Review: The Apothecary's Daughter

"The Apothecary's Daugher" by Julie Klassen was... a bit disappointing for me. I typically like Regency novels and like clean, uplifting stories, but this one really didn't have much of a story. After finishing, I still was not sure what the point of the story was. A brief synopsis: Lilly Haswell, a girl who never forgets anything, dreams of adventure and seeing the world instead of working in her father's apothecary shop in a small village in England in the early 1800's. She has a mentally handicapped brother and her father to take care of since her mother disappeared, but when the opportunity arises to visit London, she leaves to be her own woman. She returns home for a visit, finding her father very ill, and the shop in ruins, and decides she must stay to fix things, giving up her dreams. At that's about it for the story line. Along the way, there are five different men who show interest in her, or consider courting her, which to me was a little over the top. I like a good love story, and I usually like a good love triangle, but this did not work for me. I liked Lilly, though. I thought she was a good character and well written. Very likeable for the most part. I would not give this book more than 3 stars. The story line led to nowhere, there was too much guess work on who she ends up with, and I didn't find it very uplifting for being classified as a Christian or inspirational fiction. However, if you like a clean read, and don't want to feel preached at, and don't mind a somewhat disappointing ending, then this just might be the book for you.