The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue isn’t just a novel—it’s a work of art. Over the years, I’ve read a number of books by Victoria (V.E.) Schwab, but I feel confident in saying this is, bar none, her best work EVER.

Once upon a time, there lived a young woman named Adeline LaRue. Born in a small French hamlet of Villon in the late 17th century, even as a little girl she has felt she that doesn’t quite belong, feeling trapped and stifled by the expectations foisted upon her by her village and her parents. So she prayed for something more. She prayed to the old gods and the new gods, but none would listen. And so, on the day of her wedding, in an act of hopelessness and desperation, she ran into the woods and prayed to the darkness…and something answered.

Addie thought what she wanted was simple. She didn’t want to be beholden to anyone or anything. She just wanted to be free. She just wanted to live. Hence, the darkness, in the form of a handsome green-eyed and dark-haired devil, gave her exactly that.

But everyone knows that deals with devils always have a price. Addie got to live and to be free, but now she is also cursed to wander the earth forever, to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Returning home from the bargain in her torn and muddied wedding dress, her mother and father looked upon her with mistrust and denied ever having a daughter. Similarly, there was no hint of warmth and only suspicion from her best friend who believed Addie to be a stranger. People she would meet on her travels forgot that they ever saw or spoke to her as soon as they turned their backs, because part of Addie’s curse is an inability to leave a single mark on the world, which means she can’t say her own name, tell her own story, or create anything of substance. Even her footprints would fade almost as soon as she makes them, like they were never there.

Three hundred years pass like this. In that time though, Addie has learned a lot about living with her curse. It hasn’t always been easy, but Addie has never given up, even when the darkness, whom she has dubbed Luc, returns again and again, promising to put an end to it all if she would just say the word and surrender her soul. Instead, Addie just finds new ways to goad him, taking joy in her experiences whenever she can. She also discovers the power of ideas, becoming a muse to artists throughout history so she can be immortalized in art. While it is not the same as being remembered, for Addie, it is enough. That is, until one fateful day in a small secondhand bookshop in New York City, she serendipitously meets a young man named Henry. And for some reason, Henry remembers her.

I swear, I still get chills just thinking about the story. I just want to revel in it. Like I said, I’ve read a number of Schwab’s books and I certainly consider myself a fan, but I’ve always thought of her work as more popularist and commercial. As much as I enjoyed her Villains series or her Shades of Magic trilogy, for example, I don’t know if I would ever call them literary masterpieces, but when it comes to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I wouldn’t hesitate. This novel is her tour de force, a step up from anything she’s ever done before, in my opinion. And to me it also feels very personal to the author, like the story and the characters were poured from her heart straight onto the page.

And the writing, oh my gracious, the writing. Before I got to know Addie, before the story had its chance to cast its spell on me, it was the writing that seized me and pushed this novel into the extraordinary. Every word felt perfectly placed, but Schwab made it all look effortless. With details and descriptions meant to whisk the reader across time and space, she crafts powerful and inspiring imagery to transport you to the eras and places she writes about.

The beautiful language also puts us into the head of our protagonist, a complex woman who has lived many lifetimes—and the writing makes you believe it. The story also introduces Henry and Luc and many other side characters, but it is Addie, always Addie, who has the reader’s full attention. With every stage of her journey, every encounter with the darkness, she learns and she adapts. We see this growth throughout the novel, and we come to sympathize with her pain but also respect her strength, intellect, and determination as she wakes up each morning to face another day of loneliness, watching those she has grown to love look at her without a trace of recognition in their eyes. But while there’s no doubt a lot of sadness and tragedy in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, there’s a lot of hope too. When she eventually meets the mystery that is Henry, we know exactly what it means for her to be finally remembered, and like spectators drawn to an exhibition, you can’t tear yourself away from the intrigue or stop yourself from rooting for the couple.

Normally, I would roll my eyes at the blatant cheesiness of book taglines, but in this case, I daresay “A Story You Will Never Forget” describes The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue perfectly. It won me over completely, I loved it, and recommend it to all with my whole heart.

I received a gallery copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I have to confess, this is the first book by V.E. Schwab I have read. I have heard of them and even own 2 of their earlier books and have them in my list of Need To Read. This is not the type of book I normally go for when I am choosing something to read. I am solidly into Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and while this is definitely fantasy it is lighter fantasy.
I started this book and it grabbed me. It didn't take very long to have me hooked and I knew I would be finishing it. I read it in chunks over a few days when I woke in the early hours of the morning and was hoping to occupy my mind so I could settle down and get back to sleep and then over several hours while resting at home recovering from a nasty head cold. The wit and prose of the author makes me want to jump into those other books I have been waiting on and call myself an idiot for trying them sooner. There were several phrases in the book that are quote worthy and I wish I had taken the time to highlight them. It made me an instant fan and I related to all of these characters.
The book does have a narrative that jumps around and does have a couple of perspectives that people who prefer a straightforward story might have an issue with, but I loved the intertwining of the tales and the jumping back into the past while telling the modern aspect of the story. It kept things interesting and added nuance to how things were happening to Addie in the modern world of New York. The book didn't pull punches either and there are some adult themes and I enjoyed the realism and depth it added to the character.
This book was the first one in a very long time that actually pulled on my emotions and I really felt for these characters and what they were experiencing. This is one of the easiest 5 stars I have given a book. Outstanding!

This book was beautiful. There were so many elements that were unique and when they came together it was truly breathtaking. A love story between a French girl and a devil! What not to like?

V.E. Schwab knocks it out of the park again. This book is truly magical. With short chapters and a flip back and forth between time periods, I easily could have powered through this story without stopping, it's that compelling. But I also couldn't allow myself to be done this story too quickly. I needed to soak myself in its words and savour the experience.

This is a story I'm going to want to reread many times in the future.

The premise is clever: girl sells her soul to the devil and ends up with nearly everlasting life. But is just living enough when you'll never be remembered? Never leave a mark on the world or another human being? Never have a history? Characters were wonderfully drawn and the novel was creatively plotted. This is an insightful look at human wants/desires and what many of us really want out of life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor/Macmillan Books for the ARC to read and review.

I was so lucky to receive an advanced copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue through NetGalley so I could share my review with you!

Addie LaRue has lived for three hundred years, and has been forgotten by every person she’s ever known. Such is Addie’s curse, bound by a deal borne from a desperate desire to escape the tight confines of her life. She will never age, never change, and never leave a trace. She begged to be free, unaware that immortality would have its own set of chains. And so, Addie LaRue will live as long as she likes, but it will be as though she never breathed at all. Over the years, Addie has adapted to the complete loneliness of being erased from the world while continuing to exist. But when a strange young man recognizes her for a second time, Addie’s world is thrown off balance. What does it mean, to find someone who can remember after all this time?

You can get your copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue on October 6th from Tor Books!

This story is equal parts devastating and beautiful, capturing the tragedy of mortality and memory more succinctly than any other book I’ve read. I was in shock when I saw that I had been selected to review this title, as The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has been one of my most anticipated titles for such a long time. Not only did the story surpass my expectations completely, it changed the way I view the world. VE Schwab’s writing style in this book was so easy to fall into because of its grace and ease in containing such a complex narrative. A book like this comes along only once in a lifetime. I know for a fact that I will not be forgetting Addie LaRue anytime soon!

My Recommendation-
In full honesty, I would recommend that everyone read this book; it is simply too fantastic a tale to miss! If you love books with gorgeously crafting prose, interweaving narratives, and just a touch of magic, you need to read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! This book would be the perfect read for fans of Neil Gaiman and of Schwab’s previous work.

There are no words to describe how much I loved this book, but I will certainly try. The titular character very much a product of the gift of time she was given. Her hopes and dreams and goals shift with the years, with the location, with history and her appetite for life (almost) never wavers. Yet the reader never forgets that this gift is also a curse, was in fact intended to be a curse, although the Addie of present day wears it like an old, cozy sweater. She makes it look almost easy.

I also love (no pun intended) the way the author treats love. That it can be real, and powerful, and life changing, while also being temporary. That a plot so heartbreaking I literally cried when reading parts, can also be just one small part of an ongoing story.

As to the character that cursed her.... I typically am not a fan of the bad boy who can change trope, but I think this was fantastically well done. Partially because it’s not that he changes (because of Addie or anyone else) but rather her (and the readers) understanding of bad shifts. He’s not a good guy by any means, but the development was awesome to read!

I am torn between wanting a sequel so badly, to discover if Addies last mentioned plan works out, and not wanting anything to spoil how incredible I found this book.

I kept expecting more.THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE has all the ingredients of a great book, a protagonist struggling to find herself in a constricted setting makes a deal with a dark power that she quickly understands is not desirable; she is bound in yet another tight way, yet now she has no one to blame but herself, how will she solve this dilemma? But author V.E. Schwab cannot decide how to address these larger than life issues in ways that might lift up her audience. There is nothing much offered here that caused me to feel that any of the characters had grown or exceeded their circumstances. The passage of time is interesting but I kept waiting for wisdom to accrue, if not to the character than at least from the tale. The ending was about the same as the book, I had hoped for more. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

There are famous first lines to movies and books and in this book, the last line is pretty memorable--"And follows him out into the dark." By the time you reach this last line in the book, you will have followed Addie LaRue through hundreds of years of her life and marvel at how she "follows him" one more time into the dark. Not just another story about selling your soul to the devil; you'll meet Henry who also made a "Deal" of a lifetime then, get ready to ride a roller coaster of emotions all the way to the end.

Has anybody else been eagerly counting down the days until The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue releases? I got my hands on an arc, and I'm still counting down the days! Then again, I did go ahead and order that special OwlCrate edition (couldn't resist).

What would do you, if you were given the opportunity to life forever, but on the condition that nobody would ever remember you? If you were unable to leave your mark on the world. For most of us, it's a question to ponder.

For Addie LaRue, it's her life. In 1714, France, she made a deal with the devil. Now she cannot speak her name. She cannot be remembered. But she doesn't have to fear death, and she's seen three hundred years of history.

“Don't forget me in the meantime.”

I'm going to be straight with you here: I didn't know what to expect from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Knowing V.E. Schwab's previous works, I expected to love it. But I didn't really know what would be on those pages, even with that lovely description.

I do know that The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue completely blew me away. This was not a novel I devoured in one sitting. I made myself read it at a more leisurely pace, knowing that I'd regret it the moment I finished it otherwise.

It was the right call. Addie's journey is...beautiful. Ephemeral. Powerful. All of those descriptions, and countless more. It is a story that cut me to my core, and left me hoping for me, while simultaneously being content with the ending. A rare occurrence, to be sure.

Every detail, every moment in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue feels so carefully thought out. It's beautifully done, slowly unfolding the story of Addie LaRue. The life she has lived, and the small ways in which she defies the rules that run her life.

“But Addie knows, as she forces herself down the stairs, that it's already happening – knows that by the time he closes the door, she'll be gone.”

This is a book that has a little bit of something for everyone. There's a strong female lead, magic, a devil, a love interest, and history. So much history. 300 years of the life of Addie LaRue, told through the incorporation of artwork and other delightful details.

I honestly could spend another couple of hours talking about this beauty of a book. This is a book that is going to be making my top ten list of 2020. It's a book that brought a little bit of light into an otherwise dark time. At least, it did for me.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a book that I strongly recommend. Fans of V.E. Schwab will adore it. Book lovers will find it compelling, and everyone in between will certainly find an element worth latching onto. I know I did.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this novel. I wonderful genre mash-up of fantasy, romance, and historical novel that was utterly satisfying. I fell in love with Addie's strength and tenacity and was cheering for her throughout the entire book. The satisfying ending was the icing on top of this lovely cake of a novel. Highly recommended.

V.E. Schwab can be very hit or miss with me, so I wanted to be excited for this book, but at the same time I was ever so slightly hesitant and skeptical of getting my hopes up. Fortunately, I really ended up enjoying this book and I think it was a really beautiful exploration of time, memory, and what it means to really live.

This is a story about Addie LaRue, a woman who is cursed to never age and never die, yet also to never be remembered by anyone. It is also a story about a young woman who wants nothing more than to have her own free will and to live her life as she pleases without being tied to anything or forced to do anything she does not wish to. And then there is Henry, a bookstore owner who simple feels too much and is struggling to find his own place in life. The story is about a lot of things and begins at many points, but the point that really acts as a catalyst for this story is when Addie meets Henry and discovers that things with him aren't quite as they are with other people--because, first and foremost, he remembers her name.

Addie was such an interesting character and one of my favorite parts of this books was simply following her along in her many years of life and watching how she adapted to essentially being immortal while also never being able to make connections or friends or simply meet anyone who remembers her for longer than a day at most--more often, they only remember her for the brief time she is around them and simply walking into another room can prompt them to simply forget who Addie is. She's also an incredibly independent and headstrong woman and I genuinely enjoyed watching her confidence grow throughout her years. Living from 1714 to the present time would have a pretty big whiplash effect on someone I would think, but I also suppose living through it would cause many of the changes to feel more gradual and not as affecting. Still, I think one of my only complaints is that I wish we had gotten to hear a bit more commentary from Addie about what it has been like to live through so much history and see the world change, and maybe even hear what her thoughts are on some of the biggest issues in the world. I do, however, understand that that isn't necessarily what this book was about and I know why Schwab didn't include as much on that as other areas, but it still is something I would have really enjoyed.

Henry is probably the character I most enjoyed, as I found his struggle with having too many emotions and feeling too much as I am someone who is considered a "sensitive" person, which basically means that I, too, feel far more than I should about everything. Henry's introduction to the story was done in a really exciting yet subtle way, and I found his own story and background engaging as well. I don't want to actually say too much about Henry because I think it would be a little too close to spoiler territory, but just know that Henry was a really well-developed character with some really great lessons that he both has already learned and that he learns throughout the story.

The pacing of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is on the slower, more thoughtful side. This isn't a page-turning thriller that will keep you constantly on the edge of your seat anxious for more. Rather, it's the sort of story that has such a compelling premise and beautifully told tale that you still do constantly want to know what will happen next. I'll admit, however, that there were times when I felt Schwab dragged on a little too long in some parts or where I eflt the story wasn't really moving. There were times when I wasn't entirely what the plot was--whether it was meant to simply follow Addie on her neverending journey or whether there was something more (there was!), and because of this my focus occasionally wavered. Overall, though, I found that I captivated for the majority of the story and genuinely found it to be an engaging and worthwhile read.

Overall, I've given The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 4.5 stars! This is a really beautiful story that I know will be a hit for many. It's a thoughtful read that doesn't have many fast-paced or high action moments, but it's a wonderful character study and discussion of some fascinating themes about time, memory, and more. If you're a hesitant V.E. Schwab reader like me, I'd encourage you to take a chance and check this one out!

<blockquote><b> Being forgotten, she thinks, is a bit like going mad. You begin to wonder what is real, if you are real. After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered? </b></blockquote>

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was one of my most anticipated books of this year. And guys, it didn't disappoint. Ever since I saw this blurb I've been obsessed with it. And this is why: I have this morbid fascination with Faustian bargains and I wholeheartedly believe that if every single writer wrote a story with this idea, it still won't become repetitive. The other reason is that I always wanted to read, or even write someday, a love story that spans a long timeframe and is incredibly complex, messed up, downright impossible and inevitably heart-breaking. I've been trying and failing to find this unique love story for so long. And every time I thought I found it, it ended up being a massive disappointment.
Among all the books I tried, I think Addie LaRue is the closest that a book ever came to be that unique love story I crave. It's not quite there yet. And I explain why. But it's close enough that I thought I needed to mention it.

Sometimes I come across books that are so beautifully written, so masterfully crafted, and filled so much heart that even a long time after I read them, they stay with me. This is one of those rare books for me. And it gave me one of the worst book hangovers I had in a while. It has so much heart in it that it’s clear every single sentence is crafted with love. It has this haunting quality that all the great works of literature have, that thing that gets under your skin and doesn’t let you go, even days after you finished it.

Some people would say that this book is about art, or the desire the carve a mark on this world. They’re not exactly wrong in that those are in the heart of this book. But personally, I think that at its core, Addie is a book about longings. A woman’s longing to be free and to only belong to herself, a you man’s longing to be loved and accepted only for himself, and a god’s longing to have the only person that makes him less lonely. <b>These three characters’ lives are woven together by their deepest desires and when they all come together, they clash. </b>

<blockquote> <b>“Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because visions weakens, and voices wither, and talent fades.... Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end... everyone wants to be remembered” </b></blockquote>

Addie's story starts as a mortal woman in France, in a time that is not easy being a woman. We follow her as she struggles to maintain a small level of agency over her life. But when even that seems to be impossible, she goes on to do the impossible, to make a deal with the god of darkness, to have her life completely and thoroughly belong to herself, and to have all the time in the world to do the things she dreams of doing.

Great right? There’s only one catch. The Devil (whom she calls later Luc) can't have her soul this way, so the devil curses her to be forgotten by all who see her. So then begins a game of cat and mouse. Each year in their anniversary Luc comes to visit her. Each time he gave her the same offer: A quick death so that he can have her soul and she can be free of this half-life as a ghost. Each time, she declines. But over the years the nature of their relationship changes and he stops asking for her soul. They still play games, but the prize is no longer her soul.

In all honesty, the best thing about this book for me was the relationship between Luc and Addie. Anyone who knows me would know that I'm a sucker for villain love interests. The moment I heard this was about a romance with the devil I was dying to read it. I just love <I>love</I> this incredibly complex, messed up and impossible romances. And this book didn't disappoint.

<blockquote><b> He is gravity.
He is three hundred years of history.
He is the only constant in her life, the only one who will always, always remember.</b></blockquote>

From the very beginning, their relationship starts as an antagonistic one. But that’s not all there is to it. After being cursed, her biggest desire becomes to have someone to remember her, to form a relationship that goes beyond the one-night stands. And that's where her relationship with Luc becomes complicated. Because no matter how much she hates him for deceiving her and for taking everything away from her, he's still the only one that remembers her. <b> The saddest thing about Addie’s loneliness is that she begins to miss seeing the very same person that caused it. </b>

At its core, Addie is a story about two people who have no choice but to be with each other, because there is no one else for them. But they can’t really be with each other because their nature is inherently at odds with each other. In his opening scene, Luc tells her that he won’t come into a deal unless he’s in control. I think that explains perfectly well why they can’t be together. Luc’s needs for control is the central part of his character and the thing that ruins their relationship. Because as much as Luc craves control, Addie craves freedom. That’s the main reason that she was desperate enough to make a deal with him in the first place. And that’s the reason that she lost everything.

<blockquote><b>"I am stronger than your god and older than your devil. I am the darkness between stars, and the roots beneath the earth. I am promise, and potential, and when it comes to playing games, I divine the rules, I set the pieces, and I choose when to play. And tonight, I say no."</b></blockquote>

But then there’s the fact that with the curse, Luc effectively took away her freedom to be with anyone else but him. Which begs the question: if she doesn’t have any other choice but him, is the relationship or whatever they feel even real?
With Addie’s desire for freedom and Luc’s desire for control are inherently at odds with each other. I’ll let you figure out how the relationship ends, but I have to say. This was the best fucked up relationship I’ve ever seen in literature.

This storyline between Addie and Luc was fantastic and I was totally here for it. If this was book was only about the relationship between these two it would’ve been an easy 5 stars and potentially an all time favourite. But sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Objectively there was nothing wrong with this book and whatever I didn’t like was my own taste. That said, I didn’t like the way this book was formatted. The story is narrated in parallel timeline between past and present. Basically 80% of Luc’s presence and his relationship with Addie is in the past. In the present we have Henry and Addie’s relationship. And that’s where my criticism come from. The romance between these two did nothing for me. And I’m not saying it because Henry is ‘normal’. But I genuinely didn’t feel the connection. One of my most hated tropes in fantasy is when characters fall in love 'because magic'.
That trope is annoying because it means that magic substitutes proper emotional development between the couple. It cheapens and simplifies something that could be incredibly fascinating.
With Addie and Luc we see their interactions over a very long period of time, so it makes sense that they form this bond. Sure, the ‘bond’ is pretty messed up and toxic but there’s no denying that such a bond could be formed in that situation. Even though the magical element started their connection, the way it’s forged over time is incredibly humane.
I just didn’t see that with Henry. The only reason for their relationship is that he remembers her, and then suddenly: boom they’re in love.
This leads me to my other problem. The way this story is formatted the ship with Henry seems more important but it’s actually pretty bland. It’s directly related to my previous point, because when the magic substitutes actual development, there’s not much left to make the relationship interesting.

Also, when it comes to romance, I personally prefer the ships where the conflict is more internal, rather than external. This is why I have such a contempt for Romeo/Juliet type of romance. The type where two perfectly bland characters are separated by external reasons. I love to read about relationships that get fucked up because people are inherently fucked up and they tend to fuck up every beautiful thing they have.

Okay so I’m done with ranting. The last thing I want to say is that the ending was absolutely perfect. It does leave the room open for a sequel though. But I hope she won’t go that route, because honestly, this was the best ending this story could possibly get and I want to be able to always imagine this as the absolute end. There was only one way to end this without turning it into a tragedy OR dumbing down the story. I think some people might not like it, but for me, this ending was bold and brave and absolutely brilliant.


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pre-review:
I finally found the villain love interest I always wanted 🤩

I started this book the same way I imagine everyone did: with curiosity and piqued interest. After all, V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors. However, I did not plan on Addie LaRue to be my favorite read of the year so far.
The story of Addie LaRue is that of a young girl who makes a deal with the devil (for lack of a better all-encompassing term) for freedom to live her life on her own terms. However, the pact is worded in such a way that Addie becomes a ghost of herself, unable to leave a lasting impression on anything, or anyone. Every time she parts ways with someone, they forget she was ever there.
This allows for some excellent commentary on loneliness and longing and the need to be needed. It raises questions about what a full life truly encompasses, and gets the reader to look inward at where they have been putting their life's value and spending their time. At least it did for me.
Just when you think you've gotten her story, she meets someone who actually remembers her, and I found I was thrown off kilter just like she was at the jolt to the story it gave. They juxtaposed each other nicely, each bringing to the table something the other fundamentally lacked, while at the same time you're left wondering what will happen to this perfect, fragile moment in a very long lifetime.
I felt the ending was solid and emotional and hopeful and all sorts of things that I'm still processing in my mind.
For those of you who prefer action over character building, this might not be the book for you, but if you like delving deep into what makes a person tick and taking that lesson to turn it back inward on yourself, this is the book for you. I can pretty much guarantee you won't be disappointed.

This book is about a young woman who makes a deal with a dark god and earns her freedom, but also is given the gift of living forever and being forgotten by everyone. Addie does not realize the bargain she has made, and she is forced to learn to live with her decisions as she experiences history as it happens.
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My favourite parts were reading about Addie in the past and all the historical moments she experienced. This is usually what I like about a "live forever" story. They get to experience so many important historical events so it is cool to see how they experience it. I would have liked to have read more about Addie in the past, but I do understand that that was not the full purpose of the story.
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The moral of this story is be careful what you wish for. Addie wants freedom to do and choose what she wants, and while she gets that, she also gets other things that she had not bargained for. I really loved the world building done by the author and the character development, and I thought that the way the author constructed the story was very well done! Great book!

This book! Victoria Schwab does it again with captivating characters and a fresh take on deals with the devil.

I feel in love with this book with the first chapter. The concept of this book is so interesting. This book is written so beautifully and by far one of my favorite V.E. Schwab books. The characters (Addie being my fav) was the best part of this book. Its strange because I thought this book was set in the past but it seemed very modern. Its amazing and I highly suggest you read it.

Stunning and surprisingly welcoming for a book that can tear you apart the way this one did. ADDIE felt a little more high literary than Schwab's other books which would normally be difficult for me but I absolutely loved it. Something about it didn't feel fantastical despite the obvious fantasy and paranormal elements. I liked how different it felt from her other work. As a reader I can tell how much care the author put into this story. I know she spent years developing and growing into this book, and you can tell in a great way. The attention and care put into the story and the characters bleeds through the writing. I loved it.
It wouldn't be a V. E. Schwab book if the ending didn't stun me, and this one continued the trend. I was hooked from beginning to end, and god that ending. I know I will be returning to this one again and again. Despite having only read it once I know it will be one of my favorite books in the future. Amazing. Loved it. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Okay wow! First, it should be known the V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors! So I knew I would like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I didn’t just like it, I loved it. This is a book that provokes deep thoughts. It really makes you examine your life and what you want out of it. Well, at least it did for me. And so this review may be a bit more cerebral than others.

Addie’s journey is so wonderful and steeped in culture and history. Addie was a woman before her time, he longed not to be trapped in the life laid out for her. I think that is something we can all relate to in some way. This book alternates between (roughly) present-day and the past. It begins with Addie’s life, then we see her fateful bargain being made and then we live 300 years with her. All the while seeing who Addie is now. In the beginning, I didn’t know if I really liked Addie, but as the story progressed I saw that she was doing the best she could. I learned to respect Addie’s strength and determination.

I have often thought – because I’m that sort of person – if I was to go back in time where would I go. And to be honest, as a woman the answer is I don’t. While that isn’t what Addie is about, it is touched on in the story. Which only made me respect Addie more. Perhaps being “invisible” helped in some way.

This book also makes you realize how important it is to be truly seen. Through Addie, we live a life where that isn’t truly a life. The sting of not being remembered and the joy of someone finally knowing her. It makes me so appreciative of the people in my life that see me and love me for who I am. And it makes me want to ensure that others feel the same way.

I have to admit the end of this book really hit me. We are talking ugly tears! But well worth it to have read the beautiful story! I remember you…

I went into this with high expectations (since it’s V.E. Schwab) and I’m happy to say she very much surpassed them. She mentioned she had this story in the works for years and only released it when she felt it was ready, that definitely shows.
This is a beautiful story. It is about wanting to be seen and acknowledged, but also so much more than that.
There is so much yearning, for love, for life, for knowledge, etc
The writing is gorgeous, the characters were ones I enjoyed reading about, the plot left you wanting more.
I don’t have anything negative to say about this, it is one of my favorite reads ever.