A review by cassroberts89
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

For the most part, I really liked this. About halfway through, the pace really picks up and events are more surprising and dramatic. I was completely fascinated by Nella and Eliza’s story and the way their friendship unfolded. 

I honestly did not care much at all about Caroline’s personal issues. Her husband was a complete asshole, true, but there was too much of her pointing out subtleties in the way the past and present stories’ themes overlapped. It would have more effective to allow the reader to draw these conclusions alone than to spell it out for them. 

Her story did make a nice backdrop to the past though. I’m not sure this book would have worked nearly as well without a present-day timeline. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings