Victoria, why do you like to break my heart?! I have a rule of thumb that if a books makes me cry, it'll get five stars. And this 100% gets five stars.
I went into this book thinking it would be a love story between a French girl and the Devil. While that's not exactly what happened, it was so much more. I will definitely be rereading Addie when it is officially released.
Thank you to NetGalley for this early digital copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for providing me an advanced reader copy of V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Below is my honest and spoiler free review.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of those books that comes along and changes your outlook on life, leaving its mark on you. Schwab’s writing, as always, is brilliant. She has such a talent for storytelling and painting vivid scenes for her readers to follow along like they’re watching a movie, while also leaving enough open to interpretation for them to add in details of their own. I had such an immediate connection to Addie. Even though I didn’t know her story yet, Schwab had me in tears in the first chapter simply through a scene that lays bare the importance of human connection. Schwab pulls from moments we’ve all had of self-doubt, of loneliness… these moments where we live in our heads and have an internal dialogue about who we are, if we’re leaving a positive mark on society/on others, and the ideas of acceptance and love.. and plays those moments out in Henry and Addie’s stories. I really enjoyed the flow Schwab set up to this book - we’re given snap shots of the main character’s lives.. key interactions and moments that have helped define who they are, like puzzle pieces scattered around the novel. Additionally, Schwab doesn’t box her readers in, rather she leaves some moments, especially what occurs between moments, open for interpretation for her readers. The concept for the story line is such an interesting and fun plot line to follow - a love affair with the devil. It did not play out how I expected it to at all, and I loved that! I have to say, I found the ending so absolutely satisfying. Schwab kept me guessing until the last line of the book. I loved every part of this novel and wouldn’t change a thing about it. It is such a breath of fresh air and very timely with everything that is going on in our world.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is filled with life lessons. The biggest take aways for me were (1) you deserve love and acceptance for being who you are - lean into who you are and find a network of people who support and uplift you, and (2) every interaction matters, and treat each one like it does - from ordering a coffee to checking out at a store and speaking with the cashier. I think readers will be left amazed at the resiliency of the human spirit after following Addie and Henry’s stories, and will see parts of their own lives reflected in what drives the main characters choices.

So at this point I’m pretty sure that Schwab is a goddess disguised in human form because everything she writes is so damn beautiful and flawless! I’m convinced that she has reached down into my soul and discovered exactly what I love to read about and takes pleasure in destroying me with each book she writes. This book is dark and gritty and gruesomely romantic and I lapped up and adored every damn second of it. Schwab has a brilliant imagination and she uses it to the full when she is creating her stories.

The SUPER BASIC premise of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows A French girl from the early 1700’s France who sells her soul to the devil for immortality so she can leave her mark on the world, but she also falls in love with him.

The plot was insanely good, had me on the edge of my seat and unable to stop reading (I did read the whole book in one sitting minus a small break to get something to eat), the characters were just as fully fleshed out and perfectly broken and HUMAN. In conclusion, V.E. Schwab might be some kind of genius when it comes to telling a story. I was hooked from start to finish.

This is a sweeping epic saga with a compelling and magnetic voice. I couldn’t read it fast enough and I was simultaneously reading too fast. VE Schwab has woven together a magical world that I almost wish I could step into. Five stars is an insufficient amount - it should be seven,

A beautiful lyrical novel about the power of memory and what it means to be forgotten. Addie LaRue is a girl who has been cursed by an old god to live forever, but be forgotten by everyone she meets. The novel follows her journey across the centuries as she attempts to influence the world in small ways. Then one day she meets a young man who remembers her, who has a secret of his own. And their lives are changed forever.

Schwab is excellent at building complex characters and relationships. The non-linear narrative works well, and the way the strands of the story weave together feels seamless. There is a love story at the heart of this novel, but it is truly a story about finding one's identity and struggling to be seen in a world that dismisses young women like Addie. A beautiful poignant novel that lingers long after the story is done. It is hard to forget The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

A longer review will be coming on comicyears.com closer to the October 2020 publication date.

This ARC was received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars

First off, I'm a massive Schwab fan- Shades of Magic, Monsters of Verity, Vicious- love them. And perhaps because I was such a fan and was so incredibly sold on this premise, my expectations were too high.

It's a good book. I like both POV's (a rarity) and I really liked the concept, but the first half of this book drags. It is slow- at times plodding. The entry point for me into a narrative is character, and often character is revealed through the dynamics of relationships- friends, enemies, partners, whatever. But largely due to the way the story is structured, that dynamic is mostly absent from the book. Not entirely, but for the most part it can't really exist and so you spend a lot of time with the main character, and while time passes, it feels like nothing is happening and is frankly a bit dull.

Things start to pick up in the second half when a new character is introduced with a tantalizing little mystery and some romance and that's where the 3.5 stars come in. I thought this is when the book really took off and became much more absorbing. However, for this kind of concept, I personally prefer The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, which I think was more entertaining and better executed.

Still here for Schwab, will definitely read whatever she wants to write, but this is not one of my favs.

5 stars!

I love when I can rate a book 5 stars! I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed reading a book from V.E. Schwab but I’m so glad I loved it.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the story of a young French woman who makes an imprudent deal with the Dark (or Devil, whichever you like). The consequence of this deal is that she will live forever but no one will ever remember her. Once a person has walked away from her or has a door between them, she is forgotten. This is Addie’s life until one day she walks into a book store for the second time and is remembered by someone.

I won’t tell you any more because it really is such a good premise that most people will want to read it just from that small amount of info. But man there is so much more.

Schwab just really knows how to write characters! They are so real and fleshed out. They are flawed and make mistakes. I love that Addie is not perfect, she has to steal to survive and she makes no excuses for it.

I want to say more but I also really don’t want to give anything away. I knew very little when I started the book and I love it when I’m surprised.

I can’t wait for the book to come out so that I can discuss it with other people!

I just finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I have never read a book that hit so close to home. I have never met a character that I saw myself in. But that was Henry for me. Overwhelmingly so. And all I can say is thank you to V.E. Schwab for writing this and sharing it.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a story about overcoming the darkness of life, finding acceptance in circumstance, and making the best of situations that are out of our control. Schwab’s passion for her characters and her story is threaded throughout every page as the narrative reads as a love letter to those who struggle to overcome loneliness, mental illness, differences, and stagnant societal norms. For those that feel as if their voice is slighted, Addie’s story is one that provides hope in the dark and leaves the reader with an ache of longing as they identify with the plights of the characters.
The storyline is rich with metaphor and deep in the manner that you will find yourself thinking and analyzing hours after taking a break from the pages. The narrative is unique in that few books have been written along a similar vein that makes the hero’s journey feel like a slice of reality hidden in fiction.

Fans of V.E. Schwab will recognize her creative voice in the pages of this book with the way she weaves through timelines and settings but be lost in Addie’s narrative as something that is wholly new to the characters introduced within the pages.

Those that are new to Schwab’s writing may find trouble with the skip in timelines but bear with it and pay close attention to the details. It is worth the read.

Glorious, compelling, and beautifully crafted, Addie’s story is one that is meant to join the ranks of the modern classics.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for making the quarantine a lot more bearable by providing me with an advance copy of this book.

I’ve been dying to read this book since I heard V.E. Schwab speak about it at the Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors last year, and I was thrilled to get my hands on a galley, because I just couldn’t wait any longer. Fortunately for me, my impatience paid off, because this book is a masterpiece.

In 1714, Adeline LaRue sells her soul to the Darkness in exchange for escape—escape from a life prescribed by her parents and her social standing, from a marriage she didn’t choose—and freedom. This deal grants her immortality, but costs her more than she could ever have imagined. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows Addie’s life over three centuries, and through its pages we learn, as Addie does, just what it means to be forgotten, and the incredible power of being remembered. At its heart, this book is a fable that places memory at the center of the human experience and reminds us of the power that we wield through our ability to leave our mark upon the world.

V.E. Schwab has done it again with this one. Addie’s world is our own, recognizable and familiar, and the way that Schwab has deftly woven magic into the fabric of our world makes it easy to believe that Addie’s story is true. For the rest of my days, I’m going to be searching every painting I see for a woman with a pattern of seven freckles across her face, just in case maybe, impossibly, I can find Addie LaRue.

My one critique is actually not related to the book itself, it’s that the blurb revealed to me that she would meet a man who remembers her name. I wish I hadn’t read the blurb, so that the reveal of that twist would have carried more weight.

It's been a few days and I am still floored by this book. Absolutely masterful. Schwab once again leaves me in awe. This is a book that begs to be re-read.

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE broke my heart so many times I lost count. Addie herself is an incredible character, stubbornly choosing life even as the centuries wear on her. Her infuriatingly complicated dynamic with Luc, a primal god of darkness, is equally compelling. The terms of her curse make her forgettable--so much so that people forget her as soon as she leaves their sight. Addie lives through the centuries remembered only by the god who cursed her, unable to form true attachments until she meets Henry, a sad, sensitive bookseller who calls her out for stealing a book. To say anything further would spoil this wonderful novel, and its unraveling is well worth your time. This is not one to miss!

I truly enjoyed this book! I'm usually not a fan of this genre, but I heard the author talk about this book in a webinar. I enjoyed the split format of the chapters going from one time period to the next and I loved the character, Addie. I will definitely be recommending this one!

V.E Schwab is a master at creating a world, creating characters and a story that allows them to shine. This book is no different as it jumps time and space to weave the stories of Addie, Luc and Henry as they all get what they wish for and then Wish they had phrased their desires better. Spanning 300 years Addie struggles with being forgettable and finding ways to work around her curse until she meets Henry, a bookseller with his own deal with the devil. A romance, a cautionary tale, a look at the restrictions put on women and the idea of what it means to be truly remembered. It was a slow start for me but I really enjoyed this book.

A time travel epic that centers on a woman who chooses freedom and independence at the price of her mortality and her name. Anyone who meets her, forgets her. 300 years go by and an encounter gives Addie hope that perhaps she has a chance to be remembered. V.E. Schwab weaves an unforgettable tale through time, and reminds young girls to fight for their right to choose and live.

V.E. Schwab's writing is magical and lyrical and really pulls you in. Addie LaRue just wants to escape her life in her small French village in the 1700's and accidentally ends up selling her soul to a devil. The book jumps between 2014 New York and the past, where Addie is cursed to never be remembered by anyone she meets. The sense of loneliness and her first disastrous year of her curse is really soul crushing. This was a fantastic book but not a particularly light read either though that may be due to the current times and how that loneliness and isolation is a real thing right now.

V.E. Schwab’s latest book lives up to the years of hype and waiting from her fans. Addie LaRue is a masterpiece - a love story, a villainess origin story, a tribute to art, a way to try to bottle memory - this story is breathtaking. I know I will come back to this book again and again.

(I was already preapproved for this on Edelweiss after I requested it here on Netgalley, and read it as soon as I discovered it there)

Posted to Goodreads as well.

The entire time I was involved with this story (I read it in a day, so I was rather involved, one might say) I felt as if I had read it before, and pieces/parts were definitely reminiscent of other stories. I wanted to like this more than I did, but the only character who really had me turning the pages was Henry.

This is not to say that I didn't like it, but it left me wanting more (not more of the story, but more as in what I love from VS - not so much the magic of the story but of the characterization).

Throughout literature there have been a variety of stories detailing hellish bargains, but Victoria Schwab takes this concept and gives it a modern twist. In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, main character Adeline makes a deal with an ancient god that while providing her with more time, relieves her of her soul and causes everyone to forget her. It’s over two centuries before she finds someone who can remember her, but before Adeline and Henry completely fall in love, Adeline’s past comes back to haunt her, and difficult choices must be made.
Schwab has mastered her signature prose and crafts a new novel that sends readers on a breakneck adventure where everything changes except Addie. Divided into seven parts, this novel is partitioned out to make reading breaks convient, but the thrilling action and suspense of the novel partnered with a reader’s empathy for the main character makes it nearly impossible to put away. Addie is a vivid character, threaded through with streaks of stubborn independence with the strong self resolve to see things through to the end. Although we see Addie as fiercely self reliant, she remains human in her sense of needing affection, and also completely selfless in her sacrifices. Schwab’s creation of character and relationships prove to be a powerful force through this novel, and are only enhanced by the situations she’s set them in. Quite possibly one of the most moving novels of the year, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a story readers will keep close to their hearts for years to come.

I'll start this review without knowing what to say. This is one of those books that will stay in my mind and in my heart for a long, long time. I've always said that I love V.E. Schwab's books, but this one is by far my favorite. And believe me, I had high expectations and it exceeded them.

This book is about Addie LaRue, a French girl who was born in the 1700s. She was always warned not to pray to the gods who answer when it gets dark. But on a desperate night, she does it and she gets an answer. Addie ends up making a pact with the devil: now she will live forever, but she will be forgotten by everyone. Until one day, 300 years later, a boy says the words that change everything: I remember you.

Isn't the premise brutal? I had the honor of hearing it from the mouth of Victoria Schwab herself on two occasions (one in Argentina and the other in Mexico) and from the first time I was fascinated and intrigued. This was one of my most anticipated books and I was the happiest when I got an advanced copy from the publisher.

And yes, it is very easy to tell you what this book is about, but very difficult to explain everything that it made me feel. Meeting Addie was a privilege. It was wonderful (and painful) to see the world and humanity through her eyes. She has lived 300 years being forgotten by everyone, and she never gives up. She never loses her wonder and her desire to live. And yes, she is tired, how can she not be?

I don't want to tell you much about the other main characters, but I can tell you that one of them is the devil, Addie calls him Luc. He is the night itself. He is evil, but also a character full of layers. I didn't know if I loved him or hated him (I lowkey loved him ok). And on the other hand we have Henry, who I will tell you NOTHING about. You just need to know that he is the one who says those mythical words to Addie: "I remember you." How can he remember her? What makes him different? YOU MUST READ IT TO DISCOVER IT.

Now, the book kept me very entertained at all times, plus it is full of reflections on life and humanity. While reading it I thought I was going to like it a lot, but it was the ending that made me LOVE it with all my heart. I think endings are important. The end of a story can lift it or ruin it, and the end of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue lifted it to the sky and beyond. For me, that ending formed a perfect circle and I ended up crying. The last three chapters were read between tears and sobs (and this is not a spoiler because I am the type of reader who cries of happiness, sadness, courage and, well, I cry with any strong emotion, really).

Now I can only say that Addie LaRue deserves to be read, known and remembered. It is a book so real, but at the same time so full of magic, that you will never forget.

I really enjoyed the writing and did get swept away sometimes; however, I never really stayed inside the book despite feeling like I should love everything about this. Interesting characters and certainly an epic story to tell.