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Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
107 reviews
tranquiltides's review against another edition
- 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
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: 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
rsugg's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Mental illness, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: War and Abandonment
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
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: 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
teaand_tomes's review
- 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
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Drug use
Minor: Alcoholism
iolanderose's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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
boba_n_books's review
- 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
4.0
I love the personification of the devil through Luc and the Faustian bargains that took place. It was incredibly interesting and showed a lot of history.
That being said, it took me quite a while to get into the story. It wasn't until maybe the last 50% of the book that I really got invested in the characters and their fates. It just felt TOO slow-moving sometimes, focusing on one century over the other, and rushed in others.
I enjoyed the banter between Luc and Addie and their characters, but Henry is the one character I felt was well developed since we got to see his life played. With Henry, the reader gets a peek behind the curtain at his motivations while Addie's true motivations aren't revealed until the very end. I guess that just adds to the enigma that is Addie LaRue.
Overall, I did enjoy this novel and will be thinking about the plot for a while. It's one I need to delve into and could definitely reread at some point.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: War and Cursing
thereadinghammock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I realized that this book was supposed to be a version of Henry's book, telling Addie's story, I loved that plot device. Subtle and witty. I legitimately cried when Addie read Henry's dedication to her in the finished novel, "I remember you." My heart broke and mended and grew and ached for them all at once. It was truly beautiful. And I love that it was perfectly paired with Addie's renegotiation with Luc at the end. She played his game of semantics with aplomb and I'm so proud of her. And Schwab kept us on that string until the very last sentence.
Moderate: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death, and Toxic relationship
marsmonny's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Grief, War, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
saturnpersonified's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Addiction, Death, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent and War