I wanted to like this book, but I'm not sure I do. It all just went a little too smoothly for Caroline, the present-day main character - there were so many lucky "coincidences", and at times it got just non-believable. (You're telling me that in 200+ years, no one has found the apothecary's secret shop, located in an area of the city that clearly saw some tearing-down and rebuilding, two world wars, and plenty of people having been around, living and working in the closest vicinity, yet the main character is supposed to be the first person since 1791 who goes there, immediately finds the secret door handle, and gets inside? Come on.) I didn't really care about the present-day mc and her marriage problems, and I think the whole book would have been better and much more enjoyable if it omitted her and just focused on the historical part, expanding on Nella's and Eliza's story and leaving Caroline out of it. I give it three stars because it wasn't a bad book; if you want a fast read that doesn't demand much attention or thinking, go for it.

CW: murder/suicide, illness/death, miscarriage.