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.

There is a heatwave across Europe, and four siblings have gathered at their family’s lake house to seek answers about their father, a famous artist, who recently remarried a much younger woman and decamped to Italy to finish his long-awaited masterpiece. As the siblings try to piece together what happened, they spend the summer in a state of lawlessness: living under the same roof for the first time in decades, forced to confront the buried wounds they incurred as his children, and waiting for answers.

Now this tale is a bit long. But, the longer you read the more you need to know what is wrong with this family. And believe me, there is quite a bit wrong with all of them. They are all damaged in one way or another. And don’t get me started on the “young” wife…she is an enigma!

I enjoyed how this story unfolded. It is a bit of a mystery and trust me, the mystery is worth solving! I also enjoyed how this family came together at the end.

Need a wicked family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

A rich, complex family drama precipitated by the patriarch’s sudden death. Ultimately, the book felt overly long, dragged down by a muddy middle that took a lot of real estate without a real payoff. But, unlike some reviewers, I thought the last third was very satisfying and quite poignant. The ending was surprisingly and yet, inevitable. The universal and very relatable story of regrets in the aftermath of a father’s death.

Sometimes trying a new author works and sometimes it doesn't, as was the case with The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce.

I often found myself wanting to DNF this long and meandering book, one that I'm now realizing wasn't necessary to be written.

At times there were some poignant moments of grief, thought-provoking questions of what makes up a family, and reminders that we can't ever truly know and understand someone else completely... but these moments were too spread out to really have the emotional impact expected from this type of fiction.

Simply put, this audiobook would have been better if it had been outsourced. Joyce narrated her own novel creating a level of comfort that was simply too much, managing to preach, "I know these characters more than you do." However, I did enjoy the interview between Joyce and Sarah Winman at the end of the audiobook.

Overall, I found the characters lacking emotional depth which would have allowed a true connection between myself and their story.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, The Dial Press, Doubleday Canada and Libro.fm for the complimentary copies to read and review.

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2025/07/21/book-review-the-homemade-god-by-rachel-joyce/

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce was an interesting read. There were so many layers in this family drama. Following all the secrets, stories, and relationship felt like struggle at times. The writing and the description of the various settings was felt throughout the book. This story didn't wow me, I enjoyed it once it was wrapped up, but understanding all the ins and outs of the storyline was too difficult for me to say this book was a favorite.

Thank you to Random House and netgalley for the advanced reader copy of The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce.

Thank you to the Dial Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I don’t know why this ultimately didn’t work for me. I got very far in and I was very invested. But then it just felt like it wasn’t really going anywhere and I lost interest halfway through. I had to DNF

this is a well written family drama of 4 siblings and their father. I didn't realize I had received this ARC and had purchased this to read on my own. when their father in his 70s announces he is love with a woman in her late 20s, Bella-Mae, the siblings are baffled and on top of that, they don't get to meet her. as the four try to find out more about her, the father travels to a family home on Lake Orta in Italy with his new love to paint a new "masterpiece." but then the siblings discover he is not only married but now found dead in the lake. I really was expecting more of a mystery, however this is really about family and dealing with family tragedy and secrets. this book kept me intrigued and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen. highly recommend this book! thank you to the author and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oh, my!
What a tangled family web Rachel Joyce has woven in her latest novel, "The Handmade God!"

♤Fractious family relationships!
♡Adult sibling rivalry!
◇Lifelong competition for attention, validation, and love!
♧Flawed people navigating their little slice of the world as imperfectly as you can possibly imagine!

What a crazy game of wins, losses, and pure luck it is to survive this thing we call FAMILY! Throw into the mesh a deeply, deeply dysfunctional, selfish, and narcissistic parent, an unexpected (and unmet in advance of the wedding) stepmother FIFTY years younger than the patriarch, and you have the formula for quite an interesting, atmospheric, and potentially explosive tale!

Rachel Joyce is a master storyteller. Her insight into the characters who people her story is detailed and integral to the plot. You will not always like or admire some of these story folks, but you will understand them. Her story is perfectly paced and set, for the most part, on an almost mythically magical Italian island in Lake Orta.
For this reader, the last chapter is one of the most satisfying endings to any novel I've had the pleasure of reading in quite some time.
DO NOT SKIP TO THE END. 😊

My appreciation to Rachel Joyce for her craft and to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a Galley Proof in advance of publication.

This one just wasn’t for me. I didn’t really enjoy any of the characters and didn’t find I had anyone to root for. I also didn’t know if this was supposed to be a family saga or a mystery. Just too many things that didn’t work for me.

The Homemade God is a layered and emotionally rich family novel set primarily in England and Italy, centered around the Kemp siblings—Netta, Susan, Goose, and Iris. Having lost their mother at a young age, the siblings grew up tightly bound to their charismatic but complicated father, Vic. Now adults with lives of their own, they remain tethered to Vic’s influence in ways they’re only beginning to understand.

When news of Vic’s sudden death arrives from the family’s second home in Italy— not long after revelation of his recent marriage to a much younger woman, Bella-Mae—the siblings are forced to confront not just the mystery surrounding their father’s final days, but the tangled dynamics of their own shared past.

Told through multiple perspectives, the novel beautifully captures how each sibling processes grief, legacy, and unresolved tension in deeply personal—and often conflicting—ways. One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of the sibling bond: how each has fallen into a role, shaped by early loss and unspoken responsibility, and how those roles both define and limit them.

The writing is intimate and perceptive, and the story builds with emotional depth and also some dramatic twists. The conclusion is particularly powerful—an ending that feels earned and ties together the novel’s central themes with quiet resonance.

This was a really great book and I feel like the fact that it took me longer to read it then normal, gave me time to have the characters really sink in and I loved it more for that.

I struggled a lot with this book. It felt very slow, and I had difficulty connecting to the characters. I especially disliked Vic, he frustrated me to no end, so selfish. I did appreciate the setting of the book, that was beautifully done. There was a nice touch of psychological drama in it, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you @prhaudio #partner for this advance copy of:

“We’re like birds in a nest. We want to love our siblings, yet we need to boot them out. I want to be with them, but I can’t. I want to leave them, and I can’t do that”
― Rachel Joyce, The Homemade God

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce
Pub date: July 8, 2025

four 1/2 stars

This beautiful story of family - siblings, parents, childhood norms and becoming an individual in a group of connectedness. A family's world is turned upside down with the death of the patriarch in the family. Mad scrambling, secrets, lies and family rivalry are all at play as each one finds their place in the complicated family story!

First time reading this author and from other reviews apparently this is not her usual type of book. The characters were an odd lo of brothers and sisters with an eccentric father. Their actions and events were long and extended as was that of the new wife. It was difficult to keep my attention and it took awhile to read because I disliked them all and the situation. Just did not have the flow I prefer. Others may find it awesome. I will probably try a different book of this author to see if her other works are more entertaining. I was provided an advanced review copy of this book but was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Netta, Susan, Goose and Iris are the adult children of the famed artist Vic Kemp. They are very close; their mother having died when they were young and their father consumed by his art. They have spent their summers at a lake villa in Italy for many years. Each of the siblings has a specific place in the family. Netta is the smart one, Susan is unhappily married and in Netta’s shadow, Goose and Iris have complicated lives. Vic has announced that he is getting married to a much younger woman and is going to the lake to paint his greatest masterpiece. They are all out of touch with him after hearing this. The next thing they hear is that he drowned in the lake. Vic was an expert swimmer, and they believe there is more to it besides a simple drowning. Suspecting his new wife, they all rush to the lake, where the entire community is mourning Vic’s death. As they investigate the murder, relationships are examined as are their places in the family. I found that each character’s development, both with their father and each other, was fascinating. At times, I felt the book was going a bit slow, but I can promise you that the ending is worth it.

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo under IrishEyes430

I was so excited to read this one - I’ve read other books by this author and absolutely loved them! Have you read this one? 📖

The Homemade God tells the story of the Kemp family, led by the bold, chaotic and charismatic Vic Kemp - a man known as much for his wild ways as for his successful career as a painter. His sudden death throws his four adult children into turmoil, especially as they learn he secretly married a much younger woman none of them have ever met. 🤔

What follows is a deeply emotional family drama full of grief, long-buried resentments, and shocking truths. The siblings are forced to confront the shadow Vic cast over their lives - and the uncomfortable realization that the version of their family they believed in, may not have been real at all. 🥹

This is a story about the cost of idolizing someone, the myths that families build around themselves, and what it takes to finally see things clearly. If you love character driven stories with messy families, this is definitely worth reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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#bookrecommendations #racheljoyce

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Beautifully written, with nuanced characters and complex family dynamics, this novel an exploration of one family's larger than life patriarch's demise and how it turns the world on its axis, forcing a reckoning that will change all of them forever. Joyce skillfully demonstrates how our own experiences and emotions can skew our perspectives in ways that fundamentally alter what is real and how we can relate to others. An intricate portrayal of the unraveling - and rebuidling - of one family through a tragedy that seems one way on the surface but may be altogether different.

I went into this ARC blind, having never read anything by this author before. The Homemade God firmly fits into the literary fiction genre and unfolds as a slow-burning family drama. I usually enjoy books in this vein, but this one didn’t work for me. The story is a slow burn centered on family and grief, but it felt too long, and I found none of the characters likable. The repeated trope of young women falling for much older men (three times!) was off-putting and uncomfortable, and the son felt like a cliché. The only character I connected with was Billy, and his presence was brief and underutilized.

Bella Mae took up a lot of space in the narrative, and even when her perspective was finally shared, it did little to shift my opinion of her. Frankly, I would have preferred less of her. There were several moments that left me frustrated, particularly the way women were treated and portrayed. Ladies—if a man in his 70s won’t introduce you to his family, that’s your sign to leave. And if you know your "cousin" has a history of mistreating women, why on earth would you encourage him to pursue someone who’s grieving?

Despite all this, I did find myself engaged from around the 75% mark up until almost the end. The final quarter had more emotional momentum and was easier to invest in. Unfortunately, the last chapter felt completely unnecessary and left me irritated rather than satisfied. This had the potential to be a compelling exploration of grief, legacy, and complicated family ties, but for me, it missed the mark.