2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.

Pages: 301 pages.

Length: 1 Month (September).

Participants: Alaina, Julia, Joan, Ana.

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

I would love to join this buddy read. How does one sign up to join others in the future?

Colourful wrote: "I would love to join this buddy read. How does one sign up to join others in the future?"

Hello, Colourful! Here's a link to the Buddy Read Sign-Up Thread. 😊

thank you ✨

I'm also reading this book this month, but the Google spreadsheet is read-only. Would love to join as well.

Feel free to comment even if you aren't on the list. I picked this up this week. I love the cover of the book. I'm expecting to start it next week or earlier. I've been running behind with my reads lately.

Has anyone started it yet?

You both are welcome to join us! I’m starting the book within the next day or so :)

I'm over 100 pages in already. Obviously, it's pretty good!

Jen wrote: "I'm over 100 pages in already. Obviously, it's pretty good!"

Good to hear!

This is a reread for me for an IRL book club meeting. That meeting isn't scheduled until September 25, so I'll be reading this one later in the month. I loved it!! Anxious to see others' reactions to it.

I finished the book this afternoon. What do you all think of the changing timelines and different points of view? What is your first impression of the apothecary?

Sorry I’ve been a little behind with the first month of school starting and a bit of a reading slump. I’m picking the book back up soon

I'm not enjoying the book as much as I thought I would. Mostly, I'm finding the husband drama in present day sections very tiresome.

I finally started this one. I've only read the first couple of chapters. It hasn't totally grabbed me yet. I guess we'll see.

I'm over halfway done. There isn't a lot of dialogue so I feel like it is taking awhile. I am enjoying the story. I can't say it's the best book ever but it is holding my attention. I'm interested in how it all ends up and what happens to the three characters.

I do like the three different points of view and I also enjoy the different timelines. I think it enhances the mystery.

How are you all doing with it?

I should be completing this tonight. It took a turn I wasn't expecting so that made it interesting.

I completed the book this morning. I was too tired last night.

(view spoiler)[It ended on a cliffhanger. We don't know whether Nella made it or not. I guess she really was seeing Eliza in the window of the house when she collapsed on the front steps. I'm choosing to believe that maybe Nella drank Eliza's concoction and ended up pulling through since Eliza sort of mentioned that Nella helped her or whatever. She mentioned this in the article that Caroline found about Tom Pepper's death. (hide spoiler)]

It was kind of a strange book for me. I didn't really love it and I didn't hate it. I ended up rating it 3 stars.

Hey all!

I started this book this morning and got about 80 pages in. I like it so far….sometimes I get annoyed that we change POV’s after every chapter but I haven’t felt that yet. Maybe because I’m enjoying each POV so far.

I enjoyed this one just as much, if not more, the second time around. I'm amazed at how much of the present-day story line I had forgotten! I realize I am a rather easy-to-please reader and I'm good with that! LOL

(view spoiler)[I do believe Nella "made it" and interestingly, before rereading this I thought we had proof of her living after taking the potion...but we do not. I would be anxious to read a sequel.

I particularly appreciated Penner's ability to make me feel as if I was right there in the past scenes.

Some of the book club members felt the whole setup with the undiscovered shop, etc., was to obviously unrealistic, but I was okay with it. (Again, easy-to-please! LOL) (hide spoiler)]

This is Penner's debut novel and I'll be sure to read her second one due for release next year.