House of Cotton by Monica Brashears is a gripping contemporary southern gothic novel that explores the struggles of a young Black woman named Magnolia Brown. Magnolia is broke, orphaned, and haunted by her grandmother's ghost. One night, Cotton, a mysterious stranger, walks into her gas station job and offers her a lucrative modeling job at his family's funeral home. Despite the strange requests Cotton makes, Magnolia accepts the job, hoping it will solve her problems. However, things soon take a sinister turn as Magnolia realizes the true nature of Cotton's family business.

The author masterfully weaves social commentary into the story, highlighting the challenges faced by poor Black women in the God-fearing South. The writing is intense and enthralling, keeping readers hooked until the very end. Each scene is crafted with care, and every sentence packs a punch. Magnolia's character is relatable and sympathetic, making readers root for her as she navigates the challenges thrown her way.

House of Cotton is a must-read for fans of southern gothic fiction and anyone looking for a thought-provoking and intense read. Monica Brashears is a new, dazzling, and essential voice in American literature, and this debut novel is a testament to her talent.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
It was ok for a Southern Gothic novel. This is not my normal genre, but it was creepy and dark. I didn't have the same unexpected/eerie feeling I normal get from Gothic books though.

TW: rape, sexual abuse

Magnolia is nineteen years old, works at a gas station on the night shift, and is out of money. But things get worse when her grandma dies, leaving her struggling to pay rent to a predatory landlord. So when a man named Cotton sees her and offers her a lucrative modeling job, it’s not long before she accepts. She finds out she’ll be based out of Cotton’s family’s funeral home and while modeling isn’t technically an incorrect term for what she’ll be doing, it doesn’t even begin to describe the oddness of her gigs. As her jobs become stranger, other odd things begin happening to her, making her question what’s real and what she should be most afraid of.

I finished this book and had no idea what I’d just read or what I should think of it. This work of fiction had darker themes and didn’t shy away from addressing the dangers of being a young Black woman on her own in the southern United States. However, the way the author incorporated these painful experiences was tastefully done and never got more graphic than necessary, though there were several instances of graphic sex (consensual). While it did dip its toes into the mystery, supernatural, and horror genres, this was more of an introspective character study that looked at grief, loss, race, class, patriarchal societies, and sexuality.

The premise of Cotton’s scheme/job was a bit far-fetched, but people in real life are into some weird things so it’s not outside the realm of possibility. While I enjoyed how many of the darker events were left to the reader’s imagination or incorporated subtly, I felt that the author also did this with many other parts of the book that should have been explored more or at least made more concrete. A few examples include there being no discussion of the supernatural aspects of the work (though those were some of the best parts) and not much context provided for the characters’ backgrounds (would have liked some explanation of Magnolia’s Tinder flings and her very specific needs from them). The plot also suffers from feeling a little vague and underdeveloped throughout the work. The ending was also a letdown in its vagueness and left me wanting more especially relating to Magnolia’s character growth (or lack thereof).

This read was so bizarre that I ended up liking it overall despite feeling like it was lacking in some areas. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you’re a “Why?” person. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published 4 April 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Magnolia Brown has just lost her grandmother, she works a dead end job at the local gas station, and she’s dealing with a sketchy landlord and an unwanted pregnancy. One day, Cotton offers Nola a modeling gig at his funeral home. But the modeling isn’t what she expects. Follow Nola as she deals with her past, her present and what her future holds. I really enjoyed this book and I am thankful I got the opportunity to read it before its release!

Thank you for this opportunity. This book was smooth as all hell. It was raw it was gritty and it was real. The narrator? Ooooo she gave life to a a debut novel that spat the reality of many of us southerners. This will definitely be bought.

This was ASTOUNDINGLY good. The narrator (Jeanette Illidge) may be the best I've ever heard! Her character voices are exceptional and it really makes the experience. This novel is both exciting and melancholy. Unlike many thrillers I have read recently, this one doesn't build build build to an obvious crescendo. It's creeping and atmospheric and not at all shlocky. I read a lot of critiques bemoaning "woke" entertainment (which I hate, but here we are). I think this is the novel to get those critics to chill out and really enjoy horror informed by the experiences of underrepresented populations. I'm so galvanized to actively seek out more horror/thrillers by Black authors, and more audiobooks narrated by Jeanette Illidge.

Get your hands on this as soon as you can! I highly recommend the audio version.

This was just not for me, tbh. While I agree with most reviewers that the author does have a talent for writing (love the narrative voice and tone), the fact that there's not much of a plot really brings it down for me. I did love the audiobook narrator though. She really brought life to Magnolia's character and the novel in general.

The blurb mentions that this novel explores poverty, race, and religion, but I felt like it did none of those. We just experience life through a poor young black woman's eyes who has been dealt a harsh hand in life (absent mother, newly deceased grandmother, and a landlord and a boss that take advantage of her), but there's no actual social commentary? Unless you've never experienced poverty, or being black or WOC, or lived in the bible-loving South as a non-Christian, then maybe this counts as eye-opening social commentary.

Magnolia, the MC, isn't really someone I cared to root for, which I think didn't really help with the social commentary aspect. She's very young and naive, which is fine for her age and life circumstances, but there's no actual introspection regarding her actions. I would've liked the novel much better if Magnolia reflected more on what was happening to her or what goes on around her. Things just happen to her. And that's pretty much it.

****Minor spoiler**** Although there's a series of scenes regarding her pregnancy and abortion that I thought was well done and really showed self-reflection on her part. ***End spoiler***

The main plot point of the novel (Cotton takes on clients and pays Magnolia to model as deceased or missing figures) was supposed to have a huge impact or meaning, but it just felt like a poor naive black girl being taken advantage of by two older white people. Sure, she gets paid under the table but the whole thing is sus to the nth power. Is that the social commentary that the blurbs were talking about? Honestly I have no idea.

Don't get me started on the gratuitous sex scenes where Magnolia sleeps with random Tinder guys and they're described in unnecessary detail. I guess that's also social commentary on modern dating.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this arc.

Magnolia is dealing with grief from her grandmother's death and struggling to keep her house on her income from working at the gas station, so when a mysterious man comes into her work and offers her a "modeling" job, she accepts it. While the job is lucrative, it isn't exactly what she was expecting, and Magnolia finds that her problems are not going away with her new wealth. While the story is well-written, it's also filled to the brim with trauma, which made it a difficult read (though that is the point). I don't think this is a read for everyone, and I don't even think it was necessarily a read for me, but I think people interested in dark southern gothic literature would enjoy this, especially because it covers really interesting topics like race, class, and grief.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

This Southern Gothic tale was just not something I enjoyed, I did my utmost to try to get through it but could not. I appreciate that it is a very creative and imaginative. Hopefully others will enjoy it. Thank you for my advanced copy in return for my honest review. DNF

I want to start by saying thanks to MacMillian Audio, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for supplying me with an ARC of “House of Cotton” for an honest review of this novel which is available on shelves everywhere starting Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Overall, the book was good but it was bizarre. I feel like this book walks the thinnest line of macabre/gothic and overtly sexual. I also feel that this book requires a disclaimer before reading it because the description of the book did not feel like it covered some of the darkest topics that readers would be exposed to. **So here is my slight spoiler with some trigger warnings incase you're planning to read this novel: Abortion, death, grief, decay, sex, trauma, drugs, prostitution**

The description of the book that I expected: “Nineteen years old, broke, and effectively an orphan, Magnolia doesn’t have much to look forward to. She feels stuck and haunted: by her overdrawn bank account, by her predatory landlord, by the ghost of her late grandmother Mama Brown. One night while working at her dead-end gas station job, a mysterious, slick stranger named Cotton walks in and offers to turn Magnolia’s luck around. He offers her a lucrative “modeling” job at his family’s funeral home.”

How I would describe the book: Our book opens with a tragic story of grief as Magnolia realizes that her life is forever changed after the death of Mama Brown. With a creepy and lurking landlord - happy to offer “alternative” options to pay, $19 dollars in her pocket, literal ghosts from her pasts, and a dead-end job there is little she isn’t willing to do to make her life even a bit better. So when a charming man saunters into the gas-station during a late night shift and offers her a modeling job we take a deep dive through a book with no plot, simply a story that we are traveling through. With deeply intimate moments and darkly graphic opportunities told with gorgeous prose and a unique voice this book leaves me questioning and charmed with every step. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

What I Enjoyed: The book was different and bizarre, and very free from many of the molds that I feel like I typically read within. I never really felt like I knew what was going to happen next because the author truly created a narrative that was so different from anything else I’ve read. Despite a non-existent plot, and rather normal characters, I felt like I just couldn’t stop reading. However, if you are the type of person who listens to audiobooks aloud beware because there are scenes out of nowhere that are definitely NSFW. Next, the way that the prose is written created detailed and elaborate scenes that helped me to experience the book. Finally, the exploration of grief in multiple forms throughout the story was tantalizing and sad and unexpected in every way. I feel that the duality of the grief with the customers as well as her own personal narration of the loss of her grandmother added depth and tone.

What I Wish was Different: Overall, I liked this book a lot but I didn’t feel like it was accurate to the description of the book I thought was getting - and the market that this book was made to target. I also felt that in terms of narration, this book could have been elevated by showcasing different voices for Magnolia, Cotton, and Eden. Finally, the book felt overtly sexual without having a point to anything regarding the plot. Regardless, neither completely ruined the experience for me, but I could see how it would deter others.

I struggled with this book at times. I had a hard time getting interested in it. Part of it may have been the setting of the funeral parlor. It was an interesting concept, but it was not one of my favorites.

The only positive thing I have to say about this book is that it’s well written. The words flow and I didn’t have to reread entire passages because it’s one, massive run on sentence. At no point did I find this story captivating, if anything I found myself rolling my eyes at the many far fetched and dare I say ¿cringy? moments. The characters are extremely flat- you can tell that the author spent lots of time painting the background but not enough time with character development. The content completely distracted from the overall message.

House of Cotton, tells the story of Magnolia who just lost her grandmother and is going through financial troubles. She is offered a strange opportunity to model and the situation becomes increasingly bizarre. Magnolia is unhealthily coping with trauma and grief. Brashears's writing shows Magnolia's complicated story through vivid descriptions and imagery. While there is no specific plot, it follows how Magnolia is experiencing and reacting to the world around her that is filled racism and misogyny. The poignancy of her thoughts and the relationship with her grandmother is what drew me into the story. This book has dark elements, but House of Cotten is a unique story and it stays with you.

We meet Magnolia who is nineteen and basically alone in the world. Her mother, Cherry, was a drug addict who jumped from man to man, leaving Magnolia behind. She has just lost the one and only person she could count on, Mama Brown, her paternal grandmother.

Magnolia is trying to get by, working at the local gas station at night. But she knows that won't even come close to covering her bills. Sugar Foot, her landlord, offers her a deal on the rent in exchange for some "favors".

One night at work, she meets a man named Cotton who would like to help her get into model. She isn't sure if she can trust him, but it sounds better than Sugar Foot's offer, so she decides to trust him.

This was not an easy or pleasant read. There are graphic scenes, rough talk, and not everyone is on the up and up. You will feel uncomfortable. You will feel sad. And you will feel angry.

Through it all, you feel for Magnolia, a young girl just trying to break out of the cycle of proverty.
She's mixed up in things that aren't great in an attempt to make enough money to get out. You feel her grief for her grandmother and the loneliness of not having anyone to depend on. And you hope beyond hope that she can make something happen and get out.

I believe this is a debut novel, and I will definitely be looking for more from this author. This is one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish!

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very interesting debut novel by Monica Brashears. This makes you question yourself, what would you be ok with doing when you see you only have 19 dollars in your checking account. I have to give it to the author that this story was definitely unique on what a modeling job at a funeral home would entail.
This story was easy to devour through and the characters were well explained. There was just turns that made me go...What?!?! I s she really doing this? well yes, she did. I was thoroughly confused with the ending and it left me having more questions than answers. This may not be a fave of mine but I am looking forward to seeing more from Monica. Thank you to NetGalley and Monica Brashears for the eARC of this audiobook for my honest review.

If you're uncomfortable weird sex and rotting grandma ghosts this might not be the book for you. I loved it move than I had any right to. I felt the relationship with the Grandma and Magnolia. The hidden change that Magnolia stole, daily, and it refilled, my dad and I did the same thing.
The performance from the narrator cannot be topped. I don't think there is anyone else alive that could read this book like this. It was perfection.

Magnolia has just lost her grandmother, the only stability in her life, and is now facing the stark realities of those who can’t wait to take advantage of her perceived vulnerability.

She finds herself working with a shady aunt/nephew duo as a sort of actor. In her roles she channels the dead for grieving families, stalkers, and lovers. Each time she seems to catch an essence of the woman she’s representing. And each time it gets a little darker. A little stranger.

Honestly I’m not a fan of the paranormal, lyrical, or horror so this wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but there are so many layers to this story to digest it’s well worth the read.

3.5 stars. Magnolia just lost her grandmother and is feeling pretty rudderless. She's coerced into prostitution in order to pay rent, but she soon comes across a strange offer from a strange man — would she like to model? Turns out, the "modeling" gig is a rather bizarre one, and at a funeral home to boot. Haunted by the ghost of her grandmother as well as some of the decisions she's making, Magnolia descends further into the madness that is the House of Cotton.

This book is...weird...but enjoyable? I think? Truthfully I had NO idea what I was getting into; I thought this was historical fiction so I was extra taken aback by the direction it went! The pace is pretty quick and it did hold my interest, out of sheer perversion most of the time. There are makeup wizards, tinder douchebags, and some of the oddest zoom calls you could ever imagine. It's glorious in its singularity and strange plot points.

I'm not sure that I "got" the message that the summary promises, the witty commentary on modern plantations and being a black woman in the south. Magnolia's experiences were objectively awful much of the time, but I just didn't feel the connection between her story and something grander. Might just be me! Either way, this book was a unique ride and I'd recommend checking it out if you're looking for something truly out-there.

Thank you to Monica Brashears, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

3 stars

This book gave me a lot of visceral reactions, and while that may sound like an overtly bad thing, it's very much the point. Readers just have to be in the mood for it and have a high tolerance for some subject matter that many will find challenging.

Marigold is a young woman who is on her own in terms of her family structure, her financial support, and the institutions that comprise her world. Out of necessity and circumstance, she falls into a situation that readers will KNOW is creepy...but it's actually worse than expected. Through limited options, Marigold makes choices with her body, her welfare, and her personal safety that often have shocking outcomes (at least to me. I might have realized during this read that I am becoming more sensitive to certain issues). While it can be easy to judge some of Marigold's choices, it is also impossible to avoid empathizing - or at least sympathizing - with the circumstances that happen TO her. Whether readers love, hate, or fall somewhere in the middle with this read, I expect most will have a strong reaction to this character, at the very least.

The joint comparison of this book to _Luster_ and especially _The Other Black Girl_ hooked me instantly, but I'm coming out of this one so focused on the macabre, visceral, sensory elements that I'm still trying - post completion - to really dig back into the general plotting and overall concept. I struggled with some of the content enough that it hampered my enjoyment and appreciation of the novel overall, but conceptually, I know this is an author I want to try again.

Did I love this book? Yes. Do I know who to recommend this to? No. There were so many themes of self destruction, lost, feeling an emptiness inside, but no plot. It was very in your face, but I don't know who I could suggest it to. This is not my normal type of book, so I have nothing to compare it to. The writing I really enjoyed.