I was skeptical about listening to The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner but I had need not be. As soon as I began listening I felt myself drawn into the story. It was hard to believe that this was a debut novel forSarah Penney. It was written with masterful dialogue and prose and was well researched. The Lost Apothecary was splendidly narrated by three distinct female voices. It took me a little time to get used to the voice of the narrator who read Nella’s parts but once I got used to her narration I felt that her deep, rich voice was perfect for the apothecary owner. The Lost Apothecary was a brilliant example of historic fiction that took place during a time I was not well acquainted with and told about a subject I had little prior knowledge. Sarah Penner chose three strong women characters for The Lost Apothecary each in control of guiding and choosing their own destinies. The Lost Apothecary was a fast paced book that was written in a dual time line. The two time lines took place more than two hundred years apart from each other.

Sarah Penner brilliantly and effortlessly transported her readers back to the eighteenth century in London during the late 1700’s when apothecary shops existed.. Nella had been the daughter of an apothecary who catered to women’s needs. When Nella’s mother died, Nella assumed the responsibilities of continuing to run the apothecary in the way her mother had taught her. A sinister act played out by a man Nella believed had loved her caused Nella to alter her practices. Nella started selling well disguised poisons from that day on. The poisons were to be used against men that compromised women and put those women in oppressive situations. Nella had two rules in her apothecary shop that she followed religiously. Rule #1 was that “ the poison must never be used to harm another woman.” Rule #2 was that “ the names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.” One cold February night, Nella was waiting for a client to show up. To her utter surprise, the client was no other than a precocious twelve year old girl named Eliza Fanning. This young girl appeared on behalf of her mistress. A very unexpected friendship developed between Nella and Eliza that linked their destinies together in a most unconventional way.

In present day London, Caroline Parcewell arrived in the city for what was supposed to be a celebration of her and her husband’s tenth wedding anniversary. Caroline had discovered just prior to her departure to London that her husband, James, had been unfaithful to her. She had discovered his infidelity just days before her departure. Caroline decided to make the trip alone affording her time to think and decide how she wanted to handle this new and devastating reality. When Caroline arrived in London, she made the conscious decision to scratch all the plans and places she had planned to visit, see and do with her husband. She was determined to do things that she would not have done with her husband. When she approached a group going mudlarking she decided to join them even though she had no idea what mudlarking was. She was soon informed that mudlarking meant hunting for old treasures. It wasn’t long before Caroline came across an apothecary vial near the River Thames. Little could Caroline have imagined the consequences of finding that vial. She was led to uncover a mystery of unsolved murders that had occurred more than two centuries ago. Caroline would discover and become acquainted with the disappearance and life of the female apothecary who sold those poisons long ago.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner was intriguing, enthralling and captivating. It was about murder, friendships, secrets, vengeance, hope and new beginnings. I laughed, cried and even found myself dropping my jaw in surprise at parts. Past and present converged in dramatic and satisfying fashions in this book. The interwoven time lines were flawlessly done. I look forward to reading more books by Sarah Penner. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, strong female characters and relationships and well researched historical fiction.

Thank you to Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I didn’t enjoy this book. The premise was interesting and I was excited about the pretty cover. Overall, I found the storytelling lazy and utterly predictable.
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The story follows three perspectives. Two from 1791 and one present day. I’ll start with Caroline from the present day. Caroline and her husband James are packing for an anniversary trip to London. The night before they are to leave Caroline discovers James is having an affair. She embarks on the trip alone. She stumbles upon a vile wading in the River Thames. It leads her to discover a story of a woman named Nellie who was an apothecary in 1791. From Nellie’s POV we learn that she makes poisons to sell to women to kill men. The last POV is a 12-year-old girl named Eliza who is a servant and meets Nellie in the course of procuring a poison for the woman she works for. It all of course goes terribly awry and then all miraculously gets better.
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The story had promise and I wanted to like it. It was ultimately subpar and a clumsy attempt at being meaningful.

3.25

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Lost Apothecary follows two timelines; the first is in London, 1791 following an apothecary shop owner who dispenses poisons to women to give to men who have wronged them. The second timeline follows a woman who traveled to London in the present day after the discovery of her husband’s infidelity and discovers an old apothecary vial.

I discovered The Lost Apothecary while browsing 2021 releases, and I loved the concept of a late 1700’s apothecary created to help women. Historical fiction is not something that I pick up often, but when I do, it’s eras like these that capture my interest the most. And while I loved the older timeline featuring Nella and Eliza, I didn’t like the modern-day Caroline’s POV nearly as much.

A common format in historical fiction novels I’ve been noticing lately is dual-timeline perspectives as used in books like The Lost Apothecary, where the characters in both timelines share some type of connection. I enjoy this concept personally, especially when both characters live drastically different lives, yet lived in the same place. The exploration of this can be really interesting if done well. And while this definitely was explored in The Lost Apothecary, I felt like both perspectives weren’t different enough. From early on in the novel, I felt like the old timeline was making Caroline’s story a little too predictable. This was to the point that I was absolutely frustrated with Caroline when it feels like the obvious happens to her, but only because something very similar happened in the old timeline right before that.

Caroline aside, I really liked the story behind the apothecary and found myself immersed in learning what would happen next. The characters in these portions of the story were very interesting as well, and despite some of the unlikeable ones, I looked forward to spending more time with them. Both timelines also focus on topics like infidelity and miscarriage, and how these women have coped over the years. I appreciated those conversations being had throughout the book.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Lost Apothecary, and really enjoyed the narration. The book features three narrators, one for each of the main characters’ perspectives.

While I didn’t find myself loving Caroline’s POV as much, The Lost Apothecary still made for a very interesting historical fiction novel. I definitely enjoyed the historical timeline in this book and would recommend it more to those that prefer to read dual-timeline historical fiction novels in particular.

THE LOST APOTHECARY is a slow burn, historical fiction with a dual timeline
There is a secret apothecary in the 18th century that dispensed poisons to women and only to women wanting to rid themselves of men who hurt them. Nella (the apothecary) and Eliza (her 12yo accidental helper) are the main characters in this timeline. Caroline on the other hand is a 21st century woman, alone on her 10th wedding anniversary trip after discovering her husband’s infidelity, who sets out to investigate an apothecary vial she discovers on her first day mudlarking on the Thames in London.

My favourite parts of THE LOST APOTHECARY were discovering the different character’s back stories especially Nella’s and Caroline’s ... and Caroline’s investigating in modern day London and the British Library ...
The main themes were female friendship and the value of women helping women, it was explored with emotional depth !

Definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. Plus, the cover is beautiful !

I have listened to the audio edition and thought it was very well done, all the voices were perfect! I definitely recommend the audio as well !

Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Penner and Harlequin Books / Harlequin Audio, Harper Audio for my ALC.

This book was such a treat! I had no expectations going into it, I was just on the lookout for some new historical fiction books to read. I am so glad I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this (in audiobook format, thank you Netgalley).

This dual timeline novel was so atmospheric. The trick to these stories is that both plotlines need to be interesting—and they were! I adored reading about Nella & Eliza as much as Caroline.

It reminded me a bit of The Witches of New York by Ami McKay. Not only do we have a hidden, women-run shop in both stories, we also have the arrival of a newcomer who asks for a job! If you enjoyed McKay's book, this one will be right up your alley. The plot similarities end there, though because Penner's novel was very unique; I don't think I've read anything like it before.

I was definitely at the edge of my seat as the novel began to unfold. The storytelling was wonderful, and Penner will be on my radar for sure!

The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction, but with a duel timeline - one set in 1791 set in the apothecary itself, and the other in present day with a woman who discovers an old artifact and starts to unearth the story of the apothecary! Let's start with 1791 and the apothecary, because to me this was the absolute best part of the book - Nella runs the apothecary and she secretly dispenses poison to woman, specifically to kill the men in their lives. It was such a great plot line - honestly, Sarah Penner can just write me stories of all the men Nella made poisons for and their stories and it would be fantastic. I love a solid revenge type story - a scorned woman dedicated her life to murdering men; Nella must be a Scorpio, because let me tell you, if I was in her shoes back in the day, I would have done the same thing! Then Nella meets young Eliza, who is interested in the shop and befriends Nella, but unfortunately, their coming together becomes the beginning of the end - I loved the coming together of their stories and their resilience together!

I will be honest, it took me a little bit longer to get in to the present day story of Caroline - she ends up travelling to London alone following discovering her husband's infidelity and finds herself mudlarking in the river searching for little treasures, where she discovers a vile and starts to research what she's found. I loved that the author took inspiration from her own mudlarking adventure - I honestly love antiquing and looking at old little treasures, and I've always found myself wondering the back story or about who used to own the items! So, when I looked at Caroline's story through that lens, I connected with it a little bit more and by the end I found myself invested in her story and outcome and loved how she grew. The author certainly added a little suspense as well too - there was great pacing and it jumped back and forth between characters so well. Also, I listened to the audiobook and I loved that their were three distinct voices for each character and they were all great to listen too! I very much enjoyed this one!

The Lost Apothecary is a surprisingly intense and significant story that feels like fantasy almost but is a historical fiction mixed with contemporary London.

I am often drawn towards dual timeline novels regardless of genre, there's something immersive and magical about following the story's themes while travelling back and forth in time and point-of-view. Lost Apothecary did not disappoint! The tale follows 3 women in particular, or rather a young girl, a young woman, and an older woman who all become connected through a secret apothecary that serves women in need.

The trio of women and dusty, dangerous shop with its herbs and poisons gives witchy (maiden, mother, crone) vibes without actually containing any magic and witchcraft which can appeal both to historical fiction lovers and fantasy fanatics.

But more than the neat and creative tales of poisoned evil husbands and fathers in old England and the tragic, dying romance for the current time heroine who is searching for clarity and peace, this is a serious and heavy story of being a woman. The cover is whimsical and lovely, but don't be mislead that there are heavy and hard themes in this book about the evils, ignorances, and sexism against women,

The audio is excellent! It's well narrated between the English and American accents. It was easy and pleasant to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

What's not to love about this book! Well done Sarah Penner on your debut novel. Plus, the cover is stunning. If you enjoy historical fiction with strong women protagonists and a good mystery, you will really enjoy this book. It is based in dual timelines England in 1791 with the story of Nella and Eliza and present day with Caroline. The character development is so well done.

Nella is the Apothecary owner with a clientele of women secretly needing "special" remedies. She has two rules - never harm a women and always record the victims. Eliza is a 12 year old in service of a wealthy family.

Caroline is supposed to be in England celebrating her 10th wedding anniversary, but goes alone after her husband betrays her. It is during this trip that Caroline rediscovers herself and uncovers the mystery of the Apothecary.

There are so many twist and turns in this novel it kept me guessing to the end. I listened to the audiobook version. The narration being done by three different individuals really made the book come to life.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HarperAudio, #HarlequinAudio and #SarahPenner for the advance audiobook copy for my honest review.

I love the story of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner! I fell in love with all the female characters and was invested in them from the beginning. The premise of this novel is really intriguing! Told from three points of view and in two periods of time, you are provided with a thriller in the 1700s and a mystery in the present day.

As her debut novel, Penner really impresses! This story is fantastical yet realistic, dramatic but not absurd, touching but not sappy, and overall empowering for women past and present. The portrayal of strong women supporting other women was wonderful to read and observe. The relationships developed in this story were very special with unique dynamics you might not expect. This is really a gem of a story and I highly recommend it!

The audiobook version of this novel is phenomenally narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. I was provided with both the audiobook from HarperAudio and an e-galley from Harlequin for review - having two versions of this book at my disposal, I was able to enjoy it by sight and sound. Both are excellent!

Thank you, NetGalley, HarperAudio, Harlequin - Trade Publishing and Sarah Penner, for copies of this book for review!

This review will be published to my Bookstagram page www.instagram.com/journeyofthepgages one or before the publication date. A link will be added below once available.

This doesn't read as a debut at all! Impressive, fascinating, enthralling, and beautiful are the words that stick out the most when I think about The Lost Apothecary. I greatly enjoyed this book, and the audiobook was amazing!

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a feminist story, mixed with historical fiction, and a little bit of mystery. The very first sentence of the synopsis immediately grabbed my attention: “A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them.” Sounds good, right? I loved the dual timeline and multiple perspectives. We hear from three women: Nella, Caroline, and Eliza, flipping from 1791 to present day in London. Various themes such as female friendship, marriage, infidelity, murder, and power are explored. Atmospheric, haunting, and intriguing, this is one debut you don’t want to miss. The Lost Apothecary will be available on Tuesday, March 2nd. I highly recommend it! 4/5 stars for this unique story!

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is historical fiction that follows two story lines told from three points of view. Unfolding in a dual timeline, present day and the years between 1791-1816, the narrators Nella, Eliza, and Caroline tell their own stories. As the story begins, Caroline~ present day ~ is alone in England on what was supposed to be a trip to celebrate her tenth wedding anniversary. She’s recently discovered her husband’s infidelity. She’d always wanted to get a degree from Cambridge. Her passions are history and British literature, but she gave up on her dream when she got married and chose a different life. Now, she makes a discovery that rekindles her interest in history, and she begins to unravel a 200-year-old mystery.
She falls upon one of the original apothecary bottles and begins to research into the history of the hidden shop and it’s mysterious owner. She tries to piece together the life of Nella, the apothecary owner who operated a shop in a back alley two hundred years ago. At the shop, Nella meets a 12-year-old servant girl Eliza Fanning who shows up needing help for her mistress. Nella and Eliza’s lives change forever.

In 1791, apothecary owner Nella helps women with legitimate ‘balms’ and ‘potions’ while at the same time providing darker services that women know about only through word of mouth. She has made it her life’s work to craft poisons—but only for women to exact revenge on men who have scorned them in some way. The owner keeps a detailed log book of these ‘potions’—and their recipients.

The two women’s stories collide in a wonderfully written novel.

"The Lost Apothecary" by Sarah Penner is captivating storytelling of the secrets of a hidden apothecary shop and the reemergence of a talented researcher and her pursuit of higher education and discover all about this secret lost Apothecary. This story was compelling and really fun to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The three narrators of this audiobook, Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin have such distinct voices. Their pacing, accents, and inflections suited their characters perfectly. I was enthralled from the beginning, listened every chance I got (very often - perfect choice for a weekend), and finished this lengthy book in two days. It was definitely worth every minute.

And now for the book. Dual timelines. Three points of view. London.
1791: Nella runs a secret apothecary shop solely for women. Some of her customers come seeking revenge on the men in their lives. In an age where women have little value and even less power, she empowers them.
Eliza is a twelve year old maid who is fascinated by Nella and the shop.
Present: Caroline travels to London alone on her tenth anniversary trip. While mud larking, she finds a blue bottle that will reconnect her to her love of history and aids her as she evaluates the past ten years, her marriage, and her choices,

I love historical fiction and books where women grow strong. This is one of those books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank the author and Netgalley for gifting me the audiobook version. I really loved this book. I was hooked and listened to it in less than 2 days. The narrator's were great. The story was very interesting. I loved how it went back in time to 1791 and then present day. It is a very strong female companionship during the 1791 parts and the present day Catherine is a great story about finding herself. I loved the personal issues in her life led her to still take her London trip and it ended up being the best thing that every happened to her. I would love to read other stories from this author.

First of all - can we just talk about how absolutely GORGEOUS this cover is?!?! It's stunning! One of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen.

Overall, I would say this ended up being about a 3.5 for me & it's mostly because I thought the present day timeline was not needed at all. The writing also seemed really stiff and a bit unnatural, whereas the writing in the 1700s sections felt easy and natural. If there was a desire for multiple timelines, I would have rather had more detail and backstory of the actual apothecary (like her past & her present). I loved learning more about Nella's motivations and life, but I felt that what I got in that way was a little limited & was often jolted out of her story to get pulled into the present day.

Now, aside from the present day stuff, which I wasn't a fan of, I thought this told the story of a wonderfully unique and interesting woman in a real and honest way. Nella was self-reflective but also self-assured, and it's always nice to see those qualities in female characters. The addition of Eliza as a character added a lot of depth to Nella's character and the story as a whole.

The narrators for Nella and Eliza were wonderful, and I look forward to listening to their work again in the future.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Sarah Penner for free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.

What a phenomenal debut novel for Sarah Penner!! I am so honored to be one of the first to read this book!!

I had no idea what this book was about when I requested a copy! I didn’t read the blurb and never heard of the author!! What first lured me into reading this was the beautiful cover!! Having said that, I ended up listening to it on audio and I am so glad that I did. The author used three female narrators to portray the three main characters and it was a brilliant!! They really drew you into the story and made it easy to follow. I’ll be buying a physical copy, just because I’m a sucker for a beautiful book cover!!

Historical Fiction, strong female characters, dual timelines and a mysterious twist....what more could you ask for? The story takes place in two timelines, the 1790’s and present day London. The character development of Caroline, Nella and Eliza’s was so well done that I was invested in their lives from the first page! The premise of the book is about a secret network of women, an Apothecary Shoppe and a legacy of poison and revenge. I really enjoyed how each character’s story from both time periods were told, intertwined and all came together in the end.

This book is beautifully written. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction, Mystery, and strong female characters!

Sarah Penner's debut novel has an intriguing premise and a beautiful cover - I had to check it out! I love a dual timeline historical fiction novel, especially with a touch of mystery. Usually when I read a dual timeline I am more drawn to the past than the contemporary storyline, but I was surprised to find myself very curious about Caroline's modern day investigation into the apothecary. That isn't to say that I was not invested in the stories of Nella and Eliza in the past. Penner did a marvelous job demonstrating how challenging women's lives were in the late 18th century. I especially like the way Caroline's situation in some ways paralleled the events she was uncovering from the past. If you are a historical fiction fan this is one I would highly recommend sending to the top of your TBR pile or library holds list.
I enjoyed the multiple narrator format and liked what each of the three narrators brought to the main characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an audiobook ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner⁣
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Original and intriguing. ⁣
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What a fantastic debut novel! The cover drew me in initially and what followed did not disappoint.⁣
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I adore multiple interconnected timelines add strong female leads and quirky supporting characters and I'm hooked. This historical novel has two distinct storylines and centers in past and present London, one of my favourite places. Intrigued from the beginning, I found it difficult to stop listening to this audiobook. ⁣
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There are three narrators: all were great, I preferred the narrator's of the past timeline only slightly. The accents are most likely the reason. ⁣
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Huge thank you to @netgalley, @parkrowbooks, and @harperaudio for this advanced copy.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

I listed to the audio of this book and it was so well done. I enjoyed the three narrators very much and they added a lot to the feeling of the story.

It was so fun to read something about an Apothecary. Each of the three points of view were interesting and captivating: Nella (the apothecary) and Eliza (the 12-year-old girl who befriends her) in 1791, and Caroline in the present day, while visiting London. The story includes poison, murder, betrayal, mystery, magic, chase, loyalty, friendship and so much more. Essential oils even play a part in the present day storyline and that caught my attention as I love my oils 🤣❤️ I just really enjoyed the unique subject and it was fun to listen to this one.

I would LOVE to learn more about what happened after the 1791 storyline, so a sequel would be amazing!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review.

In this fabulous debut novel, a female apothecary took her knowledge of medicine and drugs to a new level. She has developed quite a few poisons, all effective, to dispense them to women seeking to get away from men who have harmed them in one way or another. It is in the late 18th century and divorce was not always an option. Instead, as an extreme, it soon became known that there was another alternative, albeit a permanent one.

This story tells the tale of three women, Nella, the apothecary, her newest customer's maidservant, a very young woman of twelve, named Eliza Fanning, and present-day historian Caroline Parcewell. As this book was chosen for a blog tour and thus received in Kindle format, I was eager to read it. However, it also became available in audio format via NetGalley. Having the opportunity to listen to this via reading it created great advantage, as each of the females in this story had a narrator. Having multiple narrators made this book all that more intriguing.

As Nella created her poisons, she was building a rather unusual clientele. Of course, it was top secret as to what went on in Nella's shop. She did quite well until bright, over-eager Eliza came on the scene. Nella did not know why she was drawn to Eliza, but that truly could have been her undoing, as a series of events began to happen that came with unexpected consequences.

Where does Caroline come into the story? Well, she was wandering the banks of the River Thames in London and discovered a mysterious vial. The deeper Caroline investigates, the more she learns. She discovers events of over two hundred years ago that were tied into murders from way back them.

There are rules, and if those rules are not followed, Nella will not help. When Eliza comes into the picture, Nella's carefully crafted livelihood comes into danger. When we balance Nella's and Eliza's drama along with Caroline's own drama in her personal and professional life, we are presented with an intriguing story that fills the reader with angst and nail-biting tension. The fact that this is a debut novel is fascinating to me, as well the expected upcoming translation into almost a dozen languages. I can't wait to see where this book goes and am honored to have had both the digital and audio copies available to me for review purposes.

Many thanks to Park Row and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.