Is it a Rivers Solomon book if it isn’t a doozy of generational trauma? This was such an excellent book and did so much with blending psychological horror and an unreliable narrator with a story of recollecting how the past shaped the present. I love how Ezri and Eve and trying to break generational cycles with their children, even if it’s not easy and not always a success. There’s also really great elements about how refusing to leave a place that you’re unwelcome in can cause lasting harm, as Ezri’s mom never wanted to move away from the white gated neighborhood they were never welcome in and experienced so much trauma by staying. The last quarter or so absolutely gutted me as things were revealed and pieces fell into place, but I also love that in the end the book has a note of hope and possibility.

I really loved the narration, though there were parts where it was hard to distinguish if it was a stream of consciousness or multiple people talking back and forth, which in some ways added to the enjoyment because of Ezri’s unreliability as a narrator and the ways they dissociated. It sometimes made the story feel distant and like a dream-nightmare.

What a unique and brilliant take on a haunted house story. I wasn’t sure what was going on at first, but the author kept me interested to hang in there and find out. I’m so glad I did.

A dysfunctional black family buys a house in an upscale, white privileged neighborhood. The children’s young lives in this house and neighborhood were things of nightmares. The siblings are now nearing middle age and are back at the house due to the unexplained death of their estranged parents. There is good LGBTQ representation in the story. There are also many social issues, racism and a ton of triggers you will want to check out if you have sensitivities.

I’d highly recommend listening to this one on audio since Gabby Beans is perfection as the narrator. This story will likely not be what you are expecting, but it’s so worth the read or listen. The writing is spectacular and the twist at the end is so well crafted and shocking.

Thank you to @maclillan.audio @netgalley and @rivers.solomon for an advanced
listening copy.

An enjoyable social horror. This was my first Rivers Solomon book and it lived up to what I expected to find in their novels. The question of course being are the monsters real or are they just part of us. A few things I saw coming - but isn't that the point of stories that explore generational trauma?

The narrator was fantastic.

Solomon's haunted house story is non-traditional, following the aftermath of the haunting and the cyles it's a part of rather than the immediate violence. While uneven, the narrator elevated the text and will bring it to a wider audience.

A harrowing horror story. This one knocked the wind out of me. It spooked me. It sent goosebumps up and down my arms. And it still got more horrifying than I expected. It sent me to this dark, dank place of silence. That was simultaneously all too loud.

This book was so different. The author, incredibly talented, with a writing style that was like a painted picture. It was velvet, raw, and horrifying. There was so much wisdom and depth packed into this book. It touched on social justice, social awareness, what it means to be someone “other” in this world. It truly makes you question who, or what, the monster really is.

This is your warning, though. There are heavy trigger warnings. I go into most books blind, and the turn this one took nearly brought me to my knees.

All of that said: this was terrifyingly beautiful. Wow. Rivers Solomon is one to watch for.

“Children, I miss your screams. Come play.”

I read a few haunted house stories recently that have all been fresh and unique. Model House definitely fits that bill. A very well written and paced novel. The narrator did an equally excellent job. The tone and cadence were pitch perfect for the story.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book definitely turned out to be not what I expected at first, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
On one hand, I liked what I got from it - it is a haunted house story, just not in the most conventional way. And the siblings dynamics was appealing to me.
On the other hand, for the exact reason that this book wasn't not 'haunted' in the most traditional way, I felt disappointed.
Gotta say: I'd never read a book by this author before, so I had really no idea what to expect from their writing or mannerisms.
Somethings I liked, some others I didn't.
I can easily see other readers enjoying this book more than I did.
The audiobook, though, is very well done. The narrator has a perfect voice for it. I honestly liked the audiobook narrator better than the book itself. lol
I highly recommend the audio version.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ezri is living their new life in London with their daughter when the death of their parents brings them back to their childhood home, a once model home in a very white Texas suburb. While Ezri and their sisters were growing up, horrific things happened to the three of them that they attributed to something supernatural in that house. Escaping it was the only way they could get away from the horrors. When their parents die, the three are forced to face the things that brought them unspeakable pain in their youth.

I had a hard time trying to rate this book. I don't want to leave any spoilers but finding out the truth at the end was the scariest thing about this modern day horror story. Solomon's prose is beautifully written, but the way Ezri talks about their sister at times sounds downright incestuous, and I can't say I've ever heard anyone talk about their family in such a weird way. That was not something I enjoyed reading. Maybe in the end this book just wasn't for me, which I totally get. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Gabby Beans was a great narrator and really brought the story to life.

This book was devastating in a way I doubt my ability to ever recover from. Definitely check content warnings, but do read it.

Genre: horror
Texas, present day

A creepy haunted house story, set in the Texas suburbs in a gated community. Adult siblings, Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle Maxwell know something is amiss and return to the house that tormented them as children to discover their parents are dead. Is it a murder suicide? Or is it the house out to kill them, like the slow torture they all experienced when they were younger.

Told primarily from the perspective of oldest sibling Ezri, who has brought their daughter from England, the story traces the reckoning of growing up Black and trans/nonbinary in a world that didn't know how to label them. Each of the siblings has their own ghosts to face. It's a haunted house story, but also the story of racism in recent history in the south.

I'm a scaredy cat reader over any jump scare horror, so rest assured this book isn't that. There's creeping, looming horror and social horror, but it isn't particularly "scary" except on an intellectual level.

Rivers Solomon is a lyrical writer, which makes this book especially good on audiobook, and narrator Gabby Beans brings the right level of dramatics to the story.

3.75⭐️ rounded up

I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio so I can leave my voluntary review.

Well… this was way more than I bargained for. In reading the description of the book I thought I was getting a horror story but what I got was so much more!

I’ll mention that you need to be prepared to read this book. If you have trouble with LGTBQ content this isn’t for you. It would be a shame as maybe you would learn something about acceptance but everyone is at a different part of their life journey.

While it’s a horror story on his surface it delves into sexual and race dynamics and fully addresses it in detailed format. The writing style won’t be for everyone. It’s not an easy or fluffy read. It takes paying attention and even some self reflection.

I listened to the audio book which I think helped with the material. The narrator did a good job however it was absolutely necessary to speed up the rate to make it listenable as it was wayyyyy to slow.


As far as the story, o would make sure to check your personal triggers as the book is heart wrenching as you take the journey with the siblings as they age and deal with their life circumstances and past upbringing.

It comes out today! October 1 2024 so while deep, it’s perfect for spooky season reads.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Rivers Solomon continues to impress with their thought-provoking and emotionally charged writing. Model Home is a haunting horror novel that delves into complex themes such as abuse, grief, mental health, and racism. Solomon's ability to craft intricate narratives is on full display, as they weave a story that is both chilling and deeply resonant.

Gabby Beans's narration is a perfect complement to the novel. Her emotive voice brings each character to life, giving them unique personalities and adding depth to the story. The audiobook format enhances the listening experience, immersing the audience in the world of Model Home.

While Model Home is a powerful and impactful read, it's important to be aware of the heavy topics it addresses. The novel contains HEAVY stuff, and readers should check the trigger warnings before checking it out.

Overall, Model Home is an eery, captivating, and thought-provoking novel that will stay with me for a long after I’ve finish the last chapter.


Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Rivers Solomon for this ALC for my honesty review.

This isn’t your typical haunted house story. We follow a group of siblings are who coming together to figure out what killed their parents after leaving a home they felt was not safe years before.

This was such a unique story. Delving into so many important issues like racism and segregation while also giving the eerie creepy feeling, this book was packed with interesting dialogue and realistic characters. I felt like I knew the mom by the end of this and feel we can all relate to some degree. I love when a book is so much more than it appears!

This audiobook was narrated by Gabby Beans. She did an excellent job with the characters.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Rivers Solomon, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review. This publishes today on October 1st!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date raving about this book!

Model home

Kicking off October with this haunted house read. This book follows the story of the Maxwell family. As one of the first black families in their neighborhood, they are weary but excited for a fresh start and entrance into an upper middle class society.

Growing up, the siblings remember strange things happening around the house, but they stuck it out. Flash to the future and the siblings have moved out, but are called to return when their parents are found dead in the home.

Ezri (who identifies as they/them) is one of our main characters, along with siblings Eve Emanuel. Ezri feels like the loner of their family, raising their child on their own while battling depression in contrast to Eve, single mom of twins who is thriving. Emmanuelle is popular and constantly trending on social media.

Ezri has constantly felt like the ghosts of his past childhood home stayed with him but feels ridiculous for speaking up. They weren’t believed then, why would them be believed now ? Do their siblings feel the same, too? And did their parents die the way it is presented or is there a more paranormal force at work?

The correlation between the events of this book and racism / homophobia is intense. I loved how these themes were tied in and the symbolism beyond a haunted house to American society as a whole was apparent for me.

The narrator was plenty spooky and filled with emotions as the main character describes their trauma and haunting of their ghostly experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC / ALC in exchange for an honest review. Out in 10/1/24!

Here is yet another darkly layered and trauma filled novel by Rivers Solomon - just in time for Halloween Reads Season!

Model Home follows three siblings: Ezri, Eve, and Emmanuelle, as they struggle through the shocking loss of their parents and are forced to return to the haunted house in the racist neighbourhood that they grew up in. As they grieve and simultaneously attempt to unravel their parent’s recent past, they uncover painful family secrets and are forced to confront all of the childhood trauma they endured.

While it’s heavy on grief and trauma, Model Home is also about the horrors of racism, classism and homophobia. I enjoyed so many aspects about this book; the haunted house in a racist gated community, the siblings bond, their sorted feelings towards their parents, and their battle to break their inherited generational trauma.

This was my third Rivers Solomon book. I read and loved both Sorrowland and The Deep last year. This one reminds me of Last House on Needless Street - steeped in trauma while keeping you guessing right until the very end.

I listened to the advance audiobook via #netgalley and @macmillan.audio It’s expertly narrated by Tony award winning actress Gabby Beans. It officially publishes tomorrow, October 1st and I cannot recommend it enough!

Very well written book, interesting storyline, a lot of trigger warnings. I know a lot of people will love it and I see it in the reviews, I just think it wasn't for me. I think I would've also liked a more open ended ending, not to have everything explained, since it is a horror novel!

✨️ Thank you @netgalley, @macmillanaudio & Rivers Solomon for my gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Author,

Your novel, filled with such beautifully dark and thought-provoking words, left me speechless, breathless. Your novel, filled with gut-wrenching horrors, taught me more about the world and the way I look at myself as a bipolar and queer individual. I absolutely loved everything about this book. Even though the subject matter was hard to stomach and hard to listen to, I wanted more. I will be buying this book. The audiobook was perfect, the narration superb; I just want my eyes to experience this as well. I will also be eagerly reading your other works.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

J. D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the chance to listen to this audiobook arc.

I cannot resist an innovative haunted house book. In recent years I’ve been so impressed by Alison Rumiftt, Clarissa Orlando, and Johnny Compton for their unique takes on a sometimes-oversubscribed genre. Now here comes Rivers Solomon, with an incredibly disturbing, intelligent interpretation of familial horrors in Model Home.

When the Maxwell siblings don’t hear from their parents for a while, they descend upon their Texas childhood home, expecting, and finding, the worst. The Maxwell family were the first black family to move into this white neighborhood, which was only part of the struggle. Reunited for the first time in years, siblings Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle reflect upon the horrors they encountered in the house, and try to solve the mystery of their parents’ death.

Model Home is devastating on so many levels. Ezri, our protagonist, is such a raw character; a parent with mental health struggles, not to mention scars from their past. The siblings tear strips off each other while grieving their parents and processing their pain, but ultimately share so much love. And the novel deals abundantly with issues such as gender, sexuality, race, and class. This is not a light-hearted beach read, this is a deeply harrowing and rewarding book.

The ghostly parts of this book are terrifying, but it is the ending that provides the true horror. Just unfathomable. No spoilers, but I was not ready for the gut punch.

I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook, and hear Gabby Beans’ amazing performance. She handled this disturbing tale sensitively, and her energy was consistent with the story.

Model Home belongs right next to Beloved (Toni Morrison) and The Reformatory (Tananarive Due) on my horror shelf. Prepare yourself, then step inside…

hi, rivers solomon is an autobuy author for me.

i don't even know how to talk about this book. i just put it down, my brain is a giant scream.

"i'm not a person but a place where bad things happen."

our main character is ezri, who is a parent, fat, genderqueer, and a diabetic(!) and after a text from their sister they find themselves going back to a place they never thought they would - home. the home looms large in texas, a sprawling thing compared to the tiny apartment in new york they moved from. from the beginning we learn of the looming presence of the HOA - a horror in and of itself - and a representative named laurie. but they also begin to realize that maybe they're not as welcome in their home as they think.

years later, ezri goes home and finds the bodies of their parents. memories of a nightmare mother erupt, memories of the lady without a face. as ezri and their sisters work to lay their parents to rest they grapple with unraveling the truths of their childhoods - is it a malevolent spirit? was their mother responsible for all the pain they went through?

don't let this book fool you. though it is rife with all kinds of visceral horrors that will send shivers up your spine, the real horrors are the legacy of whiteness and the trauma that it has caused throughout generations and still continues to cause to this day. you'll also find plenty in here about mental illness and gender and how white supremacy continues and perpetuates both in a variety of ways.

trigger warnings for all of the previous, plus child sexual abuse/grooming (mostly off page), animal death/torture, gaslighting, ableism, and certainly other things that i'm forgetting.

i'm truly apologetic that i can't write (nor could i ever write) the review that this book deserves, but i genuinely think this is the must-read book of 2024. absolute perfection.

Audiobook: Gabby Beans is a new-to-me narrator and I loved her as the choice for this book! She really captured the essence of this story and made for a captivating listen. She had an almost dreamlike quality. Good job distinguishing different voice and making it easy to follow along.

Book: Wow, what a book. This is an incredibly unique take on the haunted house trope. I love literary horror and this had some stunning writing. The juxtaposition of the lyrical prose and the incredibly dark plot was very well done. Tread carefully because the central themes are around trauma in all its forms. Other central themes are racism, mental illness, queerness, and generational trauma.

I spent the majority of this book unsure of whether I liked it or not. It felt written from a place of pain and that pain leaked onto every page. The writing felt like a fever dream and I often felt disoriented trying to figure out what was happening. Anyways, long story short, that was definitely the point. The last 10% solidified my positive opinion of this book and it was such a powerful read. Not an easy read by any means. Quite the contrary. Model Home sought to make you uncomfortable and it really drove home the book’s purpose. A very bleak and thought-provoking read. Absolutely recommend.