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Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape
It’s emotional in a longing sort of way, but anyone who enjoys a twist on “The Villian gets the girl” romance stories will certainly enjoy this read.
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Terminal illness, War
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment, War
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, War
I’d recommend this to the introspective romantic reader who likes flawed characters and literature.
Minor: Drug use, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual harassment, War
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: October 6, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Imaginative • Quiet • Tragic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
It's quite possible I am the last person to read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, as this book took Bookstagram by storm upon release. Personally, I was glad some of the hype had receded, as it afforded me the opportunity to go at my own pace and develop my own thoughts and feelings free of being bombarded with reviews and hype. And to be quite honest, the whole experience was rather dizzying and don't exactly know how I ended up feeling.
On the one hand, V.E. Schwab's writing was mesmerizing, atmospheric, and haunting. Although I didn't always know what was going on, I was transported into the story so vividly. Addie, herself, is a fairly unlikeable character, yet I could find myself empathizing with the why. There's such a strength in what this unique and clever story attempted to do.
Yet on the other hand, because of the structurally necessary repetitive descriptions I was never compelled to keep reading. I never found myself thinking about the narrative or characters when I wasn't reading. It lacked a depth I craved so badly. This sense of detachment made it feel longer than it actually is.
And finally, I found myself completely satisfied with the ending, meaning I finished on a high note and that's kind of what I focus on when I think back to my time with Addie. Taken in pieces, there are a lot of mixed feelings, yet it is a real testament to making the most of the time we have.
I do certainly understand why The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is beloved by so many. It's such a unique and fascinating idea, yet for me the reading experience was tedious. I am not sure I have been convinced to explore more of V.E. Schwab's work, but you just never know.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife
• readers who like unique stories
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'Nothing is all good or all bad,' she says. 'Life is so much messier than that.'"
"Live long enough, and you learn how to read a person. To ease them open like a book, some passages underlined and others hidden between the lines."
"And perhaps it is just that happiness is frightening."
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War
Minor: Rape
Graphic: Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content
Minor: Violence, War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Drug use, Violence, War