The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern: A Novel

"Full of sweetness and charm." —People

"The happiest I have felt in years inside the world of a book."
Natalie Jenner, #1 nationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society

"A sparkling ode to second chances." Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in southern Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice—unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.

As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.

Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late?

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Published Oct 8, 2024

320 pages

Average rating: 7.78

64 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

thenextgoodbook
Sep 04, 2025
6/10 stars
thenextgoodbook.com

What’s it about?

This work of historical fiction goes back and forth in time from 1920s Brooklyn to a retirement home in South Florida in the late 1980s. Augusta Stern is about to turn 80 when she retires to Florida and runs into an old acquaintance from the past. He takes her memories right back to Brooklyn.

What did it make me think about?

How central pharmacies once were to a community and how difficult it was for women to work outside the home.

Should I read it?

This was a sweet story about a lost love. It takes you back to a different era and that is always interesting. FYI- this book is all about the characters and is less plot-driven.

Quote-

“That was the nice thing about spending time with a person you’d known for almost all your life- the memories you shared grew even more vivid when you remembered them together.”
Mmarostegui
May 16, 2025
6/10 stars
Augusta Stern is an 80 yo pharmacist, and she moves to FL at a senior community. Irving Rivkin another octogenarian living there, was the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy in Brooklyn, and her first real love 60 years ago. Solomon Stern, Augusta's father, was the local pharmicist, but when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in when she was a teenage, Augusta learns a little magic from Esther. She wants to know if she's really in love, so she uses Esther’s most potent elixir to get to the truth...and right after Irving breaks her heart and marries someone else. Now, her granddaughter thinks she should revisit using magic...to see if the second time is the charm.

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