LGBTQ / Urban Fantasy

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V.E. Schwab

Average Rating: 4.75 / 5

Trigger Warnings:

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

In 1714, choices are non-existent in rural France. Doomed to live a stunted life, a desperate young woman strikes a Faustian bargain with a shadowy figure. Gambling for the chance to be free to live her life, Adeline is blessed with immortality and cursed to be absolutely, irrevocably forgettable. 

Out of sight. Out of mind. 

Here begins the invisible, yet enchanting life of Addie LaRue as she traverses the edges of history. Witnessing the birth of art, war, social change, and advancement – but never as a true participant. To what lengths will she attempt to leave her mark on the world? And how will she find meaning in a life where she is never known?

Nearly 300 years later, Addie’s life will be rocked again when she wanders into a forgettable little bookstore and she is the one who is remembered. 

Corinna : 5/5

This is such a beautifully written book! I was a little worried about diving into Addie, due to all the hype surrounding it, but I was not disappointed! My only other reads from V.E. Schwab were Vicious and Vengeful, which I loved, but they have a very different flavour than my expectations for this novel. While I feel that The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a very relatable story, it is also a deeply sad story. 

Addie was seeking a life of freedom and choice, but she ultimately gave away her freedom, independence and worst of all, her name. Through the story you really see how much power a name carries, and Addie doesn’t realize how important it is until she loses it. I can’t even fathom the loneliness of living 300 years where no one remembers you and then to finally find someone who does remember. I loved watching the story develop between Addie and Henry. I won’t say much about Henry so that every reader gets to discover the story on their own, but Henry’s story deeply resonated with me. His want to be loved, accepted and not judged really got me. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a beautifully woven story. I don’t think it is overhyped; it really is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of story. Schwab’s writing really captures feelings that I believe all humans experience: loneliness, the desire to be remembered, and to have something to be remembered by. 

Lydia : 5/5

“Dreamer is too soft a word. It conjures thoughts of silken sleep, of lazy days in fields of tall grass, of charcoal smudges on soft parchment.” PG. 114

“It smells like him. Like old books and fresh coffee.” PG 306

Two out of the millions of examples of V.E Schwab’s exceptional writing skills. Nothing makes me happier than knowing a book lived up to its hype, and wow, did this one ever. I fell in love with all the characters, partially because they were relatable and partially because the writing was just that good. 

It also goes beyond good writing, in that the storyline was coherent, well executed and overall amazing. The in-depth character of Addie, the relatability of Henry, and the desire to change your life by offering up something so fragile and important. The most interesting aspect was Luc and how the story unraveled between Addie and himself. 

The writing style Schwab chose in changing perspectives, writing from different time periods, was done really well. I see this a lot and it’s not normally my favourite but it really came together and made the book exactly how it should have been. Devastatingly beautiful. 

I would recommend this book thousands of times to anyone who likes to read. My mouth was literally hanging open at the end

Megan : 4/5

This book has been all over book media ever since it was released at the end of 2020. I’ve only read one other V.E. Schwab book and quite liked it, so I was very excited to finally pick up this one. 

The whole premise of the book was fascinating and I loved seeing how Addie learned to live within the restrictions of her bargain. The details that Schwab included were incredible! Tying art in at the start of each part, art that Addie had some influence in throughout history. And being able to read the memory that brought about the specific art piece was a pleasure and I liked that the pieces weren’t always tied in right away. I also appreciated Schwab’s ability to jump back and forth between the past and present. Some authors make the transition choppy or non-existent, but Schwab was able to do it seamlessly. I was never confused as to what was happening, nor which time period I was in. 

I’m not one to normally mark up books, so I’m going to need to get a second copy of this one because there are so many beautiful and relatable quotes. At some point I’m going to have to go back and highlight all of them.

However, despite all of that, there were times where I was underwhelmed by the story. Maybe it was because of all the hype before I picked up the book, but I never fully fell in love with the story. I can appreciate how beautifully written it was, but there seemed to be something missing. I would still recommend this book to anyone who asks, but I can’t bring myself to give it five stars. 

Sharaya : 5/5

Writing a review for this book is a little daunting because I’m currently having all the feels, and it’s overwhelming to narrow it down into words. This was such a beautifully written book. I think for the first time in my life, I wanted to write in a book and mark it up. Every few lines had a quote or a turn of phrase that I wanted to underline, to remember. As with all fabulous books, I found myself torn between blasting through it because I just couldn’t help myself, and holding myself back because I wanted to savour the first of many reads.

More than having words strung together beautifully, what struck me was that the story itself was so carefully crafted and woven together. The nuances that Schwab explored in what Addie’s deal with the devil would really mean were so well developed. The limitations and the emotional effects were thoughtful and insightful. Her understanding of the human condition and her ability to explore complex emotions like loneliness, despair, heartbreak, love, and even wonder is next-level. 

I follow V.E. Schwab on social media and what impresses me is the care that she takes with her stories. She is a careful steward of her creative ideas and she takes the time that they need to fully percolate. That is exactly the type of author that Addie LaRue needed in order to tell her story.

To access a printable list of 10 book club questions, please click here.