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letters_from_gabriella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing and War
hdoomk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
inkysplodge's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Classism
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: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War
asagetheskater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Cursing, Drug abuse, and Drug use
daenesea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
- 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, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing and War
redheadorganist's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood
zg0612's review against another edition
- 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
The story the book wove had all kinds of emotions to. Want, love, sadness, bitterness, lust, anger, need, frustration, eagerness, hatred, and so much more.
The beauty of this book too, lit does not finish Addie’s story, it is not over, there is still more to it, for i don’t think it will ever be over, not really.
I can’t describe this book more than this, and i don’t think i want to. it deserves to be experienced, not told about.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content and War
zebedee123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content