I hate bashing a book. But jeez, this one was just so bad that I don’t even know where to start (be warned, I’m going to rant)! We have one storyline taking place in the present time, featuring the character Caroline… who I disliked from the start. Her husband cheated on her (and yes, he is an asshole) so she decides to go to England on their vacation by herself. All of this would have been empowering if it wasn’t for her bland commentary on her life. She then discovers this glass bottle and so our adventure begins to find out about this lost apothecary. By some miracle, she is able to “research” and find everything she needs pretty easily, handling precious documents and accessing hidden buildings with ease. The author’s justification? Caroline likes to read historical documents and almost got a master’s degree in it. Of course, this means she’s basically an expert historian, even though she gave up her passion for reading books years ago and went into admin work. Now, we get to the second storyline, featuring 2 female characters: one makes deadly potions for women who want to take life into their own hands (sounds badass, right?) and the other is a 12 year old maid sent to the apothecary by her mistress. I wanted this second storyline to be interesting, to be about badass women taking revenge. But somehow, it was just as boring. The only thing I liked about this entire story is the 12 year old Eliza – everyone else just sucked. This novel plodded along, with no logic to it, and I finished it feeling highly disappointed. If I say any more about this story, I’m going to spoil it (although that might not be such a horrible thing …) but do yourself a favour and give this one a pass.

Late to the party with this one, but I really enjoyed it. I liked hearing the perspectives of all the characters throughout the story. I also am a sucker for a past/present timeline thanks to Outlander so that was a plus for me.

The Lost Apothecary is a dual timeline historical fiction, Nella an apothecary helps women with their problems. Everything changes when a 12 year old darkens her door one night. The modern day timeline follows Caroline, who finds a mysterious vial. This was a fun read that delves in to murder, mystery and revenge. The author could flesh out the characters a bit more and work on giving them more individual 'voices.' but overall an enjoyable read.

I really love this book, told in dual timelines, about an apothecary in 18th century London and a modern day wannabe historian who stumbles onto her story. It is a wonderful blend of history and mystery and magic, with a nice touch of feminism — apothecary Nella will create her poisons, err… remedies, but they can never be used to harm other women. Eliza, one of her “clients” will set in motion everything that makes this story intriguing. Fast forward to Caroline who is mudlarking (scavenging in river mud for antique items) who finds an old apothecary bottle and works to unravel the secrets. This is a great debut novel and I can’t wait for what’s next.

I liked that this book followed parallel timelines that went back in forth in time from the apothecary in the past to present day research into the apothecary. I like the idea of our present day character discovering our past characters. But overall, perhaps I just never got fully invested in the characters or the storyline, because this was just ok for me. I would recommend this title to anyone looking specifically for something along similar lines, though.

I loved this book. It was such an unusual premise and I could not wait to see how it wrapped up. I loved the characters....especially Caroline. The basic synopsis: During the 18th Century London, a secret apothecary shop owned by Nella, catered to a clientele who was in need of poisons to kill their husbands. Nella sells well-disguised poisons to use against the cheating men in their lives. But the apothecary's fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.
Meanwhile, in a dual story of betrayal, in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline, spends her tenth wedding history alone, running from her own cheating husband. When she finds a bottle on an artifact tour, she learns about unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago.
The colliding stories come to a head and wrap up both storylines so well. Go get this book...you'll love it!

The Lost Apothecary is an atmospheric tale set in both the late 18th century and the present day. I much preferred the 18th century story to the present. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'll admit it. I was first drawn to this book solely by its gorgeous cover. It is probably one of my top favorite covers of all time. Then I read the summary of the book, and it sounded intriguing, which it was indeed. The book has dual stories, and I enjoyed both storylines. I probably enjoyed the past storyline with the murders a little more, though. I found the story of people coming to the apothecary to get poisons to give to someone fascinating. It's another book about women taking control of their lives and finding empowerment when men try to suppress them. The author uniquely and compellingly develops this theme. I also appreciated the female bonding and aid given to each other in both storylines.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this fun mix of mystery and historical fiction. The timeline shifts between the present and 1400s London, and we get to see the thrilling events of the 1400s in real time while simultaneously watching the protagonist figure out the mysterious identify of an apothecary who may have killed dozens of men. I also learned about a new hobby - mudlarking. It's description in the beginning of the book grabbed me and kept me reading. Digging through the muddy banks of the Thames for small historical objects seems like an activity I'd definitely pick up if I lived in London.

An excellent debut! So few authors are able to incorporate dual-timelines this smoothly, I was hugely impressed! All in all, The Lost Apothecary made me want to hop onto a plane and explore forgotten pieces of history.

This book sounded so cool, and the cover is gorgeous, so I had high expectations -- which were not met. The modern day aspect had so many eyeroll moments for me, and mostly I just didn't care. And while the historic apothecary character was interesting - she was hard to connect with, too. The young girl in the past storyline was the most interesting, but not enough to make up for everything else.

A hidden back alley shop in London
Two timelines: 1791 and present day
Oppressive men, betrayal, and secrets
A historic register that records the apothecary's deeds
Potion...or poison?

I loved this and created a book trailer: https://www.canva.com/design/DAEictiducs/kw6nm_Nz0oUUHsDQWKAskQ/watch?utm_content=DAEictiducs&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

This was an Interesting novel. It's great that mudlarking is getting more attention as a way to access history!

**DNF @ 30%**
This was a case of the synopsis sounding fun but the writing didn't work for me. I felt bad for Caroline and was curious about Nella but the writing felt too sappy to me instead of powerful or just like I was reading about a real person. Caroline read like a 19 year old girl instead of a married woman who only felt one sided. Eliza's POV seemed completely unnecessary; I think the story would've benefited from better writing and only 2 POVs instead. Plus after 10 chapters were not a lot happens, this short book didn't pack any kind of punch to keep going.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book but I feel like the past was more exciting to read than the present. My heart felt for these characters but I feel Eliza tugged at my heart strings even more. This story deals with loss, grief, infidelity, and revenge.

3.5 stars Thanks to Park Row publishing and NetGalley for the download. This book published March 2, 2021.

This book is both polyphonic and written in dual timelines. There are 3 narrators - two from the 1790's timeline and one from the current day. The book takes place in London - both timelines.

The 1790's timeline tells the story of an apothecary, who, trained by her mother, decides to dispense harmful drugs. This story is told by Nella, the apothecary, and Eliza a 12 year old who wants very much to apprentice with Nella.

The current story is told by Caroline, who has fled to London to try to straighten out her life. She becomes involved in research trying to locate the long lost Apothecary Shop at 3 Bear Alley while trying to forget her miserable life in Ohio.

The object that links these two stories together is a small blue vial, found on the beach, with a recognizable bear etched on it's side. Little did either timeline know, just how much that little blue vial would change their lives.

I often get aggravated at authors who use different timelines. They bounce you back and forth and their thought processes are often hard to follow and the two, or more, timelines never seem to jell correctly. However this book was not like that. Right from the split in story lines it was easy to maintain and understand where the novel was going. I thought Penner's writing was smooth and her characters were well fledged out. She brought both timelines together in the end and developed a good ending. I will look for future books by Penner.

A very compelling read and a unique take on the spaces women inhabit. The historical story was definitely stronger than the present day story and I felt like I wanted more from both at the end.

A great story that alternates between present day and the past. I loved how the story drew parallels between what types of adversity women are still facing. It's a story about an female who creates potions to fight back against troubling men. The present day story is around a woman who is contemplating her future, and whether or not her current situation is holding her back. The stories intertwine, and I found the historical part more interesting.

An engaging mystery with feminist commentary awaits readers of Sarah Penner’s debut The Lost Apothecary. Alternating between three narrators, Penner intertwines historical and current themes of women’s power. In London’s 1791, Nella is an apothecary who has dedicated her life to aiding women. Sometimes with remedies and other times with deadly poisons. Scorned in her younger years, she has transformed the shop she inherited from her mother into a clandestine provider of extreme solutions. Her creations are designed to rid women of the ill-behaved men in their lives, permanently. One day, an unusual new customer appears at her doorstep. Eliza has been sent by her mistress to obtain a concoction to help her husband meet an early demise. Curious about how and why Nella provides her services, Eliza ends up becoming a reluctant friend and de facto apprentice to Nella. The accompanying story line takes place in present-day London. Caroline is pondering her life’s choices after a deep betrayal. She travels solo on a trip to England that was meant to be an anniversary celebration. Her fateful discovery of an artifact connected to the old apothecary reignites her passion for history. With the aid of current day resources and a well-versed librarian, Caroline keeps digging to determine the provenance of her find. As Caroline builds on her investigation, the reader is privy to the events from 230 years ago and accompanies her on the voyage from that standpoint as well. The Lost Apothecary demonstrates how far women have come in terms of opportunities, but also portrays the ways in which we limit ourselves. This is a wonderful novel from a promising new author who already has fans asking for more.
Thanks to the author, Park Row Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I 100% would recommend this book. I love history and suspense, and this book is full of both! It's so hard to write a review without giving away too much so I will just say this: READ IT!