This was a really GOOD book! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and just found it so impressively well thought out and unique. Her writing in this is lovely, pulling you along effortlessly, and the story feels both epic and intensely personal at the same time. It also had some elements of another of my favorite stories that I really appreciate; the lonely immortal, the magic, the sad love, the hope. Addie is such a wonderful heroine, all spunk and openness and just so hungry for the world. I also thought the overall themes of living life to the fullest were beautifully done and not too heavy handed. I’ll talk about it some more closer to release, but this one will be well worth your time.

Wow! I don’t give out 5 star ratings often, but I just couldn’t find anything I didn’t like about this book!

Addie LaRue is Genre bending dark love story about a 17th century 20-something French girl who make a pact with a “dark spirit”... long life and freedom in exchange for her soul. (Now I know what you’re thinking... Boring! It just another young white girl does big dumb thing and with the help of a few we’ll place friends, finds the perfect life, love and a way to get out of it trope, right?!) Well, you’re wrong!,

The rest of the 400 plus pages is the story of what happens afterwards. And it is a masterpiece of Beautiful sentences, well spaced plot (even with the time jumps throughout), and multidimensional characters that both loved and hated at the same time. Addie starts off much as you would expect for a young woman in her time, albeit a little out of step due to her precocious desire to “want more”. We, as readers, watch her grow to use her feminine power and become comfortable in her own skin is empowering. At times she makes mistakes or gets it right and we get to explore her thoughts and actions of her decisions in a epic tale fashion.

Oh and the love story! It was raw, flawed, grandiose at times, and was genuinely... well, REAL. The author explores how a person can really love someone, and doubt the rightness of the match, question the fall, and possibly walk away from that same person WHILE knowing they are breaking both their hearts with the best intentions. The friendships that central to the main characters are also much less adorable, and more realistic. Everyone has that one friend that is a tad narcissistic but you love them anyway right?!

The take away- Love is messy and Life is made up in moments. You have the power to choose how to use them. Do it wisely and don’t waste it! All great nuggets of wisdom that are sprinkled in through this story which is what makes this story about a 300 year old woman falling in love top notch.

I was pleasantly surprised when my request for this book was accepted. I didn't think that I had a chance in receiving an ARC of this book. I'm really glad that I did and I can't wait for the book to come out so everyone can see how beautiful a book it is.

Addie LaRue is a character that while you might not fall in love with her, she definitely gets under your skin and you can't stop thinking about her. Her story and the way Schwab made me feel about her was amazing. I just wanted the best for her. She was a character that even though the story was not something realistic, Addie felt like a character you could relate to. The way Addie interacts with the world is just eye-opening and how I wished everyone looked at the world and society.

Henry is a sweet sweet man and oh how I love him. Everything from his name to his life to the way he treats Addie is a delight to read about. He isn't the main focus of the story but he plays an important role. His arc throughout the book is really nice to read about and I love the way it ended.

Schwab's writing in this book was so lyrical and beautiful. I felt myself get immersed in the story even though there was some back and forth with flashbacks and the present day. The whole thing felt seamless and I thoroughly enjoyed it even though normally I don't tend to like books that have two timelines. I previously have had a hard time getting into Schwab's writing but this time it was easy for me to fall in love with the writing.

The plot is kind of predictable but it's in a good way. I could tell what was going to happen but I still kept on reading like I had no clue what was going on. I liked the story and found it sweet and enjoyable. It was a satisfying story that left me happy and pleased with how all the characters ended up. I liked that it was standalone and really want to read more standalone books.

Schwab is a wonderful writer and this book has made me want to read more of her writing. I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something sort of light but will also definitely tug at your heartstrings and make you a little weepy.

Captivating and well-spun story of a young woman who trades her soul to an old god, in exchange for a life of freedom. The true cost of the deal reveals itself over the course of 300 years. Immediately added Schwab's entire back catalog to my to-read queue.

Finishing this book was like waking up from a dream. I sat down to read it and the story dragged me completely under. I've read and enjoyed other V.E. Schwab books but wow this new world she spins is amazing! This is the kind of book you wish you could forget for the pleasure of reading it fresh for the first time again.

If you like Nicholas Sparks novels, you'll love The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

"Life is the minutes you want minus one."

Adeline LaRue has never left Villon, France. One day, her father takes her to market, and she realizes there is a whole world outside the tiny square mile that everyone she knows will be born and die in.

"Adeline is sixteen now, and everyone speaks of her as if she is a summer bloom, something to be plucked, and propped within a vase, intended only to flower and then to rot."

But she wants more.

So when she is to be married off to a widower, she makes a deal with the only one who will listen. A deal for her soul. And so begins the invisible life of Addie LaRue. Blessed to never be tied down to anything or anyone, and cursed to never be remembered by anything or anyone. And pushed on by the hope that one day, she will get the better of the Thing who owns her soul.

I have to say that this is a major departure from the fantastical style of V.E. Schwab! Not in a bad way, but definitely not what I was expecting after having read the rich fantasy worlds in her other books. This one is much more worldly, much more believable. And so it sucks you in even more.

There's a bit of fantasy, with the magic of her curse and Luc, the thing made of darkness who made the deal for her soul. But other than that, this book follows her through history as she never ages, never dies, but also never leaves a mark on the world. She finds little ways to spite Luc, mostly by being stubborn. She cannot make a mark on anything, nobody can specifically remember her, but she can leave ideas, thoughts, inspiration. She has become a muse to leave her mark on the world. There's a really schmancy metaphor in there somewhere about making a difference in your own small way, and even that tiny thing cause ripples and waves and makes a bigger impact than we realize.

"Stories are a way to preserve one's self. To be remembered. And to forget. Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books. Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives - or to find strength in a very long one."

Addie is everything I want in a heroin. A deal with the devil, stubbornness and strength, a good heart, but real, she feels and hopes and despairs and loves.

Luc is everything I want in a villain. Morally ambiguous enough to want to read more though you still love to hate him.

And then there's Henry. I won't tell you about Henry, you'll have to read the book to know Henry!

This book took me an age to get through. It's partly the quarantine blues and partly that it's not a suspenseful book. It's a romance without the sex. Something I'd be as happy to recommend to a teenager as I was to recommend to a grandmother. When I read a romance, THIS is what I want.

I'm so impressed with Victoria Schwab. The flexibility of a person to write things that are so vastly different, and yet still have threads of similarity, is what so many people aspire to. Its stunning and amazing and inspirational. I was already a fan of hers, but this book - again SUCH a departure from her normal style - cemented her into my favorite writers club. Wow. Just wow.

5 Stars, anyone who raves about Serpent and Dove will be ROCKED by this book.

*Thank you to NetGalley.com who provided this eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueAddie LaRue, born in 1691, was desperate to escape a provincial life, married to a man she did not care for. Desperate for reprieve, she made a deal with a powerful shadow in the forest. But the deal is not what it seems. Addie gets to live forever, but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. She spends 300 years roaming the world as a virtual ghost, when she finally meets a young man who does remember her. But why is he able to recall her face? What forces are at work in Addie’s immortal life to explain this astounding anomaly?

I absolutely loved this book. It is so well written and cleverly nuanced. Addie is a character with complexity, depth, and authentic emotions. She navigates her new world as if starting life over from birth. She struggles to learn the boundaries of her curse and how to fight for a place in a world that knows nothing of her existence. She is as beautiful as she is tragic. Henry, the impossible boy who finally sees her, is a melancholy book seller with his own intricate motivations and is completely relatable. The Shadow exists to make deals and devour souls, and he is extremely good at his calling. He is delightfully sinister, but is anything but one-dimensional, and is a perfect foil for Addie.

The entire story is utterly enchanting and gut wrenchingly sad. V.E. Schwab’s writing draws out very real emotions from her characters and transfers them directly to the reader. I laughed and I ugly cried. And I loved every moment of it. I wish I could experience the beauty of this unusual novel again for the first time.

I received this e-book ARC of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab through Net Galley from Tor Books in exchange for a truthful review.

What a unique and novel situation Adeline “Addy” LaRue is put in when she makes a deal with the devil that will have her live forever but not leave a mark, always forgotten.
I slowed down the reading of this ARC because I felt each and every word had to be savored.
Seeing how Addie lives within the confines of her curse was remarkable.
After 90% in, I became stingy and kept putting off reading it because I just really didn’t want for Addie’s story to end. And such a meta ending, bravo!

The “SAT” word, palimpsest, is used 6 times. At first, I was a bit put off to see it crop up that many times, but then I realized… it was THE perfect word for this novel, and for Addie’s life.

1714, France-a deal with the devil leads to a 300 year dance through history with a girl no one can remember, until one day we meet someone who does. I enjoyed this book, especially the ending.

Addie LaRue is a dreamer. She was born in 1691 in a little village in France and she is sure she will be condemned to live all her life in that place, without really knowing the world.. essentially without living. So when a marriage is arranged, she feels as if life is slipping from her fingers and she cannot breath.. she runs into the forest and prays every god there is, but of course it’s the devil who answers. She sells him her soul in exchange for an eternity of freedom, she will never belong to anyone and when she is ready, she will surrender and give him herself. But every bargain comes with a cost and indeed she soon finds out that no one remembers her, not her family, not her friends.. as soon as people ceases to see her, they forget her. Now she is free to see the world, but she is also damned to a lonely life, made of first impressions and stolen nights... the only staple in her life is the devil that returns to ask if she is tired. And of course she is, but she is not ready to give up because even if her life is full of sorrow, it’s full of art and wonder as well. And then, the unthinkable happens, a boy tells her: I REMEMBER YOU, but is it really a mistake, a slip in her curse, or is there something she is missing?!

I couldn’t put this book down because I felt incredibly attached to Addie. I could feel what she felt and imagine myself in her shoes. The feeling you are living an invisible life.. because if you can’t leave a mark, if you are not remembered, do you really exist? Still, she finds a way to leave her mark, far more than people who live without purpose, that do not try to be happy and to take the best from everything. She is such a remarkable girl, probably born in a wrong period, who can’t give up her dreams just because it’s what society wants. The truth is that in the end she finds herself trapped with the very person who condemned her to a lonely life. But how can you be sure you love someone if he is the only choice you have? If he says he is giving you freedom when he is trapping you in a cage? This book is dark, and Schwab’s style is clearly recognizable even if the story is so much different from everything she has written in the past.. and I’m so happy to follow this path with her.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading this book for about two months now, simply because I knew that I didn't want it to end. Each page was pure magic and my heart is a little broken now that it's over.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was everything I have ever wanted. A girl makes a deal with a devil to live and her makes sure that everyone forgets her. Addie was an amazing character. I loved her need to live a life, to see more than her small time. Watching her fight against the chains that trapped her for so long and seeing her rage made her an unforgettable character. Seeing her life spill out across the pages of this book made me hopeful and so angry. Angry at the unfairness of it all.

The words of this book are lyrical. There was never a moment that I wanted to miss. Two months and still I'm not ready for the outcome. This is the type of book that I wanted to start over as soon as I finished the last page. As of this exact moment, I can honestly say, this might be my favorite book of all time.

Addie LaRue is restless and trapped. Facing a marriage bed and a child-bed, tethered to a man and a life in 1714 that she dreads, Addie prays to escape. But she prays to the wrong god, a god that answers after dark. There is a price to pay, her soul for freedom and time to live as she pleases. Addie did not want to belong to anyone, and finds that she is present to no one. She is flesh and bone, but forgotten by all as soon as their eyes leave her. She is unable to speak her own name or leave a mark on the world in any way. She cannot be remembered even in her own village, by her own parents. For the god of darkness, this is a game of promise where he sets the rules and the devil is in the details. Addie will be invisible and alone in the world until she surrenders to him. After more than three hundred years, Addie stumbles across a kindred spirit that has made a similar bargain, but they know that the Darkness will soon come calling, as he does every year, and he is a jealous god and quick to anger.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue asks the reader to imagine what they most long for and what they would give up to obtain it. If no one remembers you, are you real? If people only see in you what they want to see, are you truly loved? V.E. Schwab’s novel offers a new take on our human search for happiness, validation, and meaning wrapped in an ominous Faustian veil. This could be an enjoyable October book club read if you are looking for a title that is spooky, but not frightening. Be careful what you wish for in the dark; the old gods might be listening. (I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.)

Addie wants to live a large life. When she is threatened with an arranged marriage she begs the gods to change her fate. She makes a deal with a god that is too good to be true. Immortality, a life of adventure until she is ready to move on. What she doesn’t know is the price. Nothing she touches will remain . As soon as someone takes their eyes off her they will forget who she is. And she cannot tell anyone her name, her story.

This book was stunning. It changed my life in so many ways. It was the kind of book you want to both devour and savour. I adored Addie and her stubbornness. Her will to carry on and bend the rules of her curse. And the romance ... slow burning and beautiful and tragic. I loved every minute of this book.

Wow - that’s the only word that comes to mind as I sit here reeling from finishing this book. What an incredible, unique, and beautiful story. I requested this on NetGalley solely based on the hype and being a fan of V.E. Schwab. I only vaguely knew the premise and I did not read the synopsis ahead of time so I went into it mostly blind.

This book reads completely differently than A Darker Shade of Magic series, which is my only experience reading V.E. Schwab. While I really enjoyed those books, they aren’t on my list of favorites. I would honestly, never know this is the same author. There is so much detail, so much nuance and intrigue, that it’s truly captivating in a way I don’t think I’ve experienced in a book before.

I’m not even sure how to articulate the writing style of this book- it’s simple, yet complicated. Personal yet aloof. Happy and yet very sad. I got the same feeling from this book that I did watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the first time - it’s something that’s so wonderful and still tinged with an overarching melancholy that you don’t wish to get out of. It left me feeling nostalgic and homesick for things I’ve never experienced and places I’ve never visited.

It’s a book truly filled with lots of juxtaposition. While I usually prefer books solely in chronological order - this one alternates between the (mostly) present and the long-ago past. We see the struggle Addie endured in the earlier years. The sadness, loneliness, and the heart-wrenching desperation that drove her to make a deal with the devil. But most importantly, we see her wildness and her ‘different-ness’. In the present we see how her wildness has turned into resourcefulness and perseverance. We see that while she still experiences sadness and loneliness, it’s broken up by happiness and beauty. There are so many emotions readers will experience in this book and I think having the plot shift from past and present serves to keep the readers from feeling like they were thrown into a pit of despair right along with Addie (thank you for this).

Overall, the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is anything but invisible or forgettable. It’s one of those books that just sticks with you and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I’m confident it will become a staple in my collection and I see myself re-reading it when I feel reflective of my own life. Thank you for such a special and beautiful book.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This gets five full stars from me, and I'd give it more if I could. It has been a while since I have enjoyed a book this thoroughly.

Addie LaRue is set to be married off to a widower at the age of twenty-three in a small French village in the early 18th century. She cries out to the gods for help, and a dark one answers. He gives her what she asks for - freedom and time - but at a huge cost. Addie is immortal, and the instant one turns away from her, they forget she exists. She is unable to tell people her name, and she cannot leave a tangible mark on the world.

And so, she lives this way for three hundred years, stealing food and clothing and sneaking into places to sleep. She has sprawling relationships with people that, for the other person, is a one night stand that they don't remember bringing home.

All of this changes when she returns to a bookstore where she was caught stealing a book the previous day, and heard three words she never thought she'd hear again: "I remember you."

This novel is a sprawling story of a woman who made a deal with a devil. He wants her soul, so he creates an environment that would wear down the strongest of us. Addie lives through wars and famines and technology booms, all the while accepting her invisibility and refusing to acquiesce and relinquish her soul. They dance around each other for centuries, her relationship with this dark god dancing between love and hate, between lust and loathing.

It is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part romance, and all incredible. The thread that was woven throughout the story was beautiful - this unknown and unknowable girl with a constellation of stars across her face appearing in art throughout centuries and all around the world. The ending was not what I expected, and not what I would have originally hoped for, but it was perfect.

This is the kind of book I would happily recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced e-copy to review.

Wow! As a big fan of V.E. Schwab I expected this to be good, but it exceeded my expectations. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue tells the story of a girl who makes a deal with the devil to be able to live freely. As you'd expect, the devil has his own agenda and doesn't grant the wish without a few unfortunate twists. Addie is forgotten by everyone she meets until one day, someone remembers her. The book alternates between the past and the present to learn more about Addie, Luc, and Henry, and the consequences of their deals.

I enjoyed every aspect of this book. Schwab is an incredibly talented writer and has me invested in every single character she introduces. I especially loved the art references and Addie's interactions with different artists throughout history. I've always recommended Shades of Magic to anyone looking for fantasy, but this one I will be recommending to everyone!

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this book and it did not disappoint! I loved the horrible internal logic of Addie's curse and the idea of being cursed to be forgotten. The ways Addie learned to circumvent her curse were nothing short of brilliant. I will be recommending this book to just about everyone in October.

Brilliant, beautiful and so well written. Captivating and poetic and so human in the end. Addie was an incredible character, like none I had ever seen... my only regret is her name that -as a French person- think is not truly French haha.
Full review coming later on!

This was such a beautifully written, magical, tense and heartbreaking story. In true Victoria Schwab form, she builds a gorgeous world full of magic and intrigue with this one and I honestly couldn't put it down! Please pick this up in October!

It is hard to articulate my feelings about this novel, but I’m going to give it my best shot. I am in love with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue; pure and simple. This book made me cry and broke my heart while also lifting my spirit. Every word that Schwab wrote in this book feels like it serves a purpose; thoughtfully put on the page in such a beautiful manner.

This novel is about Addie, a girl in 1700 France with a free spirit who wishes to be free, but is being forced to marry because of the time period she lives in. She frantically prays to the spirits in the woods, but she prays to the wrong spirit and makes the wrong type of deal- her soul in exchange for freedom, but she does not phrase her wish right and ends up making herself unable to be remembered by anyone once she is out of eyesight. This includes her parents and friends that she has known her entire life. After 300 years without being able to make a home for herself or to be remembered by anyone but the devil she made a deal with, she meets a young man that is somehow able to remember her.

Addie is such a fierce character- she has survived in a world that is unable to remember who she is. She doesn’t turn her back on the world and become bitter- though there are times throughout her invisible life that she comes so close. She ultimately tries to make her mark in any way she can, through other people. Addie’s character is not perfect though- she definitely has her faults, she has to survive somehow in the world. I also really enjoyed the way that even Luc, the devil that Addie made the deal with, can become a gray character throughout the story. He sometimes seems to really care for Addie, while other times he is trying to break her. You so want him to be good, even knowing that he probably won’t be.

I love that the novel switches back and forth in time from the past to the present and then back again. It helps understand some of that characters behaviors and their actions throughout time. It really builds up a climax as to why all of a sudden someone is able to remember Addie and what that means for her exactly.

I can honestly say that this is now one of my favorite books and I am planning on buying a copy to re-read once it is published. I just can’t stop raving about this novel!

ARC provided by Publisher via Netgalley.