The Lost Apothecary is set mostly in London and is told in split timelines - present day and 1791. In present day, an amateur historian finds an old apothecary bottle on a mudlarking tour. Upon finding the bottle, she sets out to learn more about its mysterious origin, which leads her to believe that she is holding a piece of evidence to the long unsolved apothecary murders.

During the 1700’s timeline, we meet Nella, the apothecary owner and Eliza, a customer of the shop. Nella inherited the shop from her mother and stayed true to the roots of helping women; however Nella’s helping is sometimes of the murderous variety.

It was really a great story and I enjoyed the dual timelines, although Caroline’s story was not as intriguing as I’d hoped.

I listened to the audio version and the narration was really good! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen in advance in exchange for my honest review!!

Author: Sarah Penner
debut novel coming March 2021

Media type: Audiobook

Multiple narrators: Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, Lauren Irwin. All 3 narrators were superb in delivering personality to each character. The deep, scratchy voice of Nella brings to mind an sickly spinster woman draped in a dark cloak. Caroline’s narrator lends a voice which gives her courage to finally put herself first, carry-on, and once again find courage and independence. Eliza’s (the youngest character) narrator reveals an adolescent coming of age voice who is an independent thinker with a curious mind and determination.

The story unfolds alternating between characters. Nella and Eliza are living in London during the 1700s. Nella is the female apothecary owner who has broadened her services dispensing natural ingredient poisons that cannot be traced back to the women who use these tinctures to eliminate men who have wronged them. Eliza is a 12-year-old customer who takes an interest in Nella, wanting to assist & learn from her. Our present-day character is Caroline. She lives in Ohio & has planned a 10-year anniversary trip to London. Just before the trip begins, Caroline discovers her husband has had an affair. She decides to take the trip on her own. A lover of history, Caroline stumbles upon some intriguing artifacts and is on a mission to uncover the mystery she has found.

This is a truly enjoyable read with a great ending. It would be fun to see Caroline become an independent historical researcher so that this one book can become a fun historical fiction series. I highly recommend picking up your desired format of this story.

Thanks to #netgalley, #SarahPenner, #ParkRowBooks #HarlequinAudio and #HarperCollins for the advance audio version of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for the audio of this book! I thought the voices and music for the audio were very fitting for the characters. If you are into character-driven books then this is a must. I prefer books that are more plot-driven (thriller) so therefore it wasn't a 5 star for me

History, murder and with amazing characters The Lost Apothecary weaves a beautiful story told with 3 perspectives in 2 timelines. I adored the growing relationship between the women who run the apothecary in the past timeline and the young girl she befriends and she certainly knows how to cause a ruckus. I also liked the present day woman and the trials she had to go through to grow and the process of her learning more about the special apothecary that contained many things, including poisons. The novel held a few twists and turns through the alleyways but it all wound together in a beautiful tale of women empowerment, friendship and self discovery. The 3 narrators really made the story come alive with their performances from the 3 women’s perspectives. I highly recommend the audiobook! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

An interesting concept that fell short in its execution. It was interesting to see how the three perspectives (Nella, Eliza, and Caroline) fit together and, at times, even mirrored each other, but the pacing of the story felt off. Personally, I found that the exposition took too long, especially considering that there were three perspectives that needed to be established. While Nella and Eliza’s storylines supported each other from the beginning, Caroline’s felt like a separate novel until she began to learn more about the apothecary. Once the past and present began to come together, the story was more cohesive and intriguing; however, the ending felt rushed and somewhat predictable.

The Lost Apothecary // by Sarah Penner // narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin

I have to be totally honest: I definitely chose this title because I was blown away by the cover. It is absolutely stunning to me and fits the story so well. I was really excited also to have received the audiobook because it is very well done. I enjoyed all three narrators and felt that they were a good fit for their respective characters. The only part I wasn't overly happy with were the impressions of the British officers in the present tense. They did not have very convincing accents, but the rest of the narration of that POV was so well done that it hardly mattered.

The book is split into two different timelines: the modern-day POV is told by one character and the past is told by two characters whose lives become intimately entwined. While there is definitely a relationship component that is important to one character, I did like that it was not the entire focus of the book. Rather than it being the focal point of the entire story, it was more of a side character that added to the development of the narrator. The true main focus of this book are women: their relationships with each other, their growth, and how they learn to become independent and make decisions for themselves. As someone that has struggled with those things sometimes herself, I enjoyed watching these women move through the story.

Despite these positives though, I have to say that there were some things that could have benefited from more research and/or development. To come back to the modern-day officers, this part seemed rather unprofessional in its execution. The mystery, research, and acceptance also seemed simpler than expected, though I don't want to go into more detail here and spoil it for other readers. I do want to point out though that this is a debut novel and that this author shows a lot of promise. If she takes some of the criticism to heart and works a little bit on making some of these situations more realistic, then I think we can expect some amazing books from her in the future. I definitely recommend this book because, despite these faults, I still had a really good time with this book and finished it a lot quicker than I had expected because I just could not stop listening to it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the dual timeline narrative in this story. I was utterly engrossed in the past, but the modern storyline was a little dull in comparison. There were also some historical inaccuracies, but it is fiction and you are meant to question is magic is real, so I was not as bothered as I may have been otherwise. I also loved the narrators voices on the audiobook, they did a wonderful job of portraying their characters. It was altogether a beautiful story full of female empowerment and a bit of mystery that left me eager to continue.
Thank you so much for allowing me to read The Lost Apothecary!

This novel is half historical fiction, half contemporary fiction, as we discover made up historical events through the eyes of a present-day historian as she connects with this history in her world that has just been turned upside down. As the story went back and forth between a present day story and a story from the past, I found the historical timeline somewhat hard to follow and enjoy but the present day story was interesting and probing. The narrators were also different for the two timelines, which isn't uncommon for this type of narrative structure but may have contributed to how I felt about each story. The present day story is strong from beginning and ultimately the two stories from different time periods unsurprisingly mesh together making for a quality novel overall.

Thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for a preview of the The Lost Apothecary. This is a well written book with three interesting females characters. Nella and Eliza inhabit the late 1790s in London while Caroline is trying to get her life together in the present day. Caroline jets off to London on what should be a tenth anniversary trip and stumbles into an interesting find after a mud larking tour. She enlists the help of Gaynor from the British Library to unravel the mystery. Nella spends her days mixing up poisonous concoctions to do away with dastardly men at the request of the women in their life. Eliza meets Nella while on an errand for her mistress. How these three characters intersect and the effect they have on each other is at the heart of this story. Read The Lost Apothecary you will not regret it. #TheLostApothecary #NetGalley

I was given an arc in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

Considering that the protagonist of this book claims she loves social history and that a big theme is her regrets about not pursuing grad school...you would think that the author would actually make a effort to make things historically accurate. I'm not trying to nit pick but there were so many things that were red flags that felt wrong. Maybe its because I have a degree in history and love the exact time period as Caroline. But really, this drove me crazy. The idea of a woman poisoner, totally believable. But how were the police chasing Eliza and Nella when they didn't exist until the 1820s???(Its 1791) Come on. That was just one element of the book that didn't work for me.

I thought that this book was somehow both completely predictable and also completely unrealistic. The mystery elements all came ridiculously easy. That's not how research works. It was literally just everything going right all at once. Also the whole applying and getting into Cambridge in half a day...For real?!

I guess my expectations were wrong. I really wanted a story that gave me the same vibes as Perfume. But this turned into something that never thrilled, taught or gave me anything but the urge to roll my eyes. I really feel like the modern story wasn't needed at all. I enjoyed the characters in the 1791 storyline so much more. If this part had been flushed out and expanded and fact checked somewhat, this would have been a good book. The format didn't work for me. I'm being harsh but its because I'm disappointed.

The positives I can say about the book are that it is fast paced and 2/3 of the character actors for the audiobook were good. I'm sure if you have no idea of the time period most of my critiques wouldn't bother others. So if you want something fast paced and women centered, go for it.

**I received an audio copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley***

I did enjoy the overall story, however, I felt it slightly underwhelming. The writing did suck me in, especially with the dual narrative. We had a present day storyline running alongside London in the late 1700's. There was so much left on the table with these characters. I felt that as the story was building, we were going to be set up for an amazing climax to the characters lives, but each time, I felt like the author gave up too quickly. The twist at the end was nice but there was so much left unsaid and we are left wondering

From the synopsis:

"A forgotten history.

A secret network of women.

A legacy of poison and revenge.

Welcome to The Lost Apothecary."


The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction novel told in a dual-narrative style.

In the past of late 18th-century London, we follow:

-Nella (narrated by Lorna Bennett), the unhappy and lonely owner/proprietor of a secret apothecary shop that caters to women seeking to poison their husbands or other men in their lives. The women that meet her in her secret shop tell of the mysterious Nella to other women in need via word of mouth and discretion.

-Eliza (narrated by Lauren Irwin), the spunky but naive 12-year-old girl that visits Nella's shop in search of poison for her mistress, who inadvertently sets off a chain of events that could spell the ruin for everyone involved.

In present-day London, we follow:

-Caroline (narrated by Lauren Anthony), who is in London on her tenth anniversary trip, alone, after discovering a terrible secret about her husband. She stumbles upon a mudlarking group, who search the River Thames for hidden treasures (a real thing!), and finds a small, blue vial. As she searches to discover the vial's origin, she slowly uncovers truths about the past and the fate of the apothecary's shop.

I liked the split timeline, which I thought was done very well. After the end of each narrator, right when I was ready to learn more, it switched to a different perspective; while this can be jarring to some, I found it lent well to the unfolding mystery of the story. It kept me intrigued to keep reading to see how their stories would ultimately coalesce.

I think the author did a good job giving a distinct voice to the three main narrators. The audiobook definitely helped with this, and I liked the utilization of the three narrators; it really brought each of these three characters - Nella, Eliza, Caroline - to life. I will say that the narrator who portrayed Nella had a cadence that was significantly slower than the other narrators, which was slightly jarring; however, I did like her narration style, as I did with each of the other narrators. Lorna Bennett brought an air of experience and a hint of regret to Nella; Lauren Irwin’s voice was young and brought a sense of innocence to Eliza; Lauren Anthony brought sadness yet hope to Caroline.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read with multi-faceted and interesting characters, a descent sense of tension, female relationships, and a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction book with chapters focusing on a modern character uncovering a historical mystery. Caroline is in London on vacation and is questioning her life choices in light of her marriage unraveling. She comes across a small bottle that leads her to explore an apothecary in London from the eighteenth century. The book alternates between her perspective and the perspective of Nella who runs the apothecary and a young girl who is a customer of the apothecary.

The idea behind this book is interesting, but I found it fell flat in many ways. For a reader who does not have a background in history/historical research this book may be just fine. I found this book fell into the trap of thinking a contemporary narrator made the story more interesting, but the story would have been fine centered around the character of Nella and eliminating the modern day plot altogether. Caroline was an unconvincing modern protagonist as she is an aspiring historian, but apparently has no concept of the methods and ethics of historical research. No historian would break into a historical site and take flash photography of old books. This is archival research 101, wash your hands before touching artifacts and don't take flash photography. She also googles the incredibly ordinary sounding name of the child in the story and it happens to be the first result on Google, which is completely unbelievable. She even applies to graduate studies at Cambridge at the end of the book, and her application is filled out, submitted, and accepted within a 24-48 hour period.

The story of Nella and the young girl is interesting, but also has its flaws. There is an attempt to give Nella an interesting backstory, but the basis of it is her lover forced her to miscarry her unborn child and that's her only motivation. She has no character development aside from this. It is also disturbing that for several chapters the reader is allowed to believe the young girl died by suicide in an attempt to save Nella.

If it wasn't for the impressive quality of the audiobook production I would give this book 2 stars on the basis of its quality and plot. The audiobook experience still made the read somewhat enjoyable, although I did find the story riddled with problems.

I was provided an audiobook arc via NetGalley.

This debut, historical fiction is for readers who enjoy feminist stories, witchy vibes, and dual timelines. While there are no actual witches in the book, there is a woman who sells poisonous elixirs to women to murder men, and what’s more witchy than potion making?

I loved the 1700s timeline where we follow Nella, the apothecary, and unravel the story behind her vengeance on men. Here, we also follow Eliza, a 12-year-old girl, who gets mixed up in the middle of a murder (or two). Following a mature, resentful woman and a naive, little girl was a great contrast of point-of-views to read from.

I also enjoyed the present-day timeline where we follow Caroline, who is spending 10 days of vacation in London after learning of her husband’s betrayal. While mudlarking on the River Thames, she finds a vial that leads her to the old mystery of the apothecary murders and things get complicated! I enjoyed reading Caroline’s self-discovery and development throughout the story.

Each timeline is atmospheric and well connected. I did enjoy the 1700s a bit more, however, things certainly get more interesting in the present day a bit further into the book. I appreciate the way the author connected the two stories. The ending gave me chills!

As for the audiobook, I liked that there were narrators for each point-of-view. It sounded a bit unfinished, but I assume it was because I was listening to the arc version. Nella’s voice was a little gruff, but I got used to it.

When I started this book, I did not know that by the end of it, I would have a feeling of hope and independence. I recommend this to those who enjoyed Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches.

TW: miscarriage, loss of a child, sexual assault, infidelity, murder

Lost Apothecary

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Interesting premise, and I always appreciate a novel with strong female protagonists. I appreciated that Caroline didn’t just roll over and reconcile (no spoilers!) but found her strength in various ways. I really liked the blended stories between past and present, old and young, magic and realism. I HATED the last couple of sentences. I REALLY disliked 2/3 of the narrators. It was very slow at the beginning - I had a lot of trouble getting into it, and considered a DNF - probably because the narrator for Nella was horrible and far too melodramatic. This was sort of balanced by Caroline’s voice which was so monotonous and flat I kept falling asleep during her parts. It was an entertaining few hours and I’m glad I pushed through and kept listening.

I was given a copy of The Lost Apothecary by the publisher to review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this audiobook. There were three voice actors lending their voices to the three protagonists and creating audio magic. This isn’t your grandma's audiobook, though she’d probably get a kick out of it too. Beautifully produced and a modern story that navigates between present day and the days of apothecaries. This reminded me of one of my favorite authors Beatriz Williams like Willams Penner is a master of weaving between past and present. I loved listening to this story unfold.

This book was an okay split-time book about two women - one past, one current. As with many books that use this device, the current-time woman (Caroline) is a historian who stumbles onto the mystery of the past-woman (Nella). I must say I was far more interested and invested in Nella's story and all that it contained, than in Caroline's, and I think I would have personally enjoyed it much more had the book been only about Nella and her world, her past, her interactions, and so on. I mean, a hidden apothecary who deals in poisons and tinctures by word-of-mouth to women in need? with a haunting past? whose mother died young? (Also a bit like "The Witchling's Girl" by Helena Coggen, but not as good, if I'm honest).

Current-time-Caroline just seemed a bit superficial as a character and I couldn't bring myself to care much about her and her terrible husband. Really, the only need for Caroline is to find out more about Nella and the past via her research discoveries. All told, again, an okay read for this kind of story. Ultimately, a story about women helping women, and women finding their places in their own lives (whether it's as a wife, a mother, a scholar, etc.) and figuring out whether they are settling or doing what they need for themselves.

The narration for this audiobook was good, dividing itself between British and American accents, which was actually quite useful as a device to notice when we were in current time with American Caroline or back in the 1700s with British Nella.

I listened to the audio version, and I must say that it sucked me in from the start. It was very well written, and I enjoyed the dual timeline. The narrators were fantastic and definitely added to the experience of this book. I would highly recommend listening to this book versus reading it. The ending fell a little flat for me, but overall I really enjoyed it.

OMG! This is a debut novel! I’m in awe! Following the author; along with 309 others and the release date is still 6 weeks out (02 March 2021). High Five to Sarah! So excited and happy for her! I was a little reluctant at first, skeptical of potions and magic as they really aren't in my comfort zone. But I gave the book a chance and really was hooked by the story.

The audio was fabulous; three narrators for each of the protagonists. The narrator for Nella did a perfect job in capturing the character.

The timeline alternates between present day and Caroline who booked a trip to London to celebrate her 10th anniversary with her husband; and just a couple days ago she discovered he had been having an affair with someone from work. And Nella and Eliza from 1791; Nella owns the Apothecary that was passed down from her mother and Eliza is a young customer who develops a friendship with Nella. I really fell in love with these three protagonists, as well as the librarian.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author/Sarah Penner and the publisher (Harper Audio/Harlequins Audio) for the opportunity to review this advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.

okay wow! Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. If it were not for receiving this through netgalley Im not sure when I would have gotten around to reading it and I would have missed out on a new favorite!

I adore Penner's writing style. It is cozy and mystical and enticing all in the same story.

I listened to the audio book and the narrators are incredible. Would recommend to all!