I am a fan of Rachel Joyce’s writing and was excited about the hype surrounding The Homemade God, a dysfunctional and toxic family drama. I tried really hard to get into this one, but it was a dnf for me. I’m still a fan of Joyce’s writing, highly recommend The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but this one didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

A family saga saved me...⁣
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I was feeling like I was getting a little slumpy but fortunately this family saga saved the day.⁣
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Summary⁣
A family saga about four adult siblings – Netta, Susan, Goose, and Iris – who are forced to confront their complicated relationships with each other and their recently deceased, larger-than-life artist father, Vic.⁣
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There was a mystery element to this one as well that kept me on my toes. And the Italian backdrop didn't hurt either. To me, this book is what makes a great summer read!⁣
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Is this on your list?? Have you read anything else by Rachel Joyce?

Set against the sweltering backdrop of an Italian summer, The Handmade God is a slow-burning, emotionally intricate novel that explores the fragile ties of family, art, and identity. When a once singularly focused artist-father abruptly remarries and begins making unexpected lifestyle changes, his four adult children—including Goose, the only son among three sisters—gather at their lakeside villa after his sudden death. What follows is less a mystery than a richly layered unraveling of legacy, grief, and long-buried truths.

Rachel Joyce’s prose is graceful and perceptive, capturing the raw tension between what we inherit and what we carry alone. While the pacing lags in parts and the large cast can be hard to track, the emotional undercurrents remain compelling. Goose’s perspective, in particular, stood out—quietly caught between reverence for his father and a sense of estrangement from the spotlight his sisters seemed to share. With its meditative tone and painterly attention to detail, this novel reveals its truths slowly, like brushstrokes on an unfinished canvas. A thoughtful and quietly resonant read.


Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for the ARC . This is my honest review .

this father made this family so dysfunctional!!! the author wants you to believe Bella Mae is the villain but it’s Vic! wow this was a good one but yeah I would not want to be part of this dynamic! Definitely gave me similar vibes to the blue sisters, like mother, like mother and the accidental favorite!

It might be pretty obvious by now that I will read anything Rachel Joyce writes. This is not because she writes to a winning formula, but rather, she offers a wide range of settings and plots that I can always count on to be well-written and compelling with plenty of heart. This story, like the others I've read (linked), did not disappoint.

I would say this is the perfect summer read—a famous father involved with a mysterious younger woman, his (weirdly) shocked four grown children (this has happened before), a spectacular, exclusive Italian lake community, and of course, a death/murder? How could you resist? Honestly, Joyce had me at the Italian lake, so I was ready for whatever the family dished up (and there were plenty of delicious meals). Perfect for now, or if you're looking later to extend that summer feeling. Also perfect (though not a spoiler) for anyone who is the first to suggest poisoning when they hear that someone died mysteriously. Or is that just me?

The Homemade God was well-written and had a plot I could sink into. I did find it as predictable as any other book in the genre, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.
I didn't really like any of the characters, but I didn't find that off putting enough to not want to read what would happen next.

Overall, I think readers that enjoy the genre will absolutely love this one, and I have submitted a purchase order for our library to get this book for our collection.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

The Homemade God is the story of Vic, an artist, and his four adult children. When Vic announces he is marrying a woman several decades younger and painting his most important work, the kids think the worst. When Vic dies, they travel to the family villa in Italy to find the truth behind Vic's death, his will, his painting, and his new wife. That's when the book became ponderous and slow, seeming to lose its pace. The decisions and behavior of the characters were unlikable and made connecting hard. I did like the beautiful Italian setting and how the writing painted a picture of my favorite country. This book would work for readers of slow-burning suspense with some humor. The ending worked and put a smile on my face.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, however, it was harder for me to get through the rest. Overall it’s a solid read just personally not for me!

This took me way to long to read and I am kind of sad about it. This was a very dyfuntional family to read about. Toxic, family drama. I say read it for yourself if you like family drama with a bit of mystery.

We're all trying to find out who we are, beyond our parents.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Rachel Joyce’s books but the was a dnf for me. I found myself wanting kind drifting while reading it.

📜Quick Summary: After losing their mother at a young age, these four siblings have seen and experienced a lot. When their father Vic, a successful painter, calls them to dinner, he has a huge announcement. All four adult children guess it has to be about his latest painting… or maybe an illness? But at the ripe age of 76, he announces his marriage to a much younger woman, Bella-Mae. He has only known her for weeks, she’s moved in, and he proclaims she’s the one! The siblings don’t even start an argument. But after six weeks in Italy with his new wife, their father is found dead, and now they’re questioning the new wife. As the four siblings-Netta, Susan, Iris and Goose (Gustav, the only brother)- head to Lake Orta to handle the loss of their father, the weight of their relationship and the questions of Bella-Mae are about to surface.

❣️Initial Feels: Character driven novels are usually my thing, but sometimes the family drama drags out. I am hoping this one sticks to the plot and really keeps me invested!

👀Trigger Warnings: loss of father

🌶️Spice Level: 🌶️

📖Read if you want: complex characters, family drama, Italian backdrop, character driven fiction

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: I did not really life any of these characters. They all seemed surface level, and at times, I just didn’t really like anyone. Gustav was my favorite at times, but all of them irked me.

💡Final Sentiments: Gosh, I wanted to love this book because the cover and the location- Italy sounded SPLENDID. The descriptions of Italy made me want to book a flight…but it also made me want to put the book down. This was a slow burn, that was all over the place in terms of time and dialogue and focused too much on telling you everything, and not enough on showing you how events happened. I REALLY wanted to love this one, and after 75%, I just wanted it to end. I felt confused at times with all the back and forth. I know many readers who love this type of slow, unraveling family drama are going to love it!

🌟Overall Rating: 3 stars

🔉Special thanks to Rachel Joyce, Random House- The Dial Press, and NetGalley for this arc of The Homemade God.

📘Grab yourself a copy on July 8, 2025!

This was a DNF for me. I was 45% through and it was going nowhere. Whiny characters and prose that was so dense. This was not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion.

As one of four siblings, I was drawn to this novel. Also, I have thoroughly enjoyed many of Rachel Joyce’s other books. While a good portrayal of family dynamics and drama and very well written characters and setting, The Homemade God just wasn’t the book for me.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

I didn’t really enjoy this book in a general sense. It was depressing, horrifying, dysfunctional and drab. The characters are each struggling with deep rooted issues and are mostly unlikable. It feels like a “whodunnit” at first but it’s mostly a family saga. A very troubled family. The writing was done well and it painted a beautiful picture of the setting. I added a star for the quality of the writing. But overall just not a story I enjoyed getting through.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Oof! This book felt extremely tedious to me. Having adored Miss Benson’s Beetle, I stuck with it, hoping for an exciting turn. Alas, nothing much happened to a set of extremely unlikeable characters. This was a 1-2 star story for most of my reading experience, but the ending was somewhat redemptive and bumped it up to 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

Rachel Joyce has perfectly managed to capture the mystery vibe with a lit-fic story. This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster and delivers a satisfying conclusion that will linger with you for days. The story centers on four siblings; Netta, Susan, Goose and Iris. They grew up with only each other for stability, after their mother who died when they were young leaving them to be raised by father so deep in the art world and himself that he never seemed to make them a priority. When their father announces at 70 that he has met a 27-year-old artist and they are getting married, the siblings are obviously upset, and they band together to shut him out in the hope that he will change his mind. When word gets out that he has married and is staying at the family villa in Italy they continue with their plan, its not till they are blind sighted by word of his passing that they will all venture to the villa for answers and his final painting. When they arrive, things are not what they seem. The house is cleaner, the painting is nowhere to be found, and the circumstances of his death don’t seem to line up. His new wife, Bella Mae, is a mystery and each of the siblings are looking for answers in their own way. To find the answers they seek they are each forced to confront their past, open old wounds and come to grips with the reality of their father’s legacy. This is a story of love, grief, and the bonds of family. There is a level of reflection and depth in this character driven story that will elicit strong emotions throughout the reading. The beautiful setting will capture your heart and add to the magnificence of the entire experience. This is the perfect summer beach read for people who want to feel something more than the standard one by one they all die, that usually dominates the summer beach read reading lists.

A tender, quietly powerful novel about faith, grief, and the beauty of believing in something—anything—that helps us keep going. Rachel Joyce weaves emotion and charm into every line. This one lingers long after the final page.

This book was not for me. Seemed very drawn out. If you like family dramas you may like this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

This one fell a little flat for me. I had trouble differentiating between the sisters, didn’t connect with the characters, and felt that this was too much tell and not enough show. Difficult to push through.

3.5. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit different than I expected. It is family drama about adult siblings and dealing with the death of their larger-than-life artist father who has cast a large shadow over their lives. I enjoyed it, particularly the Italian lake house setting. I did find that it dragged at times nand I never got a great read on the father's new young bride.