The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is a bittersweet story of loneliness and freedom written by V.E Schwab. The story follows Adeline referred to as Addie, a young woman who struck a deal on the night of her wedding, with a desire to be free and live life how she wants Addie agrees to give up her soul when the time comes, until then she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Over 300 years readers travel along with Addie’s journey through history, escaping from the minds of everyone she meets, until one day she meets someone who remembers her.

The book shifts between Addie’s past starting from 1698 into modern-day New York in 2014. The three most important characters are Addie the protagonist, Luc the super.., and Henry the man. Author V.E Schwab’s other works include A Darker shade of Magic, Vicious, Gallant, and many other dark and ominous novels. According to an interview with Tor.com Schwab said her inspiration for the book stemmed from Peter Pan and the sad nature of forgetting and being forgotten.

The book was published on October 6th, 2020 entering the world right at the surge of the COVID-19 virus. As people locked themselves in their homes, they began sharing their favorite books on social media, often referred to as book-tok. The themes of loneliness and a desire to be free expressed in The Invisible Life of Addie Larue resonated with the mirroring feelings of the worldwide quarantine. This led to the book becoming popular among the Tik Tok community.

The story begins slowly, setting up Addie’s life in modern-day New York City, she wakes up in the apartment of a man soon to forget her and reminisces as she inspects his homey life and the events of the previous night play in her head. The book switches between her current life in 2014 and her past life in the 1600s. The readers see a glimpse of her childhood and how she was raised. Eventually, readers see how her curse came to be and the reason she longed for freedom so much.

Readers get to experience firsthand the life Addie leads. As she grows and learns to live to be forgotten, it’s a sad story but also one of a woman enjoying her freedom. She forms a connection with many different people over time, slipping from the minds of each one until she meets Henry. The relationships presented in this book are displayed in a very smart way, showing the unmistakable differences between the other characters. For example, the relationship she held with Henry is very different from the one she has with Luc, the person who cursed her. A good contrast in characters creates a read more fun and engaging

Overall, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is an engaging beautiful story that can resonate with anyone who’s felt lonely or longed for freedom. Once you get past the slow-moving start,the book dives headfirst into an exciting and heartwarming tale