I finished this book a few days ago and I have to admit I am pretty disappointed by it. I was originally interested in this novel as it was pitched as cosmic science fiction, similar to Jeff Vandermeer. Annihilation is one of my favourite books of all time. This book was boring and confusing in comparison. The author spent too much time describing the characters wandering around the park and too little on any action. By the end of the book I felt I didn't know or care for the main characters I had been reading about. Typically, within science fiction, there is something unique and interesting that grabs me in the first 50 pages. In this book, I didn't have that experience until I was 80% through and by that point I was almost too bored to care.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #AtriaBooks #AtTheEndOfEveryDay #AriannaReiche
Title: At the End of Every Day
Author: Arianna Reiche
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: July 4, 2023

Themes: Theme park lore, celebrity news, sibling relationships, cults, dark fantasy

This book sounded like so much fun. I love Disneyland and I love the idea of a dark Disneyland.
The main storyline involves Delphi, who is a valued employee of this “theme park” that definitely is NOT Disneyland. After a beloved celebrity dies on one of the rides, the park begins shutting down. Delphi is one of the few employees that doesn’t lose her job. She is one of the employees that is helping shut everything down. In doing so, she finds that the truth is a lot darker than it seems.
This was a tough one. I love the idea and I love how dark the prose is. Having said that, I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. It was beautifully written but the storyline was everywhere. I had a lot of trouble staying interested and I felt nothing for any of the characters. I don’t feel like I was given enough information about any of them to develop an attachment. Lots of events were mentioned but I couldn’t bring myself to care. The writing style didn’t communicate well to me. I’m not sure who to recommend this book to but I’m sure there is a demand for this kind of work. I’m sorry that it wasn’t for me. I will look for other books by this author though. I’m interested in what her thoughts and ideas were. I think she has some great things to say. I just couldn’t pick up on it.

Let's be real: if there is a novel set at a theme park, I'm gonna read it. As a theme park obsessive, this book was fun and I liked the vibe. As a good read though, I was throughly confused most of the time and have absolutely no idea what happened.

The book starts strong, with a famous actress mysteriously dying after seeing an animatronic version of herself in one of the rides, and I loved all the weird nods to Disney parks, secret underground theme park tunnels, and a look at the uncanny valley that amusement parks can do either so well, or so horrifyingly.

This would be a good book if you like theme parks, like I do, but also have the patience for really nuts fantasy (like Jeff VanderMeer) and have the patience for a plot and scenes that can be hard to follow. It was certainly not a bad book, just the right one for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of At the End of Every Day.

I feel like Tyra Banks as she stood there with her beautiful red hair and angry face "we were all rooting for you!" This book had so much potential! A giant Disneyland-ish amusement park that is slowly shutting down? A creepy murder? A young romance? It's all there! But this book was too messy, too scattered, I couldn't keep my finger on what was going on. It just wasn't working, so I quit reading it.

This book was really difficult to get into. Most of the time I could not keep up with what was going on with the characters or the storyline, perhaps it was me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This haunting debut novel—perfect for fans of Iain Reid, Jeff VanderMeer, and Julia Armfield—is a “wild genre-and-mind-bending ride” (Laura Sims, author of Looker) about a loyal employee at a collapsing theme park questioning the recent death of a celebrity visitor, the arrival of strange new guests, her boyfriend’s erratic behavior, and ultimately her own sanity.

This book sounded so great - something creepy about closing an amusement park. I just could never really figure it out. I felt lost. But maybe that's just me and the book wasn't for me. I finished it but I didn't feel fulfilled. I would read it if you're interested. Maybe it was just over my head. The book isn't bad, I just didn't get it


Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for letting me review and give an honest opinion.

I struggled with the writing and the slowness of the book. This book was work for me, I don't mind when I am not sure about what is going on, but there is not knowing what is going on and then there is being confused. I was confused. This book wasn't for me but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be for someone else. I will just tell people to give it a try and see what they think.


Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I had such high hopes for this book, especially with the theme park setting. What a unique plot location. However, this book just wasn't it for me. I don't know why necessarily and it is hard to compare to anything else. It just didn't end up being one that I felt was right for me.

I had high hopes for this one because of the amusement park setting, however it didn't live up to my expectations. I was intrigued by Delphi's relationship to her step father and what happened to her hands, but otherwise I couldn't connect with them. Delphi as a character felt a little flat and under developed. I wasn't particularly interested in finding out why the park was closing or any of that storyline.
However I did really enjoy the letters between the siblings. I felt that part of the book was very well done and the siblings both had a lot of personality come through the letters to each other.
Overall, it had a lot of potential, but felt unfinished and a bit confusing.

This was such a unique book for me.
Delphi has been working at a popular but collapsing theme park, and when a Hollywood personality dies in a disturbing way, she is given the task of closing the park. As she learns more about what happens when the park closes at night, we're taken on a mind and genre bending tale that twists and turns as much as the rollercoaster on the cover!

This is a supremely unique story that is hard to compare directly to anything else. But if you like having your mind twisted in new ways with a side of suspense, you should check this one out.

If you love theme parks, like Disney, and always wondered about the behind the scenes and what it would be like to work there. If you love weird stories, that push your brain and understanding of the story more each chapter - this is definitely the one for you.

I was confused almost this whole book. I liked the start, a horrific thing has happened at the theme park and slowly, it is laying off the cast, characters and crew. Only a select few are left behind and they are slowly shutting the park down.

I liked the intro of the main character and Brandon. I loved the banter and a lot of their small moments. The letters about odd things happening kept me engaged too. But pretty soon, things went off the rails and I definitely started to lose the plot. It's a little slow and as it slowed, my interest was definitely waning too. The end was definitely confusing and I'm still not 100% sure I know the hows and whys but I did like the ending and how it all wrapped up.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

At the End of Every Day is an ambitious debut novel that would work well for the right reader. Unfortunately, I am not that reader. It started off strong, but the middle dragged so much I almost DNF'ed. The descriptions of the park and its various rides and areas were far too detailed and confusing. I am not a huge theme park fan, so perhaps those sections would've worked better for someone who is.

I'm glad I decided to push through, though, since the last 50 or so pages really picked up and bumped my rating from 2 to 3 stars. I enjoyed the ending and the way the threads connected.

Overall, this was just okay for me. I would pick up another book by this author, though, since she is clearly talented!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This genre-bending book bent my brain…and not in a good way.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy the narrative style of this book and the POV shifts. I just felt like it tried to pack a ton of things in that didn’t quite work together? The book starts off quite strong and you are immediately intrigued as to what is going on behind the scenes at this theme park, but then it QUITE LITERALLY goes off the rails.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Main Character Delphi works at an amusement park until a famous star dies on the property. Delphi is put in charge of closing down the park.

Let me start by saying that the author's writing style is truly unique... and slightly complex. This writing style won't be for everyone, and that's okay. It will be a huge success with those who do enjoy it.
It did get a tad confusing at times, but once I fully grasped what was happening with the writing style, I did realyl enjoy this book.

Such a good debut!

So far I may be the only reviewer on Goodreads who really liked "At the End of Every Day." It’s Arianna Reiche’s debut novel, a literary psychological horror story set in a twisted Disney-like theme park that's closing its doors after a young Hollywood actress dies near the entrance.

Those who love complex writing and the surreal – like me – will gobble the book up. But those who don't, won't. Reiche has written the story on a rambling, cerebral level, and she spends a lot of time developing the characters, fleshing out back stories, and describing the creepy theme park. You have to like that style of writing to enjoy it.

And the novel is one, too, where it feels like you're wearing blinders the entire time you read it. Delphi, our narrator, is one of the last employees of the park. Her final task is to shut the park down for good, so it’s through her eyes that we see the park’s fun-house illusions and hidden tunnels. But even though we're viewing it firsthand through Delphi, we only see what's right in front of her. We never see a zoomed out, bigger picture of her surroundings. It’s claustrophobic, atmospheric, and fits the vibe of the story so well.

The book does stumble at the end, though. Just when the blinders lift and things start to make sense, Reiche lightens up on the writing. Much of the story's opaqueness falls away, making it almost too easy to follow what is happening. And after the compelling blurriness of everything that came before, I felt cheated by the clarity of the ending. I wanted more uncertainty and greater room to draw my own conclusions.

"At the End of Every Day" is nevertheless a debut I can stand up and applaud. I just hope that the more it's read by others, the louder the applause will echo.


My sincerest appreciation to Arianna Reiche, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I wanted to really love this book, but unfortunately, the word that comes to mind for me is "confusing". I think the premise was fantastic, and while the writing wasn't awful, it just wasn't for me. I'm sure it'll find its audience, but sadly, I'm absolutely not said audience.

Not my type of read, really. I wish I would have seen more reviews before I requested it. Read if you love the likes of Mona Awad and Ottessa Moshfegh.

A stark exploration of love, need, and loneliness in the face of unforgiving odds, AT THE END OF EVERY DAY is a boldly plotted story that features some of the most gorgeous prose I’ve seen all year. For as heavily shadowed and dire the story becomes, the one thing the reader and protagonist never lose is hope, which is a remarkable feat. I loved this book. It frequently gets compared to the work of Jeff VanderMeer, and while I can certainly see some of that (probably most closely with Hummingbird Salamander), I think what Reiche has crafted here is singularly beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love unreliable narrators, and Delphi was just that. This book was one wild psychological ride that I thought I might get thrown off of! The mystery of the theme park definitely intrigued me, the letters in-between chapters were strange due to the subject matter of cults and AI bots, which seemingly end up coming together.

At the End of Every Day is one heck of a debut! Highly recommend!!

I was excited to read this debut novel because of my love of theme parks. Unfortunately I found it slow and confusing and I just did not connect to the novel. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.