MY NEW FAVORITE V.E. SCHWAB BOOK? : The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Review

Summary (from the publisher):

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.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Thanks to V.E. Schwab’s hints on social media over the past few years about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I had been highly anticipating this book for what feels like forever (okay, maybe not to Addie LaRue herself). In short, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is so much more than ‘a girl makes a deal with the devil to live for forever.’ This book absolutely smashed my expectations. It honestly just might be my new favorite V.E. Schwab book – I seriously cannot believe I’m saying this, given my love for Vicious!

After making a deal three hundred years ago in which Addie gets to live forever, in exchange for everyone she ever meets forgetting her, Addie is living in present day New York City. She’s used to being able to being able to sneak away, until upon a second trip to a bookstore, a young man, Henry, remembers her from her first visit. The rules surrounding Addie and memory were so intricate. It was equally fascinating and frustrating to learn about, since Addie has to overcome so many obstacles to try to live and it can all be taken way from her in any moment. You feel her heart-break at every moment of genuine connection and every time someone forgets who she is.

Between school and work, I seriously thought it would take me at least to give through this 430+ page read. You might know that I’ve recently been in a fluffy read mood lately, so I also thought I’d be reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue while also reading a romance on the side. However, I ended up devouring the first 200 pages of this book upon my first sitting. It didn’t even feel like I had read the first chance of the book because I was so enthralled with this story. The book flips back and forth between the book’s present day, set in March 2014 NYC, and Addie’s past, from her last before the deal to key moments leading up to the present day.

As expected with V.E. Schwab, the story-telling was just so well done. I didn’t find myself particularly wanting for one timeline over the other. The book is on the slow burn side, but at the same time, V.E. Schwab captures so many themes and relationships. I love how we get to dive into Henry’s story and her relationship with the devil before we really dive into their relationships and the true conflict. V.E. Schwab really sets the stage and plot before deep-diving into Addie’s relationships and the book’s ultimate outcome.

I apologize if it seems like I’m keeping things vague, but I genuinely do not want to spoil anyone for this masterpiece of a book. Everything throughout, the ending especially included, was perfect. If I had to describe The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue in one word, it would be thoughtful because everything V.E. Schwab works towards throughout the book so expertly winds together in the end. If you enjoyed any of V.E. Schwab’s books, I highly, highly recommend checking The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue out. It is hands down one of the most well-written books I’ve ever read. I will be craving this storytelling in so many of my future reads.