V. E. Schwab

"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."--Publisher.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

A gorgeous new collector’s edition, including: - Six new pieces of art from Addie’s story new to North America readers - Designed alternate debossed stamp under the cover - Ribbon bookmark -An exclusive note from the author

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Special Edition

Tace

Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives--or to find strength in a very long one.

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force. 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.

Vanessa Lugo

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

I hope she whispers in your ear now and then, reminding you to look around, to find the beauty, and most of all, to remember. 

After all, there is no such thing as perfect, only the effort, the honesty. 

Sometimes an unpleasant journey is worth it for a moment of joy. 

Konstantina Ag

Books,she has found,are a way to live a thousand lives-or to find strength in a very long one

"A dreamer", warns Estele. Still,it does not seem such a bad word. Until Adeline wakes up

given her freedom,but really, there is no such thing for a woman,not in a world where they are bound

He told her he was born in the wrong decade. She told him she was born in the wrong century

Renai

Henry would rather be a storykeeper than a storyteller.

Melanie Harvie

All the world, and you pass your time playing the part of a witch in the wild, a crone praying to old gods.

Pia 

Life seems very long sometimes. But he knows it goes so fast and he doesn’t want to miss a moment

He is still here. He remembers. Everything

A women needs to take care of her own education because a man barley will

the worst part of every meal is when it ends

Alyssa Rovella

And this, he decides, is what a good-bye should be. Not a period, but an ellipsis, a statement trailing off, until someone is there to pick it up. It is a door left open. It is drifting off to sleep.

Memories are stiff, but thoughts are freer things. They throw out roots, they spread and tangle, and come untethered from their source. They are clever, and stubborn, and perhaps-per- haps-they are in reach.

But art," she says with a quieter smile, "art is about ideas. And ideas are wilder than memories. They're like weeds, always finding their way up.”

You know," she'd said, “they say people are like snowflakes, each one unique, but I think they're more like skies. Some are cloudy, some are stormy, some are clear, but no two are ever quite the same."

Being forgotten, she thinks, is a bit like going mad. You begin to wonder what is real, if you are real. After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered?

Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives- or to find strength in a very long one. 

Stories are a way to preserve one’s self. To be remembered. And to forget. 

I have heard from so many people how much they adore this book. And I will say, it did not disappoint. I loved this story and I loved the characters. It was wonderfully written and somehow so happy and yet sad at the same time. And now one of my favorite books I’ve read. 

It is definitely a story you will not forget. 

I have heard from so many people how much they adore this book. And I will say, it did not disappoint. I loved this story and I loved the characters. It was wonderfully written and somehow so happy and yet sad at the same time. And now one of my favorite books I’ve read. 

It is definitely a story you will not forget. 

Kim Brown

** spoiler alert **
           Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting story and I liked the character of Addie and the complicated relationship she had with with Luc. I did find some parts slow but that doesn't particularly bother me, some of the best books I've ever read has some slow parts. However, in my opinion the chapters from Henry's point of view were a bit meh and didn't really add much to the story. I found myself wanting to skim through just to get back to Addie's POV. Would have liked for the story to explore more of the 'human' side of Luc, I found myself warming to him and wanting to understand him. Was he just a monster? Did he really love Addie? I probably would have preferred to see that explored rather than the Henry storyline. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book.

Joana da Silva

How do you describe a book you liked but had a hard time reading? Because that's what happened with me on this one. 
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and the characters, but the story was a bit too slow-paced for me. At the end of the book, I realized all the bits were important to involve the reader, but as I was reading, I struggled with the chapters that seemed to take me nowhere. I bawled my eyes out with the final chapters, and that took me by surprise, more than any of the plot twists this book has. This book felt a bit like The Goldfinch for me, the pacing of the story is quite similar and the ending also came with realizations that reminded me of it.

It is truly stunning and a true piece of art.

I hesitated so much before picking this one up.

After reading it, I'm left wondering why I didn't take it up sooner.

The prose is exquisite, poetic, lyrical, and magically charged.

On my Kindle, I couldn't stop highlighting quotes. Words had so much meaning. I felt the connection. 

How Henry talks about literature, how Addie talks about art.

I appreciate you making characters who appreciate art.

who cherish life, who harbor aspirations and noble objectives.

The only reason I deducted a half star was because the tale occasionally felt plodding and some of the information wasn't really necessary.

One of those books that you never want to finish is this one.

It is truly stunning and a true piece of art.

I hesitated so much before picking this one up.

After reading it, I'm left wondering why I didn't take it up sooner.

What a wonderful idea!

The prose is exquisite, poetic, lyrical, and magically charged.

On my Kindle, I couldn't stop highlighting quotes. Words had so much meaning. I felt the connection. 

How Henry talks about literature, how Addie talks about art.

I appreciate you making characters who appreciate art.

who cherish life, who harbor aspirations and noble objectives.

The only reason I deducted a half star was because the tale occasionally felt plodding and some of the information wasn't really necessary.

One of those books that you never want to finish is this one.

I cherished it! 

Veronica 

Jerilynn Hallett 

Great book. It was my first time reading this author. I felt like this would be the love child of Meet Joe Black and the book Forever by Pete Hamill.

Erin Campbell

wow. this book is so beautiful in every way. ive never read anything quite like it and it pains me to finish it. i have no words. addie larue you will forever hold a piece of my heart.

Beau

A very strong 4.5 (if I could be more precise, maybe something like 4.8?!)

This is one of the more original books I've read in a long while. I felt like I was reading a Neil Gaiman novel at times as V.E. Schwab meshed together an array of genres and storytelling techniques to create a beautiful story of love, freedom, France, and bending to the darkness - one that traverses decades and centuries like days, grit and lowliness like refined poetry.

The interwoven moments of art and history was a personal highlight for me. I found it to be an extremely clever way of exploring the depth and timelessness of Addie's character without encroaching unnecessarily on the main storyline.

Luc's character was another standout for me. While Henry took some warming up to and, admittedly, never quite grew to the complexity he seemingly characterised, Luc was written in a way that had me constantly trying to figure out if I like him or not. Am I supposed to side with him or not? Am I meant to pity him, the tormentor, in a story with plenty of burdened souls? In the end, for me, he represented the messiness and emotionally chaotic wrecking ball all beings are destined to become at certain junctures of life - even if he isn't technically one himself.

The only thing keeping me from giving this book 5 stars is Addie. Without a doubt she unwraps and unravels throughout the narrative but there was something missing from the pages, even though I could feel it between the lines - whispered between statements and proclamations. It's as if Schwab didn't give Addie the 'off-time' her character deserved; those moments where a new corner of one's personality is revealed when something 'other than the norm' occurs and they reveal cards usually held close to the chest. It's a small critique and by no means ruined anything significant for me (I could barely put this book down. 500+ pages and holding onto the reader an entire time...that's impressive) but considering it's the protagonist I felt like I couldn't quite go the whole way on ye olde star rating (which I wrestle with, conceptually, anyway)

V.E. Schwab

In the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there's always a price - the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone. Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day. Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Alone in the world, Addie has no choice but to confront him, to understand him, maybe to beat him. Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in Manhattan, Addie meets someone who remembers her. Suddenly thrust back into a real, normal life, Addie realises she can't escape her fate forever.

yaire magana

worth the hype 

this story was so beautifully written. i have so many things to say yet i cannot find the right words that would capture how i felt reading this. a great story to start off my book challenge this year. looking forward to reading more of v.e. schwab’s’ work!

Lane Hokanson

Breathtaking. Heart-wrenching. Bewitching.

I had such high expectations for this book and how could i not when the hype for it follows me left and right and when it's a book written by THE V. E Schwab.

I think i just came to conclusion that Schwab simply doesn't know how to write female characters (which is what i noticed from reading her other books. Her female characters never had the depth and originality her male characters had.)

Addie larue was....boring and certainly not the brightest. For someone who made a deal with the devil and lived three hundred years you'd expect her to grow some brain cells because you know how they say time is the greatest teacher? But not in addie's case no. She lived 300 years she was homeless, poor, broke, stupid in every year and setting she lived in. There were so many loopholes in her deal with the devil that the average person would have gotten them but not our addie she lives her true dumb white girl stereotype to the fullest. Her whole character is wrapped around how sad she is, and if she was even remotely interesting i would pity her but she wasn't even worthy of my pity. She lived so long, witnessed wars begin and end, saw the people she loved grow old and die, saw breakouts of pandemics, lived through famines and the author expects her main character to stay human and intact with her morality? Please. She deserved to be something more than some sad girl in new york like at that point you owe your main character that much.

Another point that annoyed me was the writing i know v.e schwab can write but this one...was not it.

..... be serious. I think maybe the author attempted to have flowery writing and it is NOT Schwab's thing AT ALL. Which is unfair to say because i am not a writer but i believe writers tend to try different writing styles, different stories but i sincerely want her to never do this again 😭

All the characters in this book were boring. Henry was ?? I guess he was made just to give us loser jobless representation but then again addie is right there.

The devil was not interesting enough he kept the story going and he was maybe what little i liked about the book but for being the devil...he wasn't evilish enough.

So yes even though i wanted to badly to like this i saved this book up from the day it released til now...and if i knew it would be like this...I'd do nothing tbh.

dija

I had such high expectations for this book and how could i not when the hype for it follows me left and right and when it's a book written by THE V. E Schwab.

I think i just came to conclusion that Schwab simply doesn't know how to write female characters (which is what i noticed from reading her other books. Her female characters never had the depth and originality her male characters had.)

Addie larue was....boring and certainly not the brightest. For someone who made a deal with the devil and lived three hundred years you'd expect her to grow some brain cells because you know how they say time is the greatest teacher? But not in addie's case no. She lived 300 years she was homeless, poor, broke, stupid in every year and setting she lived in. There were so many loopholes in her deal with the devil that the average person would have gotten them but not our addie she lives her true dumb white girl stereotype to the fullest. Her whole character is wrapped around how sad she is, and if she was even remotely interesting i would pity her but she wasn't even worthy of my pity. She lived so long, witnessed wars begin and end, saw the people she loved grow old and die, saw breakouts of pandemics, lived through famines and the author expects her main character to stay human and intact with her morality? Please. She deserved to be something more than some sad girl in new york like at that point you owe your main character that much.

Another point that annoyed me was the writing i know v.e schwab can write but this one...was not it.


"you are a great cook.
(They say as you burnt the toast.)
You are so funny.
(You never told a joke.)"



..... be serious. I think maybe the author attempted to have flowery writing and it is NOT Schwab's thing AT ALL. Which is unfair to say because i am not a writer but i believe writers tend to try different writing styles, different stories but i sincerely want her to never do this again 😭

All the characters in this book were boring. Henry was ?? I guess he was made just to give us loser jobless representation but then again addie is right there.
The devil was not interesting enough he kept the story going and he was maybe what little i liked about the book but for being the devil...he wasn't evilish enough.
So yes even though i wanted to badly to like this i saved this book up from the day it released til now...and if i knew it would be like this...I'd do nothing tbh.

A young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Addie LaRue, 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 man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

La Vida Invisible de Addie Larue

Te amo Luc. Muy chafa todo menos las últimas páginas y Luc.

Miranda Montenegro

Lou Smith

i don’t want to read anything after this… nothing will ever hit the same

Malena

no sé hacer reseñas y tampoco sé qué puntaje ponerle

When Addie first came out two years ago, I tried to read it. Got about 100 pages in, met Henry, and saw too much of my own pain, pain I wasn’t willing to face head-on. I put it on my shelf, nodded guiltily when it came up in booksta conversation, and moved on.

Then I heard that Julia Whelan reads the audiobook, so I waited patiently for a library copy and gave it another shot. I’m so glad I did.

Others may wax poetic about the craft skill, the writing, the prose. While that is all excellent, what really hooked me was seeing my storms and “too much-ness” laid bare through Henry. The ache to be enough for anyone.

TW: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, sexual content (some under duress), war, drug use, alcohol

Liz Griffin

When Addie first came out two years ago, I tried to read it. Got about 100 pages in, met Henry, and saw too much of my own pain, pain I wasn’t willing to face head-on. I put it on my shelf, nodded guiltily when it came up in booksta conversation, and moved on.

Then I heard that Julia Whelan reads the audiobook, so I waited patiently for a library copy and gave it another shot. I’m so glad I did.

Others may wax poetic about the craft skill, the writing, the prose. While that is all excellent, what really hooked me was seeing my storms and “too much-ness” laid bare through Henry. The ache to be enough for anyone.

TW: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, sexual content (some under duress), war, drug use, alcohol

Nice, easy to read romance through the ages.  I enjoyed Addie's character (her enthusiasm for life and art), but I wish there were more flashbacks and more of a variety of places.  

Jenny Engel

Trish D

Fairytale atmosphere, loved every second of it.

sarah stevenson

so repetitive and slow. i was unimpressed

V.E. SCHWAB

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. 

Jacqueline Englund

Unpopular opinion time....I so wanted to love this book. The plot sounded great, Some fantasy m, some historical fiction, some suspense, some romance.....I was here for it. But unfortunately I was just so bored. I didn’t connect to any if the characters, I didn’t really care about what happened next....I appreciate the time and effort it took V.E. Schwab to write this and I’m glad so many people love it, but it just really wasn’t for me!

Olena Dorosh Stsira

It was really nice and easy to red, but I expected something more and a better ending because of all the great reviews and people's recommendations.

Millie Roberts

the theme about feeling like you were losing time was too relatable

Carolina Velazquez 

Lyli Nieves 

DNF at 50%
It wasn’t really my cup of tea, it’s not a bad book though, it just wasn’t it for me, it put me on reading slump because of how slow of a read it was.

Alexa M

4.5 
i really really liked this but idk it didn’t feel like 💫5 stars 💫 to me

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Reviews

Highlights