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Book Title (From ARC, quotes may have changed in publication copy)

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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.

This is my first V.E. Schwab book, and it’s been so hyped that I was a little afraid to read it lest it not live up to that hype. But, wow, did The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue blow me away.

Addie LaRue has always been a dreamer. She wants to live her life untethered from anyone and experience the world. So when that dream is almost taken away from her, she makes a deal. Endless time in exchange for her soul when she’s done with it. But she quickly learns that there’s a reason she was told never to pray to the old gods at night. Because while she does not age and cannot die, she has been forgotten.

For three hundred years, she lives forgotten by everyone the moment she’s no longer within their view. She’s unable to leave a mark or maintain belongings for long. She’s lived an amazing life and seen so much of the world, but she can’t tell anyone about it. Until one day she meets a man in a bookshop, and he remembers her.

I don’t know if I have the words to adequately express how excellent this book is. The writing is atmospheric, expertly merging the modern day with the past and crafting a story with twists and turns that kept me gripped the entire time. Schwab manages to build a world of magic that I was desperate to figure out the mechanics of while also weaving in powerful discussion on the themes of love, loneliness, what it means to be remembered, and the power of storytelling.

The characters are beautifully developed, and I felt their feelings as I read. I felt not only their pain and heartbreak but their joy and triumph. I felt the love between Addie and Henry and their almost soulmate-level connection. I felt the strange, magnetic pull that Addie felt toward Luc despite her hatred of him. It was compelling.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was the first book I’ve legitimately cried at in probably years. Some lines were so profound that they will stick with me for probably years to come, and I can’t recommend enough that you go read this book.