I didn't really enjoy this one I'm afraid. I'm fast realising that historical fiction any earlier than 19th Century just isn't for me, although I couldn't tell you why. Pretty cover though!

This book had me hooked from the first page I absolutely loved reading this, the dual time lines, the mystery, the feminist undertones all had my hooked. There is so much to get from such a short book, highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this arc.

This debut novel is beautifully written and such an atmospheric story.

The book is set in Nella’s Apothecary in late 18th century London. The story weaves together a dual timeline about the tale of female friendship. Sarah accomplishes this perfectly. Looking forward to reading her future work

An easy and fun read. Very captivating writing and well written characters. Easy to follow story, flew through this. Reccomend it.

This was an enjoyable read, although it took me a wee while to get into it as I felt it started off pretty slow. There are storylines in multiple time periods, and I was definitely more invested in the historical story.

This book took a while to get into but once I got further in I was more intrigued and interested to see what would happen. The mix between the historical setting of 18th century London and the modern day historian added to the novel. I enjoyed reading it.

One of the main things that I enjoyed about this book is the way that it conceptualises history - not through huge political events and social tensions, but through the experiences of ordinary people. It feels like a feminine presentation of history, which is furthered by the chapters which switch between our three female narrators - Nella, the apothecary, Eliza, her young assistant, and Caroline, the modern-day historian. The book is very clearly well researched, with detailed presentations of Nella's poisons, her methods for procuring rare ingredients, and an 18th Century London that comes to life through the back alleys. The switching chapters work well together, with Caroline searching for clues to learn more about the story of Nella and Eliza. The story of Nella's downfall through the unwitting hands of her keen new assistant Eliza is the heart of the book, and it is a fascinating presentation of one of the few ways that women could gain some power in their lives which were entirely dominated by men.
However, there are times when Caroline's chapters can become a bit tedious, given that she is piecing together elements of a story that we have already learnt through the other narrators. One element of Caroline's chapters that doesn't excite me as much as the others is her storyline with her unfaithful husband, James. He is a very dull character (which may well be the point) but it means that when he gets ill, I am disappointed that he doesn't die. Him dying by being accidentally poisoned would be quite a fitting end for him, I think. However he doesn't die, and despite being described as literally being on his deathbed, he seems perfectly fine a day later and is ready to fly back to Ohio. This seems like an easy way to get rid of him without killing him. Another storyline that is similarly unsatisfying is Caroline's pregnancy scare. Her previous desire, but inability, to have a child with James compared with her current desire to be separated from him but the potential that she is finally pregnant presents an irony that is not lost on her, and has the potential to be an interesting plot device. However we learn that she is in fact not pregnant in a throwaway comment that her period has started. It is such a disappointing resolution that I wish it had never been included in the first place.
Finally, the story concludes in an interesting way, although I struggle to overlook the seemingly crazy decision of Caroline to apply for an English degree, despite the continual bombardment throughout the novel of her long-lost dream to study history. Furthermore, she wants to use everything she has discovered about the apothecary as her dissertation - this would be perfect if she was studying a history degree, but I struggle to see how that would be relevant to an English thesis. I know this is a small point to get stuck on, but it just felt like such a jarring and bizarre decision. It is fitting that Caroline's story comes to an unsatisfying end, as for me, her chapters are the weak link in what otherwise is a very fascinating story about where women find autonomy from the men in their lives in 18th Century London.

I found this to be quite a unique historical fiction read, I have struggled with a lot of books from this genre in the past but was pleasantly surprised with this one. The plot was intriguing and engaging and I ended up quite enjoying it

I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I found the story a bit boring and had to force myself to keep reading. This one wasn't really for me.

The Last Apothecary Sarah Penner
Loved every minute of this book. I loved the 3 main characters, especially Eliza.
Its not often you read a book where the dual timelines are centuries apart, and so perfectly married together.
Its one of those books, if it had been twice as long, I still would have been sucked into the storyline.
Beautifully written, with exceptional characters. One of my favourites this year.

Everything about this book appealed to me – the period, the apothecary setting and the dual timeline - but unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to what I’d hoped for. There was sadly one glaring problem with it for me, and that was the author’s use of American English in the 18th century London setting. For me it was very jarring and detracted from the sense of time and place, which was otherwise quite convincing. It was odd, as the author clearly knew the period well and had done a lot of research, so I’m not sure why this wasn’t picked up on. That being said, I did enjoy the book once I’d got past these anomalies, especially the historical sections set in the apothecary shop, and the characters of Nella and Eliza. The contemporary storyline did seem a little far-fetched – I though it unlikely that no one else would have stumbled across the shop in 200 years, and that Caroline would have had her Cambridge application accepted overnight! Overall this was an enjoyable read but it could have done with some better proofreading.

So much promise in this book but never quite hit the heights of what I felt it could have been. Certainly enough that I will check out Sarah Penner's next novel as I get the feeling that with a touch more experience, she'll improve and I'll click with her writing far more.

I found this to be a very engaging historical novel. Dark themes are explored quite gently but without leaving any doubt as to what has or what will happen. I liked the dual timeline but I found myself more immersed in the 1791 story involving Eliza and Nella. I liked the contemporary aspect but mostly because I enjoyed watching Caroline piece together the apothecary's history rather than the story about her messed up marriage.
This was a book I enjoyed reading over a few days.

An timeslip novel with a unique twist. Forget Roman swords and jewellery, the discovery of a poison bottle releases the events and journey into Victorian London with women desperate to escape their oppressive husbands. I galloped through this to see how things developed and connected to the Victorian characters, Nella and Eliza. The past held my attention more than the modern thread with Caroline who I struggled to like but this didn't distract from it being a thrilling read with a difference. And the cover is beautiful.

One of the best historical fiction books I've had the pleasure to read in a while. The two timelines worked well with one another, but I was slightly more intrigued by the historical chapters than the modern day one. The characters of Eliza and Nella were particularly fascinating and they were bought to life so expertly by Penner's writing. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the poisons and how Nella brewed her concoctions for sale. And to see the recipes so cleverly compiled at the end of the book was a lovely addition. Definitely an author to watch out for.

Loved the cover of this book.
Its told on dual timelines- past and present.
I liked reading about the past more then i did the present.
I did struggle with the book a bit though.

Fabulous dual timeline debut novel which completely immersed me in 1790's London.

The Lost Apothecary is an atmospheric tale of murder, betrayal, love and self discovery with a great sense of sisterhood and a touch of magical realism thrown in for good measure. The issue of betrayal features heavily throughout alongside the moral issue of whether Nella should have been providing women with the means to revenge or protect themselves from their brutish partners.

I must admit that I preferred the historical setting of this book and found those characters (Eliza and Nella) far more engaging than present day Caroline but I throroughly enjoyed this story and the very satisfactory outcome. The list of cures and potions listed at the end of the book was a lovely touch.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I saw the cover of The Lost Apothecary I felt I had to read it. It really drew me in and I love a historical novel, especially when there is mystery and intrigue involved.

As I often find when I read books set over 2 timelines I wasn't overly fussed with the modern day element, I think this probably could have been omitted altogether and the story wouldn't have suffered at all. The characters of Nella and Eliza were far more interesting and easier to warm to than the character of Caroline and overall Caroline's storyline seemed a little farfetched for me.

The book still kept me hooked to the end and I would definitely read more by Sarah Penner.

I was looking forward to reading The Lost Apothecary as I enjoy historical fiction, especially when there is a strong female lead, and the cover drew me in.
As it's a book set in two timelines, it soon became a book of two halves for me. I found myself skimming past the modern day chapters, which I found less interesting and I didn't warm to Caroline at all, but I found myself immersed in the atmosphere of 18th century London and and preferred the characters from that timeline.
However, it was still an interesting enough plot to keep reading to the end.

Thank you to The Book Club Reviewer Group for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

The story is told from three points of view:
Nella, the apothecary, who has learnt her trade from her mother but after being let down by a lover has turned to helping other women kill men in their lives.
Eliza, the 12 year old maid, who is introduced to Nella when her mistress wants to kill off her husband.
Caroline, in the present day, visiting London after discovering her husband has cheated on her. During an impromptu mud larking event finds a vial which leads her on a trip of discovery about the history of it & her own life.

I enjoyed the 18th century part of this book but the present day parts where far too irritating & banal - typical American author writing for an American audience (or maybe I’m just being a sensitive Brit?) Without wanting to give spoilers on the story there were far too many ‘hang about that’s not how it works’ moments or ‘a Londoner wouldn’t say that’, areas of London conveniently boarded off & untouched for 200 years, incompetent police, paramedics who overstep their duties and not to mention the ability to research & find exactly what you’re looking for within minutes … plus many many more! If you finish the book feeling any empathy for Caroline then you’re a much better person than me!

I find it difficult to rate this book as the historical part I enjoyed & would give 4/5 but the present day parts just 1/5.