Listening to this audiobook was like eating a baumkuchen cake: endless layers pressed so tightly together with pockets of air or sticky syrup between that it was often difficult to determine just how many layers you’ve punctured. Though of course this wasn’t nearly so sweet as a German confection. This is a story of torment and abuse - with a twist that would be very familiar to thriller lovers but is so much more insidious for what it implies about all the layers that were built up from that previously hidden or unknown foundation.

And I think what makes this so much more heartbreaking is how we see the impacts of these siblings’ trauma radiating out to their children for both good and ill. How Ezri, so trapped in the prison of their own pain, can miss Elijah’s needs and the warning signs that have readers screaming at them to just look.

Above all, these characters are deeply flawed and bound up in their shared experiences. I think I would have liked to see more of Emmanuel in the first half of the book, because I think it would have made her reaction to the ending a bit more impactful, but honestly this book is a wrecking ball either way.

CWs for child sexual assault, dead animals/pets, suicide, racist and homophobic slurs, grooming, gaslighting (this is a noncomprehensive list, so maybe check out some other sources for more)

Mother is god......Mother is God....Mother is GOD...Mother IS GOD

I will first take a minute and praise Gabby Beans for her outstanding narration of Model Home. I have never been so impressed by the execution of so many characters. The expressed feelings were phenomenal and the moods were palpable.

Rivers Solomon serves us a seven course meal rich in emotion and truth of humanity's real horrors. I will caution you that this is not a book for beginners of any genera. This is a very, very heavy read. Please check the trigger warnings as there are several.

This book....I'm still mulling over how to share this experience as I know for a fact it will not leave me any time soon, if ever. It's powerful and so perfectly executed. I read a lot and I've seen authors try to include this much in a story and fail with execution. Solomon set in motion this story and it flowed so beautifully. The ending, when everything came crashing down around the family, still, the steady flow continued.

You can get an idea of the story from the synopsis, but know that this is a psychological horror with a real monster toward the end of the book. The journey this family experiences is one remembered more strongly when white neighborhoods were abundant and black families were a rarity. This being a story set in more modern times, I think gentrified neighborhoods with colored families will have the same struggle which is expressed in this novel. There's a bittersweet element in this serving that I won't spoil for you, but I loved that Solomon did what they did with it.
Genocide is to humankind like water, air. There is no such thing as never again. -73% (kindle percentage marker)

Like the few horror authors that reflect the horrors of humanity perfectly in their novels have an effect so visceral, it rivals anything so manifested by the imagination. There are things that you will read in this novel that will make your skin crawl and break your heart, truly.
No one would ask a girl, mid rape, why she was screaming. -64%

I would encourage you to pay close attention to the notes in the dishes Solomon serves, that may not be the main focus, but if recognized and understood, the overall experience will become that much more fulfilling.
White speak on...white speak off.
"A house is no more than what's inside of it."

I can go on and continue to praise this bold publication, share more passages and dote on the exceptional moments I found ground breaking. Instead, I won't because you just need to pick it up and read or listen to it yourself and then share your thoughts because I am so excited to see how many people this novel impacts.

October 1st is the expected release date!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I thought the summary of this book sounded good. However I actually stopped listening around 40% of the way through. The timeline was hard to follow. The blunt writing by the author just wasn’t for me. I didn’t like any of the characters and it was just hard to listen to for me.

This gripping tale of the Maxwell siblings—Ezri, Eve, and Emmanuelle—explores the suffocating weight of childhood trauma and the chilling legacy of a haunted home. With a haunting atmosphere and deeply flawed characters, the narrative is both heart-wrenching and eerily compelling. As the siblings return to confront their parents’ mysterious deaths, the lines between psychological horror and supernatural dread blur, forcing them to unravel dark family secrets. The emotional depth of Ezri's struggles with identity and guilt is beautifully portrayed, making this a thought-provoking read. It's intense, unsettling, and sure to resonate long after the last page. Gabby Beans does an excellent job narrating this story and I highly recommend the audiobook!

Ezri Maxwell and their sisters, Eve and Emanuelle, grew up in Oak Creek Estates, a mostly white, gated community in suburban Dallas. From day one, the Maxwell family didn’t quite fit in, and soon after they moved in, strange, unexplainable events began to unfold. Despite the hostile environment and bizarre occurrences, their tough, headstrong mother ensured they stayed put.

Now adults, all three siblings couldn't leave the house fast enough. But their parents remained—and were later found dead in what police are calling a murder-suicide. Ezri, however, doesn’t believe it. They’re convinced the house finally killed their parents. Determined to uncover the truth, Ezri returns to 677 Acacia Drive, this time with their own daughter, to confront the mystery alongside Eve and Emanuelle.

This novel offers a deep, thought-provoking narrative that feels as relevant as ever. Ezri is a messy, yet intricately crafted character who fully acknowledges their own brokenness. They even wrestle with the possibility that they might be the source of the house’s dark energy: “Was it me all along, deluded and deranged, who made [the house] into something sinister? It is me who haunts, me who is the ghost?”

The story is laced with ambiguity, allowing readers to interpret events in different ways. Beyond the supernatural elements, this book explores deep themes of systemic racism, familial love, and gender, making it very much a novel for today.

The only part that didn’t quite land for me was Ezri’s interaction with a neighbor named Keith. His response to Ezri’s grief felt overly harsh and somewhat unrealistic, almost pulling me out of the moment. While it’s possible such encounters happen, the extreme reaction felt forced.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book—it’s layered, modern, and packed with compelling themes that stick with you long after you finish.

I dnf it like 30% in. I could not follow along. Maybe if I had the book I could understand it more. But the back and forth pov from past and present was confusing. The main character was confusing as well.

Model Home by Rivers Solomon is a atmospheric and thought provoking story about a haunted house and the family that grew up in it. This book has a great balance of moving plot to character growth and development. Right when it feels like this ngs are getting slow the pace picks back up. And when things are moving too fast it begins to focus on getting to know the characters better. The characters are multifaceted and unique. Their trauma broke my heart time and time again. Model Home does explore sensitive subjects like racism, eating disorders, pedophilia, and others. If you're sensitive to these topics make sure to check content warnings before reading. The audiobook was nice but the narrator's voice didn't have enough emotion for me to really feel the story. The ending wrapped things up really well but I think it actually wrapped it up too much. I would have liked a more mysterious ending to fit the dark and creepy vibes more. But overall this was a good choice if you're looking for a thought provoking and unique take on a haunted house story.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

After their parents die tragically, three siblings must return to their childhood home: a beautiful house that they suspect is haunted in a gated community where they were the only Black family. I came for the horror, but this is so much more than a haunted house story. It’s a stunningly written, diverse book about family, memory and the real cost of fitting in. From the everyday uneasiness of existing in a body, to faceless creatures roaming the house, every type of terror is treated equally. I want to scream about this book to anyone who will listen. A new all time favorite.

I was really excited by the blurban thought this would be a great listen I tend to prefer my Horror in audio format for some reason lately, so was really eager to dig into this one and started listening as soon as I was approved. Unfortunately, I struggled from the very beginning with the author's writing style. It just didn't resonate with me at all and I had a hard time staying with the story. I felt lost In the language and not in a good way, but in a way that distracted me from what was going on and made it difficult to stay engaged. I'm in the vast minority here, as most people seem to have really loved it both in book and audio format, but it just wasn't a good fit for me at all and I wasn't able to finish.

“How cruel that our parents, unexorcisable, go on inside of us. How cruel that we cannot disimbricate their ghosts from our being.”

I think this is one of those stories where the less you know the better so I’ll keep this review short and sweet.

When Ezri gets a text from her younger sister telling her that she needs to come home immediately—back to her parents’ Texas estate—she enters back in to a house of horrors that she hoped to never return to. This is literary horror at its finest. It provides an enticing, fresh new twist on the haunted house trope, using the house as a vehicle to explore deeply buried trauma.

Luscious, lyrical prose brings this intense, gritty story to life. Beautifully haunting, the dread and tension palpable—nothing ever feels quite right—it’s a highbrow, fever dream of a story that is guaranteed to knock readers off of their feet.

Meditations on racism, mental illness, complex familial relationships and generational trauma, and queerness—specifically transness and gender fluidity. I can’t recommend this book enough. I can't express how much I loved this novel and the narration by Gabby Beans made it even better.

“It is me who haunts, me who is the ghost?”

Thank you Macmillan audio for the copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 10/01/2024! Posted to Goodreads. *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*