It’s never too late for new beginnings.

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?

This dual timeline novel tells the story of Augusta Stern, first in her teens and twenties, then nearing age eighty, and shows the turning points of her life in the 1920s and how they affected everything that came after.

Augusta is the daughter of a trusted pharmacist in Brooklyn. She’s drawn to her father’s knowledge and the way he helps the community, and as soon as she’s allowed, begins apprenticing in his store. There, she meets Irving Rivkin, her father’s delivery boy, who admires Augusta’s intelligence and always has a kind word for her.

Augusta’s father provides financially for his two daughters, but their home has been cold and lifeless since the death of Augusta’s mother. When her great-aunt Esther arrives to keep house for the family, Augusta is initially turned off by this older woman, dressed always in drab clothing and with little tolerance for nonsense. But Esther’s incredible soup and other foods soon bring a sense of warmth back to the family — and what’s more, Esther has a secret, old-world knowledge of herbs, plants, and natural remedies. Is she a homeopathic healer, or is there magic behind her powders and potions?

In the 1980s timeline, Augusta has finally retired from her career as a pharmacist and, upon her niece’s urging, has moved into a Florida retirement village. Much to her dismay, she almost immediately runs into Irving — whom she hasn’t seen in sixty years. He broke her heart all those years ago by disappearing suddenly and marrying another woman. He seems to want to reconnect with Augusta now, but how can she forgive him, much less trust him again?

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a charming story on many levels. The chapters focused on Augusta’s younger years bring 1920s Brooklyn to life, as she navigates her way through a society that doesn’t have much patience or respect for women’s knowledge or professionalism. The women of the neighborhood seek out Esther’s help in secret, while getting “official” prescriptions from Augusta’s father. Augusta is torn: She’s eager to follow in her father’s footsteps, but can’t help seeing that Esther’s knowledge and skills provide help, relief, and cures for women who’ve been failed by more modern approaches. Watching Augusta puzzle out how to fit both aspects of healing into her life is fascinating, and her romance with Irving is innocent and lovely before it all falls apart.

The 1980s chapters are lighter in tone, with some comical moments of conflict between the various residents of the retirement village. Still, Augusta is never portrayed as silly, and in fact, it’s quite special to see this vibrant 80-year-old woman as the focal point of a love story.

The two pieces of the story come together well in the end, as the author draws meaningful connections between the events of then and now, and offers hopeful messages about finding love, no matter one’s age or how much time has passed.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a heart-warming, uplifting story about love, family, and second chances. It’s a fast read, and kept my attention from start to finish. Highly recommended.