this book was overhyped. i saw it in all the current reads postings on instagram and book boxes. but it was very dull.

The plot follows two women one American visiting london after discovering her husband is having an affair and one apothecary owner in 17th century london who only gives remedies and poisons to women. These two women’s stories are intwined after the american discovers a vile from the apothecary shop in the Thames and begins researching it. The story highlights various struggles of women throughout time and how these women stand up for themselves and fight back. But even with all that, the story was extremely dull

the writing is okay and the story and plot are very predictable and read like the author came up with the prompt after discovering something similar to the character Caroline does and then deciding to write this story. the characters were not very interesting and pretty flat.
the research aspect of Caroline’s story was unrealistic which was frankly annoying being that is her main plot. there’s no way she’d do that to the vile at the end.

the aesthetic is the best part of the book but overall the story was lacking and the ending left me feeling the plot was unresolved somehow.

it also kept reinstating how women’s stories get lost to history since the patriarchy oppressed them which is great and all and women deserve better but this was deprecated so often it was boring. the main culprit of this being Nella but i also highly doubt Nella would’ve had this foresight in her time.

cute recipes at the end