The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a stunning literary fantasy that somewhat resembles the film The Age of Adaline. It's a story about the differences between being seen and being known, it's the story of a woman cursed to be forgotten in a world where art does nothing but remember. I thought this book was a beautiful work of genius, but it won't be for everyone, mainly because of the pace, but fans of Erin Morgenstern will likely love this.

Awesome! I highly recommend this book. This is one of those rare books in which you realize after reading a few chapters that there is no way that you can put this book down and will be finishing it in one night. I really enjoyed reading it and could not put it down.

I will recommend that my library buy a copy of this book.

Thanks to Tor Books and Net Galley for providing an early copy for me to review.

When I first read the synopsis of this book I was sold. Sure I had expectations and I thought I knew how the book was going to go but I was wrong. It was SO MUCH BETTER!
I was expecting a love story between a girl and the devil but what I got was so much more. I got a book about life, too. About how it may be fleeting and life can pass so quickly but we must live it for that very reason. I don’t think I have related to story more than I have related to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

*Spoiler free*

I was lucky enough to be approved for an e-ARC of this book. I honestly couldn't believe it and I'm still having a hard time believing it. I've been excited for this book since the deal announcement, which I know isn't as long as some people, but I was still very, very excited! It sounded like something incredible and I knew Schwab would do something amazing with it. Trigger warnings: depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, uncomfortable sexual encounters 

Hi, it's another review where I say it's hard to find words to describe a book like this. But it's true. How do you find the words to describe a book like this? It's a book that seemed to be infused with the light of stars, with a soft glow that follows you even when you've finished the book. It's a book that needs elaborate language to describe it, so a expect a lot of that here haha.

This book is made of moments, moments that trickle until they form something full. I think that was one of my favorite parts of the book, how it was a story made up of stories. I fell in love with the moments before I fell in love with the entire book. These moments are tied up with such a flourish. They are all tied together in a way that makes them even more than they were before. They become something different, but nothing less incredible.

Schwab really knows how to write. Like, really, really knows how to write. It's like she knows the exact right words to put in the exact right positions. The writing is just spectacularly beautiful and I think it shows the full force of her talent.

The way this book implemented darkness was great. It becomes something alive, but nothing less dangerous. It's cunning and it's something to be scared of, but it's also something you can't help but be curious about. In a way, it makes you understand Addie more, to relate to what she's going to. You can understand her actions because you can see and understand what she's dealing with.

The characters were human. And that's the biggest compliment that I can give them. They were messy, they hurt, they wanted to be enough, they felt, they wanted to dream, they wanted to live, and they wanted to be. They're just people who sink into you and make you feel so much. 

The ending surprised me, in the way that I wasn't sure about it at first. It seems like it's something open ended and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. But it ends on a promise. And that's Addie. A promise to deliver, to endure, and to keep being stubborn. It's such an amazing ending to this book and it fits so well.

This book brings out the flowy language in me, but that's how this book is. It's a book that is best described in metaphors and sayings that might be just a bit weird. This book was everything that I hoped it would and it was also nothing like I expected. It's soft, but it's powerful. Schwab seriously wrote something incredible.

This book is breathtaking. Victoria has said it took her ten years to write and I think that shows. There is care in every single line. Filled with gorgeous writing, lovely characters and a plot that leaves you wanting more! I can’t wait to own this one!

This book was pure magic. Oh goodness, I just finished this book. I’m having an emotional crisis. This book wasn’t the way I expected at all. I don’t really know what I had in mind to be completely honest but this was worth every minute. I still don’t have the words to describe how I’m feeling but I loved this book with every fiber of my being. V.E. Schwab you have ruined me once again. There was a slowness but it was one that I wanted to get lost in if that makes sense. I didn’t mind the pace or anything really, I was simply enjoying the story. I had tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, and that just proved how amazing it was.

“And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark” V.E. Schwab

I’d like to thank Tor Books and Netgalley for the incredible opportunity to review The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Never before have I read a book that so encompasses my own emotions over longing, the desire to be seen, and the need to experience as much of the world as I can before it gets dark. Schwab uses her unique style of lyrical prose to convey love, hatred, heartbreak, and wanderlust in a way that kept me reading well past when the lights went off. Addie is an immensely likable and relatable character, who answers the question, “What would you give to be free to do as you choose?” in a way I related to on a deeply personal level. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, had my heart racing, and tears streaming down my face until the very last page. This book will leave you totally in love with life and a desire to live each day to its fullest. I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy when the book is released in October.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I’ve liked Schwab’s other books but Addie LaRue knocks them all out of the park. This book boasts an original plot, a captivating protagonist, sharp clever dialogue, and immersive descriptions...an undeniably compelling novel.

This book hits you right in the soul.
It was wonderful and beautiful and tragic and everything I hoped it would be.

Addie LaRue made a deal with a devil in 1714: she wanted to live, freely, not marrying a man she didn't love. Her curse, as she comes to find out, is that no one remembers her. Until one time in 2014, someone does.

V.E. Schwab is fast becoming one of my go-to fantasy authors, up there with N.K. Jemisin and Erin Morgenstern for her lush writing, complex storylines and compelling what ifs. She very cleverly explores what it might be like for a young woman to live for 300 years, and every time someone meets her it's as if for a first time, only to be forgotten by a quick walk away or the closing of a door between them. The way Addie manages to leave her mark on the world is inventive, and the story incredibly satisfying.

5 STARS

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

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First off - this book was MAGICAL.

I have been a fan of fantasy for years. I love reading sweeping epics and being pulled into a fantastical new world. However, I haven't picked up a fantasy/sci-fi read for a few years now (nothing against the genre, I just haven't been in the mood.) But as soon as I read the synopsis of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, I knew that I HAD to read it!

I loved how this book slowly revealed her life over the centuries, flowing back and forth between past and present. Written with the whimsy and detail typical for this genre, explored some interesting ideas about identity, memory and our human need to be remembered long after we're gone. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy, historical fiction or someone looking to be fully immersed in the story of Addie LaRue.

(Also, this cover is PERFECT. You'll understand what I mean when you finish reading!)

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! You can snag a copy of this amazing novel October 6th.

“This is how you live forever. Here is one day, and here is the next, and the next, and you take what you can, savor every stolen second, cling to every moment, until it’s gone.”

This book cracked my heart open minute by minute, page by page, and poured its story into the fissures it created. It’s been hours since I finished and still I can’t—won’t—extricate the pieces, separate word from self. Once you’ve read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I think it’s impossible not to carry pieces of it with you. To remember it.

On a technical level, this book excels in every parameter. An ambitious story that takes us through three centuries flawlessly, weaving together the story of Addie’s journey in a way both poignantly human and evocative of the most resonant fairy tales. This story is readable in a way that encourages ravenous consumption, rich enough to be savored sentence by sentence, and powerful enough to weave a spell out of syntax and structure that you have no desire to escape from.

It’s clear that this novel is a labor of love and all the messy complications that often come with it. Not only is it a story I needed to read right now, it’s a story I think everyone will take a personal message from; it tackles issues ubiquitous to the human experience—memory, art, love, desire, loss—with characters that compel your attention (and who are queer in a seamless and unapologetic way, which was a delight).

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will be a hard, if not impossible, read to top for me this year. It has easily carved out a place in the most tender part of me where my favourite stories reside. Highly, enthusiastically, and wholeheartedly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

For years, I’ve listened to V.E. Schwab talk about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer alchemy of what the book turned out to be: words turned to pure gold, unfathomably beautiful and loving enough to break a heart.

Addie LaRue’s story covers three centuries of time, love, and loss as she grapples with her Faustian deal and learns what it means to be a human who lives forever but is forgotten by everyone she meets. But when she meets Henry Strauss in a hidden bookshop, he is the first person in centuries who remembers her, and thus kicks off a relationship unlike any Addie has ever had and her life is thrown into uncharted territory.

At once historical, romantic, and deviously fantastical, Addie LaRue is Schwab’s best writing yet. It is sharply written, intricately plotted, and beautifully honest, but beyond that, it is unfathomably human. The characters in Addie LaRue feel not only real but they felt, many times, like myself. Within these pages were so many of my deepest desires, darkest anxieties, wildest fears, and brightest hopes brought to vibrant, impossible life. Some I’ve spoken aloud, but many I’ve not.

No book I’ve ever read has made me feel as seen as I did with Addie LaRue. Tucked within these pages alongside the story was assurance: I see you, I understand you, you’re not alone. I’m endlessly grateful that this book exists and that I’ve had the opportunity to read it, and for many readers across many demographics, this genre-defying triumph will find a welcome and loving home.

I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is tragic and beautiful and heartbreaking and wondrous. Perfection.

I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

OMG! 😍 You all must read this book! I was familiar with this author but read only couple books of V.E.Schwab. From the first to the last page this book lived with me. Literally! I loved every page, story development and how it was written.
It took me 48 hrs to read it. Now I wish there was another one so I can spend another day to experience a beautiful paranormal masterpiece such as this one!!! 💖

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE is unlike any novel written by V.E. Schwab that I have read before - and, believe me, I have read them all. Though still filled with the same addictive quality that makes me want to race through all of her books and girls who have vulnerable yet sharp edges at the same time, ADDIE LARUE marks something new for Schwab. It's wistful and sweeping and makes you want to ache. It's as close to "lit fic" as any of her works have come thus far and it is a lovely triumph.

Do you ever start a book and know from the first page that the book will be very important to you? That's how I felt reading this. I loved everything about Addie's story. It made me want to go out and live the life I have to the fullest. I also made me wish that I could live through centuries and see everything the world has to offer.

Addie, Henry, and Luc are some of the most wonderful characters I have ever read. I want to follow them through everything they do.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this gem. I will forever be in awe of the way V.E. Schwab writes, and I will recommend this to everyone I meet.

VE Schwab’s book is about Addie, who made a deal with The Darkness. She’s immortal but she’s nameless and forgotten by everyone as soon as she’s out of their sight. Even her parents and friends don’t remember her. How do you exist in a world where you can leave no mark, not your image, your signature or even the stain of spilled wine. Lovers only remember you until you leave the room or they fall asleep.

The Darkness offers Addie an end to the pain of this loneliness - pay him what she bargained away - her soul.

Addie refuses, engaging in a cat and mouse powerplay spanning centuries. Refusing to surrender her soul, always demanding her freedom.

After three centuries, Addie meets a man who remembers her and it changes her life.

This book was a delicious doorstop of a story. All about what it means to be seen, known, and loved. And what’s important enough to bargain away your soul. The author’s writing is luminously beautiful. Even after 500+ pages, I didn’t want the story to be over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the DRC.

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 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.

⠀
“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 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.

V.E. Schwab has done it again. This book... I went into it without knowing more than the basic premise, (girl makes bad deal with dark thing and lives forever but no one remembers her,) and was just blown away. We go between Addie’s life in France in the 17 hundreds, what led her to make her choice and how she dealt with the immediate aftermath, and cut between then and now, almost 300 years later when she is much more savvy about her curse and how to live alone surrounded by others. And then... and then someone *does* remember her. What now? Is the curse changing? Is it a glitch? And will the darkness come back for her, as it always does. I won’t say anymore because I don’t want to give the journey away, but I loved the characters so much. I also loved the settings, France over time and New York City now, and the thread of art throughout. I highly recommend this book!

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 a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Wow, this book was incredible! I'm already a Schwab fan so there really weren't any doubts going in that I wouldn't love it. This book follows the titular character who's made a deal with the devil in order to live freely, but at the cost that she's forgotten by everyone. After three hundred years of this, Addie finds the one person in the world who remembers her. This book has beautiful prose, gut-wrenching scenes, and wonderful characters. From the first page, I had already decided that it would become one of my all-time favorites.

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.

I have read and very much enjoyed other books by V.E. Schwab, both under the name "V.E." and "Victoria," but this is by far the best so far. In a few words: I loved it. It is in some ways different from her other books: a little less dark, considerably less action-packed, but for me that enhanced it. It is like a long, meditative, celebration of life, with all its pain and pleasures, featuring a strong, indomitable heroine whom you won't be able to forget.

And the central conceit of this novel is that Adeline LaRue lives forever, caught like a moment in time, unchanging and never remembered. She is not even able to say her own name. She can meet and talk to someone, turn away, come back ten minutes later, and they won't remember meeting her. This is the consequence of a deal she made with ... the devil? Perhaps. Certainly a powerful dark spirit, who entraps her by granting her wish to experience life. Moving back and forth in time, we see vignettes of her strange but rich life over 300 years, until one day she meets someone who remembers her. To call this a love story is something of a misnomer, except in the sense that it's a love story to life itself: to physical being, to art, to beauty, and, yes, to pain. To say more would be to give away too much; enough to say that this is a rich and thought-provoking book.

I am a huge fan of V. E. Schwab's writing and have heard her talk so much about this book on social media and I couldn't wait to read it! When I saw this as an option on NetGalley I knew I had to request it! I didn't think I would be selected but I was and I am so thankful! I really enjoyed this read and couldn't get enough of it! Huge Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for this opportunity!

I had really been anticipating reading this book, and I want to say right up front, it did not disappoint. If you enjoy reading VE (or Victoria in middle grade format) Schwab, you will love it. If you have never read her imaginative well-written fiction before, this is a great place to start. Her characters drive her books, and Addie, Luc and Henry will stay with you long after you put down the book. All become very real as you read and you can understand and feel what they are each going through, even though one of them may be the devil himself! I could almost describe this book as historical fiction, fantasy, romance, self-help, memoir, and all nearly fit the bill. But it's more than that. The book centers around Addie Larue, who was born in about 1691 (ahead of her time) in France in but is still alive in New York in 2014. Her spirit lively and indelible to the reader, but sadly, due to a curse, no one she meets can remember her, hence her "invisible" life. Dealing with feeling invisible and meaningless are feelings any reader can relate to, but being able to reach for those feelings while wrapped up in 300 years of history and a budding romance with another possibly cursed character in Henry, is just a complete treat for the reader. The copy I received was an e-reader advanced copy, which may have contributed to sometimes having minor difficulty with all the shifts in time (also brought on by my rabid desire to find out what was going to happen next--the pacing in this book really picked up as it went along!). I am guessing the print copy will use various fonts and have less subtle ways to alert the reader to the time shifts. I also can't wait to see the art the e-copy references. October 6, 2020 can't come soon enough!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of those books that's so good, 5 stars is nowhere near enough to reflect how much I love it! I couldn't put it down but I also didn't want it to end - it was that good!

Summary:
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Addie didn't want to follow the path her family had in mind for her; she wanted a great big life. So she dared to ask the gods, which resulted in her being doomed to be forgotten by everyone she meets until the day she is ready to surrender to the dark god that granted her wish. But Addie is stubborn and smart and resilient, and she refuses to surrender. She has her big life, and finds ways to leave her mark even though she can't say her own name and no one remembers her face. Until one day, when she walks into a bookstore.

I love this book and I absolutely love Addie! I already know this is going to be one of the best books I'll read in 2020!

I’ve always been a fan of Victoria’s writing, and this novel shows her talent so well. She has a way of crafting beautiful sentences that make you hang on every word. I was fully invested in Addie’s story, and I never wanted it to end.
I’ve been waiting for what seems like years for this story to be published – I follow Schwab on multiple social media accounts, and she talked about this general plot line for so long! Just like Addie’s experiences, the wait was so very worth it. I highly recommend.

This book was absolutely incredibly. My heart hurts so much. VE Schwab is already one of my favorite writers but she truly out did herself with this masterpiece. I can’t wait to sell this book to so many people.

I have been eagerly awaiting The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and want to thank Tor Books and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy to read! I absolutely loved this book. Telling the story of Addie LaRue, a girl cursed to be forgotten by all but in exchange is completely free and beholden to no one. Telling her 300 year history until she meets someone who remembers her in modern day New York, This is a story that will easily appeal to all readers. Filled with history, fantasy, art, romance and the desire to be known, every reader will be able to take away something special from this story. The love that V. E Schwab had for these characters and this story is apparent on every page, and made this story a true joy to read. This book will easily join my list of books to recommend to every one I know.

I have to start this review (as I do with any review of a V.E. Schwab book) by stating that this book is by my favorite author. I am subject to bias, and for those who know me I hope you take this review to heart because I always try to review in as unbiased a way as possible. That being said, this is one of the finest pieces of fiction I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It is far and away my favorite book from Schwab, and I genuinely cannot wait until its release so I can own several hard copies.

The love, care, and effort that went into writing this book is evident in every word on the page, and I thoroughly believe that this book is worth your time. I was swept away in the storytelling spanning 300 years, spellbound by the characterization of the God who answers after dark, and the push and pull that Addie and the other characters all have with the inevitable fate that binds them together. It's not a light read, but it's one I wish I could forget completely and re-read for the first time again (Ironic, based on the premise of the book). I don't know if you'll cry, but I certainly did. Just do yourself a favor and read this as soon as you have any possible way to read it.

I was sent an advanced reader copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have no words.
Here is a book that everyone should read.
Here is a book with masterful prose that a reader can tear into like a pastry.
Here is a book that made me cry. For Addie, and for Henry, and for myself.
Preorder this book. Read this book. I would not be surprised to find it on a classics shelf in a century.
Here is a book that is more than a book.

It’s been such a chaotic time but reading this book was like falling into a different world. The words drew me in and I fell in love with Addie and Henry. Two people so different and yet so alike too. I loved the almost lyrical nature of the writing in this book and though you can tell this is written by Schwab, it is also different too. The flow of the story feels different than her other novels. I loved this one and cannot wait for others to love it too. 🖤

Addie LaRue is desperate to keep her freedom, so she sells her soul. She's now blessed with eternity, but the cost is apparent immediately: she cannot leave any marks on the world, and people forget her as soon as they leave the room. Addie's life takes her from rural France through war and hunger and strife for three hundred years. She exists in blind spots, looking for loopholes and ways to leave her fingerprints on the awareness of others, having to be content with being a half-remembered dream instead of a person in her own right.

And then in New York, for the first time in many, many lifetimes, she finds someone who remembers her.

Schwab weaves an exquisite tale of memory, love, and longing that keeps you guessing right until the end. Completely wonderful.

"What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?"

Oh, my heart. This was phenomenal.

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE is special. It is ambitious and dreamy and painfully, tragically beautiful. It's a book about love taking on many different shapes--from romantic to platonic to self-love. It's about how to survive, about how to fight for what you want in life. It’s about a woman who just wants to live her life fullest and be remembered in some way.

This is the story of Adeline LaRue, a woman approaching her mid-twenties in 1714. Addie has always fantasized of more for her small, humble life in the French countryside cottage where she lives with her parents. Addie wishes to travel wherever her feet wander, to see things she could only dream up, to be free. Because of her age, her parents have become impatient about her marrying and starting a life as a good wife and mother, and make plans to force her into a marriage with a widower with small children of his own. Looking for a way out of this unwelcome, mundane lifestyle, Addie prays to the new gods to interfere with these plans and comes up short. And without realizing it, Addie continues to desperately pray to unknown, more infernal, entities. Except for this time, something answers in the dark.

"The old gods may be great, but they are neither kind nor merciful. They are fickle, unsteady as moonlight on water, or shadows in a storm. If you insist on calling them, take heed: be careful what you ask for, be willing to pay the price...And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark."

In a moment of hopelessness, Addie makes a bargain with the wrong god, trading her soul for an unlimited amount of time on Earth. Addie declares that she will give up her soul when she has sufficiently lived her life and is ready to leave it behind. But the shadowy devil now shaped like a person can't make it so easy for her. Thus, Addie LaRue is cursed to immortal life, completely free to be responsible for herself and herself only, but in which she can leave no mark, cannot be remembered at all. Addie cannot even speak or write her own name, though she repeats it in her mind as a reminder that she is an existing person who matters. The only being that can say her name is the one who cursed her to this new exhausting life. And she makes it 300 lonely, albeit free, years before someone impossibly remembers her name.

Schwab weaves this tale together with different timelines, going back and forth between the past, set all over the place as Addie travels but starting in France, and the present, set in modern New York City. The book is so carefully constructed and the prose is breathtaking. You can feel the love and care that went into every sentence. Schwab took her time telling this story, and I think a lot of my emotional response to it comes from that slow and steady building of character and history.

The scope of this book is incredible, spanning centuries. We learn about the 300 years in which Addie has had to survive second by second without anyone remembering who she is, even sometimes moments after meeting her, creating all kinds of chaos. Addie has to start over constantly and relentlessly. The story portrays how the mechanics of the curse works and how stressful it is to be a woman during this time period, how gender norms hurt, and especially when no one can remember you or where you belong. Above all, how painful it is when you just want someone to know you as you know them. To feel known at all.

Also, as an aside, we learn about her complicated relationship with the devil who cursed her and their history throughout Addie's long life. It is really, really interesting, to say the least. And as we who read Schwab knows, she is extremely good at writing morally grey, questionable, mysterious type characters. We're all going to have some really fun discussions around this particular part of the book, I can tell you now.

"Don't you remember, she told him then, when you were nothing but shadow and smoke?"

"Darling, he'd said in his soft, rich way, I was the night itself."

Over the centuries, Addie struggles to find her place amongst an ever-changing world, which is heart-wrenching but doesn't let that stop her from trying every single day. This is the kind of book that showcases what we long for, what we desire in the depths of our hearts, sometimes even unbeknownst to us. I think what stands out about this book is the perseverance of the human spirit. How we can fall down a thousand times, get back up and brush the dirt off, and keep going. How humankind as a whole has done this almost constantly, since the very beginning.

V.E. Schwab put her soul into this book, much like Addie found ways to put her soul back into the world bit by bit. Art always prevails and sustains, in spite of what goes on in the world. Though Addie is cursed to a forgotten existence, she does indeed find seemingly small ways to insert herself into history by sleight of hand, by cleverness and inspiration. Though she lives through much heartbreak and tragedy due to her curse, Addie keeps finding the light, keeps discovering joys and adventures. The hopefulness of this book made me emotional because it’s just what I needed right at this moment.

"Nothing is all good or all bad," she says. "Life is so much messier than that."

I want to say more about Addie, about the Darkness that lurks around her, about Henry, the sorrowful boy who remembers her. But, I cannot, because that would mean delving into more detail, and trust me, the mystery surrounding them is worth the wait. One thing I would like to say is how everyone of note in this book is casually queer in a way that I feel like I don't often see in literature. Both protagonists have had boyfriends and girlfriends, and it's refreshing. I really liked all the side characters, too. Everyone was delightful in their own way. I miss them all already.

And I would be remiss to not talk about the ending at all, so I will say that it was very daring and surprising and I loved it. Just. Astonishing. V.E. Schwab keeps finding ways to amaze me with her storytelling. It's one of my favorite kinds of endings, which you will all see what I mean when you read it.

This book resonated deeply. I cannot wait to hold the physical copy in my hands and hug it tight. Thank you to V.E. Schwab for writing such a moving, vulnerable, and compelling story. I feel that this is her most personal book yet, and I'm grateful for it. THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE is an absolutely stunning and sweeping achievement of love, courage, and determination. 5 dazzling stars as memorable as the constellation of freckles dotting Addie's cheeks.

I highly recommend preordering this beauty.

Thank you endlessly to Netgalley and Tor Books for providing an ARC of this beautiful book for an honest review.

Electronic ARC provided by NetGalley.

This was a beautiful story that reminded me of The Time Traveller's Wife, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, and Sandman (the comics), while also telling it's own completely new and unique story.

Adaline (Addie) LaRue is born in a small French town in the late 1600s. From childhood she wants more then what her life promises, and this desire comes to a head in 1714 when she is about to be married off to a local widower. Addie can see the rest of her life falling into place before her, and instead of submitting she runs, and as night falls she prays for something to change her life and give her the freedom she desires. The darkness answers her, in a Faustian bargain where he/it promises her life and freedom in exchange for her soul, when she no longer wants it. It's only after the bargain has been struck that Addie discovers the boundaries of her new freedom: she has time, because she will no longer age or change in any way. She has freedom because no one, including people who have known her all her life, will ever remember her. She can't speak her name, she can't write, or draw, or make any physical changes to the world, and as soon as she passes out of a person's sight they will forget she ever existed. It takes three hundred years for that to change, when Addie meets a young man named Henry in a New York bookshop for the second time, and he remembers her.

The book jumps back and forth between Addie's meandering past and the present timeline. Her story is slowly revealed, including her contentious relationship with the Darkness that cursed her (who she later names Luc). The central question of Addie's story is, how can you have a life if you can't leave any mark on the world? V.E. Schwab has done a remarkable job thinking about the details of Addie's curse, and finding solutions that someone in this situation might slowly discover. I was also impressed by the emotional impact many of Addie's interludes contained. Her story continually reminds the reader that even at its darkest, life can still offer you flashes of remarkable beauty.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from the end of the story, but the ending that we are given is perfect. I think that some people will be crying for a sequel when they finish, but I really hope that this book remains a standalone. The story is perfectly contained as is, and I would prefer to leave the ending open, and believe that anything at all could happen next.

This is my favorite V.E. Schwab book so far, and I hope other readers will be just as interested in Addie's story as I was.

As a huge Schwab fan, I had high hopes for this book. It lived up to all my expectations, and even exceeded some. I loved all of the twists and turns, and found it difficult to put down. Loved all of the New York references, and had fun spotting places I knew and had been to. Can't wait to get this book into the hands of my patrons.

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!