This is a phenomenal story and it is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I was swept away right from the start. Addie's story is one that spans hundreds of years jumping from the past to the near present. This is a complicated story of a girl who makes a deal with the devil. The complex relationship between Addie and Luc is mesmerizing. Addie is a complicated character with many layers and the way the author writes about her experiences through time take the reader right along with Addie. It is hard to explain this story without saying to much but I will say that I lost myself a bit in this book and it was exactly what I needed. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review. .

I received the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

As expected from Schwab, this new story was truly unique and told in a way that made it unforgettable. As a French citizen, it was an absolute pleasure to read about my home country which is not often featured in novels written by anglophone authors; that was just a little bonus that made me smile.

The alternative chapters between present-day and past were really well executed and never felt heavy or unnecessary. on the contrary, the chapters focusing on Addie's past were often much more interesting than the present-day story, but maybe that's because I'm the type of person who loves studying how a situation came to be.

Something I truly love and admire in Schwab's novels is the fact that her stories don't necessarily end well, or badly. They just end, and that's enough for me.

A French girl has a complicated relationship with a devil-like god over 300 years. While slower-building than most of Schwab’s novels, over several hundred pages the titular character’s past and present finally, poignantly, collide at the end. A book to be savored over several sittings rather than galloped through.

I have know this for a long time, and I will never not say this: Victoria Schwab is a genius. I've heard about this book for a while, and I couldn't wait to read it. To say that I am not disappointed in the hype is an understatement. Schwab is such an interesting writer, as seen in her other books. She's magical in the way she presents anything like villains, anti-villains, magic and fantasy. This book seems simple in its Faustian feel of what is the price of making a deal with the devil--or the darkness? Addie LaRue's tale of immortality--the concept of attaining it, learning to live with it, and living with the price being to not being able to leave a single mark of being a memory, to be forgotten. This is a tale of loneliness, but it also about living a certain way in saying that immortality is not everything it pans out to be. I love the entire plot and the presentation of this book. In going between past and present and the way Schwab presents history but having it not outshine the real center of the book, which is Addie's experiences as she lives her life alone..Addie is a heroine of a kind and I loved her complexities, her wants, her heartache and her fight to live-even her want to spite Luc--the darkness and the dealmaker. Hers is a story of tragedy, and even when she finds love it comes with a price. I loved the whirlwind and the elements of the story beginning to end, and if the ending doesn't show readers just how much of a badass Addie is, then I don't know what will.

Addie LaRue is now one of my top five all-time favorite books.
I hardly have the words to describe how much I loved this book and the characters.
I think that Addie LaRue will resonate in the hearts of anyone, of any age.
VE Schwab truly outdid herself. I've rated every one of her books five stars, but this is the best one yet.
The writing was flawless, the characters were amazing, and the plot itself was simply heartbreaking.

I was hooked from the very beginning. This book grabbed me and held me to the very last word and then I wanted more! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before it's release, it was one of my most anticipated books this year and I'm pretty sure it will be my favorite read of 2020!

In Addie there lives a ferocious hope, forever marveling at the good in the world, while enduring a curse that she never dreamed was possible.

V. E. Schwab has written The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue in such a way that you will never forget it. The characters, history, nuances, depth, connections, and emotions will float to your mind at random times long after your first read. They will wisp into your thoughts as you leave work, make a new friend, buy groceries or see a long-familiar piece of art as if seeing it for the first time. This book re-defines hope and longing and closure and what it means to get what you ask for even, if it’s not what you need. Well done, V. E. Schwab! Well done.

I give this book 7 stars out of 5!

Can I give this book 7 stars instead? What a bittersweet beauty of a book. Victoria’s prose sparkles and jumps off the page, pulling the reader further and further in with every word. I could not be more honored to have spent time in this story. Addie is a triumph, a cure to any and all reading slumps, and by far one of the most magical I’ve read.

This is an amazing book. I was so enthralled that I couldn't put it down and read it over the course of 2 days.

Addie is a wonderful character and I loved the conflict that she had in her relationship with the dark god. The journey that she took encompassed space, time and exploration of herself, and it was fascinating.

I loved that the author went back and forth between present day and Addie's past, and it was done extremely well. I never felt disappointed at the switch.

I loved everything about this book!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue devastated me in the best possible way. I have never felt so connected to characters in a book, or so seen by an author. This book whispers to you, to the unspoken fears, the stubborn hopes and dreams, the painful heartbreaks, and the hopeful joys we experience in life. It shows us that there is wonder in the moment, and that there are ways forward. It is absolutely stunning, beautifully written, and an instant favorite. This book and these characters captivated me from the very beginning and will stay with me for a very, very long time.

Addie LaRue has certainly been a slow read but one worth savoring. Schwab weaves a lyrical tale of a woman who makes a deal with the dark, offering her soul in exchange for adventure... A life she could never live in her small town in 17th century France. Addie slowly learns that she gave away much more then expected.

This is not the end of Addie. It is a beginning.

This book was absolutely amazing.

I know that statement is so vague, but it has been days since I finished this book and I am still so in awe. I already want to read it again! I am a huge fan of this author as well as their other titles. I love how Schwab can weave magic into her words and really make you feel like you are standing there next to the main character, going through this journey with them. And, in this case, that is Addie LaRue.

Addie is such a likable main character. She is relatable and she asks for the one thing in her life she has wanted; freedom. And gets it, but at a cost. Nobody remembers her. Until someone does, of course.

Enter the other main character, Henry. An adorable dude who works at a bookstore. Can't get much more perfect than that, right?

Their romance wasn't forced and progressed naturally throughout the story. Which is told in multiple timelines as Addie travels throughout her long life. I thought the story had so much substance and there was so much going on that I literally could not put it down.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I know I cannot wait to buy a copy in October!

I had zero expectations going into this book, as I find my enjoyment of V. E. Schwab books hit or miss, but man I LOVED this book. The writing was absolutely beautiful and draws you into the story. The alternating timelines unfurls the story in a way that leaves the reader wanting more. I loved the way that Henry and Addie's stories intertwined. I loved the complicated relationship between Addie and Luc. I loved the ideas presented in this story about time and memory and forgetting. I loved this book and highly suggest reading it. I will say there were a couple of pretty difficult scenes related to prostitution/sex and a scene relating to attempted suicide, so if those are triggering for you, just beware. However, those scenes are few and far between and the reader experiences 300 years of civilization evolving through the eyes of our narrator.

This book is an exquisite dessert, so delightfully and wonderfully and personally satisfying that at times it felt Schwab wrote it just for me (or for anyone who loves art and trees and stars and history and folklore and literature and speakeasies and used bookstores and the idea of A LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE DEVIL as much as I do... in that case, you, too, are the target audience for this book, and it will hit the bullseye). Sinking into the velvet lushness of this story – its ambitious ideas, its confident storytelling and eventual pay-off, its sharp, elegant prose – was the perfect escape and the best surprise; ultimately everything I wanted it to be.

This time: I have no words for this masterpiece. Literally speechless, wordless, expressionless, blinking, sighing, awed, adored, fell hard, truly loved! I may announce you one of top ten best books of the year. I know we’re at the fourth month and during our quarantine if I resume finishing approximately 10 to 14 books weekly, this means I can read nearly 500 more books but when you know, you know, this book is like unconditional love at first sight.
It’s a unique story about a village girl’s true demand of her independence, free will and having choices about her own life. She doesn’t want to be someone’s wife and somebody’s mother. She wanted to die standing tall just like trees. So she prays for the old gods and new gods but nobody answered her prayers but somebody heard her. She grabbed somebody’s true attention! Before her wedding, she knelt down on the soil and made a big mistake to pray after dark because she summoned the darkness. And she made a deal with the devil( green eyed, curly dark haired, a version of Lucifer Morningstar who uses contact lenses) for her freedom, earned her immortality at the expanse of being forgotten.
That’s right. Adeline La Rue became immortal and also expendable, cursed, living like a shadow by giving each person she met a short term memory lost. Anyone she meets turns into Guy Pearce from Memento and forgets her a few seconds later. That was the punishment his charming and cunny evil she called Luc gave her. She cannot even tell her name and write it anywhere. Only devil can call her name.
So Adeline shortens her name as Addie and starts her epic adventure, witnessing the world’s history, mostly spending her time at European countries, seeing the French Revolution, world wars, artistic, political, social economic movements and awakening of the cities.
She loved, she hurt, she suffered, she is neglected, abandoned, abused. She lived like a fugitive in people’s houses, learning to be skilled thief. Mostly at each anniversary she resumed her meeting with Luc who wants her obey and surrender to him completely by giving her soul. But her biggest strength is her endurance and stubbornness because no matter how lonely she is, how she witness the people she fell for treating her like a stranger each time she meet them again, she still love to live fulfilled and learn from experiences. And she is wise enough to become unforgettable by living her thumb prints to the many art masterpieces from the drawings to the songs, books. Even her blurry photos left quite stunning impression on the people. She enjoyed the art and she was talented enough to leave her trace. That’s the real essence of immortality she contributed to the changing world.
But 300 years of solitude and loneliness end when she stops by the bookstore. Henry, the owner of the store, feeling too much, suffering from broken heart and melancholia looking for something but as like the song he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for. Till he sees the girl tries to trick him by stealing books and he remembers her name.
Yes, after 300 freaking years later, somebody remembered Addie. How? Who is this? Just a lonely boy who wants to love and to be loved in return! Addie thinks she tricked Luc, she found her soul mate but everything comes with the price like her free will and immortality. Is she ready pay for the unconditional love? Is there still hope for her future? Or Luc is about to win their duello by pulling out a last deadly trick? Let’s get lost at this incredible journey to find out.
The ending is a little surprising but it was also hopeful and motivational. I don’t want to talk about because I’m afraid of giving too many details and ruin everything but I wish I could read more adventures of Addie. Fingers crossed!
This is the best book tributes to living and enjoying life fulfilled and healing power of the art. Even though Addie is lonely, cursed, abandoned, she has strong willpower, tough and fearless because she never regrets the life she has lived. Here is one of my favorite part of the book:
“And she is tired. Unspeakably tired.
But there is no question she has lived.
“Nothing is all good or all bad”, she says. “Life is so much messier than that.”
And there in the dark, he asks if it was really worth it.
Were the instants of joy worth the stretches of sorrow?”
Were the moments of beauty worth the years of pain?
And she turns her head, and looks at him, and says, “Always”

So is this book worth to fall in at first sentence? ABSOLUTELY! Five stars won’t be enough!
So much thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/Tor Books for sharing this fantastic ARC and giving me this opportunity to read and review it. I loved it so much! This is not one of the best books I’ve read lately, this also turned into one of my favorite books of V.E. Schwab. I wish it would never end!

I am completely speechless. This novel is a masterpiece. It made me laugh, cry, broke my heart in ways that I didn't know were possible, yet serves as one of the greatest inspirations. V.E. Schwab never disappoints, and this is her masterpiece. I have never read a novel that is so timeless and captivating. I never read a piece that broken by heart while mending it at the same time. I don't know how she does it, but Schwab does IT. She pulls at aspects of your heart and mind that you didn't even know you thought about. She conjures up adventures and sparks something in you that feels so nostalgic. Not a single one of her novels disappoints but this one is on another level. Knowing that she worked so hard, and so long on this beauty makes it even more amazing and her hard work SHOWS. From beautiful prose to characters that you'll fall in love with, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has it all. Sprinkled with romance, history, and darkness, this novel is completely encapsulating. Thank you for sharing Addie with us, Ms. Schwab. Thank you for telling us her story. An instant classic in the making. One day I hope to be able to tell stories as meaningful and as beautifully crafted as yours.

My favorite is still ADSOM (and will forever be) but Addie is something you don’t want to miss out on!

A special thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! I am forever grateful to have been able to follow Addie along this journey before the rest of the world.

*NOTE: An early ARC of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE was provided by Tor Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.” This morning, I sat down with my steaming cup of coffee and I read the final chapters of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Reader, I have few words. In a time where the world feels like chaos, where everyday feels unknown, this is a book of savoring the days. Of defiant joy. Of life and living and loving and art and beauty and heartbreak. Addie is a character stubbornly determined to be alive. ⠀
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I won’t give away more than that. I have followed @veschwab for years, and have longed for this story she has slowly teased bites of. Now, with the whole dessert almost prepared for serving, I can safely say it tastes delicious. Dark, bitter, and mouthwateringly sweet.

Thank you Tor Books for the advanced review copy. 🖤

I received an ARC provided by NetGalley.
I was terribly excited when I received the notification that this book was available. And then, when I was contacted that I would receive an ARC? Exhilarated. Since some time in 2015, any time that I have a chance to get my hands on a V. E. Schwab book, I jump at the chance.
Sadly, this book didn't have quite the luster of the other books I've read. Perhaps it's because I've had trouble focusing on a lot, with coronavirus panic and transitioning to digital learning with my students. Perhaps the book was centered too much in the real world, as opposed to any of Schwab's other books. It's not a bad book. The writing itself was great-I highlighted several quotes I adored, giggled and sighed over different parts. But it just didn't thrill me the way most of her other books have.
I definitely want to give this book another try someday down the road, when my brain isn't full of google classroom and infection statistics. Until then, I'm checking out a few other books.

There are very few books you come across during your lifetime that speak—to who you are, to the things you keep hidden, to the fears you ignore, to the hope you cling to. To the defiant joy and heartbreak and strength and stubbornness and love and need that I—that you—feel.

This is one of them.

I will not say much because we’re still so far away and everyone deserves to go into this book knowing nothing beyond the synopsis and the hints Schwab has given throughout the years she’s taken to write this book, but The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a book that spoke to my soul, forced a flashlight into the hidden corners and spring cleaning of the dust covering the boxes and the sweeping of things out from under the rug. I connected with this book in so many ways, every way, and these two main characters had me feeling everything. Had me hoping. Had me breaking. And I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world and to reread a finished copy.

I will say, however, that this book is classic Schwab—gorgeous writing, a slow-burn story that instantly consumes you, and characters that nestle in and never let go. I was hooked from the very first page and have not yet been let go—even though I’ve sadly finished

Thank you SO MUCH, Tor, for giving me the opportunity to read this beauty early. It’s a book that will stay with me for the rest of my life—no matter how long or short.

This is one of the rare books where I was almost immediately grabbed by the characters and the plot at the same time. I can literally name the moment where I realized that this would be a book I'd be coming back to so that I could more fully appreciate this incredible story.

The particulars of Addie LaRue's invisible life were fascinating, and getting perspectives of and Addie that has mostly figured out the contours of the curse that she lives under and an Addie that is trying to figure it out as she goes along was a great narrative thread to follow, and I always enjoyed these flashbacks which is a rarity for me in most fiction.

A really incredible read and an easy book to recommend to people during a reader's advisory session.