The Love Remedy

by Elizabeth Everett

Review

I try to be honest in my reviews, and while I usually end up loving most books, this one was a real struggle for me at first. Around the forty-something percent mark, I was genuinely considering a DNF. The writing itself was good, but I just wasn’t connecting with the main character at all—I was bored, distracted, and not emotionally invested. I was listening on audio while decluttering and honestly didn’t want to stop and hunt for a new book, which is the only reason I kept going. Ironically, that hesitation ended up paying off, and it reminded me why I’m so reluctant to DNF books—because sometimes sticking it out completely changes the experience.

Somewhere in my decluttering haze, something shifted. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but suddenly I was deeply invested—not just in the mystery unraveling, but in the relationships: between the two main characters, with his daughter, with her family and friends, and even with the customers of the apothecary where they both work. Watching everything come together was incredibly satisfying, especially as revelations surfaced and both characters had their own internal awakenings, all while navigating a pretty intense miscommunication between them. What really set this historical romance apart for me was the working-class perspective. Instead of the usual wealthy, well-to-do society, we get a woman doing everything she can to keep a family business afloat so she and her siblings can survive. I appreciated that from the very beginning, and I’m genuinely glad the second half of the book helped me finally connect with the characters and walk away really enjoying it.