This has sat on my TBR list for ages, probably since it was first published in 2020, and I have no reason for not having picked it up earlier other than the fact that five books are added to the ‘to be read’ list for every one I read. I start with this sad saga of an ever-growing TBR list because I wish I had gotten around to this one sooner.
It’s 1774 and Adeline LaRue is about to be forced into a marriage she doesn’t want, into a life she cannot bear. It’s a life that will stifle her freedom, her interests, and frankly her will to live. In an act of desperation, she ignores her friend Estelle’s warning and she prays to the gods who answer at night, making a bargain that changes her life – forever, as it happens. A life unencumbered by time but also by memory, as Addie vanishes from all memories once she’s out of sight.
Now, if at this point you’re thinking this sounds remarkably like The Age of Adeline, you are not alone. I even googled if the movie was based on this book, that’s how similar the first few chapters seemed (spoiler: they’re not related at all). Pretty much right after looking up this bit of information, the stories diverge drastically and any resemblance between the two was lost.
You would not be alone in thinking that the rest of the story is following Addie through time as she navigates this elusive life she now has, but in 2014, in a little bookshop in New York, she meets Henry Strauss. Henry Strauss doesn’t forget, and thus a new chapter in her life begins. You follow Addie navigating her curse and a new and complicated life with Henry, watching as she grapples with what it really means to be free.
I loved this book, though it did take me a few chapters to start understanding the story and get pulled in, but once I was I couldn’t put it down. I’m sad it sat on my shelf for so long because it’s a story that’s stayed with me long since reading it.
2% Rating: 8/10
Recommend? Yes!
Re-Read? Maybe someday (once that TBR list is under control)
Time: 1:40