Thank you to NetGalley for the free earc of this book.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE „Everything is Poison“!!!! It’s my first book by Joy McCullough but it certainly shan’t be my last.

The book follows Carmela, the daughter of Giulia Tofana (look her up, if you don’t know who she is) as she turns 16 years old and starts working in her mothers apothecary. This has been Carmelas lifelong dream/goal and she will do everything she can to ensure that she does a good job. Soon however Guilia and the other apothecary workers let her in on a secret: they invented and produce Acqua Tofana - a nondetectable and deadly poison. Soon the apothecary starts getting into trouble and Carmela is left to figure out the next steps.

The only aspect of the book which I found to be lacking was the pacing, as all the events happen within a couple of months (I feel like it might’ve been a bit realistic if it was closer to a year). Nevertheless the book was absolutely amazing.

The book has quite beautiful prose and is interspersed with poetry that reveals that Carmela isn’t the only one making experiences like these.
What I personally really loved, were the setting and vibe of the apothecary, the found family and the wonderful character development that multiple characters (including our main character Carmela) undergo.
Though the book is classified as Historical Fiction, it certainly doesn’t read as such. It is a slower book but it is written in a very easy and engaging way.

Id recommend „Everything is Poison“ to really anyone, as it is a beautiful story about helping and uplifting others and feminism. Especially if you’re interested in Poisoners/Giulia Tofana this will be the book for you. It was a great first read of the year.
Go read this beautiful story when it comes out on January 14!!

At the age of 16, Carnela becomes an apprentice in her mother’s apothecary shop in Rome. Slowly, she begins learning the secrets, and why some might call them witches. When a desperate wife comes in asking for a “remedy” for her husband, Carmela learns about Aqua Tofana, a poison.

This was a pretty quick read. The primary characters were well developed and interesting. The secondary characters were stereotypical and flat. The story itself was a bit simplistic and predictable. I would have liked more depth to the story. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

This is definitely my favourite Joy McCullough book yet! Besides the fact that historical female poisoners in Rome is so cool, the interwoven poetry and prose conjures this story that is about some very specific women and their relationships, while also casting a broader tale about women and their power. The plot is historical, but the emotions and relationships, and message, seem to transcend it. At heart, this book is a story about female power, not only through poison but the other healing methods of the apothecary, and the threat that poses to people, and largely men, in power. It’s complicated and at times we only see part of the story, but it’s not just supposed to be about the Tofana apothecary and its women, but about many women and some men who interact daily in the streets of Rome and abroad. While reading, I felt really immersed in the story and ended up finishing the book about as quickly as I might have if it were only poetry. If you’re a historical reader, like a book about supporting women’s supposed wrongs, or any of this sounds interesting, I would definitely recommend checking this out!

I was not sure what to think about this as I began to read but found that I could not put the book down. The characters, the stories, and the interludes in verse drew me in. Ultimately a powerful, well-written, thought-provoking novel showing the power and love between and of women.

It will certainly be on the shelf for my students.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.

I’m officially obsessed. One of my final books of 2024 and one of the best books I’ve read all year. I’m excited to read the author’s other books. I loved the writing, told between prose and verse. The characters were rich and complex. I cannot recommend it enough.

Carmela Tofana has turned 16 and is excited to finally be able to join her mother working in her apothecary in seventeenth century Rome. While most of the potions and tinctures they create are to heal, there is also one of last resort, for women whose husbands’ cruelty leaves no other option.

This was a fascinating read. The characters were well written and very relatable. I loved the writing style. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I really loved how the book used poetry interspersed through the book to weave a bigger picture of the city as a whole and the lives touched by the apothecary in various ways. It added a great depth to the story the setting and was an interesting way to set the pace of the book. I also loved the characters they were so richly done and really shone. I did however think the ending felt a bit abrupt and I wished some of the problems set forth had more of an explanation for how they were resolved. Other than that the plot was well done it was interesting to see how different events wove back into the story and how the characters smaller choices had such lasting impact. All around a beautifully written book.

Joy McCullough has done it again. This author consistently brings the reader into a historical setting and brings the stories of lesser known women to life. Everything is Poison is compelling, emotional, thought provoking, and challenging. The story of La Tofana as experienced by her daughter allows readers, likely 14 years plus, to relate to one of the many characters and possibly understand a world in which women and "lesser than" individuals must move carefully and help each other. I also appreciate that McCullough explains a bit of the history at the end and that she extrapolates for the story.

This was one of my most anticipated reads, and I am so happy I got the eARC! Magic, feminism, and mystery come together to form a quick but engaging book. I loved the background of potential witches and what women had to go through just to prove themselves to be taken seriously. Sadly a still-realistic and relevant read, but very important. I also really loved the poetry woven in!

A good work of historical fiction about the ways women help each other. The novel critiques patriarchy and shows the power of community.

First, thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Historical fiction has never been my go-to, but I thoroughly enjoyed Joy McCullough's [book:Enter the Body|61322634] and I definitely wanted to read more by her. After that book I expected this one to have more of a poetry element, so I was surprised by only interspersed poetry chapters, instead of longer poetic pieces.

The story is beautifully told and is quite relevant in its themes of empowerment of women and violence against women. Make sure you read through the author's note, as she gives really interesting background for the creation of the story and the historical nonfiction of it all.

I will absolutely be buying this for my school's library!

This ended up being one of my favorites of the whole year, right at the 11th hour. I thought this was such an incredible, rich world to sink into, I felt immediately transported and immersed into this time and place with these women. At first the poems were a little confusing but then I caught on. This gave me a warm, empowering feeling and this is a wonderful feminist text without going too overboard or feeling too heavy handed.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve enjoyed Joy McCullough’s previous works, so I was eager to read another from her. But unfortunately, Everything Is Poison missed the mark. And I think the main mistake was in the structure of the book. While McCullough has contributed to other works that combine her verse with prose, her strength is clearly in the poetry and verse side, so her collaborators writing the prose makes the choices feel both intentional and distinct. Her solo works have previously been either entirely in verse (Blood Water Paint) or using it sparingly to set the scene (Enter the Body). The mix here felt rather jarring, as the prose felt disconnected and didn’t engross me at all, and the poetry felt bland, lacking the true descriptive storytelling and emotion I’ve come to expect from McCullough’s work, and felt almost random with no real point.
And that’s unfortunate, as there’s the bones of a great narrative here. While I don’t know as much about Giulia Tofana as I did about any of McCullough’s other subjects prior to reading, which likely contributed to my discombobulation, the general theme of oppression by the patriarchy during 17th century Rome and seeking extreme lengths to fight back through poisoning one’s spouse is a profound one.
While not as well-executed, I appreciate the attempt to further explore the sexual politics of Renaissance Italy for women in the context of another somewhat well-known figure of the time, just as McCullough did with Blood Water Paint. While it didn’t really work for me, I noticed that others have had much different responses to mine, so I’d recommend taking those into account when making a decision whether to read it or not.

This is an interesting book that melds story with poetry. It tells a tale as old as time. One where women are deemed witches if they practice the same careers as men around them. True the women in this book maybe help fellow women out in ways that men apothecaries might not be willing to, but if women don’t help each other who will. I love the message of this story. I think it is beautifully written and love the community that the apothecary creates. I am looking forward to recommending it real soon.
Thank you to Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in January. Yeah this was an interesting bit of historical fiction based on things that used to actually happen. I just couldn't personally connect to the mc.

I really liked the present tense, the interplay between generations of women, and the interspersed poems widening the context of the main plot line. The book’s weakness was that it definitely felt like a “message” book which sometimes got in the way of the story.

Really enjoyed this historical fiction but embedded in history take on women brewing and distributing poison to kill abusive husbands! It felt like a comfortable, reassuring safe space, to be amongst a sisterhood that grows and takes care of each other. The interspersed poems work really well to remind us that these stories aren't in isolation, that women are not alone in their struggles against abusive men and the patriarchy. Would be a great book discussion book.

On and off page trigger warnings for: attempted rape, physical and mental abuse of women/wives.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough is a third person multi-POV mixed prose and poetry YA historical exploring the life of a17th century Roman apothecary run by Giulia Tofana through her daughter and apprentice’s eyes. Carmela has spent her whole life surrounded by women helping other women in impossible situations. When Carmela’s former childhood friend asks for help, she struggles with the way society views her family and the necessary function they serve for so many.

The pacing here is on the slower end, but it’s also a fairly quick read due to the page length and the poems between every two or three chapters. It’s much more of a character study rather than a story that is being forward by the plot as Carmela, Giulia, Laura, and Maria navigate the ways society views women, the limitations placed on their clients by their husbands, and the moral question of what do you do if the only way to escape an abusive situation is for someone to die. None of the characters struggle with doing what they believe is right, with the real issues coming from the men in power hating the influence they have.

The childhood friend, Violetta, and Carmela have Sapphic undertones that could, eventually, grow into a romantic relationship or might always be a friendship. Carmella never portrays an interest in relationships beyond her former friendship with Violetta while Violetta did, at one point, have an interest in a local boy and then no longer holds interest in getting married once that is no longer an option. It is open to interpretation what eventually will or won’t happen between them, but I personally think there is a high possibility that they would have at least tried something eventually and maybe they are each other’s happily ever after.

The city becomes another lead character via the poetry sections. Each one focuses on different citizens of the city who are like characters we have met but are different people. Some of them focus on the lack of power women have, some of them on the choices women need to make (such as getting an abortion), and others are based on how people view the apothecary. This little corner of seventeenth century Rome is truly allowed to come alive and the reader is asked to understand where Giulia and her team are coming from when they do choose to mix a poison.

Content warning for depictions of childbirth, domestic abuse, period-accurate sexism, child abuse, sexual assault, mentions of underage prostitution, abortion, and murder

I would recommend this to fans of YA historicals that are more character studies, readers who prefer shorter, slower-paced historicals, and those looking for a story based on a real apothecary operating in Rome in the seventeenth century

Did you know that Joy McCullough had a finalist in each of the youth categories for the Washington State Book Awards in 2024? Joy McCullough is one of those must read authors, especially for those who work with children. Everything Is Poison is technically a YA book and the protagonist feels like a teenager, yet it is a book I would recommend to anyone. There is a bleak view on men presented throughout the book but it is both timely and historically accurate in that sense. There are also good men in the book, which was comforting.

Carmela is the daughter of La Tofana, the local apothecary seen as a witch by locals. Despite this belief, business is brisk for the women who run the shop. At 16, Carmela is finally allowed to work in the shop. She realizes that her mother has been helping women in ways that are less than legal, or that may be legal but are heavily frowned upon. Every few chapters there are poems that explain the plight of similar women.

This book is a delight. It is quick paced and while the subject matter is depressing, it is difficult to not be sucked right in.

This is a perfect addition to high school and public libraries. It would be a fascinating book study for a women's history course.

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Dutton Books for Young Readers for the DRC. All opinions are my own but are heavily influenced by my work as a school librarian.

I'm an absolute sucker for books about women uplifting, protecting, and sustaining each other. Everything Is Poison is a perfect example. Medium-paced plot and nuanced characters will keep you turning the pages. I cheered, laughed, and cried for the women of the Tofana Apothecary.

I would give it a 4.5 if I could. Only fell short of 5 stars when I compare it to my other 5-star reads of this year, it felt a little less exciting than some. Still, an absolute pleasure to read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for allowing me access to the ARC.