This book is so good. So touching and informative. The author researched it well and added in personal aspects that are in the "author's notes." It's a love story and so so much more. It's about a woman's struggle to be accepted as a pharmacist. In a time when women were expected to stay home and have babies. To keep house. Men just weren't ready to accept that their wife would want a job.

There is also the healing/magical aspects to this story. As a female the main character, Augusta, was influenced by her aunt. After Augusta's mother died from diabetes her father brought in Esther to help him take care of his two daughters. Esther taught Augusta, whom she called Goldie, how to make potions that could cure or help in so many ailments. Esther came from Russia and learned these things from her mother. She was not accepted as a healer in her country either. Females were just not meant to help.... Right!

Augusta fell in love with a young man, Irving, but things just kept getting in the way. In his way that is. He wanted nothing more than to marry Augusta and have a long happy life together. Things were not going as expected. Then the unforgivable happened.

Sixty years go by and Augusta is on the brink of turning eighty. She's moved to a retirement facility and there she and Irving are once again reunited. She's filled with a lot of anger and he with a lot of hope. At least for a while. The two have such a past that it is apparent to the other residence that at least one is in love with the other.

You read about each character and how things happened the way they did and why. I loved Irving and Augusta. Augusta is very strong willed and angry at Irving but with good reason. She does share some of the blame for things though. She was told by her aunt not to do what she did.

This book is absolutely adorable. It told from back in the twenties and in the eighties. You learn everything about what happened before Augusta and Irving are finally back together. Face to face and possibly finding a new way to work things out. Even in their golden years could they possibly find love.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, #MacMillan, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this story.

Five big stars.

I love this author's books. This is her fourth book and she has become a comfort read for me. This book and her last one have had a touch of magic realism. I am a logical, black and white person. I did not think that magic realism could appeal to me. Apparently, it does, especially if it isn't too much over the top.

There are 2 timelines. One is in 1923 with Augusta, the main character, as a young girl showing interest in her father's occupation as a pharmacist. The other is 1987, Augusta has been forced to retire from her job in a hospital pharmacy because she has aged out at 80.

The past and the present collide with characters from Augusta's past showing up in her present. It is interesting watching relationships in both timelines evolve. Usually, I prefer the past, find it more interesting. But, in this case, both timelines are fun to read. The present timeline is humorous (at times)as Augusta settles in to her new life in the seniors' complexq. The past timeline is about Augusta's interest in pharmacology and “natural” cures and about her family relationships.

The writing and the story flow well in both timelines. The major characters are all interesting. I especially enjoyed Irving and Nathanial, two of the men at the seniors' complex. And, Augusta's Aunt Esther is a reticent treasure. Still waters run deep, her waters were very deep but fascinating.

This is a fairy tale, a story of second chances with your first love, it's about miracles. And, it's a little bit about magic. You have to believe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Reading The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is like drinking tea while wrapped up in your favorite blanket. Or you are spending time with your beloved grandparent. It’s also a reminder that you can’t control everything and don’t always know what someone else is doing.

Augusta is approaching a milestone birthday when we first meet her. She’s forced to face reality and has to finally retire. Then, she’s a teenager grieving over the loss of her mother. Her journey is one that many of us can relate to, making her story all the more compelling.

Each chapter begins with a clear timeline, guiding us through Augusta’s life. In the 1980s, she was a woman dedicated to her family and a career in helping others, yet she struggled to accept love from anyone outside her family, particularly men. In the 1920s, she was a girl navigating grief and adolescence. These timelines vividly illustrate how Augusta’s experiences shaped her character.

A few chapters focus on Irving in the 1920s and 1980s. This gives us the chance to see his side of the story and understand his actions and regrets.

Ultimately, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern delves deep into the human experience, touching the reader’s heart and soul. It’s a story that resonates and lingers long after the final page is turned. For this profound experience, I extend my heartfelt gratitude. I eagerly await more literary gems from Lynda Cohen Loigman.

I thought this book was just lovely to read. It's historical fiction with some magical realism, and it was just a cozy and heart-warming read. A lot of romance, too, and discussions on ageism and second chances.
I thought the characters - all of them, from both timelines -, were relatable and realistic. The conclusion was just...cute. Adorable.
Oh, and funny. There are some unexpected funny moments!

It's a perfect read to people who enjoy a little magic (and potions), autumn vibes and elderly characters, all wrapped up in a dual timeline historical novel with a delightful conclusion that will put a smile on your face.
I liked this one a lot more than I expected, considering that this book is a little out of my comfort zone.

I can easily recommend this book to anyone who is into light fantasy, light magical elements and romance within a historical story.
A perfect book for this season or even the holidays.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this lovely novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an electronic advanced readers copy of this novel.

Augusta Stern, forced to take retirement from the hospital pharmacy wben it was discovered she was older than she claimed, has relocated from her native New York City to a retirement community in Florida. There she runs into her long ago boyfriend, Irving, who she had thought was the one. But there is also Nathaniel, who used to be married to one of her best friends. Still haunted by the past, Augusta can't forgive Irving for seemingly abandoning her to marry someone else.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a fun yet touching book about family, growing up Jewish in the last century in New York and second chances. It was a quick read and you do get involved on what happens. The book alternates between the present and the past and delves into her Great Aunt Esther's old school treatment in contrast to her father's pharmacy skills. I thought it was fun and was rooting for the main character.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a perfectly fine albeit not great little book that tells the story of near-octogenerian never-married Augusta Stern, a recently retired pharmacist who, with the help of her only niece, had lied about her age to keep from retiring and now, finally retired, moves to an apartment in a Florida seniors community. There she meets two men from her youth, one who married her close friend and the other the love of her life. Told in alternating chapters set in the mid-1920s and late 1980s, we learn of those relationships as well as Augusta's relationship with her great aunt, who comes to live with the family after Augusta's mother dies of diabetes, leaving her two tween and teen aged daughters. Aunt Esther is a superb cook and an even better developer of potions designed to cure any illness or love issue. Loigman's work reads quickly but at times I thought I was reading a book geared more for the YA market than one for adults. I didn't love The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern, but I think that many readers, especially those who like a little magical realism or fantasy, will, and they will devour this book.

A heartwarming story with some great themes such as ageism, love, loss, and magic. The writing isn’t thought provoking, but the story themes are worth this quick read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I love Loigman’s historical fiction with magical elements, and her latest is just as uplifting as her 2022 book, The Matchmaker’s Gift. Usually historical fiction is full of hard times, and while there are definitely difficult challenges in this book, it is also a great example of the unbreakable human spirit. I fell in love with the cast of characters and especially loved the flashbacks to early 20th century New York City. I learned so much about the Jewish culture and its food as well. I highly recommend this book for historical fiction fans who want to finish a book smiling. It’s definitely a huggable book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I am a huge fan of Lynda Cohen Loigman, and this book did not disappoint. It's told in a dual timeline - the 1920s and the 1980s. The earlier timeline takes place when Augusta is younger, and she is growing up in and around her father's pharmacy. Her great aunt is a healer, and is quietly known in the community for her potions that have great effect on people. Ultimately Augusta becomes a pharmacist like her father, but she is pushed out due to her age, which prompts her to move to a retirement community in FL for the later timeline. When she runs into an old love, it takes her back to her memories of her younger days and how she lost her first love.

Loigman does dual timelines extremely well, taking the reader through the protagonist's current situation, while bringing us back into the past to help us understand how things got to where they are now. I love the second chance element of this book, along with the idea of how people from your youth can make a lasting impression on you.

Eighty-year-old Augusta Stern has recently relocated to a retirement community in Florida. To her surprise, she soon discovers that her first love, Irving, also resides there. The story takes readers back to the 1920s, when a young Augusta first crossed paths with Irving while working at her father’s pharmacy. This charming love story captures the journey of Augusta’s life and her reunion with Irving. If you’re a fan of Lynda Cohen Loigman’s work, you’ll find this book equally delightful and heartwarming.

Eighty-year-old Augusta Stern is a retired pharmacist who moved to a senior living home in Florida. She runs into Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from growing up that broke her heart.

Lynda is a fabulous storyteller and this was a wholesome feel-good read with romance, family ties and a touch of magic. I loved the dual timelines, 1920s in Brooklyn and 1987 in Florida, and how we got a glimpse of August and Irving’s love story both “now” and then. The Jewish rep was incredible, as I learned new pieces of Jewish history and traditions while related to so many other references. On audio, Gabra Zackman did a great job bringing Augusta’s lovable personality to life.

Read if you like:
-Second chances
-Magic realism
-Jewish rep
-Historical and contemporary storylines

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern was a mix of family drama, coming-of-age with a pinch of love story. The book starts out with how young Augusta and how she grew up with her family. It tells the story of what happened to her family to get to the point where she is now. It definitely draws the reader in. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know more and how it was going to end. It was definitely different than most books that I've read recently but in a good way. In the beginning Augusta meets a young boy in her father's pharmacy and you can tell it will become a big part of the whole story. I absolutely loved this book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you Netgalley and to the Publisher for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

I first became a fan of Lynda Cohen Loigman when I read The Two Family House. So I was excited to receive the advanced copy of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. It didn’t disappoint! Logan has again created a story with characters who draw you in and make you care about them. Her dual timeline approach kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next to Augusta, Irving, Bess and Esther. I recommend this to any reader who enjoys historical fiction with a few twists and turns. Thank you to St Martins Press and Thoughts from a Page for the advanced reader copy!

Lynda Cohen Loigman first came to my attention with her third book, The Matchmaker’s Gift, and it earned her a space in my heart. So when I noticed that another of her books was being released, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy to start reading it. I was exceptionally fortunate, and was approved for both the e-book and the audiobook editions.

This story is told in two different timelines, but including the same characters. The first storyline takes place in the 1920s, when Augusta is a teenager working in her father’s apothecary, and Irving is the delivery boy. The second storyline takes place in the 1980s, when Augusta retires, moves to a retirement community in Florida, and realizes that Irving lives in the same one. I loved watching the two different timelines to see how their relationship develops in each, but also to see how the events from their past impacted the rest of their lives.

The timelines don’t converge, but we slowly find out what happened in the 1920s between Augusta and Irving through the chapters set in the past. So in essence, this one kind of felt like two romances in one—we watch Augusta and Irving fall in love in the 1920s, and then we watch them get a second-chance romance 60 years later.

I adored both Augusta and Irving. Augusta was a woman who knew what she wanted, and was never afraid of tackling the obstacles in her path. A young woman attending pharmacy college in the 1920s wasn’t small potatoes—she was one of five woman in her program, and still had to face misogyny from closed-minded men who didn’t accept a woman compounding medications. I also loved the character of Esther, and would have enjoyed learning more about her background: maybe a spin-off book? She worked as an herbal healer, using natural cures from the Old Country to treat cases that the doctors and pharmacists had said were untreatable.

The chapters that took place in the 1920s were not only engrossing, I also learned a lot about the role that apothecaries and pharmacists played in providing medical care. Nowadays, we go to the pharmacy to get a prescription and that’s that. But back then, people went to their local pharmacist for care, not just impersonal provision of medication. The pharmacist knew their customers by name and work to help them just as much as doctors did.

Overall, this was a fantastic story, and I really enjoyed the way the romance was combined with hints of magical realism. I especially loved the message that it is never too late to fall in love and be happy, featuring a couple in their 80s who can find love if they are able to get through their past. I can’t say enough good things about this book, and you’ll enjoy this if you like second-chance romance, characters who are older, dual timelines, and stories with a touch of magical realism.

I loved this so much! Told masterfully in dual timelines: in the 1920s, a teenage Augusta Stern works at her father’s NYC drugstore versus the late 1980s as she is turning 80 years old at a Florida retirement community. This book tackles themes of grief, misogyny, perseverance, terrible misunderstandings, and second chances. There’s also a fun contrast between science-based medicine and old world apothecary magic, plus a touch of prohibition-era drama.

Pharmacy friends, you will love all the little details. Augusta is one of only 5 girls in a pharmacy class of 200, and encounters patients who don’t trust that a woman can be a pharmacist. In the very first chapter she describes a man’s eyes as “naproxen-blue” - needless to say, I was hooked pretty quickly 🤓

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this advance reader’s copy. All opinions are my own.

I am happy to say that I loved The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern! The love story was sweet, the tension was engaging, and the touch of magical realism was perfect to tie it all together!

While I enjoyed the entire story, my favorite parts were those that took place in Augusta’s youth. I enjoyed her character much more. I understand that older Augusta had become jaded through her life, but I struggled with some of the miscommunications that she let happen with her own frustrations. I think a dual timeline was an excellent choice for keeping readers engaged. Every character was well-developed, and I felt immersed in the story and interested in each and every one.

This novel is not one I would typically pick up, but I am so glad I did!

Augusta Stern retires at 80 to a senior community in Florida. There she bumps into Irving, who she had hoped to marry sixty years ago. This is a sweet, dual timeline, second chance romance. We learn Augusta and Irving's backstory in 1920's New York, and we see them in Florida in the 1980's.
I especially enjoyed reading about Augusta's young life in her Jewish community.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this delightful book. This was the first book I have read by Lynda Cohen Loigman. It will not be the last.

WOW! Kudos to Lynda Cohen Loigman, the Author of “The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern” for writing and telling this masterpiece. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS STORY, and would read it a second time! I highly recommend this memorable and thought-provoking novel to everyone. The Genres for this story are: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Humor, and Romance. Is there an age limit to when you can find and accept love? Is there a special place to find love, or a special recipe to make things right?

Lynda Cohen Logiman has provided the ingredients with a dash of romance, humor, and magical realism that explore historical and cultural traditions. The timelines for this story are 1920’s in Brooklyn, and continues 60 years later in a community in Florida. The author vividly describes the scenery and landscape, and the colorful and dramatic characters. Some of the characters are complex and complicated. Some are stubborn, quirky, peculiar, and difficult. Many of the characters are in both timelines. Augusta’s father had been a Pharmacist in a store that he owned in Brooklyn. Augusta’s dream was to study Pharmacy. Unfortunately Augusta’s mother died and her Great Aunt Esther, with her eccentric tendencies moves in. While Augusta’s father dispenses conventional medicines, Aunt Esther believes in chicken soup and a few herbs with a dash of this and that to help and heal people.

In the present, the protagonist, Augusta Stern is a retired 80 year old Pharmacist that moves to a community in Florida. Is it a coincidence that she finds some new neighbors that were “friends” from Brooklyn sixty years earlier? One of the men was in a special relationship with her.

I appreciate how the author discusses the importance of family, friends, forgiveness, second chances, communication, love and hope. This was such an enjoyable and amazing book that I can’t recommend it enough. Happy Reading!

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Loigman is comparable to a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of chicken noodle soup in book form. It reads with heart, humor and tenderness which is welcome in my reading world.

Augusta’s story is told in two different timelines, one in the 1920s and later in the 1980s. Through this way of storytelling, we really get to know Augusta as she grows from a young girl to adult and later as an older woman. We see her gusto for science and her commitment to be a pharmacist. Her aunt Esther, who plays a pivotal role in Augusta’s life, comes with some mystical elements that Esther’s brilliant father abhors, but Esther is in awe of them. How come these old remedies with herbs and other ingredients are healing women, when real pharmaceuticals are not.

These mystical ingredients end up causing irreversible consequences that affect Augusta for the rest of her life. Her intended engagement to Irving ends, so she remains dedicated to two things: her niece and her work.

Now, just after turning eighty, her laid her off, so she moves to South Florida based on her niece’s suggestion. I love her descriptions of Rallentando Springs because they are so spot on. She got everything right. Both the author’s family and mine live in the same community so I see where many of her descriptions come from. Augusta is shocked to find that Irving, who once broke her heart, lives there too. I’ll tell you nothing more, but the magic continues to an ending that will make readers happy.

This was such a heartwarming—and occasionally heartbreaking—story that I devoured like it was Aunt Esther's beloved chicken soup. I have recently found myself enjoying stories with older female protagonists, so I was delighted to love this one so much. The book is told in dual timelines, and I absolutely loved that. Though I was not alive in the 20s or the 80s, I felt like I could perfectly picture those worlds, almost as if I was there myself, sitting and watching Augusta's life unfold. Going into this story, I thought it was going to be more magical than it was, but I loved how ambiguous Aunt Esther's healing and "love potion" actually were. Overall, I found this to be a touching, cozy read that inspires second chances.