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tessvb's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Beautifully written, but not my cup of tea. It’s a love letter to the arts, and New York, buried between the character’s self reflection on what makes existence worthwhile, tied together with a love story, that didn’t end quite as tragically as I thought it would.
I’d recommend this to the introspective romantic reader who likes flawed characters and literature.
I’d recommend this to the introspective romantic reader who likes flawed characters and literature.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, War, Suicide, and Rape
kelly_e's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexual harassment, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexism, Addiction, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, War, Violence, Blood, and Cancer
iolanderose's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible prose, Schwab is phenomenal at bringing places to life. From France to New York in different eras, the world's weaved feel real. Addie is perfectly flawed without being frustrating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Death
helfire124's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Confinement, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Police brutality, Death of parent, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Violence
rbjennings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Violence
raeb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
i really liked the first 80% of this book, but was not a big fan of the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, and Biphobia
Minor: War and Suicidal thoughts
snapeygan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so well written. There could have been literally nothing happening and I would have still continue to read. That’s how beautiful the writing was. As for the story, I cried, I laughed, I smiled. I fell in love with Addie and I will be thinking about this book until the day I die. I will, without hesitation, read all the other books from the talented V.E. Schwab.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, War, and Murder
qyanacurry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
“A dreamer,” scorns her mother.
“A dreamer,” mourns her father.
“A dreamer,” warns Estele.
Most people only have ~80 years for growth and development. I don’t know, I’m 22 and feel like I’ve gone through significantly more character development than someone 3 centuries older than me. Also for someone that wanted to be free to see everything it seems only France, Italy, and Germany had memorable experiences. Even her being in mostly Europe, someone else mentioned that there were no Renaissance experiences. What was Addie’s experience with the Renaissance? The Reformation? The Age of Enlightenment? The closest thing to it was mentions of Voltaire. She could’ve easily spent a year in each country, just gone back and forth and built up a collection of the most amazing experiences instead of memories walking through Europe. At least I would’ve but I’m not her and maybe key to development is being remembered for the things you do and have done so people can guide you.
I enjoyed the writing although sometimes it got a bit corny and repetitive. It was both inspiring and heart-breaking. I looooved the relationship with the darkness and the manipulation at the end too. Henry was bland but I feel like sometimes people are actually just bland and that’s who he is.
“A dreamer,” mourns her father.
“A dreamer,” warns Estele.
Most people only have ~80 years for growth and development. I don’t know, I’m 22 and feel like I’ve gone through significantly more character development than someone 3 centuries older than me. Also for someone that wanted to be free to see everything it seems only France, Italy, and Germany had memorable experiences. Even her being in mostly Europe, someone else mentioned that there were no Renaissance experiences. What was Addie’s experience with the Renaissance? The Reformation? The Age of Enlightenment? The closest thing to it was mentions of Voltaire. She could’ve easily spent a year in each country, just gone back and forth and built up a collection of the most amazing experiences instead of memories walking through Europe. At least I would’ve but I’m not her and maybe key to development is being remembered for the things you do and have done so people can guide you.
I enjoyed the writing although sometimes it got a bit corny and repetitive. It was both inspiring and heart-breaking. I looooved the relationship with the darkness and the manipulation at the end too. Henry was bland but I feel like sometimes people are actually just bland and that’s who he is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment
There’s a portion of the book where Addie does sex work out of necessity, she does not enjoy it. I wasn’t really sure what to tag this as.myleejmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is not often I find myself without something to say after concluding a story written and published, or otherwise yet to be printed on paper. I have so many words to explain my absolute astonishment at this novel and what it entails, but not enough words to scribe my thoughts properly. Thinking of my own writing, I often consider the benefits of certain methods leading to literary excellence. This novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, made me question for the first time the benefit of writing a story in one popular way or the other, quieter way. One method, in which the author focuses on the plot, and the characters, and weaves a story of epic wonder and magic that makes you jump out of your seat while reading to evoke exclamations. Or, alternatively, a story which provokes such deep reflection and thought while and after reviewing it, that it changes lives due to its outstanding lean towards overarching theme and moral tension. Both, I feel are outstanding in their own ways. However, one provokes excitement while the other provokes memory. And unlike the thousands of books I've read over the years, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was merely the second book, and the absolutely better book, to ever channel tears from my eyes. The characters are exquisite in their anguish, the story is profound and encompassing in its bluntness. The world within it is deep and vivid and real, so much so that it makes for an un-put-downable standalone from start to finish. It is life-changing. Though it does have it faults, as every story (even with five star ratings) does, it is a book I am not likely to forget. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue paints the pictures of life so brutally real and in such vivid color that it is both memorable and provoking, long after its completion. V.E. Schwab, and her writing of this masterpiece, tells me that she is an author of deep thought and even deeper meaning. I cannot wait to dive into her future and past works, and let these alongside other stories like hers better my own perspective on reality, and also my writing of real and fictional worlds.
I could say so much more, and explain how much a story like this means to a person (of many flaws) like me, but I will simply end with this: Thank you. Thanks to V.E Schwab, the book itself, the agent who took it on, the publisher who printed it, and the readers who praised it so highly. You have made, altogether, an unforgettable tale of change, hope, and devastation. Thank you, from a reader who is just beginning to understand the impact a story can have.
I could say so much more, and explain how much a story like this means to a person (of many flaws) like me, but I will simply end with this: Thank you. Thanks to V.E Schwab, the book itself, the agent who took it on, the publisher who printed it, and the readers who praised it so highly. You have made, altogether, an unforgettable tale of change, hope, and devastation. Thank you, from a reader who is just beginning to understand the impact a story can have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Blood, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Alcohol, and Death
pebbletown's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It’s not really fair competition when one of your love interests is an endlessly powerful, hot, immortal Mephistopheles who is obsessed with you, and the other is Joe from You if he had depression. I’m sorry!
Anyway Schwab’s writing has never really done it for me, but by the third act this did grab me, and for being so long I did get through it pretty fast. The whole time reading though, I just felt wistful over how much I would have adored this in high school…it’s giving The Night Circus, maybe even The Book Thief a little. Very dreamlike and romantic (in the Victorian sense) and a little in love with itself/the concept of literature.
Now I’m old and and it is just fine.
Anyway Schwab’s writing has never really done it for me, but by the third act this did grab me, and for being so long I did get through it pretty fast. The whole time reading though, I just felt wistful over how much I would have adored this in high school…it’s giving The Night Circus, maybe even The Book Thief a little. Very dreamlike and romantic (in the Victorian sense) and a little in love with itself/the concept of literature.
Now I’m old and and it is just fine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment