FIRST OF ALL, thank you thank you thank you to TOR for not only sending me a physical ARC of Addie in exchange for an honest review, but for gracing me with an influencer box! I feel ridiculously honored to have received it, and I will honor it with my life!
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Addie. Addie. Addie.
How? How to I describe my love of this book? How do I write down a review for a book that means so much?
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab is already a classic. It has the feel of centuries, a story traveled over history, over wars and revolutions and art and memory. Or the lack thereof. It tells of a girl that learns how to work her curse-or her gift- how to take advantage of the forgetfulness of everyone.
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This is a story of grief, of loving, of finding over and over again. Of haunting and endings and beginnings. This is a story for those that need something MORE, for those that are in search of a character to pity and love and understand.
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Addie LaRue traded away her name and being remembered to live forever. "Everyone wants to be remembered" but Addie will never be remembered. Would you trade away an eternity of time to never be remembered? To have the clock reset every time someone leaves the room or closes the door?
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Addie LaRue will be remembered. And this? This is my favorite book. Of V.E. Schwab's. Of 2020. Of EVER. I know I often rant and rave about how amazing her books are, but I mean this with all my heart. This book and I were meant to be. This is the book I've been looking for. Pre-order this, read this. I don't know how else to convince you that this book deserves its place on your shelf. Or in your heart. 5 stars is not enough to rate this book, but it will have to do!
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To escape an unwanted marriage, Addie LaRue made a deal with the devil. And that deal was not in her favor - now, anyone she meets will forget her as soon as she's out of their sight. Enter Henry, after hundreds of years. After a chance encounter at a bookstore, Addie sees Henry again and is surprised to find that he remembers her. Will she fall in love with Henry, or will her relationship with the devil develop into...something more?

Obviously, I didn't love this book. It's definitely a case of the book not being my thing, though, I think other folks will love it. On the whole, I just kind of found it to be bland. The concept isn't exactly new (I mean, think of like...Hades and Persephone). The mystery of Henry and how he could remember Addie started to pique my interest, but it was very quickly solved in the most obvious of fashions. Addie gets a lot of character development, but she makes pretty much the silliest decision every chance she gets and I just couldn't bring myself to like her or care about her. Henry is...fine. Luc is...mysterious. What I learned reading this book is that what I like about Schwab is her worldbuilding. There's not a ton of that here, so it was down to the characters to make the book work, and like I said, I didn't care for them.

TLDR: The book is basically about desperate people making poor decisions and then falling into love out of said desperation. Anyway, it was by-the-numbers love story with characters that I found to be relatively uninteresting. It wasn't for me, but I think many readers will love the romance.

Addie LaRue is completely unable to make a mark on this world. She is forgotten the moment she is out of sight, her writing erases itself, and she can't even manage to hold on to any material possessions, except a wooden ring that is the symbol of her deal with the devil. Addie asked for freedom, to not be tied down to convention, but we all know that you have to be careful what you wish for. Addie has all the freedom she could want, and then some, and her bargain is good until she tires of being unendingly forgotten, at which point the devil will claim her soul.

The devil thinks he's gotten a good deal, making a bargain with a rash young girl, but he didn't count on Addie. Realizing that "ideas are wilder than memories" and can't be so easily controlled, she makes the terms of the bargain work for her. Perhaps she is an artist's muse for a while or she plants a musical riff that grows into a hit song, or finds some other way to live on (anonymously) through art. On top of that, she really does have freedom to experience all the world has to offer, and she's been experiencing it for 300 years.

And then, someone remembers her. After so much time, can Addie even have a relationship with someone who actually remembers her from one day to the next? What will she learn about her relationship to the world? And will it make her rethink the bargain she made so long ago?

Addie is a wonderfully strong, brave character, who will stick with you (haunt you?) long after you finish this book. The book is a trifle too long, but the payoff at the end is worth it.

I am not normally interested in fantasy books, and that is the realm of this author, although apparently, this book is a departure for her.

I was completely intrigued by the premise of this story - a woman who runs away on her (forced) wedding night in 1714 France and, in desperation to escape her situation, makes a deal with the devil, or as he is referred to often, 'the darkness.' More than that, I was delighted by the unexpectedness of her character development in the present day.

Three hundred years later, Addie LaRue is in New York City, after many adventures throughout the world, of which we subsequently learn the details of, in flashbacks embedded in her current-day drama. Wandering around for centuries, Addie is cursed with never being remembered, so all of her liaisons with lovers, friends, or even her own family back in France, never get very far. It's a lonely life.

I was alternately intrigued and bored with this story. The writing is exquisite and the theme of what it is that motivates a person to make such a life-changing choice was interesting. However, I wasn't as captivated by the many, many, long & drawn out depictions of her journey through time and other countries(coinciding with many famous people, who, of course, forgot about her immediately - except for the painter whose images survived the ages.)

Likewise, I was dissatisfied with the way her 'relationship' with the darkness proceeded through the years, with him continually offering to 'set her free' if she would only give up and let him have her soul once and for all. It just didn't feel realistic in many ways, although, perhaps in a romance novel it would not be out of place for Addie to be simultaneously disgusted by and drawn to the handsome, powerful guy. I'm not a fan of cliched romance novels.

The current-day story of a man who can suddenly 'see' her and not forget her (although all his friends do) is very appealing for a while, heart-warming and feel-good. But then we learn about the 'why' he has this ability, when nobody else has over the past 300 years, and, there, for me, the tale started falling apart. Likewise, with the confrontation and consequences with 'the darkness.'

I was rather surprised that this book has received so many 5-star reviews both on Goodreads and NetGalley, although I did notice that many of the reviewers raved about Ms. Schwab's previous fantasy novels, so perhaps it is a great hit among readers of that genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge-Tor Books and the author for the opportunity to read this eARC in advance of its publication on October 6, 2020. It was a wild ride to be immersed in Addie LaRue's life for a while.

V. E. Schwab has created another strange and wonderful character in Addie LaRue. This novel begins in modern America, but jumps back and forth between almost everywhere else. Forced to conform to the typical woman's role in 1714 France, Addie LaRue would rather do anything but that. She wants to draw and visit Paris and do so many things there is not enough time - especially if she is tied to a husband and children. She pleads to every god she can think of until finally, she beseeches the gods she was warned against, the gods who come out after dark. Addie gets what she asks for - the chance to live forever and do everything she dreams of, but the price is steep. She is cursed to be forgotten by EVERYONE she meets. Through the centuries she visits all the places she dreamed of, and does many amazing things that are forgotten as soon as she is out of sight. There is no record of her passing, of her influence on the arts and on historical events. Her life meanders on until in present time she happens upon a book store. There she meets a man who remembers her name and everything changes.

This is a dreamy, magical book. It reminded me a lot of Alice Hoffman's misty style and was equally as good. It was a sad story but a great read. I could see lots of great discussions among those who read it. I'm thankful for the chance to read an ARC.

Holy mother forking shirt balls.... this book was PHENOMENAL.

As a longtime fan of Victoria Schwab, I can't say that I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, but I am surprised at just how much thought and care was put into each character interaction, plot point and progression, and development of the storyline as a whole. Victoria continues to amaze me with every new book she breathes into the world.

This will definitely end up being one of my favorite books of 2020 and I could definitely see a reread in the future. Maybe the second time around, it won't make me cry! ;)

Wow this book blew me away. I don't think I have the words to explain how much I enjoyed this book so this might be a rambley mess, BUT I just have to say that it is probably the best book I've read all year.
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Following Addie through 300 years of her life was a dramatic and enchanting experience. I loved Addie almost instantly and she grew and changed so much as I was reading that I was almost amazed that she was the same person the whole time. I loved how the story is told through different time periods and it so amazingly showed how she learned how to just survive and then endure and then enjoy life. The way she is able to leave a lasting impression in the world throughout history when she cannot even say her own name or write down a single word was beautifully done.
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VE Schwab knows how to write a good villain and dramatic, complex romance and this book is no exception. I don't want to say any more about that to give even a tiny piece away, but I grew to be almost as enchanted by the villainous things, even at their worst, because of the way she wrote them. There is romance and heartache and so much longing; everything jumps off the page.
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The writing (as expected) is superb. VE Schwab is a masterful storyteller with vivid imagery that flows so wonderfully, but is never over the top or dragging. The story hooked its claws in me right away and I did not lose that feeling for even a minute. It ripped my heart into a million pieces is so may ways and put it back together with the most unexpected things. The ending was just exactly right and even though I miss this book already, I know I will pick it up again once I am ready to experience it all again with Addie.
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I will think about this book for a long, long time. I will recommend it to every person I know. I will remember Addie.

Literary fantasy about a women cursed to be forgotten. Addie LaRue made a deal in 1714 to live freely and not marry a man she didn’t love. Her wish turns into a curse where she lives basically forever, but will vanish from the memory of anyone as soon as they turn their head or go around a corner. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was a story that took it’s time – it’s made up of stories jumping from the present day back to the various encounters Addie has had over the years. Even though I read the book in two days, the writing is luxurious and I wanted to get lost in the slowly unfolding story.

Addie herself is a realistic, messy character who definitely makes the wrong moves sometimes, but I loved seeing her drive to leave her mark on the world. I saw the ending coming from the time we meet Henry, but it still brought me to tears. I just loved the characters so much!

Perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern

Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the first book I’ve read by V. E. Schwab . . . I’ll definitely be reading more. What a brilliant, compelling, gorgeous novel.

Adeline LaRue, born in France in 1691, is happy in her quiet life with her parents. Her doting father loves to teach her art and writing, and while her mother is less affectionate, Adeline knows that she cares for her. She loves her friend Estele, the village eccentric (primarily because she’s an old, unmarried woman) who freely shares her wisdom with her young friend. Addie’s life changes, however, when, at twelve, she’s told that she can no longer go to town because she’s not a little girl any more. From this time on, the path of her future narrows until, in 1714 at age 23, she makes a deal that changes everything.

Faced with an unwanted marriage, Addie calls on the gods to help her escape. The god who answers is one of the old gods against whom Estele has warned her, but, desperate, Addie shakes off her caution and agrees to an exchange she does not fully understand.

The consequence is a life of invisibility. Addie can interact with people, but as soon as she is out of their sight, they forget her. There are no exceptions—not her parents, not Estele, not her friend from childhood. She can’t affect the world, can’t make a change for better or worse, can’t say or write her own name. She is a ghost in her own life.

What does she gain? Immortality. Imperviousness to lasting pain or illness. Freedom.

And so Addie travels through the centuries, through Europe and across the ocean, until she reaches New York City in 2014. The narrative alternates between Addie’s history and her life in the present-day of the book. Her only constants are her freedom and the old god—she calls him Luc—with whom she made the deal, the old god who waits for her to grow so tired of a life unseen that she’ll give him the soul she promised in exchange for her freedom.

Addie’s path is a winding one, and the novel’s twists and turns are gorgeous and unexpected. I had a hard time putting this one down, drawn completely into Addie’s story. I recommend pre-ordering The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I can’t wait to read more of Schwab’s work.

*spongebob narrator voice* twelve years later...

Finally finished this one! I'm still amazed I was given this ARC at all - seriously, someone really took a long shot on me here - so I wanted to make sure I finished before release! And, also, it's been hanging over my neck for long enough that I'm glad to be DONE.

Overall, this is probably more like 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because Victoria Schwab does write some damn good prose and I did enjoy those moments enough to bump the rating for me.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is about a girl who makes a deal with a devil for more time. In exchange, she will never be remembered. Her name is no longer hers. She is forgotten as soon as she walks out of sight or between sleeps. She cannot own anything for long, as it all disappears, and she cannot have a home. She cannot do anything but become a ghost in the life of humans, living eternally without a presence in the world. Until one fateful day in 2014, Addie meets a boy who remembers her for the first time. And suddenly, her world is tilted on its axis.

For anyone who's considering this book: this book is unlike any of her novels I've read so far. This book is more of a musing, if anything. On what, I couldn't exactly tell you. If you enjoy wandering, lyrical prose, words that serve atmospheric purpose and a story that unravels at snail's speed, then you'll definitely enjoy this. But if you're here thinking this is a more traditional Schwab work, you may be disappointed.

There were parts of this book I really enjoyed! The beginning and ending of this book is so polished and wonderful, which is why I think I started and am leaving this book behind with good feelings towards it. But the middle is choppy, pacing leisurely (if it's even there at all), and it hops centuries and decades so quickly that at times, it gave me a headache. For me, the second half of the book has no pace at all, right up until the last 10-15% of it, which was a bummer. Structurally, I enjoy a story to have a much quicker build to action, so it was tough to push through the latter half of the novel. As far as the story itself, it's okay. Eventually, following Addie through history gets exhausting. Including Henry's past in the middle half of the book bogs it down further, and it really just started to drag. I also didn't feel like I really liked any of these characters, and maybe that's not the point, but it's critical for me as a reader.

Also, please don't expect this to be a romance. It is so, so not that.

Overall, this is a fine book. Any of my criticism is based more on my taste than against the book itself, aside from the sheer boredom of reading once Henry's perspective starts to bleed into Addie's. I definitely won't be buying this (and am very glad I did NOT buy into the hype of all the special edition boxes for this.) However, if this is your kind of story, you will most likely really love and adore it.

Victoria Schwab is just good for the soul. This is beautiful and heartbreaking and everything you could ever want. I have been waiting a long time for this book and it did not disappoint.

There are absolutely no words to describe the beauty that is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It’s by far one of my favorite books I have ever read. V.E. Schwab is such a lyrical writer and Addie was no different. I read this one so slow, taking in every word, every bit of scenery. The story is original, beautiful, and sad. The ending was something that I had no idea how it would play out and Schwab handled in perfectly. I can’t wait to have a finish copy and read this work of art all over again!

This is my first V.E. Schwab book and won't be my last. It was unputdownable from the beginning. The writing is perfect. The story is wonderful. I can't say enough about this book.

Exquisite. I took my time reading this, as I often do with book that I adore, simply to absorb every letter in my blood. I can be quite short when it comes to this novel: superbly written, well fleshed-out characters, and a plotline to die for.

I received an ARC of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue from Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

I love Faustian bargains.

Adeline LaRue, a young woman living in early 18th-century France, desperate to escape her impending marriage, makes one with “a god who answers after dark”: she will live until she is done with her life (an intentionally vague criterion cooked up by Addie herself), but she will be forgotten almost instantaneously by everyone she meets as soon as she leaves their sight. It’s not a particularly original premise, but it’s an intriguing one nevertheless. Unfortunately, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is sorely lacking in execution and leaves much to be desired.

Addie is an extraordinarily dull character. Her only personality trait is having seven freckles, and yet everyone instantly falls in love with her. The term “Mary Sue” has acquired misogynistic connotations in recent years (it is most often used in reference to competent female characters), but Addie feels like a Mary Sue in the traditional sense: an author stand-in who never changes or develops. The book covers three hundred years of Addie’s life, and she thinks, speaks, and acts the same way in the 18th century as she does in the 21st (she feels like a modern person displaced into history, even though it’s actually the other way around). I’m hardly the same person I was ten years ago, but Addie’s beliefs and attitudes and behaviors seem to have been untouched by three centuries of shifting social and technological dynamics, which is both difficult to believe and desperately boring to read about. At least the other characters have the excuse of mortality.

Schwab seems to abhor functional prose; the sentences in Addie are so overwrought, so desperate to impress, that they feel like rubber bands stretched to the point of snapping. I’m normally not one to be put off by rich, too-sweet prose—on a scale from the simplicity of Sanderson to the scintillation of Rothfuss, my preferences lean more in the latter direction—but I found it truly unbearable in Addie. It’s marginally more tolerable in the early historical sections, because at least those parts are cushioned by the veneer of fable, but as the timeline approaches modern day it becomes a sickly sheen which evokes an insufferable twee hipster aesthetic. It was impossible for me to enjoy the story because each sentence is so insistent on drawing attention to itself.

There’s an aspect of Addie which grated on me, and I can’t quite figure how to articulate it. My first instinct was to describe the book as “white,” like HBO’s Girls without the sharp satire and probing self-awareness. You know the vibe. But that’s more of a personal annoyance, and what Addie is doing (or not doing) feels more insidious. “Eurocentric” is a word closer to the source of my discomfort. This is a book which encompasses a lot of time and space—not only does it span three hundred years, but it features a character who can take Addie anywhere in the world at will—and yet it never escapes the gravity well of Western culture; it never shows interest in the art or experiences of people who aren’t white. It hardly even acknowledges their existence.

“Why does everything have to be about race?” you might ask. “That’s beyond the scope of the book.” But it’s not. Addie mostly takes place in France and America, mostly between the years 1714-2014: those are places and times which are loaded with racial history—to put the book in that geographical and chronological framework is to invite a discourse about race, a discourse with which both Addie the text and Addie the character refuse to engage. The relationship this book has with history is frighteningly cavalier. When Addie is asked about her experiences living through major historical events, she dismisses the question by claiming that history doesn’t feel like history when it’s happening, an assertion which seems the opposite of true: doesn’t everything feel like a major historical event when you’re living through it?

Addie makes a deal with the devil because she doesn’t want to get married. It is explicitly stated in the text that there are other supernatural entities and other people who have made deals with them, which led me to wonder: why should I care about Addie? What about the people who made deals to escape slavery? The people who made deals to escape concentration camps? Why aren’t we getting those stories? I briefly managed to convince myself that this was an intentional bit of subversion, that Schwab was playing 4D chess with me. “Ah,” I thought, “the pain of one person does not invalidate the pain of another. Schwab is tricking me into being dismissive of Addie’s suffering, because to be dismissive of her suffering is to be dismissive of my own—there are, after all, people who have it a lot worse than I do in the real world, but that doesn’t make my own unhappiness any less real.” But the subversion never came. The book breezes by these concerns, never stopping to interrogate the meaningful questions it inadvertently raises.

This is a text which seems positioned for real-world commentary. Addie physically exists in the world and yet is forgotten, over and over, by the people around her—a ready-made metaphor for those who are homeless or living in poverty. But the book never explores this. Addie is erased from the minds of others because she asked for freedom, and yet she disguises herself as a man at one point because she realizes that it is easier to move through society as a male than a female. But the book never explores this. This is a text which seems vapid at first glance, and upon deeper reflection, it is. I am reminded of Penny’s line from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: “Sometimes people are layered…. There’s something totally different underneath than what’s on the surface.” To which Billy replies: “And sometimes there’s a third, even deeper level, and that one is the same as the top surface one.” Thus it is with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is like an afternoon nap you didn’t intend to take: it’s not, strictly speaking, the worst way to spend a few hours. But you wake up when it’s getting dark, you realize you wasted the day, and you can’t help but feel grumpy. “A Life No One Will Remember,” says the tagline of the book. “A Story You Will Never Forget.” If only I could.

Addie LaRue can live forever, but at a harsh cost. After making a deal with a demon, she is given the freedom to explore the world as long as she likes. However, she is immediately forgotten by everyone who sees her as soon as she's out of sight.

This fantasy novel is an incredible look at what it means to walk among humanity leaving no footprint. Addie tells her story from multiple time periods, beginning with her life in 18th century France. Mixed in with her origin story is her experience in present day NYC.

I absolutely adored this book, from start to finish. The concept is fascinating and I loved how the implications of the curse were slowly revealed. It was also interesting reading about Addie's movement through different time periods and locations throughout history.

It's a meandering story, not a page turner, but it fits perfectly with Addie's experiences. The ending is also fitting and left me completely satisfied but with just a hint of wonder.

At the beginning, I thought this concept was great. I really wanted to read it and was excited! I just could not get going. I plugged away because I don't often quit and Addie is a great character. I just couldn't get through it. I stopped and started! I stuck with it and greatly enjoyed it! The characters were amazing and the storyline, albeit clunky at times, was interesting. 3.5 stars!

THIS MF DESTROOYYYYYYEEEDDDDD ME...... oh my god,,, okay so i KNEW that i would be utterly destroyed by this but phew ..... i had a big storm coming.

ATTENTION PLEASE: Put this one on your list! Thank you @torbooks and @jorjorbiiinks for the prettiest book swag box I have EVER received.
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I devoured this book over the weekend and LOVED it.

Three hundred years ago, Adeline LaRue made a deal with the darkness: a lifetime of freedom, in exchange for her soul when she tired of it. What she didn’t realize was that the bargain came with a catch, of course. Addie is free, yes, but no one remembers her. When she meets someone, as soon as she’s out of sight, they forget her. She has no friends or lasting relationships. She can’t say her own name, and she can’t write a word or leave any sort of mark behind. She’s destined to be forgotten...until one day, in 2014, she meets someone who says the words she hasn’t heard in three centuries: I remember you.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of those stories that defies genre. It’s ethereal and fantastic, but somehow also feels grounded in reality. It is emotional and romantic, but also darkly seductive, with a slow-burn that built into a riveting ending that kept me up way past my bedtime. I think this one is going to be BIG, folks, and it’s getting ALL the buzz. It reminded me of The Night Circus, with its beautiful writing and fantasy (but I have to admit that The Night Circus left me scratching my head and saying, “Now what exactly happened here?”) mixed with The Time Traveler’s Wife, plus some dark fantasy vibes and a villain you can’t help being drawn to.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I wholeheartedly recommend it! Please read so we can talk about it. Out Oct 6.

I loved every second of this book and didn’t want it to end! I’m honestly a little speechless.. such an incredibly original idea so beautifully written, this is my favourite read so far this year.

Many thanks to NegGalley, the publisher, and of course, the author, for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest review.