This book grabbed my attention from the very first page and kept me engaged until the very last page! In fact, I reread the last 10 pages or so several times because the message was so poignant. This book was not only an enjoyable story, it made me rethink my own mark on the world! I loved it!

In an act of desperation, Addie LaRue makes a deal with a devil to live forever but in exchange no one will ever remember her. She then learns the loneliness that is a life where everyone forgets you. It's not until 300 years later that she does meet someone who actually remembers her, a 28 year old man named Henry.

This is a very slow-paced novel. Ms. Schwab takes her time to fully introduce Addie so you can understand her character-- why Addie makes a deal in the first place. She then takes her time to allow you to feel what Addie feels-- the unrelenting loneliness and what it means to live for 300 years. I found myself overtime emphasizing Addie's burden, and was happy when she finally meets Henry. I couldn't help but ship them together in hopes of a sweet romance with a happy ending. Then there is the mystery of why Henry can remember her-- why does a man 300 years from Addie's original life have this ability? Is it fate that they met? The technique that Ms. Schwab uses to slowly reveal all the mysteries is by alternating chapters between the past to present, which in this case is the year 2014. I've always wanted a good story involving both past and present point-of-views to show how a past from long ago affects the present, and the order of everything told here helped me understand Addie's motivations, feelings, and responses. I really appreciated the execution.

I believe I heard this novel pitched as a hate to love romance between a human and a devil. I would like to clarify that it is much more complex than that. The devil character himself is never necessarily referred to as such, and he is a very dark character that you'll meet through Addie's past. He is dangerous and not to be taken lightly.

I'm very happy that I read this book. I've read a few of Ms. Schwab's other novels and while the pitch behind them have been amazing, the execution has been a little flat for me personally. Ms. Schwab has really grown as a writer with this one however, and I will definitely continue to pick up her books.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written once again, I am obsessed with VE Schwab's world's. Every year of this journey was heartbreaking and wonderful. SCHWAB has really perfected her writing style over time. Can't wait for her next book!

This is going to be an instant hit. It was an easy read and extremely well-written. I loved everything about Addie and hearing her stories through time were so magical, heartbreaking, endearing, and unique.

Addie LaRue is only 23 years old, and yet she has lived through 300 years of history. Born in a small village in France and fated to live out her life as an overworked wife and mother, Addie makes a pact with a dark god. She rejects a normal path in exchange for unending life and a chance to explore the world. The only catch is that no one will remember her, no matter how hard she tries to etch herself into their memories. That is until she meets a young man named Henry.

V.E. Schwab departs from her previous books with this tale told across the centuries. I'm generally a fan of her books for adults, so when I heard 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' was coming out I was excited to read it. And while there were many good moments in the book, it was first and foremost a very slow burn. I know it might sound harsh, but this book could have easily been halved in length and it would have been a more effective and compelling story. I see why Schwab included many of the scenes she did, but in the end they just bogged down the story. The present-day storyline and the sections where the three main characters navigate Addie’s deal stood out above the rest. This is by no means a bad book, but for me it ranks low in Schwab’s output.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab tells the story of the incredible life of Addie LaRue, a desperate French girl not ready to be tied down in marriage in a village she’d never be allowed to leave, who prayed after dark, and when an old, ancient, dark god responded she took his deal. Too bad she didn’t remember her neighbor, Estelle’s, warnings about the kind of gods that answer prayers after dark, and how it wasn’t wise to make deals with them. In a fae like bargain, her prayer is answered, just not the way she imagined.
For three hundred years Addie wanders the world, experiencing, living, and never changing. Also, never being remembered. Anytime anyone meets her, the moment she is out of their sight, she is forgotten, and she can not leave her own personal mark on the world. It disappears the moment she tries. Then one day she comes across a young man at a bookstore who says something she’s never heard before in three hundred years, “I remember you.”
What commences is a beautiful, poignant journey through Addie’s long life, interspersed with the interactions she’s had with people, and the world while also following her journey with Henry in the present. Underneath and in between the story is a long game being played between Addie and the not so benevolent god that answered her prayers. Is it chess? Cat and mouse? Both? I’d say both probably. Three hundred years though and their relationship is so fascinating and I loved it. By the time Addie meets Henry you know there was something that happened awhile back between them that still affects her to this day and it’s hinted at quite a bit until near the end when you get your answer about what it was and just ow.
This story is beautiful and slow paced, it is not a story of big adventures, although Addie certainly had some of those, but it is a story of experience and living.
Also, that ending *chef’s kiss*
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Well, I have found my favorite book of 2020 thus far, no contest. Addie LaRue was captivating from page one, and was completely unputdownable (seriously...one sitting). I loved how the story unfolded with the multiple timelines, a style that was handled seamlessly. There were some very real tears shed as we neared the end. Addie was an incredible MC and Henry was just wonderful. Luc was everything you wanted him to be and added a perfect thread to tie the story together.

All in all, I ADORED this book and cannot wait to hold a finished copy in my hands.

To put it simply, this book is a masterpiece. I've always enjoyed Schwab's exploration of deep humanity of characters thrust into fantastical circumstances, and here is no exception. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue soars with melancholy, hope, and enough glimpses of the darkness to make this a compelling read that is impossible to put down.

Favorite Quote:

“I remember you.”

Three words, large enough to tip the world.

I remember you.


V.E. Schwab is one of those authors that takes her readers on a magical, winding journey and they just never know where they might find themselves by the end. When I read the blurb for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue I was intrigued, so much so that I practically begged for an ARC.

I read a tweet from the author where she talks about this book being ten years in the making, and I absolutely believe that. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is such a twisty, turny, winding adventure. It was perfection on-page and I loved every bit of it.

This is a story about a young woman who makes a deal with the devil and gets exactly what she asks for, but most assuredly not what she wants or expects. On the day of her wedding, she asks for freedom, and her wish is granted. She is free from all entanglements to the point where she belongs to nothing and no one. And no one will ever remember Addie LaRue ever again.


"That is the madness of it. Every day is amber, and she is the fly trapped inside. No way to think in days or weeks when she lives in moments. Times begins to lose its meaning– and yet, she has not lost track of time. She cannot seem to misplace (no matter how she tries) and so Addie knows what month it is, what day, what night, and so she knows it has been a year."


This story is told in alternate POVs and shifts in time repeatedly between moments in the past and present day. I think this might be something that would bother me in another story and maybe with another author, but here it is used masterfully. Addie makes her deal and then readers are taken on a journey through her life experiencing her challenges and hardships after becoming someone who no one remembers once she’s out of sight. She is like a ghost in the world, yet figures out a way to make a life for herself. Addie becomes part of history and makes her mark on the world despite her curse, but she is alone.

And then one day she meets a man in a bookshop and he remembers her.

Who is this Henry Strauss and how is it that he remembers when no one has for three hundred years? How do their lives intertwine and why?

The brilliance of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the depth and breadth of the narrative. This story spans 300 years and jumps between countries as Addie’s long, lonely life is revealed on-page. Her relationship with Luc, the darkness who granted her wish, is tragic and dark and sad and I had to keep reading because I needed to know if she would find a way to finally outsmart him. Then she meets Henry and her world changes for a time…

I have to say I was kind of stunned by the conclusion, but I really don’t think it could have ended any other way. This book will stay in my thoughts long after I’ve read it, but that is something this author always manages to do to me. Make me think about her characters and her words for days after I’ve finished reading. I predict this will be featured on many a favorites shelf and best-of list. Highly, highly recommended.

Final grade-A

With the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, VE Schwab takes fears we’re all afraid to examine too closely and pokes at them with a stick. Schwab somehow manages to pinpoint some of the greatest fears in human existence, and amplifies them into tangible obstacles for her heroine. Addie LaRue is shoved into a fantastical, larger than life “what if”, and the reader comes out the other side feeling inexplicable hope. The fear of being forgotten, leaving no mark on the world, is not a small one. In Addie LaRue, it is examined through the lens of two characters so deliciously specific, and yet so universal. Everyone can see themselves in Addie, and in Henry, and the bits we don’t recognize are so exactly what we want to see in ourselves that were sucked in, insatiable for more.

I read this book in bits at a time, wanting so much to devour it all at once, but not wanting to be finished reading it. It is devastating gorgeous. It means so much to me and I know a lot of readers will feel the same way. After all, we are only human.

Ambitious and achingly beautiful, with a delicious plot that is impossible to predict, Addie LaRue will not be forgotten.

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE is so many things at once I hardly know where to start. It follows Addie, a French villager at the turn of the 18th century who wants a life beyond the boundaries of her village. In a twist of fate, she gets her wish: she is allowed to live an immortal life with all the freedoms from society she wants. The catch? Literally every person she meets forgets who she is the moment they walk away. Addie can't say her name, tell her own story, leave any sort of mark on the world, or otherwise "exist" in a tangible way. It will be 300 years before she meets someone - a bookseller who seems pretty typical at first glance - who can remember her and say her name.

This book is beautiful. Captivating. Glorious. A love song to literature. A homage to the passing of time. VE Schwab penned an epic tale for fantasy lovers and for those who wouldn't touch fantasy with a 10 foot pole alike. There is defiance, love, betrayal, and tempests of emotions. There is such subtlety and grace. The prose flows in every line.

You know that scene in Harry Potter where Harry opens a book in the Restricted section and almost gets sucked into the book? That's how reading ADDIE LARUE feels.

And on a more personal level, this is the life-giving book I needed for 2020. Let's be up front for a minute: with *waves arms vaguely* the world being what it is this year, focusing on reading is really difficult. It's easy to think "oh, it's just me," but it's everyone, right? We're all going through this. I basically haven't been able to read anything SFF-related since March. Typically that's 90% of what I read--this is the fourth SFF I've picked up during the pandemic, BUT, it's the first one that I've read and gone "ok listen I have the mojo back let me put the children's books down gimme more epics gimme something intense I can do it--." Reading ADDIE LARUE brought back a sense of normal that I personally haven't felt since February, really. It interrupted that chaotic spiral and grounded me back down. I am incredibly thankful I got this book at the right time, and I want to say that if you are also in this weird 2020 funk, ADDIE LARUE is so distractingly detailed that it might just be your life preserver.

What a great story from an author that never disappoints. I fell in love with Addie, and it's honestly one of those books you could just keep reading if only the pages magically increased as you read. It was such a magical yet realistic journey through loneliness, love, and freedom. prompting tough questions about life, legacy, and oh so much more. I don't want to spoil a thing for anyone here. I can't wait to talk about it once my friends have read it as well!

I think VE Schwab's writing just gets better and better. I was drawn in by Addie immediately. I am looking forward to sharing this story with my students. Though it is not a YA title, I think teens will really understand Addie's desire to have her own life.

Wonderful, engrossing story that I read in one sitting. Girl sells her soul for freedom but like all contracts, the devil is in the details. Strong characters and terrific plot make this a book that's hard to put down.

Addie LaRue was born in 1691 in the small village of Villon, France. Addie has always felt trapped there. Villon is a place where she is expected to be a respectable and dutiful woman who marries, has kids, grows old and is eventually buried not far from where she was born.

On the night before her wedding, desperate, she prays for a miracle. She prays to the old god's to anyone who will listen. She begs in the darkness and the darkness answers back.

Addie makes a deal with the darkness: to live forever. Addie however gets more than she bargained for and now lives a cursed life. She is free TK go whoever she wants, BE whoever she wants but no one will ever remember her.

Until one day, 300 years later — she walks into a bookstore and a young man, named Henry, remembers.


Before this, the only work I'd read by Schwab was the Villains duology, which is very different to Addie LaRue.

Schwab took 10 years to write this book and has said this is the closest thing to a romance book she'll write. You could feel through the words how important and personal this story was to the author.

The writing was beautiful. And though I'm sure it will not be something that everyone will love, it suited me perfectly.

The pacing of this book was slow. But not for one second was I bored or uninterested. Chapters skipped back and forth in time, but in a non-jarring way.

Everyone I'd spoken to who had read this book, told me they read it too fast and advised me to take my time and <u>savour it</u>. So I did.

I knew this already but WOWwww Schwab writes such amazing characters who feel so real, so unique. I fell in love with each of them.

Addie was such a wonderful character who I ached for. She is lonely and just wants to Liv's her life the way SHE wants. A girl who wants to be remembered. I admired her unwillingness to give up and let the darkness win.

I already said this in a reading update but I am complete trash for Henry. He's my cinnamon roll of a guy who deserves all the love.

Luc, our darkness/devil was also a super interesting character. hard not to feel sorry for him at times but also the toxic relationship he had with Addie made me feel a bit icky .

A recurring theme in this story is the power and importance of art. It is probably one of the best things in this book.

How this book was being pitched didn't exactly fit with what I did read, however I did enjoy it so so much.

I was not prepared for that ending (the tears people. THE. TEARS.) but I think it ended just right!

«thank you to Tor Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review »

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a fantasy read that travels through the lifetime of Addie, who is cursed and can’t make her mark or be remembered. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful story and it a stunning read. Addie LaRue defiantly has made her mark in this story and V.E. Schwab has written a piece of art.

Call me dramatic, but everytime I think about this book for the past few hours, I just want to succumb to my sadness and cry my eyes out again. I’ve been staring at the blinking cursor for minutes and it’s a struggle to come up with words when every time I try, I just want to pick this book up again and read that ending over and over. It was powerful, hopeful, but heartbreaking at the same time.

Addie LaRue thinks herself as cursed. Whenever she goes, no one will remember her the moment a door is closed and she is separated from other beings. This is the result she gets from trading her soul for a life time of freedom with the darkness called Luc. 300 hundred years and not a day goes by that someone remembers her, until she attempts to ‘steal’ a book in a hidden bookstore. Until a young man named Henry catches her on her act and says “I remember you”. So how could Henry remember her when everyone else couldn’t? GET THIS BOOK AND READ IT YOURSELF WHEN IT’S OUT IN THE WORLD! *winks*

I don’t think there’s anything that I didn’t love about this book.
- Beautiful writing style? Check.
It’s no secret to a lot of my friends that Victoria Schwab is at the top of my favourite authors list. She always has her way to my heart with her beautiful writing and she did it again this time. I can tell you that there were dozens of quotes that I highlighted from this book, I wish I could share them all. I also love how she pays attention to every small detail and this book proves that she takes researching really really seriously because who else knows which year was it when coffee was first found? Obviously not me.
- Interesting characters? Check.
I love all Victoria Schwab’s characters but Addie has certainly taken a piece of my heart. She was such a strong, determined, clever, and sacrificing character. She clearly learnt a lot from her past and I admire that about her. And then we have a devil that I’m still not sure whether I loved or hated. If you love morally grey character, you will definitely like him! And not to forget Henry, our sweet sweet boy, I couldn’t help but fell for him at the end of this book.
- Gripping story? Obviously,
I’d give this book 100/10 for the originality of the story alone. I know some people feel like parts of this book are kind of repetitive but it’s not for me, in fact I found it really interesting and that’s the point of Addie LaRue being invisible. I’m still wondering how Victoria Schwab could come up with this story line, but then again she is amazing so...

As someone who prefers fast-paced books, I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying the first 25% of this. We went back to the past to see Addie’s early story and the chapters switched from past to present too so it was slow and a tad boring at first. But I can assure yout that alll the build up is worth it!

I really really loved this book, I was shocked, I was blown away, and I’ll never shut up about it. Love story between a French girl and the devil over 300 years? Nope, It’s definitely more than that.

THANK YOU TOR BOOKS FOR THE REVIEW COPY!🧡🥺

To escape a forced marriage, Addie LaRue makes a bargain with the devil in 1714. She gets to live forever, but the catch is she will be forgotten by everyone she meets. After 300 years, Addie has become resigned to her fate until she meets a young man who remembers her name. I loved everything about Schwab's clever adult fantasy novel, which has the fast pacing of a YA novel that makes it easy to read. Adeline and Luc (short for Lucifer) made excellent sparring partners, and Henry's addition to the story worked perfectly. An all-around joy of a read that is one of Fall 2020's must-reads.

In early 1800s France, 23-year-old Adeline LaRue is an old maid by community standards, though she's happy to be unmarried. Unlike her peers, Addie just wants to see the world, not be married off to a man that she's unlikely to love. In fact she's so against the idea of being married that on the eve of her wedding, she runs into the forest and makes a deal that frees her from ever being accountable to anyone...but also curses her to an immortal life in which nobody remembers her once she's out of their sight. She can see the world, but she can't leave her mark on it in any way.

This is a fascinating book about what it means to be free, as well as what it means to love and be loved. I'm a fan of Schwab's previous books about magicians in various parallel worlds, but this is absolutely nothing like those. That said, it's still a wonderful, thoughtful novel, somewhat reminiscent of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Well worth reading.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue blew me away. Schwab's writing wrapped me up and it felt like I was falling into Addie's skin each time I read. For a person who no one remembers, Addie LaRue is unforgettable.

It's 1714 and Addie LaRue makes a deal with a devil, Luc, to avoid marriage. She gets to live forever and travel wherever she wants, but there's a catch: everyone she comes into contact with will forget their interaction. Until 300 years later, Addie walks into a bookstore and a boy says, "I remember you."

Schwab alternates between flashbacks and present day to tell Addie's story. The flashbacks show Addie's journey as she comes to terms with her bargain and immortality as well as her growing relationship with Luc. I looked forward to each of these chapters because her relationship with Luc is incredibly complex.

The way Schwab wraps up the ending is beautiful. I can't wait to read this book again.