The Lost Apothecary is a tale of poison and revenge. Sarah Penner weaves together three women’s stories in two different timelines. This riveting debut will have you under its spell until the very last page. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars

The Lost Apothecary is historical fiction that follows two storylines told from three points of view. In the present day, Caroline is alone in England on what was supposed to be a trip to celebrate her tenth wedding anniversary. She’s reeling from discovering her husband’s infidelity. She’d wanted to get a degree from Cambridge as her passions are history and British literature, but she gave up on her dream when she got married and chose a safe life working the books on her family farm. Now, she makes a discovery that rekindles her interest in history, and we follow along as she tries to unravel a 200-year-old mystery.

In 1791, apothecary Nella continues to help women with legitimate balms while at the same time providing darker services that women know about only through word of mouth. When 12-year-old servant girl Eliza Fanning shows up needing help for her mistress, the woman and girl’s lives change forever.

This is well-paced and compelling—a lot of fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 2,2021.

Based on the description, I think I expected more from this story. The idea of a female apothecary in the late 18th century, helping other women murder men who’ve wronged them, could have been a great story. Maybe it was the writing, but this one just didn’t work for me.

"Fancy joining us for mudlarking?" These words would soon jump start Caroline Percewell's unfulfilled dreams of pursuing a graduate degree and researching obscure documents, rare books and perhaps propel her to further exploration of past centuries. Caroline had expected to celebrate her tenth anniversary with her husband James in London. While James had been climbing the corporate ladder with the goal to become a partner in his firm, Caroline's happiness had played second fiddle. First love, then marriage, now betrayal! James's affair had Caroline reeling. Why not go mudlarking?

"The Thames runs straight through the city of London...Little remnants of history...can be found right here in the mud...countless souls scrounging about in the river for something old, something valuable...". Caroline spotted a translucent sky blue glass, "very much like an apothecary's vial...the glass...quite uneven in places...this glass object-delicate and yet still intact-somewhat like myself...the discontent within me seizing the possibility of adventure, an excursion into my long-lost enthusiasm for era's past". First stop: The British Library!

1791. Netta's story. "I was wonderfully in love. The first betrayal. The first victim. The beginning of a stained legacy. I was not just an apothecary, but a murderer. A master of disguise...". In an outer room, only an old grain barrel, a hiding place for letters with requests from women. "My shop was buried deep behind a cupboard wall at the base of a twisted alleyway in the darkest depths of London...This was my mother's shop long before it was mine. The tinctures she dispersed were meant only for good: benign herbal remedies...but beneath the ink strokes of my register hid betrayal, anguish...and dark secrets...My precious calfskin register- a record of life and death; an inventory of the many women who sought potions from here, the darkest of apothecary shops." "Betrayal was why I began to dispense poisons...to carry the secrets of these women, to record them in my register, to protect and aid them."

In present day London, Caroline searched the British Library databases for information on the vial, hand etched with a tiny bear, the vial unearthed from the muddy Thames. She hoped to time date this item which perhaps was centuries old.

Unfolding in a dual timeline, present day and the years between 1791-1816, the narrators Nella, Eliza, and Caroline tell their stories. Caroline tries to piece together the life of Nella, the apothecary who operated a shop in a back alley two hundred years ago. At the shop, Nella conversed with twelve year old Eliza, who expressed an interest in becoming an apothecary apprentice. Nella explained that she never rested. "Something is always steaming, brewing, stewing, soaking at all hours of the night" and that this has taken a toll on her life. Eliza, a curious, observant, wide-eyed child proved to be a challenge to Nella as apothecary, a brewer of secrets, and a friend to all women.

"The Lost Apothecary" by Sarah Penner was a fascinating melding of the secrets of a hidden apothecary shop and the reemergence of a talented researcher's quest and pursuit of higher education and her search to rediscover herself as well as hidden treasures from the past. I highly recommend this historical fiction read.

Thank you HARLEQUIN/Park Row for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Apothecary
By Sarah Penner 
.
Thanks so much to:
@sarah_penner_author #thelostapothecary @parkrowbooks @harpercollins @marisolfokes 
@htpbooks @harpercollinsca @harlequinbooks 

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own. 

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.

Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

The Lost Apothecary is one page turning debut from the author, Sarah Penner. 
 A riveting novel with three heroines and a original tale of poisons, revenge. Sarah Penner spins a wonderful tale told in two time periods, One back in time to 1791 London. Where Nella doses out fatal poissions to woman customers who have been wronged by men. Along with her apprentice Eliza, a twelve-year-old Lady’s maid who becomes Nella’s friend and assistant. The other is 200 years later present day.

 Caroline who takes her ten year anniversary trip alone after finding out about, her  treacherous unfaithful husband. In a series of events Caroline finds a blue potion bottle with a bear marked on its side, which sets her on a journey to discover its history.

Told in three distinctive POV’s adding so much depth and enjoyment to the reader.
Theirs lived become intertwined in a twist of fate along with a little dash of magic. This was a captivating book with its historical fictional that delights the reader with a mystery and magical realism. I enjoyed this book from start to finish, it kept me flipping through as I was completely immersed with in its pages.

A unique piece of historical fiction based on the difficulty of determining poisons as a mode of murder in England during the eighteenth century.  Alternating between Nella’s story in 1791, and Caroline’s story in the present, amplifies the suspense.  Caroline came to London for a planned 10th anniversary trip which did not happen upon discovering her husband was having an affair.  In London, alone, she finds a tiny blue vial with a bear etched on it, which starts her on a search for its origin.  Nella is continuing her mother’s vocation as an apothecary, but instead of treating illnesses, a tragic event leads to her using the apothecary to help women rid of abusive or cheating men in their lives.  Without telling any more of this intriguing story, I encourage you to read this book. I really enjoyed the very different storyline and thank NetGalley fir the ARC.

Dual timeline, mid 1700s and present day. 

Caroline is running way from her problems. She wants time and space to think. Going on a solo trip to England will give her the space she needs. When invited to go mudlarking in the Thames, she find an old glass vial with a bear etched in it. Determined to figure out where it came from and who it’s owner was, she starts a series of events that changes her future. 

Nella runs her mother’s apothecary, but where her mother used it to heal the women in their community, Nella does things differently. She helps the women protect, defend, and avenge themselves. Her hidden apothecary dishes up poisons to unsuspecting gentlemen. But when 12 year old Eliza shows up, this start to unravel 

I was fully invested Nella & Eliza’s story. Positions, mystery, betrayal, I devoured their chapters. Caroline’s story moved slower, but you know more information than she does. You’ll be discovering the clue right along with her, but begging her to just figure it out. 

Overall, I liked it and would recommend it.

The Lost Apothecary is a solid debut by Sarah Penner, with a dual timeline and three intriguing main characters. I found myself more immersed in the 1791 plot with Nella and Eliza, but I also enjoyed Caroline’s mudlarking and sleuthing in present day London. I wish there hadn’t been quite as much time spent on the relationship drama between Caroline and her unlikable husband, and I think everything coalesced a little too quickly and neatly at the end, but overall, The Lost Apothecary is an entertaining novel about secrets, friendships, murder, and three strong female characters determined to control their own fates.

"...Present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive."

This dual timeline debut novel is historical fiction at it's best. My only complaint is that it's over so soon! My desperate hope is that this becomes the first in a series and we can follow Caroline as she delves into more historical mysteries. There is so much more we can delve into in both this story and the sagas of the women Nella  documents. I look forward to more from this author.

February 3, 1971 Nella is waiting for the latest of her ladies who require her assistance to right a wrong. Nella knows nothing of this lady, nor of any of those who came before, only that she wants someone dead.  A poisoner and secret-keeper, she toils behind false walls conjuring the potions that will  help her ladies. Simply told, she is a murderer. Her world is about to be upended and she will take Eliza, a perhaps not so  unwitting young girl on a suicidal journey. This part of the story was interesting and flowed well. 

Present day, Caroline Parcewell has been betrayed and takes off across the ocean to lick her wounds and make some decisions which turn from bad to worse and back again. This part of the story could have been a throwaway. So much of it just did not work for me. Further, Penner seemed to have trouble embracing present day language and I felt she never shed the nuance of Nella’s time.

Not a bad debut, but not as great as it could have been. The potential is there, the history is interesting, the present less so, the endings disappointing. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC. I really enjoyed this author’s debut novel.  I’m excited to read what she does next. The two story lines, one present day and one in 1800s London are woven together beautifully. Three strong female characters were easy to root for. A bit of mystery and a lot of heart. I highly recommend!

Really enjoyed the premise of this story and the timeline of Nella and Eliza, but the present day timeline of Caroline was not my favourite. This trend in historical novels to go back and forth isn't being done well at all, and this one particularly where it synced up the same plot was just a bit too cutesy-wutesy for me. Which is too bad, if it was just the story of Nella and Eliza, it would've been much higher rated for me.

This was a quick and easy historical fiction novel set In London with dual timelines and, to be honest, it would have been better without the part set in the present day. The story of the apothecary was intriguing and I would have liked to have seen it expanded into its own full novel. The characters were deep and rich and had so much potential. I was left wanting more of their story. Unfortunately, the opposite was true of the present day story. I found these characters to be shallow and the story, frankly, a bit predictable. 

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Thank you to Harlequin, Net Gallery and Sarah Penner for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This novel goes on sale March 2, 2021.

Umm..can we please talk about how GORGEOUS this cover is?! The colours are amazing. I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this when it goes on sale so I can add some more purple in to my bookshelf. Okay, back to the review:

Brief Synopsis:
18th Century London - a secret apothecary shop stays hidden in the dark alleys and caters to a very specific clientele....woman looking to acquire poisons to use against men in their lives who deserve it. However when a fatal mistake is made, the consequences affect various individuals tied to the shop.

Present Day - Caroline spends her 10th wedding anniversary alone in London and stumbles upon an old and curious vial in the river. Curious to find out more, she unearths the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London hundreds of years ago, which pulls her further in to the history of the mysterious apothecary shop. 

My Thoughts/Opinions:

I've been really enjoying historical fiction books lately that have that dual timeline with characters. I like having part of a story in the past and seeing how it all ties together in the future. With this one however, I wish we spent a bit more time in the 18th Century London period as I was really interested in learning more about the apothecary shop, the owner's past and also her relationships with some of the characters in there. I still enjoyed reading the present timelines but it felt like it couldn't have been it's own separate book as the connection between the two stories was slightly weak.
But, I feel like Caroline's story could be made in to a series if the author really wanted to and have her uncovering more historical finds, since the way her story ended felt like there was a good opportunity to keep watching her grow. 

3.5 stars from me as, maybe 4 if we include that cover as part of the rating! Wonderful debut novel from Sarah Penner and I'm excited to see more of her work in the future.

I really enjoyed this book so much, I never thought was going to be so magical but at the same time with the right doses of drama that will make this book more intriguing and more appealing.

Nella has been living under the shadows for a long time she was more like a ghost now, a betray made her this way, a betray from the worst person, someone whom she loved so much and believed blindly, but circumstances weren't the great ones and she had to move on bowing to help many women with similar experiences, she will help them to recover their happiness and dignity. even if that meant poisoning a few of these bad men.

The Apothecary came with rules, rules Nella's mother was so determined to keep in place no matter what 

Rule 1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule 2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

The lost apothecary is the story of three different women in a different time and ages that were suffering from the same betray, the Apothecary store was somehow what links them and made their story merge into one.

Caroline was ready to celebrate 10 years of marriage but she didn't know her celebration was about to be postponed or better said cancel thanks to something she found out before their trip. she leaves alone hoping she will find an answer or a solution to her pain, not knowing this trip will change her life forever especially when she found the Apothecary. she is not ready to forgive him but she is ready to move on.

Eliza Fanning a 12-year-old with a very special heart that will save Nella and so many ways, Eliza was an amazing character for me she was the strongest of the three even if she was so young she was a character that I really love. strong, bold, and sometimes more aware of things that you can expect from her young age.

Eliza came to Nella's life when Nella was very lost, she was determined to only provide help to other women in need, but life played tricks on her and she was not ready to break that promise. Eliza helped Nella in so many ways to recover the faith and the trust she lost a long time ago but at the same time, Eliza came to fill something in Nella's heart that has been so empty.

Overall it was a great book, the story of three women facing the challenges of being in love and betrayal, three women fighting to recover themselves in a world made for men.

4.5⭐
Oh man I really enjoyed this historical mystery!! I had no idea what to expect going into this book. The cover and synopsis immediately intrigued me and knew this was something that I needed to give a read. But I wasn't expecting to be as swept away into this story as I was.
This is told in dual timelines - in 1791 London at secret apothecary and present day following a woman struggling in her marriage. I love dual timeline stories but oftentimes one timeline is stronger than the other. But in this case I was equally invested in both timelines! I loved how the two timelines played off each other and we got to see Caroline learn and deduce things we as a reader learned in the past chapters. 
I loved the grey morality and feminist themes throughout this book. I loved the characters, the writing, and the audiobook narration was absolutely fantastic. All in all I can't recommend this book enough! It was a seriously immersive experience and I 'm still thinking about this story a month later. I can't wait to read more from Sarah Penner in the future!

Review live on blog 2/10 at 9am!

Like a bottle of poison, The Lost Apothecary should come with a warning label.

WARNING: May cause insomnia and drowsiness the next day at work because you could not put this book down and read it until all hours of the night. Side effects include sitting on the edge of your seat, audible gasps, and a burning desire to take a London vacation. Please read responsibly.

However, if you like to live dangerously and you love discovering books that you will binge read until three thirty in the morning because you absolutely couldn’t tear your eyes away from the page, then The Lost Apothecary is your book.

This book hits five stars on every level: the prose, character development, plot, and pacing are all superb. It was utterly engrossing. I just HAD to know what happened.

There are three points of view in this book, two set in the past and one in present day. When I first heard that there was going to be a modern day POV, I’ll admit I was a smidge skeptical about how well it was going to work out. But the two storylines are expertly woven together, parallel heroines each fighting their own battles across the centuries. I was invested in both timeframes. Each chapter leaves breadcrumbs and enticing cliffhangers that keep you reading to the satisfying conclusion.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ummm, dark 18th century feminism via murder by poisonous potions and concoctions? I. AM. IN. I knew I would love this book before I even cracked it open, and then cracking it open proved me right. 

This story flips back and forth between late 18th century London and present day London, with the present day character, Caroline, discovering glimpses into the past. Caroline is an aspiring historian who was looking forward to spending her 10-year wedding anniversary in London with her husband, except she just found out about her husband's infidelity, and now she's on their trip alone. Her aimless grief leads her to stumble upon a very old apothecary vial near the river Thames, and the historian in her can't help but investigate. Soon she realizes she has found a link to the unsolved "apothecary murders" that occurred two centuries ago. 

Nella is an apothecary in 1791 London, but this apothecary is special. It's hidden behind a wall, making it appear to be a vacant shop, but behind the wall, Nella uses her expert knowledge to help desperate women get rid of the men plaguing their lives. She has vowed to never hurt another woman with her skills, keeping all their names in a register so they may never be forgotten. But Nella's life changes when she meets Eliza, a 12-year-old girl sent by her mistress to procure a deadly poison, and Eliza's interest in Nella's work sparks a close relationship between them. Not long after, a woman enters the shop who will jeopardize Nella's livelihood and everything she stands for. 

Atmospheric, steeped in mystery, and peppered with poetic justice, this is a deeply satisfying historical novel about creative ways women took control of their lives and their futures. I think I would have liked this book just as much if the entire novel took place in the 18th century, but the present day story was a fine juxtaposition and offered some perspective as to how far women have come regarding the power and conrol we have over our lives (it's still not perfect, mind you, but it's a far cry from 1791), and how even when we feel disatisfied or out of control, we have the power to change our circumstance.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about historical time periods and empowered women. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

https://www.krittersramblings.com/2021/02/review-lost-apothecary-by-sarah-penner.html
Told from three perspectives, two from 1791 and one from present day.  In 1791 there is a female apothecary who inherited an apothecary business from her mother and she has changed the business a bit and her life takes a turn when a young girl, Eliza walks into her shop.  Eliza is the second perspective from 1791 as she is sent to get help from the woman she works for from the apothecary and she will set all sorts of things in motion!  The present day perspective is Caroline and she has gone a trip that was intended to be an anniversary trip and instead ends up being a solo vacation, but her story is still uplifting as she finds herself and her passion for history when she finds something mysterious in the Thames river.  

I love a historical fiction book that has a present storyline where you know the link between the two stories pretty early on in the book.  I don't love to have the mystery go on for too long and it overshadow the true story - not the case in this one.  The reader quickly knows why Caroline's storyline is in this book and her investigation was fun to follow.  I wish I could do what she did in this book and find an artifact and follow it until you uncover truths.  

Although I don't love a book where there is marriage strife, especially the cheating husband kind, I could look over it in this one as it didn't take complete center stage, instead for me the story really revolved around Nella the apothecary and the things she did for the women of her time.  

What a great historical fiction that took place at a unique moment in time, with a splash of present day to help move the story along.  And I found out after finishing, this was a debut, so I am hoping for much more from this author in the future!

This was such a fun read and I devoured it in one sitting! I was immediately attracted to this book because of the gorgeous cover and the premise had me hooked. Set in the 1700s and modern day, this book tells the story of a woman Nella that makes poison for women to use against the cruel and abusive men in their lives, and Caroline in modern day who finds herself on a now solo trip to England after discovering her husband's infidelity. 

This was such an easy and engaging read. It's perfect for fans of historical fiction featuring strong female characters and fans of Kate Morton.