One of the more real characters I’ve read as of late, Addie LaRue is a headstrong, independent woman born in the wrong time period. Lucky, or unlucky, for her she gets to live to see another one. Addie lived a simple life. Feeling stuck in her current circumstances, Addie begs for help to someone who she has been warned to stay away from: a god-like figure who answers after dark; appearing in the form of a fictional/made up love interest of Addie’s.

The deal that follows their interaction is completely different than what Addie anticipated. Following the sealing of their deal, Addie’s life is forever changed in a way she never expected. Now, the moment she is out of sight from a person, they forget they ever knew her. Her family no longer remembers who she is, the people in her town are concerned by the presence of a “stranger.” It’s like she never even existed at all.

Post spell, she leaves her small hometown to navigate a world she’s never known as a young woman, which proves to be a very difficult and dangerous task. She later travels the world, but takes a few hits at first. She makes her way to Paris, where she begins her new life as a sort of ghost.

Simultaneously, we get to know the Addie of the 21^st century, who has made her way to New York City. She has changed a lot! We get to know how she has adapted to living as a forever forgotten girl, and how her memories and past experiences have continued to affect her three centuries later. We follow a few days in present time when she runs into something unexpected: a man who remembers her.

Here we meet Henry. Henry is  Addie’s (human) love interest, who made his own deal with the devil. This obviously brings them together. He sold his soul to be loved by all, and this loophole makes sure he remembers Addie, which is exactly what she would need from a person to love them. Throughout the majority of the book, while in the present, we watch Henry and Addie’s relationship grow and watch as they learn to understand each other. Their relationship completely blossoms.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue flips between the past and the present, and throughout walking through her past, we also watch her relationship with the god-like figure from the beginning of the book, who Addie deems “Luc.” The man-like demon comes and goes, shows her pain and mercy. We slowly see both her affection and hatred for the being grow. She feels like he tricked her, yet he is the only one left who knows her and understands her situation.

At the conclusion of the book, the reader has the opportunity to bring together what they know about Addie’s past and her present as they collide in a big display of power by Luc. He pulls the rug out from under Addie in a plot twist. The twist also reveals that Henry lied.

Now let’s review based off what we know:

For me, the ending leaves a lot to be desired, but before we can really dive into this, I need to explain my thoughts on Henry.

I ended up rooting for a literal demon over rooting for Henry. He is whiny, underdeveloped, and weak. I love when men are written with anxiety, or some form of “weakness” that is more often shown in women as loveable and men as delicate and feeble. Some of my favorite male characters have anxiety or depression and then learn to live with it or overcome it.

Henry’s on the other hand, is based almost entirely on a romantic experience gone wrong. It takes over his entire life. He lets it drive him to make stupid, foolish decisions that had alternatives (compared to Addie in making a stupid decision because she felt there was no other choice). There is no redeeming quality about him, nothing that I can remember that really makes him interesting other than the ability that Luc gave him. He has one single hobby, and then he gives up on that.

Luc, on the other hand, like Addie, has depth and layers that the reader gets to explore. He creates the true vigor of this book. We are left wanting more of Luc every time he leaves, and it makes me root for him way harder, although I want to be rooting for Henry instead. Luc is the much more interesting and appealing character, without a doubt. He causes every interesting event in the novel. He also captures the hearts of the readers without even trying.

This is why the ending is so frustrating to me.  Addie still hates him at the end, even though she clearly doesn’t. Her inner dialogue doesn’t match her actions and subconscious throughout the lead up to the end. It makes the hate for Luc annoying and unbelievable.

However, regardless of these pain points, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a beautiful story, a stunning work, and a luxurious read. Addie is a character that you can see yourself in. You can’t help but root for her. She captures the reader, and you can’t help but love her.The concept of her story is brilliant and well executed. If the previous grievances were absent in this novel, I would have no doubt this would be a five star read.  The detail, character development, and notion of the underlying story are very redeeming. This book creates magic in the reader’s mind