Excellent debut from Sarah Penner!
This story was so original and had me guessing until the very end! I loved how the story was connected between two time periods and it was so beautifully written.

I can't wait to see what is next from Sarah Penner! Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book.

I'm always drawn to stories around apothecaries. I find them fascinating! This atmospheric read bounces between present day and the late 1700's. Both stories were equally engaging and I felt the author tied the parallels between them well. Caroline is escaping to London after she learns her husband has been having an affair. After finding an old apothecary vial, she not only discovers the story behind the vial, she discovers some truths about herself.

I am very torn about writing this review. There is a great story in the book, however, it is bogged down by the constant chatter of the characters.
For instance, I loved the beginning of the book, it was concise, the characters were introduced and the reader began to be immersed in the story.
HOWEVER, about 30% into the book....everything became repetitive.
For instance, how many times can Nella think that she is dying and have intuition that something bad will happen....YET continues to help a rich lady against her better judgment? WHy not tell the lady NO! And go and die?
The little 12 year old girl in the book, so bland that it was hard to really like her.
Caroline, I really wanted to root for, but ended up just not caring about her.

About a 1/3 of the book was super wonderful good. I liked the premise of the story.
The characters were just not gelling with me.
1/3 of the book seemed to just be on repeat....worrying about the rich lady, worrying about death, worrying about a female's first period. over and over and over again.
1/3 of the book was unnecessary chatter about the British Library and Caroline's husband.

OVerall, I want to encourage the author to keep writing,,,the story is there....just sharpen the editing tools.

An avenger female who can concoct poisonous formulas to help you get rid of man trouble. This hell of an outstanding synopsis idea put this book on my radar!
To the attention of the abusers, cheaters, bullies and most disgusting human wastes who treat the women like doormats: you should beware because there is an intelligent, vicious angel of death who is also apothecary is coming after you!

Nella is a ghost, wowed to help the mentally and physically hurt women who needs her support, hiding behind the secret walls of small store, conducting her business discreetly. She is playing by the rules: Rule number 1:She has two basic rules: those concoctions she dispensed cannot be used to harm another woman!
Rule number 2:Names of murderer and victims must be recorded at the apothecary’s register.

When she starts to form a unique friendship with Eliza Fanning who is only 12, working at the store with her, a string of unfortunate events put her and the women whose names are recorded at register in danger to be exposed.

At the present time, we’re introduced to aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell who plans to celebrate her tenth year anniversary with her beloved husband. But as long as she finds out her husband dearest is a cheating bastard, she travels alone to London, meeting with a mudlarking group on the shores of Thames. As she mucks through the water, she finds a glass vial which brings out so many secrets and with the help of an employee from British library she finds herself digging out to solve 200 years long mystery. Those three women’s paths cross and Caroline gets closer to solve the secrets behind apothecary murders!

This is so much exciting, mysterious and intriguing than I ever imagine. After finishing this book, I decided to read more about mudlarking and since I’ve read the story about Mary Ann Cotton who had poisoned nearly 21 victims at the 19th century, I want to take a time travel trip and search for more intriguing stories.

Overall: Attention capturing, well- developed story with impeccable characterization and high tense, gothic, dark atmosphere won my heart! I truly enjoyed it! I have to congratulate Sarah Penner for her brilliant debut!

Special thanks to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN / Park Row for sharing this incredible ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I seem to be in the minority on this book. While I very much liked Nella’s and most of Eliza’s chapters, the dual timeline didn’t work for me and I didn’t care much for Caroline’s whom I didn’t find very likeable. The book starts off really intriguing, with Nella preparing herself to a meeting with a mysterious customer, and, over two centuries later, with Caroline going mudlarking along the Thames. But the story somehow loses its steam along the way… That said, the 1791 chapters were very good and I loved the historical bits about old London and this apothecary business.

Women's fiction/historical fiction generally isn't my thing, but I could not put this book down.

There are two timelines intertwined, three women's lives at stake, and they intersect in a back alley in London.
Well-written, compelling characters, fast-paced plot, a couple surprises? And the librarian in me was humming in delight over the scenes digging through old maps in the British Library, and the snipes about googling things and doing effective searches -- it's so nice to feel known! I'm already recommending this to family/friends/adult services librarians in my life. I think the varying ages/stages of life of the characters in the story also makes this more accessible to younger readers; women's fiction can often feel...frumpy, and this didn't. I'd readily shelve this in the New Adult section of a library.

Dual time lines tell two different stories about women finding their way and purpose. As our modern heroine is questioning her life choices, she stumbles upon a lost apothecary shop and book in London. While she solves the mystery of the lost apothecary she begins to understand herself and discover what she wants. Her story alternates with the story of the apothecary and a young girl who lived two hundred years ago and looks at the choices they made. As a reader, you become engrossed in the what will happen in both timelines. While occasionally the two story approach can slow the plot, overall it was a good read, with characters you can become invested in.

In the beginning of the ARC a quote notes that this book is one of those that you can't put down. "Oh-ho, high praise." I thought. And here I am, 2 days after beginning this book and I have finished. This is my first book I have completed since C-19 lockdown that wasn't a DNF. I have been revitalized.

I generally dislike those books that jump from perspective to perspective. They are either hard to follow, the characters are all the same or the story just isn't deep enough to support it. The Lost Apothecary had none of those issues.

Is this book going to change the world? No. Is it a fun journey of coincidence or fate? Yes. Do you root for the characters to get their shit together? Oh yes. Is the journey, as well as the ending, something worth your time? Most definitely. I would fully recommend this. It's a mostly clean read with [SPOILERS AHEAD]


the theme and continuous mention of losing a child. There is also themes and continuous mention of cheating/affairs.

For fans of The Discovery of Witches or The Thirteenth Tale, this debut features multiple narrators and a dual timeline as three women all search for meaning in their lives. Fast-paced and well-researched with fabulous descriptions of herbs and their uses.

In the present day, Claire uncovers her husband's affair just before they're supposed to leave on an anniversary trip to London. She decides to go on the trip alone to figure out what's next for her.

Nella is an 18th-century apothecary who serves only women clients. She seeks to heal her heartbreak caused by her lover's betrayal by helping other women. Even when that means offering them poison for the cruel, abusive men in their lives.

Eliza is a young maid whose mistress sends her to Nella for a poison to kill the master of the house.

Mudlarking on a whim, Claire finds an apothecary's vial and starts researching it, twining together her story with Nella and Eliza's.

This lush debut has me eager for more!

I read this book while sick in bed with food poisoning and it was such a welcome respite from feeling like crud! This fast-paced, intriguing book is full of lush characters, descriptive settings, and brilliant story telling. Dual narratives in dual time periods can be hard to do but this was flawlessly executed. Ultimately, this story is about two women over 300 years apart who are finding their ways back to themselves. Highly recommended for an engaging, quick read!

Fair warning: Normally I don't mind blood and guts. Doesn't bother me. Except when it is all about menstruation. But, if you can get beyond that, this is a women's story that braids three strands of womanhood together from first blood (cringe), to croning, but each stage of a woman's life offers a place of perspective that is an awakening of herself. Each stage is its own kind of beautiful.
Beyond this tribute to the feminine, there's also a mystery of a small apothecary bottle discovered in a place of fate. There's a poetic line that asks each of us to look for the patterns to find the place where it changes, that is where the moment of discovery happens. Don't allow life to go on without you . . . there's a place for each of us on the continuously turning wheel, and The Lost Apothecary gives wisdom to what happens when we seek to alter fate. There is given and take, what we do to ourselves and what happens to us, but to each moment there is a purpose.

I adored this story! I tend to like books that have multiple POV, as well as books that take place in multiple times, this story had both. The reader jumps back and forth between 1791 and present day London, and the story is told from the POV of 3 women .

The idea of locating an item that is over 200 years old is fascinating to me, and that is precisely what starts Caroline's search for answers. During her search Caroline does some self searching as well. I definitely lost sleep because I didn't want to stop reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy.
I give the book 4.5 stars (with taking back an half a star for a little bit not polished ending part).
It was a big pleasure to read this book. The Lost Apothecary was a captivating journey trough time , beautifully written, with addictive atmosphere. The book grasped me in reading just from the start. The author's way of leading the story was very subtle making a reader compassionate and fully understanding actions and feeling of the characters.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing book!! I absolutely loved it! It was exactly the kind of historical fiction that I enjoy reading: focused on unknown individuals and their contributions to the time period in which they lived, rather than well known historical figures. The characters and the storyline gave me a clear understanding of the time period of the late 18th century, and I loved the focus on female characters and their interactions. I also loved the timeline switching between past and present, and the ways in which Caroline's story in the present intertwined with Nella's and Eliza's stories in the past. It was fun discovering more about the characters through both their own narrative voices and through the the eyes of others. This is a beautifully written, beautifully crafted book, and I highly recommend it, both to lovers of historical fiction and to anyone else who loves a delicious mystery filled with great character building.

Loved this book! Very talented debut author. Dual timelines follows the history of a 1700's apothecary that catered to the needs of women who had been wronged by their man. You won't predict the ending!
If you like Alice Hoffman or Erin Morgenstern this book is for you!

Nella is an apothecary in 1791 in London who secretly helps women poison men. She refuses to take part in any harm to other women. Eliza is 12 years old when she comes to the apothecary shop and unknowingly finds herself involved in a plot to poison someone's mistress. Nella and Eliza must figure out how to extricate themselves from the plot and the chaos that ensues.

In present day, Caroline is looking forward to a trip to London to celebrate her 10 year anniversary when she finds out her husband has been cheating on her. She sets out for the anniversary trip alone instead. After arriving in London, she goes on a walking tour and finds a vial in the mud on the River Thames. Caroline puts her former research skills to work to find out the origins of the vial.

Each chapter is told from the POV of one of the 3 main characters, jumping back and forth between Nella and Eliza's shenanigans in 1791 and Caroline's soul searching and research in the present time. I got a lot of Kate Morton vibes with this book, which I love.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Penner's The Lost Apothecary is a love letter to everyday women's history. The alternate perspectives shift between 1791 with world-worn apothecary Nella and her accidental apprentice Eliza to contemporary London, where American traveler Caroline is spending her tenth wedding anniversary apart from her unfaithful husband. When Caroline finds a blue bottle engraved with a bear etching on the banks of the Thames, it leads her down a frenzied path as she hunts down a mysterious apothecary murderer in the archives and the streets of London. The truth reveals itself to readers along with Caroline, with Nella's and Eliza's chapters filling in the gaps of Caroline's research. The 1791 plot bubbles with the energy of a brewing potion, and Caroline's desperation to find fulfillment through these women's pasts is a profound and relevant way to explore the societal pressures for women in our own society.

[4/5: Great historical fiction that showed Penner's true appreciation for social history. My only issue with the novel was Caroline's approach to research (her reliance on Google made me desperate to help her improve her information literacy and historical research skills!!!). But she did ask a librarian for help, and she happened to be a great character! :-) This was a really engaging read, one that readers of historical fiction and even mysteries or fantasy will enjoy.]

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Fast moving story involving mystery and revenge from three different POVs, two in the past and one in the presents. Highlights the history of London and also interesting information on herbs and their usage.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This was a very entertaining book that did keep me guessing on what was next.

I really enjoyed the herbals and women's relationships.

Good read. I like a book that has two linked stories that are very easy to keep up with. I especially enjoyed the parts in the British Museum.