The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion

Our winning "flowers on the cover" themed group read for May 2021 is The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Please discuss here and remember to use spoiler tags as needed, as everyone may start at different times and reads at different speeds.



A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

Started the book today, 125 pages in. Can’t put it down!

New Member! I just found this community and I’m looking forward to this book! Cheers my dears!

I just joined this group. Also started this book earlier this week.

Just ordered my book. So excited to get started!

How lucky... I just borrowed this from my library. Looking forward to starting 1 May.

This book is fantastic!

I finished this book a few days ago, and I did not expect the turn of events that would happen for Caroline. What a clean, neat convergence. Enjoyable read.

Tonya wrote: "I just joined this group. Also started this book earlier this week."

Welcome, Tonya!

My copy of the book just arrived yesterday! Looking forward to starting it May 1st.

Just in time, Mary!

I really enjoyed how the two stories intertwined - I’d love to read a prequel with background on the original apothecary!

I read this last month I think and didn't end up enjoying it as much as I thought I would sadly :(

I hope everyone else has a better experience than I did or if you didn't really like it we can talk about it!

Ashely I agree with you! It started off strong but I was left disappointed. I feel like it had the potential to be extraordinary but it fell short of my expectations :/

We did a road trip over the weekend and the audio book was perfect for background noise. The story has been enjoyable so far and the imagery of an apothecary shop filled with herbs and tinctures is enjoyable.

I just finished this book, and I was glued to it. The modern parts did feel a bit stilted at times, like they were shoved into place. However, I felt it all came together in the end, and boy was the ending a surprise! The middle was a bit dragging, but that didn't last long.

This book had so much potential but unfortunately fell flat for me. I was left really disappointed. I wish Caroline's story wasn't included as it just felt really forced and it seemed that the 1700's story was rushed because of that. I wish we had focused more on Nella's past and why she became who she is now.

I finished this a month ago...while I enjoyed the book a lot, it still did not satisfy me completely. Something was missing in the story. I needed more at the end, but I hope you all enjoy it!

I've just started and enjoying it so far.. I'm interested to find out how the stories connect. If there's more than (view spoiler)[ Caroline finding the bottle in the Thames.. (hide spoiler)]

idk how to feel about it it started off rlly interesting but slowly got really draggy ( although the end was fine ig). I personally got really annoyed with Caroline and I don't even get what the point of her pov was but reading her parts took me sm effort to get through cuz her character was also kinda extra yk

*4.5 stars*

This book was so good! I honestly can't believe that it is Penner's debut novel. This story was written in such a great way that I would not want to change a single thing about it. It wasn't as fantasy-based as I originally thought it was going to be, but that did not take away any enjoyment for me. I truly enjoyed this story and plan on reading any works that Penner publishes in the future!

I enjoyed it as well and would definitely read more from this author. She did a good job of marrying the two threads together. Towards the end I though we may find out that Caroline was a descendant of Eliza and there was more than just a coincidence that Caroline had found the bottle that started her investigation. Probably more realistic that she wasn't though.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters were so well thought up and elizas innocent heart and thinking was so rejuvenating to listen too. I believe this book shows the value of hope and chasing your dreams. Caroline needed a new life because the one she lost was over and the book justified that need.

3.5 stars; difficulty to know whether to round up or down. I enjoyed the part of the story set in the 1700’s and wish we could have had more of that. The modern day story lines just was not as appealing to me, along with the main character’s self-talk as she determined where she wanted to go with her life. Unique premise. I had a hard time putting it down but also found myself skimming thru parts, particularly the modern day segments at the second half of the book.

@Lisa - I also kept expecting that we would fine some connection with Caroline....or that one of Eliza’s descendants owned the land the apothecary was on, explaining why it was undisturbed.

Carol wrote: "3.5 stars; difficulty to know whether to round up or down. I enjoyed the part of the story set in the 1700’s and wish we could have had more of that. The modern day story lines just was not as appe..."
Agreed! I found the 1700s storyline so good that the modern day just didn't seem necessary. I would have loved to read more about all the women who visited the apothecary.

One of our winning group reads for September 2022 is The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Please discuss here and remember to use spoiler tags as needed, as everyone reads at different speeds and may start at different times.

New discussion starts here. There may be spoilers before this post.



A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

I loved this book , I couldn’t put it down , I highly recommend it, 5 /5 stars

I really enjoyed this one too, Brittany.

Agreed! I thought it was a fantastic book!

Wow! I haven't noticed until now that the book I nominated won. Great, I'm really looking forward to reading it =)

I just finished it, Nike. It was really good. I look forward to seeing your thoughts on it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great read.

I am about 1/3 of the way through and find it eerie yet mysterious as to why this medieval woman who is carrying on her mother's business wants to poison the men? I can pretty much guess what has happened to Eliza and her need to do it. I am also very curious as to how this will tie into the vial that Caroline found... I haven't gotten to that yet but I am definitely intrigued and will read on!

Oh wow! Just finished reading The Lost Apothecary and I'm so glad this book was picked. I'd never even heard of it before but it's definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year!

Heather Christine wrote: "Carol wrote: "3.5 stars; difficulty to know whether to round up or down. I enjoyed the part of the story set in the 1700’s and wish we could have had more of that. The modern day story lines just w..."

I agree! A little more background into the women that Nella was giving poisons to would have been great. The modern story w/Caroline was okay but could have used more juice. The turn of events at the end w/Nella and Eliza threw me! Totally not expected.

Okay so I did finish this book and my guess about Eliza was so not right. I thought perhaps maybe she was raped by Mr. Amwell. Then it was explained later in the book why she was bleeding. I liked how the events in the story took quite a twist and turn. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, nope, not even close. I really did not get much out of the Modern story of Caroline except when she was reading the research she & Gaynor found on the vial. I am not sure what the point of her husband being there was?

The end was definitely not what I expected between Nella and Eliza... not sure I believe in magic that much!

------- SPOILERS -------

Carol wrote: "@Lisa - I also kept expecting that we would fine some connection with Caroline....or that one of Eliza’s descendants owned the land the apothecary was on, explaining why it was undisturbed."

Yes I was waiting for something to happen in the modern day with the site of the Apothecary since it had been locked up and undisturbed (and wasn't there mention that a business wanted to set up there and couldn't?!) I had flagged that as an important note, but nothing came of it.

I deleted my other comment by accident :(

General gist is it was a 3 star read of me. I didn't enjoy the modern day storyline (the husband was INSUFFERABLE!!!!!!!!! He made me want to put the book down at some point) and I felt it wasn't really complimentary to the 1700's storyline.

I was, however, too invested in Nella and Eliza's story to put the book down and enjoyed the majority of their story.

I feel there were a lot of missed opportunities, I had made mental notes on things I felt that the author was hinting too and/or emphasizing, for it to literally never be mentioned again.

Omph hope y’all loved this book as much as I did

Jess wrote: "Oh wow! Just finished reading The Lost Apothecary and I'm so glad this book was picked. I'd never even heard of it before but it's definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year!"
I enjoyed it very much too....the cover says this was Sarah Penner's first novel. See what she has up her sleeve for the next one!

I really enjoyed this book! I might have been in the right mood, but I could not put it down...read it over 2 days. The Caroline chapters read a bit like a Dan Brown book, but I could read beyond to get to the Nella & Eliza chapters. Good twists in the book. You can consider it a 'light read', or really get into a deep discussion about how environments influence women to steer their lives in certain directions.

Jen wrote: "...I enjoyed it very much too....the cover says this was Sarah Penner's first novel. See what she has up her sleeve for the next one!"

Yes, I was really impressed with this as a debut. I thought it was really well done. Her next book is scheduled to come out next April - The London Seance Society.

I finished The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, and to be brutally honest, I'm not a fan of the novel.

For a book about mixing poisons to ward off men, spanning two parallel life stories interwined with abuse, deceit, and infidelity; one would think this would be more of a page turner. Instead, I found the storylines to be quite dull, especially Eliza's story!

I empathized more with Caroline, relating more to her character (I think we can all relate to regret and lost ambition), but there wasn't enough plot there to really captivate my attention. The novel's main story is with Eliza and Nella, so there is something to be said if I found the B story more illuminating (although not by much). I didn't really care about the husband's redemption, and although it was nice that Caroline was rejuvenated at the end, it felt dragged and not earnest.

I really wanted to like this novel more, and I'm not a fan of slamming a debut novel, but this is a big pass for me.

I really enjoy this book. I love historical fiction with Gothic and mystery vibes. And all the main characters were lovely, especially Nella and Eliza. Their friendship were very precious. And the determination of Caroline really captivating me, because she chooses follow her dream and not fight for her marriage.

Of course the apothecary and eighteen centuary London descriptions were amazing, and made fell like I was in England.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the twists and the dual time-lines. I thought it was well done. I look forward to her next book.

A disappointment. I wish the writer had focused on the main story during the 18:th century instead of destroying everything with the contemporary parts about Caroline, one of the most annoying characters I've ever read about.
I would have wanted to learn more about the two main characters from 1791 and ... well, there are so many things lacking. I might actually have rated it too high. I would like to give this book 2,5 stars.