I would give this book a 3.5. I found the writing very good but it was too slow for me The story is of Vic Kemp a widowed father with 4 children. He relied on them to basically parent themselves and when he fell in love with Bella-Mae he did not allow his now grown children to meet her until after his wedding. The story unfolds at a quicker pace after his sudden death when his children are forced together at the villa in Italy. It does have a great character analysis and enough mystery around the father’s death and marriage to keep my interest!

Sometimes a book, no matter how beautifully and insightfully written, will skimp on character description, and sometimes it will go too far. For me, this one landed in the too far category. It takes a long time for anything to happen, but by the time it did, I was exhausted by the Kemp siblings and their idiosyncracies. I confess I had to skim a lot of it to get anywhere. That said, the mystery and suspense surrounding the father's death was intriguing. I love reading about art and artists, and this might have been a five-star read were it not for its becoming bogged down with overly long passages of description, much of which didn't add much to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I very much enjoyed reading this novel. It was beautifully written and I was invested emotionally pretty early on. The complicated relationships, the touch of mystery and the over all realness to their struggles just really helps you connect to the characters. The journey the siblings to find out what happened to their father – what they learn about him over the unraveling of this story… it was well done. I would recommend this to you if you need a good book club book because the discussions on this would be very interesting to say the least.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House, and Rachel Joyce for the opportunity to read this early.

This is a lovely novel that addresses family and all the "messy" secrets that can exist among siblings. When patriarch, Vic drowns after marrying a much younger woman, his family is confused as he was a great swimmer. And thus begins a wonderfully convoluted tale of artists and their works, the lies that are told to save oneself, and the lengths one will go to in preserving a history that may or may not be true!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Rachel Joyce’s The Homemade God is a richly textured literary novel that excavates the emotional wreckage left behind by one man’s chaotic brilliance—and the four adult children still living in its shadow. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of a crumbling summer home on Lake Orta, Italy, the story begins with the death of renowned artist Victor Kemp, who recently married a woman fifty years his junior. His estranged children—Netta, Susan, Goose, and Iris—are summoned to sort through the aftermath: their father's cryptic will, a missing masterpiece, and the haunting specter of unresolved trauma.

This is not a fast-paced mystery, but rather a slow-burning character study laced with simmering tension, familial resentment, and sharp insight. Joyce excels at crafting emotionally nuanced characters, each shaped (and warped) by their roles in a dysfunctional family dynamic. From Netta's brittle control and Susan’s quiet martyrdom, to Goose’s deeply internalized pain and Iris’s need for approval, every sibling feels achingly real.

The prose is observant, often poetic, and grounded in emotional truth. Some readers found the pacing slow and the plot a touch meandering, but for many, the richness of the characters and the emotional payoff made it well worth the journey. The lake house itself emerges as a symbolic fifth character—beautiful, decaying, and filled with ghosts.

While the central mystery—what truly happened to Vic, and where is his final painting?—offers a thread of intrigue, this is ultimately a story about grief, identity, and whether we ever really outgrow the roles we were assigned in childhood.

I never connected with this one. I kept waiting, hoping something would snag and I would be engaged, but alas, it didn't happen. I easily could picture the house, the lake, the food, but I couldn't identify with any of the characters.

I can see where this will appeal to many people -- it just didn't really appeal to me.

Will I read more from the author? Maybe.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

I really enjoyed the Homemade God by Rachel Joyce. The complicated relationships were like a normal family - deep reasons behind the complications of dealing with siblings and parents.

When artist marries a much, much younger women his children are shocked, but even more so when he is found dead in a lake at his summer home Italy. The siblings - Netta, Susan, Iris, and Goose travel there to try and find out what's really going on and what happened to their father. Was it a tragic accident, did his new bride, Bella-Mae, kill him?

As the story unwinds, we delve into the complicated relationships the siblings had with each other and their father. Will they find the missing artwork? Will the death of their dad allow them to break free of the assigned roles they've been given their whole lives? So many sub-plots and they were all terrific.

These characters stayed with me after I finished this book and I'm already on the waiting list for some of the author's backlist at my local library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own, I really enjoyed this book.

Just read it! A beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that explores the messiness of family, the healing power of love, and the art of holding on—even when everything seems to be falling apart.

Artist Victor Kemp has suddenly informed his four adult children of his relationship with a woman younger than
his youngest child. When his children express concern about his decision to marry the young woman Bella-Marie,
He suddenly leaves for Italy without informing anyone and marries Bella-Marie. Six weeks later, the children are
informed of his death. They travel to Italy to learn more about his death, locate his will and find the new
masterpiece he was working on. Time spent will reveal how their father has impacted their lives and the grievances
they have held surface causing a family divide and what role Bella -Marie plays. Story of recognizing how
their upbringing shaped their lives and discovering what's really important.
#TheHomemadeGod #RandomHouse #TheDialPress #NetGalley

What a ride! When a famous artist dies, his children are faced with finding out the truth about who their father was and who they are without him. Powerful, witty, sad, moving, and beautiful. Unlike Joyce's previous novels but still a pleasure to read.

3.5 ⭐⭐⭐✨

The inviting cover and promising premise of a dysfunctional family seeking the answer to mysteries tied to the father who is also the arguable source of the tension between siblings and their distorted identities had me excited to delve into this story. This is a good book with solid prose, but the pacing crawls in places. It felt like a much longer novel than 336 pages. It delivers on intrigue. The shifting perspectives were at times fascinating and answered many of the questions that cropped up for me while reading which I appreciated. The blend of an atmospheric setting, mystery and character studies made for a well-rounded read.

The Kemp family consists of four adult siblings and their father. The eldest is Netta an attorney driven by her type A personality. Netta often turns to alcohol to cope with her tendency toward high stress. She is quick to lash out and also protective of her younger siblings. It was obvious the death of her mother in childhood forced her to mature too fast. Susan is the second born and looks up to Netta. She has dreams of being a chef, but instead she cooks and cleans for her husband and father. Goose is the lone son and his character was heartbreaking. Goose radiates tension, but he's a touchstone for his sisters. His sexuality seems to be a source of unease at times. It felt like he held a lot of himself back from his father for fear of being found lacking. He works in his father's studio because he believes that creating his own art led to his mental breakdown. Iris is the baby of the family. She is both loved by her older siblings and they lash out towards her in jealously. She is the only child that their father ever painted and it's a source of pain for the other siblings into adulthood. Iris is also the first to coming running when their father calls. Iris has no memory of her mother so it's easy to see why Vic is her everything. Vic is their father an artist driven by his ego and alcohol. He must be the center of attention and it's disturbing to see how his children suffer emotionally for his showboating. He knew how to push everyone's buttons to get the outcome he desired. I envisioned him as a puppeteer of sorts.

The siblings are shocked to find out Vic has married a woman 50 years his junior that they've never met. He invites them to come and stay with the couple at their Italian home that's both crumbling and lovely. The siblings refuse believing this is just another stunt for Vic and that it will pass. His behavior is often erratic when creating a new painting. He claims his current project will be a grand masterpiece. Within weeks Vic is found dead. The siblings travel to Italy to get to the bottom of this marriage they believe to be a sham. Fast to point the finger at Vic's young wife Bella-Mae, Netta is like a blood hound with a scent. She will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery of how Vic died. Was he poisoned? Where is the masterpiece Vic had been texting his kids about? Where is the will? Bella-Mae claims to be an artist too, but where are her supplies. Where are Vic's paints? It's an odd situation the family walks into.

There is a lot to unpack in this novel. The siblings who bonded through their unconventional childhood will find those connections fractured. The distance between them finally allowed for some soul searching and growth outside of these roles thrust upon them since childhood. But they have an all or nothing mentality which is unhealthy. Will they learn how to balance their true identities with sibling bonds?

I'd recommend this to those who enjoy character studies with depth and a few twists.

The beautiful cover captured the essence of their summer home on the water that felt more like another character than a mere setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group | The Dial Press for providing an Advance Readers Copy for review. All opinions are my own.

The depth and layers to this family drama left me entranced long after I finished reading. I loved the way each of the siblings had such rooted reasons for their behavior, and complicated relationships with each other that felt so real, despite the touches of satire. The Homemade God pulled me in and I was obsessed before I knew it! The ending was so satisfying but it’s a story as a whole that I’ll be thinking about for a very long time. This will be a great book club choice because it’s one you desperately want to talk to another reader about!

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

Long ago, artist Vic was married to the mother of his four children, and he pretty much just kept on with his pre marriage selfish life of cavorting and living life with almost no thought of others. Then his wife did him the disservice of dying and Vic was left with four young children who depended on him for everything. The nice thing is that kids can be a chick magnet and hiring young, nubile nannies became a thing for Vic. When he wasn't perusing the goods of the nannies, they could take care of his kids. Problem solved, with benefits.

The kids, now grown, are Netta, Susan, Gustav, and Iris. Being the oldest and often only one to watch over the siblings, Netta grew up to be a very successful and intense lawyer. Susan idolized Netta and wanted to be just like her but also resented Netta for overshadowing her (it's easy to be overshadowed in a world where your dad barely notices you anyway). Gustav has talents but his dad has always been quick to stomp out anything that allowed Gustav to be something other than his hired hand at Vic's art gallery. Iris, long ago having been praised by her dad for being quiet, made disappearing even in a crowd her goal in life and she's kept up her ability to hide in plain site, even as an adult.

Now daddy dear has decided to marry a woman almost fifty years younger than him. The kids want to meet this interloper who surely is taking advantage of their dad. But a meet up keeps on being thwarted until all the sudden daddy wants the kids to come to the family lake house to meet his new wife. The decades old dysfunction continues, after all, it never stopped. When daddy dies suddenly, all heck ensues and these kids, who've been so entangled in each other's lives in the most dysfunctional of ways, finally start expressing their repressed thoughts, feelings, and bitterness to each other. They hurt, they are going to hurt each other, and they each have so much growing up to do.

The story is interesting in a voyeuristic sort of way. Vic was not a good man and I feel for children being left in his care. But somewhere along the way, each child becomes an adult and has to be responsible for how they handle life going forward. The story felt like such a pity party and we get Vic's POV and he's got all kinds of pity for himself which turned my stomach. The kids have more excuses but eventually the excuses get old and the story just seems to drag. There is a sort of mystery here although not much comes of it, either. There is also a kind of false ending which, thank goodness isn't the ending. What comes after that point makes the story better.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is the first time I’ve ever read Rachel Joyce and it’s safe to say I’m hooked. Her writing is so smooth, and the story told so carefully and beautifully.

The book follows four siblings - three sisters and one brother and what happens in the wake of their father meeting a new woman and moving on in his life.

Although honestly to me this felt like Goose’s story (the brother). I felt like I got to know him the best, and he had a super interesting story.

The Homemade God has all the pieces of a great family literary drama, and many moments where I found myself pausing to think and take in what I was reading. The ending is the best part so I won’t post any spoilers but I highly recommend this book!

Next time I go to visit my son in Italy at the co-living space he and my daughter bought (with two other people), I’m going to make a side trip to Orta, because it is only about an hour away from them, and it sounds amazing! That said, I do have to admit that I was worried that this book might not get to a full 5/5 stars. However, as usual, Joyce really knows how to pull you along, watching these characters, seeing them in all their glory and with all their faults, and then WHAM, she sticks it to you and the tears start to flow. So, yeah, she got me again, which is why I say I’m a Rachel Joyce addict, because if an author can make me cry, or laugh (and she does both here, yet again), they’ve touched my heart.

The thing is, Joyce really deceives you with her stories, and this one is no exception. But I mean this in a good way. You see, her prose is so simple and unassuming, you don’t realize just how much empathy you’re developing for her characters until she hits you with something that makes you realize just how much you love these people. What’s more, Joyce also puts together a story that has just enough mystery and unanswered questions for you to keep turning pages. What’s more, is that even when it feels like things aren’t happening to answer these questions, there’s always something else going on between the characters, and this is when we get the background pieces of the puzzle, that help us better understand each of them.

One of the things that I really enjoyed was the relationship between these siblings. You might recall that I recently DNFed a book that also had a bunch of siblings. One of the things that bothered me about that book was that none of those were likeable, partly because they didn’t get along. Now, I’m certain that the author fixed that later in her book, but I really didn’t care if they did or they ended up murdering each other. Here, we have a different scenario, where the four of them are pretty close, and apparently have been most of their lives. There’s also interesting dynamics between the two older girls, and the younger son and daughter – both within those pairings and among each other. Throw in the new step-mother and you know things are going to change, because they have to change. Now, no spoilers but how Joyce handled this was, if you ask me, masterful (I’ve had TWO step-mothers, so I think I know how these things can pan out – for the better and the worse).

What more can I say? I’m a Rachel Joyce addict, and as I mentioned, although I thought that maybe this might be my least favorite of her books, there was nothing she could have done to make me stop reading through to the end. That she had me in tears so near to the end of the book, was no surprise, since that’s when she usually gets me. It’s the type of literary fiction that I truly enjoy, even with the gut punches she pulls. Thank you, Ms. Joyce, for yet another wonderful story with so many very special characters. Obviously, I’m wholeheartedly recommending this book, and it can’t get less than a full five out of five stars, yet again!

I didnt realize how much I liked this book until I finished it and actually missed the characters. Finding myself, hours later wondering what's happening to them now. The complicated fibers of the Kemp siblings' lives get tangled after the news of their father's passing. A larger than life presence, who touched many lives. But was he so great? Or is it the illusions of people we create in our minds?
The Homemade God was different from the usual novel I go for, slower pace, not a suspenseful thriller, but the plot stayed just enticing enough to keep me going.
While I was reading 3.....feelings after 4.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Co. for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own. This is the story of four grown siblings and how they handle their father's death. Right before he died, he had married a much younger woman. The siblings all meet up with her at their father's house to divide their inheritance. The siblings are very dysfunctional and carry a lot of baggage. This was a 3.5 rating for me. Parts of the story grabbed me, but it was slow in parts. Lots of fighting and not trusting each other. The ending was also very drawn out. I only recommend this book if you like stories where this is a lot of discord in the family.

The Homemade God is a family story, with beautiful scenery as much of it is set on a tiny Italian island that is not accessible by car. Vic is the patriarch of the family, in his 70s, with 4 adult children who have spent their lives in his shadow. At the beginning of the book, Vic announces that he is getting married to a MUCH younger woman, and the rest of the story is the follow up. All of his children have been traumatized by their father in different ways. Unfortunately, they are mostly not very likable themselves, so it's hard to know who to root for in this story. Also after Vic dies, there is a lot of time spent figuring out the will and who will inherit his fortune, which doesn't seem to matter so much in the end. I wondered about the title throughout the book, which is only addressed in the last sentence, it was a little unsatisfying for me.

4 stars. My first Rachel Joyce novel and certainly not my last! i devoured this in a few days. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joyce has written a different type of book than others I have read - this being more of a mystery - but the book still has the beautiful writing and deep character development as the others. This is a book about adult children coping with their father's death and last unpredictable actions, and slowly unravelling as the whole left behind no longer holds them together. I loved the ending and Joyce's ability to write such real, flawed, beautiful people.

'A silence so broad and bright you could have taken giant strides through the middle.'

'Shirley had made a compressed shape with her mouth as if it were a freezer bag and she was zipping words inside.'

'It was the loneliest thing, the lying.'

'Death does not come in our own time. It does not check our diaries for a free window, or ask if this is a good moment.'

'You think love costs nothing?'

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.