The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a debut novel that includes two timelines. The past timeline focuses on an apothecary woman named Nella who creates poisons for women who want to kill their abusive or adulterous husbands, in addition to making remedies that help women's medical issues. In the present timeline, a woman named Caroline flies to London for what is supposed to be an anniversary trip, but ends up traveling alone after finding out her husband cheated on her. She goes mudlarking in the Thames and finds a vial which leads her to research the apothecary. The stories eventually come together.
Overall, I really liked this story. In the beginning, I was definitely favoring the past timeline and was less interested in Caroline but as the story proceeded, I became interested in them both. Both women have been wronged by the men in their life. The character development was really well fleshed out, especially for a debut novel. There is a little twist at the end which I found enjoyable and did not anticipate. I listened to the audiobook which was well done and I would recommend it. I gave it 4 stars.
This book comes out March 2, 2021. Thanks to Netgalley for an early audio proof.
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