Reviews tagging 'Grief'

La Vida Invisible de Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

301 reviews

inkysplodge's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Suicide attempt, War, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism, and Cursing

wombat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, War, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Having read two V.E. Schwab books now, there is just something about her plots/characters/writing that's hard to describe. Just like with ADSoM, there was something missing. Unlike ADSoM, it didn't really matter. This book should have been boring, there is basically zero plot besides "girl lives 300 years of a slightly different day." If you asked me why I gave it 5 stars, I'm not sure I could answer in any logical way. It just did not feel like 400 pages. I think the concept of two timelines is a really interesting literary device, but it's really hard to make the two timelines equally as interesting. Schwab was really clever to make the switches between timelines as often as she did. It made it difficult to choose a point in the story to put the book down because I always wanted to know how the story in the other timeline would continue.

I hate to say this because

he literally traded his soul for one year of being loved

, but I really think Henry was my least favorite part of this book. Sorry bro.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Mental illness

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Sexual assault

Minor: Kidnapping, War, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

askmeifikayl's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

ending was weak. still cried though. henry strauss, they could never make me hate you. the archer is in fact his song. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: War

i always say i want to be loved and i want to be happy. i look at henry’s character and see my desires through a lense i hadn’t considered before. wanting to be loved is not a flaw, but it’s by loving yourself that you can be on the path to true happiness. emotionally compelling and an inner look at the human experience.

laurenology's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This draaaaaagged. I know it took me six months to finish it, but still. Felt like a chore to listen to sometimes, even though Julia Whelan is always a good narrator. The last quarter or so was great and kept me interested the whole time. Not bad, but not great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Grief

larbster90's review against another edition

adventurous sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: War, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

tranquiltides's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing 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

VE Schwab does it again! First book of 2024 is a 5 star. Honestly I can’t believe I waited so long to read it! This book had me laughing and crying, and thinking and feeling and honestly… isn’t that what we all want out of a good story? 
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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Drug use, and War

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury

mald626's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Mental illness and Emotional abuse

wowsmeows's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

"...history is something you look back on, not something you really feel at the time. In the moment, you're just... living. I didn't want to live forever. I just wanted to live"

Addie LaRue follows the story of a girl who has been 23 for the last 300 years, cursed to be forgotten until she meets a man who remembers. 

I don't normally pick up books that are so long, but the premise had me really intrigued. I'm so glad I decided to read this as I absolutely loved it. I thought it was written so beautifully and I was desperate to consume the story.

I will admit that this is a very slow book, so I definitely wouldn't recommend if you're looking for a fast-paced adventure. It's slow and thoughtful and the story really only begins at around the 50% mark. It takes a while for the initial set up and for the book to really explain what is going on and how the curse works. But, even in these slower moments I still found myself absolutely hooked. 

I know that this was a 5* book for me, as its been staying with me even after I finished each of my reading sessions. The story has really burrowed into my brain and I feel like I've been thinking and reflecting on it a lot. 

It's not one for everyone, but I will definitely remember Addie LaRue. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, and War

koplomps's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Grief, and Misogyny

Minor: War, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, and Confinement