Thanks to Tor for an eArc of this spell-binding book. The first part of this book felt like a smouldering burn that slowly sizzled until we reached the final explosive fire of emotion. The ending is thoroughly satisfying. Addie LaRue and V.E Schwab are brilliant. Remember their names!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

YALL. This book is everything. I always enjoy V.E. Schwab’s novels but this one? The best thing I’ve read in a very long time. I absolutely loved Addie and traveling with her on her 300 year long journey. I would happily read about another 300 years. She is delightful and strong and so relatable. Her story is moving and heartbreaking and inspiring. I will be telling everyone about this book. I can already tell this might be my favorite book of 2020. Read it. Trust me. Do your future self a favor and preorder it now!

I mean, what can you say about perfection, I read it in a day. And I can’t wait to read it again, Having loved her previous works, I had high hopes for this and was not at all disappointed,, in fact this might have nudged it’s way in to the top spot! There is just something so lyrical and compelling about the way she writes, descriptive enough to accentuate the story with out bogging it down in details. Love love love! I will always be excited about her new releases. Can’t wait for the 3rd City of Bones book to come out too. Incredible!

France, 1714: In a moment of pure desperation, Addie LaRue makes a Faustian bargain to live forever. Or so she thinks. Cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, thus begins a tale of heartbreak, discovery, lust, and love - that spans across continents and centuries.

Addie has almost made peace with her life, three-hundred years later. But everything changes when the immortal comes across a young man in a bookstore. And he remembers her.

Wow. I think it goes without saying by now, but we're always safe in Ms. Schwab's hands; the woman knows how to write. The story's poetic rhythm was effortless, and simplistic in its telling. She has this amazing talent of getting such complex feelings across and explaining them so concisely in only a few words. It was chocked full of amazing sentiments, and beautiful one-liners.

While reading this, I couldn't help thinking of the film 'The Age of Adaline'. The movie, just like this book, is peaceful in its telling - taking its time. Schwab is in no rush to get the point across as quickly as possible. She slows down, just as Addie learns to slow down. The novel is atmospheric and peaceful; swathed in shades of pale blues, melancholia, love, and loneliness. However, because of this, I felt the novel to be a bit too long. There is so much feeling packed in one story, I almost think it would have been even better, had the dosage been smaller.

I also wanted more moments with a certain someone 😈 We didn't get enough! It would have been amazing to delve deeper into his own story, his background, his past, his magic, etc., He was honestly one of my favorite characters in the entire book.

Because it was third POV, I did find I had a hard time connecting with the characters, but that's merely personal preference.

Overall, it was another solid story from V.E. Schwab. It read like a classic, and the loneliness and quietness of Addie's life made my heart ache.

A HUGE, GINORMOUS, FAT thank you to the publishers and Netgalley, for sending me an ARC of this beautiful book!

Please don't forget to preorder this lovely. Preordering means a lot to authors, especially during this trying time. Also, don't forget to support your local indie's through preordering online. I work at an indie bookstore, so I speak from experience: this global shutdown has not been easy on us!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue hits shelves on October 6, 2020!

A million thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading so many books lately that I can only compare to the fast, fun adrenaline rush of a rollercoaster ride, the slow but sure voyage that was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was not only refreshing, but took me entirely out of my depth in a way that I didn’t know I needed.

This book is intelligent. It reads like an ancient cautionary tale that a parent tells their children in order to prepare them for what is to come – which is ironic since it is about a character who ignores those same tales and goes the opposite path. We follow this character, Addie LaRue, throughout the bulk of a 300-year life where she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. But despite the incredible loneliness she feels and the overwhelming obstacles she faces, she ultimately wouldn’t give it up for anything.

The writing was superb. I would not call it lyrical, but it found a way to be poetic and impactful in an accessible way. The characters – and there are a lot of them – were all crafted so delicately by Schwab. There are no throwaway characters, as everyone Addie meets is so integral to who she is and who she becomes. The relationships, both the ones mentioned in passing and the ones spanning hundreds of years, could be felt down to the core. They were by far the most fascinating aspect of this story for me, especially one in particular that anyone who has read the book can probably guess.

I do want to reiterate, this story unfolds very slowly. There are 300 years within these pages presented in a dual timeline, from the point of view of two different characters. There is a lot happening. There are moments that I felt, in the moment, didn’t really matter. In the end, it was clear that it was all intentional. Though my favorite part of the book was the last third, I do not think it would have landed as well if it weren’t for everything that was elegantly crafted in the first two.

This is a story for the ages, and a book that I would recommend to anyone. It has been so long since I read a book that unfolded in front of me in a way that reminds me that I have not, in fact, read everything before. There are still things left to be discovered, and stories yet to be told. This is a story that makes me grateful to be alive to experience them.

Those looking to fill The Night Circus shaped hole in their hearts need look no further! The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has the perfect mix of supernatural intrigue, love story, and Faustian bargains!

I loved this book so much. V. E. Schwab was already one of my favorite authors so I am not surprised. I love her writing style so much. It is both lyrical but also natural to read. The concept was clever and well executed. I loved all the characters and the time jumps were not difficult to follow at all. The story really stays with you too. And by this I mean I spent the whole day convinced everyone I knew was going to forget about me.

What a fantastic story! It took me a moment to get fully into, but I was hooked. This truly is a dazzling and incredibly thought-provoking story. I spent the majority of the book wondering what it would be like to live through multiple centuries, and if I would have made the same decisions. I can’t wait until it is released in October so all my friends can read it too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. I was super excited to read a new Schwab book and super grateful for the ARC because I could NOT wait until October. She's one of my favorite writers. I have even instilled that love unto my non-reader younger brother. Now it's time to take a deep breath and clear the emotions from my throat and write a review at 4 am.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is an incredible story spanning the ages about, you guessed it, the invisible life of a girl named Addie LaRue. She sells her soul to a creature who may be a demon, a devil, an old god, a djinn, or some combination of them all, in exchange for immortality, and the catch comes with that she is forgotten by everyone she meets and can never leave her own mark on the world. She is forgotten, invisible, a ghost. The waiting game starts for her to get tired of life and relinquish her soul to her devil, but she's stubborn and persistent and loves life, all its ups and downs, and refuses to give in. He visits her on their anniversary, and appears at other moments, to help, hinder, and talk her into ending the game. She does this for 300+ years, but everything changes when she stumbles into a man who remembers her, and his name is Henry Strauss.
The story is told during the present day, from her perspective, sometimes from Henry's, but also throughout the previous years of Addie's life. We see her grow as a woman, see her in Paris, Florence, New Orleans, New York, and countless other places. We see quite a bit of Henry's adult life and his perspective even before meeting Addie, but I can't divulge more without spoilers.
I was absolutely enthralled and enchanted by the story spun about Addie and her devil (Luc). Their meetings throughout the ages. Their banter. The antagonizing remarks. His help. His manipulations. Both of them circling each other like wolves. The way their relationship and understanding of each other grew over time. I found that story to be the most compelling, personally. I was always wanting more and more of Addie's life before her present, always wanting to see more of Luc.
Henry's story was the counterpart, and while I can notice and appreciate all the emotions and secrets wrenched out of Schwab's soul with the change of his perspective, I didn't necessarily relate to it as much as other's have and will. I appreciate who he is as a character and his relationship with Addie, but I simply didn't like his story as much as I liked Addie's and Luc's.
I also could tell from the very beginning, that while he was sweet, it didn't seem like he and Addie were fated to be together. It didn't fit with the narrative. The signs were clear. Addie was compelled towards Luc because he remembers her, has been a solid figure throughout the wide span of her life, and she always fought against it. Addie was desperate to be remembered by someone human, and threw herself into him with reckless abandon, without even knowing him. I don't fault her for that. I understand. But it had me wondering where their relationship, and the book itself, was leading.
But this isn't a story about true love conquering all. It's a story about life and about living and being remembered and all the pain that comes with it. The climax was altogether unexpected, emotions crept into my throat, fluid might have even pooled in my eyes. It ended in a way very different from what I expected. The book was wonderfully refreshing to read and will be tucked in a special place in my heart, next to my fantasies of Luc.

4.5/5

If you could make a deal to live forever but never be remembered, would you do it?

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was a wonderful story. Beautifully written with interesting characters and a unique storyline. This book was different from what I expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and made myself read it slowly to savor it all. I enjoyed Addie, Luc, and Henry so much and am sad it’s over.

I love that V.E. Schwab has such strong lead females. Each book of hers that I read becomes my new favorite. I cannot wait until this comes officially.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alexis at Tor for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The plot is unique, the structure lays out the story perfectly, and the characters are worthy rooting for the whole way through. Schwab spins an intricate tale with charm, heartbreak, and humor throughout. I would definite read it again.

This book spent years on my TBR list and was, by far, my most anticipated book coming out in 2020. Before I knew the plot, V.E. Schwab's name was enough to pull my attention as A Darker Shade of Magic and Vicious remain two of my favorite series of all time. I went into this book with incredibly high excitement and expectation, and definitely was not let down.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue takes the reader not only on a journey through time and across the world, but it is also a story of emotional growth and second chances. It is complex and beautifully written, and I flew through it faster than anticipated, finding myself still awake at 5am as I reached the final chapters. As an indie bookseller minoring in history and studying French, who is also obsessed with fantasy novels and imperfect characters, this book felt written specifically to my interests and I loved it all the more for it and found my only wish to be that I could read even more of Addie's story.

I cannot wait for the October release date so that I can share this book with both friends and customers.

Addie LaRue was wonderful. I cannot wait for it to actually exist in the world and not just be words on my tablet screen. It was not what I was expecting but it was lovely.

Unlike some of VE Schwab's other books, Addie LaRue seems to be more a work of literary fiction than fantasy. That being said, it still has some magical/fantastical aspects that helped me ease in to the different storytelling style. The story was very much character driven, and it was done well. There were moments when the character development would lull for one character but then the next character would step in and the reader would be swept up in the story all over again. I fell in love with the two main characters, and they made me feel all of the feelings as they tried to navigate their weirdly screwed up lives. Watching them fall in love was beautiful. The end gave me feels as well- feels that I don't know exactly how to comprehend but they were feels. Ultimately though, I would categorize this book as a modern day fairy tale (like, a real fairy tale, not a Disney-style fairy tale). There is some magic but the story is ultimately about our humanity and what it means to be here on this earth.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves character-driven love stories. I would sell it alongside Erin Morgenstern and Diana Gabaldon. I would pair it with a bright coffee or champagne.

Shout out to Netgalley for the digital ARC.

In a desperate attempt to rescue herself from a life of wife and motherhood to a brood not her own and to break the bonds that hold a young woman of France in the 1600's, Ade!ine Larue makes a deal with the devil. What follows is 300 years of living a marvelously full life, love and laughter, pain and heartbreak, but with the caveat that no one will remember her. The moment she is out of sight, she is forgotten. She cannot make a mark. She cannot say her own full name. So how is one to forge relationships, to make connections? Only when she meets another who has made his own deal with the devil, does it become clear what she has won and lost. Schwab writes a timeless tale that in the reading feels like dropping into another world, dizzying in its time travelling escapades and emotional highs and lows. Where the story ends up might not be a great surprise, but the journey there is one worth taking. Review from e-galley.

An immersive, heartbreaking, yet hopeful story that unfolds in gorgeous writing. It is a love letter to artists and creatives and everyone who yearns to leave their mark on the world.

I am a huge fan of V.E. Schwab (Vicious is one of my favorite books of all time) so when I heard about "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue", I was excited to read it. The premise sounded very promising - a pact with the devil, a cursed life, and someone (300 years later) remembers her. My interest was piqued.

Once I started reading it, I was hooked. I loved everything about it. It's a story about wanting to be seen who you truly are. It's a story about the yearn for leaving your mark on the world. It's a story about love and freedom. It's a story about the grand moments and the quiet moments when no one is looking. It's a story about living your life to its fullest. I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to end, but I think it ended exactly the way it needed to end.

It's only April, but I know this will be one of the best books (if not, the best book) of the year for me. I highly recommend this one.

There is a unique kind of magic to a Victoria Schwab book. She’s the kind of writer who, while reading her work, you just know this is what she was meant to do. While reading Addie LaRue I was absolutely hooked, falling more in love with each page, with a lingering feeling of dread knowing that it had to end eventually. It’s been a day since I finished this book and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. An all-time favorite.

I am in love with this book! I had no idea what to expect, I requested an ARC because I like the author. From the moment I started it I couldn't put it down because Addie is a fantastic character and I loved following her story. There were several moments where I thought I had things figured out but this book continued to buck my expectations and in the best way possible. The story is told through dual-timelines that jump around a bit but eventually meet and that worked really well. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes historical or dual-timeline books with a little bit of romance.

This is the type of book that you think you know what you're reading, know what to expect but it twists and turns to bring you around into this magnificent story of love and loss and ages gone by. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a beautiful story.

I'm thankful to have the chance to read this, completely fallen in love.

#irememberaddie

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is an exploration of life, loss, love, loneliness and what it means to be remembered. The marks we leave in the world and the importance behind all forms of art.

I can't go into detail about why I loved this book, but all I can say is I found it a beautifully told story about a girl who just wants to experience everything the world has to offer, to leave a mark, to be remembered. Probably my new favourite book V.E. Schwab has written to date, cannot recommend it highly enough.