Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Model Home by Rivers Solomon

59 reviews

libraryoflanelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Model Home follows Ezri, their family, and their childhood home… On one hand, the escalation of suspense and relentless unknowns feel reminiscent of traditional haunted house stories. But in every other way, this book shatters the previously established ‘rules’ of the genre. The eerie occurrences tied to the home become increasingly real, raw, and terrifying as more is revealed, blurring the line between psychological and supernatural horror.

Rivers weaves together themes of intergenerational trauma, rigid gender ‘norms’, racial violence, and the neurodivergent experience in a neurotypical world in a truly mind-blowing way. The depth and complexity of these intersections are so powerful that many connections didn’t fully click for me until the latter part of the book. The way these themes are integrated into the horror elements makes for an unsettling yet deeply resonant reading experience.

I found the atmosphere of Model Home particularly striking. The house itself becomes a character, twisting and shifting right along with the realisations that Rivers slowly reveals to the reader. The writing is immersive and haunting, making even the seemingly more mundane moments fraught with tension.

This is the third book I’ve read by Rivers, and my goodness, I will forever read everything fae write, the storytelling is just that captivating. Rivers has an incredible talent for crafting engaging narratives that pull you in completely, making it feel almost impossible to put the book down. Similarly to Rivers’ previous books, the characters are so incredibly well-developed, with relationships that feel deeply complex, and emotionally charged in ways that mirror real life.

As always, be sure to check the trigger and content warnings before diving in, as Rivers does not shy away from difficult and intense themes. 

Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.
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bessadams's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I am deeply unsettled, and can never think about kids having imaginary friends in the same way again... but the last chapter was kind of sweet? The last sentence is literally "How sweet it is to be alive." 
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babayulia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Model Home by Rivers Solomon is difficult to write about because I am still processing it, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be done processing it, so I’m writing a review now in hopes that my friends read it and we can process it together. 

This is a novel about terror and trauma. The Maxwell siblings are mourning their parents, who died in an apparent murder/suicide pact in their childhood home. But questions keep emerging: what happened to them? Were they killed by the house, long rumored to be haunted? And if the house isn’t haunted, then what could explain the frequent and inexplicable horrors they experienced growing up? 

The beating heart of the book is the main character, Ezri, a queer & trans Black human navigating identity, parenthood, family, and trauma. Just as important are Ezri’s family, especially their daughter, Elijah, and younger sisters, Eve and Emanuelle. I love these characters. They are complex, messy, sweet people, fully fleshed out in all their glorious imperfections. They are easy to root for. 

Solomon’s writing is also a major highlight of the book. The prose is lyrical and challenging, a pleasure to read and dissect. I highlighted multiple passages to return to. This is a book I would like to read again, knowing what I know now, so I can try to pick up on more of Solomon’s nuanced storytelling, including faer expert use of foreshadowing.

I recommend this book to fans of the horror genre, especially haunted houses because of how it turns this one on its head. I also recommend it as a critical text that depicts the horrors of white supremacist violence in ways that are somehow both shocking and predictable. This book is upsetting and unsettling at its core, and that’s exactly why you should read it. Text me if you do.

Please check the content warnings! Some are included below, with details that could be considered spoilers.

Child sexual abuse and symptoms of CPTSD are common themes throughout the book. Though CSA does not occur on the page (to my memory), it is a core component of the novel. Grooming does happen on the page, focusing on interactions between an adult white woman and a queer Black child. There is also a sex scene between a white adult male and a queer & trans Black adult that is consensual but involves humiliation play and transphobic language and is preceded by racist remarks and a threat of gun violence (proposal of murder/suicide).
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jamieleepilk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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melimelon1313's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jenni_veeve's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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gahleeraereads's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Here I am on the other side of reading this book, and no, I am not okay. Matter of fact, I want to fight somebody, anybody really. 

Solomon's writing and style embodied Ezri so much so that it felt disjointed at times as I was reading it. I found myself having to backtrack to understand the subtle shifts in Ezri's mind. It made since why... eventually, but it took so long to get to the climax of the story. I guess that built suspense, but I also got frustrated because it started to feel like revealing the truth of the haunted house was being drawn out.
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maddogstone20's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I was hoping for more of the horror surrounding the house, but overall was still a good book. Just ended up being a lot different than I originally thought it was. 
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maireebrown's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

What makes a haunted house? Is it the ghosts or the memories of living there that haunt us? These are questions Ezra and their sisters struggle with in Model Home. 
I loved the writing style of this book. It’s got unreliable narrators, flash backs, and poetic moments. It also pulled hard on my heart strings in almost every chapter. 
Please be warned: there are a lot of tough themes and content expressed in this story, so please come into it as an informed reader if you need. 
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