This is my first ever metafiction book. So it was different from what I am used to. It touches on Russia’s war on Ukraine, ecological conservation of the endlings of a species, and romance tours where western men try to find an eastern european wife.

Yeva is a biologist living out of her mobile lab in Ukraine trying to save the country’s snail species from the edge of extinction. She funds her research and rescue work by doing romance tours for westerners who think they’ll find a docile wife. Nastia and Solomiya, sisters, posing as a bride and translator while secretly searching for their mother who disappeared after years of protesting and activism against the romance tours. And so it begins: Three angry women, a truck load of abducted bachelors, and a last-of-his-kind snail on a journey of a lifetime. All plans come to a screeching halt when Russia invades.

Definitely a unique book. Witty and humorous while still being weighed down by the fears and tragedy of war. A little absurd and equally heartbreaking. The interruptions of the author to knit her own life experience and feelings into the story were one of my favorite parts about this book. The surrealness of having to continue with life when your homeland is being decimated by war is something the author does really well.

Thank you Net Galley and Doubleday Books for the eARC.

This was a DNF for me at 25%. The story did not grab me at all. Characters weren’t relatable. This one was not for me

An attempt to save the last of a snail species, “romance tours” in Ukraine, a woman searching for her missing mother, a kidnapping plot…this book starts out as a wild absurdist ride before verging into something much more grounded and meaningful when Reva’s timeline intersects with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To say much more would spoil the beauty and singularity of this metafictional story that will stop you in your tracks. Protagonist Yeva’s actions to save an endling have so much to say about our current reality and others’ inactions have so much to say about the human tendency towards complicity. This may not sound like summer reading, but you will want to pick this up if you enjoyed Noor Naga’s play on structure in If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English and books that allow you to unpack meaning.

4.5. What an interesting read with a lot of substance. Yeva lives in Ukraine out of her mobile lab where she tries to breed rare snails (her endings- last babes of the species). She funds her research and work by taking advantage of the marriage industry, where bachelors travel to try to find brides uninfluenced by modern ways. This is where Nastia and her sister Solomiya come into the picture. They are also involved in the marriage industry, going on dates with bachelors but secretly searching for their missing mother, who protested against the marriage industry and then disappeared. We have angry women (as they should be), snails, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. No but seriously, I’ve never read anything like this. Amazing. As always, thank you to the publisher for the earc.

Books like these are a powerful reminder of how strong and necessary words and stories are. "Endling" is a meta-fiction piece on the resilience of humanity, even in the midst of war. Reva's writing is dense yet accessible and the author masterfully weaves fiction into reality. A read that is truly worth your time.

Another 3.5 that I can't quite push to a 4 star read. This book was definitely unique and probably something that in years I might still think about. But, I was never sure where the story was going and why we were reading some of the things we were reading. It almost felt like a satire of bride tours, species going extinct, and the war in Ukraine all mish-mashed together. Even typing that hurts my brain. I think it was all just a bit more than I could grasp in the same story. Thoughts felt unfinished because something else popped up and took over the direction of the story, only to come back to it several pages later when that plot came back to interrupt something else. And the hijinks interspersed throughout felt out of place, adding to the confusion. So, read with patience.

Maria Reva's 'Endling' is an arresting blend of absurdity and urgency, a novel that dances on the edge of satire while never losing sight of the devastating real-world events it encircles. Set against the backdrop of pre-invasion Ukraine, it follows three vivid female characters - a biologist mourning the vanishing of a rare snail species, and two sisters navigating the surreal world of the Ukrainian mail-order bride industry. Their journey is strange, sharply funny, and often heartbreaking.

What begins as a quirky road novel - complete with a kidnapped busload of Western bachelors and a snail named Lefty - slowly evolves into something more metafictional and politically raw. Reva pushes narrative boundaries, even inserting herself into the story as the book grapples with storytelling's limits in the face of war. The result is disorienting in the best way: a novel that asks how fiction can respond to catastrophe without turning pain into spectacle.

Reva's writing is biting, original, and darkly lyrical. Her characters move through a world where loss - of species, of mothers, of national identity - is constant, and yet her voice maintains a strange buoyancy. 'Endling' manages to be fiercely funny and deeply moving, often in the same paragraph.

Fans of Miranda July, Olga Tokarzczuk, or the fabulist edge of George Saunders will find a kindred spirit here. 'Endling' is not easily classified - but that's precisely the point. It's a daring, slippery, and timely novel that resists extinction.

really fun and well-written book with some awesome characters. the snail focus is so cool and the plotting is so fun. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

What a delightfully weird little gem.

Describing this book feels like a series of madlibs, but everything comes together with such humor and heart you can’t help but go along for the ride.

This novel touches on Russia’s war on Ukraine, romance tours of American men trying to find Eastern European wives, throw in a kidnapping plot and a whole bunch of snails and IT WORKS.

I am so thankful this was recommended to me because I had such a great time. The humor and wit is top notch. This is satire done right. Who knew I’d be so interested in reading about snails?

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Endling is set in Ukraine, on the eve of the current war with Russia. Yeva is a biologist working to rescue various snail species from extinction (Endling refers to the last of a species). She has created a mobile lab by applying for grants and living with very singular focus, but has recently joined as a "bride" on Ukrainian marriage tours (mostly Western bachelors doing marriage tourism) to finance her conservation work, in spite of having no interest in marriage or procreating herself. She meets sisters Nastia and Sol, doing the same to finance their lives in the wake of their mother's disappearance, and gets roped into Nastia's scheme to kidnap a group of bachelors to expose the industry and get their activist mother's attention. Upon launching their plan, they immediately wind up in the first Russian assault on Kherson and things go from there.
This can mostly be read as a straightforward, plotted drama. But there are also instances of the author breaking the fourth wall, having imaginary conversations, redoing chapters to show real and imagined events, etc. It certainly gets meta, but if you're generally put off by metafiction (as I am), it's not overwhelming and does add to the general sense of weight and overwhelm of the situation. The author trying to work through events in front of the reader feels akin to how we're all trying to make sense of this mess through the filters of media and distance. I kind of loved it.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This book is so full of feeling. It’s a unique story with unexpected circumstances and story arcs. At times it may seem rambling and nonsensical but the last quarter brings it all to light. Don’t let the snail and bride parties trip you up, it’s completely worth reading. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Endling by Maria Reva is a razor-sharp, darkly funny odyssey through a war-torn Ukraine where survival, science, and satire collide. Centered on a rogue snail breeder, two sisters faking their way through the romance-tour industry, and a nearly-extinct mollusk named Lefty, this genre-defying novel teeters between absurdity and heartbreak with stunning precision. Reva’s metafictional twists and biting humor lay bare the surreal routines of life under invasion, all while asking urgent questions about identity, resilience, and the narratives we craft to endure the unendurable. It’s wild, weird, and unlike anything else—equal parts brilliant and brutal.

Speechless after finishing Endling; truly cannot believe this book is real. It's meta, heartbreaking, a bit absurd, horrific. How Reva was able to combine so much commentary - and to make it accessible! - into this book, I'll never know. Endling deserves endless praise. It's a book I'll be talking about for a long time.

Endling by Maria Reva is a powerful work of meta-fiction. Intertwining narratives, astute storytelling, dark humor, and edgy social commentary make this an unforgettable novel. Existential in scope, Endling’s fictions rewrite themselves as the story asymptotically approaches deep emotional truths. This is a book to read first for enjoyment, then to read again to appreciate the nuances of art and structure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A quirky entertaining book. Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC to read.
The story is a dichotomy of humor and horror which each make the other more interesting and palatable.
I loved the base stories of Yeva - a conservationist working to save snails from extinction and Nastia and Sol - missing their mother and involved in the bride tour industry in Ukraine. I found the evolution of Yeva’s character especially compelling. Such a melange of feeling about her. Pashas story also added to the understanding of Ukrainian expats and the challenges they face.
I felt the horror of the war acutely in this book - the inhumanity and horror of the Russian invasion and the overall all relationships/ history of the two countries. It would be hard to convince most outsiders to read and understand the conflict but this brilliant little book achieved just that for me. Overall the surreal nature of modern war was exceptionally well portrayed. Hard to believe live goes on in a war zone and the rest of the world is so dispassionate about it.
The author’s devices to explain her telling of the story both confused and illuminated the book for me. Lots to ponder on with this book for some time to come.
So glad I was able to read this - expected publication date 6/3/2025 and I look forward to seeing more perceptions of this work. Highly recommended for thoughtful readers!

A surreal meta-novel about the war in Ukraine and it's effects on people living in the country and expatriates. Oh, and also about snails and mail-order brides. It's offbeat, tragic, and hopeful.

Endling by Maria Reva is a delightfully strange and thought-provoking read with characters so fleshed out they threaten to jump out of the pages.

I loved how Reva blends absurdity with sharp insight, weaving together commentary on war, gender, and environmental destruction. Set in war-torn Ukraine, Endling combines fascinating scientific elements (I never thought I would feel so strongly about snails) with a peek behind the scenes of the mail order bride industry (this was a particular treat for me as an ashamed 90-Day Fiancé superfan).

Her prose is vivid and darkly funny, and the story’s weirdness only deepens its emotional resonance. It’s a book that’s as smart as it is surreal—utterly original and unputdownable.

I am incredibly grateful for receiving an advance galley from the publisher and NetGalley. I can’t wait for it to hit the market so I can talk about it with everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC. I never thought I’d read so much about snails in my life. As a single person I thought the romance tours sounded dreadful, but the search for the girls mom brought me back on track and I was part of the group. I didn’t expect to laugh as hard as I did. 4 stars.

A little speechless after finishing this. Will be relentlessly recommending this and can’t wait to read more by Maria Reva. Moves from intriguing to entertaining to horrifying with some really smart meta moments. A complex feat of a novel while also being extremely accessible. Support your local independent bookstores and libraries and put this on hold or pick up a copy of it in June 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the eARC.

An endling is the last of a species, and biologist Yeva dedicates her life to attempting to breed these expiring creatures so that the species is not lost. Living in her mobile lab, she travels Ukraine carefully searching for certain snails, vital to the environment but at risk because of a number of factors, all scary. Her family wants her to give this up and settle down, not knowing that Yeva is filling in her budget between grants by entertaining men on romance tours, where these guys hope to find beautiful women untainted by feminism. Actually, saying that Yeva did anything like entertaining on her romance dates would be a very large stretch of the imagination--she realizes that none of the bachelors want to hear that she's a biologist. Best to just be quiet.

It's on one of these romance tours that she meets Nastia and Sol, two young women who are struggling after being abandoned by their mother. The mother promised to return on a specific date but did not show. The girls need a way to remind their mother that they are still there, that they are her true daughters. The way they plan to do this is will include some bachelors, the mobil lab, and yes, Yeva. All of this right as Russia invades.

This is an audacious novel filled with thoughtful, bright, brave people who are tangled by expectation, whether it's family, professional, political, or cultural. Maria Reva adds hints of the future into her test t, recommended but don't expect ube as well as clues from the past. It's confusing, and once you think you've got a grasp, your idea is revealed as way off base.

"Endlings" is a smart and complicated novel that would be a challenging book club choice--imagine the discussions about who is actually what! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.