If you are looking for a story about women who find their voice and strength, this book is for you!

The Lost Apothecary is written in the perspective of three women, across two different time periods. They are all connected and tell a story of strength and growth.

Present Day: Caroline escapes to London alone on her 10 year anniversary, after discovering her husband's affair. After finding a mysterious, antique vial at the bottom of the river, she finds herself escaping into the world of history and literature, a part of herself that she had forgotten about.

Late 1700’s: Nella is an apothecary shop owner, which she inherited from her mother. Her concoctions are not always legal and used to help women who want to dispose of the men in their lives because of abuse, infidelity and more. Eliza is a 12-year old girl who is sent to the apothecary on behalf of her mistress, to use against her husband. Nella and Eliza form a friendship and find themselves in a predicament, where their lives and the privacy of the apothecary are in jeopardy.

Caroline, Nella and Eliza’s lives and stories are intertwined beautifully by Sarah Penner. She does an incredible job of keeping what could be a confusing story very clear and easy to follow. The growth and development of these three women is incredible. A wonderful story of resilience, courage and friendship.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin, Park Row and Sarah Penner for my advanced reader copy!

In 1791, an apothecary Nella is using a hidden space behind her shop to make herbal remedies and sometimes a poison or two to help females in need. A 12 year old Eliza happens upon Nella and befriends her and helps her.
In present day, Caroline goes on a 10th anniversary trip to Paris and finds a bottle with a bear etching on it in a river scavenger hunt. She wants to know where the bottle came from.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In 1791, Nella is carrying on the legacy of her late mother’s apothecary shop. Women would come seeking vials of her concoctions to help them, but after being betrayed by a man she loved, Nella’s shop has taken on a sinister air. Nella no longer just prescribes vials to ease menstrual cramps and the like, but if a woman is seeking revenge on a man who has done her wrong, Nella expertly and cleverly sends them away with poisons that are almost utterly undetectable. Eliza, a young girl sent to fetch poison for her mistress, is a pivotal character as well as she and Nella develop a friendship and working relationship in the shop.

In present day, Caroline finds herself alone in London on what should have been her and her husbands anniversary trip. While there, she joins other history lovers for a mudlarking experience, and unearths a vial from the Thames. Caroline’s thirst for knowledge and her curiosity gets the best of her so she tries to discover what exactly this vial is.

This story started off for me a little slow for the first half but after that I was hooked. This was a really unique and interesting story.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade for my copy and letting me take part in this blog tour!

The Lost Apothecary is a unique, fascinating, fun read!

We have two timelines, with the distant past having a major effect on one woman’s future.

I absolutely loved the 1791 timeline, and could have happily stayed right there. We’re in a London apothecary, with Nella, as she sells poisons to women needing to rid themselves of particular types of men. The writing is immersive, and I absolutely felt like I’d traveled back in time to this little shop in a back alley of London. Nella’s story is intense and powerful.

The present-day timeline is interesting, though comparatively not quite as compelling as the past timeline. Caroline is a likable character, and I empathized with her situation.

I loved how the two timelines converged, in a sense, to bring closure for both in the end.

If this isn't optioned into a Netflix series or into a movie, I will absolutely riot. This was such a great book. Sarah Penner is an excellent author giving just enough description to picture what was going on but not enough to bog down the purpose of the book. I need more. A book two? Another book from Penner? Whatever it is, count me in.

This book is build on such a promising premise, but it lacked a little something in the execution.
The story is about 3 different women, living in London 200 years apart. The modern women stumbles upon a historic mystery and stumbles through the discovery over two days. It's just a bit too unbelievable and haphazardly done.

I 100% judged this book by its cover! It’s gorgeous, but let’s get to the story. What a deceptively fun story. Not even realizing that this book is so much more than a historical fiction. There was a mystery, some fantasy and magic, it really had it all.
I enjoyed reading these 3 women’s story of love, loss, heartbreak but at the root was this friendship. A friendship that was loyal over centuries. I loved how Caroline discovered things and chose what to share. The Lost Apothecary was safe with her.
There really isn’t a lot to say without spoilers. I just think you need to read it. It does start a bit slow, but it picks up very quickly and before you know it, you’re done and sad.

When that past and the present collide you get "The Lost Apothecary". This book drew me in from the moment that I started to read it and kept my attention throughout. I have already started to talk it up with staff and some of the patrons. I think this is such a fun read.

Great Mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed Nella and the historical story. I am now on the search for more information on mudlarking. This was an enthralling read.

DNF

You guys, I really really wanted to like this one. Maybe if I stuck with it I would've ended up liking it, but I got about 20% in and just couldn't push myself to finish it.

The modern day girl? I would want to slap her, but I didn't have the energy. If I learned one thing about <i>The Hills</i> is that YOU DON'T THROW AWAY AN AMAZING WORK OR SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY FOR A MAN!

That wasn't the only thing that irked me.

This is one where my DNF rule kicks in full throttle-if you dread picking it up again, make the book a DNF. There are sooooo many books to get through, so don't waste your time on a book you dread reading.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE posting DNF reviews because the author, publishers, editors etc. worked so hard and spent so much time and energy on this book.

4 stars!

We are following three perspectives and a dual timeline: Nella and Eliza in the past (late 1700s), and Caroline in present day, both timelines in London.

Nella is a middle-aged hermit who took over her mother's apothecary and sells poisons in addition to helpful tinctures and medicinal teas (and more) that help women. She refuses to hurt women and only aids them, in all ways, including helping them kill off philandering husbands, etc.

Eliza is a 12-year-old girl who comes into Nella's shop to pick up a poison for her mistress, and becomes enthralled with "magick" and potions and the power they hold.

Caroline is a woman who is on her 10th anniversary vacation in London, and comes across a vial in the Thames, and sets off on a journey to find out what history the vial holds.

This ended in exactly the way I was hoping/expecting, but throughout the story I didn't have any idea where it could go at some aspects! I do wish I could have connected a bit deeper with all of the characters, but it was lovely to follow them throughout their respective journeys. My issues stem from a lack of voice between the three perspectives, and how they are so similar that I would have to go back to see who's chapter it was. I also felt like the historical research part was almost too easy and fell into place too quickly for me at some points. I also would have loved more history!

Thanks to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing/Park Row Books/HarperCollins for an eARC copy of this book which releases on March 2nd, 2021.

Murder by poison throughout England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was carried mostly by women. “The largest population of accused poisoners consisted of mothers, wives, and female servants… Motives ranged widely: grudges against employers, the removal of inconvenient spouses or lovers, death benefits…”

London, 1791. Nella is an owner of an apothecary. Her mother started the shop for women’s maladies (as similar help provided by men was hardly helpful to women). She never intended to stain her mother’s shop’s legacy, but an event in her life propels her to make certain remedies - deadly ones.

Eliza’s family are farmers. At her mother’s insistence, she travels to London where in search of a life beyond fields and pasture. Eliza starts her work first in the scullery. Two months later, she learns how to write as her mistress’ hands are shaky. “She cannot write much of anything anymore.” And once Eliza experiences her master’s unwelcome touch, her mistress sends her on an errand to Nella.

Present day London. Caroline, an aspiring historian, while visiting London, she learns about mudlarking. As it turns out, the river Thames holds “little remnants of history, all the way back to the Roman era,” including coins, rings, pottery and such. She finds a vial with a little animal etched onto it – something like an apothecary vial, but it’s missing a logo. Her background in history and a feeling of unfulfilled life prompts her to explore her curiosity.

What interested me in Caroline’s story was her attempting things she missed out on marrying and settling too early. She is an interesting character. However, her trying to solve the mystery that happened two hundred years earlier brings some repetition as we learn about those events when story goes back in time. I felt a much stronger connection with the past story and that’s where I think the strength of the novel lies.

Nella is the star. Her knowledge of herbs and making different tinctures with caution (as small dose of one plant can be beneficial, but too much can be deadly) creates a mystery in itself. I enjoyed learning about her childhood. When “other children amused themselves with blocks and sticks and cards in muddy alleyways,” Nella spent her childhood learning “the color, consistency, and flavor of hundreds of ingredients. She studied the great herbalists and memorized the Latin names within the pharmacopoeias.”

Overall, the dual timeline with three POVs are seamlessly woven with suspense carried from one perspective to another. With crisp prose the story is engrossing and propulsive. You can also see and feel the darker and mysterious atmosphere added by the place’s narrow alleyways. If you don’t know the area, it seems as you can easily get lost there.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

I thoroughly loved reading the fascinating and mesmerizing story. After Caroline discovers her husband is having an affair, she goes on their 10-year anniversary trip alone and finds a mysterious vial which leads her to research its hidden meanings. In the 1700's, Nella is an apothecary who helps women poison their husbands, lovers, or boyfriends who have wronged them. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written with captivating characters including a twelve year old girl named Eliza. and a riveting story capturing the reader's attention from the first page of the story until the last page of the story.
I reviewed a copy of the story from NetGalley.

Thank you to Park Row Books for a gifted copy of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. All opinions are my own.

A found apothecary bottle in current day London sparks curiosity in a visitor to the city to discover the identity of the original owner. Caroline is interested in history and very curious about the unique apothecary bottle with the bear emblem. Nella is an apothecary who feels compelled to help women in compromising situations.

The Lost Apothecary is a dual timeline historical fiction. Caroline is in the present day while Nella and Eliza are in 1791. The story alternates between the perspectives of the three characters.

Audiobook: It is narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. The narrators have clear and concise speech which made it easy to listen to the audiobook comfortably at two times speed.

I enjoyed this one and found it very interesting. The beginning drew me in immediately and felt a bit like a mystery as Caroline tries to uncover the past to understand why there are no obvious records easily available to find the apothecary connected to the bottle. It slows down a bit in the middle but overall I enjoyed the story. I also love the cover on this one. It's very vibrant and beautiful.

General Fiction (adult)
Historical Fiction
Women's Fiction
Release Date: March 2, 2021

Told by three narrators across two timelines - 1791 and the present-day - The Lost Apothecary weaves an unputdownable tale of three women across history. Della is an apothecary who quietly dispenses poisons to women who've been hurt and betrayed by men. Eliza is a 12-year-old servant who finds herself fascinated by Della. Caroline is a woman in the present day, on vacation in London and recovering from her husband's betrayal, when she discovers an apothecary vial that sets her off on a quest to discover the vial's provenance. Sarah Penner breathes life into her characters and provides backstories that make these women come to life. This book gave me a complete disregard for bedtime and I am grateful for it.

Thank you to Netalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Expected Publication Date: March 2, 2021

I was so excited when I read the email from Netgalley pitching this book! This is pitched as a historical fiction, set in the late 1700’s in London, with a female apothecary turned serial killer. While I’m typically a reader who shies away from murder mysteries, the fact that our killer is a woman who provides other women with poisons piqued my interest, and I couldn’t pass this up.

We learned that the apothecary shop is currently owned by a woman named Nella, who inherited the shop when her mother died. Shortly after her mother’s death, Nella experienced a traumatic event in her early twenties that led to her crafting and dispensing poisons, in addition to the tonics and remedies she was already selling to women in need.

Nella took her mother’s apothecary shop, and their reputation, and twisted it into something far darker. Her poisons are sold on the sole condition that they are never to be used to harm another woman, only the men whose actions have had disastrous consequences in these women’s lives.

We meet a 12 year old girl named Eliza, who is sent to Nella by her mistress to procure a poison for her husband (who we later learn has a predatory tendency with young girls). Eliza and Nella form an unlikely relationship over the course of the novel, where they both heavily rely on one another as things begin to unravel.

One of the things I absolutely loved about this book was having the point of view of three characters. We got an in depth look into Nella’s mindset, as well as what it was like to be a child during this time period. We were transported to the present day with our third main character Caroline, who is an American on vacation in London after the discovery of her own husband’s infidelity. During her stay, Caroline happens upon one of Nella’s apothecary vials, and begins a rather extensive investigation into the past, exploring the history of the apothecary killer.

I knew very early on that this book would receive a five star rating from me if it stayed the course. The writing is incredibly immersive into both the individual character’s and into the world they reside in. There was so much heart and personality written into each character, I honestly could not read this book fast enough. I wanted to stay in this world with these women, and see how they interacted with one another, and how they solved their own problems.

I really enjoyed the take this book had on the feminine experience. The duality of mixing present day with historical events (though I believe mostly fictional) was fascinating. Not only do we get to experience a woman discovering her husband has had an affair in 1790, but we also get to experience it in 2020 through these characters. This allowed me as the reader to compare and contrast the way each woman handled the situation based on her own personality and the time period. Women are represented through Eliza, Caroline, and Nella at various stages of life, which enabled me to revisit my childhood, and ponder my present, and future self.

I highly recommend this addictive read. It was so much fun, which I know is a very weird statement to make regarding a serial killer, but I genuinely fell in love with these women and their shared stories. I hope lovers of historical fiction and women’s literature will give this book a try. I cannot wait to see what Sarah Penner writes next. I’ll be waiting to dive into her new characters, and explore whatever world she wants to show us.

Discovering your husband of ten years has been unfaithful is a blow: particularly when it happens just hours before you are to leave on THE anniversary trip of a lifetime: heading to London to see the sights and connect: catching up with your long-hidden love of all things historic. What is Caroline to do? She packs and goes – alone: time to regroup, rethink her next steps and remove herself from the omnipresent threat to her thoughts of her husband and his infidelity.

Reeling from the emotions and jetlag, she’s just checking out the neighborhood when she meets a tour guide for a mudlarking excursion along the Thames. Having no other plans that intrigue, and despite her heart not really being in the mood – she joins and discovers a small vial with a crudely etched bear on the side. This starts her investigation (and a refresh of her love of history, the degree she never went for, and a rethink of her life.

Meanwhile, we are treated to the story of Nella and her connections to Eliza. Nella had taken over her mother’s shop – an apothecary dedicated to women only – and to serve their needs. Rare in the 16th century London in which they live. Time and circumstance, as well as a bitterness combined with knowledge of herbs and their effects have made Nella the “go to” woman in town for those who need a change in their circumstance with removal of their husbands. When little Eliza, just 12 years old, arrives at her shop to purchase a particularly effective remedy for her mistress’ husband, now turning his eyes (yet again) on the young servants in their home – a friendship of sorts is born, and the story of how Nella came to dispense harm instead of only help.

What a gripping and intriguing tale as Catherine seeks to uncover Nella’s full story, find her own footing, and even be implicated in the poisoning (yet not death) of her own husband as she seeks to find her own footing and new path. With visits to the British Library, discovering an old, long unused door off an alley, and the register of names, doses and eventually the ‘what happened’ to Nella – Catherine is discovering her own new path in life and allowing herself a new direction. Told in 3 perspectives: Nella and Eliza’s in the past as well as Catherine’s in the present, the three inform the changes, growth and even decline of relationships, lives and opportunities, and is hard to put down. An unusual and rather unique telling of a woman –forward tale where heroines aren’t all goodness and light, and ‘who deserves’ the opportunities opened as the story unfolds isn’t clear.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aRE /” <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This story is told in three points of view over two timelines: Present Day London and London,1791. The dual timelines in this novel are seamless and tidy. Everything is written with purpose and is well researched.

In the 18th century there weren’t many rights for women or ways to fight against transgressions. There was little choice for those abused to find a way out. Nella filled a need for those who would otherwise have no voice. Raised by her apothecary mother she learned from a young age how to treat a myriad of ailments. From womanly issues to headaches the shop was there for females whose male doctors didn’t quite understand a woman’s needs. After a life changing event of her own she begins offering another type of service to her patrons, poison. She has two rules she follows, the poison must never be used to hurt another woman and the victim and purchaser must be logged in her register.

In comes Eliza, a twelve year old girl sent by her mistress to purchase a poison that she is to administer to her master at breakfast. Eliza is intrigued by the magic of the shop, the jars and potions. She cleverly forms a friendship with Nella and unknowingly begins to set the wheels in motion for the downfall of the shop.

Present day Caroline escapes to London after discovering her husband’s infidelity. Questioning her life choices she finds comfort being in London and having the freedom to explore on her own. She joins a mudlarking group and discovers a strange blue vial in the mud of the Thames. This discovery leads her on a mission to find its origins and flex her historian roots as she pieces together the mystery of the London Poisoner.

This book does not glorify poisoning or murder but instead examines the moral struggles and ways these commitments can go array. Nella herself is ill and attributes this to a punishment for her dispensing poisons. With the exception of the mudlarking tour guide, every single man in this book is vile. I honestly wish there was another redeeming male character in the past to soften the blow of the many beasts that walked among them. Unlike some novels with dual timelines, I felt this one worked well. The parallels between past and present fit nicely together and followed the themes of forming friendships and liberating women.

Lovers of history, mysterious shops, hidden streets, herbalists, potions, magic, revenge, women supporting women, women finding their purpose, all will find something to love in this story. I urge you to read this captivating debut novel.

I found this story really interesting and entertaining. I'm always drawn to stories that are told in two separate timelines and this one did not disappoint. The present day story of Caroline facing a crisis in her marriage is as interesting as Nella's story which is far more unusual and takes place in the 18th century. Sarah Penner does a nice job of bringing the stories together and it is clear that her topic has been thoroughly researched. I greatly enjoyed this novel and recommend it!

Historical Fiction isn’t a first choice for me, but man did I enjoy this one!
The cover and synopsis immediately intrigued me and knew this was something that I needed to read. However, I wasn't expecting to be sucked into this story.
This is told in dual timelines: 1791 London at secret apothecary and present day following a woman struggling in her marriage. The dual timelines really worked, but the majority of the time I found myself favoring the timeline regarding Nella and Eliza. I did enjoy how the two timelines played off each other.
Penner’s writing and character development is fantastic. I also love the feminist themes and grey morality in the book! This was an overall great read, and I’d definitely recommend picking it up.