The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I don't understand the hype about this book. The plot meanders, the character development of the protagonist (and really every other character, too) is about as deep as a kiddie pool, and the writing is beyond purple. It took me weeks to drag myself through this book because the story was just so boring.

You cannot convince me that after living 300 years, the only notable stories to tell involve the reaping of Beethoven's soul and dining with the devil a few times. Yawn. What a missed opportunity to go full “Forrest Gump” and insert a character into some fascinating historical events. I also can't be convinced that Addie encounters only one person of color, Bea, who is repeatedly (and basically) only described as “beautiful.” That's it. Nothing more.

There's also a decent amount of repetition in the story - descriptive phrases, the plot/scenes in France, etc. - for no apparent reason. Why do we have to hear about Addie's freckles (yes, I know they distinguish her forgettable face, but c'mon...) or Luc's curls and eyes on every page?!

And the ending leaves the story open to a sequel, which boggles the mind. I couldn't imagine reading 400 more pages of this and would avoid it like the plague.