The spectacular journey of a girl cursed to live forever…

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue is the both magical and tragic life of a girl who was cursed to be forgotten.

The Wonderfully Tragic Life of Addie…

Reading the description, my first thought was that this book would be a romance. It is a romance, but it is also so much more. The romance in case anyone is wondering I would consider instalove, but for good reason. Addie is cursed so no one can remember her. And whatever you think this means, multiply how bad it is by a hundred. She is truly a ghost, so after living for almost three hundred years, it’s no wonder she’s instantly enamored with the young man who says “I remember you”.

Throughout her story, you do get the feeling of a life that’s magical, but it doesn’t shy away from the hardships of her life. She may not be able to die, but she can still suffer and that is made very clear. But by the end, Addie was a character I was so invested in.

I would describe the heart of the book to be one of magic and tragedy because following a character who is immortal is magical, but it’s also incredibly tragic. The story is told in two timelines. It begins with her life in modern day, then jumps back to the start of her journey before she was cursed.

It keeps going back and forth between the two time periods, but continues to move linearly as it tells her story. Each flashback continues after the last one left off, never backtracking so it’s easy to follow. But luckily the author made it very convenient because every chapter is dated so you know exactly when it is without having to deal with looking for context clues.

A Character to Remember…

Addie LaRue is a young French woman. At the beginning of her story she is innocent and naive, but in the pages of her modern life, she is strong, vibrant, and so smart. The author did such a wonderful job of showing her character development as her past timeline got closer to the present day. That way I was able to see the change in her character, and easily understand how she became the woman she is, but I also came to admire her for it. When I read a book with a female main character, I like to imagine I’m that character. Usually that’s an easy feat because in most cases with the books I’ve read that involve romance, the main character is more of a vehicle to take you through the story. Their personalities usually are so strong at the start but get lost in the story. That was definitely not the case here. 

There is a male main character, I know I haven’t really said anything about him, but that’s just how amazing Addie is. The male lead is Henry, a young man who owns a bookstore in New York. I really don’t want to say anything about him because it sticks to Addie’s perspective so the reader can get to know him as she does. I really wish I had more to say about him, but honestly he didn’t exactly stick out to me. That wasn’t because I thought he was boring, he is a complex character who some people will likely find relatable. For me, it was more like he didn’t stand a chance of standing out on the page next to Addie. But I thought the best aspect of his character was the mystery. He remembers her and that is a big deal, so there really is a big mystery of how and why he is the only person to remember her.

Their characters felt so real that it made it difficult for me to imagine certain actors. I couldn’t land on a face for Addie. With Henry, I ended up reverting back to my go to actor when I can’t pick someone, which is Ben Barnes. Sometimes I just need a voice and a face to picture, and my default for romance is always him for the male lead.

Other Themes…

There are LGBTQ themes to a certain extent. The author deals with sexuality as fluid so the main characters are never labeled as bisexual, but both characters do have a history of relationships with both sexes.

My Rating…

I rate books with a five star system from would never read it again to loved it and can’t wait to reread it. I don’t really believe in calling a book bad because each person’s interests are different and a book I hated could be loved by someone else and vice versa. Everyone has different deal breakers.

I gave this book five stars because as a contemporary fantasy fan, this hit all the marks of magic, mystery, and tragedy that I love, and more importantly, had a main character I could fall in love with.

The next book I’ll be reading is “The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo” just as soon as I get the pile blocking my bookcase doors out of the way. If you read this book, let me know what you think!

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