A really beautiful story about abuse and trauma. I loved the writing style and weaving the past and present.

super late to review this one but I looooved the writing style and creative premise of this one. had me hooked from the jump and loved the themes explored as they related to family and mental illness. definitely will keep an eye out for whatever else Solomon puts out! 4.5 rounded down~

The problems with this book are entirely my fault. I thought the themes and conversations surrounding racism, homophobia, trauma, abuse, and mental health were well executed. The writing is fantastic and the narration by Gabby Beans was superb and added to the story. If you choose to read this, pick up the audio. The issue for me is that stream-of-consciousness books or literary horror rarely work for me. I wanted more actual house haunting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux | MCD, and Macmillan Audio for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. I did find the beginning to be a bit disjointed and confusing with shifting perspective, but the last 50 pages really carries this book and lets everything click into place for the reader. The greatest horrors are every day reality and this book plays well into that theme.

This was an interesting horror book, more to psychological intense slowburn kind of horror. There are darkness lurking around with the sense of dread. Although, it does take time for me to warm up to the story and characters as we learned on the past and the background

I read around 20% of Model Home and whilst the writing is beautiful the content is just not for me right now. I may come back to it later on but it was just a bit too dark for me at the moment.
Content warning: Child abuse, fatphobia, murder and suicide

This was a very unique take on a haunted house novel, but I don't want to say too much and spoil anything that happens - suffice it to say, I loved this and will continue picking up / requesting anything Rivers Solomon writes in the future. Ethereal, dreamlike, emotional, heavy on the symbolism and themes of home, belonging, and acceptance - just stunning, can't recommend it enough.

Weird things always happened in the Maxwell house growing up in an all white gated neighborhood. Mom refused to believe any of it was real and would not move. Now, all three of the Maxwell siblings are grown and flown, but return to their childhood home after both parents die. Were the events of their youth supernatural, or were they because they were the first black family in the neighborhood?

I just can't get enough of Rivers Solomon's writing. They keep you guessing at every turn, and builds a creepy, gothic atmosphere that seeps into your bones. From the time Ezri arrives at the gate until the end of the book, you are gripped by this book and it doesn't let go. I love the deep character development, and how each of the siblings are so different, but somehow alike.

Highly recommend this book if you like horror, haunted houses, and books that make you feel.

A thought provoking novel that explores identity, belonging, and the fragile concept of home. The reader is pulled into a world that is unsettlingly distorted. The characters are complex, each struggling with personal and societal problems. This novel left a lasting impression.
Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and To Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you MCD for the copy! This is such an impeccable piece of work that immediately brought Rivers Solomon to the top of my list of favorite authors. Never has a book's opening lines stunned me so greatly that I had to stop and stare at a wall for a moment. Solomon writes, "Maybe my mother is God, and that's why nothing I do pleases her. Maybe my mother is God, and that's why even though she's never once saved me, I keep praying that this time, she will."

Model Home follows Ezri, who is brought back to their childhood McMansion in suburban Dallas only to find their parents dead. Murder isn't out of the question, but the real investigation is determining exactly what, rather than who, did this to them. What ensues is a simultaneous fever dream, love letter, and horror story — all aspects of which are brilliantly executed.

Solomon, with their gorgeous prose and well-paced narration, does not miss a beat. They manage to subvert the classic trope of the haunted house, and in turn, reinvent the wheelhouse of what a continuous exorcism looks like. This concept of suffering being deeply entrenched in our identities, of trying to extricate our most dreadful aspects, only to reconcile these horrors with the environment that caused them... Solomon reminds us that our worst imaginings are always in some way rooted in reality, and isn't that the most terrifying part?

Perfect doesn't even begin to describe Model Home. I can't wait to read more from Solomon.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

A classic tale of death bringing you back home to the place of your childhood traumas, Model Home is the story of Ezri, their sisters Eve and Emanuelle, and the three siblings' childrens' journey as their parents' shocking, sudden deaths draw them back to the place of their nightmares.

As children, the Maxwell children and their parents moved to their new home with all the hopes of this being the next step toward something great for all of them, though it quickly became obvious that they were the only black family in the area. Despite their neighbors' apparent friendliness on the surface, a host of odd and terrifying things began happening soon after the family's arrival--children going missing inside the house, class pets dying gruesome deaths, etc.--and much of the blame was placed on Ezri as the 'odd' one of the family.

Coming back to the place where so much bad happened to you is already hard enough, but as the mysteries of their childhood unravel around them and they are all forced to face the different ways they remember their younger years and have processed their trauma and memories since, how will the Maxwell siblings and their families deal with the horrific revelation of what truly happened back then?

my thoughts? ⬇️

I have to start by saying that this book was beautiful. The prose was delicate and poetic without leaving the grounds of realism and I have *so many* quotes highlighted throughout on my kindle that I'm sure I'll look back on from time to time. I have always been a sucker for a haunted house story that's used as an allegory for trauma or grief, and *boy howdy* was there some grief and trauma to contend with in this one, from breaking generational cycles to struggles with identity to racism and thinly veiled segregation-forward behaviors to things that are *so much worse* that I'll be listing below in my trigger warnings with a spicy little spoiler warning attached.

But while this book was beautiful and told multiple incredibly heavy, important stories, it was definitely one that hit a little too hard for me, personally. I nearly DNF'd multiple times just based on the content alone and had to take breaks because I was determined to finish without pushing myself too hard. (I even listened to the last bit of it on audiobook at a higher speed because I couldn't bring myself to read it with my eyeballs, but that's my trauma and not at all reflective of the quality of the book.)

Model Home gets a 3 ⭐ from me for being a book I know I won't personally be picking up to read in full again despite knowing it would be an amazing, important read for so many other people as long as they can handle the trigger warnings. So read with care, please, take care of yourselves, and keep in mind again that my trigger list below will contain spoilers.

trigger warnings ⬇️

racism, hate crimes, racial slurs, classism, sexism, child abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, gaslighting, animal death, animal cruelty, murder, gun violence, violence, death of a parent, grief, vomit, mental illness, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, suicide, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, body shaming, chronic illness, eating disorder, drug use, relationship between an adult and minor, *pedophilia*, sexual assault, sexual assault of a *child*, predatory behavior, manipulation, grooming, sexual violence, rape.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love the concept of the novel but the execution was not done very well and the main character did not help their teenage daughter as much as they should have when a serious situation with a predator arose. That alone made me drop my rating from three to two stars, I wish I liked this book more but I really just couldn't.

3 stars

This review is a bit up-and-down, because I think a big part of why this book didn’t land for me had to do with my expectations not matching the experience. This book was sold to me as a race-conscious haunted house horror novel, which I was really excited for, but after reading it I think it would be better described as a literary-leaning social thriller. It’s a pretty interesting social thriller, but that’s not what I signed up for.

The good parts of the novel have to do with the prose, which is lyrical and voicey and very well written, and with the depiction of a protagonist with some kind of dysphoric disorder. While Ezri has received various potential diagnoses from professionals in their life, and Solomon doesn’t pin them to a single psychiatric category, their experience rings true to that of a family member of mine who has been diagnosed with DID. DID and other dissociative disorders are often misrepresented in fiction, especially in thriller and horror fiction, and so I really appreciated the honest portrayal shown here.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that the experience of reading this novel, especially after the first quarter (which charmed me with the lovely prose), was what I would best describe as ‘unpleasant.’ It’s not fun to be in Ezri’s head, and it’s not fun to experience the messy family dynamics of the Maxwell family, and it’s not fun to watch various characters become vulnerable to malicious actors. The fact that it’s grounded in realism rather than the more fantastic lean I had been hoping for only made it more depressing. The book doesn’t owe me fun, but I wish I didn’t dislike the experience of reading it so much.

So, I think this is a well-written book, but its marketing gave me expectations of a book I would have enjoyed a lot more. Perhaps I would have preferred this book if I’d known going into it that it was a social thriller about an appearance-focused, communication-avoidant family rather than a haunted house horror novel, but I still think I’d have come away with the same feeling of ‘I’m glad I read it, but I will never reread this.’

I’d recommend this book to people interested in literary depictions of trauma, dissociative disorders, racism’s relation to housing security, sexual abuse, and complicated family bonds. I would warn readers to stay away if they feel sensitive about any of these issues.

3.5

The haunting of hill house + trauma

Crazy interesting writing
Very modern and has some really good representation
A little hard to follow
Audiobook is amazing


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Model Home is a beautifully written, genre-defying work that lingers - I can't wait to read more from Solomon.

unfortunately, despite having read a lot of Rivers Solomon's work, I don't think their writing is for me. Something about it fails to pull me in and allow me to connect with the characters. This is despite the fact that most of the plot concepts are really rather fascinating. Oh well...can't like everything

In Model Home, Rivers Solomon reimagines the haunted house narrative, setting it within a contemporary Texan gated community. The story follows Ezri Maxwell, a Black nonbinary individual who, along with their sisters, returns to their family home after the mysterious deaths of their parents. As they confront their past and the eerie occurrences within the house, themes of race, family trauma, and societal exclusion emerge.

Initially, I found the narrative's structure—alternating between past and present—somewhat challenging to navigate. The shifts in time and perspective required careful attention to fully grasp the unfolding events. However, as the story progressed, this approach enriched the depth of the characters and the plot, providing a comprehensive understanding of the family's history and the house's haunting.

Solomon's evocative prose skillfully blends horror elements with social commentary, creating a narrative that is both unsettling and thought-provoking. The portrayal of the Maxwell family's experiences in a predominantly white neighborhood highlights the insidious nature of systemic racism and its lingering effects.

Despite the initial adjustment period, Model Home proved to be a compelling read. Solomon's ability to intertwine personal and societal horrors results in a story that resonates on multiple levels. This novel is recommended for readers who appreciate horror that delves into profound social issues, offering both a chilling and enlightening experience.

I truly wanted to love this book. It sounded incredible and the reviews were glowing. Yet I had to consistently force myself to continue reading. The flashbacks to their childhood and the spooky events that happened then showed much promise and as I was finally getting into a groove with the book, it pulled everything away with a reveal that came off as both a clumsy heavy-handed metaphor and utterly ridiculous at the same time.

This is a brilliant and poignant novel that feels more relevant than ever.

The brilliant part of this horror novel is how Rivers Solomon brings classic horror tropes together with real life horrors. When the adult Maxwell children have to return to their lily-white neighborhood after the death of their parents, they quickly discover that there may have not been anything natural about their parents' deaths.

Rivers Solomon's writing is superb, keeping the reader engaged with the story as the characters wade through the plot of heavy themes and twisty turns. The book turns dark, taking the reader through horrors as promised. There are moments that left me in shock, having to continue to read as quickly as possible.