Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin/Park Row for this ARC in exchange for my view and opinion. It was one of the most fascinating and detailed insights into a sinister side of historical fiction.
Caroline is on her 10 year wedding anniversary trip in London, but alone. After discovering her husband is cheating on her, she needed time to think. While mud-larking in the River Thames, (a new term for me) she discovers a blue medicine vial with a small bear etched into the glass. This takes her on a scavenger hunt to the library to research for the origin of this intriguing find.
With 3 person POV and a span of 200 years this story is delicately tied to a silent secret network of well disguised poisons, vengeance and a clue to unsolved apothecary murders 2 centuries ago. The very discreet business is ran by Nella and open only to female clientele with a mission. She continues this sinister avail with a 2 rule focus: 1. The concoctions can only be purchased by women.
2. The names of the victims and the ones carrying out the deed must be recorded.
The apothecary is hidden away in a back alley behind an intriguing wall of shelves that even the keen eye would miss. With mixtures of remedies for healing, one slight change of an ingredient can turn purposely fatal.
When 12 year old precocious, Eliza, meets Nella under her Mistress's orders for a vial of poison, things become complicated and all involved are in danger of being exposed.
The suspense and story telling is fascinating. The way the author interacts the characters' stories is flawless from present to past. As sinister as it all appears, it will leave you finding female heroines on different terms of strength and commitment to themselves and others. I'm only sorry the story ended.

Interweaves the present-day story of a woman who ends up taking her tenth wedding anniversary trip alone and a late 18th Century Apothecary who aided women in poisoning the men who wronged them

Book Review

This story follows two timelines and 3 strongly developed female characters of various ages, in the city of London.

As the title suggests, this is a story about an apothecary. It’s also about the woman who runs it, as her mother did before her. We learn why the woman has made the switch to only making poisonous concoctions, (and only to kill men) though her mother had trained her to help women get healthy. The other timeline is a woman in modern times, who has been betrayed by her husband.

Off the bat, I have to applaud the depictions of libraries and librarians in this book, as well as the acknowledgment that a simple Google search will only get you so far in your research. I suspect our author used libraries for researching this book, or at least has an appreciation of libraries. The only unbelievable part was how above and beyond the librarian went- she really put herself out there!

And research is what our (modern day) main character is performing, in order to discover the history behind a small glass apothecary bottle she has found. We go back and forth in time to discover the secrets of the apothecary. The book is paced nicely, and there was a part about 3/4 through that made me curse aloud, “Oh Sh**. That’s not something I usually do when reading!

There’s some touchy subjects in here, so be forewarned- loss of a baby, sexual abuse, and of course...murders by poison.

Thank you to Netgalley, who sent me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Caroline flees to London, on what was supposed to be an anniversary trip, upon learning of her husband’s affair. While doing some soul searching, Caroline finds an empty apothecary bottle which ignites the historian in her. She uncovers a mystery from the 1700’s. Her journey though past and present kept me from putting this book down! Debut author Sarah Penner does an outstanding job of intertwining the lives of present day characters, with those from 200 years ago.
*thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

Caroline is reeling after discovering her husband had an affair and embarks on their London anniversary vacation alone. While meandering through the city she discovers mudlarking -- a hobby of discovering objects in the mud of the Thames. The first meaningful find Caroline has is a small vial with a bear etched on it.

The vial comes from an apothecary in the late 1700s run by Nella, the daughter of an herbalist. Her mother created cures for maladies, but Nella expanded the business and also sells poisons for women to escape evil men.

Eliza is sent by her mistress to procure poison for the man of the house when his wandering eye lands on the twelve-year-old servant. Eliza is enchanted by the apothecary and asks Nella to teach her more about poisons.

The story is told in turns by Caroline, Nella, and Eliza as their lives and connections with the apothecary unfold. Before the story ends, each woman must confront the dangerous consequences of their actions.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, especially Anglophiles and those who enjoy historical women's fiction.

Currently writing this while sleep-deprived at work because I had to stay up to finish this book, and was too excited to sleep afterwards. Once I hit about the halfway point, it was impossible to put down.

The story takes place in two time periods, the 1700s and present day. While there was quite a bit of overlap between the two storylines in the beginning of the book, they do not take long to separate into unique stories that are both equally engaging, and feed into each other just the right amount.

I did however find the beginning of the book not nearly as engaging. I got the sense the author was trying to be mysterious by withholding some details of the characters' pasts for a couple of chapters, but the information seemed predictable to me once fully revealed. The end however was a complete surprise for me, so what didn't work in the beginning ultimately worked out in the end. I would advise that if you're on the fence with how you feel in the first part of the book, stick with it because the payoff is well worth it.

3.5 stars from me. I enjoyed the story and especially love the back and forth between time periods. But, Caroline really annoyed me. She was whiny and I did not relate to her at all. The little twist at the end was so great though.

What can I say, this book has everything. Prestige, mystery, suspense, history. This was a fantastic book! I loved every minute of it.

"The Lost Apothecary" is part historical fiction, part mystery, and part women's fiction. An 18th century apothecary—a poisoner of men who've done wrong—and her apprentice anchor the historical storyline, and a modern day historian who has learned her husband has cheated on her carries the "now" storyline. Despite the seemingly dark topic of vengeful poisoning, this book is a light and easy read that has dramatic flair through its three POVs. Great debut by Sarah Penner, whose prose evokes London past and present and three women seeking their purpose and how to fulfill it.

It’s 1791 in London and in a secret apothecary shop on Back Alley we meet the mysterious proprietor, Nella. Nella uses the same ingredients her mother before her used for good to help women kill men that have wronged them. When Nella meets a young charge (Eliza Fanning) seeking help for her mistress, neither knew how much their chance encounter would change their lives. Intertwined is the story of Caroline, a woman on a London vacation for her 10th wedding Anniversary. Unfortunately, she’s on that vacation alone. With time on her hands and a background degree in history, she is suddenly knee deep in a mystery after she discovers a very old blue apothecary bottle while mudlarking near the River Thames. What’s the story behind bottle?? She quickly delves in to find that out. Through her search, she not only finds out the answers to her questions about that little blue bottle, but also the answers to some much needed questions involving her own life. What a riveting, magical debut novel!! Completely unique and with a cast of unforgettable characters this book was extremely difficult to put down!!

LOVED this debut from Sarah Penner. I am a historical fiction aficionado and this has all the makings of a five star historical fiction read. The mystery. The dual timelines. The intrigue. I couldn't put this one down. If you like Fiona Davis' historical fiction, I think you will LOVE this one! Cannot wait to recommend this to our audience. Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Lost Apothecary is a lighter version of a dark read and one of the rare dual-timeline novels where each timeline is as engrossing as the other. We first meet 18th century herbal-healer-turned-herbal-poison-mastermind Nella, who we quickly learn is a secretive loner with no expectations of getting any joy out life but who finds fulfillment in her work helping avenge wronged women. In the present day we meet Caroline - a fairly average midwestern wife who has just discovered infidelity by her husband that has sent her into a tailspin about all the sacrifices she made for her marriage. It has also sent her to London, on a solo version of a planned anniversary trip with said cheating husband, who she left behind. At first, I was not quite as interested in Caroline's story as I was Nella's but as the story went on I found each woman's story just as interesting and compelling.

Nella is thrown off when she discovers the latest anonymous request for poison ends up having been made by a 12-year-old girl named Eliza, a maid in an aristocratic household, on behalf of her employer whose husband has become too interested in the growing girl's charms. We quickly discover the story packs no punches as Eliza deftly administers the poison and kills the man.

Each character's backstory and motivations are pulled back in layers. In Nella and Eliza's story we are drawn deeper into the past even as present day events begin to catch up with the apothecary. With Caroline we unravel the dreams she once had for her future, and how they might be resurrected. The plot's pace quickens as do the discoveries, complications and dangers in each era. You'll find yourself speeding towards and ending that might not be exactly what you expected!

This book was soooo good! The dual timeline works magnificently as a means to weave both storylines together. Each character's plot is individually compelling and the combining of them truly brings this book to the next level. There is certainly something to be said about a woman apothecary who uses her skills as a means to be a vigilante. Having the three woman experience varying levels of motherhood was very effective at not only allowing them to relate to each other but also to the reader. The historical mystery that Caroline works to unravel was a joy to read. The duplicitous James incites the reader to possibly wish the apothecary was still in business. A fantastic debut novel that is edgy, compelling, and well written.

This book is set in London and alternates between the 18th century and present day. It tells the story of Nellie, an apothecary who provides poison for woman who are seeking revenge on men who have wronged them and Caroline who finds an old vial and decides to research its origins. The parts of this story taking place in the past were especially interesting as the writing includes rich details of the time period. The author's note at the end provides additional historical context. A unique read.

The premise sounded strong and promising, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed at how things played out. It wasn't thrilling enough to be a thriller or mysterious enough to be a mystery, and while I really enjoyed the historical setting, it just wasn't enough for me to rate the book much higher.

This book covers two different points in time: Caroline in present-day London who is trying to make the best of an anniversary trip despite her marriage being on the rocks, and the dual viewpoints of Nella the apothecary and her brief young assistant Eliza in the 1790s. Nella has been a secret dispenser of poisons, with a very strict set of rules about who they can be used on. This personal code is called into question with one very particular client, and the book largely centers around the buildup and resolution of this one particular case. Caroline, in present-day London, stumbles on the mystery of these two individuals through finding a relic from Nella's shop while out on a spur of the moment mudlarking trip, and spends the rest of her trip unravelling the details while also trying to figure out how to move forward with her personal life.

I have to admit that I was not interested or invested in Caroline's viewpoint at all. She felt a bit bland, and her personal struggles with her marriage and life choices felt tired and not all that compelling. I feel like she existed solely to tell the reader the story of Nella and Eliza, and her personal struggles only existing so the reader can draw obvious parallels between the two points in time.

I also was disappointed at how Nella and Eliza's story played out. I was expecting something a bit darker and mysterious given the premise of a female apothecary who poisons men, but very little of the business of being an apothecary was shown. This just didn't quite scratch the I-want-to-read-about-poisonings-please itch I was expecting it to.

I loved this book! Switching back and forth between then and now, the story tells the tale of a woman who creates poisons for women who need out of bad relationships. While that storyline was engaging, the present tale of Caroline escaping her current marriage was also a great story on it's own. The history was fascinating and I loved how the two tales wove themselves together. One of my best reads of 2020. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

An engrossing historical fiction novel, focusing on the hidden history and stories of women. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!

1791: Nella is an apothecary who sells salves and tinctures for women's medical issues, but also poison to help them cope with personal problems like philandering husbands and violent fathers. Present day: Caroline planned her trip to London to celebrate her tenth wedding anniversary, but ends up spending it mourning her shattered marriage. When she goes mudlarking on a whim, she discovers one of Nella's vials and is launched into an investigation that fully distracts her from her own troubles. Caroline's sleuthing and journey of self-realization aren't uninteresting, but Nella's role as avenging angel, and the terrible danger it puts her in, are far more gripping. Thanks, Netgalley.

I was immediately intrigued by the concept of this book - an historical fiction mystery with parallel story lines is right up my alley! I've never read much about the role of apothecaries through history, and the idea of mudlarking definitely piques my interest. Throw in some strong female protagonists fighting back against oppression and inequality in their own quiet, clever ways, and it should be a real winner. Unfortunately, the structure of the story was a little complicated since it jumps back and forth in time quite a bit between Caroline in the present day and Nella and Eliza in 1791, and the switch between narrators is not always completely clear. While it's easy to root for Nella and Eliza, I found it difficult to identify with Caroline. Her relationship with her husband did not quite ring true. I did almost abandon it, but in the end I am glad I stuck with it. As a whole it was an enjoyable book with plenty of historical tidbits, excitement, and suspense.
**Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.**

I picked this title firstly because I fell in love with the gorgeous cover and secondly because the description sounded absolutely fascinating. It truly did not disappoint. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel as it’s so well written. Told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of three women, two from 1791 and one from the present, the story just pulls you right in from the beginning. It’s the story of Nella, an apothecary in late 18th century London, who dispenses poisons to women who have need of them to protect themselves from a man in their lives and how she began to do so. It’s also the story of Eliza, a young serving girl of 12 years of age, and how she comes to know Nella and her hidden apothecary shop. Then there is our modern woman, Caroline, on her 10th wedding anniversary trip to London alone and her journey to discover not just the history of a vial she discovers while mudlarking on her first day there but of who she is and what she wants for her life.

I found each of these characters compelling and interesting. Each chapter, regardless of when it was set or who was relating the information, kept me wanting more. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so there’s much I’m holding myself back from saying. Suffice it to say that while the history of the vial and the lost apothecary came out and Caroline’s questions regarding it and the apothecary shop were answered, I still wanted more. I did not want to leave these characters. I wanted to know what happened to Eliza between the events of 1791 and the final mention of her in the book in 1804. And what of Nella? How did she fare and what did her life hold for her after 1791? I want to know more about Caroline’s research and her journey to figure out who she was and what she wanted now turned out. I’m really hoping that Sarah Penner is already hard at work on a sequel that will answer these questions for me. I highly recommend this debut novel. If you’re anything like me, you won’t be disappointed.