Nella is an apothecary in London, 1791. She’s stayed true to her mother’s mission, helping the women of London, however she’s added new services, meant to solve the problem of unfaithful, dangerous, or otherwise harmful men in women’s lives: poisons, and careful instructions for their delivery. In the present day, Caroline is on her own on what was supposed to be an anniversary trip for her and her husband. The trip to London reawakens some of her old academic ambitions, and she immerses herself in the mystery of the old apothecary vial she found while mudlarking on the Thames.

Narration rotates between Nella, Caroline, and Eliza, a twelve year old who is sent on an errand to pick up poison from Nella’s shop. The plot lines are carefully and cleverly interwoven, but each story is able to hold its own. I find that’s often not the case with dual-timeline novels, where one story usually gets pushed to the side in favor of the other. All three narrators have equally strong and compelling voices, and I wasn’t speeding through sections in an attempt to reach the story I was most interested in. Definitely recommended for historical fiction fans.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not get to this book--ran out of time! BUT, be that as it may, I have heard good things about it. The premise is interesting and my library did purchase it for our collections. I may end up making it a future book club book because it does sound like something others will enjoy.

I LOVED this story and was actually having quite a book-hangover once I finished. For one, the historical side of the story was captivating and drew me in but the point of view from the present and how they intertwined was written perfectly. I was at the edge of my seat through a few twists and turns but loved how it ended. I would read anything Sarah writes.

Sarah's novel was such a treat and true escape to another land and time. I was left wanting a little more and still thinking of "the lost apothecary".

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. This is one of those books that grabs you from the beginning and you don’t want it to end. The story of Caroline in current day leads us back in time to the lives of Nella and Eliza. All three women are facing struggles in their lives and need to find strength in themselves to come through it. Nella and Eliza each gain strength learning from each other and Caroline develops a friendship as well that supports her seeking out her dreams. There are twists, complications, and surprises that make this book impossible to put down. If it isn’t already on your summer reading list, add it! Fingers crossed for a sequel.

The Lost Apothecary is a fantastic, witchy, well-researched historical fiction novel about a secret apothecary shop in the eighteenth century and a woman in present day who comes across a mysterious vial that is connected to the unsolved apothecary murders two centuries earlier. The story is filled with excellent writing and plenty of twists to keep readers interested. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a solid, original historical fiction to read.

The premise of the book is intriguing, but the text was clumsy. I thought the plot line and the characters were poorly developed. It felt poorly researched. I was very disappointed.

Mysterious, historical, witchy, duel timelines, and herbs...I was sold! I loved the back and forth from present day and the connections made with the woman in 1791. Both timelines were so wonderful, but the way the wove together really strengthened each one. Plus that cover is absolutely gorgeous!

I thought this book was going to be a straight historical fiction read, but I enjoyed bouncing back and forth between the past and present. I found the main character to be very relatable. I will definitely recommend this book to my patrons.

Unique and unforgettable! The Lost Apothecary was our bookish buddy read last month and made for an incredible discussion. This story of murder and betrayal had us all captivated!

What I loved:
☠️ The premise - a female apothecary who dispenses poisons to murder evil men. How can you not fall for that?
☠️ The dual timeline - I’m a sucker for stories that can blend a contemporary and historical thread
☠️ The characters - strong women who support each other
☠️ A conclusion that leaves you with questions, in the best way!

{Thank you @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for the gifted digital arc}

Could not finish it. Got tired of the back-and-forth nature of the competing storylines. Never found the contemporary storyline particularly compelling.

The Lost Apothecary isn't a bad book, but it's not all that good either. The premise intrigued me and I did like a lot of parts of the story, but in between those parts I was bored. There's a lot of repetition between the three perspectives--two historical and one contemporary--and all three of the characters made such stupid decisions that I found myself shaking my head or rolling my eyes at times. The modern narrator, Caroline, was the worst offender: she gallivanted around London all "history is my passion!" but was beyond clueless about historical research. In the end, this was just OK. 2.5 stars

TW: infidelity, drugging, attempted sexual assault of a minor, miscarriage, hospitalization

The Lost Apothecary
I. Loved. This. Book.
I thought that the author created two stories that although centuries apart from each other, were complimentary to each other. It was cleverly plotted, and it held my attention for the entire book. That’s no easy feat these days.
I related to Caroline. Not because of her marriage situation, but because of how she felt like she had lost herself in the marriage and the drive to become a family. I think many women my age will feel empathy for her situation.
But even more so, I found her choice of educational interest to be personally attractive as well. When I was in college, I found archeology to be fascinating – particularly Egyptian archeology. One of my favorite series (to this day) involves a Victorian woman and her husband who are Egyptian Archeologists.
I always felt it was the best of both worlds…the pushing of societal norms by a female archeologist in Victorian times, mixed with the mysteries of Ancient Egyptian peoples.
But I digress.
I totally got Caroline’s drive to want to know the nameless people, not just the better-known names and dates.
Her focus is a reason that the historical sections of the book worked so well. Two people who should have been lost to history weren’t – simply because of Caroline’s interest and perseverance to discover more about them.
Frankly, I could see myself taking the same actions as Caroline.
I did also like the historical sections. Sometimes a book falters when moving back and forth between contemporary and historical storylines. Not in this case. I was fully engrossed in Nella and Eliza’s stories as well as Caroline’s.
I will say that I did not make a vital connection until the author smacked me in the face with it towards the end. I REALLY liked that part. So well done.
The author managed to get a feminist point of view across without annoying the heck out of me. Doing this through Nella’s eyes and actions was very effective.
I could go on and on about all of the good things in this book. But just trust me when I say that you will be equal parts charmed and informed, and you will be glad that you picked it up. It should definitely be in your TBR pile.

I really wanted to like this book, however, it's hard to escape the blatant message of motherhood being the best thing a "woman" can dream of achieving, which I found outdated and just, annoying. That said, there were many great elements, especially if you're into history, and the alternating POVs was a nice touch. An interesting read

I was enthralled by the concept of this book, but a little disappointed that Penner didn't weave her words to capture the mystique surrounding the apothecary and the time. However, it was a good read, and I would recommend it.

I found The Lost Apothecary to be breath-taking in every way. I'm a sucker for historical fiction, but the alternating current day POV made this book ten times better. I can only guess at the amount of research that went into this one and I'm impressed. We are reading this in my book club and everyone raved!

While on her 10th anniversary trip to London, but without her husband, Caroline Parcewell finds an old vial while mudlarking. Curious about the origins of the vial, she begins to research where the bottle might've come from and discovers that it may be linked to an unsolved set of murders allegedly committed by an apothecary. Entwined with the current day story, the story of Nella- the apothecary- is told. Nella runs a shop that was originally owned by her mother dedicated to helping women. While her mother used her knowledge for healing, Nella is secretly helping women get revenge on men who have wronged them.
This book was a fun read for me. I enjoyed learning some new things about a different time period and liked a lot of the characters in the book. Alternating between the stories of the different women gave me a "Just one more chapter," feel because I wanted to hear what happened next.

Loved the throw back and present day story telling, set in my favourite city - London.

I found the characters and story compelling enough to finish this in a few days.

While I was excited to get my hands on this book, I was somewhat disappointed after reading. The summary and description sounded so interesting and unique, however, I was not in love with the characters. I found myself having to push through to the end. The real-life story of finding the hidden apothecary and dealing with marriage trouble was interesting, and I enjoyed those chapters the most; the past-story of the apothecary herself I was not as engaged with, and found these to be a bit dry. I did enjoy that the book ended on a note of hope, of new beginnings, but I do not think this is one that I would revisit.

My kind of historic fiction. Well researched and entertaining. Thank you Net Galley for introducing me to this book and author. I’ll be looking for more in the future from her.