In this month’s episode of Shit We’ve Read, we talk about The Lost Apothecary, the debut novel by Sarah Penner. Joining us this time is our friend Bella Romero, a fellow book nerd and legislative advocate. Though a little longer than usual, we had a lot of fun discussing our literary pet peeves, women’s autonomy throughout history, and debating the merits of our incorrect theories. We also decide to write a Lost Apothecary fanfic sequel and Jason pitches CSI: 1791. 🔍
Bonus Drinking Game
Take a shot every time Bella describes somebody as “trash” and let us know how well you held up 😂
Goodreads Synopsis
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.
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