The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is an amazing historical fiction book which features two interesting time periods in London, the 1790s and present day. This is Sarah Penner’s first book but she will quickly catapult into one to watch. This book is well researched and brings you into the life of a young woman, Caroline Parcewell, who is an aspiring historian on vacation in London. Caroline goes on a mudlarking excursion and discovers a little bottle which leads her into learning about two heroines, Nella and Eliza, who lived over 200 years ago,

I listened to the outstanding audio book version narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, and Lauren Irwin. These fabulous narrators had impeccable accents and pacing to transport you directly into this long ago time period. The pronunciation used was old English which added a richness to the narration and made this book even more of a treat. It was time I treasured in a world of hidden secrets and uncovering those who have wronged them.

As mentioned, the book is well researched and you are silently cheering for all three heroines to find their way to enact revenge on those who have wronged them. All three have suffered but none will allow for these evil deeds to go unpunished. Unfortunately, these three women have little power and have been victimized due to cruel circumstances. The reckoning when it comes is swift and unexpected, but always well deserved.

I loved every minute of it, and did not want it to end. It is told in multiple voices with alternating timelines providing backstory and slowly reveals secrets to keep you intrigued. The description of the landscape and heritage of strong women apothecaries can also not be forgotten. This is a profession that I did not know much about. However, with the excellent introduction to this subject matter by Penner I feel that I might know enough to be dangerous.

This book has an outstanding cast of characters that you truly feel connected to. The struggle Caroline feels when trying to decide the fate of her marriage is heart wrenching. The tragedies that Nella has encountered and her resilience and determination to ensure women do not have to suffer is admirable. Despite her many challenges Nella found ways to defy the societal bounds to enact meaningful change. She was not looking for glory, just a chance to do something that was decent and worthwhile. Eliza also steals your heart with her bravery and empathy despite her young age. Eliza was forced to adapt to a life she has had no experience with and her successful transition will inspire you. The care in creating strong heroines is apparent on every page.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Harper Audio and Harlequin Audio in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

Men don’t fare too well in Sarah Penner’s unique historical novel about a 1791 apothecary hidden in a back London alley. There Nella, a strange woman with a disturbing past, concocts poisonous mixtures and sells them to women intending to kill unfaithful men in their lives. Nella’s secret work is in danger of being found out when twelve-year-old Eliza Fanning visits the shop for a potion to kill her employer’s husband. Can a twelve-year-old actually be trusted knowing about Nella’s deadly efforts? Shifting to present-day London, Penner introduces Caroline Parcewell who is taking a time-off vacation from her own unfaithful husband. Caroline happens upon a clue about the old apothecary and with help from a British librarian tries to re-form what exactly happened to Nella, Eliza and the old apothecary. Poison, murder, secrets, unfaithful men…what could go wrong?

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced listener copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Since I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, I will begin by saying that all three of the readers did an excellent job. They had distinct voices which made it clear what storyline I was listening to. Also, given the book itself, it's definitely a book I would have preferred listening to.

This story evolves over two time-periods. As with most books that use this mode of story-telling, one time period was far more interesting than the other. I preferred the 1791 storyline with the apothecary herself, and whereas I understand the purpose of the modern-day storyline, I didn't care for it. Caroline was less interesting to me, and I couldn't stand James at all. He's a totally overdramatic fool. That self-poisoning grab for attention was a total eye-roller for me. I get his purpose as creating a parallel to the lives of the women that Nella, the apothecary, helped in the past, but I didn't think he was necessary. He was just a nuisance. I think Caroline and Nella could have been paralleled in different, more interesting ways.

Aside from James, the worst part of the book, I found the stories enjoyable. The 1791 storyline was really engaging, and I could have gone with far more Eliza and Nella.

3.5
This was such an intriguing book! I loved the multiple POVs and different era timelines. Seeing the story play out from the three women kept me interested and I really enjoyed it. Plus, I'm here for stories about women killing the shitty men in their lives. One thing that stuck out to me was that a ton of the drama could've been avoided if we just taught kids about periods. Don't let them be scared when they start bleeding at 10-12, teach them about their bodies. The biggest downfall to this book was the lack of queer and bipoc characters, which is why my rating is lower.

I'm so, so disappointed by this one. I've been looking forward to this read for a while, and can't for the life of me figure out how a book with such a cool premise ended up being so <i>boring.</i> What really irritated me the most throughout reading this was just the flawed decision-making of the main characters. Like, okay, Nella is literally a serial killer giving women poison to kill their husbands, etc., and yet with barely any pretense or reason she shares every detail of her life and illegal enterprise with a RANDOM 12 YEAR OLD she has known for, what, days? AND keeps a complete written record of every woman to whom she sells poison for the sake of <i>history remembering them?</i> I just couldn't buy in, and I was constantly bothered by the logic.

I really enjoyed the immersion into three separate but linked stories in this tale. I found the author's voice to be unique and eloquent throughout this tale of new beginnings, shedding the past while researching the past. I was drawn into this book like a moth to a flame, and couldn't listen to it fast enough!

I really loved The Lost Apothecary. I told a friend of mine that it was a really good palate cleanser after all the dark and heavy books that I have read lately.

Using alternating timelines we meet Nella in the last 1700s. She is a female apothecary who has committed her life and her career to helping women. Her apothecary is cleverly hidden and all of her business is made via word of mouth. Nella's specialty is creating poisons to help women rid themselves of the men in her life. Present day, we meet Caroline who is on vacation in London. She is supposed to on an anniversary trip with her husband, but after she discovers his affair, so goes on the trip alone. While exploring London, Caroline discovers and old apothecary vial that piques her interest.

I loved reading about these women and seeing how their lives inevitably intertwined. I found Nella to be especially intriguing.

This is the story of Caroline, an American woman who is on a trip to London. While her trip was planned, the current circumstances of the trip were not. As she tours London and tries to make sense of her personal life, she finds an antique apothecary bottle that intrigues her. During her search to find out more about the bottle we learn of an 18th century apothecary shop in the same area of London whose only clients were women.

His story is told in dual timelines and both timelines had my interest the entire time. The author did a great job of slowly revealing the details and intertwining the two timelines.

I did find Caroline to be a bit whiney and simplistic in her thoughts. I also thought that Eliza was a bit too naive to be such as strong of a character as she was supposed be. Both women did grow during the course of the book and these minor criticisms did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. I think it is a solid 4 star book and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

The narration for this audiobook is really well done. All three of the narrators do a great job of conveying their characters and creating atmosphere. I switched between reading this on my kindle and listening to the audiobook, but it was definitely the audiobook that drew me into the story from the beginning.

Absolutely stunning.

This story captures you from the beginning and keeps you under its spell.

I loved listening to the audiobook and hearing the differences between the characters. This will easily be one of my favorite books of the year.

The magical, dark atmosphere along with the narrator’s was what pulled me in. From there the history and story of Eliza, Nells, and Caroline had me captivated. I love books with rich writing where I can vividly imagine the setting and this book did that. It’ll be a comfort story I go back and reread on stormy days.

I highly recommend the audiobook version of this novel! The narration (by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, & Lauren Irwin) is easy to listen to and the characters' personalities quickly shine through.

Shifting between present-day and 1791 London, Sarah Penner introduces us to a cast of strong female characters who, although separated by time, soon become connected in the pursuit of historical discovery. The parallel narratives in this novel are cleverly written and organized in a way that pulls the reader effortlessly through storylines that are compelling and easy to follow. Some of the topics explored throughout the novel include betrayal, revenge, friendship, independence (for women in the past and present), research and discovery, and the unearthing of lost histories. Pondering how some of these topics are similar and different for the characters depending on the time in which they live is a compelling element to the novel. I also enjoyed wrestling with the deep intrigue and simultaneous ethical dilemma this book created for me as a result of the apothecary's distribution of poisons.

This novel reminds us that although centuries lie between us and the people of the past, we have the ability to transcend the barriers of time when we allow our curiosities to drive us deep into historical discovery.

A note on some not-so-positive comments I've seen: I definitely respect everyone's opinion on this novel, and can see where some people who didn't like the book as much are coming from. I've seen some reviews that mention the present-day storyline (with Caroline) being rather boring, and although I didn't necessarily find it to be dull, I didn't think it was as interesting as the events of the past with Nella, Eliza, and the apothecary. However, I still enjoyed reading the present-day events because of the parallels that existed between the past and present. There are also some reviews that say they were expecting suspense and mystery, and although I'd say there is a small amount of those elements throughout, I also found most of the story to be pretty predictable. That being said, I enjoyed my time with the characters and was not disappointed with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a magnificent historical fiction story that left me at the edge of my seat.
Set at the tale end end of the 1700’s and pinging to modern day London, this story intertwines the lives of 2 women of past and present, dealing with the aftermath of betrayal. Nella is an apothecary from the past who dishes out poison to other women who are looking for revenge on men who have done them wrong. When a 12 year old girl named Eliza shows up on behalf of her employer, she sets forth a series of events that change their lives. Meanwhile in present day, Caroline is on an anniversary trip alone and discovers an empty bottle that brings her on a journey of discovering the history of Nella’s apothecary shop.
This story was rich with history, fantasy and revenge that had a way of transporting me elegantly from past to present.

Thank you Netgalley and Park Row for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe my expectations were too high given the buzz about this novel?

Set in both the present day and the 18th century, this novel follows two women and a young girl. I didn’t like any of the characters nor was I drawn into the plot. I tried to “go there” but couldn’t.

On a positive note, I thought the writing was lovely and descriptive.

A miss for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for the advanced copy of this audiobook. I’m grateful.

I received this book "The Lost Apothecary" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. Audio Book. I enjoyed listening to this book. The narrators did an excellent job. The book was really interesting and I looked forward to listening to it. The story was great with the two timelines. I was drawn into the the stories of Nella and Caroline. As the story went on I thought it would be a 4 star but towards the end I pushed it to a 5. Great book.

The Lost Apothecary is the debut novel of Sarah Penner, and I hope she will be writing many more! This intriguing historical fiction work alternates between the stories of Nella Clavinger and Eliza Fanning and their lives in England back in the late 1700s and early 1800s and the story of Caroline Parcewell, a modern-day American visiting in London.
Nella has inherited a well-respected apothecary shop from her mother, but due to tragic events in her life, she discreetly dispenses poisons to women in desperate situations to use on men who have wronged them. It is through her work that she meets Eliza, a 12-year-old girl who purchases and uses a poison brewed by Nella at the request of the lady for whom she works.
After discovering that her husband has been unfaithful, Caroline travels alone to London on what was to have been a romantic vacation celebrating their 10th anniversary. Passionate about history, she finds an old bottle while “mudlarking” on the banks of the Thames. She is intrigued by her find and begins a quest to trace the bottle’s history. It is while she is researching the bottle that her own story becomes entwined with those of Nella and Eliza.
This was the first time I have listened to an audiobook, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The story pulled me in from the start and held my interest to the very end. I felt the narration was beautifully done, with excellent pacing and voices that are well-suited to the central characters as I imagine them. I will note, however, that I found the stories of Nella and Eliza to be more engaging than the modern-day story.
I highly recommend The Lost Apothecary to those with an interest in history who want to read something with a fresh flair. I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this engaging book, which was released March 2, 2021. I was under no obligation to write a positive review; the opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

I LOVED The Lost Apothecary and I absolutely devoured this book.

In the 1800’s London, Nella runs an apothecary shop but she has a little secret. Nella uses the shop to mix deadly potions and sells them ONLY to women to seek revenge on the men who wrong them.

In the present day, Caroline takes a trip to London that was meant to be a 10 year marriage celebration with her husband. Shortly before they are meant to arrive in London, Caroline stumbles on the fact that her husband of 10 years is having an affair. Caroline decides to take the trip anyway, but without her husband- she needs time to clear her head. While she is in London, she finds an ancient apothecary bottle in the river and it leads her to do a little digging into the past and the history of the bottle. Caroline has always been into history and even at one time dreamed of going to school in Cambridge to become a historian. Instead of following her dreams, she got married. As Caroline uncovers more truth about Nella and the lost apothecary, she realizes she and Nella have more in common than she could have ever imagined.

Not only is "The Lost Apothecary" one of the most beautiful book covers I've seen lately, it's also one of the most unique stories that broke me out of my usual rut. The novel jumps between 1791 and present day London. In 1791 a seasoned Apothecary named Nella becomes acquainted with the headstrong 12 year old Eliza who wants nothing more than to help Nella in her shop. Nella, once a well respected healer, now uses her skills for dark purposes by providing poisons for women to use on the men who have wronged them, but never on a woman. Present day London brings us Caroline, a woman from Ohio who ventures to London on what was supposed to be her 10 year wedding anniversary; that is until she finds out her husband has been unfaithful. While in London, she joins a mudlarking tour and discovers an old, blue vile which sparks her intrigue and ignites her once past passions for history. When Caroline discovers the vile belonged to a murderous apothecary, her search for her identity begins while back in 1791, we learn what happened for the blue vile to end up in the River Thames.

I loved how this book was narrated for the audio book, it helped give the characters even more life. The theme of female friendships ran strong through this novel, between Nella and Eliza, and Caroline and Gaynor, and the secrets that each hold. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines in this novel, and it was written in a clear way as the stories began to thread together tighter and tighter. Penner has so much attention to detail throughout this novel and it brings everything to life on every page. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and this story completely enraptured me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗

Book TW: suicidal ideation/attempt, gaslighting, sexual assault of a child, reference to child murder

The Lost Apothecary follows the parallel stories of Nella and Eliza, the apothecaries, in 1790’s London and Caroline, a woman who’s marriage is falling apart and has come to London and rediscovers her love of history and life along the way.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it just didn’t stick with me as much as I maybe thought it would. However, both sides of the story, the historical and the modern, were equally interesting and were paced together very well. The audiobook narrators were all very good and definitely added to the overall immersiveness of the story.
I think there’s a potential for triggering aspects as one of the main characters is at least passively and often actively suicidal throughout most of the book and all three of the main characters have had traumatic experiences with men (which is part of the premise of the book). However, the book does end on a good, sweet, hopeful note that I appreciated and made the struggles of the earlier parts of the book worth it.
It may not be a new favorite for me, but it was still a good read and if you like historical fiction with just the slightest touch of magical realism, you will probably enjoy it too. I’d also definitely recommend the audiobook, I think that your experience will be better for it!

The Lost Apothecary is split between three narrators: Caroline, and American, who has come to London, alone, for her ten-year wedding anniversary after learning her husband has cheated on her; Nella, an apothecary in 1791 who makes potions and sells them to women to kill the men who have wronged them; and Eliza, a twelve-year-old servant girl in 1791 who has been sent to Nella's shop for her mistress to retrieve poisoned eggs to serve to her mistress's husband. On her first day in London, Caroline goes mud-larking and finds a curious bottle. As we progress through the story, Caroline comes to learn the origins on the bottle and its significance in Nella and Eliza's lives. Meanwhile in 1791, Eliza murders her master and finds herself curious about Nella and the work she does. As Eliza spends more time with Nella, Nella grows attached to the girl, despite Nella's own broken past. Where and how will these 18th century women's lives intersect with Caroline's-- and has being a woman really changed all that much in the 200+ years that separates them?

If you are a fan of Lauren Willig's split time setting historical fiction novels, The Lost Apothecary will be right up your alley. Secondly, while I totally get the menstruation bit as a connection between the three women, it just feels cheap. Like, duh, menstruation binds them... it has bound women together over the millennia. And the magic bit at the end, deus ex machina more than I like. I'm sorry, Eliza should not have lived. If you like historical fiction with dual timelines and a bit of mystery, give this a shot-- you will enjoy it, even if you do have Opinions at the end.

The audiobook narrators do a great job. I love when it's different voice actor voicing different narrators. Not only does it add something special, it really helps me differentiate between the different characters.