I was a bit unsure about this book as romance is not a genre I normally read. However, this is a book that catches you and doesn't let go. Imagine being alone for 300 years. Addie faces this dilemma after making a deal with the devil to save herself from an arranged marriage. As the months and years pass Addie must face a life of isolation, until Henry, in a bookstore, says her name. This is a book i will recommend to all of my patrons - a winner indeed.

Beautifully written and in interesting concept of a woman who inadvertently sells her soul to the devil to avoid getting married, becoming immortal and forgotten in seconds.
My main issue was the middle felt so long and slow that I got annoyed, up until the last 50-70 pages or so. Lol

Adeline LaRue is cursed. After making an ill-advised bargain with a Dark Power, Addie learns that her newfound freedom comes with an unexpected cost; she is forgotten by everyone she meets. So begins her foray into a crueler, wider world; far from the provincial French village of her birth. Addie sets out to wander the world, voraciously pursuing her freedom and trying her best to leave a mark, one that will last despite her curse. And then, one day, she meets someone who remembers her....

I think what I love most about Addie and her story is that, in her shoes, I think I would have made the same choices. The beginning of the book was hard for me to get through (I may have empathized a bit too deeply with Addie) and I hated to see her struggle to be free in a world indifferent to her desires. Her courage and determination floored me, and I loved that her 'joie de vivre' was insatiable and enduring. She refused to give up her hard-won autonomy, and when she found someone who truly saw her, she grabbed on with both hands and pulled! Addie's complex relationship with the Darkness was also a highlight of the novel; it kept me reading on, wondering what happened in New Orleans??? And who wears a leather jacket in that sort of heat???

Overall, I was really pleased with this piece of art. Schwab has a beautiful writing style, and her characters are so memorable, regardless of any curses! Fans new and old will not be disappointed in Addie's story, though it does have a different flavor from past novels. The magical aspect of the story seems to take a bit of a backseat to the human motivations, which dominate the pages. There's some great LGBTQ+ representation in the main and secondary characters, which is something I always look for in new fiction. And I was pleasantly surprised to find an unconventional ending to what I worried would be a straightforward boy meets girl romance. The characters are flawed and raw and so emotional, I couldn't help but see my own struggles within them. So before you dive in, be ready to ask yourself the question:

"Do you think a life has any value if one doesn't leave some mark upon the world?"

This was my first ever Netgalley ARC, and let me also tell you that this was the first ever book in ebook form that I have ever finished from start to finish, much less devoured within 24 hours. As a note, I LOVED this book and was hoping it’d be perfect for our junior high (7th and 8th grader) public school library, but because of a few of the more described scenes, I think it would be better suited for a high school library and general public library. I will be purchasing this book for my own personal library though!

Here's the premise:
It's July 19th, 1714 in Villon-sur-Sarthe, France, and Addie LaRue makes a desperate decision that alters the entire course of her life. She makes a deal to change the trajectory of her future but ends up grappling with the curse of her decision: a life doomed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The only way out? Surrendering her soul to the shadows in the darkness. Three-hundred years later, everything she's come to know about her curse seems to change when a boy utters three words she's never once heard over the course of her long life: I remember you.

Now to the good bits.
This book is part star-crossed love story, part magic, part historical fiction, part "how do I describe this book?" It's a book that has every characteristic of a 6-star read for me, and it finds itself in good company among The Starless Sea and The Ten Thousand Lives of January. Matt Haig's How to Stop Time tugged at the corners of my mind at various times as well. So what are the qualities of a 6-star read? These are the big elements:
-- chapters that go back and forth between the past and the present and various locations (I love history!)
-- a variety of settings (all sorts of places in France, London, New York, Florence ... the list goes on)
-- an incredibly strong, resourceful, smart and cunning female protagonist who makes mistakes but is quick to learn and truly makes the most out of a desperate decision gone wrong
-- a truly diverse cast
-- magical elements (and incredibly magical writing -- the kind you just fall into)
-- a great combination of character-driven storyline with plot-driven elements that had me not only connecting with the characters (smiling in their joy, crying in their heartbreak) but also refusing to set the book down
-- a very present storytelling motif
-- an ending full of possibility (but in the best way)

What else is there to say really? I loved it. My heart is both broken and full, shattered yet complete.

Victoria Schwab has become a favorite author over the years, but this book seems extra special, and I'm so glad she chose to share it with us, this 10-year story in the making.

Now, off to eat my feelings and continue contemplating this beautiful story.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a novel spanning centuries and written in third person with chapters that alternate between character perspectives and timelines. There are also sections that consist of art piece descriptions. This novel tells the story of Addie LaRue who at 23 years of age, makes a deal with a dark entity to live forever in exchange for her soul. Addie is born during the 18th century and lives in a small town in France. Driven by a desire to escape the path chosen for her by those around her, she is determined to belong to no one. She soon discovers the price she must pay for living forever is never being remembered. Addie goes through centuries trying everything to undo her curse and somehow leave a mark. She eventually resigns herself to her fate until the day she meets Henry Samuel, a young man who is both like and unlike her in many ways. He changes her outlook on life and inspires Addie to want to alter both their designated trajectories. I loved this novel as an exploration of what we humans want most out of life. Some people desire to leave a lasting impression on others. Others value their independence above all else. V. E. Schwab does an excellent job of dissecting how we build memories and illuminating the power of ideas. I loved the numerous mentions of art in the book, particularly the sections consisting of descriptions of art pieces mentioned in the story. I felt these served as essential devices to show how art can combine both memories and ideas to preserve history. I also appreciated the author’s exploration of the motivations of both protagonists and antagonists. I felt by doing so, the reader is better able to understand and appreciate the actions taken by the characters. I loved the author’s prose and she had several interesting, memorable lines about being human. The Life of Addie Larue is beautifully written, brilliant exploration of the human condition wrapped up in an engrossing story spanning several countries and centuries. I highly recommend it. 4.5/5 stars

It is 1714, and it is 23-year-old Adeline LaRue’s wedding day. She has never been happy in her small village of Villon, where she is expected to marry and raise children, to live and die in the same place she has always been - and so she flees from her husband-to-be, and makes a deal for freedom, to live for as long as she chooses, to have a life that she has control over.

And the god, or darkness, or devil - whatever you want to call it - grants her her wish, but with a caveat: she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Fast-forward to New York City, 2014: Addie has lived for hundreds of years. She’s witnessed inventions, revolutions, wars, artistic movements; she has lived in France, Spain, England, America ... and yet she has never had a home, never been able to own enough to make her place somewhere in the world, never experienced friendship or love. Once someone turns their back to her, it is like she never existed at all.

Until one day, she meets a Henry, who remembers her.

This book was a dark, twisty tale, spanning centuries, dealing with love and loss, treachery and trickery, heartbreak and happiness. Addie LaRue was a complex and fascinating character, and her life was thrilling - but I honestly really enjoyed Henry! (Not only because he owned a bookstore, although that really did help.)

I’ve been following V.E. Schwab for years, ever since I discovered the Shades of Magic trilogy, and so I’ve heard about this book that she’s had in the works for a decade. I’m always astounded by her writing style and the way she can draw me into a story - and this one definitely did not disappoint.

I don't find the right words to describe how I'm feeling right now.

Literally one of the most beautiful book I've ever read so far. I'm beyond amazed by Addie's story, her stubbornness and her strong desire to live and be FREE. Victoria again showed how powerful her writing can be. I felt so many things during my reading. I loved every single word, sentence, page.
I had CHILLS so many time.

"After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered?"

This is a must-read.
This is a 10-years-old-work that bloomed into a poetic and wonderful masterpiece.
This is Addie's story. That won't be forgotten. Forever remembered.

Thank you again, Tor, for giving me the chance to read it in advance ❤

This is a wonderful and inventive story. I enjoyed it immensely. though it was a mixture of historical fiction, the modern day love story shone though. I expected a bit more in the historical bits, and that could have been developed a bit more, which would have enhanced my overall experience - but still the book worked very well as it was.

This is a beautiful, enthralling tale that will pull you in from the first word to the very last.

When Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil to live forever she did not know she would be cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The deal has forced her to live the life of a wanderer, always moving from place to place and finding small ways to leave her mark on the world. She lives a lonely 300 years being forgotten until she meets a man who remembers her name and nothing is the same.

The idea of this story feels refreshing and new. It is told with fantastic descriptions, amazing character development and unfolds in ways you won’t expect. I couldn’t put it down and it’s the type of story I know will stick me long after I’ve read it. I can not recommend it enough.

Another absolutely breathtaking and unforgettable reading experience by a genius storyteller! Victoria Schwab has created a stunningly gorgeous narrative once again.

Beautiful. Brutal. Deep.

Look, this isn’t a sunshine and rainbows story. I didn’t expect it to be. Schwab is a genius. She thought out every piece of the curse and how it’d affect things.

I loved the historical aspects.

I love the intensity. The depth. The range of emotions.

Bottom line: I loved it.

"Do you think a life has any value if one doesn't leave some mark upon the world?"

Three hundred years after selling her soul to a sinister being in a desperate attempt to escape a quaint yet suffocating life in rural France, Addie finds herself in twenty-first century New York City, slowly losing her grip on humanity. In return for this immortality, she is cursed to be forgotten by every person she encounters the second she leaves their sight. Until one spring day, in a dusty used bookstore, when she finds a man named Henry. Henry remembers her, can speak her name and see her -- truly see her. And has secrets of his own.

What a beautiful, unique novel. Addie LaRue is a remarkable protagonist, a woman who feels familiar and brand new all at once, someone we have the privilege of remembering every time we look away from the pages. Schwab has crafted a compelling, heartbreaking story of loneliness and companionship that transcends lifetimes.

(4.5/5: For readers of fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, speculative fiction, and those that seek a different kind of love story.)

Thank you to Tor books for this E-Arc OF MY MOST ANTICIPATED 2020 READ. I was not disappointed and you won't be either.

This book felt like floating. It felt like stargazing. It felt like discovering wonder for the first time. You can tell that Schwab has carefully crafted this novel and it's absolutely exquisite.

Synopsis: Addie prays to the gods on the night of her arranged marriage and makes a deal with a devil. She's cursed so that everyone who meets her forgets her. Until 300 years pass and a boy in a bookstore remembers.

Writing:
1. The plot flips between point of view and past and present and I was never bored. I felt like we were discovering little tidbits of information until it all wove together seamlessly in the end. There were actually plot twists that had me breathlessly turning pages. There was romance and yet there was betrayal and hate and humanity and sadness. This is an incredibly raw book.

2. The characters will steal your heart. Addie was beautifully crafted; a girl cursed to be forgotten and as much as this is a fantasy that notion also feels profoundly personal. I felt like I understood her even though she'd lived for three hundred years she felt like a part of me that questions whether what I do matters and will last. It's a profound human question wrapped in magical realism and it's heart wrenching.

3. The writing was beautiful. Some of Schwabs best. In a way it reminded me of the lyricism of her first novel, The Near Witch. It felt like she was born to write this book and I'm a huge fan of Schwabs writing style but this was near perfection. It was poetic without being pretentious and it had me lingering over lines long after I had to set the book down.

I'm so thankful that I got to taste this early although I can't wait for my physical copy to arrive this fall because this is a book I want to hold, treasure, and read again and again. Anything by Schwab is a must read for me and this one didn't miss the mark.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was one of the best books I have a read in a while. Absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking.

This is the first novel I've read from V. E. Schwab, but it will not be the last! Although the storyline is somewhat similar to that of the film The Age of Adaline, this story is much richer -- and not just because of the medium. The character of Addie LaRue resonated with me more than the Adaline of the film. As a young woman in France in 1714, Addie does not want to belong to anyone, so she makes a deal with The Darkness, with the result that anyone she interacts with completely forgets her once she's out of their sight. Intertwined with Addie's story is that of Henry, the one who remembers.

I look forward to recommending this book to friends when it's published on October 6. Thanks to V. E. Schwab, Tor Books, and Net Galley for providing an early copy for me to review.

This book was absolutely INCREDIBLE. The writing was some of my favorite I've read all year. It completely sucks you into the story, and it only helps that the concept is just so fascinating. Multiple I found myself stopping to say, "Wow, this idea is so COOL." I've never read anything like this it's not often you say that with literature being as expansive as it is.

Then the characters. Personally, I'm a very character based reader and for that this book did not disappoint. Addie LaRue is a BAD. ASS. BITCH. The way she handled her situation, the absolute pettiness she held on to, remarkable. She was so smart and resilient, a character that I can say made me look at my own life and struggles and see how I've handled things, see how hey, maybe I'm kind of bad ass for getting through it, too. Then there's the "boys," the Dark and Henry. Henry was such a sweet cinnamon roll. I want to tuck him into bed and feed him soup. As for the Dark, the Devil, the Monster, whatever you want to call him, I found myself oddly attracted to him. I say oddly because I'm normally not a villain gal at all. But I liked that the Dark never tried to redeem himself, nor did the narrative or Addie try to either. And for once, a villain/protagonist relationship made sense to me. I don't know, Miss Schwab really did something here to get me to feel this way is all I'm saying.

There were a few parts, around the 25% and 70% marks, where things got a little slow. I know we had to establish Addie's relationship with the Dark and her curse, but I think it dragged just a bit a few times. However, those minor negatives are far outweighed by all the positives. I spent the last 10% of this absolutely sobbing. And the way it ended was so bittersweet. But I will say it again, ADDIE LARUE IS A BAD ASS BITCH and everyone needs to read this.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Beautifully written, it follows Addie LaRue, who made a deal with the devil to live life freely, but it comes at the cost of living in a world where she is doomed to be forgotten. There were moments when the story dragged a bit and there were some things I felt could have been addressed. However, the amount of feels and MY HEART CLUTCHING ITS HEART moments made it memorable.

Hauntingly beautiful. Tragic in places and triumphant in others, a celebration of love and fierce living. I loved this, especially the writing which is gorgeous, but I cried quite a bit at the end and I feel like I need to go read some light adventure fantasy just to clear my mind now! Content warning for potential readers: abusive relationship, suicidal ideation, sexual assault. The ending didn't quite resolve the internal conflict I had about some of those things. Still beautiful and definitely worth reading, but be forewarned.

1714, Addie LaRue dreams of life beyond her small French farm village. Her parents decide it's time for her to marry, but she will do anything ....including making a deal with someone who could be the devil to get out of the marriage. She finds herself living a life where no one remembers her. As soon as a person leaves a room or the area she is in they don't remember her. This makes it impossible to find a place to live, make friends, fall in love, etc. She has lived for centuries this way, always the same age but never remembered. Every year "the devil" comes to find out if she is ready to give up her soul, but she stands strong against him no matter her quality of life.

A very thought provoking book! I received this as a galley from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute delight this book was! I loved every single second of it. If I could give it all the stars in the world, I would. This was only my second time reading a V.E. Schwab book and now I definitely need to go back and read the rest of her work. Addie LaRue was one of those books that I was head over heels invested in. With beautiful writing and lovable characters, it was SO hard to put this book down. I loved the overall message as well. Life may feel long and stormy but it goes by in a blink of an eye. You have to live every moment to the fullest.

I will 100% recommend The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to everyone!