There is a whole lot to like in this book. I find the topic of poisoning people to be supremely fascinating, and having one of the main characters to be an apothecary who specializes in helping wronged women, well, sign me up to read it! It's a quick read and I read it quickly.

A few things bothered me. The graphic descriptions of menstruation are pointless. Like I sincerely don't get that, and it kind of turned my stomach if I'm being honest. (Was that the point? Because if it was, then bravo!) I also felt like the book could have been better if it were longer. There were a lot of parts that seemed really abrupt and while that's fine, I guess, I actually would have liked more explanations.

And the ending. Well, it was murky and rushed. That's fine, again, I guess, if that was the point. But I sincerely felt like it could have been handled better, you know?

Anyway, overall, I enjoyed this one. I'd read more novels by this author. Great debut!

Tucked into an alley, working in a hidden room, Nella sells poisons to women in abusive situations. When a twelve year old comes into her shop seeking a potion for her mistress, a small mistake puts Nella in serious danger. In present-day, after finding out that her husband is cheating, Caroline travels to London alone. After finding an apothecary bottle in the mud along the river, she begins to track down the bottle and unravel Nella's story.

I'm not sure what to say about this one. Nella's story was interesting, and I wish the book had focused entirely on her. Caroline's story was unnecessary and dramatically slowed the plot down. I thought Caroline's research attempts were highly unlikely to yield any results and was just not believable. However, because I enjoyed the apothecary's story, 3 out of 5 stars.

This was a great historical mystery set in eighteenth century and present day London. Perfect mystery for a cozy fall day.

I requested this book on a whim after I received an email promoting it. It ended up being quite a good read, albeit a fast one. It is split between the late 18th century and the current day and alternates between the two female protagonists, Nella and Caroline. While there was enough detail to set up and continue the story, I think it could have been longer and more fleshed out. However, it was a good read and an enjoyable one and I will recommend it to my patrons.

This was a fascinating read!
Nella is an apothecary in 18th century London who has a very special business. Caroline is a 21st century woman doing some soul-searching on what should have been her 10th wedding anniversary vacation. One spur-of-the-moment excursion propels Caroline into a surprising project, and helps her decide who she wants to be.
The two storylines progress alongside each other. We learn about Nella as she faces her worst nightmare, while following Caroline's research (which leads to an interesting twist after her husband joins her in London).
The subject matter, the pacing, and the history made this a difficult book to put down. I found myself wanting more details about Nella's potions, the history behind them, and whether there were others like her in that time period. Loved the ending, too!
This would be a great book club read-so many things to talk about! The role and practice of the apothecary, women's issues, relationships, and murder all come into play in this wonderful book.

I liked the history, and the dual timeline, and the women who make their our fates. Could have been a bit livelier and way faster.

This was a fun book! I loved the two timeline aspect and to see how the stories become interwoven. However, some parts of the story did seem to drag a bit and move slowly. Caroline was a character I had a hard time connecting with. That being said I really loved the setting and plot of the story.

I really loved the concept of this book and I enjoyed reading it. It lost one star for me though because Caroline is just not a very convincing character. Her investigative and research abilities are not really all that amazing, and I just did not feel a strong connection between her and the mystery she was chasing down. This book could’ve had a little less Caroline and more and Ella and Eliza and I think it would’ve been five stars.

Thanks to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rarely does a book with two timelines feel as seemless as this one. Not only did I enjoy both timelines, I wanted to read each one just as much, and loved the way they mirrored each other at times. This is a book about women and the ways they support, heal, and harm each other. I read this whole thing in one sitting, and although a few parts dragged for me, I loved following Caroline as she discovered the world of 18th century London. 4.5/5 stars and a highly recommended read!

Arriving in London for what was supposed to be an anniversary trip, Caroline finds herself instead on an unusual journey of self discovery. On her first mudlarking (That’s right, mudlarking; another reason I love the adventure of reading) she discovers a mysterious apothecary vial. The tour guide indicates that finding something on the river was surely fate. Little does Caroline know that the vial’s history will mark the end of one story and the beginning of another, the intersection of pain, secrets and loss amongst three women, and the discovery of magic! The Lost Apothecary’s words flowed magically across the page and allowed me to escape into the lives of strong and resilient women from two time periods. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Apothecary was a quick read that kept me engrossed. While I liked it, I found myself more immersed in the 18th century chapters, while the present day chapters felt like a slog. While Caroline's storyline is meant to enhance the story, I didn't feel that it added much.

I won’t outline the plot again as you can see that in the description, however I just have to describe my elation with this beautifully written book! As a new author, Sarah Penner engrossed me within this story from the very beginning as she wove the tale of an apothecary in London in the early 1700’s. I was delighted with the research and development of the story that you can certainly tell that Sarah painstakingly attempted to do right with the potions and tinctures named throughout the book. The character development alone ensnared my heart from the very first meeting of each character. My heart broke and swelled with a smile on numerous occasions as heart-wrenching details or accomplishments were uncovered through the lives of the women in the book, Eliza, Nella, and Caroline. It was a delightful mixture of my favorite themes within books and contained strong female characters, magic and herb knowledge, and librarians and research. I also felt a kinship with women in the book and loved the ending as I felt I had gone on the same journey with them as one blue vial from an apothecary’s shop, changed the fate of many. “For both of us, the vial marked the end of one quest and the beginning of another; it represented a crossroads, the abandonment of secrets and pain in favor of embracing the truth - in favor of embracing magic. Magic, with its enchanting, irresistible appeal, just like a fairy tale.”

I like the interaction of Gaynor with our protagonist, Caroline, in the search for the answer to the mysterious bottle and the simultaneous story of Eliza working with Nella, the apothecary. I didn’t buy into the divorce story line as much, it just seemed like extra baggage to set up the trip to London. Caroline at times seemed whiny and I wanted to scream at her, just give him the boot.
#LostApothecary #NetGalley

I was hooked on this book from the beginning! The topic was unlike anything I've read before, and I enjoyed it immensely! Both the current day and past storyline are interesting and engaging. Highly recommend!

This was an excellent book. I loved it.
Caroline is on her 10th wedding anniversary trip to London alone because she recently discovered that her husband has been cheating on her. On a whim, she participates in a mudlarking expedition in the Thames and discovers a blue glass vial with some interesting markings. The find inspires Caroline to embark on a research project.
Caroline's storyline and the stories of two characters from the late 1700s mesh effortlessly. All three of the characters are well-developed and very interesting. As Caroline works to uncover the truth, the reader is taken on a parallel journey in the 1790s. This novel includes several surprising twists. I must admit to being disappointed by what happened to the vial at the end.
I would enjoy reading another book about Caroline. I would definitely read this author again.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advance reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is a ponderous, dark novel that moved so slowly. There are truly wonderous moments of writing but overall it came across as a depressingly old work. A unique premise, excellent character development, but when woven together, along with the setting, it made for a hard read.

This story goes between current times and the 1700's. In the 1700's Nella runs a secret apothecary that is only for women. Most women use her to secretly poison a man that is causing harm to them or someone they love. Her rule is that her poisons can never be used on women. However, someone walks into her apothecary that flips her world and her life will never be the same.

In present time, Caroline finds a vial in the river that belongs to the once secret apothecary and tries to figure out it's story.

I really liked the story from the 1700's and feel that the whole story could have been about Nella without bringing in the modern times and introducing Caroline. To me, Caroline sounded kind of whiny and my heart wasn't with her as she talked about her husband.

Thank you Net Galley for an advance copy.

What a fun novel. I love the present and past story lines and thought Penner did a great job weaving them together. Nothing is more fun that a historical mystery. Makes me want to read more of her work.

There’s no denying I flew through this book– I read it faster than I’ve read anything in a while. That said, I wish I’d loved it more than I had. The sense of place was really spectacular, and whether it was present day London or a 1791 apothecary shop, I really felt *there*. This is unfortunately where the accolades end, however. The character development was really flat for me, and I felt like I never really got to know our protagonists. The story switched between late 18th century England and today, which kept things moving, but also made the story unraveling feel like neither plot line got the opportunity to flesh itself out. Ultimately, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, a little too neat and tidy for me. I’d recommend this one to YA readers of the actual demographic who are looking for a fun read without necessarily-YA characters.

My gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy and review!

Plot Summary

In 1791, in a hidden alley in the heart of London, lies a hidden apothecary. Nella provides solutions to female maladies; once a place of refuge, now primarily a place of shadows where the most permanent solutions are sought. She has offered this service more than any other for twenty years, following two rules: The poison must never be used to harm another woman, and the names of the murder and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary's register. When twelve year old Eliza appears at her shop, the events that are set into motion threaten to expose Nella and every woman preserved in her register.

Meanwhile, in present day, Caroline Parcewell is visiting London from Ohio for her tenth wedding anniversary...alone. A chance discovery of an old apothecary vial in the mud of the river Thames will revive Caroline's nose for historic mysteries and throw her onto a path she wasn't expecting...a two hundred year old murder mystery that might hold the solution to her own life turbulence too.

So how was it?

Penner does an incredible job with the characters and setting, and the plot is paced brilliantly. For a debut novel, she came out of the gate at full speed. I devoured this book in a couple of days; every spare minute I had I was flying through this book. I did not see Nella and Eliza's ending coming, and Caroline's was a surprise for me too.

Despite the content, I wouldn't say this is a dark novel. This has a much lighter feel than I thought it would have. It's not cozy mystery light....if this book was a cup of coffee, I'd say it had a healthy dollop of half and half that's just enough to cut the acidity of the coffee but not too much to let the flavor of the brew come through.

Sarah Penner is definitely an author to keep an eye out for, I look forward to what she's penning next.


Content warning: Abuse, miscarriage, murder, poisoning

Read-alikes: Amy Meyerson, Delia Owens, Erika Swyler