This was a solid 4 star book for the first half. I really enjoyed the mystery of the historical part of the story and the conflict of the contemporary part of the story. It was also really nice to read historical fiction that doesn’t center around a war!

But around halfway through, I started to get bored. I started noticing the stilted awkward language, how one character asked another (present day), “Did you ingest that?” instead of “Did you swallow that?”

Still, I was thinking 3.5 stars. And then, I got really annoyed with the main character’s choice at the very end of the novel, bringing us down to only 3.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the talented author Sarah Penner for the ARC of The Lost Apothecary in exchange for an honest review.

I am rating this book 3.5 stars. This was a very interesting, unique story about a lost vial from an apothecary shop dating back to the 1700’s that is found in present day. The story goes back and forth between the two timelines and the characters involved in both timelines and intertwines very nicely. The characters were well developed, the style of writing was very easy to read and understand, and it connected the characters and timelines very clearly, leaving me with no unanswered questions.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and mystery novels, as well as those who enjoy books with a strong leading female presence. I can’t wait to read more by this author as she did such a good job with this book!

I just finished listening to “The Lost Apothecary” this afternoon and I have to say I loved it! I enjoyed the 3 different narrators from two different time periods. The author did a great job telling us Nella’s story through the three different narrators. I really enjoyed how Caroline was able to piece the story together through her research and a little bit of a field trip. This story had suspense, characters you can’t help but love! Great story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to listen and review this lovely book!

The Lost Apothecary was absolutely enthralling! This novel has a dual storyline taking place in present day and the late 1700’s. With 3 strong female lead characters, their stories intertwine throughout the course of the novel leading to a suspenseful and unexpected ending.

I received this and as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for giving me access.

The cover of this immediately drew me in. It is just absolutely stunning! I couldn't stop listening to this audio, it was that good. We follow multiple POVs of women, present day and past.

The historical aspect of the MC on the hunt of a mysterious blue vial was intriguing. This little blue vial unraveled a whole story that changed our MCs life. The storyline was well thought out and had excellent narrators. I will be looking for more stories by Sarah Penner in hope for more like this.

A very enjoyable read, this book told two different stories, from two different time periods. Told as alternating stories, the plots come together in the end.

We meet Nella in 1791, an Apothecary hidden in the back alleys of London, Nella now dispenses poisons to aid women to get rid of the men in their lives. When 12 year old Eliza Fanning comes to purchase a poison for her mistress to use, a friendship between the two women ensues,

In present day London, American Caroline should be on an anniversary trip to the British capital, but she came alone after discovering her husband had been cheating on her. She engages in her love of history, visiting museums and joining a group of 'mudlarkers' who walk through the mud of the Thames at low tide to find any historical items given up by the river, When she finds a small vial, Caroline begins to research what it is, where it came from, and what its story is,

When the wrong person dies as a result of one of Nella's poisons, both Nella and Eliza are thrown into danger. How can they escape being hanged for murder?

I enjoyed the apothecary's story a little more than the modern day tale, but the characters were all well done, and the atmosphere of the 1790's very well written.

I listened to this book, and the narrator did an excellent job of distinguishing between the two plotlines, and giving the characters unique voices.

This story is set in duel timelines. 1791 and present time is told through three different points of view. An apothecary back in 1791 who helps women to poison their cheating husbands and a young apprentice. The present is a woman who has just found out her husband has cheated and goes on her anniversary trip to London on her own. The story is told from three different points of view. This was a story I could not wait to find out what was going to happen at the end.

I was given a galley copy of the audiobook. I loved that they had three different narrators to represent the three main characters. It was very well done.

Everyone knows the saying “Don’t just a book by its cover”. Well I have a bad habit of doing that. But just look at this cover. It’s GORGEOUS! The cover alone made me request this book on @Netgalley. One of my goals for 2021 is to read more books outside of my comfort zone. Read ones I wouldn’t typically choose. This is one of them. It was so good. I got lost in the story of Nella and Caroline with a past and present timeline, which I love. What an amazing debut.

This was such a great read. I really appreciate reading books that teach me about new things; this book specifically opened my eyes to the world of mudlarking. Despite the small amount of time that mudlarking is discussed, it plays a major role in the development of the story.

In this dual point of view timeline, we meet two women who are navigating London and the men in their lives. Caroline is our present-day protagonist who is visiting London for her 10th wedding anniversary...alone. A secret was revealed to her prior to the trip and she finds herself navigating London while attempting to solve a mystery.

Nella is our lonely and isolated apothecary owner in 1700s London who mixes up concoctions to help women get revenge on their no-good male counterparts. Nella meets 12-year-old Eliza, who is visiting the apothecary for a poison to help her mistress get revenge on her husband.

From there we bounce between Nella, Caroline, and even Eliza's point of view as they are each navigating their own current issues while also unraveling a mystery. I wish we spent a little more time with the mystery/thriller aspect of the story instead of the individual development of each character. Overall, I really enjoyed the historical aspects intertwined with feminist undertones.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Audio, and Sarah Penner, I was able to listen to the audiobook narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. Each narrator did an amazing job. I found myself getting lost in the story with every chapter that each of them narrated.

A woman helping women kill their husbands in the 1790s through her apothecary shop? That got my attention! I loved the way this story was told through present and past day! It was a beautifully written, gripping novel that I thoroughly enjoyed!

The two characters we are focused on are Nella in the 1790s and Caroline in the present day. Nella is using her apothecary shop to help women kill their husbands with poisons. She has very strict morals about this killing. It must always be men, never women. She will destroy potions and refuse service to any request that has the intent to harm another woman. I really enjoyed her character. She was smart and resourceful, but also emotionally wounded, creating a character that I was deeply invested in.

Caroline is escaping an adulterous husband by taking a vacation to London alone. She discovers an apothecary vial and her historian brain kicks into high gear. I loved how she became immediately interested in what this vial was, who used it, etc. Sometimes I get less interested in the present-day story-line in books like this, but in this one, I loved what she was discovering about herself and about the past. It made me so interested in both stories!

I loved the audio of this. The narrator did a wonderful job, creating a beautiful story and setting that I was completely immersed in. I would highly recommend it!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I loved listening to this book narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony and Lauren Irwin! The dual timeline takes place in the 1790s and present day London. Caroline has arrived in London on a 10 year anniversary trip on her own, after finding out her husband was having an affair. After trying out 'mudlarking', she finds an old apothecary vial. She goes to the British Library to investigate the origin of it. This reignites her passion for history.
We meet Nelly, an apothecary in the 1790's who dispenses poisons which must never be used against women. Twelve year old Eliza comes to her on behalf of her mistress.
I really enjoyed how Sarah Penner wove the stories of the three heroines together. It was fast-paced, with strong characters and wonderful descriptions of 1790's London.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio/ Harlequin Audio for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#TheLostApothecary #NetGalley

The Last Apothecary is a unique and atmospheric book with perfect pacing. It is duel timeline and both characters were so interesting to listen to. I absolutely loved this audiobook and I can't wait to read more from the author. I think people will absolutely love this! Thank you so much for the audiobook arc.

This story vacillates between London 1700's and present day. In the 1700's a secret apothecary exists dispensing poisons to liberate women from men who have wronged them. Present day a young woman wronged by her husband, flees to London on a trip that should have celebrated their anniversary. Caroline, an aspiring historian stumbles upon an old apothecary vial only to realize she's found a link to old "apothecary murders" The force is strong with the female characters. It was a great book. with lovely pros and fierce female friendships. The Audiobook narrators did an excellent job.

The Lost Apothecary is a great read. I was immediately drawn in as soon as I began the audiobook. The story follows three different point of views and two time lines. Sometimes that can be confusing if not executed well. The way these two time lines weave together is done wonderfully. I am always interested in historical fiction, especially ones that do not take place during WW2, which is rare. The premise of an apothecary aiding women to murder their oppressive husbands caught my attention.
I finished the book hours ago, but am still thinking about it. I highly recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction. The audiobook is well done, all three narrators are great for their parts.

This review will be posted to Goodreads and Amazon

Loved all of the narrators in this audiobook. Really great storyline and writing. Would definitely recommend this to others.

I loved this book so much ! I am a huge fan of Historical fiction and was really excited to branch out into a different genre other than WWII. I received this as an audiobook, which was very delightful. For each perspective there was a new narrator...each one perfect for the character they were portraying. Great choices in narrators which is very important for audiobooks! It really brought the story to life.

This story follows three characters- Nella and Eliza, timeline of the 18th century London, and Caroline, present day. Nella is the owner of an apothecary shop. On the outside it just looks like a normal place to get natural remedies for common things- but behind the scenes, Nella helps women kill the men in their lives by offering poisonous doses of natural ingredients, in inconspicuous ways. She keeps very strict records in her registry of who bought the remedy, what it was and who it was intended for. She also only help women with MEN, no poison ever to kill another woman. Nella meets Eliza when Eliza's mistress requests something to kill her husband and sends Eliza to fetch and distribute the poison. Eliza is mesmerized by this process and wants to know more, sparking an unlikely friendship with Nella.

Present Day Caroline, who just found out her husband of 10 years, has been having an affair, comes to London on her anniversary trip alone to think about her relationship. While she is there, she discovers a apothecary bottle and dives into finding out more about it. During this process, she rediscovers her love for research and history.
This book tied together so nicely the events which unraveled in 18th century London, the friendship and chaos of Nella and Eliza, and how Caroline learned more about herself by following the rabbit hole of their story.

What I loved the most about this book was the characters! Nella. although she helped women murder the men in their lives for whatever reason, was deeply hurt inside and damaged. Everything she loved was taken from her very early on, causing her to become cold and she didn't want other women to have to endure the same pain she has. Once she meets Eliza, she is instantly motherly and protective over her which is so beautiful. Eliza is a very intelligent and bright young girl (only 12) and throughout the book you will fall in love with. her as well. She is also very brave and loving towards Nella, which Nellas hasn't felt in a long time. Caroline, even though she is having problems in her marriage, begins to think of it as a blessing, as she is realizing she has been missing out on so much being married and wants to follow her dreams and find herself again.

I loved this book so much! I Loved how invested all the characters where in the role of the apothecary, how passionate they were and how much I really cared about what happened to them. The ending was brought together so beautifully and made me feel hopeful and happy. I am looking forward to reading more from this author! Thank you so much for letting me listen to your book early Sarah Penner. I really loved it so much !!!

The premise of this book grabbed me immediately and was so intriguing for the first few chapters. As I got into the book I found it to be predictable and I found myself rolling my eyes at the characters. At times it felt very melodramatic and over the top, in addition to being predictable. Some of the supplemental characters and storylines felt pointless to me and had me wishing Penner would've dove deeper into others. While I did enjoy the ending, it was not a book that had enough depth, intrigue or dynamic characterization to use in my classroom. This one was overall just a miss for me. I almost DNFed but I'm very glad I didn't because the ending would make me bump this up to 2.5 stars.

This was a great book of secrets and more secrets. I listened to the audiobook and it was fabulous!
The story moves back and forth between 2 timelines, London in the 1790's and present day London. Nella, an apothecary in 1790's London conjures up potions, and poisonous ones at that. She aids those women that need assistance against male wrongdoings, as she, herself, once experienced. Her adoring helper is 12 year-old Eliza. Caroline escapes to London in the present day, while reassessing a failing marriage. She is the catalyst to uncovering the secrets of the past.
The narrators were superb. There were 3 different voices for each of the 3 main characters. Their distinct voices, especially Nella, were so well-defined and created an aura of suspense as each chapter progressed. The unexpected turn of events add to an exciting plot. The interpretation of the book's ending was left up to the reader, to figure who survived or if they survived. It was a perfect ending to an engrossing and entertaining read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and absolutely adored it. The narrator’s voice changed (or there were multiple narrators) depending on who was talking which made it really simple to know who you were listening to. The book was great and immediately pulled me in. I loved both viewpoints and followed “on the edge of my seat” while I washed dishes over several days.

The Lost Apothecary is a novel told in two timelines: one in London in 1791 (featuring Nella and Eliza) and one in present-day London (featuring Caroline). The titular apothecary, Nella, has dedicated herself to helping women, who were not well served by the 18th century medical establishment. She learned those skills from her mother. But a tragic event earlier in her life impelled her toward creating poisons to get revenge on deceitful men and that is how she meets young Eliza, who arrives at her workshop at the behest of her mistress, whose husband is cheating on her. In the current day, Caroline’s husband has cheated on her and that is how she winds up in London alone, on what was supposed to be their tenth anniversary trip.

Although sometimes a two-timeline book has me losing interest in one of the stories, this book did not have that issue. I found both of the stories quite engaging and I loved how they interacted with each other along the way. One issue I did have is that, in the modern story, Caroline discovered the location of the 1791 apothecary workshop and various documents way too easily. Of course, that made the story move along but in reality, these things would never have come so easily and quickly to an amateur researcher (one week or so). That being said, I was still drawn into the story and was rooting for each of the three women.

I listened to the audiobook and I thought the three narrators were excellent: Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advance readers copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.