The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

This book is and will always be one of my favorite books of all time. Not only is it beautifully written, it also evokes feelings while reading it like no other. Addie is such a tragic character, that is forced into a deal to save her freedom. The horrible result: everyone keeps forgetting her as soon as she leaves their sight. Over centuries Addie is forced to live in solitude, until one day, when suddendly she is remembered. A heartbreaking but still very beautiful read, that makes you think about your own impact in another's life.

I usually don't trust booktok. It has disappointed me far too often and now whenever I pick up a title that I've heard booktokers talk about I proceed with caution. This book is something else. A rare fantasy gem that is definitely worth the hype.

If I could give this book 7 stars I would. One for each in Addie‘s constellation of freckles. One for each times I’ve read this story (so far). „Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books.“ and in my professional opinion V.E. Schwab‘s are the best. Addie is a young woman and life in the provincial 1714 village in France is not enough for her. In order to escape mundanity she strikes a fateful bargain that lets her story span across hundreds of years until 2014. Told in alternating chapters we both follow her journey through time - all her trials and tribulations that came with the deal she made - and her present day in New York where suddenly something changes so drastically her whole life now hinges upon it and the man related to it - Henry. Not really a lovestory but a story about love nonetheless. Love. Loss. Sacrifice. Beauty. Pain. Art in all of its forms. The way V.E. Schwab explores these themes through Addie‘s point of view throughout her life asks in a profound way time and time again the question „What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?“. Heartbreakingly beautiful, delightfully optimistic, uplifting in the face of depressing circumstances - this story has captured my heart and soul and I wouldn’t want them back. Addie can have them. If I could only ever recommend ONE book to someone - this one would be it. 1000% I hope you enjoy it.