'I remember you'
It's 1714 and Addie LaRue, in a moment of desperation makes a deal with the devil for immortality - However she's cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Addie is destined to wander the world - but can leave no mark and never to be remembered.
And so begins the adventures of a woman over the centuries trying to find her way to mark her presence across history!
300 years later, everything changes when a boy in a bookstore utters the words Addie never thought she'd hear: I remember you.
Wow. I actually cried when I finished Addie LaRue. There is not one thing that I would want Schwab to change; the book is absolute perfection. In every sentence I felt like you could feel the immense amount love Schwab has poured into the book. Addie is like no other work of hers and amazing. It's the one that's left the biggest impression on me.
Addie (by birth, Adeline) LaRue has been born in the wrong century. She's expected to marry, raise a family and look after the house. Addie has ambitions. She doesn't want to marry; she wants to explore the world and see everything she possibly can. However, her family arranges a marriage - and so on the day of her wedding she runs and at nightfall makes the deal that changes her entire life.
So this is where her immortal life starts - all the way from 1714 until 2014. The book flips quite a lot between the Addie's past and the present. The past and present weave seamlessly between each other. The timeline could have been very complicated but Schwab makes the transitions effortless and there's no confusion at all. This is one of the best things about the book and the one I enjoyed the most!
I loved seeing Addie's development. She goes from a young girl and throughout the centuries accepts the consequences of her decision and grows into a strong and determined (and stubborn) woman. She learns the game the devil is playing and even when she's at her lowest point she picks herself back up and carries on. She's a bold and stubborn, yet fierce, woman and she is definitely one of my favourite female characters of all time. I love her!
The Devil himself, nicknamed Luc by Addie, is a really interesting character. As I said in the last paragraph, it's a dance between them; Luc wants Addie to surrender her soul and Addie refuses to surrender. Each time they do the dance on their anniversary (The day of the deal) there's so much chemistry between them. I can never quite work out whether they're friends or enemies - or somewhere between. It's fun to see them taunt each other no matter what.
Henry, oh sweet Henry! I related to him so much for his love of reading and his struggles! I loved that Schwab gave him a backstory so we connected with him a lot more if he was just dumped into the book. I loved every scene he was in, and I never could have guessed why he was so important.
I'm gonna talk about the structure now as I don't want to more of the characters as it'll spoil the story! So, the structure is brilliant! I've already mentioned the flipping between past and present! The story isn't written from one POV either. It's 3rd person and absolutely brilliant. There's so much to love in the book; There's odd lines of poetry here and there which I absolutely loved. She also used the correct terms (i.e three and twenty) for the past! I could go on and on forever about the book! If we're talking about diversity it's certainly there! We got LGBTQ+ Representation too! Addie LaRue is definitely a more personal book too than her other pieces of work! I would also point out it's a slow burn book and slow paced in places but it's so worth it and works really well. Definitely not a book to be action-packed or the writing rushed.
I looked at some reviews and apparently people thought this was a romance book between the devil and Addie LaRue??? How did you even get that idea??!
Anyway, usually I only rate a book 5 stars if I read it in one sitting and there's minimal flaws. I would like to point out that is NOT the case for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. My 5 star rating is because it's absolute perfection, I fell in love with it on page one and the fact I cried (which rarely ever happens) after I finished it. I didn't read it in one sitting either; I took my time and treasured every sentence.
This isn't a highly recommend - It's a must-read!
Rating: 5 Stars
Recommend: Absolutely
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