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I keep going back and forth on this one. Somehow, I had trouble connecting the characters between the two timelines, they just felt like a completely different cast of characters. I liked both timelines but maybe not together.

Roll 36 for #Roll100

4.75⭐️ I really liked this one. I found it to be a nice light, but in-depth read. Quite enjoyable. #2025 #bookreview #fiction #1920s #hea #historicalfiction #romance #oldercharacters #magicalrealism

This was a mixed bag for me- thou I seem to be one of few who didn't unconditionally love it. I loved almost everything about the 1920s part of the story: I felt like I was in Brooklyn, watching Augusta and her family live life(& death) & I loved everything about about teenage Augusta, Irving, & Aunt Ester. My difficulties come in the 80s timeline: I love that the characters we meet at the retirement village are happy, active, and still open to ⬇️

I have read all of Lynda Cohen Loigman‘s books and have loved every single one of them. This story is told in 2 time frames. It‘s about a young woman who learns that her great aunt makes elixirs that help people get the help they may need whether it is physical or emotional. Then we see her as an older woman who meets her long ago love at her retirement home. The story tells how her life led to this moment & how he left her all those years ago.

Some quite good books outnumbered 2 to 1 some somewhat meh books. That‘s okay, sometimes an average read reminds me what I like to read. Tagged my favorite

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

This octogenarian love story is so darn cute. I really loved reading it. I thought the elements came together so well - 1920s widowed Brooklyn pharmacist assisted by his aunt, a Jewish Russian woman (I loved her) of potions, to raise his teenage daughters. The crushes his daughters had with two store employees showed just how quickly and how young women rushed to marry. …And the whole way the story unfolds in Florida is just a hoot and a half.

Sweet read about never being too old for love. Dual Timeline of 1922 and 1987. Twenties period was interesting mix of wanting a career in a typically male field of Pharmacist and Modern medicine vs Apothecary. I really liked that 'Modern Day' was late eighties before cell phones and air travel was easier. Yes, there was a bit of 'wow everyone ended up at the same retirement community in Boca, but it all came together in the end.⬇️

Have you read this delightful book?

A favorite from 2024 - you will love Augusta and the storyline.

Finished this today in preparation for my real life bookclub this week. It was sweet, cute and cozy but not especially surprising. Just a nice easy read. 3.5⭐️

This story was immersive. The characters are so loveable, the setting rich. It is very light on the magical realism, and it ties in so well with pharmacology. I enjoyed the themes of the book and especially how lightly they came across.

Last book of 2024! Ending on a high note with this magical and melancholy story. Augusta is such a great character. “She believed in medicine and in miracles.” Highly recommend.

I‘m enjoying this charmer. A nice way to start the day. Happy Saturday!

I love when a book has a different storyline. So many stories are similar. This is a good case of font judge a book by its cover. It‘s a great book!

I keep seeing mentions of how charming this book is and I need something like that in my life right now. Starting this one tonight.

If you know me you know my all-time favorite book is COMO AGUA PARA CHOCOLATE - LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by Laura Esquivel. Reading about the magic that is the Mexican cuisine won me over as a reader.

This book reminded me of it. This is the amazing and heartbreaking and sweet story of both young and now 80yr old Agusta. It‘s a later-in-life love story filled with my favorite, magical realism.

How cool that author Lynda Cohen Loigman based her wonderful octogenarian protagonist on her husband‘s great-grandmother. All you need are some colorful relatives to help create such a feel-good read with plenty of laughs and twists! I also loved Aunt Esther, the homeopathic apothecary who shakes up the conservative 1920‘s town with her mystical remedies. What fun!
Thanks @PurpleyPumpkin for gifting me this #BOTM gem. 🤗❤️

Y‘all! This is a good one!

https://reecaspieces.com/2024/10/23/the-love-elixir-of-augusta-stern-by-lynda-co...

I‘ve had some longer reviews lately so rather than post ad nauseam here 🤣 I‘m just going to leave my GR link if you‘re interested.

4.5/5⭐️

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6908581263

Idk why I thought this was going to be witchy. But this book was great anyway. Augusta is turning 80 and is forced to retire. Her niece helps her find a retirement home where she meets people from her past and makes new friends. You go back in time from when Augusta was 16 in Brooklyn and flash back and forth between the 2 time periods.

#hauntedshelf #flerken #spookoween #31by31 #castthedie

I initially passed on this when BOTM offered it as a September pick. I read the description but I couldn‘t get past the title, and honestly I did judge this book by its cover (I did the same thing with “Lessons in Chemistry” and I ended up loving that book). When I started reading the reviews I went back and ordered this and I‘m so glad I did 🥰 It‘s a beautiful book that I‘ll be passing along to my Mom to read next 👍

A “do your heart good” read with lovely characters and a pull-you-in storyline.

Another gem by Ms. Loigman.

Do NOT miss it!!

I know you will LOVE it too.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/2wb64tvk

@lloigman
@stmartinspress

This book is so good. So touching and informative.
It's a love story and so so much more. It's about a woman's struggle to be accepted as a pharmacist. In a time when women were expected to stay home and have babies. To keep house. Men just weren't ready to accept that their wives would want a job.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-love-elixir-of-augusta-stern-by.html

What a cute story! I smiled almost throughout. Parts of it seemed a little “golden girlish” to me, but I think that was probably the author‘s plan. I read about beautiful Goldie celebrating her 80th birthday while I celebrate my 60th. It makes me realize that I have plenty of life left. It was a very quick read that I‘d recommend to anyone who needs a lift.

A good month in August. Anyone read any of these?

Honestly, this month‘s #BOTM selections didn‘t really blow my skirt up, but the tagged book does sound good. However, I am very excited about my two add-ons!

I‘m in a reading slump so why not order a box full of books from #BOTM 🙄

FULL REVIEW WILL BE ON OCTOBER 8.

A “do your heart good” read with lovely characters and a pull-you-in storyline.

Another gem by Ms. Loigman.

Do NOT miss it!!

I know you will LOVE it too.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

@lloigman
@stmartinspress