I loved this book so much! Great story, great characters and great narrators to bring the story to life. I really liked the dual timelines.

If you like to start your fall with some cozy, witchy reads, this is a perfect addition! We follow Augusta in two different parts of her life, in the 1920s as a teenager, and in the 1980s as a new retiree. As a teenager, Augusta’s life revolves around helping her father at his pharmacy, spending time with the shop boy Irving, and observing her great-aunt Esther, a healer from Russia. As a retiree, Augusta has found herself in the same place as Irving, after spending the 60 years in between trying to mend her heart from his abrupt departure.
I loved Augusta’s teenage storyline. As a teenager, I worked at an old-fashioned soda fountain that was in the front of our local pharmacy, with most of its features still original versions. Cohen Loigman painted such a similar, comforting environment that it was impossible not to love it. Add in Aunt Esther’s miraculous lotions, potions, and soups, and I was fully hooked.
Unfortunately, Augusta’s adult life was more stressful than anything. Instead of having any semblance of mature conversations, Augusta and her childhood friends acted even worse than they had as teenagers. Shirley and Jackie were fun reprieves, but the majority of this timeline was agonizingly slow.
Overall, this is the fall version of a beach read. It’s a quick enough read, very cozy, and has a few touches of magic.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very sweet, heartwarming book! I liked the dual timelines and the hint of magical realism (although, I wish there had been a little more).

This story is a dual timeline plot set in a neighborhood pharmacy in Brooklyn in the 1920s and a retirement home in Florida in the 1980s. Augusta has just retired and is surprised when the retirement home her niece helped her get moved to, is the same one as the man she was in love with 60 years ago. There is an active social scene with the older adults who believe it is not too late for a second chance at love, or to find a new relationship after losing a long time love.

Augusta put her career as a pharmacist ahead of everything else and was passionate about her calling. Irving appreciates her brilliant mind and her ambition and says those are the things that make her so beautiful, which is rare at this time in history when women were not expected to work. Unfortunately, he gets mixed up with some gangsters that steer his path to propose to Augusta off course.

I encourage you to read all the way to the Author's note to hear how the ideas for the story developed and the extensive research that was conducting to bring authenticity to all the details.

Mildly implausible….but aren’t all true romance books! I’m a pharmacist and LOVED the portrayal of one trying to balance the best of medicine, homeopathy, and spirituality. My second over 4 star read of a Loigman book ❤️

“You and I have not known each other long. You have seen only my most fortunate outcomes. But do not mistake a few successes for an unblemished past.”

Omg! It wasn’t until I started to listen to this and heard the authors name that I realized that this is the author that wrote one of my favorite books ever, The Matchmaker’s Gift. I can probably just rate this now at 5 stars. 😂👏🏻

Annnd I was correct. Five (million) stars. I did not want this book to end! I could have read/listened to another 700 pages of this story with these characters. They are so real to me now that I feel like I just watched a movie. I will be thinking of them for quite awhile.

The author’s note just gives this story the exclamation point after those 5 (million) stars. I couldn’t possibly rate this book higher!

The audiobook brings these characters to life in the way that I always hope when I start a new listen. Utterly perfect, just like the book. The end gave me literal chills.

“‘But you said . . . you told me that words could heal!’ ‘Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes, no matter the powders or words, a person’s time on this earth must end. There is no magic any of us have that can make someone live forever.’”

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I liked the dual timeline, and how the two wove together. I really liked Augusta and her relationship with the aunt was something I wish would have been fleshed out a little more.

This audio is so good. The narrator is wonderful and captured each character perfectly. Well done.

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.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a dual timeline—taking place in the early 1920s, Brooklyn and 1987 in a senior living community in Florida. I thoroughly enjoy dual timelines. Its a great way to delve into great stories.

There are plenty of characters to love—Augusta and her old beau Irving, Esther, Jackie, and Shirley.. I even sort of liked Vera. The main characters really come to life and they have secrets which are eventually revealed. 

Recently retired Pharmacist, Augusta, recounts her budding relationship with her pharmacist father’s delivery boy, Irving and her memories of the aunt who raised her. Esther is Augusta's aunt with 'special knowledge' of soups, herbs, teas and potions which had healing properties, but also seemed to conjure magic.

I really enjoyed the narrator, Gabra Zackman. She did a superb job narrating all these characters.

I really tried to guess how this book was going to end. But I couldn't. I enjoyed this story immensely. I will recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio for an early audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The absolute sweetest story! Found myself in tears a number of times throughout. Its definitely not your typical love story and that made this book all the more unique and special.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a great then-and-now telling of family and love and an it’s-never-too-late storyline. Augusta was maybe a little too stubborn and stuck for me to really embrace her as a main character (you really *never* moved on??), but I enjoyed the story nonetheless.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!

this was absolutely everything i love about reading: familial love, platonic love, romantic love, and self love. beautifully written, emotional, and of course frustrating plots that leave you satisfied at the end.

the audio narrator was fantastic.

overall, a new favorite read for 2024, and i’ll be checking out the author’s back list!

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.

The audiobook was great. The single narrator did a great job voicing all the characters with all the excitment and emotion required. Easily recommendable.
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook copy of this delightful novel in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Matchmaker’s Gift, so I was happy to see the author has a new book coming out. I loved this story and the dual timelines. I also enjoyed the humor throughout the book and I loved the characters. That cover is gorgeous! Gabra Zackman narrates the audiobook production beautifully. Sometimes you just need a good story, and this one is terrific! Be sure to listen to the author’s notes at the end.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @netgalley and @ lloigman for an advanced listening copy.

🫶🪄🎧FIVE STAR ALERT🎧🪄🫶

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🥰Huge thank you to @macmillan.audio for the audiobook and @stmartinspress for the physical book! #macaudio2024

📖Title: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
✍️Author: Lynda Cohen Loigman
🗣️Narrator: Gabra Zackman
⏳Audiobook Length: 9hrs, 40mins
📆Pub date: October 8, 2024

🫶Wow, I was truly blown away by this beautiful book.

📖I had no idea what to expect going into this and didn't even read the synopsis. What I didn't expect was a second-chance love story that would bring me to tears multiple times.

🫶This story was told in two timelines and both of them held my attention fully. I loved every single character, was blown away by her writing, and left speechless at the end.

📖I think you should go in without reading the synopsis like I did and just enjoy the ride. I promise you won't be disappointed.

🫶I immediately went and got her previous audiobook THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT and cannot wait to start!

🎧Gabra Zackman absolutely helped bring this story to life! 5/5 on the audiobook production and narration!

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

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. I mainly listened to the audiobook, referring back to the e-book if needed.

This book was narrated by Gabra Zackman, and she is a wonderful narrator. I loved the different voices she came up with for the characters, and she even nailed the heavy accent of Augusta’s great-aunt Esther. I highly recommend the audiobook version, although the e-book is equally enjoyable.

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.

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!

One star removed because I truly dislike a miscommunication or lack-of-communication trope. Imagine going an entire lifetime thinking the love of your life abandoned you. I know our two main characters were so young when their love blossomed and times were different and people lost touch much more easily, but I felt so heartbroken for Augusta!
The overall atmosphere of this book is really beautifully portrayed, from 1920s Brooklyn to 1990s southern Florida, I could vividly picture Augusta’s life and the cast of characters she encountered. Her retirement community moments cracked me up, while the harshness mixed with innocents of her youth in New York with her eccentric aunt was both sweet and real. This book has just a touch of magical realism to scratch a spooky season itch without being a truly witchy read.
At its core it’s about one woman’s resilience, the strength and importance of family, and second chance romance.

Thank you to MacMillian Audio and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this novel.

I absolutely adored the main character of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. You have a duel timeline for Augusta in your youth in the 1020's and her adult self during the 1980's. The author does an amazing job of weaving the two timelines together so you are rooting for Augusta to reclaim her lost love from her youth, now in old age.

This is a heartwarming story and I hope other readers enjoy it as much as I did!