Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In an act of desperation, Addie LaRue makes a deal with a devil to live forever but in exchange no one will ever remember her. She then learns the loneliness that is a life where everyone forgets you. It's not until 300 years later that she does meet someone who actually remembers her, a 28 year old man named Henry. This is a very slow-paced novel. Ms. Schwab takes her time to fully introduce Addie so you can understand her character-- why Addie makes a deal in the first place. She then takes her time to allow you to feel what Addie feels-- the unrelenting loneliness and what it means to live for 300 years. I found myself overtime emphasizing Addie's burden, and was happy when she finally meets Henry. I couldn't help but ship them together in hopes of a sweet romance with a happy ending. Then there is the mystery of why Henry can remember her-- why does a man 300 years from Addie's original life have this ability? Is it fate that they met? The technique that Ms. Schwab uses to slowly reveal all the mysteries is by alternating chapters between the past to present, which in this case is the year 2014. I've always wanted a good story involving both past and present point-of-views to show how a past from long ago affects the present, and the order of everything told here helped me understand Addie's motivations, feelings, and responses. I really appreciated the execution. I believe I heard this novel pitched as a hate to love romance between a human and a devil. I would like to clarify that it is much more complex than that. The devil character himself is never necessarily referred to as such, and he is a very dark character that you'll meet through Addie's past. He is dangerous and not to be taken lightly. I'm very happy that I read this book. I've read a few of Ms. Schwab's other novels and while the pitch behind them have been amazing, the execution has been a little flat for me personally. Ms. Schwab has really grown as a writer with this one however, and I will definitely continue to pick up her books.