Double Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Today Kim and I bring you a double review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab! We both gave it 5 stars and so far it is my top read of the year! We will see if anything can top this one for me!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V.E. Schwab
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published: October 6, 2020
448 Pages
Book Description:
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.
Jessica’s Rating: 5 Stars
Dates Read: January 13-26, 2021
Format Read: Audiobook
Jessica’s Review:
Oh My GOSH!!! This one will be tough to beat as my #1 pick of the year so far, and we still have so much of the year to go! Addie gives you so many feelings, wonderful yet bad! I thought I was going to be ugly crying at the end of this one, but no I did not, but my heart was still broken at the end (but in such a good way!)
On the eve of her wedding that she does not want, Addie LaRue prays to a god of some kind for the wedding to not happen. A deal is made and now Addie will now live until she no longer wants to and will become his. Living basically forever, Addie is suddenly forgotten once a person turns away from her. Imagine a life of never having a home and constantly moving and no one remembering you except for a slight memory of seven freckles on her cheeks….. Until one day she is in a bookstore and hears three words she never thought she would hear again: “I remember you”. How does this man named Henry remember her when no one has for over 300 years? This begins a new adventure in Addie’s extended life.
Again, prepare yourself for ALL the feelings you could possibly feel in this novel! The author’s writing is just beautiful with so many worthwhile quotes in it. It can be a slow moving novel that moves in two directions: Addie’s long 300+ year life going from the past to present day, and also Henry’s perspective. The devil/demon himself who goes by the name of Luc, pops up off and on throughout Addie’s extended life, bringing the pain that Addie feels to the surface.
There are some surprises that pop up throughout, and I thought I knew how the novel was going to end, but no, it went in another heartbreaking direction. I can say this: I will remember Addie and her story.
This novel is very highly recommended.
Kim’s Rating: 5 Stars
Kim’s Review:
I’m still dealing with my feelings after reading this book! It was emotional, to say the least!
I went into it not really knowing what to expect, and I’m glad I did. I read the description long before I bought the book, so I knew I was interested, I just wasn’t dependent on the description. And this is definitely one of the more popular reads right now. Jessica gushed over it, so of course I was gonna read it.
It actually had me from the beginning. Some books try to ease you into the story and takes a few chapters. Not Addie! Everything started at the very beginning! I liked Addie right away. She was relatable and human. I think my only real issue with the entire book was the way Addie, despite her many years, still seemed to act like a teenager. But even this was tempered by her extreme cynicism so I’m not even gonna complain about it. The whole theme of the book seemed to be that time should never be taken for granted and I certainly pondered that long after I closed the book. There’s even a part of me that would love a sequel, but I actually liked the open way Schwab ended Addie LaRue.
Overall, this was an awesome read!! I couldn’t put it down and I had all the feels while reading it! The characters were likable and the ending tied everything up! There are some objectionable elements so I wouldn’t call this completely teen safe, but I’d still recommend it to pretty much everybody!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
