I don't know how to describe this, other than a wonderfully quiet mystery. I have thought about the past lives of women, but never thought about how the only way that they might escape the misery caused by men was to kill them. I liked the way the author subtlety compared the similarities and differences of women then and women now, the friendships, the oppression by men, etc. Recommend!

The Lost Apothecary is going to be one of those books that I recommend to everyone. Just a heads-up to anyone I see in the grocery store, book store, any of the other admittedly few places I go these days, you’re probably going to hear me talk about this book.

Sarah Penner, you have completely astounded me with your breathtaking debut. This is truly a book for all women, a book about loyalty and ethics and betrayal.

If you have the opportunity, this is a tale best listened to. Narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin, they take you deep into the story and make you absorb it, take you mudlarking on the Thames and into the apothecary’s tiny hidden shop.

A high 4 ⭐️ for this debut novel by Sara Penner. Release date is March 2, 2021.
320 pages. My copy was an audiobook and the narrators were brilliant. Easy to follow and very enjoyable.

“When vengeance drives us nothing good will ever come from it.“ - My words.

I had not thought until now, how much knowledge an apothecary held. And that they could use this knowledge as a weapon.
With a little imagination this story will transport you back to time filled with mystery and death. It unfolds with two timelines, present and past. Basically three women will tell you this story and you’ll not want to stop until you reach the end.
I’m definitely excited about what this author will do next. I recommend this if you like mystery and women’s literature.

Thank you Harlequin Audio via Netgalley for this free audiobook. I’ve voluntarily given my honest review.

Can I just say that I am here for everything about the past timeline. Loved it. I could live in the world of Nella and Eliza forever (I mean, a bubble with just the two of them, of course). I loved the world building and loved the push and pull between the two characters. I do have to say that the present-day timeline felt pretty dull in comparison. I couldn't really get enthusiastic about it until about 3/4 in, but once we got there it was so worth it! I really appreciate that everything was brought together in the end. I also really enjoyed that there was just enough left up to interpretation and unsolved that it seems (to me anyway) that there could be a second book coming one day. I'll hang my hat on that hope and pick it up from time to time for the next decade, I suppose.

I'm not sure if it's that I feel like a lot of the present day sections were just so vastly different in pacing or partially that openness to the ending, but something about it does have me just a touch unsatisfied (like I would need another book to fulfill my curiosity of the rest of Eliza's and Nella's stories).

I received a free audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw this book. I never heard of the book or the author.

I immediately fell in love with this book! I loved the concept of the story. I loved the jump between characters and the past and present. It was very easy to follow the story.

I would love to see a follow-up book with what happens with the characters .

I enjoyed the narrator and I would happily listen to books by her. And I absolutely loved the author and look forward to future books by her!

Absolutely riveting! From the first chapter I was drawn into this story. The Lost apothecary is a story of history and intrigue. I absolutely adored the writing style and I am always up for a good split fiction book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the option to listen and review this book. The opinions are my own.

The Lost Apothecary is a magical historical mystery - a formidable debut by Sarah Penner! The audio book quickly grabbed my attention and I found myself looking for things to do around the house so I could continue to listen to the story as I couldn't wait to hear what would happen next. The audio book has 3 amazing narrators who really embrace the personalities and accents of each character and this contributes to the beautiful character development in the book, I was really rooting for all of them by the end of the story.

The story weaves together the stories of Nella, an apothecary in 1791 London who has some dark secrets, her 12 year old client Eliza who wants to learn more about her trade, and present day Caroline, who travels to London on her own after making a shocking discovery about her marriage and then explores what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

In addition to being a fantastic story, I think this is the most beautiful book cover I've ever seen! I usually read the book along with the audio book, but in this case I only had access to the audio, so I look forward to buying a copy to reread and add to my book collection once the final version is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

When done well, historical fiction can be pure magic! I can't think of a title I've read recently that has
gripped my attention so firmly as The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Everything about this novel is executed perfectly, from the authentic depictions of late 18th century London to the characterization of the three female protagonists. I've read that this is her novel debut and if that is true, Sarah Penner has quite a gift. Make this your next read and you will not be disappointed!

The storyline of Penner's tale seamlessly weaves together the lives of three remarkable women: Caroline, Nella, and Eliza. Caroline is a modern-day woman who discovers an old apothecary shop bottle while on a mudlarking tour in London. She's supposed to be enjoying a 10-year anniversary trip with her husband, but recent developments in their relationship resulted in this being a solo journey for Caroline. Researching the mysterious vial she's discovered serves to be the perfect distraction from dealing with the drama that has become her marriage. Her initial findings reveal a 200-year-old mystery surrounding an apothecary responsible for many poisoning deaths in the area. Determined to uncover as much information about this enigmatic woman as possible, Caroline soon makes another discovery that could possibly be the key to finally identifying London's first female serial killer.

The novel jumps back in time to tell Nella and Eliza's interconnected tale. Nella is the female apothecary who has a secret business on the side selling poisonous concoctions to women looking to get rid of the men in their lives. She conducts her business according to two simple rules: first, only men can be victims of her elixirs, never women and two, she must record every transaction in her registry. She writes down every transaction, including the names of the purchaser and the intended victim. One day, Eliza, a 12 year-old girl, shows up at Nella's shop looking to purchase a deadly remedy on her mistress's behalf. The intended recipient is the master of the house who has begun to cast his predatory eyes onto Eliza. Without knowing it, Nella and Eliza's paths will cross again, leading to an unexpected friendship and a cataclysmic event.

It's rare for me to like all the characters in a novel, but Penner created such a wonderful trio in Caroline, Nella, and Eliza that it was impossible not to love these women. I was rooting for Caroline to find her place in the world and even though the other two ladies passed away long ago, I still found myself hoping for them to have a happy ending. The narration was perfectly done. Each character's voice was unique and easy to understand. The accents and Nella's gritty dialect really brought these women to life. These characters will stay with me for a long time.

I was also delighted to find I learned a few new things while reading this novel. I had never heard of 'mudlarking' before and now I hope I can try it sometime because it sounds so fun! I'm sure I'll be disappointed at not finding a historical artifact right out of the gate like Caroline did, but either way, it sounds like a great experience. I also got a chance to learn some new vocabulary. Fun fact: the word 'apothecary' is used to refer to a person who sells medicines, much like a pharmacist or chemist today. I had always heard the term used to describe an old-timey pharmacy, but apparently it was more common to refer to a person as an apothecary and their place of business as an apothecary shop. Maybe that's already well-known, but I thought I'd share since it was news to me!

Overall, this was a fabulous read. I actually contemplated waking up EARLY after staying up late just so I could continue the story. I didn't end up doing that, but the fact I even seriously considered it should be a testament to how much I enjoyed this novel!

*Thanks to the author, Harper Audio, and Netgalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed that there were very clear differences between the three characters voices in the writing and the audiobook performances. Overall I think it was a fun read. I looked forward to reading this and hearing the whole story mostly from Nella’s perspective. I enjoyed the story of Nella and Eliza in their unlikely companionship and for being vigilantly-type champions for the scorned women of their time.

The dual timeline with Caroline in the present didn’t always feel necessary to Nella’s story and the impact of the past almost seemed forced on Caroline at times. That being said, I did enjoy the moments of genuine connection between the past and the present. Some of the phrases and themes seemed a bit redundant and drilled down upon the reader. At times I felt like there was just a general theme of “men suck” without a lot of room for real emotions or relatable interactions to make the reader have that same emotion with the characters. In this theme there was a lot of tell and not enough show.

I did think the themes of female friendships and relationships were represented well in the past, but the present storyline could have used a bit more focus and support in that area.

This book is an intriguing blend of the sensational and the ordinary told by three narrators in two separate time periods.

1791
Nella is an apothecary who has sworn to assist everyday women with her concoctions—whether those remedies take a form of a salve to soothe a new mother after childbirth or a poison to kill an abusive husband.

Present Day
Caroline has just arrived in London for her ten-year wedding anniversary. Alone. After an unexpected mudlarking expedition, Caroline finds herself distracted from her own problems by delving into someone else’s story, the story of a long-dead apothecary and an unsolved mystery.

1791
Eliza is a young housemaid given an important task by her mistress. A task that will change everything.

Although this book is told through the perspectives of three first-person narrators rather than epistolically, it is very much a tribute to ephemera—the tiny little bits and pieces that are left behind from the day-to-day ways of ordinary lives. It’s also a celebration of the ordinary, everyday people who history forgets.

The audiobook is narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwen. Each narrator gives voice to one of the three main characters of the story. I think this format was very effective and allowed Nella, Caroline, and Eliza to individually come alive in the audiobook.

I received a free audio recording of this book from NetGalley.

Told in dual storylines, this book left me completely mesmerized and spellbound! Such beautiful writing, a terrific story and engaging characters.
Note: I was granted access to both the ebook and audio and chose to go with the audio.
Thank you so much!

I absolutely LOVED The Lost Apothecary. Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook arc.

First off, the gorgeous cover alone should tempt any reader. I want those beautiful colors on a shirt or a mug! I honestly don’t know anything about Apothecaries (beyond that of the Schitts Creek Rose Apothecary.) I went into this book blindly which I think made me love it more. I’ll also add that I was captivated by the audio. The narrator was excellent. Being as the book is told in the perspective of two women- it was so nice to hear them. Nella, the owner of the apothecary, had a beautiful accent that helped capture her very essence. We also follow present day Caroline who is at a crossroads in her life. She sounded like a familiar friendly voice.

Caroline is on her tenth wedding anniversary trip, alone. She accidentally stumbles on a vile from the lost apothecary which reignites her passion for research and history. We also uncover so much about Nella and her life impact which radiates through decades.

I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction so I was surprised to find I could not stop listening to this. I found myself listening at every chance I could & finished in less than 36 hours (which is no small feat with two little kids!) I loved the way the two stories intertwined. I was captivated by both women and their strength. What a testament to the courage of women that stands the test of time. I highly recommend this story! It has left me with a book hangover as I’m so sad to be finished!

Let me start by saying, I could not put this down.

Apothecaries. Folk-healers. Herbalists. Witches. The original feminists, the supporters of scorned women, and the healers of their woes for centuries. This is Nella, the daughter of an apothecary who handed down her skills in earthy medicine. Nella, however, has added poisons to her repertoire, providing them to women eager to remove a man from their lives for one reason or another. She has acquired a young sidekick, eager to learn about Nella’s magic and help in any way she can.

Over two centuries in the future we have Caroline, a woman who is realizing that her life is not what she signed up for and who’s marriage is in turmoil. Caroline unintentionally stumbles upon a mystery that will change her life for good and will help her realize that her own magic is real.

I loved this book. The characters were interesting and well developed. The flip-flop between the 1700s and modern day was very well done and intentional in it’s timing. This story took unexpected turns more than once and the ending was beautiful and satisfying.

LONG LIVE THE FOLK-HEALER

This was a dual timeline narrative, with one part of the story in present day London, and one in London of the 1700’s. It was well written and interesting.

In the 1700’s timeline, we have Nella, the secretive and isolated matron of the apothecary, spending her days allowing women of London to obtain potions and natural poisons to take care of the wayward men in their lives. Also narrating chapters in this timeline is Eliza, who at 12 years old was sent to obtain a poison for her mistress and then becomes enchanted with Nella’s shop. These chapters were rich and full of the feel of the times. I was able to connect with both characters and felt their individual struggles and limits even with their different ages. I would have loved the addition of more focus on Eliza as well nearer to the end.

In present day, we have Caroline, visiting London on her 10th wedding Anniversary and we follow her story after she finds a clue that takes her on a journey to figure out it’s origins while also trying to sort out some issues with her own life. I thought the switch between the timelines was really well written and was able to switch between them seamlessly. I did find the present day story line a bit more of a challenge, there were a few moments where I questioned whether something would unfold in that way or why the character had certain feelings or priorities.

As I read, I found myself wanting to get back to each timeline as I left it in equal amounts which was great. I hoped for a bit more connection between the character narratives then I got but I feel like that was really a ‘me’ issue. Just past midway through, I thought, here we go and from there until the end, I thought it would pick up a bit in connection. The plot did advance quicker and things accelerated in both timelines which was nice. I just kept thinking it was going in ways that it didn’t.

The audio was well done, it was very nice to have three different narrators, I love audiobooks that are going in this direction, it is so much cleaner than one narrator adjusting her voice or cadence. I did find Nella’s voice a bit deep and slow which made for a bit of an adjustment from the other two characters though.

All in all, this was a lovely book about the self discovery of the characters. I thought it was going to be a bit more of a thriller/mystery, but I think, for me, it’s best categorized as historical literary fiction and in that category, I thought it excelled. It showed women throughout the years struggling to fend for and make choices for themselves while not always being in company of the greatest of men. And if that appeals to you, I ++ suggest that you see if the lost apothecary has any tinctures for you 🧪

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book had me motivated from the first sentence. We start off with Nella who runs a secret apothecary shop in 18th century London that helps women with all sorts of troubles, but is perhaps best known for getting rid of male problems (literally) more than medical ones. When her latest client, a 12 year old girl comes in, she does not expect her life to change so drastically in a matter of days. With the help of the 12 year old girl, named Eliza, Nella will have to overcome her own trauma that led her to take this dangerous and dark path. Eliza will face the ghosts of her own while also exploring the dangerous world of magic and men. Meanwhile, in present day London, Caroline is recovering from a discovery of her husband's infidelity. She came to London to find answers, but probably didn't expect to find them in a chance encounter with a hobby known as mudlarking. When she finds an apothecary vial with.a strange engraving, Caroline takes her own journey as she uncovers the history of a forgotten apothecary.

What's not to love: creepy apothecaries, eighteenth century feminism, and a present day mystery. The story never failed to get boring. Even with alternating chapters that were separated by over 200 years, each chapter placed with the previous one and the next in a way that kept this story together. Each chapter had me at the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I knew where each character's story was going, Sarah Penner threw me off with the next chapter.

All three characters (Nella, Eliza, and Caroline) were fascinating. I never found myself wanting to skip any particular POV to get to the next. While I originally was interested in this book for the poisonous apothecary, Caroline and her marriage problems soon became just as interesting. You got to see how three different women dealt differently and understandably to the issues that plagued them throughout the story, I grew to love each character, in a way that made me mourn the end of this book because it meant saying goodbye.

I absolutely hate to give this 3 stars. I was incredibly excited for it, but it did not live up to my own hype. I usually love books with differing POVs, but in this case the present day story line was completely unnecessary. It didn't add anything to the story and seemed like it was added in or too forced. Also the mystery portion of the present day story line was confusing. Even though I knew what happened from the other POV I was sometimes confused by what she was trying to figure out or how her info made sense.

Overall I was really excited for the feminist story line. An apothecary that helped women kill men that were harming them seemed dark and exciting. But that dark, female power feel was lost and I was left counting the pages until it was over. (I am cringing at this review because I was so hopeful of it. The cover was beautiful and I wanted the story line to live up.)

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a unique book about a story from the past and the present.

Nella has a secret apothecary shop in London during the eighteenth century. Nella disguises poisons for women to administer to the men they want to get away from without any suspicion of cause of death. Nella develops a friendship with Eliza, a twelve year old customer, and Eliza starts helping out at the apothecary shop. Nella has a rule that her poisons cannot be used to harm other women and records the victim and murderer. When a woman wants to harm another woman, one mistake could ruin everything.

Present day, Caroline is visiting London alone for her tenth wedding anniversary after discovering her husband’s infidelity. Caroline finds an old apothecary vial and starts to research where it came from. Caroline makes some concerning discoveries that can have unexpected consequences for Caroline.

I LOVED The Lost Apothecary. From the very beginning I was drawn into Nella and Caroline’s stories. The past and present intertwine in this great novel. The chapters alternate between Nella and Caroline’s stories. These characters are complex and trying to do the best they can. Nella is trying to help women especially her new friend Eliza. Caroline is trying to decide what makes her happy. The Lost Apothecary shows how far some women would go to rebel against a man’s world. I loved how unique this story was and highly recommend The Lost Apothecary.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. All narrators did a great job and provided the perfect voices for the characters. I thought the narration added to the story and I’m so glad I listened to The Lost Apothecary.

Thank you Harper Audio, Harlequin Audio, Park Row, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for The Lost Apothecary.

Full review will be posted with book tour through the publisher closer to the publication date in March.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a dual timeline book about three women. Two of the women are from the 1790s and the third is in present day. One of the women from the 1790s runs the Apothecary shop she inherited from her mother. However, she has turned to the darker side of the business and often provides poisons for women who need to rid themselves of troublesome men. The woman in present day is getting ready to celebrate her 10th anniversary when she discovers that her husband is cheating on her. Which is the catalyst for her to take their anniversary trip to London alone. While in London, she goes mud larking in the Thames and finds a bottle from the 1790's Apothecary Shop. I received an audio version of #TheLostApothecary from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Even in the audio version it was quite easy to keep the characters and their plots straight, with no confusion. Three different women narrate the book and each chapter is a different woman.

Have you ever read a book that was so good, it gave you goosebumps? This was that book for me.
From start to finish, I was engrossed in the wonderful storytelling that seamlessly intertwined past and present.

The story follows the lives of three women. In 1791, Nella sells poisons to women who wish to kill the men in their lives who have done them harm. When twelve-year-old Eliza becomes a patron of Nella's shop, they strike up an unexpected friendship and young Eliza becomes her apprentice. However, this chance encounter sets in motion a chain of events that threats to expose Nella's apothecary and the women she has served.
In present day, we meet Caroline who is on a solo trip to London after finding out her husband of ten years was having an affair. While mudlarking in the Thames, she discovers an old apothecary jar which links back to the unsolved apothecary murders.
The lives of these three women intertwined in a specular way despite over two centuries separating them, reminding us of the impact that history can play in the present.

I love the strong, empowered female characters.
I love that this story is inspired by true events. (Cue Giulia Tofana).
I pretty much love everything about this book, and can't believe it's a debut!

This is a beautifully crafted novel perfect for fans of mysteries and historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
And thank you to Sarah Penner for the lovely story. I'm now a fan!