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. The story tackles race, class, complicated family dynamics and other timely topics in a nuanced way through the lens of what on the surface is just another horror story. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like Alyssa Cole or Akwaeke Emezi. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Parts of this novel were just a little too weird for me, but the horror itself could have been dialed up a notch.

Model Home by Rivers Solomon is a wonderful twist on a haunted house story. It is a deeply unsettling story with themes of generational trauma, racism, and gentrification. The writing feels very poetic and emotive. Almost a fever dream. It is absolutely gripping which makes the dark aspects of the story pop. Solomon makes you realize that sometimes a house is haunted by more than ghosts. The author has a wonderful way of weaving representation in the story with the way she writes about race, neurodivergence, and the LGBTQ+ community. This book may be triggering for some, but I felt it was an important read from a different perspective.

Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Rivers Solomon for writing such a thought-provoking book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the ALC! Publish date: October 1, 2024 (out now!)

<i>"I prefer to keep secrets. If I didn't show her who I was she couldn't disapprove."</i>

This is not your typical haunted house story! Model Home is unsettling, disjointed, and gives you creepy crawly feelings, but not in the way you might be thinking. This is very much a literary social horror book and is not for everyone. I loved how Rivers Solomon addressed so many social issues under the guise of a traditional horror plot. We go back and forth between the past and present as Ezri and their siblings navigate the unexpected deaths of their parents and also hash out their childhood experiences growing up in a rich and predominately white community. Slowly throughout the book you're putting pieces together to discover what really happened to their parents and get a very raw and genuine look into their family growing up in this community. You really get to see how hard their mother had worked to make them belong in this community but also advocate for her children. The transitions between past and present are a bit muddled and not clearly defined, which accurately depicts how victims of trauma experience flashbacks. The narrator does an excellent job with all the characters and different accents!

TW: some gore and other horror elements, transphobia/queerphobia, racism and segregation, sexual assualt to a child (off page), grooming of a child (on and off page), queer slurs, bullying, mental illness (PTSD and possibly DID), and one explicit sex scene with degredation.

Thanks to NetGalley, MCD books and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. Unfortunately, I’m really not sure which way I’m leaning on this one.

For starters, this was not at all what I expected, and it was not at all what I was looking for. While that’s not the fault of the book, it did hinder my enjoyment throughout. I find the blurb to be quite misleading, as it continually questions if things are supernatural, demonic, possessive. That’s not really what this is about. There are hints, or even outright comments, but it’s something all its own.

Now that the novel is out, and it’s getting into spooky season, it’s worth noting that this is not a haunted house story. At least not the Halloween month-style most readers will be looking for. One of the things I enjoyed the most, which I assume is what they meant by ‘a new kind of haunted-house story’, is that the novel is really pushing the idea that a house can be haunted in way more ways than the paranormal. With that concept it’s really pushing those bounds with its themes.

After the death of their parents, Ezri is forced home to Texas to meet with their sisters to finalize things. While each and every occupant of the house suffered, Ezri’s journey through childhood was the darkest. Perhaps that’s why they fled all the way to England. They’ve always been different, and that’s also a huge portion of why. The author labeled them as trans, although with their desire to be and broadcast as both at different times, I did wonder if the term gender-fluid was more accurate (but I don’t know). Either way, the author does make a point to showcase their experience and traumas as different, and that stood out much more to me than most of the commentary on race, even though a huge part of the plot is them being the first black family in an all white neighborhood. However the woman in the beginning saying “so articulate”, really led right off with how the book would commentate. And from the author of The Deep, you shouldn’t be surprised there. The twist at the end also hit in a kind of Get Out way that I will not spoil.

One this that took me 100% out of the story multiple times, is that the blurb mentions upper-middle class, but then the parents actions clash with that, and then there’s also all the kids feeling like their parents were frugal and they didn’t know they had money? Right in the beginning, a neighbor mentioned wanting the house but picking a different one, the mother insinuates that it was because the woman could not afford their house. The house is commented on as being large, and inside an entirely gated community. The mother’s tastes for furniture are expensive, even imported foreign pieces. They comment on the fact that the father HAD to have a $100,000 tv. In one pivotal scene, that showcases the mother in a particularly good mood, she wants to take them to a dinner to celebrate good news. It is remarked upon that they are not dressed for that kind of restaurant. So, instead of going to change, the mother buys every single on of them a brand new outfit. Head to toe to be able to go to the fancier dinner spot. Then one sibling asks if they can ice skate after dinner at the mall too and the mother says of course. Then in the present day portion of the novel, the family is astonished to hear that they were set to receive over a million dollars prior to liquidating anything else. I’m sorry, and maybe it’s just my lower middle class upbringing catching all the surprise here, but that sounds like an incredibly wealthy family, not one breaking into the upper middle class?

As one of four siblings, there were also some very odd things the siblings did together that stood out to me, but maybe that’s just my family dynamic? Like cuddling together in bed as adults, comments on wanting to lick tears away, as well as some questionably off massaging. Maybe this was another layer to show reactions to the trauma, but it took me out of the story a bit too much.

But at one point towards the end, someone’s reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and I felt that the novel’s name drop was a really good choice as this is kind of an amalgamation of that book with the idea of a haunted house. All in all, some things in this that I really liked, and others that detracted from them.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this story right now. It's more literary than I expected, sort of a psychological suspense, and from the marketing/synopsis I expected more outright thrills and chills. Which is really just a mismatch/"me" problem! I will definitely continue this at a later time because the writing is beautiful and the vibes are great, it's just not what I expected (or wanted) for spooky season right now. Thanks for my audio ARC Macmillan!

Go in knowing that this is a very heavy book. While I liked it, I did not love it. I had both the audio and the ARC and first want to say that I enjoyed the narrator. The prose is lyrical, and it is a literary horror. I just did not connect and I feel that it jumped around a bit.
Thank you to Netgalley / Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan Audio for the audio and ARC
3 Stars

will say that Gabby Beans’ narration made this one of the best audiobooks (quality wise) !!! on the other hand, the flip floppy narratives and theme reveals had my head done in a bit… not the most receptive with audio anyways so could be mi problem!
**major thanks to Macmillan & NetGalley for having a taste of this arc!

This was perfect for October TBR and spooky season I think everyone needs to listen to this! This story had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to know how this ended!!

Model Home by Rivers Solomon is an extraordinary reimagining. The Maxwell siblings’ return to their childhood home outside Dallas forces them to confront not just a terrifying supernatural presence, but the haunting legacies of segregation and racism that shaped their family’s life. Solomon’s writing is both visceral and lyrical, capturing the raw emotions and buried secrets of a family determined to survive against all odds. The way the novel intertwines generational family trauma, grief, identity, racism, and societal horrors makes it unflinchingly powerful. This is a book that you need to go in blind to fully grasp the story. I know i’ll be thinking about it for a very long time.

I was shocked by the ending! It made sense and fit with the rest of the story. It also felt like a very Rivers Solomon ending. The ending doesn’t tie everything up in a nice bow. So bits and pieces keep coming back to me. I sometimes feel like the ending doesn’t fit and other times feel like it fits too well. So I am left torn by the ending and I think I should be.
My only minor complaint is that at times Ezra gets a little too philosophical. Some people will love that though.

Rivers Solomon does not disappoint. Their newest book Model Home follows Ezri, a nonbinary neurodivergent diabetic parent as they travel from the UK back to their childhood home in Texas to check on their parents. What follows is a dark, creepy, atmospheric story alternating between Ezri’s childhood experiences, their current grappling with that childhood and grief in adulthood, as well as the parallel of their experiences with their teenager. This is a book about a monster that grooms you to feel like maybe you’re the actual monster. This one hurt and there were many moments that were tough to read, times of wanting to yell out to the MC, wanting to hug and protect them. Be aware of the trigger warnings: death of parent, racism, pedophilia. Solomon writes a terrifying and heartbreaking story with beautiful and thought provoking prose, ending with a message of hope and healing through family after tragedy and trauma. The narrator brought this story to my ears so well, and I will definitely be looking out for more of their work as well. I will not soon forget Model Home.

This spooky story reminded me of Amityville, but the twist completely changed everything, and I was thoroughly surprised! It felt like we got a lot of details, and we also had the perspective of multiple characters. The story touches on several current issues we see, including mental health.

4.5 stars rounded up

Oof, this was intense but really good. Which is what I have come to expect from Rivers Solomon! Model Home is a horror novel dealing with trauma, abuse, mental health, and white supremacy. It follows a gender fluid parent with a 14 year old daughter returning to xir childhood home for the first time in years. A nice home in a gated neighborhood where they were the only Black family. A home that is seemingly haunted. I won't say too much about what happens, but this hits hard and is rough to read at times, but important. Note that there is a content warning for child grooming and assault, mostly off page. The audio narration is excellent and gives the right vibes for what is a disturbing book. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely terrifying in its rawness and it’s one of those books that I thought I was devouring - but really it was devouring me. Model Home calls itself a “new kind of haunted-house novel” but that didn’t prepare me for everything that would entail.

Solomon has a way of writing that is beautiful and candid but also hits you square in the gut. I first read Sorrowland by them and adored it but still need to get to The Deep. It has definitely moved up the list after listening to the audio production of Model Home. Gabby Beans killed the audio for this and gave me nightmares (thank u.)

This book is a haunted house story at its core but also explores race and generational trauma, alongside the secrets we are willing to keep for family - and how that destroys us. I will be reading this book again off audio because there were so many quotes that hit me hard that I wasn’t able to save for later.

Check this one out if you love horror, haunted houses, dark secrets, and insidious suburban neighborhoods!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this haunting title!**

"Model Home" by Rivers Solomon is a haunting and powerful novel that turns the traditional haunted-house story on its head. The story follows Ezri, Eve, and Emmanuelle - siblings, who grew up as the only Black family in a lily-white gated community outside Dallas. Ezri, raising their 14 year old daughter Elijah alone, suffers from depression, haunted by ghosts from the past that won't leave them in their peace. Meanwhile, their disciplined, controlled, high achiever sister Eve is raising her twins alone in Texas, and their youngest sister Emmanuelle is shining as a rising star on social media.

When their parents pass away, the siblings return to their childhood home, only to confront the dark and unexplainable events that plagued their family. The odd events from their childhood home left them with invisible and physically painful scars. They thought the house was haunted, but no one believed them when they tried to speak up. As the only black family and a wealthy, white, privileged neighborhood, they always felt like outsiders.

This a pretty dark and thought provoking thriller. There are multiple triggers (rape. mental health) to be aware of in reading. Please check those before diving in here. Solomon masterfully intertwines themes of segregation, racism, and family trauma, creating a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio for this audio copy. I thought the narration of Gabby Beans truly furthered my enjoyment of this book. This is a book that is going to divide readers into two camp - those who love it or those who don't. I liked it! Ultimately for me, this novel is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring impact of systemic injustices.

Great read for spooky season came at the best time and loved the take on this type of story and had some very surprising moments

Slay.

What an incredible book. I am a SUCKER for haunted houses and this one slapped. It was a bit on the heavier side and excellent.

It follows a Black family that moved to an all WHITE neighborhood in the suburbs of Texas. Dual time line with the kids coming back as adults because they haven’t heard from their kind of estranged parents in a while to find them both dead in the house that haunted their childhoods.

Deals with grief, abuse, transphobia and racism.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

This book manages to deal with grief, abuse, trauma, racism, and family dynamics all within a haunted house story. I was genuinely scared and shocked throughout the story and the TWIST, OMG! Fans of Jordan Peele’s horror movies will absolutely devour this story.

Model Home tells the story of the only black, queer family that moves into suburbia and the horrors they eventually escape. At the news of their parents death, now adults themselves with families of their own, the children must go back and face what has happened to them in the house where they grew up.

Model Home subverts the haunted house trope—it is not the house that is haunted, but the people, by the life they are born into, by the stereotypes imposed on them, by the ingrained racism of suburban neighbourhoods and “perfect” cookie cutter houses. The insidious actions of abuse and hate that can take place within the cover of such a glossy, outwardly normal setting.

The book is beautifully written for horrific subject matter, and I often had to pause just to relisten to a particular sentence because it was such a masterstroke. The gruesome nature of the novel is made more evident in its absolutely masterful writing, these gorgeous literary descriptions of the lives these children have lived. There are many quotable moments throughout.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for offering a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review.