Let me start by saying, I could not put this down.

Apothecaries. Folk-healers. Herbalists. Witches. The original feminists, the supporters of scorned women, and the healers of their woes for centuries. This is Nella, the daughter of an apothecary who handed down her skills in earthy medicine. Nella, however, has added poisons to her repertoire, providing them to women eager to remove a man from their lives for one reason or another. She has acquired a young sidekick, eager to learn about Nella’s magic and help in any way she can.

Over two centuries in the future we have Caroline, a woman who is realizing that her life is not what she signed up for and who’s marriage is in turmoil. Caroline unintentionally stumbles upon a mystery that will change her life for good and will help her realize that her own magic is real.

I loved this book. The characters were interesting and well developed. The flip-flop between the 1700s and modern day was very well done and intentional in it’s timing. This story took unexpected turns more than once and the ending was beautiful and satisfying.

LONG LIVE THE FOLK-HEALER

I really enjoyed this novel! I listened to the audiobook, and was hooked from the first sentence. This novel is a dual timeline narrative that both take place in London. Two women are from the 1700s while the third resides in present-day London.
The book starts by introducing us to Nella who runs a secret apothecary shop. She is better known for getting rid of male problems more than medical ones. Her latest client is a 12-year old girl named Eliza whose life is changed exponentially in a matter of days. Both females will undergo a journey of self-discovery to face their respective ghosts and overcome and reflect on their trauma.
Meanwhile, Caroline is recovering after uncovering her husband’s infidelity. She goes to London for answers but ends up finding them in a chance encounter. She finds an old apothecary vial with a strange engraving on it, and her journey takes off from there.
This novel was a delight to read. All three female characters were strong and beloved to read about. The book was appropriately paced, and when the timeline shifted from one to the other, I never felt the need to rush through one or the other, as both were wonderfully developed.
I definitely recommend if you are a lover of mystery, great female characters, and 18th century fiction.

This was a dual timeline narrative, with one part of the story in present day London, and one in London of the 1700’s. It was well written and interesting.

In the 1700’s timeline, we have Nella, the secretive and isolated matron of the apothecary, spending her days allowing women of London to obtain potions and natural poisons to take care of the wayward men in their lives. Also narrating chapters in this timeline is Eliza, who at 12 years old was sent to obtain a poison for her mistress and then becomes enchanted with Nella’s shop. These chapters were rich and full of the feel of the times. I was able to connect with both characters and felt their individual struggles and limits even with their different ages. I would have loved the addition of more focus on Eliza as well nearer to the end.

In present day, we have Caroline, visiting London on her 10th wedding Anniversary and we follow her story after she finds a clue that takes her on a journey to figure out it’s origins while also trying to sort out some issues with her own life. I thought the switch between the timelines was really well written and was able to switch between them seamlessly. I did find the present day story line a bit more of a challenge, there were a few moments where I questioned whether something would unfold in that way or why the character had certain feelings or priorities.

As I read, I found myself wanting to get back to each timeline as I left it in equal amounts which was great. I hoped for a bit more connection between the character narratives then I got but I feel like that was really a ‘me’ issue. Just past midway through, I thought, here we go and from there until the end, I thought it would pick up a bit in connection. The plot did advance quicker and things accelerated in both timelines which was nice. I just kept thinking it was going in ways that it didn’t.

The audio was well done, it was very nice to have three different narrators, I love audiobooks that are going in this direction, it is so much cleaner than one narrator adjusting her voice or cadence. I did find Nella’s voice a bit deep and slow which made for a bit of an adjustment from the other two characters though.

All in all, this was a lovely book about the self discovery of the characters. I thought it was going to be a bit more of a thriller/mystery, but I think, for me, it’s best categorized as historical literary fiction and in that category, I thought it excelled. It showed women throughout the years struggling to fend for and make choices for themselves while not always being in company of the greatest of men. And if that appeals to you, I ++ suggest that you see if the lost apothecary has any tinctures for you 🧪

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book had me motivated from the first sentence. We start off with Nella who runs a secret apothecary shop in 18th century London that helps women with all sorts of troubles, but is perhaps best known for getting rid of male problems (literally) more than medical ones. When her latest client, a 12 year old girl comes in, she does not expect her life to change so drastically in a matter of days. With the help of the 12 year old girl, named Eliza, Nella will have to overcome her own trauma that led her to take this dangerous and dark path. Eliza will face the ghosts of her own while also exploring the dangerous world of magic and men. Meanwhile, in present day London, Caroline is recovering from a discovery of her husband's infidelity. She came to London to find answers, but probably didn't expect to find them in a chance encounter with a hobby known as mudlarking. When she finds an apothecary vial with.a strange engraving, Caroline takes her own journey as she uncovers the history of a forgotten apothecary.

What's not to love: creepy apothecaries, eighteenth century feminism, and a present day mystery. The story never failed to get boring. Even with alternating chapters that were separated by over 200 years, each chapter placed with the previous one and the next in a way that kept this story together. Each chapter had me at the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I knew where each character's story was going, Sarah Penner threw me off with the next chapter.

All three characters (Nella, Eliza, and Caroline) were fascinating. I never found myself wanting to skip any particular POV to get to the next. While I originally was interested in this book for the poisonous apothecary, Caroline and her marriage problems soon became just as interesting. You got to see how three different women dealt differently and understandably to the issues that plagued them throughout the story, I grew to love each character, in a way that made me mourn the end of this book because it meant saying goodbye.

I absolutely hate to give this 3 stars. I was incredibly excited for it, but it did not live up to my own hype. I usually love books with differing POVs, but in this case the present day story line was completely unnecessary. It didn't add anything to the story and seemed like it was added in or too forced. Also the mystery portion of the present day story line was confusing. Even though I knew what happened from the other POV I was sometimes confused by what she was trying to figure out or how her info made sense.

Overall I was really excited for the feminist story line. An apothecary that helped women kill men that were harming them seemed dark and exciting. But that dark, female power feel was lost and I was left counting the pages until it was over. (I am cringing at this review because I was so hopeful of it. The cover was beautiful and I wanted the story line to live up.)

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a unique book about a story from the past and the present.

Nella has a secret apothecary shop in London during the eighteenth century. Nella disguises poisons for women to administer to the men they want to get away from without any suspicion of cause of death. Nella develops a friendship with Eliza, a twelve year old customer, and Eliza starts helping out at the apothecary shop. Nella has a rule that her poisons cannot be used to harm other women and records the victim and murderer. When a woman wants to harm another woman, one mistake could ruin everything.

Present day, Caroline is visiting London alone for her tenth wedding anniversary after discovering her husband’s infidelity. Caroline finds an old apothecary vial and starts to research where it came from. Caroline makes some concerning discoveries that can have unexpected consequences for Caroline.

I LOVED The Lost Apothecary. From the very beginning I was drawn into Nella and Caroline’s stories. The past and present intertwine in this great novel. The chapters alternate between Nella and Caroline’s stories. These characters are complex and trying to do the best they can. Nella is trying to help women especially her new friend Eliza. Caroline is trying to decide what makes her happy. The Lost Apothecary shows how far some women would go to rebel against a man’s world. I loved how unique this story was and highly recommend The Lost Apothecary.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. All narrators did a great job and provided the perfect voices for the characters. I thought the narration added to the story and I’m so glad I listened to The Lost Apothecary.

Thank you Harper Audio, Harlequin Audio, Park Row, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for The Lost Apothecary.

Full review will be posted with book tour through the publisher closer to the publication date in March.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a dual timeline book about three women. Two of the women are from the 1790s and the third is in present day. One of the women from the 1790s runs the Apothecary shop she inherited from her mother. However, she has turned to the darker side of the business and often provides poisons for women who need to rid themselves of troublesome men. The woman in present day is getting ready to celebrate her 10th anniversary when she discovers that her husband is cheating on her. Which is the catalyst for her to take their anniversary trip to London alone. While in London, she goes mud larking in the Thames and finds a bottle from the 1790's Apothecary Shop. I received an audio version of #TheLostApothecary from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Even in the audio version it was quite easy to keep the characters and their plots straight, with no confusion. Three different women narrate the book and each chapter is a different woman.

Have you ever read a book that was so good, it gave you goosebumps? This was that book for me.
From start to finish, I was engrossed in the wonderful storytelling that seamlessly intertwined past and present.

The story follows the lives of three women. In 1791, Nella sells poisons to women who wish to kill the men in their lives who have done them harm. When twelve-year-old Eliza becomes a patron of Nella's shop, they strike up an unexpected friendship and young Eliza becomes her apprentice. However, this chance encounter sets in motion a chain of events that threats to expose Nella's apothecary and the women she has served.
In present day, we meet Caroline who is on a solo trip to London after finding out her husband of ten years was having an affair. While mudlarking in the Thames, she discovers an old apothecary jar which links back to the unsolved apothecary murders.
The lives of these three women intertwined in a specular way despite over two centuries separating them, reminding us of the impact that history can play in the present.

I love the strong, empowered female characters.
I love that this story is inspired by true events. (Cue Giulia Tofana).
I pretty much love everything about this book, and can't believe it's a debut!

This is a beautifully crafted novel perfect for fans of mysteries and historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
And thank you to Sarah Penner for the lovely story. I'm now a fan!

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. The narrators bring this book to life with exciting verve and enthusiasm