In an effort to tackle my backlog of reviews, I am going to experiment with writing mini-reviews. Writing short reviews has never been my strong suit, so we'll see how this goes.......

A delightful romantic tale that explores the magic and messiness of love through Augusta’s unique apothecary and its potions. When she crafts a love elixir, it unintentionally triggers a series of surprising happenings in her quaint community. As Augusta grapples with the ripple effects of her concoction, she learns that while her intentions with the love elixir were good, real connections and emotions are irreplaceable and essential for meaningful relationships.

The book reminds us that love, trust, and understanding are the foundations of strong bonds, and that sometimes, even the best intentions can lead to unexpected outcomes.

🎧Narrator, Gabra Zackman’s expressive voice masterfully captures the book’s whimsical and heartwarming essence, bringing depth and personality to each character while vividly conveying the emotions of key moments.

Meanwhile, author Lynda Cohen Loigman’s narration adds a unique personal touch, enriching the storytelling with her deep understanding of the characters and plot. Together, their performances make this audiobook a delightful journey.

I throughly enjoyed this charming story and recommend it to anybody who enjoys tales of imperfect connections.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and author Lynda Cohen Loigman for gifting me a copy of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. In exchange for the review copy, I offer my honest review.

I absolutely ADORED this novel. Lynda Cohen Loigman brings so much Jewish Joy to her novels, blending historical fiction, magical realism, romance and drama. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is told in two timelines, 1920’s Brooklyn, where Augusta “ Goldie” Stern is a young woman coming of age after the loss of her mother and the other timeline is 1980’s Florida, where Augusta Stern is approaching her 80th birthday. Cohen- Loigman is beyond talented in creating memorable characters who are easily identifiable and relatable.
This story is full of charm, magic, heart and soul. A truly wholesome and delightful story, good for all ages. I loved this book so much, I bought a copy for my 80 year old mom…who loved it too!!!

Everything about this was just delightful and lovely. I enjoyed this book start to finish and would recommend to almost everyone I know.

This was not my usual genre, but I loved it. I loved the characters and how this book told a story that can be related by so many different readers. I love reading about the different time periods how life happens and how people go in different ways. With that being said, I also enjoyed the hope the story has that sometimes in the end, the two people that should be together end up together.

I loved this steely from beginning to end. The flashbacks and real time life of Augusta Stern was fascinating and I loved how everything came together at the end. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author but this story was top tier!

This was a really sweet book. Part historical fiction, part predictable (in all the best ways) second chance romance. The story is told through a dual timeline. We get to watch young Augusta navigate life in Brooklyn in the 1920s as her interest in being a pharmacist grows. Plus, newly-retired 80 year old Augusta as she adjusts to life in a new state and at a retirement home. There she finds familiar faces that bring up all sorts of old memories.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own.

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

I loved Lynda’s latest book , The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern and all her other wonderful books she has written. When you read one of Lynda’s books, you feel as though you are right there in the story with her characters. I know when I read a novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman you will remember her characters and stories for many years to come and reflect back upon her wonderful books. I look forward to reading Lynda’s next book and hope that I will be lucky enough to read an early arc of her next book. Bravo Lynda🙋‍♀️🇨🇦❤️👏📚💐👍

I'm late to the party, but what a lovely story!

Through alternating timelines of 1987 and the 1920's, we meet Augusta Stern. She's the daughter of a pharmacist who perseveres through personal and professional challenges to work as a pharmacist until she turns 80. Ms. Cohen Loigman's beautifully descriptive writing brings the various settings to life - from the family kitchen in Brooklyn to the retirement community in Florida. I would love Esther's chicken soup recipe!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Lovel Elixir of Augusta Stern. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

Quick easy read that was entertaining with a generally likeable main cast of characters. I also enjoyed the dual timelines. There weren't many unexpected twists and turns, so 3 stars for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a love story wrapped around a mystery with a touch of magic. Augusta Stern’s father was a pharmacist and after her mother dies while she was a young girl, her aunt came to live with them to care for her. Her aunt also crafted potions to make people feel better but her dad scoffed at these remedies which did not rely on science. When Augusta’s childhood boyfriend abruptly marries another, she throws herself into life as a pharmacist. But after she is forced to retire, she finds her former boyfriend at the same retirement community in Florida, and perhaps some of her aunt’s remedies may be of use? Thanks to the author and publishers for providing an eARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the dual timelines which included both Augusta as a young woman and as an older one. Even though I am no longer a woman in college and I’m not a woman in my 80’s, I still easily connected with Augusta. She struggled in a time when women weren’t likely to go to college but she persevered anyway. She continued to work years after most felt she was ‘supposed to’. I loved her strong personality and ambition.

Augusta doesn’t know what to do with herself when she is forced to retire. She doesn’t know anything else beyond being a pharmacist and treating people in both conventional and unconventional ways. She moves to a retirement community where she runs into Irving, a man from her past.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my copies of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

This book is historical fiction, with romance, and a pinch of magical realism. It’s told from two different timelines, the past and the present. I liked that the author did this because it really helped me understand the characters more, and to really have a deeper connection with them as well. I found this book to be sweet, sad, heartbreaking and then so much love and acceptance. I went into this book blind, and I am so happy that I did because wow, I didn’t know that I would love this book as much as I did.

You will be taken back to the 1920’s in Brooklyn. You will meet Augusta, her father, her sister and of course their awesome Great Aunt Esther (who moved in after the death of Augusta mother). You will also meet Irving who is the delivery boy from Augusta’s father’s pharmacy shop. You will see the highs and lows of living during that era, and you will get to see how someone that is an apothecary/healer and a board-certified pharmacist live together and how they handle people’s illnesses differently. I found that when the author would move to the present time, which was 1987 (best year ever!!) to have been a smooth transition, I was not confused at all while reading this book. I loved getting to understand the characters more, from why they did what they did to how they lived different lives to the regrets and the accomplishments. I found that the author did great with the pace of the book not once, was I wishing that it would speed up or move on, but found myself instead sad to see this wonderful book end. I felt as though I knew the characters in real life, and I was just in Florida sitting down by the pool listening to their story.

For me, the best part that I took from this book is even though you might go through tragedy in your life, you can find someone who understands you and loves you no matter what and it doesn’t have to be a romantic love but all kinds of love. I also loved that even though you might have made some choices that lead you to not having the life you wanted, you never know what second chances might pop up later on in life.

I will be recommending this book to everyone to read, it is beautifully written and has so much meaning in it.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

This was a very enjoyable story. I liked the past/present timelines and the focus on the occult. It was heart-warming and a feel-good read with strong familial bonds and a great ending. I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to SMP and Netgalley for the arc.

This was a really unique and interesting book that ran the gamut of emotions. The characters were fleshed out and I was invested in the story from the start and kept holding out hope for that happy ending. What a great book.

This was the most delightful book! You will fall in love with all the quirky characters - from Augusta’s elderly aunt who provides more than just the usual soup, Augusta who does eventually get her happy ending, and even the old “schmucks” at the retirement village. You will find yourself smiling months later, like I am reminiscing over this late review.

Augusta Stern has had a career she loved as a pharmacist for many years, in fact, a decade longer than she had admitted to her final employer. When she is relatively gently shown the door, she follows the advice of her beloved niece to move to a retirement community in Florida. There, she finds her first love, Irving Rivkin, who broke her heart just over sixty years ago. He is clearly still in love with her, but what does Augusta want? And what happened all those years ago to make him leave her for another woman?

This story takes place in two timelines - one from Augusta "Goldie" Stern's childhood through her younger life and the other in the 1980s around her eightieth birthday. The chapters alternate and typically are launched by something that happened in the chapter from the other timeline. For example, Augusta or Irving wonders what had made the other do something when they were young and then the next chapter tells that story.

I think that the older timeline is better written and yet I found myself wanting to get back to the "present" to see whether they would end up together ultimately. I enjoyed the book a lot and found myself coming up with a theory about what went wrong and then revising it as more details came to light. My initial theory was relatively close, but not so much that I didn't have a few surprises along the way. If you enjoy historical fiction, this book has two historical timelines and I think you will like it. The only real complaint I had was that I thought some of the actions the octogenarians took were too juvenile. I'm not saying an octogenarian is incapable of feeling passion and anger and sadness, but I'd like to think he or she would express it better than your average teenager. Some of the reactions read like they were straight out of a high school lunchroom or hallway.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
Author Lynda Cohen Loigman

Thank you, @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillianaudio, for my #gifted copies of this unique novel that was one of my favorite reads of 2024. Yes, I bought my own copy in one of my BOTM boxes. The audio narration of this one done by Gabra Zackman was perfection.

I waited to post my review because last night, I had the pleasure of meeting @lloigman in an author chat via Zoom that was moderated by @lbtheloverof books. What a treat and such a wonderful conversation about all things Augusta!

I absolutely love the second change trope, and when there's a creative spin or a storyline that's not typically written, like a second chance on love in their eighties, it makes for such a unique and special read.

In the 1920's, Augusta Stern was a teenager in Brooklyn, where her hardworking and role model father is a trusted pharmacist in the neighborhood. When Augusta's mother dies, Aunt Ester moves in and has her own methods of healing with potions, powders, and soups. Augusta is preparing for pharmacy college and is torn between her relatives' healing ways, which causes her to seek the truth about her complicated relationship with Irving, the delivery boy at the pharmacy, in an unconventional way that consequently ends not at all how Augusta had hoped.

Sixty years later, Augusta retires to a senior living home in Florida and crosses paths with Irving from so many years ago. What follows is the sharp, witty, and hilarious path to truth, forgiveness, and freedom from past mistakes. These characters are dynamic, wise, and full of heart, and I loved learning more about the Jewish culture with an added hint of magical realism. It was also fun to read about retirement living in Florida, as I can relate to the lifestyle and drama as so many of our patients live in this type of setting. This would also be a perfect February read for all the extra love this month!

Augusta Stern is on the threshold of turning eighty, newly retired, and relocated to Southern Florida. And now she's feeling out-of-s0rts emotionally.

First of all, she's unhappy about being forced to retire. Secondly, she's unsure about living in a senior community far from where she's always lived. But mostly, she's shocked and perplexed at running into Irving Rivkin, who broke her heart sixty years ago...

"The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern" has alternating timelines of 1920s Brooklyn and 1980s Florida that kept me reading.

* In the 1920s timeline, we are introduced to the two important influences in Augusta's early life in Brooklyn, her father and mentor, Solomon, and the magic of her relationship with her Great Aunt Esther. These chapters are my favorite.

* In the 1980s timeline, we learn how Augusta transitions to her new lifestyle in Florida. I did enjoy the depiction of healthy, active, fun, and intelligent over seventy central characters through these chapters. It was a refreshing perspective of this age group.

An immersion read, the audiobook was narrated by Gabra Zackman, who brought life to the many characters. I found both formats equally enjoyable.

I read the debut novel "The Two Family House" and fell in love with this author’s simple, uncomplicated, and readable storytelling. Loigman writes evocative stories with heart and soul that are well-researched for historical and character authenticity. Her author's note gives the details of why she wrote this story and it adds to the reasons why I will be here for her next novel.

I recommend "The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern" to readers who enjoy Historical and Women's Fiction with a sprinkle of magic through the pages!

4.5⭐

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Lynda Cohen Loigman for a DRC and an ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming book. The dual timeline is handled well, with no real issues keeping up with which time period we were in. I loved the characters, 80-year-old Augusta is a little cranky, but with her history (which is told in a series of flashbacks throughout the book) I figured she's entitled. Her friends and family are nicely drawn characters. Both timelines feel "right", I wasn't around in the 1920s, but I could picture things as described (movies and TV help!). I was around in the 80s though, and that timeline did feel right as well. Overall it was a lovely story about life and love and the gift of second chances at the most unexpected times. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Gabra Zackman; the voices she gave the different characters felt just right.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.