A review by shelleys_book_nook
Model Home by Rivers Solomon

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

I really liked this book, it was very intelligently written and I so appreciate the LGBTQ representation as I am an ally. The writing was lovely but not wordy and it was a very unique take on the Haunted House trope. This one is not for the faint of heart as there are a lot of triggers here but I’m not going to go into them so I don’t go into spoilers territory. There are so many social issues in this story abuse, racism and classism to name but a few. The bond of the siblings, especially towards the end, really made this book about family and ultimately that’s what the book is about. Mental illness and suicide issues were written realistically and respectfully, I liked how the author did that.

I loved the ending, it was haunting but not in the way you might think. I admit that the book isn’t for everyone but I loved the writing style, characters and ending very much. What or who is the real monster in this house? It’s literary fiction at its finest, I will be thinking about this one for a long time.