EDITOR'S NOTE (I'm very biased!)

Think of the dread that builds as you’re inching up that first steep incline on a roller coaster. Or think of the dizzying effect of a spinning teacup ride. That’s At the End of Every Day in a nutshell.

This genre-bending debut takes place at a Disney-like park with a history so complicated that no one really knows its true origins. The narrator, Delphi, is The Park’s most loyal employee, but she’s ordered to close it down after the very public suicide of a Hollywood darling.

Soon, unauthorized visitors appear in The Park. Delphi’s boyfriend starts acting . . . strange. Meanwhile, on the outside, a brother and a sister exchange frantic letters warning each other: DO NOT GO TO THE PARK.

On the surface, At the End of Every Day is a love letter to theme parks. Delphi’s last name is an Easter egg, and there’s also an Imagination Ranch, instead of the prolific “Imagineering Research.”

But this novel is also for people who gravitate toward the slow-burn, menacing quality of fiction by Alexandra Kleeman, Iain Reid, Jeff VanderMeer, and Julia Armfield—genre-clashing authors who write about all things peculiar, not only to shock readers but to encourage them to look at one known concept through new lenses. In Arianna’s case, she’s exposing parks as places of psychological manipulation—she takes us underground, into the guts of all the machinery it takes to maintain such a grand-scale illusion.

Readers of At the End of Every Day should strap in and proceed with caution. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

**Netgalley ARC -Published July 2023**

I tried at least 3 times since I received this book from Netgalley last year to begin it. I just couldn’t get into it. Finally, a few days ago I managed to get past the first chapter and at that point, I was hooked.

For unease and a general feeling of something just behind you, this was perfect.

I also very much enjoyed the fleshing out of the characters and seeing into their lives.

The twists were pretty well done and I was glad that what was going on was explicitly spelled out before the end.

There are definitely some things I found rather hectic such as the weird mix of tropes.

I would consider reading more by this author.

Fave Quote: “God, the blue. The blue had to be the source of something, something that people call God sometimes, but I’d call it something else if I could find words.”

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"At the End of Every Day" by Adrienne Reiche is a hauntingly surreal journey that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. Set against the backdrop of a dilapidated theme park, the novel follows Delphi, a long-time employee, as she grapples with the park's imminent closure and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a celebrity visitor.

Reiche's narrative is a labyrinthine exploration of the human psyche, where the familiar becomes uncanny, and the bizarre takes on a sense of normalcy. The prose is rich and atmospheric, capturing the essence of a world that is both fantastical and deeply unsettling. The theme park, a place of joy and wonder in its heyday, now serves as a metaphor for Delphi's own fragmented memories and the dark secrets she must confront.

The novel's strength lies in its ability to evoke a sense of disquietude, making the reader question what is real and what is a product of Delphi's troubled mind. The interweaving of letters between two siblings with ties to the park adds layers of intrigue and provides a broader perspective on the events unfolding within its gates.

"At the End of Every Day" is not a book for the faint of heart. It demands the reader's attention and challenges their perceptions at every turn. Reiche has crafted a story that is as enigmatic as it is compelling, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of psychological thrillers. It is a novel that will resonate with those who appreciate the strange and the uncanny, and who are willing to embark on a journey to the darker corners of the imagination..

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC! This book was certainly interesting, I didn’t quite know what to make of it and wasn’t entirely gripped by the story. It was compared to Disneyland while hallucinating, and it did somewhat feel that way. Certainly unique, an odd mix genres,

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

I had trouble getting into this book and ended up skimming through it. What a bummer! The premise just didn’t do it for me.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Lots of telling and no showing. A slow mess that I couldn’t get behind. The plot was so promising and I was so excited but I found myself wanting so much more

This was extremely strange and twisty. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, but I wasn't disappointed one bit.

Though this thriller was fast paced, and easy to flip through, I found the story a little too confusing to follow. Really cool concept, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.

Really wanted to love this one, but it didn’t come through for me.

The narrative fell flight for me unfortunately.

dnf @25%
seemed promising from its premise and the authors it's compared to, but i found this such a slog to get through - the writing style is just not for me, lots of telling over showing, and i have too many other books to read to continue something i'm really not clicking with.

A splendid gothic thriller in a way Interesting plot.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

First of all thank you so much to the publishers and to Netgalley for my early read of At The End Of Every Day in exchange for my honest review.

Delphi works at an iconic theme park in California that has unfortunately had a fatal occurrence resulting in the death of a famous movie star. Her thoughts are very scattered but somehow calculated. Along with her boyfriend, Brendan, Delphi starts seeing things and can't tell if she's just imagining things or if there's something sinister in the park.

At The End Of Every Day explores the life of a theme park worker and adds an element of horror while painting a picture of a very fairytale-esque world.

This was very different from my usual reads. It's very much like a rollercoaster that stays upside down and makes your head explode. While I liked the element of robotics, fairy tale like themed rides and attractions, I did find it to be quite hard to follow and because of that I'm giving this 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I have to say I love amusement parks but trying to get through this book, it really irritated me.

I found it creepy and disturbing. Maybe thats a good thing for others but not for me. I struggled witht this one.

I’m not even sure how to review this one, having not really understood what I was Reading until the end. Delphi is an employee at The Park, a Disneyland-Esque place where a celebrity dies and they must close permanently. From there the story becomes very descriptive, almost too much, and the plot doesn’t flow. I was Bored and found myself not really wanting to go on. I did Think the end was solid but can’t give more than 3 stars because it was a struggle getting there.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

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.