The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the type of story that nestles into your soul and becomes a part of you.

V.E Schwab newest book is absolutely breathtaking.

It follows the story of Adeline LaRue, a young French woman who makes a deal with the devil out of desperation to keep her freedom. However, every deal comes with a price, exchange for immortality she’s cursed to always be forgotten by those she meets. Addie’s story starts in the 1700s and follows her life until the present day. We see her struggles, her joys, and how she begins to play the devils games.

This is a very character-driven story as we read between the alternating point of views of Addie and Henry. Henry is the first and only person to remember Addie after 300 years of roaming the Earth. Henry is a bookseller desperately wishing to be loved, like truly be loved by someone for who he is unconditionally.

When the two meet — Addie stealing a book from the bookstore, he works at, the two form a beautiful bond that leads to a sense of hope.

V. E Schwab is a master of the craft of storytelling. She pulls you in and puts impossible to describe feelings into words. She explores what it means to love life and to be loved. She explores what it means to leave a mark just in the world but in someone’s life (which arguably is more important than legacy). Schwab is slow and meticulous with her craft, and it shows through the production of genuinely magical works.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the story of what it means to be young, lost and confused about life. But most of all, it’s about being hungry. Hungry for freedom, hungry for love, hungry to be more than what’s expected of you, hungry to be remembered.

There is no book like this, and I am so grateful that I was alive in a time where I could read it.

This book has made itself known in my soul, and in the years to come, I know it will become a comfort to return to the pages that breathed magic, freedom and understanding.

Thank you to New South Books for providing me a finished copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Publisher: Titan Books/New South Books
ISBN: 178909559X
Pages: 560
Publication Date: 6 October 2020
RRP: $32.99 AUD
Personal Rating: 5/5