Sarah Penner debut novel was a true page turner. So well written so involving.A new author I will be following and recommending.#netgalley #harlequinbooks.

Not sure how I ended up with this book as it's not my usual style so that may effect my rating. I received this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the author and publisher.
This is a very character driven novel with excellent background descriptions. Her business was women's medicine in a time of men only doctors and women's problems were attributed to hysteria or simply overlooked. Her mother taught her well and she helped many until the betrayal. Revenge for all women became her life. Her ledger contained the names of all the women she helped to free and no harm came to them for she knew her poisons well. With the book covering past and present we learn the stories of Nella, Eliza and Caroline and how their stories intersected.

More interested in the historical portions of the book than the modern day balance - I found the main character tedious.

I don't typically go for historical fiction but the badass feminist twist to this had me so intrigued! This was a book that once I started reading it, I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the split timeline and thought that Penner did a great job of distinguishing between the different characters and time periods. It was just so wonderfully done.

Caroline had been looking forward to her long-overdue honeymoon with her husband of ten years when her entire world is thrown into question. She is now in London, alone, and off balance. While questioning all of her life choices up until this point, Caroline finds herself enthralled in an 18th century murder mystery, but deeper she digs, the closer to death she comes.
Going all the way back to a dark back alley apothecary shop in 1791 London, Nella, once a respected healer, now a disgraced dispenser of poisons finds herself facing her own mortality after a lifetime of assisting women with ridding themselves of baneful men. Having resigned herself that her knowledge will die with her, Nella unexpectedly finds herself with an over eager young client interested in her potions, but will this client be her undoing?
In this Historical Fiction split narrative, Penner gives the reader a taste of what it might be like to stumble across their own mystery in history. Having never even wanted to play in the mud before, I now find myself wanting to go mudlarking for my own treasures. I love the strong sense of female solidarity. I look forward to reading more of Penner's books.

Caroline Parcewell travels solo to London on a trip that was meant to be her tenth wedding anniversary celebration. Days before the trip, however, she discovered that her husband had been unfaithful. While processing the devastating news, Caroline finds an ancient apothecary vial that piques her curiosity and revives her interest in historical objects--a passion she abandoned to support her husband's career.

Caroline's research unveils the vial's link to a string of unsolved men's deaths by poisonings that occurred in London in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Who was responsible for these deaths, and what bearing do these discoveries have on Caroline's current situation?

Told in a dual timeline populated by strong female characters, The Lost Apothecary is an engaging tale of historical fiction. The well-plotted story highlights the age-0ld sacrifices women make in relationships, and champions the reversals of fortune that are possible when women reclaim their power and take charge of their own destinies.

A book has to be good to be picked for a Book of the Month selection and this one blows it out of the water!

I absolutely loved this book! Sarah Penner wrote an excellent debut and I could not put it down. The dual timelines intertwined perfectly and the characters were well developed. The ending was unexpected and left me wondering. I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction.

I received a review copy from NetGallery and Harlequin and I voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.

First, let me say that I love the cover of this book. I was so excited to read this one both because it's beautiful and because the story sounded really interesting.

I loved the way this was done in multiple POVs across two timelines. You really got to get inside the minds of all three main characters and understand what motivated them.

However, Caroline did kind of annoy me. She was hasty with so many of her decisions and she frustrated me throughout the book.

This was an interesting historical read and I also enjoyed the theme of women being the masters of their own destinies in any way they could in a time when they didn't have much power.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book has an intriguing premise. Nella, an apothecary in 1700's London, Nella is an apothecary, is a vigilante of sorts. Women come to her for poisons that will release them from the men who have done them wrong. Her story becomes connected to the present day story of another woman who comes across a clue and begins to investigate. This is a tale of women making their own destinies.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

This book sucked me in from the first chapters and had me invested until the very end! Amazing characters, excellent alternating timeline, and a gripping plot!

The year is 1791. When an apothecary sells a noblewoman a poison intended to kill another woman, thereby breaking her vow to never harm a woman, it sets off a chain of events that reverberates not only in her life, but in that of a woman who lives in the future with more than two hundred years between them.
An interesting and complex story, with a plot that takes place in two different timelines as well as from several points of view: that of the apothecary, that of little Eliza Fanning, and that of Caroline Parcewell, a modern-day American who finds herself in London, on a failed trip to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
The lives of these women intertwine and the past influences the present in an intriguing way that will leave the reader satisfied with this story.

This was a refreshing read!! It’s been a while since I have read a historical fiction book and this one was such a delight!! I really enjoyed the timeline swaps and loved the characters. The touch of magical realism was the perfect addition. Definitely recommend this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

As a debut novel, I feel like the packaging for this was well done. The marketing as well so. I honestly listened to this on audio and whoever read for Nella had an intoxicating voice. A perfect choice.

Nella is an apothecary in London, hiding her trade for a distinct clientele—women. Her mother taught her well, but as she learned herself, her remedies could only be for women who had particular needs and she makes sure to meet them, cautiously. Eliza Fanning, a customer, might make that caution difficult. In modern day, Caroline is in London, on what was originally an anniversary trip, trying to ignore her heartache. Whilst out on a tour, she finds on old apothecary bottle along the banks of the river. Intrigued, she goes on a hunt to find out where it comes from, remembering her old love of history. When her husband shows up , things get stilted and so does Caroline’s hunt.

Okay. So let’s talk Nella. I feel like this whole book could have been Nella. Write me a book starting from when Nella was a little girl and show me the relationship that soured. Show me when she first started making remedies and created the shop. Show me when she changed gears and started creating poisons. I want to see her frame of mind. That book would have been something I sank my teeth in and gloried in. It was such a rich narrative on her end and I revelled being in her world.

But then we went to Caroline’s world. And sure her finding the bottle and going on a mystery hunt to find out about the shop was fun. Her husband showing up though? Trying to get her to take him back? Gag. It ruined her whole storyline for me. Just let her hunt and enjoy solving the mystery. It would have been so much more fulfilling.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I just wish the book had been about Nella alone. Thank you for the arc!

This book has some great things gong for it...an absolutely beautiful cover and a great idea. I'm sad to say that is really where it ends for me. I loved the concept- a serial killer female apothecary set in a time period of Jack the Ripper or Sherlock Holmes. However, how can that actually be boring?? But it was. Also, I usually enjoy a dual timeline but the present day character was mostly just annoying and completely unbelievable. So, thanks to Net Galley for the read and I wish more covers were this gorgeous!

This book pulled me in and kept me interested. A great story where the past and present collide in a sweet mystery with a twist.

A fantastic mystery going back and forth between 18th century London and 2021 about an apothecary shop and the women it serves - it will draw you in and keep you turning pages until you finish. A lovely debut by Sarah Penner!

An engaging story told from three different perspectives and two time periods. It was a fast read and I really enjoyed it.

This book is a historical research mystery with two timelines. I have to admit, I was reluctant to read a story of someone who sells poisons to murder, but so many people have enjoyed it so I gave it a whirl. It was a very compelling read!

In the 1800s there is an apothecary shop in the back alleys of London and the woman who runs the shop sells poison from her secret shop. The poison is sold to women to murder men who have done them wrong. Throughout the book, you learn how Nella came to this occupation.

Meanwhile, a woman comes to London for an anniversary trip without her husband. He cheated and she needs to get away and think. On an afternoon of exploring, she finds a glass vial in the river when she takes a mudlarking class. This artifact leads her to research at the library and she begins to unravel a story of a lost apothecary.

This book is well written and keeps moving the plot along. The contemporary and the historical story were easy to keep track of and were both interesting. I would recommend this book!