The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
$19.99
Product Details
Web ID: 1683579316 days ago
from Texas
5 Stars – A Lyrical, Heartbreaking Masterpiece
With her signature wit and deliciously wicked imagination, V.E. Schwab delivers an unforgettable story in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. This book wrecked me in the best possible way. The premise alone is stunning: a young woman in 1714 makes a Faustian bargain to live forever, but in return, she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. What follows is a haunting, beautiful exploration of art, identity, legacy, and loneliness. And the author executes it flawlessly. Addie is resilient, clever, and so achingly human. Watching her navigate the centuries. . .creating, surviving, yearning to be remembered, was both mesmerizing and gut-wrenching. You really have to watch your words in this book. Every deal, every detail, every moment of hope is so carefully crafted. And that deal with Luc? It’s the kind of dark temptation we’ve all wondered about–immortality, fame, purpose. What would you trade for it? The loneliness Addie endures hit so hard. It’s not just the passage of time, but it’s being surrounded by people and still being completely alone. And then... someone remembers her. Just like that, everything shifts. The prose is lyrical, the timeline weaving is done beautifully, and the emotional payoff is immense. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your soul long after the last page. ⚠️ SPOILERS BELOW ⚠️ The heartbreak when Luc lets Addie almost believe in something real—only to snatch it away—was gutting. 300 years of loneliness, and just when she dares to hope, she finds out Henry only remembers her because he made a deal too. The fragility of that love, the countdown clock, it was all so tragic and beautiful. And then… that ending. Addie trading herself to be the devil’s favorite prisoner, just so Henry can live and remember her. That’s the ultimate self-sacrifice. And it felt earned. It was powerful, emotional, and absolutely perfect for her character. Addie may have been forgotten by everyone in the book, but I promise I’ll never forget her.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 months ago
from Memphis, TN
A Delightfully Immersive Story!
I fell in love with this story. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming. As we follow Addie through different places and times, the details bring you right into the story. Most of us have, at one time or another, felt invisible. What if we truly left no mark on life? Addie's adventures and coping mechanisms make this a remarkable ride. One of my new favorite books!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 months ago
…
This book had me in a chokehold. If you want the feeling of elegant simplicity and/or just the feeling of yearning for a purpose. This is the book. It was so captivating and sad and infuriating at the same time. What I wouldn’t do to read this for the first time..
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 months ago
from IL
Unique and unpredictable
This audiobook alternated between two main characters and traversed multiple timelines, weaving an interesting tale about the human experience, love, being seen, and leaving your mark on the world. The audio was engaging and the ending unexpected.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 months ago
THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE!
wow! this book is my new favorite! addie is so inspirational and i just love all the characters so much, they are all so well written!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
4 months ago
Such a beautiful book
I have never been so in awe of a book before. This is the most heartfelt and genuine review of my life, because this book made me feel broken. It made me feel love. It made me feel hope. It is such a beautiful book. I have cried reading books before, but never like I did while reading this one. There were ugly tears and true genuine sobs from me. If you have not read this book, I recommend it so incredibly highly. It’s one of those books that truly changes you. I am so touched by Addie. Her character is one I will cherish forever. Along with Henry, and his charm, understanding, and love for Addie. If I could rate any book more than 5⭐️, this would be the one. If you have read this book before, tell me, did it break your heart as it did mine?
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
6 months ago
from NC
My favorite stand-alone ever!
Addie is a young woman living in a small village in France. She’s too independent for her times and flees into the forest away from her wedding. She pleads with any god who will listen to save her from this life she doesn’t want, and makes a pact with the one who answers. She doesn’t have to get married. And she can be free to do as she wishes. But it comes at a price. For three hundred years, no one remembers her after meeting her. Navigating things like clothes, housing, income, Addie must find her own way of keeping herself alive inside the bounds of her curse. And then one day, Henry remembers her. And keeps remembering her. Addie has made impressions on the world even while not being remembered. She’s helped to write songs, she’s been sketched and drawn and painted over the years, but never identified. The only one who truly knows her is Luc. The name she gave to the old god. He is a constant in her life, sometimes providing companionship, sometimes getting her into trouble or out of trouble. She hates him. But she understands him more and more as the years tick by. Henry is an anomaly. Why is he the exception to everything she’s known for the last three centuries? Is it a cruel trick that Luc is playing? Or can they keep themselves hidden and evade his intervention in yet another good thing Addie has found? Addie and Henry revel in the mundane. Experience the present and suck the marrow out of each moment. Addie is able to make marks on the world through Henry. She feels seen and cherished and known. But how can the curse allow this to last? This is my very favorite standalone book ever. I took forever to finish the audiobook because I didn’t want the story to end and I had zero clue how the author was going to wrap the story up right up until it happened. It was more than I ever anticipated. Such a unique concept, and I was fully immersed from the beginning. Stepping through the world with Addie, seeing through her eyes, feeling every let down, double cross, gut punch, and soaring with her as she saw the city from above, or savored a tiny scavenged picnic, or became enraptured by art or music. The angst is top tier. The side characters are memorable. The villain is pervasive and seductive and wraps around your mind like a dark cloak. Addie and Henry together is both relatable and inspiring. I could talk for days about this book. All the stars. A solid 2 on the spice. I hope you read it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
9 months ago
Took me awhile to recover
I’ve read hundreds of books, and this by far is my favorite one. The way V.E. Schwab wrote this made me feel like I was in the book myself. Amazingly written, characters have the perfect amount of back story& just reading how the story unravels is so perfect. I loved all characters bad and good. I wish I could erase it from my memory and read it again.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com