and definitely won’t be my last. They have such a way with words, and I felt myself entranced by the family they wove in this story. Very sad but ended on a hopeful note.

Model Home didn't initially sound like a book I would pick up but after reading a number of reviews, I requested it and was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy. I am so glad I did because it was truly an original story with a lot to think about and I know it will stay with me for a long time.

The Maxwell family has lived in a fancy Dallas suburb for a number of years. Ezri has returned home after the death of their parents and what plays out is a haunted house story that's true horror is racism. Touching on a lot of relevant topics, readers will find a lot to explore in Model Home.

The audio production was fantastic and I am so glad that I got the chance to review it. I loved the narration and will look for more titles from this narrator.

Ezri flies back from their current home in London when their siblings are unable to reach their parents. When they go to the house, they find both parents dead in suspicious circumstances. The rest of the book unfolds in the setting of a haunted house story, but really it’s an exploration of Ezri’s experiences growing up as a black, genderfluid person. I loved this and did not want to put it down, and the audio narrator is absolutely perfect for this book. Solomon’s previous book really stuck with me and I suspect this one will, too.

Rivers Solomon's Model Home explores family, race, and identity through the Maxwell family. Solomon's exceptional prose blends horror with themes of sexuality and neurodiversity, creating a disturbing yet thought-provoking narrative. The story centers on Ezri and their siblings, with Gabby Beans' narration enhancing the audiobook experience.

The novel depicts racism through insincere white neighbors attempting to oust the Maxwells, contrasting external conflicts with internal family struggles. Solomon candidly addresses adult themes, offering an unfiltered portrayal of the characters' experiences. The author reveals how support and compassion can heal trauma, while exposing the shocking root of the family's pain.

Model Home provides a powerful commentary on Black, queer, and neurodiverse experiences. Though unconventional in its approach to horror, the novel challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths and the complexities of human relationships.

This one was a DNF for me at 38%.

First, I loved the way this horror story was written in such a literary way. It was beautifully written as far as I got, examining the diversity of the family and the difficulty of living in this horrifying neighborhood.

I had to stop after listening to a particularly graphic sexual scene. It was consensual, but it felt very disturbing to me. I didn't especially need to hear the details of this encounter, and the idea of returning to this book and the possibility of having to hear another graphic scene is not appealing.

If this is not a problem for you, I would recommend this book. It is not often a literary horror comes across my path, and I am sad to have to leave it.

"We can't be disappointed by men we never once believed in"

Gut-wrenching, shocking, and heartbreaking.

This is a story about a family terrorized by a house. It's a story about racism, trauma, and gender fluidity. This story of siblings and their attempt to untangle their childhood memories of a haunted house, their parents, and what they know to be true. It bounces between one of them as a child and then as an adult, come back to the house now that their parents are both suddenly and shockingly. . .gone.

I did this as an audio with an amazing narrator and there were times I had to stop and catch my breath, the tension and dread in the story was so tight. It's hard to say I love this one but I definitely felt drawn into the story and it will stay with me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you to Rivers Solomon, Macmillan Audio, Farrah, Straus, and Giroux, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

Haunted house stories use all of these qualities to create a setting that often becomes its own character in the story. Model Home certainly knows the genre and uses its tropes and certainties to its advantage.

Model Home follows Ezri and their family as they move from New York to Dallas and into a model home in a gated community. They are the only black family in the Oak Creek Estates but the Maxwells persevere. Bad things start to happen to the Maxwells and as their family grows, tragedy after tragedy rains down on them. Years later Ezri is back in their hometown after leaving. Questions arise and they and their family must face the truth.

That's the most you should know of the plot before reading. I think that the less you know, the better.

I listened to this book and was at the edge of my metaphorical seat the whole time. Solomon not only captures the voice of their characters but creates the world in a way that feels like you could walk into it and be there.

That place makes the ambiance of the book what it is. It is that which lets the horror creep out and into your spine. When a character steps into a seemingly innocuous house during the day, you can feel the underlying menace. When family members talk, the tension of years seeps into their words. The nuanced way the presence of Ezri’s mother makes itself known and yet Ezri, at times, feels themselves as not whole and overshadowed by a long-gone person.

All of this complexity is created in the prose. A mixture of clinical and luscious language put us in a vivid and inescapable place. In which terror is right around the corner and trauma is omnipresent.

So much of the book felt like a dream, or really a nightmare. The ghosts that haunt the siblings are many: supernatural parental, generational, historical, and personal. Whiteness is a monster, a predator. The expectations and parent’s guidance become more of a burden than motivation. We cling to dreams even if they hurt us. We become so poisoned by our own grief, that we might not be able to see and help those around us. The most ordinary can hide the most hideous. Family inheritance can cause its own pain.

Pain and its inheritance is a huge topic. The brutality and dehumanization of racism is an ever-present haunt. How it harms in its madness not only obliterating the person of its target but also the surrounding communities and families.

What holds it all together is the relationship between the siblings. Bickering at times and loving at others, Ezri and their siblings are forced to face the house and all the secrets inside.

"A family hurts. It does. We are born in its noose."

This is a book about a monster that grooms you to feel like you’re the monster. The monsters of our childhood follow and haunt our actions and steps.

That we, in turn, become a haunting.

All of this culminated in an ending you won’t soon forget. I felt it was a bit rushed, it didn’t take its time like the rest of the novel, and (this is more a fault with me as the reader) the movie watcher in me wanted everything to be tied into a bow. I wanted the monsters to be forced into the light and help to save the day.

Still, Solomon delivers on the promises they make in the beginning. We are left with humanity, pared down and ripe with horrors, in a bittersweet finale.

This is a bold, haunting, beautiful, and grief-filled book.

I can’t stop thinking of Ezri and the Maxwells and all the horror in their lives. But, I also can’t stop thinking of the quiet moments.

I've got my full review up on halfextinguishedthoughts.com

I’m not into slasher horror. I’m more of a mind fuck horror type of reader. And I am deeply DEEPLY disturbed by this book in the best way.

A black family moves into white suburbia. Into a haunted house.

Now, the children are adults and discover their parents the victims of what looks to the police like a murder-suicide. But the siblings know different. They know it was the house that killed their parents. And it’s not letting go of them either.

I knew throughout the book that everything wasn’t as it seemed. It was never supposed to be. The air of mystery and the Easter eggs left throughout the plot were obviously leading somewhere. But definitely not where I expected. It’s so hard to surprise me with a plot twist, my pattern recognition picks it up every time, but I was FLABBERGASTED.

I’m a big Rivers Solomon fan already, but this one is their best yet!!! The way that they discuss systemic racism and queerness in such an insightful way that fits perfectly into the plot is unmatched. If you’re a horror fan, be warned that this book has so many triggers, but it is an absolute must read!

Truthfully, I would have DNF'd this, but I powered through to the end. I like that we get some closure at the end, but I really didn't enjoy this (I don't think this is a book someone truly enjoys tbh).

This was pretty dark and there were LOTS of heavy themes (racism, classism, trauma, grief, abuse, mental illness, +more). I thought this was a book about a haunted house!!! And it was.... or was it?? It felt pretty disjointed and at times I was confused about what was going on. There were some really great quotes, and I thought Ezri's perspective was unique. Something I thought was interesting was the parent-child relationship between Ezri and her parents (mostly her mom). This really illustrates how big of an effect the words and actions of parents have on their kids. One thing said/done in passing can have a lifelong effect. This book just wasn't for me, but I know there are people out there that would love this.

Model Home is beautifully written and I loved the language that the author employs to tell this highly disturbing story. For me, however, the paranormal aspect was a bit too much and I found it hard to really engage. I think that other readers, especially those who like horror more than I do, will love this drama involving a complicated family and their haunted house. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to offer an honest review of this audiobook.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in audiobook format.

Rivers Solomon’s Model Home is a haunting and thought-provoking novel that redefines the haunted-house genre. The audiobook, narrated by Gabby Beans, brings an additional layer of depth and emotion to this already compelling story.

Set in a lily-white gated enclave outside Dallas, Model Home follows the Maxwell siblings—Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle—as they return to their childhood home after the mysterious deaths of their parents. The Maxwells were the only Black family in the neighborhood, and their home has always been a place of strange and unexplainable occurrences. As the siblings confront their past and the secrets that have long haunted their family, they must unravel the mystery of their parents’ deaths, which may not have been natural.

Gabby Beans’ narration is mesmerizing. Her ability to capture the distinct voices and personalities of each character adds a rich, immersive quality to the listening experience. Beans’ performance is particularly effective in conveying the emotional nuances of the story, from the siblings’ grief and fear to their moments of resilience and determination. Her pacing is impeccable, maintaining the tension and suspense throughout the audiobook.

Solomon’s writing is evocative and lyrical, painting a vivid picture of the oppressive atmosphere and the dark legacies of segregation and racism that permeate the story. The novel’s structure, alternating between past and present, is handled with finesse, gradually revealing the layers of trauma and secrets that have shaped the Maxwell family. This narrative technique keeps the listener engaged, as each chapter peels back another layer of the mystery.

Model Home explores of themes such as family, identity, and the impact of systemic racism. Solomon delves into the psychological and emotional toll of living in a hostile environment, and the ways in which the past continues to influence the present. The characters are richly developed and complex, each grappling with their own demons and desires. The dynamic between the siblings is particularly compelling, as they navigate their shared history and the shifting loyalties that arise from their traumatic experiences.

The supernatural elements of the story are seamlessly woven into the narrative, enhancing the sense of unease and dread. Solomon’s use of horror tropes is innovative and effective, creating a chilling atmosphere that lingers long after the audiobook ends.

Model Home is a powerful and unsettling novel that is further elevated by Gabby Beans’ exceptional narration. Rivers Solomon has crafted a story that is both deeply moving and profoundly unsettling, with characters that resonate long after the final chapter.

For fans of psychological thrillers and audiobooks, Model Home is an absolute must-listen.

Author Rivers Solomon writes thought provoking, challenging narratives, and this one is no different. The author gives us the Maxwell siblings, who reunite, after years apart, in their parents' home in a white, upscale, gated neighbourhood in Texas. Their parents have died in a shocking manner, leaving the siblings rocked by a mix of unresolved emotions.

Our viewpoint character is Ezri (they/them), who has been living in England for years. They have a failed relationship, the best part of which is their bright, curious, musical daughter, Elijah, who comes with them to the US, and to meet her aunts Eve and Emmanuelle.

Ezri suffers from depression, and is not always sure what is real, and what isn't. They are haunted by ghosts of their childhood, and as we learn, their mother's perception of them.

Eve is a high achiever and is raising twins on her own, while Emmanuelle is making a name for herself on social media.

When children, there were a number of unexplained, terrible incidents that left all the siblings emotionally, and in one case, physically scarred. The siblings grew up thinking there was a ghostly woman without a face who lived amongst them, but their parents disbelieved them, only compounding the frustrations and difficulties of their thoughts and perceptions being dismissed by their white, affluent and bigoted neighbours and schoolmates.

Now that they're all back together under one roof, they cannot avoid dealing with their memories, even while they wonder what actually happened with their parents (the police believe it is a murder suicide, much to the family's anger).

Ezri suffers much being back home, and feels guilt and confusion about their past-- did they actually harm their siblings multiple times, or was something else at work? Is their mind to be trusted, ever? Was this why their parents are dead, or why Ezri has trouble bonding with their daughter?

Rivers Solomon pulls no punches, giving us a deeply emotional, and often brutal, story of the ways family can support and tear one down, but also the ways in which bigotry is incredibly damaging for those on the receiving end.

The narrative deals with dysfunction in the family, and the insidious, false friendliness of the white neighbours, constantly looking for ways to undercut the Maxwell family and drive them away.

At the same time, Solomon shows how support, honesty and compassion for oneself and for others leads to a long overdue rapprochement amongst the siblings, but also the reveal of the shocking cause of so much pain and mistrust in the family.

I read and listened to this story, and Gabby Beans delivers a nuanced, sensitive interpretation of Ezri and their siblings, and all of the horrors surrounding them in the audiobook.

It's difficult and intense reading, and listening, but there is also hope at the end. I liked this story, and appreciated its darkness and terrific prose.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and to MacMillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Model Home by Rivers Solomon is many things. Part haunted house story, part family drama, part coming-of-age story, and more. The story is also about the love between siblings that transcends torment. It is about how parents want life to be better for their children, and that sometimes that doesn't work out. Filled with intricately realized generations of genderfluid black family, the story is raw and personal. Every time I thought I had a handle on what Solomon was doing with the story, they twisted things around and I had to start over with my detective work. At its core, Model Home is about the death of two parents and how their estranged children come together to figure out what happened to them. I loved this book so much. I look forward to every new Rivers Solomon book.

Model home takes us through the lives of the Maxwell siblings as they continue to navigate their distance from the white suburbia they were raised in outside of Dallas. Being the only Black family in the neighborhood, the neighbors were nice enough, but upon moving scary unthinkable things began to take place within the home. Was it ghosts? Demons? Whatever held power, the Maxwells heeded their mother’s word to stay put and not abandon their home.

Upon becoming adults, the siblings fled leaving their parents to dwell alone in the home. The siblings are called back home and soon realize the demise of their parents. The death wasn’t natural but was it supernatural? Ezri their sisters Eve and Emanuelle reckon with these passing determined to uncover their horrors and trauma being held in the home.

This is not your average haunted house story, this is the commentary that the dark history of segregation and deep seated racism of southern suburban America holds. It is elevated horror. This is a visceral, raw, heartbreaking story of a queer family trying to survive the traumas they’ve endured. This is the story of what lengths your mind will go through in order to protect you. This is story that is full of discomfort and disassociation as a means of protection. It’s compelling, poetic, horrifying and complex. I cannot even begin to imagine how painful and cathartic processing this story must have been. Solomon is so intelligent and concise in their writing this story will stay with me long after reading.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed Bad Fruit, Bitter is the Heart, and lovers of elevated horror. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc!

Macmillan Audio ALC
I have not read this author before, and wow, what a writer. From the very beginning, the horror elements were dark and visceral. I was instantly hooked into Ezri's POV. Their character was written in a way that kept me on edge for the entire book because it was easy to wonder what exactly was happening in their house while growing up. The haunted house kept me on edge the whole time. When I thought things couldn't get scarier - they did. There was also a lot of trauma and sibling disagreements because of their upbringing in this house. I thought there was such palpable tension the entire time, and I was left shocked from beginning to end. This is so dark, so if you're a sensitive reader, I highly recommend checking triggers. While this was my first Solomon novel, it won't be my last.