Phenomenal!! Love her books, they have all been 5 stars. This one is no different. Dual timeline, both were great. The characters were funny and the story was both heart wrenching at times as well as heart warming. I enjoyed seeing how these relationships and friendships were formed, kept wanting to know what made them go different ways and love seeing them reconnect and rekindle. Just a gem!!!!

"'Words can do anything,' she said. 'A kind word can fix a person's spirit. A cruel one can break a person's heart. Wicked words have caused wars, and honest words have made peace. Why shouldn't they be able to heal?'" And Lynda Cohen Loigman's words have created a beautiful and captivating story.

I adored The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. Augusta is just the most lovable protagonist. She is smart and driven and sassy and has the biggest heart. She has overcome so much heartache in her life without letting it diminish her spirit. There are equally strong dual timelines: the 1920s in NY and the 1980s in FL. I could've read on and on about her life, why did the story have to end? 

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is out TODAY!!! I highly recommend this book for anyone with eyeballs (or ears). It was a September BOTM pick.

I did not know what to expect going into this book but I devoured it! I feel it can be hard to relate to books about retirement, but Augusta’s past and present kept me hooked. Augusta has experienced more than her fair share of grief, is it finally time for love?

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

What a gem of a book! It is a layered and insightful story about second chances and how it's never too late to start over. This dual-timeline story combines historical fiction, romance, mystery, and magical realism in a lovely way. It's immersive from the start, but as I grew to care about these characters, I found this ever more compelling. This beautifully written, quiet story had a big emotional impact on me.

Split between 1987, when Augusta turns 80, and when she is a teenager in Brooklyn in the 1920s, we meet some remarkable women, including Augusta and her unforgettable Great Aunt Esther. The characters are all so well-developed and vibrant that they feel real. Augusta is a woman ahead of her time, pursuing a career as a pharmacist at a time when that defied societal norms. Upon her retirement, she moves to Florida and ends up in the same retirement community as her first love and the man who broke her heart, Irving. Face to face again after more than 60 years, both Augusta and Irving have things to work through. Past and present are woven with threads of memory, magic, loss, resilience, lost love, the healing arts, second chances, and forgiveness. This examines deeper themes while having qualities of whimsy and wit, and I loved it. Such an uplifting, poignant read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the gifted ARC!

This was such a delightful and charming read. It just made me feel happy. I enjoyed this very much. Perfect autumn read where one might find a hug within these pages. Just delightful.

This book was such a slice of life! The writing was beautiful, and the characters and the romance plot line were done so well.

Augusta Stern takes us back to 1924, when she was a teen and to her current time in 1987. Between the 2 time lines and everything interconnecting, you read and feel how Augusta and Irvine fell in love with magic, medicine, and a bit of a "love elixir" in this historical fiction novel.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

I just finished The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman and here are my musings.


Augusta Stern is just about to turn 80. When she moves into an active senior community, the last person she expected to run into is the man who broke her heart 62 years ago. She never knew what caused him to disappear from her life and marry someone else but she always wondered if the elixir she gave him all those years ago was the cause or something else that sent her life on a different trajectory.

Augusta was a badass. She followed in her fathers footsteps which is unheard of in the 1920s. She learned how to become a pharmacist which was insanity during prohibition. Her aunt had a different view on pharmacology, choosing a more herbal root to help the people of Brooklyn. Augusta gets to learn both ways. I loved how strong Augusta is but she never married or had kids because Irving… He was the one who left with her heart.

The writing was phenomenal. I was blown away with the author's ability to weave a beautiful story of love, loss and quiet strength and resilience. The story straddles two timelines. Current day and Augusta’s childhood.

I loved the second chance romance. It is always so much more heartwarming when they are seniors. The ending was amazing, I totally understood what happened and why Irving left like he did. Broke my dang heart but you can see how it was an impossible situation.

The book illustrates the differences between men and women and the barriers women have had to overcome.

I also listened to the audiobook and it was absolute perfection! It was my kind of historical fiction!!

5 stars

Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy.

Out on the 8th of October.

The love elixir of Augusta stern is a buzzy novel of the fall. The story follows Augusta stern as she is about to turn 80 in 1987. Augusta has relocated to a senior center in Florida when she runs into Irving rivkin. Irving was a delivery boy at her father’s pharmacy and her first heartbreak sixty years ago. Augusta followed in her father’s pharmacy footsteps, but as the timeline goes back to the 1920s, we see Augusta also becomes enthralled by her aunt, Esther’s healing methods. Esther moves in after Augusta’s mother dies and her non-traditional methods to medicine eventually cause trouble for Augusta. Augusta now must contend with the mistakes of her past and find a way to make amends with Irving before it’s too late.

A light-hearted tale and perfect palette cleanser. The action moves seamlessly back and forth between the past and the present and we see why Augusta became how she becomes later in life. You will root for Irving and Augusta as both are likable and endearing.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a charming story that reminds us that it is never too late to have love and magic in our lives.

THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a heartwarming and charming story I enjoyed from the first page to the last. The story is told in dual timelines, the 1920s in Brooklyn, New York and 1980s in southern Florida. Pharmacist Augusta Stern is just about to turn eighty years old and had been forced to retire against her wishes. Reluctantly, she relocates to a senior living community in Florida. Not long after arriving, Augusta runs into Irving Rivkin who was a delivery boy at her father’s old pharmacy in Brooklyn and who broke her heart sixty years ago. As Augusta and Irving reconnect, the mystery of what happened between them decades ago, begins to be revealed. I loved both storylines and how they were woven together. There is heartbreak, humor and even a little magic in this beautifully-written tale of long-lost love, second chances and the power of family and friendship. I enjoyed this fascinating story and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

You are never too old to find love.

This novel follows the life of Augusta (nickname Goldie) in her youth and 80s. I enjoyed the alternate timelines because we learned so much about Augusta, her family, her lost love, and those who are important to her. We also see her disappointment, struggles, and triumphs in the past and the present. Because this book is set in the 1920s and the 1980s, the author doesn't have to worry about introducing too much technology. We do see the addition of computers at the beginning of the book, which leads to her retirement. I had to chuckle when she retired, and they thought she was 70, but then we learned quickly that she was really 80. We learn the reason behind it later in the book, and I must admit it is a little ingenious, but you can't get away with it these days.

While not a romance per se, I loved the romance that blooms between Augusta and Irving. It wasn't smooth sailing for these two when they were younger or even in the present. There are so many things to work out between the two, and it takes a fair amount of conversation to get to the truth.

I also loved the mystical aspect of it with Aunt Eleanor and her herbal concoctions that helped the women of the town. Women were not taken seriously regarding their health at this time, but Eleanor listened to them and did what she could to assist them with their fears, worries, and medical issues. 

This is a delightful story, and if the other books by this author are like this, I know I am in for a treat!

We give this book 5 paws up.

Short synopsis: Augusta moves to a Senior community right before her 80th birthday, running into her childhood crush Irving who used to work at her Father’s pharmacy.

My thoughts: I didn’t know what to expect with this book, but it exceeded any expectations I had. I absolutely loved Augusta and Esther, they were both such strong female characters. I loved how they broke barriers placed upon them and did things that men said they couldn’t.

This second chance romance was just so sweet and tender. I kept waiting to figure out what happened between Goldie and Irving, and I loved how the dual timelines slowly unweaned the past and helped the drove the story for the 1980 timeline.

I loved how this book talked about medical remedies along with Herbal remedies. It added a bit of magic to the story!

Read if you love:
- Elderly characters
- Strong females
- Second chance romance
- Dual timelines
- Jewish Rep
- A touch of magic

I enjoy author Lynda Cohen Loigman’s work and her newest, THE LOVE ELIXER OF AUGUSTA STERN, is no exception. Our protagonist is Augusta, a pharmacist, pressured to retire right before her 70th, or perhaps her 80th, birthday. She uses the occasion to move to Florida and bumps into several people from her old neighborhood, which prompts her to reflect upon her past. The book has two timelines as it moves forward towards Augusta’s birthday dinner and we suppose, a big reveal. Both time periods are handled well: the 1980’s are played a bit more for laughs while the 1920s have richer character and plot development. This is a good book that moves quickly by an author worth following. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Augusta Stern, newly retired and on the cusp of turning eighty, moves to Rallentando Springs, a retirement community in southern Florida. At the pool, she crosses paths with last person she never expected (or wanted) to see, her old boyfriend, and first and only love, Irving Rivkin. She & Irving dated when she was in high school and she had begun to hope for a future with him when he suddenly disappeared from her life. One night they went out with her best friend Evie and her boyfriend, who proposed to her on the dance floor. When everyone got back to the table, Irving was gone & she never saw him again. Augusta threw herself into her studies to become a pharmacist, and went to work with her father after graduation. She had once believed in the power of her great-aunt Esther's unconventional remedies that she sold from their apartment above the pharmacy, but she lost faith in those as well. Now Augusta is forced to face her past, and decide if she can move past the hurt and find a way forward with the man she never quit loving.....even after he broke her heart.

I am a huge fan of this author's books. She really knows how to weave a magical story that pulls you in from the very first page and doesn't let you go. The chapters went back and forth between past and present, so you are slowly discovering what led up to Irving leaving Augusta the way he did. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments in the present day chapters. I may never be able to look at a Jell-O mold again without bursting out laughing. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a good story, and would make a great book club read as well. I highly recommend it!

This was a very enjoyable book about a feisty lady who is actually turning 80, not 70 like she has been telling the people she worked with.
I liked the different timelines, the made the whole story fit together and make sense. I also loved the banter between Augusta and Irving. August had quite a sharp tongue. This story had a bit of everything, it was sad and serious, but also full of heart and humor.

4.5 stars! It would have been a total 5-star read for me if not for all the lost time and missed opportunities. But I loved this story and the magical realism.
Augusta Stern, a pharmacist has been forced to retire just shy of her 80th birthday. Feeling lost, she reluctantly accepts her circumstances and moves from New York to a retirement community in Florida where she encounters a man from her past, Irving Rivkin. And so the dual time line begins: Augusta’s story from her childhood during the 1920’s is flawlessly braided into the present using flashbacks.
The story was captivating and the characters charming. The author created strong female characters in both Augusta and her aunt, Esther while exploring the role of women as healers both using traditional medicine and herbalism in the Jewish tradition. Each character has a solid distinct voice. Excellent witty, sometimes acerbic, dialogue with a dash of apothecarial magic and a whole lot of love makes this a satisfying uplifting read. You’re never too old to learn, forgive, love or fulfill your dreams.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

Eighty year old never married pharmacist Augusta Stern is forced into retirement. Relocating to a senior community in Florida she happens upon Irving Rivkin the man who broke her heart over 60 years ago. This is where our story takes off, alternating between 1920s New York and 1980s Florida, letting the reader know exactly what happened to separate this pair and their current feelings.
The story itself is endearing but Augusta is more of a prickly character, unforgiving to those who let her down. On the other hand Irving is a delight with enough warmth to rekindle some romance. Their story is told, a mystery solved and some magical realism to sweeten the pot. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this read.

4.5/5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a dual timeline story from Augusta's current octogenarian life back to her adolescent days.

Augusta is a bit of a cantankerous but warm-hearted character who has moved into a senior community in Florida after basically being forced into retirement as a pharmacist. She grew up in 1920s Brooklyn with a pharmacist father, and she fell in love with the profession at an early age as she and her sister worked in various capacities in his shop. Following her move to Florida, she discovers that her lost love, Irving, the boy who worked as a delivery boy for her father and broke her heart at 17, is also living there. Their paths took very different turns as Augusta never married, and Irving married at 18 had two children and later divorced. After a rocky start for Augusta, they begin to know each other again after many years apart.

The 1920s Augusta was actually my favorite aspect of this book (although the current Augusta was interesting as well). She lost her mother as a young teenager, and she and her sister and father at first tried to muddle through as best they could. But they ended up with the arrival of Augusta's Great Aunt Esther, also a bit of a pharmacist from a small community. Esther's remedies and Augusta's father's clashed as she was more of a holistic, almost "magical" practitioner (I do believe her chicken soup might bring about world peace), and he was a science, by-the-book professional. When Augusta tries one of her aunt's elixirs on someone in secret, she has disastrous results which has long-reaching consequences, so she decides to abandon her aunt's practices.

I loved how Augusta tried to reconcile the two philosophies she witnessed. She loved and respected both her father and hard-headed but compassionate aunt and struggled with their very different approached to serving others in need.

This was a heartwarming and well-worth-it read with Augusta and Irving being cheer-worthy characters.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing the free early arc of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is such a charming book!

Augusta Stern grew up in Brooklyn in the ‘20s with her father as the local pharmacist. She learned all she could from him, but after her mother’s death, her aunt Esther moved in with them. Augusta is fascinated by Esther’s healing potions and powders.

Irving, the boy who helps out at the pharmacy, has captured Augusta’s heart. But something goes terribly wrong when Augusta tries using Esther’s love elixir on Irving.

Sixty years later, Augusta has had a long career as a pharmacist and has retired to a retirement community in Florida. There, she runs into Irving and a few others from the old neighborhood. Is it too late for second chances? Is it too late for a bit of magic? Was it ever necessary in the first place?

The story jumps back and forth between the two timelines, so you get to know Augusta and her family and friends so well. I loved the touch of magical realism and the push and pull between medicine and magic. But honestly, the banter between “older” Augusta and her friends is what made me laugh.

The writing is beautiful; it flows naturally, and you feel connected to these characters. You’ll feel their loss, grief, and regrets, but Augusta is also so strong and determined. This is a tale spun in magic and tied up with love.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the gifted ebook via NetGalley.

This was a heartwarming story of the life of Augusta (Goldie) Stern. Told in dual timelines, Goldie/Augusta is a vibrant woman who knew what she wanted and pursued her goals. Along the way, she learned from her great aunt that not all that ails someone can be cured by modern medicine. I loved the stories of both timelines and enjoyed the added hint of magical realism. Sometimes, life needs a special touch to make things happen! Fans of Other Birds and the Lost Apothecary will adore this story! 4.5⭐️