The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is one of those really rare reads that make a reviewer wish there were a constellation of stars to express ones love and enjoyment of a true blue unique novel. Schwab is said to have spent a decade writing the story of a love between a human and a god. To write something this epic in depth would have absolutely taken those 10 years to marinate, to age to the level of perfection found inside these pages. No spoilers here, but I only wish to say that this book will drag you through Addie LaRue's life. And you 'll love it.

This was my first time reading any of V.E Schwab's works, but it definitely won't be the last. The writing was beautiful and heartwrenching. I normally am not the biggest fan of novels that take place in alternating time periods, but these blended so seamlessly that I might be convinced to read more now.

This was my most anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint! I've read everything VE Schwab has written and this is an entirely newly elevated level of writing. I'm such a fan of hers and I loved reading her writing getting even better. This was the story of Addie's life, a discovery about what we truly want and what we're willing to sacrifice to obtain it. I think you should read this book without knowing the story so Schwab can tell it to as as she intended, so I won't give too much detail. It is a beautifully written story full of gorgeous imagery and atmosphere. I love reading stories with characters who feel entirely real - someone I could run into on the street or pass in the store or befriend at a party - and worlds that I can vividly imagine even better than a movie in my head. This is one of those rare stories that tapes into raw emotion that makes me as a reader examine myself while also feeling seen. I wish I could explain the magic of this book better, but you'll have to read it yourself to find out more.

In 1700s France, a girl named Addie LaRue is warned to "Never pray to the Gods that answer after dark." Of course, in a moment of desperation, that's exactly what she does. Her dark prince grants her enternal life in exchange for her soul, but there is a catch: No one will remember her. Addie and the devil's rivalry take the reader on a romantic and atmospheric journey through the centuries. Fans of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern will enjoy this historical fantasy.

I loved it! This ill-fated love story is full of wonder. It is a stunning tale of two star-crossed lovers that draws you in deeper with every page. A journey I hoped would never end.

France, 1714, on the day of her arranged wedding to a man she barely knows, Addie LaRue prays, begs, and pleads desperately to the gods for a life of freedom. As darkness falls, the devil answers her call and a deal is struck. Addie wins her freedom but at the cost of being forgotten by everyone she meets.

Over the next 300 years, Addie travels the globe from Paris, London, all the way to New York City. She lives through World Wars, inspiring great artists and witnessing incredible events. But Addie wanders the earth alone only visited on the anniversary of the deal by Luc(icfer) ready to take her soul. Until one day, she meets a bookseller named Henry who remembers her.

The two fall quickly in love, but Luc wants Addie all for himself, and can you ever win against the devil?

This story stole my soul. While this story may not be as action-packed as some of V.E Schwab’s previous novels, it is written beautifully. And as they say ‘the devil is in the details’ and it is those beautiful & intricate details that make this one of my favourite reads this year!

5 out of 5 stars

Schwab completely outdone herself. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of the most powerful beautiful and moving novels I have ever read. For a forgettable girl - it sure is an unforgettable read.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is special. It’s a once in a lifetime read. This book makes you question what is truly important in life. What makes life meaningful? What could you not live without?

V.E. Schwab has outdone herself with this book. I can’t begin to explain the extent and magnitude of how much this book touched me. I cried, I smiled, and I felt overwhelmed with emotion while reading it (at 3 am, in case you were wondering). I will never forget the story of Addie LaRue--which is precisely what she deserves. Addie deserves to be remembered just as we all deserve to be remembered.

Throughout 300 years of being constantly forgotten, never being able to make a mark on the world, Addie LaRue devoured life. Through all the ups and downs, she loved life. She found reasons to smile. She found joy. She found love even though she knew it couldn’t last. She appreciated the beauty of humanity and her surroundings. She truly lived life to the fullest of her capability.

Addie LaRue is inspiring.

Addie and Henry, our two main characters, are both extremely relatable. Gosh, Henry’s struggle with figuring out his career was spot on for me. The feeling of being overwhelmed when faced with making a decision that will impact the rest of your life was one in which I am very familiar. Henry was basically expressing how I felt all throughout college...and now.

This book gives you a fresh outlook on life and all of its intricacies. I encourage everyone to read it.

What a gorgeous story of one woman's strength and persistence. The fact that for an 18th Century woman to live a bigger life beyond her village and fulfill her dreams, she literally needs to sell her soul to the devil? Heartbreaking. But the fact that she finds a way to make her mark on history when everyone forgets about her as soon as she leaves a room is remarkable. The scene where Addie and Henry figure out a way for her to be able to draw together is so incredibly moving. And who knew three words (I remember you) could make me cry so hard? I love this story.

Let me be the first to tell you that I was absolutely shocked, blown away, and humbled that I even received this ARC because Victoria Schwab is my absolute favorite author and a constant inspiration to me as a reader, a writer, and human being. While admittedly I haven't read every single Schwab novel, I've read a good handful of them and have loved the one's I've picked up so I know that this one was going to be a treat. That and I'd heard her discuss this novel for literal years on her book tours for Conjuring of Light and Vengeful and I'd always been fascinated by the premise.

This book was so, SO good, and was so incredibly well-written. The story is beautifully told with chapters that alternate time periods that span hundreds of years and mostly follows Adeline LaRue in the aftermath of her life-altering deal with the devil. In a moment of desperation, Addie makes a bargain that will cause her to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. Until one day... someone remembers her...

I read this book via Kindle so I was definitely not aware how long this novel was. I would "flip" the page on my iPad 10 or so times and the percentage would only go up by 1. I was glad though because I didn't want this story to end. It was interesting to learn about Addie's life prior to her bargain and the hundreds of years after, how she learned to cope and adapt to a life of being forgotten.

I don't want to spoil too much of this book because it's definitely one you need to read yourself, but just know that you are in for an absolutely delightful time from page 1 until the final page. I dare say that of all of the Schwab books I've read, this is easily her best and most eloquently written novel to date. It's extremely apparent that this book was a labor of love and I already can't wait to scream about this book at the top of my lungs to literally everyone I know.

Thanks again to Tor Books, Macmillan, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly wish I could go back in time just so I could get the experience of reading this book for the first time again. It was INCREDIBLE. Victoria Schwab's style of writing has always been a favorite of mine, but I honestly think this is one of her strongest to date. The writing was so rich and wonderful. There were scenes where my gut twisted because I felt what Addie was going through--her pain, her longing. The premise was amazing and Schwab has an amazing gift of fleshing out her world(s) and characters in such a way, that I feel like I'm there and/or that I know these people. All the places Addie visits throughout the book just makes me want to desperately go and travel as well. This book is rich with its relationships (one in particular, but I won't give it away, but OOOOOH. What a tango it is!) and I adore how Schwab incorporates art throughout the entire story. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy! Addie is invisible no more! Read this book (And all of Schwab's other titles)!!!

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Adeline's fierce independence is not appreciated in rural eighteen century France. When she finds herself about to be forcibly married off, she desperately strikes a deal with a dark entity: her soul for freedom and time to live her life. Her immortality comes with the inability to be remembered. For three hundred years she carves out an existence around the confines of her curse, until she meets a young man who does not forget her. The epic sweep of Addie's life across the ages and her impossible relationship with Henry are both gorgeous testaments to her indomitable spirit.

I am speechless. Truly. This was stunning in every sense. Wow. A beautiful tale of a girl who makes a deal with the devil that spans hundreds of years, as the people she meets, the historic events she is a part of, and the lessons she learns, make this one of the most poignant novels I’ve EVER read. I took my time with this one, part reading slump during a pandemic, but mostly because I didn’t want this to end. My heart was pounding in my chest at moments, so much emotion runs through these pages. I can not recommend this enough. After not being successful in enjoying Schwab’s other books-I am truly astonished at this novel, and find that this may be one of my favorites of all time, if not of all year. It was also very inclusive in my opinion-have not read a Jewish character (which is important to me personally) in any of the books I’ve recently read, and inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community as well. I applaud Schwab wholeheartedly for this. Whether there is a sequel (god I hope so) or not, thank you for this beautiful book.

(my review taken from my GoodReads profile). Have also tweeted about it and posted on my instagram (@mybookcorner)!

*Blinks tears out of eyes*

Well, everybody, Queen V.E. Schwab has done it again.

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE is a love letter to literature, but it's also a homage to art, a mapping of music. As always, Schwab weaves a world SO exquisite with her prose that you can't help but be drawn into the pages. Her settings are immersive, detailed, visually crafted so beautifully that I could almost feel the snow in London, smell the freshly-baked baguettes in France.

And her CHARACTERS. Oh, her characters. Each and every one of them was unique, inviting, INTRIGUING -- which takes skill, because Addie met MANY people over the course of her 300+-year life! I found myself itching to know more about James, longing to learn about Toby, swooning over Remy. (And, Ms Schwab, if you ever want to write a spin-off about Robbie finding love, or about Toby's musical adventures, just now that I'll be first in line to purchase it!).

At its core, the story is about a Faustian deal, a girl who's cursed to be forgotten, and what it means to be immortal. But in its soul, THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE a story for everybody. It speaks to the longing to make a mark on this world, it touches upon the joy in art, in nature, the beauty that can be found in such a dark, terrible world. It provides hope, while not diminishing the stormy days. It deals with mental health, and fears, and longing, and love.

I adored this novel. There's a reason it's getting so many glowing, five-star reviews: because Schwab is a master storyteller, and this story, THIS STORY, is her crown jewel.

After reading, all that I can say is one thing: this book -- its characters, its European immersion, its inspirational messages -- will stay with me for a long, long time. Ms Schwab, I'll always remember Addie LaRue.

How do I even begin to talk about this book and its impact?

I have read many books by V. E. Schwab and I always enjoy myself. I find myself sinking into her writing and flowing with the story at whatever pace she sets. I fall in love with each character and their flaws and strengths. I witness their greatness and their regrets. I live for a story that transports me; Schwab transports me.

Addie is a girl desperate for agency and choice. A life where she can choose what she wants, who she wants, and where she wants to go. But she is living in a time, a place, where anything but is allowed so when the end seems near, she makes a deal.

The story is told through past/present chapters and then different perspectives. Quite frankly, I really enjoy this type of storytelling and it really lends to this story in that it plays with our perception of time and passing time and it allows the story to unfold more organically. Addie and her blessing, her curse, and her relationships with people all take shape over time as she begins to understand the limits and loopholes.

The heart of this story is a love story and while one might think I mean the actual love story, I really mean Addie's love story with herself. She learns so much about herself, her pitfalls, her weak spots, her weapons, her skills. She comes to appreciate her situation and uses it to make her life more fulfilled, to live it in a way that brings her peace. It is not a smooth road if anything filled with just as many hiccups as a normal life. The beauty in it is that she gets to claim more time to try again. She is flawed and she knows it. Instead of hating herself for it, she learns how to make it something more, something to be admired.

It's hard to be vague about this story and not want to reveal all its secrets. It is like the character itself, it desperately wants to tell its story and for its story to be told. Powerful, dreamlike, and full of joie de vivre, Addie captures your heart and then takes your breath away.

This book is fantastic. I literally had to force myself to put it down around 3:00am one night so I could get a few hours of sleep before work the next day. I was reading during all my breaks and any moment I could claim for myself. We all know those tell-tale signs of a reader that is really hooked into the story, and every chance I got to read this book was pulling me in.

Addie is a wonderful character. She's rebellious, knows her own mind, is smart, sly, and unapologetically herself. And in pushing back against the world, she ends up living with a curse that makes everyone forget her. Since she's such a fantastic character, but no one else knows her, reading this feels like we as the reader are in on a special secret because we get to see who she is when no one else can.

AND, while being a captivating tale about a girl carving out a place in the world under extraordinary circumstances, this book is also a literary achievement that deals with the intersection of history, philosophy, art, and the nature of love as Addie seeks to make her mark on a world that has forgotten she exists over a span of 300 years.

A work of historical fiction and fantasy with a bit of romance and a hard look at the power of ideas, this book gets 5 stars from me, and will be a must-read this Fall.

Schwab sets her latest in 1714 France. Addie LaRue is fiercely independent and will not follow the dictates of her parents who have arranged a marriage for her. But instead, Addie makes a deal with the devil so she can have her own life and make a mark on the world. As with all such Faustian deals, there is a negative aspect to the contract. Now Addie finds herself totally forgettable – to her family, her neighbors, in fact, to everyone she comes in contact with. Within minutes of meeting her, she will be erased from their memory. She also will live on until she agrees to the end of the contract.

As decades and centuries proceed, Addie travels the world and meets interesting people, only no one remembers she was ever there. While this may not sound terribly frustrating, it does make living accommodations difficult, and almost impossible. But when one person does claim to remember her, things change.

Similar to The Book Thief, the grim reaper or devil, whomever you choose to call him, is an interesting character in this story. He frequently interacts with Addie and they have a fascinating relationship. Instead of the monstrous portrayal of the bringer of death, here he demonstrates an unexpected depth. True to her nature, Addie is determined to make the best of her bargain. She refuses to give up and let death win. The question is, will her iron will be enough to sustain her over the centuries.

Addie LaRue is a character who will leave her mark on readers, even though she can’t make a lasting impression on anyone she encounters in the novel (with one exception). Schwab has another hit on her hands with this new standalone fantasy.

Finished this in one sitting. V.E. Schwab does it again. This book is a tour de force complete with nuanced worldbuilding, multilayered characters, and a heart-aching theme. The plot is both delightful and poignant. I highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

One word for this book: WOW,
V.E. Schwab created a masterpiece.

I found this novel compelling, but sometimes slow. I devoured this novel in a single day because I could not put it down. It is seemingly historical, romantic, and supernatural(?). I hope you all do yourselves a favor and pick up novel when it releases.

Spoilers Below:
In this novel we meet Adeline Larue who wanted exploration, freedom, adventure, but most of all to leave her mark on the world. However she was a young French girl from Villon born in a time that women were not allowed many freedoms. They were expected to marry, have children, and take care of the home.

On her wedding day, she ran. She pleaded to any god that would listen to her for freedom, a life where she could live the way she wanted and not be forced to settle down with a man she did not love or want.

“And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.”

But the sun went down while she was praying and the night answered offering her a deal. She was tricked into selling her soul and accepting a bad deal due to her desperation.

300 years later.... She is desperate to be remembered. Playing a game of cat and mouse with the trickster who is the only one who remembers her because she doesn't want him to win. Finally, she meets a bookseller named Henry who uttered the phrase she was desperate to hear, "I remember you"

“Being forgotten … 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?”

Thank you, NetGalley, for this digital ARC.

Addie LaRue, a young woman living in 1714 France who simply wants to change her fate, makes a desperate deal with a dark god. Suddenly, nobody knows who she is, and when she meets people, they forget her the moment they turn away. Her pen strokes disappear. The things she breaks mend themselves whole again. Collected possessions disappear overnight. Addie can leave no mark on this world, for as long as she chooses to live. For 300 years, Addie adventures across the world, soaking in every experience she can while seemingly invisible to everyone around her. Then one day, she revisits a young man's bookstore she had browsed once before...and he remembers her.

THIS. BOOK.

Heartbreak. Grief. Anger. Frustration. Hope. Joy. Peace. This story made me feel so many things. It took me longer than usual to get through this book, because I savored every moment of it. Schwab was so thorough in her execution of Addie's curse; no loopholes that I could see, no "Addie could've just done this." And the way she intertwined Addie's story with the second protagonist is arguably brilliant. The end is crushing and haunting and just perfect for this beautiful adventure.

Saying more would give things away, so I will leave it to you readers to absorb and treasure the invisible life of Addie LaRue.

This book is going to be huge. People will love it. I’m probably going to buy it for my sister, who I think will adore it. I really enjoyed it and read it quickly, though it isn’t perfect—Schwab feels a little bit like she’s trying to prove her literary prowess (there are a lot of sweeping statements and bold proclamations and philosophical musings that are, in my opinion, totally unnecessary), but the story is incredibly compelling, its characters well-crafted and sympathetic, and the ending is close to perfect (rare!).

Adeline lives in a rural village in early 18th century France with her beloved woodworker father and stern mother. She longs for freedom, and on the night of her wedding to a man she doesn’t want or love, she makes a desperate plea to a god, any god, to be liberated from what she views as the tragedy of poor family life. She gets her wish, but she pays a steep price: “freedom,” in the eyes of the cruel god who answers her call, comes in the form of being forgotten by every person she meets as soon as they close a door or go into another room.

Addie lives for 300 years with this curse, “free” but almost entirely alone, until she meets a young man who remembers her name.

I found myself thinking about what I might wish for and what the cost would be. I had an amazing conversation with a friend who also read this book, about the relationships between Addie and the two men in her life—Henry, the young man who remembers her, and Luc, the fascinating god who curses her.

Though I took small issue with some stylistic choices in the prose (I dislike frequent one-sentence paragraphs, which litter this book), overall, this is a wonderful read and I can’t wait to discuss it with everyone once they read it!! Comes out October 6.