It’s not the 10th anniversary celebration that Caroline Parcewell would have wanted. She’s spending the day alone, studying the two hundred year old apothecary murders that have intrigued and captivated London ever since they occured. It would seem a mysterious woman known only as Nella, would help women escape the clutches of evil men by way of a poisonous elixir. Nella was widely sought after for her abilities, until a young patron makes a fatal mistake. As Caroline searches through history for Nella, the fate of both women become entwined. A thrilling and dangerously addictive story of women taking back their power by whatever means necessary

An engaging tale of women helping women that transcends time. I modern day London a recently betrayed wife finds a vial that connects back to an eighteenth century apothecary. This is a hidden secret apothecary that serves only women, most of whom have been betrayed by men. As the modern woman researches the vial we learn the tale of the secret apothecary and the young customer who may be her undoing.

This is the story of three women whose lives are interwoven though separated by 200 years.
Nella has inherited her apothecary shoppe from her mother, and is dedicated to helping women. Unfortunately, due to a deep betrayal, Nella has turned to darker remedies for women who have been mistreated, to poison their abusers. While helping one of her customers, she apprentices a young maid, Eliza.
In current times, Caroline is grieving the breaking of her heart and marriage. She travels to London, on a planned second honeymoon, without her husband. When she was a young college student, she had dreamed of pursuing an advanced degree in British history. So, her first afternoon in London, she goes mud-larking with a tour group and finds an old bottle in the Thames. In the course of finding out everything she can about the bottle, her life becomes linked to Nella and Eliza. I found this book to be fascinating and enjoyed learning about 18th century medicine and the research Caroline did with the help of a librarian at London’s iconic British National Library.
And just to make the book a little better, there’s magic!

This book actually gave me an adernaline rush and literally kept me at the edge whole time. This is all a  reader can ask for!
I loved how it blended in the multiple genres along with dual timelines and ending of each chapter left me in a thirst of  knowing more and more.
I love reading about old London and omg the description of the old city is so atmospheric and fasicnating that you can actually visualize the scenes, but not overly detailed that you get lost in the description.
I felt sad when the book ended as I was so into and I wanted to know more about the characters. Especially about  Eliza fanning and her survival journey.
If you enjoy a fast paced, page turner thirller that keeps you guessing till the end. This book is a must read for you.

This book has definitely won my heart and ofcourse the 5🌟 from my side.
Thank you @harlequinbooks for my digital review copy. This title will be out on shelves on Mar 02, 2020.

What an enchanting novel . I loved reading the story from three women’s point of view. We have Nella, the apothecary who dispenses poisons to women . Eliza , there on behalf of her mistress who discovers she has a strong stomach for the sinister . And Caroline who is set in present day and finds an old vial by the Thames river. The twists and turns of this book kept me reading until the early hours of the morning. I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good historical fiction as well as a mystery.

Fascinating and just a bit spooky. I love books that revolve around magicks and poisons, and this book did not let me down! Really interesting. The crossovers between time periods was not hard to follow at all. Great read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this beautiful piece of work! The Lost Apothecary is gorgeously written and had me hooked until the end. The characters made quite the impact on me, especially Caroline and Eliza. Caroline because she is basically me without the James; Eliza because she is such a sweet curious loving young lady.
The only critique I’d have is some questions about how easy some things ended up for the characters at the end where as magical the book was, I wanted a bit more reality to their situations.
But with that said, I do recommend this book to anyone who loves a little bit of late 1700s Murder and magic on top of some modern day historical investigation.

Wholeheartedly and truly obsessed with this book. Will be recommending it to all of my fellow historical fiction readers. And I was shook when I found out that this is Sarah Penner's debut novel!

The novel jumps in time between present day and eighteenth century London focusing on three extraordinary women whose paths cross in the most unexpected of ways. My heart broke for these women, in very different ways, and I was simultaneously struck by their strength and thirst for knowledge. Penner has crafted incredibly well-drawn characters woven together in a storyline that needs to be read to be believed. All centering on one small vial from an apothecary shop.

I don't want to say too much - so I'll simply encourage you to do whatever possible to get your hands on this intoxicatingly beautiful novel. I won't soon stop thinking about these amazing women, and the hidden apothecary in the alley.

Thank you immensely to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction like I am, put this on your to-read list! It is an excellent debut novel by @sarah_penner_author and will be released in March 2021. I’ve read so much historical fiction and this managed to stand out with a unique premise and addictive writing style.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is so pretty! It's absolutely what pulled me in. Coupled with the title, it seemed so full of promise. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. I did not like Caroline. She felt younger than her age and was rather annoying most of the time. It was hard to have any sympathy for her.

I loved Eliza, though! She was darling and really drove that story. There was a timelessly charming quality about her. And Nella was great, too. I think the older story was done better than the present-day story. It was more interesting and better written, I felt. Caroline's story beat me over the head with the importance of living a fulfilling life, of standing on your own, and following your dreams. It's like, "Okay, I get it".

The importance Nella placed on remembering the names, the lives of the women she helped, that made sense. It fit with the times and wasn't too heavy-handed. I almost would have preferred to just read about Nella and Eliza. But I appreciated the ending. It was beautifully vague and I liked that things were still left to my imagination.

I kind of feel like I was suckered by a pretty cover. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one.

The Apothecary by Sarah Penner
I absolutely loved this book, it had me enthralled from the first page . Well written, with a great cast of characters. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the lives of everyday people from the past.

It's a cold night in February of 1791 and in an unmarked back alley in London, Nella sits awaiting her customer.

Nella is an apothecary, as her mother before her was. Women came from all around for her healing potions and salves. Taking care of women. Nella is carrying on the tradition in another way. Women come to her for poisons that will release them from the men who have done them wrong.

Of course, there are a few rules. The poison must never be used to harm another woman. And the names of the victim, poison, and the killer are to be recorded in a register.

When her next customer shows up Nella is shocked it is a twelve-year-old girl named Eliza, whose employer wishes to engage Nella's services to relieve herself of her husband. Little does Nella know that this meeting will alter both of their lives as well as the life of present-day historian Caroline, who is spending her anniversary alone after her husband has an affair.

When she finds a mysterious vial with a bear on it, her research instincts kick in and she is determined to find out everything she can about the apothecary shop, Nella and Eliza.

Women had very few options in this London. One had to put up with whatever situation one found themselves as far as philandering spouses or abusive ones. This was a great look at the lengths women would go to seek revenge. 

This was disturbing and yet honest. A very good debut!

NetGalley/  March 2nd, 2021 by Park Row

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!! The Lost Apothecary is the perfect blend of history, mystery, real life, and just a touch of fantasy. The story of a 18th century apothecary who “helps” women by providing them with poisons to kill those that have wronged them, interwoven with the story of the modern day tourist who discovers the secret London location, is a great escape from COVID stress. I was completely immersed in both worlds, and am amazed that this is a debut novel. I will look forward to the author’s next book!

My review for Library Journal:
After finding out her husband James has been having an affair, Caroline leaves alone for London on what was supposed to be their ten-year anniversary trip. While on a mudlarking tour along the banks of the Thames, Caroline finds a small glass vial with an imprint of a bear. Believing the vial to be quite old, Caroline becomes intrigued by its origins and sets off for the British Library to see if she can discover any clues to its history. As she digs deeper, the reader is pulled into an intriguing parallel story. In 1791, Nella’s apothecary shop is hidden in a back alley behind a false wall. Nella sells remedies to many women, and some of these remedies happen to be poisons, for women who wish to rid themselves of abusive men in their lives. When one of Nella’s poisons results in the death of a Lord, the authorities begin seeking the apothecary responsible. Nella must flee or risk the exposure of her other clients. VERDICT: Readers who enjoy parallel historical/contemporary narratives about women’s lives, such as Claire McMillan’s The Necklace or Liz Trenow’s The Forgotten Seamstress, will enjoy the historical details and mystery in this engrossing tale.

This was a surprisingly compelling book that I enjoyed tremendously! This is a fun twist on the classic revenge plot and had just enough historical fiction elements to also pull in fans of that genre as well! I really did enjoy this book. Would definitely recommend for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction!

I have always enjoyed stories laced with murder and poison, but I do not know if I have ever read these themes in a more poignant, thrilling story as Susan Penner’s, “The Lost Apothecary.” I found myself enthralled by the story and its themes, wanting to devour it all in one sitting.
This story is set in the past and the present, the past focusing on an old apothecary who, after a betrayal in her own past, sells poison to women whose husbands or mates have betrayed them in some way. Now she is so tightly bound to this life of holding onto other women’s dark secrets that she cannot find a peaceful way out. She usually sells to older women, so when a twelve-year-old girl by the name of Eliza comes into her shop one day, her already unstable life is thrown off the rails.
In the present, the story focuses on Caroline. She has held onto hopes and dreams for her whole life, but her life comes shattering to the ground when she discovers her husband’s infidelity. Distraught, Caroline goes to London to get away from her husband and reprioritize her life. While doing so, she delves into the secret of the lost apothecary, discovering the past of the women who sold poisons to get her mind off her own seemingly horrible future.
Penner combines the past and present so flawlessly in this story, where Caroline is discovering the past just as the apothecary and Eliza are stepping into an uncertain future. The ending held twists I never saw coming that thrilled me and kept me glued to the page. To anyone wanting to feel a little “girl power” in their life, this is definitely the book to read.

Reviewed by Bailey Day, author of “The Amazing Imagination Machine” by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine.

An apothecary is a person who sells and distributes drugs. Nella is an apothecary in late 18th century London. She dispenses drugs that will heal all sorts of maladies. But Nella has a secret agenda as well and only serves the women of London. Eliza, a twelve-year-old girl is sent to see Nella by her mistress for just such a potion. Eliza unwittingly sets into motion a series of events that may bring Nella and her enterprise to an end. Caroline, in present-day London for what was supposed to be a ten-year anniversary celebration. Caroline stumbles upon a small vial which she traces to the lost apothecary. While she tries to unravel the mystery of the vial, she also must make some hard choices about both her marriage and her life.

I hesitate to give negative reviews, but I could not enjoy this book. I really wanted to, but could not get past the way feminine characters were portrayed in this book. It also dealt with triggering topics that was not disclosed at the forefront. Child abuse and sexualization of children should not be used as a means to propel the narrative. I found this book to be rather distasteful.

For the most part, I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary. The narratives of Nella, Eliza, and Caroline feel well-balanced, although if you don't love multiple timelines and narrators, then this isn't the book for you. There's a lot to keep up with. Penner did a great job at handling the themes of feminism and revenge and the settings and atmosphere are gloriously portrayed. At times, I felt the narrative and particularly the dialogue became a bit repetitive, which bogs down the story and feels slightly immature. I wish the author and her editor had trusted the reader to "get it" and move on. But overall, the novel crackles with suspense and atmosphere. A dark revenge fantasy about strong women recommended for fans of Diane Setterfield and Deborah Harkness.

eminism and Murder in the 1700's
I'm always conscious of the sage advice to not judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit that the moment I saw the beautiful cover of The Lost Apothecary, I knew I had to get my hands on it! Sarah Penner's debut historical fiction tale of herbs, potions, murder, and feminism did not disappoint, and had me burning the midnight oil to find out all of its secrets. Beyond the excitement of the plot, the book has a surprisingly strong inspirational vibe relating to female friendships, the importance of women supporting women, and never giving up on your dreams just because life gets in the way.

Nella, the Apothecary, works in late 1700's London, doing the bulk of her business in selling poisons. Her clientele is exclusively female, because she believes that women should never do harm to women, and must work to protect each other from the greed and violence of men. She meets twelve year old Eliza, when she sells her the poison to help her kill her employer's husband. The husband takes advantage of young servant girls in the house, so he surely deserves his end...as do Nella's other victims. She is a serial killer with heart, and as such takes Eliza under her wing, and they develop a strong friendship. Nella tells Eliza that one of the most important things she learned from her mother, who had also been an apothecary (albeit not one who dabbled in poisons), that it was important for women to have a place where they could be safe, and receive treatment for ailments that male doctors did not understand. She keeps close track of her clients, as her mother also did, because their records may be the only mention in history that those women had ever existed. Nella was acutely aware of the subordinate role that women play in history, and was trying to do her part to overcome that.

Fastforward to present day, when Caroline comes across an old apothecary bottle while on a mudlarking expedition in London. Caroline had been a history major at one point, but had given up on her dreams of grad school at Cambridge to marry her college sweetheart and settle in the Midwest, where she took a job working on her parents' farm. Now on what was supposed to be an anniversary trip to London, she finds herself on her own after uncovering her husband's infidelity. Her discovery of the bottle reminds her how much she loved researching the minutiae of regular peoples' lives from history, so she makes up her mind to uncover the bottle's origin and secrets. She ends up tracing the clues of Nella's apothecary and killing streak, along with her friendship with young Eliza, realizing that history has unfairly overlooked their stories. But, she also realizes, that if she got back in touch with her love of history, and pursued an advanced degree, that she could change all of that. Luckily for Caroline, her own female friends are there to remind her that she is worthy of happiness and fulfillment, even if it looks different than what society expects.

"History doesn't record the intricacy of women's relationships with one another; they're not meant to be uncovered."
There was nothing I didn't love about The Lost Apothecary! The characters were richly drawn and nuanced, the ties between past and present were realistic, as were all the personal dramas that played out across the arc of the plot. The message of women supporting women was timely, and Caroline's awe at getting back in touch with her youthful passions was poignant and inspiring. I cannot recommend this book enough, make sure you pre-order a copy today!