I absolutely loved this author's prior book, 'The Matchmaker's Gift', so was excited when I saw this come out. It's a bit slow paced, as we first meet Augusta, a newly retired 80 year old trying to navigate her new life in a retirement community, where she reconnects with an old flame from her youth, Irving Rivkin. This encounter sparks a journey that flips between her present life and memories of her youth in 1920s Brooklyn, where her family owned a pharmacy and her great-aunt offered folk remedies, some of which had magical effects. Something happened in her past that is the reason why she never married or had children, something that takes awhile to reveal itself.

The dual timelines—Brooklyn in the 1920s and Boca Raton in the 1980s—are skillfully intertwined, showing Augusta’s journey of self-discovery across decades. The book explores how she navigates memories of her past and finds clarity in her present, hinting at themes of lost love, familial bonds, and feminism without being heavy-handed.

Loigman’s storytelling shines through its meticulous attention to historical detail and engaging character development. Augusta, in particular, stands out as a witty, strong, and independent woman, making her an unforgettable protagonist. The balance between mystery, romance, and magical elements makes the novel a delightful read. It's an uplifting and reflective book that challenges the notion that age limits personal growth or the capacity to experience love​. A bit similar to her prior book, where women with magical gifts change peoples lives for better or worse.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a reflective and heartwarming tale that explores second chances, long-buried regrets, and the trials of aging with grace. Forced to retire from her beloved pharmacy job, Augusta relocates to a retirement community only to discover that her ex lover, Irving, also resides there. Confronted with the ghosts of her past, Augusta must face the unresolved heartache and missteps that derailed her life so many years before.

The story touches upon the struggles of women with careers to be respected even as late as the 1980’s. It’s also a story about relationships. It also highlights the fact that age is just a number and living in a retirement community can be anything but dull.

Marketed toward fans of The Lost Apothecary and Other Birds, two books that I myself enjoyed, this novel holds much promise with its themes of relationships and rediscovery. However, despite its intriguing premise, I found the narrative predictable and the character development lacking in depth. This absence of complexity made certain aspects of the plot feel contrived, diluting the emotional impact of the story.

While touches upon significant themes and delivers a pleasant read, it ultimately falls short for me. The cover however, is beautifully designed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

4.5

This book really helped me get out of my slump! It follows the story of Augusta Stern and Irving’s love story 60 years apart. The story bounces back and forth between their young love in the 1920’s working at Augusta’s father’s pharmacy and the 1980’s where they both find themselves at the same retirement home. Augusta is turning 80 and never married, when she encounters Irving after 60 years. The timeline in between is one of mystery.

I enjoyed these characters and the dual timeline. There’s an air of mystery, historical element, and magical realism that I really enjoyed. I was skeptical about a couple plot points, but the author tied them up nicely in the end. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Absolute perfection…. Lynda has done it again 😍😍😍

A top contender for my favorite book of the year! Augusta Stern is one of the most memorable characters ever, Irving is such a sweetie pie, Esther is a queen icon legend, Bess is the best sister, and Solomon is an amazing dad. I loved getting to know this family, and untangling the mystery of their past.

Truly was just enchanted by this book and am so beyond impressed by the way Lynda crafts stories. I mean, a book that combines Jewish rep, romance, medicine, mysticism, and mystery? And it captures two time periods perfectly, including Brooklyn in the 1920s? Say less! I’m a Lynda Cohen Loigman fan forever and will always be eagerly awaiting whatever she writes next 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

This book was such a joy to read. Eighty year old Augusta Stern is finally retiring to Florida from her career as a pharmacist, where she bumps into her first love Irving from 60 years ago. Told in dual timelines, we hear the story from both 18-year-old and 80-year-old Augusta.
I love stories with older protagonists, especially women who buck the old system. A woman becoming a pharmacist back then was not an easy feat. Additionally, she is inspired by her great aunt Esther, who helps women in the neighborhood with ailments that can not be cured or are ignored by male doctors.
The author did a fabulous job of interweaving both timelines to slowly reveal what had happened to keep Augusta and Irving apart for so long. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this delightful and charming novel.

What a charming, heartwarming and delightful read! The main character is 80-year-old Augusta, who has recently retired from her career as a pharmacist and moved to Florida. Amazingly, in the same retirement complex into which she has moved is Irving, a former boyfriend of hers and the love of her life whom she has not seen in 60+ years. their stories are told in alternating timelines, the 1920s and 1987, and through them the reader is able to discover the answer to many questions — including why their relationship fell apart all those years ago and what happened to them in the ensuing years. This is truly a story of love and second chances, even a second chance that comes along decades later. And, although I am not really into magical realism, the storyline here only contained a bit and it actually helped enhance the plot. All in all, this was definitely an enjoyable novel.

I adored Loigman’s previous book, The Matchmaker’s Gift, so I jumped at the chance to read her newest novel. I throughly enjoyed every minute of this. Augusta is independent and fiesty while Irving is passive and sweet. They end up falling for each other hard but something happens that breaks Augusta’s heart and she doesn’t get closure until 60 years later. Loigman just has a way with story telling. I recommend picking this one up when it becomes available.

Thank you to St. Peter’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Edit Review

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc.

I enjoyed the fact that Augusta is a professional woman who began her career in a time when this was not common or commonly accepted and that she was ferocious about it. But I have issues with a lot of other things in this story and, for readers’ information, there is no magical realism at all.

Augusta is a fierce young woman. Even when she’s eighty years old in 1987 she’s still fierce. Growing up, she is fascinated by her father’s profession, his love and care for his patients, and the idea of using her brain to learn how to help people. The sections set in the 1920s are my favorite part as the little details ground the story. I also love Great-Aunt Esther whose cooking sounds scrumptious and who has her own story of not being able to follow her own dreams due to her gender and losing the man she loved due to his inability to accept her homeopathic talents.

I mostly like 1920s Irving. He’s a devoted son to his single mother, defends people against bullies, works hard to help support her and his older brother in college, and he loves Augusta and that she’s smart. He has plans for their future but his trepidation and some bad timing end up causing the delay that then leads to Something (that I am not quite sold on) that ultimately separates Irving from the woman he loves.

Older Augusta has little desire to reconnect with Irving now despite how interested he seems to be. I can understand Augusta’s resentment that after dropping her like a hot potato and sixty years of silence suddenly Irving wants to start something up again. So yay that Augusta shuts him down the first time she sees him but I got a little annoyed that she keeps loudly and publicly snapping at him. However Irving has some antics up his sleeve and at times annoys me as much as Augusta’s continued peevishness does. Eventually this section gets tedious and just drags.

There’s also something about the homeopathy that Ester teaches Augusta which gets perverted by Augusta. Esther is very specific about not treating anyone without that person’s permission and knowledge. Esther herself once did this and bitterly regretted what she lost so she makes sure to tell Augusta this more than once. So what did Augusta do in the 20s and then again in 1987? Also when the truth is revealed about their 1920s separation, it’s dropped on the reader at the end of the book very suddenly and is convoluted.

I enjoyed the historical sections and how strong Augusta was and hardworking Irving was. I liked the idea of an older couple “second chance at love” but was somewhat underwhelmed at the actual execution of that and how the characters act. There is a lot of miscommunication and plain no communication in the 1920s time period, though. So many times I wanted to yell at Irving to just get on with it but his menschness didn’t allow for that. This is one that ends up as a book I wanted to like more than I actually did.

Sixty-two years after the live of her life took off with another girl, what will Augusta finally say?

Retirement is the last thing Augusta wants to be doing. The icing on the cake is being face-to-face with the man who broke her heart.
Part love story, part women's heritage- this book brought up a meaningful perspective. What do age, gender, place and time add up to in the twilight years? While I didn't feel a true link aspects of 1987, the picture of Brooklyn in the 1920s was very well written.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Lynda Cohen Loigman for this ARC.

Lynda Cohen Loigman is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. In this delightful historical fiction, clean romance tale, we follow Augusta Stern as she navigates retirement and confronts an old flame. 🔥

Have you ever started reading a book and could not wait to return to it at the end of the day? That's how I felt the entire time I was reading this book. It was like a warm hug: wholesome, a little drama, second-chance romance, and a dash of magic.

I also confidently say that I’d love to have Augusta as a friend. She is no-nonsense, smart, and driven, yet she balances her logical approach to healing with her belief in magic. I just wanted to spend more and more time with her ❤️

I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book before the end of the year.

Both genres and timelines were woven into the plot seamlessly, and I never felt confused while reading. Overall, I finished reading “The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern” with a smile on my face. ☺️

Augusta Stern's story covers two time periods as well as two locations -- the 1920s when Augusta (also known as Goldie) is a teenager in Brooklyn and the late 1980s, when Augusta is now an 80-year-old woman living in a retirement community in Florida.

As a teenager, Augusta loses her mother to diabetes. Unable to run his pharmacy as well as care for his daughters, Augusta's father enlists the help of his aunt Esther who comes to live with the family. A curious woman with a penchant for making chicken soup with some unusual ingredients, Esther is soon sought out as the person to see for life's various problems and ailments.

Is it a coincidence that the retirement home Augusta moves into later in life is also the home of Irving Rivkin, the man who broke her heart over 60 years ago? This is a sweet story about second chances, resiliency, and determination.

Lynda Cohen Loigman gives her readers the right dose of magical realism to make this a lovely read. Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this electronic ARC of #TheLoveElixirofAugustaStern.




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This book is a gem- it grabs you from word one and takes you on a great adventure with the titular character. Augusta proves your never to old for a good time!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my #gifted copy of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern! TheLoveElixirOfAugustaStern #lyndacohenloigman #stmartinspress

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐋𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟱★

Oh my heart! This book was everything! Lynda Cohen Loigman, you’ve done it again! This book brought forth so many emotions and I am so sad it’s over. Augusta was such an amazing character and I loved how this book was told in dual timelines, so we could see Augusta as a teenager in the 1920’s and then again as an 80 year old living in Florida. In both timelines, we see Irving Rivkin, who was the delivery boy at her father’s old pharmacy, and now, by chance, living in the same senior community in Florida.

Growing up, Augusta always wanted to be a pharmacist, just like her father, Solomon. After her mother died, her Great Aunt Esther moved in to live with her family. It’s not long before Esther, who considers herself a healer, starts offering Solomon’s customers her own remedies, including her homemade chicken soup and other powders and potions. Augusta can’t help but be attracted to these unconventional remedies. As time passes, and Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, and her feelings for Irving continue to grow, she decides to use Esther’s most potent elixir, but not without consequences. Now decades later, Augusta is face to face with Irving again. Is it too late for a second chance?

🥣Magical Realism
🥣Second Chance Romance
🥣Dual Timelines
🥣Jewish Representation
🥣Strong and Resilient FMC

Posted on Goodreads on October 4, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around October 8, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on October 8, 2024
**-will post on designated date

3.3 Stars (almost an outliner)
One Liner: No magic realism; not that impressed

1987
Augusta Stern had to finally retire from her job as a pharmacist. She moves to Florida upon her niece’s advice. However, not having a busy routine makes her restless. Add to it the reentry of Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy she knew in her teenage years, disturbs her peace of mind.
As a young girl in the 1920s, Augusta was proud of her father’s pharmacy and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Her great-aunt Esther’s arrival brings many changes in their lives, including the biggest one that leaves Augusta with many regrets.
Sixty years later, can Augusta find a way to move on with her life and spend the remaining time in peace? What happened back then?
The story comes in Augusta’s third-person POV in both timelines, with Irving and other POVs at random.

My Thoughts:
I’m more of an outliner for this. I wish I could have liked it more.
Firstly, there is no magic realism here. There’s possibly an attempt made but it is just fancy descriptions and wishful thinking. Every healer woman is not a witch nor does she work with magic even if people think otherwise.
This is mainly a second-chance romance for characters in their 80s. While it is great to read books with senior citizens where they lead active lives, seeing the MCs act childish doesn’t really feel heartwarming. I did empathize with the FMC’s resentment to an extent.
The side characters like Esther and Shirley could have had more development. Esther especially could have been a lot more than what she ends up here. It would have also helped create a more definite setup for magic realism. And a special yay to Jackie. Love her!
I do like the topics chosen – women in medicine, gender bias, parental death, medical advancements, bullying, mafia, etc. However, when I realized the core of the plot rests on miscommunication (or the lack of communication), I lost interest. It’s bad enough to read 30 and 40-year-old characters making a mess of relationships. These people are in their 80s and still cannot have a decent conversation until the end!
Also, the 1987 (present timeline) feels like it is set in the 2000s. My guess is that the age was calculated from the 1920s to decide when the present timeline should be. However, the rest of it feels more contemporary (like after 2010) except for the lack of mobile phones and social media.
The pacing dips in the middle. Though we see both timelines, there isn’t much movement in the present one.
Also, we get the first chapter from Irving’s POV around 35% or so. By then, I was sure this would continue in Augusta’s. The sudden change pulled me out of the story. We also get a few scenes from the omnipresent third-person. The changes should have been introduced earlier. For example, having the first Irving’s chapter at 10-12% would have set the pattern for the rest of the book.
The Jewish rep is well done without providing too much detail but making it stand out just the same.

To summarize, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a cozy read about first love, second chances, missed opportunities, misunderstandings, and women in medicine. I wish I liked it more but it is not a bad book by any means. Guess I wasn’t in the mood for it.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

It's the late 1980s in Florida and Augusta Stern is a newly retired pharmacist, never married, who is about to turn 80. She unexpectedly runs into a man she knew when she was young at her new retirement community. The book goes between her current life and her life as a young woman in New York City in the 1920s. This was a cozy book that I really enjoyed reading.

Augusta is on the cusp of her 80th birthday and living in Florida at a retirement committee when she encounters a childhood friend who broke her heart. The book then takes the reader back to 1920s Brooklyn, when Augusta was a teenager working in his father's pharmacy and living with her great aunt Esther, who had the gift of making herbal concoctions to treat ailments. The book travels deftly between the two time periods, telling the story of the two former sweethearts. This was such a sweet story about love and second chances. It's also quite humorous! I could not put it down. Highly recommended!

A lovely dual time line novel set in 1920s New York and 1980s Florida. Augusta was in love with Irving, who worked for her father's pharmacy but something went awry and she spent her life as a single woman but now, by chance, she's moved into the senior community in Florida where he lives. But she's angry with him, still-why? Augusta's great aunt Esther, an apothecary moved in to care for the family and brought with her a world quite different from the scientific remedies her father compounded. And special. Esther is a treat, a woman who uses both folk medicine and herbs to heal but there's one thing- the love potion- that she keeps aside. I liked both time frames- both are atmospheric (love the senior community activities)- and they tie together well. No spoilers as to what happened but this is a case as so many are of mixed signals. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I very much enjoyed this.

This started a bit slow but I ended up really enjoying it! I loved the dual timelines, and I found them both interesting. The stories of life in her father’s pharmacy in 1925 Brooklyn were fascinating. But Augusta’s move to a retirement community in florida in 1987 and the old friends she met again was also really good. After the first 15% I found myself flying though the book and rooting for Augusta to get her hopes up and her happily ever after. I truly love Augusta, her aunt Esther, her niece Jackie, her new and old friends, her sister, and these characters truly came to life in this book. It’s a beautiful story.

This book was a delight to read. I loved to imagine the pharmacy and all of the science that went into making the medicine. Of course there is a wonderful love story or two but I loved the relationship with Augusta and Aunt Ester.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern, by Lynda Cohen Loigman is such a breath of fresh air in this genre. I was captivated and fully immersed in this story at chapter one. The 1920s, dual timelines, magical realism, and interesting protagonist make it an amazing book.