Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Lost Apothecary

I was intrigued by the premise of the book. I struggled with the first half of the book. It felt a little too slow for me to the point that I almost DNF it a few times but decided to push on. The second half was a lot better for me. The pace was better, the plot was more engaging. I preferred the Nella and Eliza arcs better than the Caroline story.

I think I expected or wished for more cross-over between the two timelines apart from just the discovery of the vial. Frankly, I thought that the Nella-Eliza story could standalone without Caroline's story. Didn't really understand the need for Caroline's story in the grander scheme of the book.

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pinetree_reads's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

At first I was unsure if I should read this book. The reviews here weren't the best but I still gave it a try.
And it was a great decision.

I really like the characters and the depth that they have to them. The Author really knows how to highlight the struggle of the woman who lived in this time.

It was heartfelt and emotional.
I hope Caroline gets to live her dream. I think she and Gaynor will have a great friendship - maybe even more.

The only thing I would say was not as good as the book was the marketing. I think the description leads a lot of people into reading the book with false expectations. It's not even clear that the path of not two, but three woman interwind. I think people would not be disappointed by the book if it was made clear that it would talk about the life of these three - in different times.

I'm not sure how Eliza survived but I'm sure glad that she did. I'm also not really sure what happens to Bella and her illness, but I hope the news article Caroline finds at the means that she got to live with Eliza a bit more.

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chanlo1994's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I've never had a book cause me so much anxiety before (for the character). So relatable, both in the realistic elements and mystical ones.

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mikmercado's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.25

The plot had such potential but the characters were lacking. All the women were exclusively driven by revenge against men. I found the present day character painfully dull. Her "quest for self" without her husband was exhausting and unrealistic.

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arfog's review against another edition

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mysterious

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

It was interesting enough to finish, but seemed a little repetitive and the suspense seemed forced. Caroline seems to spend an unnecessary amount of time worrying about how she

trespassed into and area marked no trespassing, when it had no affect on anyone. And her bizarre conclusion to throw the bottle back into the river at the end, to keep part of her research a secret just for her, makes no sense for someone who wants to share the stories of regular women who are overlooked by history.

Overall, interesting enough to finish, didn't really love it though.

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brookey8888's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I really enjoyed this! It was a little slow and not what I was expecting so that’s why I’m not rounding up to a four. I just found the concept very interesting and the different timelines. I’m not going to lie, I did not care about the present timeline because if you know me you know I loathe cheating. I’m so happy she didn’t get back with that man. One part did make me gasp because what an idiot of a man. The ending actually did make me emotional and I teared up a bit.

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a_novel_craving's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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andig's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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