V.E. Schwab

Julia Whelan

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

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.

lily

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

Paige Leitner

If some part of her wavered, if some small part wanted to give in, it did not last beyond a moment. There is a defiance in being a dreamer.

It is the kind of place that takes years to visit, and still there always seems to be another alley, another set of steps, another door.

literally teared up at the end of this book.

Madelaine Jarcew

Addie has said so many hellos, but that was the first and only time she got to say good-bye. That kiss, like a piece of long-awaited punctuation. Not the em dash of an interrupted line, or the ellipsis of a quiet escape, but a period, a closed parenthesis, an end.

That is the thing about living in the present, and only the present, it is a run-on sentence. And Henry was a perfect pause in the story. A chance to catch her breath. She does not know if it was love, or simply a reprieve. If contentment can compete with passion, if warmth will ever be as strong as heat.

Not a game, or a war, or a battle of wills.

Time, and memory, like lovers in a fable.

heartbreaking realizations for addie but i’m always down for a ‘humans are messy and wild and flawed and that’s what makes them human’ argument. love.

Luc scowls. “Henry Strauss wanted to die. You wanted to live. You are nothing alike.”

Addie shakes her head. “You only see flaws and faults, weaknesses to be exploited. But humans are messy, Luc. That is the wonder of them. They live and love and make mistakes, and they 

 so much. And maybe — maybe I am no longer one of them.”

Luc is so good at being a dick, so good at pointing out the inherent flaws of humanity. but i love how Addie, despite everything still questions him and finds value in her humanity.

this book is written so well. i really truly am obsessed

He looks at her. “They made their deal. They knew the cost.”

“Why would anyone trade a lifetime of talent for a few years of glory?”

Luc’s smile darkens. “Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because vision weakens, and voices wither, and talent fades.” He leans close, twists a lock of her hair around one finger. “Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end,” he says, “

this book is actually rocking my world right now because i feel like henry. everything henry is saying and going through is EXACTLY how i feel about my life. especially my academics. there is so much to learn, to do, to become and it is so overwhelming. i feel like i’m being written about.

Choosing a class became choosing a discipline, and choosing a discipline became choosing a career, and choosing a career became choosing a life, and how was anyone supposed to do that, when you had only one?

Cassandra Tang

Déjà vu. Déjà su. Déjà vécu. Already seen. Already known. Already lived. 

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.

Se uită la tine și văd ce vor ei… Pentru ca pe tine nu te văd.

Cassidy Nolan

So Addie says nothing of the new game, the new rules, the new battle that’s begun.

She only smiles, and sets the book back on its shelf.

But he is not capable of love, and she will prove it.

She will ruin him. Ruin his idea of them.

She will break his heart, and he will come to hate her once again.

Three hundred years, she’s had to learn the color of his moods. She knows them all by now, the meaning of every shade, knows his temper, wants, and thoughts, just by studying his eyes.

She marvels, that in the same amount of time, he never learned to read her own.

Addie has said so many hellos, but that was the first and only time she got to say good-bye. That kiss, like a piece of long-awaited punctuation. Not the em dash of an interrupted line, or the ellipses of. quiet escape, but a period, a closed parenthesis, an end.

She runs her fingers over the name, feels the embossed letters arc and curve beneath her touch, as though she had written them herself.

The shop girls are right. There is no author’s name. No photo on the back. No sign of Henry Strauss, beyond the simple, beautiful fact that the book is in her hands, the story real.

She peels back the cover, turns past the title to the dedication.

Three small words rest in the center of the page.

He will get an agent, and the book will go to auction, and in the end he’ll sell the work on one condition—that there is only one name on the cover, and it is not his—and in the end, they will agree. They’ll think it some clever marketing trick, no doubt, but his heart will thrill at the thought of other people reading these words—not his, but hers, of 

 name carried from lips to lips, from mind to memory.

Henry sits there for hours against the side of the bed, turning through every page of every book, every story she ever told, and when he’s done, he closes his eyes, and puts his head in his hands amid the open books.

“Promise me,” she says, and her face is beginning to smudge, the swipe of her lips, brown curls in a heart-shaped face, two wide eyes, seven freckles like stars.

“Promise,” she whispers, and he is just lifting his hands, to hold her against him, to promise, but by the time his arms close around her, she is gone.

She sighs, fingers threading through his hair. “You’ve given me so much, Henry. But I need you to do one more thing.” Her forehead presses against his. “I need you to remember.”

“Life can feel very long sometimes, but in the end, it goes so fast.” Her eyes are glassy with tears, but she is smiling. “You better live a good life, Henry Strauss.”

Estele used to say she was stubborn as a stone.

“You were right,” she says. “I am not one of them. Not anymore. And I am tired of losing. Tired of mourning everything I ever try to love.” She reaches out to touch Luc’s cheek. “But I won’t lose you. And you won’t lose me. So yes.” She looks straight into his eyes. “Do this, and I will be yours, as long as you want me by your side.”

“You promised you would listen,” she says, “you promised you would write it down.”

He doesn’t understand. The journals are on the shelf. He has written her story—every part.

“Henry,” she says. “I haven’t told you how it ends.”

Music streams, thin and tinny, through a neighbor’s open window, and Henry pulls his thoughts back from death, and the edge of the roof, to the girl with her hand in his, the one telling him to dance with her.

He pulls her close, and she smells of summer, she smells of time, she smells of home.

I have to give it to V.E Shwab, her writing is absolutely beautiful and one of the things that kept me reading.

I will say that this had a slower placing up until maybe the last 25% of it. I’m not really sure of what I was expecting overall when reading this but I’m not disappointed. 

I genuinely thought the ending was her coming full circle to live up in a situation she had been cursed to avoid, which was not being able to live as she wanted and belonging to someone, essentially. Idk if the ending was better or worse than what I expected to happen. Overall, beautiful story and pretty relatable (not in a making a deal with a god type of way)

I have to give it to V.E Shwab, her writing is absolutely beautiful and one of the things that kept me reading.

I will say that this had a slower placing up until maybe the last 25% of it. I’m not really sure of what I was expecting overall when reading this but I’m not disappointed. 

I genuinely thought the ending was her coming full circle to live up in a situation she had been cursed to avoid, which was not being able to live as she wanted and belonging to someone, essentially. Idk if the ending was better or worse than what I expected to happen. Overall, beautiful story and pretty relatable (not in a making a deal with a god type of way)



abi a

i did enjoy this book however i found some parts slow and slightly repetitive however i understand why this is. towards the end the book really picked up and i couldn’t put it down. it was really interesting 

Lucy Williams

So different to anything I’ve read, I loved the whole vibe of the book, was slow in places but kept picking up when you least expected it 

Need 300 years to recover from the ending..can’t decide if I loved or hated it!

Ella Williams

So different to anything I’ve read, I loved the whole vibe of the book, was slow in places but kept picking up when you least expected it 

Need 300 years to recover from the ending..can’t decide if I loved or hated it!

I loved this twist on darkness as an entity. Addie has an incredible life (most of the time) and it’s lovely to watch her live through so much history, but the sadness from the beginning never goes away. It’s sweet and beautifully written, but the pacing is slow, so it’s a bit difficult to keep picking up unless you’re just in the mood for this pace. 

Kristen Savage

Samantha Karpovck

Non-linear timeline weaving various pasts and present together. A sense of mystery and timeless like the characters. 

Chloé Dupèré

"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.

Great premise squandered by an uninteresting protagonist with shallow goals. By around page 70, I was hoping for a tragic (in the style of the Greeks) ending for Addie.

The lyrical writing was affecting, but the plot, characters, tension, romance, arcs, and ending were not. 

Margaux Yiu

Great premise squandered by an uninteresting protagonist with shallow goals. By around page 70, I was hoping for a tragic (in the style of the Greeks) ending for Addie.

The lyrical writing was affecting, but the plot, characters, tension, romance, arcs, and ending were not. 

Not for me.

This Book has been sitting on myself for years and I have been daunted about picking this one up after hearing so many people love this one and leaving rave reviews. Take 1 weekend in February and a Buddy read gave me the perfect opportunity to finally pick this one up and dive into the world of Addie & what a book it was! I know that this one will stay with me for many months and years to come and a story was beautifully poetic.

Addie LaRue, a French girl who was born in the 1700s. She was always warned not to pray to the gods who answer when it gets dark. But on a desperate night, she does it and she gets an answer. Addie ends up making a pact with the devil: now she will live forever, but she will be forgotten by everyone once they look away. One day 300 years later, a boy says the 3 words that will simply change everything “I remember You”

What a book this is, Its full of reflections, life and humanity. I felt honoured to be able to get a glimpse into Addie’s life. I know that there was going to be a few twists and turns along the way, but I did not see the final one coming at all, but I can say that it felt right and the perfect way to end a book, Am I going to say more… No, I’m going to say no more  

Now I can only say that Addie LaRue deserves to be read, known and remembered. It is a book so real, but at the same time so full of magic, that you will never forget.

Ian Brakspear

This Book has been sitting on myself for years and I have been daunted about picking this one up after hearing so many people love this one and leaving rave reviews. Take 1 weekend in February and a Buddy read gave me the perfect opportunity to finally pick this one up and dive into the world of Addie & what a book it was! I know that this one will stay with me for many months and years to come and a story was beautifully poetic.

 

Addie LaRue, a French girl who was born in the 1700s. She was always warned not to pray to the gods who answer when it gets dark. But on a desperate night, she does it and she gets an answer. Addie ends up making a pact with the devil: now she will live forever, but she will be forgotten by everyone once they look away. One day 300 years later, a boy says the 3 words that will simply change everything “I remember You”

 

What a book this is, Its full of reflections, life and humanity. I felt honoured to be able to get a glimpse into Addie’s life. I know that there was going to be a few twists and turns along the way, but I did not see the final one coming at all, but I can say that it felt right and the perfect way to end a book, Am I going to say more… No, I’m going to say no more  

 

Now I can only say that Addie LaRue deserves to be read, known and remembered. It is a book so real, but at the same time so full of magic, that you will never forget.

need 3 to 5 business days, or maybe 300 years, to recover from this book. this book brilliantly explains how desperation to fulfill one's deepest desire can blind humans to reason, making them forget that everything comes with a price to pay.

and once again, v. e. schwab makes me fall in love with another beautifully toxic villain

fara

need 3 to 5 business days, or maybe 300 years, to recover from this book. this book brilliantly explains how desperation to fulfill one's deepest desire can blind humans to reason, making them forget that everything comes with a price to pay.

and once again, v. e. schwab makes me fall in love with another beautifully toxic villain

I need 10 to 15 days to recover (or 300 years actually :’))

Sílvia

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

Took me a while to get through but so so so worth it 

Emily Lucie

A wonderfully bright story with a great central character. The life and breadth of it is really fascinating. The story does take a predictable turn at the end, although I'm not sure what other ending it could have had. I liked this book and would recommend it for a fun and relaxing read.

BC Hark

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. 

ending so good it broke my heart and gave me hope but i would have believed in luc, would have fallen in love, so I THOUGHT IT WAS going in that direction, which it did… kind of??

debbie <3

Unpopular opinion : I REALLY hate Addie LaRue

Isidora Vatali

Unpopular opinion : I REALLY hate Addie LaRue
#justice_for_the_devil

irina

This is such a beautiful book, each sentence is pure poetry!!! I cried so much during it and related to Addie on some many different levels, I feel like this book mirrored a part of my soul to myself. I literally can’t stress it enough, everyone should read this beautiful masterpiece!!!!

Yalin Tsikun

This book was absolutely beautiful and enthralling. It has been on my TBR for the last four years and I wish I had read it sooner. Wow. 

Jillian Roberts

Reading this book was a wonderful experience. I wish this story could’ve lasted forever. This books makes me want to cry but I don’t know for which emotion. Truly amazing!

Laurie 

I really loved this book. I thought I had predicted the ending, but I was wrong. I'm left with so many questions but in a good way. I have absolutely no complaints.

Jonnie

INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE - SPECIAL EDITION 'AUTUMN'.

Svetlana 

nany

OH MY GOD. My heart hurts.

Estoy enamorada de los personajes, de Luc, de Henry y sobre todo de Addie. Me encantó conocerla, vivir con ella trescientos años, sufrir junto a ella, enojarme junto a ella y enamorarme junto a ella. 

Addie LaRue merece la pena.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Reviews

Highlights