Augusta Stern reluctantly retires from her job as a pharmacist, moves to a retirement community in Florida and finds that dating drama has no expiration.
This was cute enough; filled to the brim with improbable coincidences.
Thanks to # netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #theloveelixirofaugustastern in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
By Lynda Cohen Loigman

This is a sweet story. It is the romantic history of Augusta Stern and Irving Rivkin, two young Jews from Brooklyn who manage to spend over 60 years missing out on repeated opportunities to express their love and share their lives.

They first meet when Irving is hired as the delivery boy for the pharmacy owned by Augusta's father. Irving calls Augusta "Goldie", because, for him, she glows with a golden light. Although they are young, they soon realize that they are in love. In fact Irving has plans to propose when a set of circumstances forces him to abandon Goldie without a word, move away, and marry another woman.

Goldie never recovers from the loss and never marries. Instead she follows her career path and becomes a pharmacist, just like her father. The years pass and, as life winds down, Goldie is forced to retire. At her niece's urging she move to a condo in a seniors complex in Florida. And who does she find living there? – why, Irving of course. Some things just seem to be fated.

Through alternating chapters, their story from the 1920s to the 1980s unfolds. These two have truly been ships passing in the night. The story is sad and tender at the same time. Can Goldie and Irving finally get their happily ever after?

If you believe in the triumph of love over adversity, this is a must read.

Told in dual timeline, we get to see Augusta growing into womanhood and transitioning into retirement (rather unwillingly). Augusta is independent and out to prove everyone wrong.
I loved everything about this read. The cast is great, the comedic moments offset some of the sadness that comes through, and there’s a good peep at long lasting love.
I read and listened to this book simultaneously. The narrator (Gabra Zachman) made this book that much better! I loved her intonation and the way she brought the story to life.
Thank you to Macmillan for the complimentary audiobook and SMP for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Sweet story of how it’s never too late to discover, or rediscover, the love of your life. Augusta is a young girl in the 1920s determined to become a pharmacist just like her father. Not only does she learn about traditional medicine for healing, she is also mentored by her aunt who is skilled in non traditional medicines. The story transitions back and forth between the 1920s and the 1980s when Augusta is turning 80 years old.
I loved the discussion of women in STEM and the struggles they faced in both timelines. The romance was sweet but not spicy at all. There is a little element of magical realism to this story as well.

Augusta Stern is approaching her 80th birthday when she relocates to Florida. The last thing she was expecting was to encounter her first love at the community pool but when she does it brings up feelings that have been bottled in for more than 60
Years. Told in alternating timelines the story is an exploration of young love, miscommunication, the power of science and the importance of woman’s work as healers. Defying convention Augusta learns to appreciate both mystical and clinical treatments for ailments as she learns that once your heart is broken there is always hope to repair it.

Loved it!!! This book was everything and so much more. I loved all of the author's previous books and couldn't wait to read this. The book definitely didn't disappoint. I loved how the story alternated between Augusta growing up in the 1920s and adult Augusta in 1987. Great-aunt Esther was exactly what the family needed. Everything she made sounded delicious, especially the chicken noodle soup. Esther had a very different approach to healing than Solomon. Solomon trusted the medications in his pharmacy, while Esther relied on herbs, spices and whatever else was inside her trunk. Imagine Augusta's surprise when she arrives at her Florida retirement community and runs into Irving Rankin. What's the chances of Augusta living right next to him after all those years? Augusta is still feisty at eighty. She's led a very interesting life and would still be working if she wasn't pushed out of her job. Love the relationship she has with her niece. From the moment I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, story and writing style. This was such a beautiful and magical book. I loved everything about it. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely loved! I read The Matchmaker's Gift a few years ago, and it's one of my favorite books. I had high expectations for this one that were absolutely met. I'm so happy we picked it as our book club book!

This was such a sweet book about life and love. It also shows the sad reality about what can go wrong in life. It was a little slow throughout and they refer to the aunt as a homeopath even though she's an herbalist which is pretty bothersome.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a love story with a bit of historical fiction, magical realism, and a mafia involvement. The story moves back and forth between Augusta as a teenager and Augusta turning 80. The story of the past is one of healing and of heartbreak. The story of the present is a feel-good love story. This book does not have the strength of The Matchmaker's Secret or The Two Family House, but a sweet story nevertheless.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/11/the-love-elixir-of-augusta-stern.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

I thought it was a fairly sad story. Separated from the one you truly love had to be tortuous for Augusta.
She became a workaholic until forced to retire she moves to Florida and discovers the man who broke her heart over to years before.
Told between the 1920s and 1987, Loigman weaves the story of Irving and Augusta.
I liked that the book was based off a real life person’s stories.
I liked the ending because it’s better late than never but I wish it had been sooner for Augusta.

If you’re looking for something light and wholesome, look no further. This book is a sweet, cozy hug. Set in a now/then timeline between the 1920s and 1980s, it was so well researched and 1920s Brooklyn really came to life. Augusta was a strong MC and I loved the lesson that it’s never too late to learn and grow. I especially loved all the Jewish foods and have been craving chicken soup.

I love when I’m surprised by how much I love a book. Don’t get me wrong— I read the premise of THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN by Lynda Cohen Loigman months ago and thought it sounded good. I didn’t expect it to be one of my favorites this year.

Augusta Stern, soon to be 80 years old, finally retires her pharmacy career and moves to Florida. In her retirement community, she reconnects with friends and an old flame from her teenage years. A past timeline set in Brooklyn in the 1920s uncovers what truly went wrong in the relationships between Augusta and her friends, and it provides the background for why Augusta had a love for healing as a pharmacist. There’s history, magic, and second chances and I couldn’t get enough of it. The backdrops and timelines of 1920s Brooklyn and 1980s Boca Raton were perfect for this read. I absolutely adored this book! Adding all of her books to my TBR.

Many thanks to @stmartinspress for this #gifted copy (with signed book plate!) and thank you to @macmillan.audio for offering the audiobook to allow me to read and listen. The narrator was fantastic! I won’t forget this book.

I really enjoyed The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman, but this one was disappointing. After a long career as a pharmacist, Augusta Stern has finally moved to a retirement community in Florida as she's turning 80 years old. It just happens to be the same community where the man who broke her heart 60 years ago - Irving Rivkin - lives. Augusta's dad Solomon Stern owned the local pharmacy in Brooklyn where she grew up. After her mom passes at a young age, her Great Aunt Esther comes to live with them to help raise Augusta and her sister. Esther is a healer who mixes powders and potions into her very delicious chicken soup. Even though Augusta is studying to be a pharmacist, she's also fascinated by Esther's remedies. The turning point in Augusta's life happens when she uses one of Esther's potions to try to push her relationship with Irving forward. It definitely does not go as planned. She has had many years to reflect back on her choices and now she possibly has another opportunity to pursue a relationship with Irving. Will she once again use one of Esther's potions or make a different choice this time? Lynda Cohen Loigman's writing is good and easy to read, but this story was pretty shallow and silly. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Elixir Of Augusta, Stern by Linda Cohen Loydman, the book is set in two timelines one in the late 1980s in the other in the 1920s. In the 1980s Augusta’s niece Kathy convinces her to move to Florida to an old folks community something the taciturn Augusta eventually does. while settling in her niece, makes her promise that she will get out more and meet some of the other residents, and Augusta being painfully honest, keeps her promise. The only problem is wherever she goes or whatever activity she does she runs into an unwanted blast from her past Irvin. in the 1920s Augusta and her sister lost their mother and this is why their aunt moves in. At first Augusta is reluctant to embrace their ants kindness, but Augusta who loves to be with her dad in the pharmacy, especially when the cute delivery boy Irvin is around is amazed when neighborhood mother start coming to her aunt to get food that they swear healed their children husbands and even their self.. back in Florida Augusta is trying to avoid Irvin, but either Irvin can’t read the room or he doesn’t care because every where she turns even when she becomes ill due to not wanting to take his advice, he’s there. Will Augusta get rid of Irvin or finally have the love she lost? I didn’t know how to do this review because there’s no real big reveal and there’s kind of a finale, but it’s pretty much the one you think it’s going to be. Due to the authors, riding style and great sense of humor. This is a very entertaining read. Augusta is one of those characters that probably in real life you wouldn’t like but in a book like this one you can’t help but to root for. I loved her and Irving’s relationship the 80s because Irvin acted like he didn’t even know he was agitating her. I don’t want to simplify the story to just her and Ervin because there is a lot more to this funny entertaining read there’s her friends at the elderly home in the 80s in the past that her dad, her sister, her aunt the people in the neighborhood there’s lots to love about this book and I loved it all. #NetGalley, #CohenLoydman,#TheLoveElixirOfAugustaStern,

Who would’ve ever thought that I would relate too much so much to an 80-year-old pharmacist. This book was the sweetest, kindest, happiest book ever! Everything about it was wonderful! I know I will be reading this book again! I will definitely be buying this book as a gift for many people.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a heartwarming and magical read that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. It's a perfect choice for fans of historical fiction, romance, and those who believe in the power of love and second chances. Lynda's storytelling is as delightful as the elixir itself, weaving together past and present with a touch of magic. This might be one of my favorite reads of 2024


Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's 1987 and Augusta Stern is about to celebrate her 80th birthday. After running her family's pharmacy and working as a pharmacist in several hospitals, Augusta is gently informed that it's time for her to retire. She leaves Brooklyn and moves to a retirement community in Boca Raton, Florida. One of the first people she sees is Irving Rifkin, her first love. When this charming story shifts to 1922, Augusta has recently lost her mother, and her great-aunt Esther has come to help out the family. Teenaged Augusta helps out at her father Solomon's pharmacy. With the skills learned in Russia, Esther uses non-conventional ways of helping people including servings of her chicken soup and other herbal remedies. Augusta and Irving, the pharmacy's delivery boy develop a close friendship that evolves into something more. Through all their years apart, Augusta never understood why Irving broke her heart. Is it too late for forgiveness?

This is Lynda Cohen Loigman's fourth book, and I have enjoyed them all. The Matchmaker's Gift was one of my favorites of 2022. And now The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern has captured my heart. I loved Augusta, Irving, and the wonderful Aunt Esther. The novel provides a perfect blend of poignancy and wit.

As a child of Brooklyn who now lives in the Boca area, I find it remarkable how much Loigman's books resonate with me. Be sure to check out this delightful novel.

Augusta Stern finally retires from pharmacy work, a job she loves, at almost 80. She has been lying about her age for years so she can continue working. She heads to a community in Florida, and is immediately recognized by an old flame, Irving. He calls her Goldie, a nickname she hasn't heard for over 60 years. She had been in love with him, but he abruptly left her, married another girl, moved to Chicago, and raised twin boys. Now divorced, he is single again.
Augusta's story is told in 2 timelines, and details how her love for healing grew, through her father's job and store, and then her great-aunt Esther, who used apothecary and alternative healing methods. Augusta tries not to let her old love for Irving affect her, but he always seems to be around.
A very sweet story of lost and found love.

Augusta Stern is forced to retire at 70 but really she is almost 80. She has never married and when her niece finds her a nice condo in Florida she finds herself living in the same community with Irving, who was her first love.

I really enjoyed the book and there were some laughable moments with Irving and the whole community but I never warmed up to Augusta. I felt the character was a blur. She came across as having nothing in her life except her job and this started in her early teens. When she saw Irving instead of trying to find out what happened to him she seemed to always look for the worst possible explanation and never listen. Now Aunt Esther was another story. I found her fascinating and wished she had been fleshed out more.

The story takes place in Brooklyn in 1922 or so and then in Florida in the 1980s. As far as places go both are very different and the characters were in their late teens or 80s. I felt like just as I was getting pulled in the story would shift. I found the early years more compelling but the later years had the laughs.

So it's a 4* read but a low 4.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

Absolutely loved this story! I love talking to people from the 40’s and getting to know more about what lead them down the path they are on now. I have more older friends than I would like to admit but I wouldn’t have it any other way. They provide me with insight into life and what it takes to truly live for every moment and try to love and live with no regrets and that’s Augusta Stern did for me as well. Her aunt Esther is my favorite character in the whole book and the reason Augusta has hope for her future.

What a great way to honor apothecaries and their dedication to wanting to help people be their best selves. Overall, I was hooked from the first chapter and so glad to know there is a happy ending!