This was incredible!!! One of the most atmospheric books I've read in a long time, while not sacrificing lovable characters, plot etc.

The Lost Apothecary
Sarah Penner
3/2/21

I was very excited to have been given an early audio version of the Lost Apothecary. I was immediately drawn in just by the narration. This story is told by three women and their lives are intertwined through the chapters. The story takes place in London 1791 told from Nella and Eliza. Nella owns an apothecary, passed down from her mother. She provides medicines but more recently she secretly sells poisons but she has a few rules... the poison may never be used on a woman and all info is kept in a secret registry. Eliza a lost girl is sent to Nella’s apothocary at a pivotal moment of time and their budding relationship blossoms. These are complex characters and as the story unfolds it becomes so captivating. The narration brought a whole other level to this book. You could hear the anguish, pain and hope through their voices.

In between the chapters you fast forward to present day London. Caroline a historian is coming to London to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary but this trip is anything but a celebration. She throws herself into researching a mysterious vial she finds in a mud bank of River Thames. And her life will never be the same after that.

This is a beautifully written story that has many layers and as they are peeled away you will have met three courageous, brave and loyal women who will stop at nothing to find the truth and protect one another at the same time. This is a must read by debut author Sarah Penner!

Sending a sincere thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio and Harlequin Audio for an advanced copy of The Lost Apothecary my honest review! Can’t wait to see what comes next!!

Review posted on my Instagram blog and Goodreads.

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I really loved this book! And the narrator was great as well. I was immediately drawn to the story and enjoyed the two timelines.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

3.9 stars

First off I have to give a huge shout out to the narrator of Nella. Your voice is fantastic and you brought such depth to Nella. I just don’t know which of the three narrators, Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Laura Irwin, you are. Having each main characters have their own narrator was helpful in following along with the audio book.

The book goes back and forth from Caroline in modern London to 200 years ago with Nella the apothecary and Eliza, a 12 year old maid to a wealthy woman. Nella brews poisonous potions for women to use against men who hurt them. Not sure why Nella gets the label of killer when its the women who come to her, or really their maids, doing the killing. I did enjoy the story especially with the top notch narrators.

First of all, I want to thank Net Galley and Harper Audio/Harlequin Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook which will be release on March 2, 2021. I was so happy when I got an email that I was approved for an advance copy of the audiobook and the book did not disappoint.

The story from the past and the present intertwined beautifully. I also love the fact that the audio version got three different narrators. The reader for Nella sounds darker and intriguing and I love it. The story did kept me guessing from the beginning to the very end. I was not able to guess the plot twist which I like very much. Love the ending and the story did wrapped up beautifully with a neat bow on top.

Please also read my full review in Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/anacskie

I absolutely loved The Lost Apothecary. This is my first five star read of 2021. This novel has all of the elements I love: history, strong female protagonists, murder, and a little bit of magic! Penner's writes like this is her tenth novel, not her debut. And what a strong debut it is! The novel switches between the owner of a hidden apothecary, Nella, her want-to-be apprentice Eliza, and the modern day budding historian, Caroline. I loved Eliza and Nella from the beginning and their story is fascinating. Caroline took me a bit longer. She is in London for what would be her tenth wedding anniversary but she discovers that her husband is cheating on her and goes alone. For a while Caroline seems like a bit of a weakling - she has some trouble standing up for herself in her marriage and chasing her dreams, but trust me when I say that she does a lot of self discovery and you won't be disappointed in her choices in the end.

I listened to the audio version of this book and three narrators were spot on! I loved the different accents and they really brought the characters to life. I highly recommend the audio.

I loved the female friendships in this book, and the imagery was great! This book had me wanting to hop on a plane to London to go exploring. It certainly led Caroline on the adventure and discovery of a lifetime. Congratulations Sarah on your debut book - it is fantastic and I cannot wait for your next novel! Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy.

What a journey this book took me on. The premise of the book is what drew me in, and yes the gorgeous cover! The idea of potions and tinctures that could heal but of course could kill only men was interesting. This book had mud larking for old treasures, artifacts, library records, research, magic and mystery. It was told from three POV, Nella the apothecary, little Eliza, the eager apprentice and Caroline, the woman in present day who found a small bottle from over 200 years ago and how the search for where it came from mead her on a journey where she would find herself. The story is fascinating. The audio version was so well done that I was disappointed when it was over. These characters will stick with me for a long time. There were some shocking twists along the way and hidden messages that make you literally stop and ponder. This book is like finding a hidden gem at the River Thames. Thank you to NetGalley for the honor of getting to read this gorgeous book.

The Lost Apothecary was a unique dual timeline story, going back and forth to London past and present. The writing of each character in their time was very well done. We felt the change between Nella, the 18th century apothecary, Eliza, the young girl who was fascinated with Nella, and Caroline who visited present day London & made some surprise discoveries while there. The women in this novel struggle with decisions they need to make and challenges they must face on their own. I was riveted from the beginning and very much liked how things progressed throughout the novel, building to an exciting ending!!

The narration for this audiobook was very well done. Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin matched their characters beautifully. I enjoyed listening to the story and definitely think it enhanced the experience.

Review Posted : January 25, 2021
The Lost Apothecary will be released on March 2, 2021.
Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Audio, Harlequin Audio, and the author, Sarah Penner for the advance unabridged audiobook.

Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

So I LOVED the premise of this novel and generally enjoy the multiple timelines setup. Perhaps I would have enjoyed THE LOST APOTHECARY more if I had physically read the book as I didn't enjoy the three narrators on the audiobook.

A female apothecary who secretly dispenses poisons to women in need of doing something with the horrible men in their lives? AWESOME! A modern day aspiring historian who stumbles onto an old vial while mudlarking on the Thames who is driven to uncover the story behind it? GREAT! But then Penner lost me... for anyone who has conducted their own obscure historical research attempts... how the events unfold is so unrealistic that it takes away from the entertainment of the story. It's never that easy or cut and dry. Caroline ends up at the exact location after a quick Google search? I don't think so.

To stick with this story as a reader, there is a certain level of suspension of disbelief needed. And unfortunately I got hung up on those details and ultimately for me they overpowered the good parts of this book. There was a lot of potential here but it just didn't add up for me, the whole investigation/mystery was too easily put together to be believable.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Penner, and Harlequin Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

Nella runs an apothecary in 1790s London that formerly belonged to her mother; although, she has changed the purpose of the apothecary after a former lover used her substances against her. Now, she runs the apothecary to help women (and the poisons are only used on men). Eliza, a young farm girl, works as a servant for a wealthy couple, and she meets Nella when the wife sends her to collect a poison. A unique friendship is formed between Nella and Eliza as life experiences and knowledge are shared. In current day London, Caroline is on an anniversary trip, alone, when she finds a glass vial while mudlarking in the River Thames. As the book unfolds, the characters discover the power of secrets, the importance of friendships, and how to be true to themselves in a world that often revolves around men. While I loved the unique storyline of this book and thought the character development was great, I wish the author would have included more facts about the poisons that were commonly used during this time as this information often felt a bit underdeveloped.

I read this book using predominately the audiobook, but I did switch over to the ebook some. I love historical fiction, and I thought the dual narratives were done quite well. In terms of the audiobook, I liked that the narrator noted the character and timeframe (day/year) at the beginning of each chapter as this makes it much easier to follow the dual timelines! In addition, the narrators did a great job telling the story of Nella, Eliza, and Caroline with the necessary emotion and emphasis. However, Nella's narrator spoke much slower than the other narrators. So, while I listened to Eliza & Caroline on speed 1.25, I needed to hasten Nella to 1.5 to keep the same pace.

I liked the two stories individually, but for some reason didn’t like when they came together. I almost wished they were seperate stories

This was a solid 4 star book for the first half. I really enjoyed the mystery of the historical part of the story and the conflict of the contemporary part of the story. It was also really nice to read historical fiction that doesn’t center around a war!

But around halfway through, I started to get bored. I started noticing the stilted awkward language, how one character asked another (present day), “Did you ingest that?” instead of “Did you swallow that?”

Still, I was thinking 3.5 stars. And then, I got really annoyed with the main character’s choice at the very end of the novel, bringing us down to only 3.

I just finished listening to “The Lost Apothecary” this afternoon and I have to say I loved it! I enjoyed the 3 different narrators from two different time periods. The author did a great job telling us Nella’s story through the three different narrators. I really enjoyed how Caroline was able to piece the story together through her research and a little bit of a field trip. This story had suspense, characters you can’t help but love! Great story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to listen and review this lovely book!

The Lost Apothecary was absolutely enthralling! This novel has a dual storyline taking place in present day and the late 1700’s. With 3 strong female lead characters, their stories intertwine throughout the course of the novel leading to a suspenseful and unexpected ending.

I received this and as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for giving me access.

The cover of this immediately drew me in. It is just absolutely stunning! I couldn't stop listening to this audio, it was that good. We follow multiple POVs of women, present day and past.

The historical aspect of the MC on the hunt of a mysterious blue vial was intriguing. This little blue vial unraveled a whole story that changed our MCs life. The storyline was well thought out and had excellent narrators. I will be looking for more stories by Sarah Penner in hope for more like this.

A very enjoyable read, this book told two different stories, from two different time periods. Told as alternating stories, the plots come together in the end.

We meet Nella in 1791, an Apothecary hidden in the back alleys of London, Nella now dispenses poisons to aid women to get rid of the men in their lives. When 12 year old Eliza Fanning comes to purchase a poison for her mistress to use, a friendship between the two women ensues,

In present day London, American Caroline should be on an anniversary trip to the British capital, but she came alone after discovering her husband had been cheating on her. She engages in her love of history, visiting museums and joining a group of 'mudlarkers' who walk through the mud of the Thames at low tide to find any historical items given up by the river, When she finds a small vial, Caroline begins to research what it is, where it came from, and what its story is,

When the wrong person dies as a result of one of Nella's poisons, both Nella and Eliza are thrown into danger. How can they escape being hanged for murder?

I enjoyed the apothecary's story a little more than the modern day tale, but the characters were all well done, and the atmosphere of the 1790's very well written.

I listened to this book, and the narrator did an excellent job of distinguishing between the two plotlines, and giving the characters unique voices.

This story is set in duel timelines. 1791 and present time is told through three different points of view. An apothecary back in 1791 who helps women to poison their cheating husbands and a young apprentice. The present is a woman who has just found out her husband has cheated and goes on her anniversary trip to London on her own. The story is told from three different points of view. This was a story I could not wait to find out what was going to happen at the end.

I was given a galley copy of the audiobook. I loved that they had three different narrators to represent the three main characters. It was very well done.

Everyone knows the saying “Don’t just a book by its cover”. Well I have a bad habit of doing that. But just look at this cover. It’s GORGEOUS! The cover alone made me request this book on @Netgalley. One of my goals for 2021 is to read more books outside of my comfort zone. Read ones I wouldn’t typically choose. This is one of them. It was so good. I got lost in the story of Nella and Caroline with a past and present timeline, which I love. What an amazing debut.

This was such a great read. I really appreciate reading books that teach me about new things; this book specifically opened my eyes to the world of mudlarking. Despite the small amount of time that mudlarking is discussed, it plays a major role in the development of the story.

In this dual point of view timeline, we meet two women who are navigating London and the men in their lives. Caroline is our present-day protagonist who is visiting London for her 10th wedding anniversary...alone. A secret was revealed to her prior to the trip and she finds herself navigating London while attempting to solve a mystery.

Nella is our lonely and isolated apothecary owner in 1700s London who mixes up concoctions to help women get revenge on their no-good male counterparts. Nella meets 12-year-old Eliza, who is visiting the apothecary for a poison to help her mistress get revenge on her husband.

From there we bounce between Nella, Caroline, and even Eliza's point of view as they are each navigating their own current issues while also unraveling a mystery. I wish we spent a little more time with the mystery/thriller aspect of the story instead of the individual development of each character. Overall, I really enjoyed the historical aspects intertwined with feminist undertones.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Audio, and Sarah Penner, I was able to listen to the audiobook narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. Each narrator did an amazing job. I found myself getting lost in the story with every chapter that each of them narrated.

A woman helping women kill their husbands in the 1790s through her apothecary shop? That got my attention! I loved the way this story was told through present and past day! It was a beautifully written, gripping novel that I thoroughly enjoyed!

The two characters we are focused on are Nella in the 1790s and Caroline in the present day. Nella is using her apothecary shop to help women kill their husbands with poisons. She has very strict morals about this killing. It must always be men, never women. She will destroy potions and refuse service to any request that has the intent to harm another woman. I really enjoyed her character. She was smart and resourceful, but also emotionally wounded, creating a character that I was deeply invested in.

Caroline is escaping an adulterous husband by taking a vacation to London alone. She discovers an apothecary vial and her historian brain kicks into high gear. I loved how she became immediately interested in what this vial was, who used it, etc. Sometimes I get less interested in the present-day story-line in books like this, but in this one, I loved what she was discovering about herself and about the past. It made me so interested in both stories!

I loved the audio of this. The narrator did a wonderful job, creating a beautiful story and setting that I was completely immersed in. I would highly recommend it!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.