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!

There's a special shop that only women know about it is run by Nella who had been taught remedies in the past by her mother. A special apothecary that dispenses all sorts of remedies for women's troubles (men). It is 1791 and a girl (Eliza) comes to the shop to get a remedy for her mistress whose troublesome husband is in need of such remedies. In the present day Caroline is off to London to enjoy her anniversary trip alone since she has discovered that her husband has been having an affair. This is an amazing book that shows how similar women's lives have been across time. Nella, Eliza and Caroline encounter each other at pivotal moments in their lives. Caroline never meets Nella and Eliza but their story draws her attention when she really needs the distraction. Eliza is drawn to Nella, learning from her. After Eliza makes a mistake that draws attention to Nella and her secret apothecary they have to help each other or it's the gallows for them both. This is an engaging story of women's lives that crosses time and is universal in how women come to rely on each other through difficult times.

The Lost Apothecary is a refreshing historical fiction novel with a narrative bouncing between an 18th century woman apothecary that dabbles in poison, and a present day woman struggling with her marriage and purpose in life. The story dips its toes into multiple genres, from mystery to women's fiction, and the multiple perspectives keep the story fresh and quick. It's clear that Penner spent a great deal of time researching herbal treatments and poisons, which resulted in an extremely believable, atmospheric tale of women seeking justice against men who have done them wrong.

I really wanted to read this because it reminds me of the story of Aqua Tovana, the perfume that was allegedly used to poison hundreds of men, and it was a great book! I loved this so much.

A well written and intriguing title with appeal for those who like British history, dark fantasy, and connections across time.

I was attracted to this book immediately as I just recently reread Practical Magic and wanted something similar. Those who enjoyed Alice Hoffman’s books will feel right at home in Sarah Penner’s novel of herbs, concoctions, and strong, intelligent women.

Nella is a middle aged woman who has taken over her mother’s apothecary shop in London during the late 1700s., Unlike her mother, Nella doesn’t simply help women with their health issues or with live potions. Nella helps women with their troublesome men issues - with poison.

In modern day America we meet Caroline, a frustrated former history scholar who has fallen into a rut in both her job and her ten year old marriage. She is about to embark on an exciting anniversary trip to London to visit all the historical sites she studied in university when she receives some devastating news that causes her to rethink the direction her life has taken.

Flipping between the narratives of Nella, Caroline and the precocious but naive Eliza, this story draws parallels between the injustices faced by women through history and how they can still be trapped in lives they don't want with no real idea of how it happened.

I won't be finishing this book. It's probably mostly me, but I just... I am seven chapters into this and am so bummed by the two women. I had expected some bad ass ladies, but really just felt like they were both so depressing.

Rating 4.5. I enjoy reading historical fiction and I've enjoyed reading this book. It had some originality to it with tales of revenge and feminism intertwined with poison. The book focuses on three different women and had a POV from 18th Century and Present time period. I happy the story only focused on two different time periods and with a limited POV among characters. There are some other unique characters in the story. I greatly enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I took a chance on this book, lured by the cover!
I really enjoyed it and think you should really go in blind when reading. I enjoyed the historical aspect and learning about the potions and powers behind them.
This was a very enjoyable book, I'd highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

Excellent debut from Sarah Penner!
This story was so original and had me guessing until the very end! I loved how the story was connected between two time periods and it was so beautifully written.

I can't wait to see what is next from Sarah Penner! Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book.

I’m not going to lie I really liked this one. The author was able to weave two timelines and three incredible women together into a story of poison, revenge and feminism. At first I wasn’t so sure about this one, but then a character stumbles upon something and I was hooked. I did have have to re-read the last few chapters because i was having a hard time comprehending what exactly happened.

I'm always drawn to stories around apothecaries. I find them fascinating! This atmospheric read bounces between present day and the late 1700's. Both stories were equally engaging and I felt the author tied the parallels between them well. Caroline is escaping to London after she learns her husband has been having an affair. After finding an old apothecary vial, she not only discovers the story behind the vial, she discovers some truths about herself.

In this compelling historical mystery, we jump from a modern day story of betrayal and drama into a historical thriller with fascinating female characters set against past and present London and a remarkable secret apothecary for women.

I am very torn about writing this review. There is a great story in the book, however, it is bogged down by the constant chatter of the characters.
For instance, I loved the beginning of the book, it was concise, the characters were introduced and the reader began to be immersed in the story.
HOWEVER, about 30% into the book....everything became repetitive.
For instance, how many times can Nella think that she is dying and have intuition that something bad will happen....YET continues to help a rich lady against her better judgment? WHy not tell the lady NO! And go and die?
The little 12 year old girl in the book, so bland that it was hard to really like her.
Caroline, I really wanted to root for, but ended up just not caring about her.

About a 1/3 of the book was super wonderful good. I liked the premise of the story.
The characters were just not gelling with me.
1/3 of the book seemed to just be on repeat....worrying about the rich lady, worrying about death, worrying about a female's first period. over and over and over again.
1/3 of the book was unnecessary chatter about the British Library and Caroline's husband.

OVerall, I want to encourage the author to keep writing,,,the story is there....just sharpen the editing tools.

An avenger female who can concoct poisonous formulas to help you get rid of man trouble. This hell of an outstanding synopsis idea put this book on my radar!
To the attention of the abusers, cheaters, bullies and most disgusting human wastes who treat the women like doormats: you should beware because there is an intelligent, vicious angel of death who is also apothecary is coming after you!

Nella is a ghost, wowed to help the mentally and physically hurt women who needs her support, hiding behind the secret walls of small store, conducting her business discreetly. She is playing by the rules: Rule number 1:She has two basic rules: those concoctions she dispensed cannot be used to harm another woman!
Rule number 2:Names of murderer and victims must be recorded at the apothecary’s register.

When she starts to form a unique friendship with Eliza Fanning who is only 12, working at the store with her, a string of unfortunate events put her and the women whose names are recorded at register in danger to be exposed.

At the present time, we’re introduced to aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell who plans to celebrate her tenth year anniversary with her beloved husband. But as long as she finds out her husband dearest is a cheating bastard, she travels alone to London, meeting with a mudlarking group on the shores of Thames. As she mucks through the water, she finds a glass vial which brings out so many secrets and with the help of an employee from British library she finds herself digging out to solve 200 years long mystery. Those three women’s paths cross and Caroline gets closer to solve the secrets behind apothecary murders!

This is so much exciting, mysterious and intriguing than I ever imagine. After finishing this book, I decided to read more about mudlarking and since I’ve read the story about Mary Ann Cotton who had poisoned nearly 21 victims at the 19th century, I want to take a time travel trip and search for more intriguing stories.

Overall: Attention capturing, well- developed story with impeccable characterization and high tense, gothic, dark atmosphere won my heart! I truly enjoyed it! I have to congratulate Sarah Penner for her brilliant debut!

Special thanks to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN / Park Row for sharing this incredible ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I seem to be in the minority on this book. While I very much liked Nella’s and most of Eliza’s chapters, the dual timeline didn’t work for me and I didn’t care much for Caroline’s whom I didn’t find very likeable. The book starts off really intriguing, with Nella preparing herself to a meeting with a mysterious customer, and, over two centuries later, with Caroline going mudlarking along the Thames. But the story somehow loses its steam along the way… That said, the 1791 chapters were very good and I loved the historical bits about old London and this apothecary business.

Women's fiction/historical fiction generally isn't my thing, but I could not put this book down.

There are two timelines intertwined, three women's lives at stake, and they intersect in a back alley in London.
Well-written, compelling characters, fast-paced plot, a couple surprises? And the librarian in me was humming in delight over the scenes digging through old maps in the British Library, and the snipes about googling things and doing effective searches -- it's so nice to feel known! I'm already recommending this to family/friends/adult services librarians in my life. I think the varying ages/stages of life of the characters in the story also makes this more accessible to younger readers; women's fiction can often feel...frumpy, and this didn't. I'd readily shelve this in the New Adult section of a library.