Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - The Lost Apothecary

The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction duel timeline story told in the POV of 3 very different characters.

Caroline is a woman who has gone to London after she finds out about the affair her husband has been having with a coworker. While there, she stumbles upon a little blue vial with a bear image on it. Her journey to find out more about the vial also leads her to find out about herself.

Nella is the owner of an apothecary in 1790 London. On the outside, it appears like any other apothecary. What’s hiding further in, however, is only known by a select few.

Eliza is the 12 year old servant girl of Mrs. Amswell. When she’s sent to Nella’s apothecary to procure a specific remedy, it ties Nella and Eliza together in the most unique and adventurous way.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The further into it I got, the more I wanted to know. The unexpected friendship that Nella and Eliza find themselves in warmed my heart and seeing Caroline dig deeper within to find herself again showed a strength that people find when they have to move forward and aren’t sure how. It’s incredible that one tiny vial united their stories that occur 200 years apart. I am so glad I put this one on my Hopefuls list for this month.!

Please be sure to check your CW/TW for this one. These include: suicidal attempts/thoughts, attempted SA against minors, and miscarriage/pregnancy loss.

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hales_1243's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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bzliz's review

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

In the present, Caroline is dealing with processing her husband’s infidelity and the possibility she might be pregnant when she finds a blue vial marked with a bear that leads her into a whirlwind research journey to discover its origins and secrets. In the past, Nella dispenses poisons to women looking to off men in their lives who had wronged them, set off by her own betrayal at the hands of a man she had loved and trusted. Eliza comes into her life as one such customer, on behalf of her employer, and is endlessly curious about Nella’s work.

If you can overlook the sheer luck Caroline has with her research, this is perfect for any fans of forgotten history who also search for answers in historical texts and can formulate theories but will never be able to fully corroborate their findings. The Lost Apothecary does not mince words here- so many women have been forgotten by history without any record of their existence. At times, it re-treads conflict already in motion and gets the tiniest bit repetitive but I still found the story satisfying and

I’m so delighted that Caroline is leaving the man who cheated on her, then gaslit her about it and the poisoned himself to try to trap her into staying with him.

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robin_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This book is about Caroline in present times finding a remnant of an apothecary from two hundred years ago. She pieces together the history during her stay in London, while her own life is being turned upside down.
The second POV is of the apothecary, Nella, in 1791 and how she is running her shop and how a 12-year-old girl changes everything.

It was slow to get into but once it did, I was hooked. I loved to learn what really happened in 1791 vs. what Caroline thinks has happened.
I think I know why so many people didn’t like it because it’s focused on a rather unpopular trope for a while.
The audiobook was lovely to listen to. The different characters and timelines were easily distinguished.

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