I loved this dual timeline story about Caroline, who finds a mysterious blue vial on the River Thames, Nella, an 18th-century apothecary, and Eliza, the waif who wants to help her. The women in this story are strong while dealing with different issues. Caroline has discovered her husband has had an affair, leading her to take their anniversary trip alone. Nella, is disturbed by her long practice of helping women rid themselves of the men in their lives. Eliza is scared that the ghost of her late master is haunting her. I loved how the different voices came together to tell a tale of empowerment, discovering your own identity, and making brave choices. I can't wait to see what Sarah Penner writes next!

I enjoyed this book and have thought about it often since reading it. This one will definitely be on my recommends list for years to come and I can't wait to see the next thing Sarah comes up with!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't quite how I expected it to be, but I liked the format and the story. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were well developed. I thought the story flowed well and seemed to generally be realistic. I definitely recommend it.

Sarah Penner has joined an eighteen century female apothecary who provides potions to kill unpleasant husbands and a current American in London to have time to herself apart from her two timing husband.. The latter falls over records of the former and starts to research her; then the American husband turns up to upset the applecart. The two stories are told in parallel. Great use of atmosphere and intrigue.

We’ll developed and complex. A very unique story. I ended up buying a physical copy after receiving the arc I loved it so much. I loved the strong female characters! Worth the read!!

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Publishing for providing me with an ARC of The Lost Apothecary in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist
I was supposed to participate in the blog tour promoting The Lost Apothecary, but life got weird for a few months and I lost track of everything that had nothing to do with the immediate situation I had to take care of.

The blog tour may be over, but that doesn’t stop me from still reading and writing a review for this story.

The Details
It took me much longer to read The Lost Apothecary than I’m willing to admit, but not because it was so tedious. On the contrary, if I had had the time and brain power I would have finished the book in two days.

In fact, The Lost Apothecary was so captivating that I did read the second half of it in one day, looking up once I was finished convinced to find myself in London.

I appreciated the story switching back and forth between the present and the past, telling it almost in parallel only a few hundred years apart.

The characters were very intriguing, both main and secondary and I was surprised by how much each of them got to me.

One character really annoyed me. I could sense the naivete and innocence with Eliza, the guilt and past suffering with Nella and the frustration and regret with Caroline.

The Lost Apothecary kept me spellbound throughout the entire story. The plot was great and the writing whisked me off into its world.

At times I felt the writing seemed a little too modern for the sections that were set in the late 1700’s. I know I’m nitpicking. It was just something that I noticed.

Also, I thought the ending was a little abrupt. Of course, once I realized that the book was almost over; I didn’t want it to end. Selfishly, I wanted more.

Regardless, the last chapter felt a bit rushed, albeit having a refreshing sort of end.

The Verdict
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Apothecary. It was a very satisfying story.

I would definitely recommend it.

Well written book with a fun storyline and lovable characters. I loved the relationships women had with other women and the theme of women taking care of each other throughout this book. I felt the story was realistic (with a tiny bit of magical realism) and loved that the reader got to see Caroline’s research process in tracking down information on the apothecary vial. This was a fresh take on historical fiction that I enjoyed. I recommend this book to pretty much anyone.

I'm rating this as 4 instead of 5 stars because there was one section in the book that I felt didn't need to be there and didn't add to the story and because I wanted more of Bachelor Alf!

This was an enjoyable read. Interesting subject matter and original ideas. I wish I felt a bit more emotional attachment to the narrator. The historical sections were more to my liking and were really well done. I would recommend this i anyone who likes a good historical mystery/drama, with just a touch of magic.

Make sure you have a comfy chair, snacks and a full pot of coffee before you start this book. You will not want to put it down before you read the last word.

I like books that have Hal timelines and I think this book does that very well. It took me some time to get into it but it was a good book to read over a weekend.

I loved just about everything about this book! I was particularly enamored with the story line set in the past. with Nella and Eliza. Caroline was likable enough, but Nella and Eliza were amazing.

This book did not keep my interest. I found myself zoning out while reading it. It was an interesting premise and I typically enjoy historical fiction especially when it is written i the then and now format. There was nothing that drew to me to the characters or made me like them. It this wasn’t a net galley book, I wouldn’t have finished reading it.

It's not often that I read a complete book in a day, but it was easy with this engaging read. I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines in The Lost Apothecary. I would have enjoyed even more of the apothecary Nella's fascinating story, but the compactness of this novel was definitely a strong point.

The book hooked me by its very interesting premise of an apothecary that supplies women with poisons to kill men. I loved the historical fiction and present-day aspect of this book! I really like how the stories of the past and present connected with each other, but the ending was a little surprising for me. Nonetheless, really enjoyed this debut novel by Sarah Penner and looking forward to reading her future books!

Dual timeline featuring a healer in turbulent historic London and a current day American woman fleeing a cheating husband. The author should be commended for the historical accuracy included in the book. Well done!

Enchanting, addictive, and utterly original. A highly recommended first purchase for all public fiction collections.

This book really had some big potential but ended up being slightly lacking for me. I did enjoy the characters and the writing style. I preferred the past time line over the present day story. Nella was seriously one bad ass woman and did a lot for the story in my opinion. With some added "magic" I would bump this to a 3 but ended up giving it a 3.

I couldn't put this book down. I loved the storyline in the 1700's. I wish I could have stayed there. This story goes back and forth between the 1700's and now. The way the women connect, not by blood, but by circumstance is incredible. They are all stronger and braver than they know. I love anything that has to do with herbal healing and history. This book got me from the beginning. I just loved this story, I can't wait to see what Sarah Penner comes up with next.

Thank you netgalley for the copy of the lost apothecary for girly book club.

Caroline finds a vile whilst out on a tourist trip on London. This brings her down an historical search to find our what it means and where its from. We as the ready know that in the early 1700s Nella meets a young girl call Eliza who turns her world upside down when she arrives to collect the poison that Nella has made for Elizas mistress to use on her husband. Eliza and Nella strick up an unlikely friendship.

This isn't my kind of book at all I read it as I'm the host of the Bristol, UK chapter of Girky BookClub (GBC).

I found the begining of the story a bit difficult to get into. I think maybe because I didn't like the modern character that much. She was a tad windy, bkaned her husband for not pressing her love of history and seemed surprised to find out he was cheating. I get it girl you got issues but they were all easily salable why this trip to England has to be the catalyst I have no idea.

Yet Nella I found to be a very interesting character and undue to your obvious hereon of many stories. She is giving women a life line who are stuck in a time where a woman could never leave her husband. The poisons she have developed and is the best kept secret in London, except ofcourse until Eliza turns up.

I love Eliza at 12 years old her innocence shines through the page. Of all our points of views hers is the one I can commit to. It was interesting reading because I wouldn't say we had a lead protagonist because each of them carried out important roles in the book. It's also fascinating to learn about things that vwiuld never had been talked about during puberty, sex, menstruation and babies. Eliza story really highlights the ignore many young girls/ women faced at the time.


This book is long, if you are going to read it take breaks. Sometimes you just have to wait a beat to digest what's happening. The writing can come across a little complex.
I am unlikely to read anymore by this author but I appreciate the free copy for GBC

3.5. Eliza is 12 in 1791 London. She is in service to Mrs. Amwell, who dispatches Eliza on an errand to a hidden shop -- an apothecary-- where Nella, aging and sick, compounds death for men who betray women. Caroline flew alone to London for what was supposed to be her tenth-anniversary trip. She's left James her unfaithful accountant husband behind. On a whim, Caroline goes joins a mudlarking group in the Thames looking for items in the riverbed. She finds an old blue vial, intact, with a small bear etched on it. Before her marriage, Caroline planned to pursue an advanced history degree. The vial awakens the history bug in her. The Lost Apothecary alternates among Eliza's, Nella's, and Caroline's first-person narratives. I particularly enjoyed the historic chapters and the characters, Nella, Eliza, and the women they serve. Some things made no sense. For example, Nella repeatedly and unconvincingly explains why she maintained and failed to destroy a registry that would implicate every woman who used her services. Sometimes, "over" explaining draws attention to a less believable but necessary plotline. I recommend a lighter touch. As to the present-day chapters, I did not connect emotionally to Caroline. The concept for the modern chapters works. The storyline is fine. The pieces showing how Caroline conducts research and finds answers hang together. I don't actively dislike Caroline. But I really didn't care what happens to her, Like the historical chapters, the present-day chapters have some "huh?" moments. Here and there, Penner again draws attention to the least believable parts of the plot by overexplaining. Most mysteries include little facts and plot twists that barely make sense. If they leave such gaping holes that you keep explaining them to the reader, find a way to change the story If they are necessary but somewhat unbelievable or problematic, go lightly on the explanation. I like the themes Penner examines as to what options exist for women harmed by men, then and now. The women in various classes and stages of life are connected by thoughts of becoming a woman (menstruation), whether or not to have children, loss of children, inability to have children, and how this shapes their lives. I enjoyed reading about medicine in the late eighteenth century and the apothecaries' role in treating the rich and middling classes. Despite my quibbles about over-explaining, Penner's style is enjoyable: I would read this book again and recommend it to certain friends. I absolutely will look for and buy Penner's future novels of this type.