Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reading copy for review. There was a lot going on in this book. Three different narrators and two different time periods with a bit of mystery and a twist at the end. I think that the author pulled it off well, although I enjoyed the historical time period more than the modern-day one. The protagonist of the modern-day section seemed a little wimpy or whiny to me. She didn't seem to have any sense of self. Even though that was part of the point - that she grew and found herself by the end of the book, I was irritated that she started off at zero. In any case, I still recommend this - it was a very good read!

Just a delightfully fun historical adventure — even if the subject matter is darker. Sometimes it's nice to pick a book that focuses my feelings rather than my thinking brain. I don't mean that to slight the book, only to say that THE LOST APOTHECARY makes for a wonderful two-sitting read.

I enjoyed this book so much! I finished it in one day. I loved the dual timeline - the back & forth kept me engaged. I loved both story equally and loved how they tied into each other. The characters were well developed. The story was unique and fun. Very well written! I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Apothecary is a riveting work of historical fiction. It tells the story of Nella, an eighteenth century apothecary, and Caroline, a modern day woman.

Catherine has travelled to London alone, on what was supposed to be an anniversary vacation. Unfortunately, she discovered her husband's infidelity days before the scheduled trip, and the reservations were non-refundable. While walking along the riverbank on her first day, she finds an old apothecary bottle, and becomes interested in finding the history of it.

Since the death of her mother, and her betrayal by a lover, Nella has become a recluse. Her shop appears to be abandoned; however, women needing her services are always able to find her.

The story moves seamlessly between the centuries. I loved this book and was very sad when I finished reading it. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who loves historical fiction.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#TheLostApothecary#NetGalley

Stories told in duel timelines often suffer from I wanted more of one over this other. This one suffered from I wanted more from both! Caroline is my kindred spirit. We both love history, British history, and particularly love stories about the people of those times. Her falling into this incredible mystery of finding out the history of the apothecary bottle she found is stuff my dreams were made of... I crave such an adventure! I will say though that if I could cut anything out it would be her husband. Focus more on the mystery and less on relationships. However, it is not a star breaker for me. I highly highly recommend. It became my book of the month pick so I can own this wonderful story. A bit of stuff at the end of Caroline's story was a bit it-doesn't-work-like-that... but that's okay. I might just be jealous! I also adored Nella and little Eliza. What a brave young girl that Eliza!

This book renewed my desire to go to London like yesterday. It also peaked my love of history and how that degree has thus far been pretty dormant. I was living vicariously through Caroline and Gaynor (mostly Gaynor because she works for the British Library!).

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing debut! Typically in a dual timeline novel, I find myself enjoying one timeline over the other but I loved both just as much in this case. I've never read another novel quite like this one either so it definitely kept me interested. I can't wait to see what Sarah Penner comes up with next!

Sarah Penner had a stunning debut with a highly original premise that has attracted a wide attention and made The Lost Apothecary one of the "most anticipated books" of 2021.
Her central character Nella is a healer with a deep emotional wound, who uses her skills for nefarious purposes. She is, not to put too fine a point on it, a principled serial killer.
The principled part is that she only sells her deadly potions to women to kill men, a twisted logic which is propped up by the idea that women in 1790s London couldn't find protection or justice in any other way so were forced resort to desperate measures.

Right from the opening Nella is presented in a complex and sympathetic light, when a precocious 12-year-old servant girl comes seeking a remedy and she receives her with kindness, setting in train repercussions with consequences reaching across the centuries.

1790s London comes alive in a compelling dual time line thriller as Nella is blackmailed into extending her activities into areas she never wanted to in a suspenseful dark tale which must inevitably must end badly.

The modern day link comes in the character of aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell , who spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial while "mudlarking" in the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries before.

Sarah Penner draws the two stories together with deft skill, raising uncomfortable questions about human behaviour while entertaining the reader with masterful plot turns.

Questions like is it ever excusable for one person to execute vengeance on another? And does a female serial killer deserve any more understanding than the Jeffrey Dahmer's of this world? The author gives us plenty to think about while maintaining a tight and entertaining drama.
Sarah Penner talks about the challenge of writing The Lost Apothecary on The Joys of Binge Reading podcast

Caroline, a modern American wife longing to be a mother.
Nessa, an 18th century London apothecary who brews tinctures to provide women who need help curing their maladies, be they of the body...or the heart.
Eliza, a fierce twelve-year-old with an unquenchable passion for Nessa's knowledge and potions.
Each of these women set out with the noblest of intentions, but their efforts will impact the lives of the others in ways none of them intended. Will their actions prove more poison than prescription?
This novel is a striking testament to the truly miraculous power of female friendship that has been dressed up in a gripping and historical mystery.

"A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register."

I've had this book shelved for a while now, I received an advanced copy but never got around to reading it until now. The premise intrigued me and I was very interested in this type of psychological thriller. The first 20% of the book was fantastic. I loved it. Then the author brought in a 12 yr old. Never a fan of shows or books that bring in a child that acts like an adult. So it got a bit tedious for me. Had to push through about 60% of the way. Finished it and as it wasn't the greatest story I have ever read, it wasn't the worst either. I did enjoy it, I thought the author was a terrific writer. I will definitely pick up her next book!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for the advanced egalley!

The Lost Apothecary is a stunning historical fiction novel sprinkled with some magical realism. The blurb of the book really sucked me in and I enjoyed the book. It took a while for me to see how the dual timelines were going to match up with each other and to me the book was quite slow, but by the end I found myself really enjoying the book as a whole. I did like Nella's timeline more and found it more engaging and interesting than Caroline's, but overall I think anyone who likes historical fiction will enjoy it!

A gripping story and definitely a page turner! This is great for anyone who is interested in historical fiction, magic and stories that intertwine and connect. Great for someone who is trying to get out of a reading slump and looking for something different.

3.5 stars.

I kinda liked this one.
One part of the story is set in the 1700's. An apothecary had been hurt by a stupid man and her goal was to help other women get rid of some other stupid men folk.

(On that gif...if you know you know. I love some Bailey Sarian)

She has some rules that kind of get thrown out the window when she proceeds to take in a 12 year old that she forms an attachment with....even though in her gut she knows something bad is going to happen.

The other part is present day..this part was sorta boring and stretched the story believability. The present day characters were snooze worthy. Caroline was supposed to be on the vacay with her husband. But right before the trip she finds out his butt has been diddling the hired help at his office.
She had given up her dreams of being a historian in order to live the married life dream and is regretting it. Her research in the story just seemed to come way too easily and I got bored during her storyline.

I did enjoy the story over all though and it was time well spent for the entertainment value. I LOVE some apothecary stories anyways and through in some poisoning and it's all a good time.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

An exciting, cleverly-written story about Nella, an 18th century female apothecary who assists women in ridding themselves of men who have done them wrong. Interwoven is the modern day story of Caroline who overcomes her own heartbreak by searching for clues about an 18th century serial killer apothecary. I could barely force myself to put this one down to eat and sleep.

📚 My thoughts on The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
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💁🏼‍♀️ WHY I READ IT: It was one of my @bookofthemonth picks!
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🥀 WHAT I GOT OUT OF IT: Who isn’t fascinated by an apothecary?! Whether it’s our dating young Eliza, forlorn Nellie, or present-day Caroline each of these women feel called to turn to the arts of herbs and flowers and beetles to soothe their hearts and, in ways big and small, feel power in a powerless situation. I adored the characterization of both Eliza and Nell and loved the cozy, dark descriptions of the apothecary. I found most the current day trials and tribulations a bit boring and, to me, read more like a collection of empowering influencer Instagram captions. But - the description and dedication to the fullness of Eliza and Nell actually made up for that - which should tell you just how enchanting this book can be!

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🤫 READ IF YOU’RE IN THE MOOD TO: Explore themes of grief throughout time periods and circumstances. And, if you’re interested what the powers of secrets are.

This is one of the most interesting historical fiction tales I have read in a while. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Year of Wonders.

An Apothecary shop that caters to your every need...whether it be helping with an ailment or kill your husband? Um yes please! Sign me up for a read that promises to be dark and twisted. The Lost Apothecary is a dual timeline set in 18th-century London; Nelly is an apothecary who creates poisons for women to rid them of men. One day she meets 12 year old Eliza and never would Nella imagine this child is about to flip her world upside down. Present-day Caroline has been married to James for about 10 years when she discovers he is having an affair, so there goes her wish to carry his child. She runs away to London to figure things out when she stumbles on a very old vial that will lead her to Nella's abandoned apothecary.

I liked Nelly's timeline far better than Caroline's. Her's felt a lot dull and disjointed to me. I had very high hopes from this concept, since I had also read about a woman criminal mixing poisen into makep and selling to other women to kill their abusing husbands. This has been a famous crime story from several decades ago. But I am disappointed by this read, I expected so much more: mystery, potions, vengeance, curses, slow and excruciating deaths,.. it fell a little flat to me.
Overall the writing is good, and definitely impressive for a debut. The plot and character arcs could have been better.

Two women. Two timelines. Two vastly different stories converging.

One woman present day, goes on her anniversary trip after finding out her husband cheated on her. She then discovers a little jar with a bear engraved on it. This begins her journey to learn about the apothecary who dispensed poisons to women to help them escape the men in their lives who were a danger.

It is intriguing and a decent read though I expected more.

I adored The Lost Apothecary.

The story is after my own heart dealing with historical women. Set in the late 1700s and the Present-day the story switches between the timelines seamlessly.

While there is an even mix of past and present, I was more drawn to the historical story, especially the enveloping mystery of what happened to both women from the past. The current day woman is now following her own life goals after a failed marriage.

Well-written and researched this became a novel that was riveting and unputabledown for me. As a botanist, I have a deep interest in the chemical properties of plants, bugs, and other nature-related items being used for medicinal purposes. Sarah did her research homework quite well regarding the medicinal properties.

Yes - this is the author's first book and while the dragging of the husband into the story slowed down the story considerably the complete story still came together splendidly.

Star Review of 4.5

More than 200 years ago in a dark, twisting back alley in London, a mysterious apothecary provided poison to hundreds of women who wished to kill a man their lives. In the present day, another woman stumbles upon one of the apothecary’s strange vials washed up on the Thames and begins a search that will change her life.⁣
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This atmospheric, witchy novel follows these two women—and a precocious 12-year-old-girl—through the streets of London as each approaches a crossroads in their lives. The apothecary, Nella, is doubting her long career of assisted murders; present-day Caroline is considering the next step after discovering her husband’s infidelity; and pre-teen Eliza has to choose her path just as she’s becoming a woman.⁣
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A book about secrets, betrayal, disguise, and taking chances, ‘Lost Apothecary’ explores why we make the choices that we do, and how those choices can echo through generations. It’s also about female relationships and female power, and what can come from straining to hear women’s voices that have been lost to the past.⁣
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A page-turner that may (or may not) contain a bit of magic, and that definitely contains a serial killer, this quick, dark, fun read is our pick for the month.⁣

This was actually a really fascinating read. Not quite what I was expecting, but in a good way! I liked the dual timeline, though I did enjoy the past a bit more than the present. And for the most part, I enjoyed the character's and their development.

In the past, we follow Nella and Eliza. Nella is the owner of the apothecary and dispenser of poisons. I liked hearing her story and getting to know how she came to be in such a profession. The whole idea behind this book is SO cool. Nella will only make poisons for women to use against men, she does not allow harm against any women (though what a customer does with their poison once they leave her shop is out of her hands). I wish more had been done with this - don't get me wrong, it was a cool story, but I would have loved for stories about who the poisons were being used against. Regardless though, it was an enjoyable read.

In the present we follow Caroline as she heads to London after finding out her husband had an affair. It was very cool reading about her journey to discover more about a nondescript vial from an ancient apothecary. The links between the two timelines were very neat. I wasn't a fan of her husband, but that was kind of the point.

This was a really cool idea. I think it could have been a longer book, with more added to it, but it was still executed pretty well. Very good for a debut novel. I recommend giving it a try, I will definitely be trying anything else this author comes out with.