5 Years Later, The Lost Apothecary Is Finally Getting a Sequel

When an author’s debut novel becomes an instant bestseller, readers take note. That was the case with 2021’s The Lost Apothecary, which rocketed to the top of the New York Times bestseller list at release. Since readers first experienced the gripping historical mystery novel, they’ve been hoping for a sequel. And now, it’s finally happening.

Sarah Penner’s debut combines historical fiction with a modern-day mystery thanks to her deftly crafted dual timeline. From the 18th century to modern-day London, The Lost Apothecary weaves the stories of its two protagonists together in satisfying and sometimes unexpected ways. Though Penner has released other books since her debut, many readers are still hoping for more of Caroline and Nella’s stories.

The Lost Apothecary sold over 1 million copies. Naturally, that means there’s quite an audience eager to see a sequel. Though the debut wasn’t initially billed as part of a series, readers were left with enough lingering questions at the end of the book to hope for answers. Next year, we’re finally getting them. As exclusively revealed by People, The Lost Elixir will release on May 4, 2027. The sequel is set 12 years after the events of The Lost Apothecary, but Penner assures readers it will resolve many of our lingering questions from book one. Even better, one of our protagonists is a familiar and much-loved face from the first book: Eliza Fanning.

In The Lost Elixir, the apothecary shop may be locked up, but Eliza continues her would-be mentor’s work. Over a decade later, she sells potions to those in need. But when her children are kidnapped, their captors demand a rare and powerful elixir in exchange for their safety. The mixture won’t be easy to come by, and Eliza is forced to traverse the darkest corners of London’s underworld if she wants to save her children. The synopsis also teases an “unexpected villain,” whose identity remains shrouded in mystery. Here’s hoping its someone readers know from the first book.

Of course, it’s hardly a Lost Apothecary sequel without a little dual-timeline action. In modern-day London, readers will follow archivist Gaynor Baymont. When she discovers an ancient letter, she realizes it just might harbor a secret about her own past. This sparks a quest to find the elixir that robbed her of her memories and altered the course of her life. From the sound of it, we’ll once again find two women who exist years apart, yet are inextricably linked by relics of history.

How these stories will come together with those of Caroline and Nella remains to be seen, though one connection is more obvious than the other. Penner calls her newest novel a, “shadowy world of long-buried secrets and potion-magic.” She also says The Lost Elixir serves as both a prequel and sequel to The Lost Apothecary, one that works as a standalone but also delivers answers that fans of her debut have been eagerly waiting for. While familiar faces will appear in the pages of The Lost Elixir, the story itself will take us somewhere entirely new when it releases on May 4, 2027.

You can pre-order The Lost Elixir 5 Years Later, The Lost Apothecary.