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genieinanovel's Reviews (752)
Chelsea is in, for lack of a better term, a rut in her life. She has a stable, yet not exciting job, and doesn’t have too much of a social life outside of it. She was once adventurous, but after her mom passed away, she can’t seem to get out of her shell. That changes when her father announces he’s remarrying a woman he’s known only a short time, and soon Chelsea is off to recreate the European adventure she was on before her mother’s passing in hopes to recapture her old self.
During her trip, Chelsea goes to three major European countries – Ireland, France, and Italy – in hopes to reconnect with her former loves/flings. While she doesn’t expect them to be single, she does learn more about them than she had the first time meeting them; some for the better and some for the worst. She’s shocked though when her irritating coworker, Jason, tags under the guise of going with her to a meeting for work in Italy later in her trip. And boy, does his appearance throw her for a loop.
I loved the characters in this novel, well… the main ones anyway. One of Chelsea’s former flings turns out to be a real pig, but I won’t say which one. Chelsea was very relatable to myself, in terms of being cynical about love and just kind of living a safe life. Granted, we don’t have much of a choice nowadays, but even before 2019 I was more of a “stick to what I know” kind of person. Honestly, I probably still am. So as I always say, when I can relate to a character, I usually like them.
Jason, on the other hand, is a smug little crap that I honestly couldn’t help but love myself. I knew right away from his first interaction with Chelsea that this was going to be an ‘enemies-to-lovers’ story, and I was totally fine with that. It’s not so boring knowing how the story will turn out (i.e. Chelsea and Jason being together) but how they get to that point and what obstacles they go through along the way.
Still, as much as I loved the traveling and romance of this book, I felt that something was missing from it. Something that made me want to keep picking the book up and never put it down until I was finished. I admittedly had to force myself to pick the book up to read it. It wasn’t DNF-worthy, but it wasn’t a book I was always excited to pick up again. Though it could’ve been my mood at the time that made me reluctant to read at all. I’m not sure. But this book is most likely a one-and-done for me.
However, that aside, it was still good. I don’t want to turn anyone away from the book. And if you’re up for a little adventure and some fun enemy-to-lover romance, then I’m sure you’ll like this book.
During her trip, Chelsea goes to three major European countries – Ireland, France, and Italy – in hopes to reconnect with her former loves/flings. While she doesn’t expect them to be single, she does learn more about them than she had the first time meeting them; some for the better and some for the worst. She’s shocked though when her irritating coworker, Jason, tags under the guise of going with her to a meeting for work in Italy later in her trip. And boy, does his appearance throw her for a loop.
I loved the characters in this novel, well… the main ones anyway. One of Chelsea’s former flings turns out to be a real pig, but I won’t say which one. Chelsea was very relatable to myself, in terms of being cynical about love and just kind of living a safe life. Granted, we don’t have much of a choice nowadays, but even before 2019 I was more of a “stick to what I know” kind of person. Honestly, I probably still am. So as I always say, when I can relate to a character, I usually like them.
Jason, on the other hand, is a smug little crap that I honestly couldn’t help but love myself. I knew right away from his first interaction with Chelsea that this was going to be an ‘enemies-to-lovers’ story, and I was totally fine with that. It’s not so boring knowing how the story will turn out (i.e. Chelsea and Jason being together) but how they get to that point and what obstacles they go through along the way.
Still, as much as I loved the traveling and romance of this book, I felt that something was missing from it. Something that made me want to keep picking the book up and never put it down until I was finished. I admittedly had to force myself to pick the book up to read it. It wasn’t DNF-worthy, but it wasn’t a book I was always excited to pick up again. Though it could’ve been my mood at the time that made me reluctant to read at all. I’m not sure. But this book is most likely a one-and-done for me.
However, that aside, it was still good. I don’t want to turn anyone away from the book. And if you’re up for a little adventure and some fun enemy-to-lover romance, then I’m sure you’ll like this book.
First thoughts: good gravy, that was an amazing book!
The Lost Apothecary follows three female characters - Nella, Eliza, and Caroline. Nella is an older woman, trained in the art and science of apothecary for both healing and poisoning. But, she has a rule, never poison another woman. Only men who are hurting her fellow women are to taste the poisons she concocts. And when young Eliza comes to her shop, looking for a poison to take care of her master at her mistress's bequest, an unexpected string of events takes her life for a turn. Meanwhile, in present-day London, Caroline is on her own journey of self-discovery when she comes across and old apothecary bottle in the River Thames that sends her on a mission to find out the answers to the unsolved apothecary murders that occurred 200 years ago.
While the story has a slow start, by the fifth or sixth chapter is where events begin to pick up and I found myself really digging into the story. I couldn't get enough of it. I'm not big on historical fiction, but I really enjoyed Nella and Eliza's combined tale and was more invested on their part of the story than anything. It was fun though to see Caroline go through her own adventure to discover the mystery, while also dealing with her own emotional issues of having been cheated on by her husband. I was rooting for her the entire time to rediscover her passion of history and hoping she wouldn't go back to him in the end. And in the end, being mistreated by men was what connected these three characters, which I loved.
This book made me feel like I was right beside these characters as they went through their journeys. Something that's kind of hard to do... to actually transport you to London in the 1700s or even present day. More so, these characters had such depth to them that they felt like they could be real people, especially Nella and Eliza. Honestly, I'm wondering if there might actually be some kind of real "apothecary murder" mystery out there that just hasn't been solved yet.
After reading this book, I was thinking about it for days after. In fact, I think it might have been part of the cause of my recent reading slump because I knew nothing I read after this would capture me like this book did (the other cause was, and still is, my nosedive back into the Glee fandom). I have to add that this was a book I received from my first Once Upon a Book Club box that I purchased to try out a book subscription box, and boy did this deliver! The gifts that came long with the book were cute and I will be covering that in a post soon.
I don't think I even have to say that I highly recommend this book, but I'm going to anyway because I highly recommend this book!
The Lost Apothecary follows three female characters - Nella, Eliza, and Caroline. Nella is an older woman, trained in the art and science of apothecary for both healing and poisoning. But, she has a rule, never poison another woman. Only men who are hurting her fellow women are to taste the poisons she concocts. And when young Eliza comes to her shop, looking for a poison to take care of her master at her mistress's bequest, an unexpected string of events takes her life for a turn. Meanwhile, in present-day London, Caroline is on her own journey of self-discovery when she comes across and old apothecary bottle in the River Thames that sends her on a mission to find out the answers to the unsolved apothecary murders that occurred 200 years ago.
While the story has a slow start, by the fifth or sixth chapter is where events begin to pick up and I found myself really digging into the story. I couldn't get enough of it. I'm not big on historical fiction, but I really enjoyed Nella and Eliza's combined tale and was more invested on their part of the story than anything. It was fun though to see Caroline go through her own adventure to discover the mystery, while also dealing with her own emotional issues of having been cheated on by her husband. I was rooting for her the entire time to rediscover her passion of history and hoping she wouldn't go back to him in the end. And in the end, being mistreated by men was what connected these three characters, which I loved.
This book made me feel like I was right beside these characters as they went through their journeys. Something that's kind of hard to do... to actually transport you to London in the 1700s or even present day. More so, these characters had such depth to them that they felt like they could be real people, especially Nella and Eliza. Honestly, I'm wondering if there might actually be some kind of real "apothecary murder" mystery out there that just hasn't been solved yet.
After reading this book, I was thinking about it for days after. In fact, I think it might have been part of the cause of my recent reading slump because I knew nothing I read after this would capture me like this book did (the other cause was, and still is, my nosedive back into the Glee fandom). I have to add that this was a book I received from my first Once Upon a Book Club box that I purchased to try out a book subscription box, and boy did this deliver! The gifts that came long with the book were cute and I will be covering that in a post soon.
I don't think I even have to say that I highly recommend this book, but I'm going to anyway because I highly recommend this book!
This follows the events of what happened in the first book, In the Hall With the Knife, as the students of Blackbrook Academy start a new term after the murder of Headmaster Boddy. A lot of students didn’t return, but all those who were present when the old headmaster was killed are back, and they’re now known as The Murder Crew. And just when they think things might be calming down, another body – the body of head janitor, Rusty – is found in the secret passages of Tudor House.
What seems to be an accidental death is questioned though, as Finn Plum noticed a head wound on Rusty’s body that night he and Scarlett discovered it. Of course, that’s the least of his worries because he’s still trying to recover his secret invention that is locked in the passages. Meanwhile, the rest of the Murder Crew are also going through their own new set of obstacles in the aftermath of last term, and are now finding themselves involved in this new mystery against their wishes.
As much as I enjoyed the first book, I was a little disheartened to find that I didn’t enjoy this book as much. It recapped a lot of the first book to explain what was going on, so it didn’t stand out as much as its own new mystery. The only character that I really enjoyed reading this time around was Orchid, because it seemed she had more going on than just moving on from last term’s murder. Plus, her background was the most interesting of all of the students. Though, again, the author threw in an element that seemingly came out of nowhere that made me have to look back and question if this detail had come up previously because of its casual mention.
Once again, I found myself being skeptical of one of the characters in this story and boy was I excited when I realized I was sort-of right. I knew the person was sketchy as hell, but it didn’t turn out the way I thought. And the ending… that made up for a lot of the slow-moving story. I have my suspicions for what will be revealed in the third book pertaining to one character, but I can’t be specific because, again, spoilers. I hope I’m right though, because the way that book ended… I need answers!
So, yeah, this book wasn’t as great as its predecessor, but I care enough about the characters to want to find out what happens next. Here’s hoping the third book will kick this one’s butt!
What seems to be an accidental death is questioned though, as Finn Plum noticed a head wound on Rusty’s body that night he and Scarlett discovered it. Of course, that’s the least of his worries because he’s still trying to recover his secret invention that is locked in the passages. Meanwhile, the rest of the Murder Crew are also going through their own new set of obstacles in the aftermath of last term, and are now finding themselves involved in this new mystery against their wishes.
As much as I enjoyed the first book, I was a little disheartened to find that I didn’t enjoy this book as much. It recapped a lot of the first book to explain what was going on, so it didn’t stand out as much as its own new mystery. The only character that I really enjoyed reading this time around was Orchid, because it seemed she had more going on than just moving on from last term’s murder. Plus, her background was the most interesting of all of the students. Though, again, the author threw in an element that seemingly came out of nowhere that made me have to look back and question if this detail had come up previously because of its casual mention.
Once again, I found myself being skeptical of one of the characters in this story and boy was I excited when I realized I was sort-of right. I knew the person was sketchy as hell, but it didn’t turn out the way I thought. And the ending… that made up for a lot of the slow-moving story. I have my suspicions for what will be revealed in the third book pertaining to one character, but I can’t be specific because, again, spoilers. I hope I’m right though, because the way that book ended… I need answers!
So, yeah, this book wasn’t as great as its predecessor, but I care enough about the characters to want to find out what happens next. Here’s hoping the third book will kick this one’s butt!
Sophie and Agatha are two very different girls. Sophie is beautiful and dreams of one day marrying a prince, while Agatha hides under dark clothing and hideous looks and keeps to herself. To their village, they are the perfect candidates for the next kidnapping for students of The School for Good and Evil. Only when the girls get there, Sophie is sent to the Evil side and Agatha is sent to the Good side. A mix-up, they're sure. Or maybe they'll discover who they really are in the towers of the school.
This book mixes fairy tales with a Harry Potter-like setting, which is what initially grabbed me from the start. While neither Sophie or Agatha have any relation to the classic fairy tales we know, they are mentioned by other characters, and the girls soon find out that their story is already being written... which is unheard of for students, let alone first years.
The girls are complete opposites in personality as well as looks. Right away you can tell that Sophie is shallow, only doing good around her home village for the looks of doing good. She had hopes of being kidnapped for the Good School, but was shocked beyond belief when she was dropped into the Evil School. She soon becomes obsessed with trying to prove that she is Good, not Evil, but her efforts backfire and prove just the opposite to her classmates. In all honestly, Sophie is kind of arrogant and I'll admit that I didn't like her for most of the book.
Agatha, on the other hand, wants nothing more than for her and Sophie to go back home and remain friends. Her friendship with Sophie means a lot more to her than she lets on, which is the sweetest part of her. She's afraid to lose that friendship with Sophie, so once the girls find out that Good and Evil can't be friends, she really tries hard to find a way for them to go home alive. It's when Agatha is around Sophie that she feels somewhat normal, and Agatha honestly brings out the Good in Sophie. Their friendship is the main drive of this book, and I find that one of the best drives for a book.
Overall, this book is a great read! It's adventurous and fun, and I think anyone of any age will enjoy this! Highly recommend!
This book mixes fairy tales with a Harry Potter-like setting, which is what initially grabbed me from the start. While neither Sophie or Agatha have any relation to the classic fairy tales we know, they are mentioned by other characters, and the girls soon find out that their story is already being written... which is unheard of for students, let alone first years.
The girls are complete opposites in personality as well as looks. Right away you can tell that Sophie is shallow, only doing good around her home village for the looks of doing good. She had hopes of being kidnapped for the Good School, but was shocked beyond belief when she was dropped into the Evil School. She soon becomes obsessed with trying to prove that she is Good, not Evil, but her efforts backfire and prove just the opposite to her classmates. In all honestly, Sophie is kind of arrogant and I'll admit that I didn't like her for most of the book.
Agatha, on the other hand, wants nothing more than for her and Sophie to go back home and remain friends. Her friendship with Sophie means a lot more to her than she lets on, which is the sweetest part of her. She's afraid to lose that friendship with Sophie, so once the girls find out that Good and Evil can't be friends, she really tries hard to find a way for them to go home alive. It's when Agatha is around Sophie that she feels somewhat normal, and Agatha honestly brings out the Good in Sophie. Their friendship is the main drive of this book, and I find that one of the best drives for a book.
Overall, this book is a great read! It's adventurous and fun, and I think anyone of any age will enjoy this! Highly recommend!