I did enjoy this book. It was a nice read and I thought the characterization was thoughtful and well done. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of modern medicine and old remedies as well.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a captivating historical fiction that blends love, mystery, and family secrets. The story explores a woman’s journey to uncover hidden truths, with well-developed characters and an engaging plot. Loigman’s writing is immersive, making it an enjoyable read for fans of emotional, character-driven narratives.

This author is a wonderful storyteller engaging you from the very first page until the last page. Her characters are beautifully written with warmth and a bit of humor. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it.

This historical fiction is set in 2 different time settings and locations- 1920’s Brooklyn and 1980’s Florida.. Augusta has worked many many years as a pharmacist for her family's business and she is informed that it is time for her to retire. She leaves Brooklyn and moves to Florida to move into a retirement home where she has a surprising second chance at love. The author does a beautiful job of weaving together both story lines and will leave you laughing and in tears at the same time

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review!

When I requested this book I thought it might be a cozy fantasy or at least witchy. It is not, but I still enjoyed the book.

When retired pharmacist Augusta Stern moves to Florida, she is confronted by the man who broke her heart 6 years before. Irving is keen to reignite their relationship, but Augusta is still living over his betrayal.

The book goes back and forth from 1987 with the present day characters trying to communicate the truth of the past, and the 1920's when Augusta's great aunt Esther arrives and changes everyone's lives.

This is a nice read, it's very Jewish which I enjoyed. I especially enjoyed the 1920 storyline and I loved Aunt Esther!

This story is the perfect mix of quippiness and seriousness, historical elements and magical realism. The characters and relationships are real, deftly drawn, and stayed with me well after the final page. Five stars!

I loved being in the world of Augusta Stern and all her friends/foes. Told in the form of two timelines, the reader learns more about the life of Augusta. When we meet her, she is just about to retire from her job as a pharmacist and to move to a community in Florida, and we alternate between her retirement life and her life as a young girl growing up in New York. When Augusta gets to Florida, she suddenly finds herself in the presence of someone she has forced herself not to think about in 62 years- Irving Rivkin. The reader learns their history, and how they were brought back together after being ripped apart so long ago.

I thought the dual timelines were a fantastic way to tell the story, which flowed seamlessly throughout. The characters were so fully developed that I felt like I knew them myself after reading the book. Some of the side characters were such bright lights in the story- Augusta’s Great Aunt Ester being one of them. She was a fascinating character and I loved all the scenes in which she was in the book. I’m not sure which timeline was my favorite. I immensely enjoyed learning about her background, but also had a lot of fun with the retirement community periods. Nevertheless, I thought this book was very charming, easily readable, and is one that I will likely remember for a long time. 4.5/5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

In an effort to tackle my backlog of reviews, I am going to experiment with writing mini-reviews. Writing short reviews has never been my strong suit, so we'll see how this goes.......

A delightful romantic tale that explores the magic and messiness of love through Augusta’s unique apothecary and its potions. When she crafts a love elixir, it unintentionally triggers a series of surprising happenings in her quaint community. As Augusta grapples with the ripple effects of her concoction, she learns that while her intentions with the love elixir were good, real connections and emotions are irreplaceable and essential for meaningful relationships.

The book reminds us that love, trust, and understanding are the foundations of strong bonds, and that sometimes, even the best intentions can lead to unexpected outcomes.

🎧Narrator, Gabra Zackman’s expressive voice masterfully captures the book’s whimsical and heartwarming essence, bringing depth and personality to each character while vividly conveying the emotions of key moments.

Meanwhile, author Lynda Cohen Loigman’s narration adds a unique personal touch, enriching the storytelling with her deep understanding of the characters and plot. Together, their performances make this audiobook a delightful journey.

I throughly enjoyed this charming story and recommend it to anybody who enjoys tales of imperfect connections.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and author Lynda Cohen Loigman for gifting me a copy of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. In exchange for the review copy, I offer my honest review.

I absolutely ADORED this novel. Lynda Cohen Loigman brings so much Jewish Joy to her novels, blending historical fiction, magical realism, romance and drama. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is told in two timelines, 1920’s Brooklyn, where Augusta “ Goldie” Stern is a young woman coming of age after the loss of her mother and the other timeline is 1980’s Florida, where Augusta Stern is approaching her 80th birthday. Cohen- Loigman is beyond talented in creating memorable characters who are easily identifiable and relatable.
This story is full of charm, magic, heart and soul. A truly wholesome and delightful story, good for all ages. I loved this book so much, I bought a copy for my 80 year old mom…who loved it too!!!

Everything about this was just delightful and lovely. I enjoyed this book start to finish and would recommend to almost everyone I know.

This was not my usual genre, but I loved it. I loved the characters and how this book told a story that can be related by so many different readers. I love reading about the different time periods how life happens and how people go in different ways. With that being said, I also enjoyed the hope the story has that sometimes in the end, the two people that should be together end up together.

I loved this steely from beginning to end. The flashbacks and real time life of Augusta Stern was fascinating and I loved how everything came together at the end. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author but this story was top tier!

This was a really sweet book. Part historical fiction, part predictable (in all the best ways) second chance romance. The story is told through a dual timeline. We get to watch young Augusta navigate life in Brooklyn in the 1920s as her interest in being a pharmacist grows. Plus, newly-retired 80 year old Augusta as she adjusts to life in a new state and at a retirement home. There she finds familiar faces that bring up all sorts of old memories.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own.

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

I loved Lynda’s latest book , The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern and all her other wonderful books she has written. When you read one of Lynda’s books, you feel as though you are right there in the story with her characters. I know when I read a novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman you will remember her characters and stories for many years to come and reflect back upon her wonderful books. I look forward to reading Lynda’s next book and hope that I will be lucky enough to read an early arc of her next book. Bravo Lynda🙋‍♀️🇨🇦❤️👏📚💐👍

I'm late to the party, but what a lovely story!

Through alternating timelines of 1987 and the 1920's, we meet Augusta Stern. She's the daughter of a pharmacist who perseveres through personal and professional challenges to work as a pharmacist until she turns 80. Ms. Cohen Loigman's beautifully descriptive writing brings the various settings to life - from the family kitchen in Brooklyn to the retirement community in Florida. I would love Esther's chicken soup recipe!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Lovel Elixir of Augusta Stern. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

Quick easy read that was entertaining with a generally likeable main cast of characters. I also enjoyed the dual timelines. There weren't many unexpected twists and turns, so 3 stars for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a love story wrapped around a mystery with a touch of magic. Augusta Stern’s father was a pharmacist and after her mother dies while she was a young girl, her aunt came to live with them to care for her. Her aunt also crafted potions to make people feel better but her dad scoffed at these remedies which did not rely on science. When Augusta’s childhood boyfriend abruptly marries another, she throws herself into life as a pharmacist. But after she is forced to retire, she finds her former boyfriend at the same retirement community in Florida, and perhaps some of her aunt’s remedies may be of use? Thanks to the author and publishers for providing an eARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the dual timelines which included both Augusta as a young woman and as an older one. Even though I am no longer a woman in college and I’m not a woman in my 80’s, I still easily connected with Augusta. She struggled in a time when women weren’t likely to go to college but she persevered anyway. She continued to work years after most felt she was ‘supposed to’. I loved her strong personality and ambition.

Augusta doesn’t know what to do with herself when she is forced to retire. She doesn’t know anything else beyond being a pharmacist and treating people in both conventional and unconventional ways. She moves to a retirement community where she runs into Irving, a man from her past.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my copies of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

This book is historical fiction, with romance, and a pinch of magical realism. It’s told from two different timelines, the past and the present. I liked that the author did this because it really helped me understand the characters more, and to really have a deeper connection with them as well. I found this book to be sweet, sad, heartbreaking and then so much love and acceptance. I went into this book blind, and I am so happy that I did because wow, I didn’t know that I would love this book as much as I did.

You will be taken back to the 1920’s in Brooklyn. You will meet Augusta, her father, her sister and of course their awesome Great Aunt Esther (who moved in after the death of Augusta mother). You will also meet Irving who is the delivery boy from Augusta’s father’s pharmacy shop. You will see the highs and lows of living during that era, and you will get to see how someone that is an apothecary/healer and a board-certified pharmacist live together and how they handle people’s illnesses differently. I found that when the author would move to the present time, which was 1987 (best year ever!!) to have been a smooth transition, I was not confused at all while reading this book. I loved getting to understand the characters more, from why they did what they did to how they lived different lives to the regrets and the accomplishments. I found that the author did great with the pace of the book not once, was I wishing that it would speed up or move on, but found myself instead sad to see this wonderful book end. I felt as though I knew the characters in real life, and I was just in Florida sitting down by the pool listening to their story.

For me, the best part that I took from this book is even though you might go through tragedy in your life, you can find someone who understands you and loves you no matter what and it doesn’t have to be a romantic love but all kinds of love. I also loved that even though you might have made some choices that lead you to not having the life you wanted, you never know what second chances might pop up later on in life.

I will be recommending this book to everyone to read, it is beautifully written and has so much meaning in it.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.