Thank you to Net Galley, Legend Press, and Sarah Penner who very kindly provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, I was completely hooked from the first chapter and never wanted to put it down. The way that this book is written is just stunning and will leave you wanting more, I promise.

I think that the overall concept of this book is fantastic, personally I have never heard of anything like it and I love it. This book wasn’t necessarily what I expected it to be, but I most certainly was not disappointed.

The story that Sarah tells is so captivating and I love how she switches between the different time periods. Ordinarily historical fiction isn’t my preferred genre but this book blew me away which tells you how good it was. The plot of this book is very well paced and kept me engaged the entire way through, I did suspect the ending but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment of it.

I loved our three leading ladies: Nella, Eliza and Caroline, I thought that their personalities were brilliant and I liked how strong each of the characters were. In my opinion I think that in this book all of the women go on a journey of self discovery and acceptance which I did enjoy. However, if I had to make one criticism it would be that women don’t need to wait until their husbands cheat on them before they discover who they want to be and I think that this could have been addressed a little better.

Going into this book I wasn’t really sure what to expect but it definitely wasn’t that it would become one of my favourite books, so thank you again to Net Galley and Legend Press for sending me this book. I 100% recommend The Lost Apothecary and my only question to you is if you haven’t read this yet, why not?

I enjoyed the way this was written in dual timelines and the feel connected to the characters. I enjoyed the story it was unique. It was easy to follow considering it was dual timelines, it was well researched history and well written. I couldn't put this down and cannot wait to tell all my bookish friends to purchase this book.

The story is told through alternating chapters from different character's perspectives and moving between the 18th century apothecary business and 21st century woman who has gone to London to escape her husband after he cheated. She goes mudlarking, which I thought was really interesting, and finds a vial linking the two time periods together in a mystery. I found the story was fast paced but quite challenging and took a while for things to develop. The mystery was intriguing and I loved the focus on history and the challenges women faced but the characters felt a bit unlikable at times.

The Lost Apothecary cleverly moves between 1791 and the present day as a chance discovery leads to the uncovering of a secret over 200 years old.

Nella dispenses poisons for women seeking vengeance on men from her hidden apothecary in a back alley in 1791 London. In the present day Caroline travels to London in need of a distraction from her own life and starts to investigate the origins of an old vial she finds. The mysteries she uncovers reignite her passion for history and researching.

This book gripped me more than anything has in a long time and I finished it in just over 24 hours. The characters were interesting and very human and the plot line had me on the edge of my seat. I sightly preferred the chapters from the historical characters’ perspectives to the present day ones which is why I’d give this 4 rather than 5 stars.

Two enterwined stories set in contemporary and late 18th century London involving a young American woman and a troubled marriage, a bit of muddlarking on the banks of the Thames and the discovery of a vial linked to the poisonous & secret shenanigans of a female apothecary and her unwilling apprentice, are at the centre of this smart, delightful & richly detailed historical novel. A thrilling and sometimes menacing journey into a magical and mysterious world full of exquisite herbs, lethal recipes and murderous intents driven by a cleverly twisted plot and often performed with brio by a cast of colorful and unforgettable characters. A very entertaining romp through time to be enjoyed without moderation!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Legend Press for this wonderful ARC

4 ⭐️ Historical Fiction.Magical Realism. Womens Fiction. #NetGallery.

The Lost Apothecary is an intriguing tale of three strong female protagonists who must face difficult decisions. Its set in 18th Century and present day London. It begins with Nella a female Apothecary who sells lethal remedies to assist women who find themselves in difficult situations with the men in their life and who seek revenge.

Eliza,a twelve year old girl was lead to London to pursue a different life than her siblings who remain on the family farm.She becomes an apprentice to Nella but makes a fatal error that puts them both in grave danger. Can she keep the many secrets bestowed on her?

Meanwhile in present day London, Caroline checks herself into a hotel after discovering her husband of 10 years was having an elicit affair. She uncovers an old artefact after stumbling across a Mudlarking group on the River Thames that leads her to uncover the last moments of Nella and Eliza.

I didn't enjoy Caroline’s storyline as much as the historical characters but she grew stronger in like-ability towards the end. The writing style felt mismatched here. The book did an excellent job of portraying women and the everyday life of Old London Town. Loved the descriptions of the spooky Apothecary and the making of the poisonous vials. Definitely one to check out if not for the stunning cover alone.

Many thanks to #NetGallery for an ARC

Set along two timelines we follow Nella an apothecary in London during the eighteenth-century. Originally taught by her mother to cure ailments of women and children, a betrayal in Nella’s life has made her shift her focus and clientele to poisons, to use against the oppressive men in their lives. We follow Nella as she one day meets an unlikely purchaser, a young twelve-year-old girl who will make a mistake that could prove fatal to them both.

Meanwhile in the present-day London we meet Caroline, once a budding historian, now unfulfilled in her life and marriage. Spending what should have been her 10th wedding anniversary alone after discovering her husband’s betrayal. During an impromptu Mud-Larking event she discovers a clue which will lead to the unsolved murders of the apothecary centuries before.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way the main protagonists lives intertwined, both characters while vastly different had similar betrayals in their life which sent them off in different directions. The descriptive writing transported me through the timeline, and I could vividly imagine the London described in the eighteenth-century. The details, and research put into the book made this an enthralling and believable read. If you enjoy historical fiction, then this is the book for you.
It is a stunning debut

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book has poison, murder, mystery, suspense, intrigue and history - it’s just great! If you love all those things, this book is for you! I for one, loved it!

I loved the voices of Nella, Eliza and Caroline, each of the characters within the pages of this novel and I was enthralled by each of their roles in the events that unfold in the pages. Set in London both present day and back in the 1700’s, this book was utterly captivating!

The depth of each of the characters was great and I felt a real connection to each. It was empowering to see women supporting women (despite there being some illegal activity). I also really enjoyed how the stories were interwoven and I genuinely was so tense and anxious at certain parts of the book, which is exactly what I love from a book - I want to be involved and moved by the story!

I’m so glad to have been able to read this, I loved it!

Thanks so much to @Sarahpenner, @netgalley and @legendpress for gifting this ARC.

I haven’t yet posted to Instagram, but when I do later this week I shall update this with the link if able.

This is an Instagram-made-me-read book, and I am glad to report that I was not disappointed! 

This was just such a lovely read. Easy to read, so I finished this in two days. There is a plot, but this is definitely a character-driven book, so readers will get to know the three main women in this book very well.

Did you know that until mid-19th century poisons in human bodies were not detected?

This book is set in London in late 18th century, before the toxiologists found means to detect poisons in a body. There was a female apothecary who dispensed poison to free women from men who wronged them. She only dispensed poison to kill a man. Never a woman. That was her rule.

The story develops with 3 alternating female POVs. Nella and Eliza from 18th century, and Caroline from the present day who is on an adventure to discover the mystery of the lost apothecary.

I loved the structure of the book. I enjoyed reading Caroline finding out the truth about the mysterious apothecary. Who was she? Where was she? What happened to her?

If you like a historical fiction with a little bit of murder mystery, you might enjoy this book.

Thank you netgallery and legendpress for giving me this e-ARC. I absolutely enjoy it!

I LOVED this book! It's the first historical fiction story I've read and I was hooked from the first chapter. The chapters alternate between the present day and the late 1700s. In the present day, Caroline goes to London alone after an argument with her husband. She finds an old vile washed up from the Thames and begins to research it. Meanwhile, the chapters from the late 1700s is the story who the lady who owns the vile and her Apothecary shop. This book has elements of mystery, history and female empowerment. Each chapter left me wanting to read more I just wish the book was longer!

Nearing her ten-year anniversary, Caroline stumbles on a secret that changes everything, and is now exploring London alone on a holiday booked to celebrate with her husband. There is an element of numbness in her response, as she reflects on the life she’d expected to have here in the U.K. Caroline is English and had plans to for a post-graduate career, when she met her husband who had a great job, back home in the States. She chose to follow her heart and is reflecting on all she gave up for the relationship, when she stumbles across a man who takes tourists out mudlarking. When she joins them, she finds wandering the shoreline looking for objects in the mud, strangely relaxing. She follows their guide’s advice that she shouldn’t look for an object, but look at patterns in the mud for an absence of something. Not long after she finds her bottle, an apothecary bottle, with a crude etching of a bear.

The object sends us back to the 18th Century and our second narrator, Eliza. Eliza is only twelve years old, but wise beyond her years in some ways. She is working as a lady’s maid, for a mistress whose husband has a wandering eye and even more worrying wandering hands. These don’t just extend to his mistress, but sometimes to Eliza, who wakes up one day having been drugged with no recollection of what has happened to her. Unable to stomach his infidelity, Eliza’s mistress sends her to a mysterious apothecary who resides in Bear Alley. There she will enter the shop front, and as instructed, leave her mistresses’s instructions in a barrel. The apothecary will make up a tincture or poison for the buyer’s purpose and it will be ready to collect the next day. Nella, the mysterious apothecary, creates a poison for the purpose of killing the husband. However, they are at crossed purposes, because Eliza’s mistress intends the poison for their dinner guest, her husband’s lover. The consequences of this mix-up will be life changing, for Eliza and Nella.

This was a brilliant eye-opener to women’s lives in 18th Century London, and an interesting comparison to 21st Century women too. Despite our usual thinking that females lives were quite restricted, here in Nelly and Eliza, we have two women who are acting quite independently. It showed me how we can be mislead in our perceptions of a time period and the people in it, highlighting how important academic research is. We tend to think of the late 18th Century and Regency periods in terms of Jane Austen - all polite, restrained, conversation and bonnets. However, that is only highlighting one class of women and here we see that there were women living on the margins, independent of the marriage market and making their own living. Eliza’s mistress is wholly dependent on her husband, so the fear around his relationship with another woman is not emotional, but financial and based on what others will think. If set aside, she would potentially lose her home, her comfortable living and her place in polite society. Nella lives a poorer life with no status in society, but she’s dependent on no one. Her shop and her trade are hers alone. She’s also a woman focused on helping the sisterhood, her potions and poisons are only sold for the healing or help of women. In fact when she finds out the poison Eliza seeks for her mistress is to harm another woman, she wants to destroy it.

In contrast, we imagine that a 21st Century woman would be in a better position than Eliza’s mistress, but is Caroline truly as independent as Nella? She had dreams and plans for her life, that were set aside when she met her husband because his career was established back in the USA. She then changed continents, leaving behind her dreams, her family and friends. She’s then dependent upon her husband financially and for his social circle, there’s no support network for her and she finally admits to herself that she’s been unhappy in the relationship for some time. When she takes the vial she’s found to Gaynor at the British Library a whole world opens up in front of her. She is enthusiastic, full of life and starts to gain back some agency in her own life. So when her husband unexpectedly arrives to join her, how will she feel about his desire to save their relationship? Caroline has to learn to be her own woman again and relish that sense of independence that Nella loved and protected two hundred years earlier.

I thought the author conveyed both 18th and 21st Century London really well. I could imagine myself there with all the sights and smells she conjured up. I loved the description of the apothecary shop, back in its heyday and as it was when Caroline rediscovered it. That she would find the very book where Nella recorded women who would otherwise be forgotten, was an amazing thought. These were women who wouldn’t be recorded in history largely written by men. When I first studied 18th Century literature I realised how narrow my knowledge of the period was, focussed on battles and adventure rather than the domestic. I remember Moll Flanders being a bawdy, unexpected eye opener of how one woman uses what she can to survive in life. Sometimes, we apply 21st Century standards to women living in an entirely different world and I loved that the author turned that on its head and asked whether we’re any more free? Even if the choices she made to get there were entirely her own, Caroline has still been living in a gilded cage. The ending of Nella and Eliza’s story was unexpected, but showed the strength of female friendship and solidarity. I found myself hoping that Caroline would do the same - to choose an unexpected and unknown future of her own making. This was a brilliant read, historical fiction at its best and an incredible debut from an author I’ll be watching in the future.

Sarah Penner, The Lost Apothecary (2021)

In her debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner imagines an intriguing and suspenseful intersection between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries. In 1791, we follow the murderous life of a late eighteenth-century apothecary; in our own time, we’re immersed in the historical investigations of a young woman who stumbles on a clue that kindles an overwhelming desire to understand the life of the mysterious apothecary.

Penner’s apothecary, Nella Clavinger, has turned her hand to helping women in distress by providing them with the means to do away with the men who have damaged or destroyed their lives. Nella is carrying on the arts of the apothecary passed down by her mother, but - in the aftermath of a deeply disturbing betrayal - she has expanded her recipe book beyond her mother's benign remedies:

“On my register pages, I wrote things such as nettle and hyssop and amaranth, yes, but also remedies more sinister: nightshade and hellebore and arsenic. Beneath the ink strokes of my register hid betrayal, anguish…and dark secrets.”

It is a decision that leads her into innumerable dangers and difficulties, which are vividly described both in her own narrative and in that of a twelve year-old lady’s maid, the lively, curious and strong-willed Eliza Fanning, who meets Nella when she comes to procure a poison on behalf of her mistress. The bond formed between the two is a touching and compelling one, increasing our apprehension for them as they adventure through the hazardous streets of 1790s London.

A contemporary narrative perspective is supplied by Caroline Parcewell, a young American visiting London for the first time. It was meant to be her tenth anniversary trip but she has come on her own because, on the eve of departure, she learned that her husband had long been involved in an affair. A history student in her younger days, Caroline's passion for understanding the past is rekindled when she on impulse joins a ‘mudlarking tour’ on her first day in the city. Almost on the point of abandoning her muddy search, she uncovers a tiny bottle that appears to be an old apothecary vial. Intrigued, she tries to discover its origins, and with every small step forward finds that her casual exploration of the past has become an irresistible quest. She feels, she says, "a strange connection with whomever last held the vial in their hands – an inherent kinship with the person whose fingerprints last impressed on the glass as mine did now,” and her obsession leads her towards the hidden and forgotten shop of ‘the lost apothecary’: “No man would find this place; it was buried deep behind a cupboard wall at the base of a twisted alleyway in the darkest depths of London.”

With considerable dexterity, Penner combines history and melodrama, lost romance, betrayal, murder, recipes for deadly tinctures and supernatural spells. The Lost Apothecary weaves its elements into a consistently gripping story, entertaining and surprising us throughout.

Is nelly a murderer a heroine or both ? An apothecary shop hidden away in the back alleyways of London in 1791 only known to the women of the time. i got the sense that Sarah penner did a fair amount of research for this book and she does a really wonderful job of describing really realistic scenes that I had no trouble imagining and daydreaming about i absolutely love when a book can make my lose myself like that and I loved that about this book. I really needed more of nelly and eliza's stories that's where my interest was I could read about them forever I loved them. I didn't not like Caroline's pov chapters but they were just OK for me but I can see why they were there. I enjoyed that her finding the vial while mudlarking lead to her uncovering the mystery behind nelly and Eliza and in turn she awakened her passion for historical investigation that she had put on the back burner to grow a life with her husband who in turn ended up betraying her (in my opinion he was a good candidate for one of nellys potions back in the day, but he did drink something nasty so win win 😉) I liked that caroline knew she deserved better and dared to take the plunge and change her situation to follow her passions. I do honestly highly recommend this book it was a really good time. This was a 4.5 star book for me unfortunately I can't award half stars and have had to mark it as four. I have my fingers crossed maybe a second book could come in future 🤞
Thank you to #netgalley for the chance to request this book and lots of thanks to #legendpress for approving the request I really had a great time reading #thelostapothecary

The Lost Apothecary is a duel time line novel one timeline set in 1790s London and the other in contemporary London.

We follow the story of Nell who owns an apothecary in 1700's London who helps women by making poisons for them to take revenge of those men who have wronged by them and then one day she meets a young girl called Eliza, and when the two develop a relationship it sets into motion a series of events that will change their lives. In the Present day Caroline discovers a small bottle with an insignia on the side and delves into the mystery of the bottle and uncovers crimes from long in the past.

Whilst I enjoyed the duel timelines I think the story would have worked better for me if we just stuck to the historical setting as I was much more interested in the stories of Nell and Eliza and felt Caroline didn't bring as much to the story. I did think the pacing was excellent and enjoyed the authors writing, I would highly recommend it to people who like their historical fiction with a little bit of mystery.

The story follows Caroline, Eliza & Nella. Caroline is from the present day, she is on a 10 year wedding anniversary trip to London - on her own. Nella & Eliza are from the late 1700’s, Nella sells poisons to women who need help & Eliza visits Nellas shop and they bond. On her trip Caroline finds an old glass vial, which she wants to know more about and it takes her on a journey of self discovery and she uncovers Nella’s & Eliza’s stories.

Looking at the description, anyone who knows me would say that’s my cup of tea. Strong women getting their own back on awful men? Count me in! This just fell really flat for me! I liked hearing about Nella & Eliza but I really didn’t get the link between the past and present. I just found Caroline a bit annoying and unlikable, and I’m sorry but are we just glossing over the absolutely insane toxic behaviour of her husband?! I actually found myself saying this is so unrealistic out loud. This had so much potential but just missed the mark for me - I feel this will be an unpopular opinion!

I was really looking forward to this book but unfortunately it didn't quite deliver what I was hoping for. The quality of the writing, the character development, plot arcs etc were all of a good quality... I was just a bit bored.

The story is told from 3 different POVs: Nella and Eliza who are friends in the 1790s, and Caroline in the present day who researches their story while navigating her own personal drama. Nella is an apothecary who helps people seek revenge on men who have done them wrong, and Eliza is an 11 year old girl who is desperate to be her apprentice. Difficulties unfold when Nella is asked to make a concoction that will kill a woman...

If the whole book had been focused on Eliza and Nella I would have gave it an extra star I think - Caroline's story felt quite unnecessary and interrupted the flow of the book at times.

The 3 women's stories did all tie together quite nicely in the last quarter of the book, but it wasn't satisfying or exciting enough for me.

I know a lot of people have enjoyed this book, it just didn't excite me. Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a dual time line novel with both timelines set in London.

The dual narrative for me was unnecessary, I almost would have preferred the time lime to have stayed in 18 century London. I was not sure what Carolyn's narrative brought to it.

Taking the 21 century timeline out though leaves a fantastic tale, the Lost Apothecary belongs to Nell who will only dispense poison to kill men. With every potion meticulously documented.

What could go wrong? Nell finds out when Eliza arrives at her Apothecary.

I loved the historical timeline, for me Carolyn was unnecessary but in all did not stop my enjoyment of the novel.

I received an ARC of this book, thanks to #netgalley and #legendpress.

I do love a good historical fiction and novel and this debut by Penner was a good, easy read. There is a dual timeline, where Caroline finds herself alone in London on what should be her 10th wedding anniversary. An accidental discovery of a vial on the banks of the Thames takes Caroline's life in a new direction. I wasn't as taken with Caroline's narrative as I was with the tales of Eliza and Nella.
There's suspense, murder and intrigue, but at times I found my attention wandered from this book. The characters are well developed and I really liked the way Nella and Eliza's narratives developed. It's a good historical novel, but I felt it would have been better if it had only focused on the story set in the past.

I loved it! Such a well thought out storyline and interesting characters that had me quickly turning the pages and not wanting it to end! The story is told through the voices of three female characters and in dual time lines.
I enjoyed reading about the events that unfolded in the past, it was very interesting learning about Nella and her life, what drove her to do what she did and also hearing Eliza’s story, Equally, what was unfolding in the present, as a result of these events in the past was just as interesting. I enjoyed the mystery Caroline was uncovering and rooted for her every step of the way. This was so well written, I could picture everything so clearly. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a story about female loyalty, overcoming female oppression, historical fiction and a little magick.

I adored The Lost Apothecary, I loved being in the back streets of 17th Century London before being brought headlong into present day London and its maze of alleys and skyscrapers .What I loved even more were Penners fantastic cast of characters, limited in number but what an impact they made. Nella, the 17th century apothecary who sold potions to women with everyday maladies, but underneath the darker tones of poison, of potions designed to kill the men that suppressed them, that engaged in extra martial affairs, ruined house maids to sate their own desires. She was aged, ailing, troubled and scared by the man she thought loved her, her mothers legacy somehow despoiled by divergence into the dark arts. A loner until Ella came in through the door and how I loved Ella, a fearless twelve year old who stole my heart. Penner’s portrayal of her was one of the highlights, her fierce determination to learn but also her respect for Nella, her maturity in seeing something in Nella that pained her, that needed to be brought to the surface and confronted so brilliantly translated in Penner’s narrative.And then we had Caroline, an American in present day London, who reeled from her husbands affair, who sought alone time to think, to decide her future. What she didn’t reckon on was her reawakening of her love of history, of mudlarking on the Thames and the discovery of a glass vial, the imprint of a bear and the crazy journey it would take her on.

It was the intertwining of the past and the present and the distinct voices of those three women that stood out. The similarities between the suppression of women in the 17th century somehow no different to present day. The woman deemed less important, Caroline’s dreams cast to one side to stay by her husbands side, to support his career, the anguish of that other woman, yet forgiveness expected, the norm restored. Nella, deeply hurt by her love, cast aside, mere collateral in his life. Eliza, the housemaid, fair game for the master of the house, the wandering hand, the entitlement to take what he wanted when he wanted.
It was their determination to fight back, to look within themselves to discover who they were really were that gave Penner so much to work with. She didn’t stop until she had wrung every last drop of emotion and anguish from them and indeed from me as the reader. I was with Nella and Eliza as they battled to save The Apothecary, ran from authorities, explored the poisons dispensed, the reasons, the women that knocked at door, desperate for a quick fix. For Caroline, I empathised with her loss of identity and the fight to reclaim who she was , could relate with my own personal life experinces.

Penner didn’t forget that we also wanted intrigue, mystery, that thrill of wondering what would happen next. She built it slowly, laid the foundations with some fantastic historical detail, left hints of past anguish as she rushed us headlong to a fast and heart stopping climax. We were left with questions that I needed answers to, and Penner didn’t disappoint with the answers, answers that were surprising but somehow satisfying.

As you can probably tell I loved The Lost Apothecary, and will be waiting with baited breath for whatever Penner has in store in her next novel.