This was such a fun and charming book! The focus on Gretchen's relationships with Charlie and Everett were so entertaining. Charlie automatically sees right through her and puts up his guard. A little jarring for her, I think it’s exactly what she needs to move forward from this lifestyle she lives. They can’t help being drawn to one another, and their chemistry is so apparent, they can’t resist each other for too long.

Her and Everett’s dynamic is hilarious. The fact that she pretends to communicate with ghosts for her job and then ends up being able to actually see one, is divine intervention. Their squabbling is too funny and was the shining star of the story. I was a tiny bit put off by his perviness though, I don’t think that was necessary.

Such an interesting premise, and a different story that you’ll enjoy if you need a good laugh! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

I received this ARC and dove right in- I mean look at the cover: Adorable with a promise of goats!

This is my first book by Sarah Adler, as I have not yet read Mrs Nash's Ashes. After reading this book, I think will be moving that up on my TBR. I find her writing style to be easy to read and she's pretty funny!

The blurb seemed promising, though if I am honest with myself any time I pick up a book that promises something paranormal in a contemporary setting I am skeptical even though I can name several authors who do this type of thing well. I enjoyed this book, but I did have a hang up. But let's start with some positives.

I thought the concept of her being a fraudulent medium that ends up truly able to communicate with a ghost to be pretty fun. There are several funny moments that made me laugh out loud too. I liked the FMC and appreciated the care put into detailing her so called "rule" and explanation why she is how she is or how she ended up doing what she does. I found it helpful since I felt worried I would have difficulty relating or liking her at all since she is a con artist that is taking advantage of people for a living. No such issue really! Also the ghost in this story is the best lol. Loved him! I was pleased that there wasn't anything too heavy, other than the looming curse of course, and that the resident ghost was kind of like comic relief at times.

Now, I want to talk about what I wish we got from this book. THE MMCS POV! I'm not saying it isn't believable that someone could fall for a con artist while knowing they are a con artist, but man I kept wishing I was in his head. He was clearly suspicious of her, he made that known, but some of their interactions had me scratching my head because I had no way of knowing how he was truly feeling. Especially given how insane everything happening to him is. I know that may have been a specific choice the author made, but it FELT missing and I kept thinking he felt kind of one dimensional by comparison to the FMC because of it.

I wouldn't walk into this expecting to get blown away but it's enjoyable enough and there are cute goats.

I loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes so I could not wait to get my hands on this book! It took me a minute to get into this book because of the quirkiness of the FMC, but I think it’s because of the time of year that I’m reading it. I think this is the perfect book to add to your fall TBR list! It’s got all the great romance with a little supernatural activity with ghosts! This book has two of my favorite tropes: grumpy, sunshine & found family! I could have loved the ending of this book more!

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until April 30, 2024! But this is my honest review!

Gretchen Acorn makes a living by connecting the actual living with their dearly departed. Well, at least that’s what she CLAIMS to do. In reality, Gretchen is a con artist, justifying her lies are only done in the name of giving others hope. After all, where’s the harm in having faith?

So when one of Gretchen’s bread and butter clients approaches her with a supersized, supernatural assignment, her first inclination is to refuse the opportunity. Then the woman makes an offer Gretchen (and more importantly, her dwindling bank account), simply can’t refuse. This is how Gretchen finds herself trekking to a haunted goat farm in the hopes she can con, err, convince tbe elderly owner not to sell.

Only when Gretchen arrives she’s the one who can’t believe what she’s seeing. For one thing, the owner of the farm, Charlie, might be stubborn, but he’s also young and hot. Then there’s the matter of the Gilded Creek ghost that not only seems to really exist, but only Gretchen, the fake medium, apparently can see him. As Everett, the entertaining ghost, explains it- Charlie cannot sell the property or his soul will be forced to live there forever, a fate Everett knows all too well. Now Gretchen finds herself tasked with the job of not only making Charlie to stay, but that what she says is for real. But how do you go about convincing a skeptic to believe you, when your whole life has been built on a lie?

Happy Medium is the sophomore release from a new favorite author of mine, @sarahadlerwrites. In fact, if you enjoyed her debut, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, I’d say you’re likely to enjoy this story as well. There are some parallels in both, Hadler writing about matters of life and death with a mix of enjoyment and depth. But the real scene stealer is the engaging Everett, a laugh out loud ghost that will have you saying, Casper who? before too long.

I’m new to @sarahadlerwrites books and after binge reading this book as well as Ms. Nash’s Ashes, it was a mistake on my part to wait this long.

This book features a very angsty Gretchen Acorn, a con woman in the form of a gifted but fake spirit medium, isolated and alone by choice because she’s been disappointed by her father, a con man, and herself, too many times. Her best friend is her roommate Yolanda, but she considers it a transactional relationship because Yolanda pays rent.

A rich senior citizen who has been paying Gretchen to speak to her deceased daughter Rachel (a con), wants Gretchen to exorcise a ghost from a goat farm for $10K. Gretchen can use the money and the opportunity to hide from her deadbeat father, so she goes to the goat farm dressed as a boho goth spirit medium, in full glory.

She’s expecting another senior citizen, but instead she gets Charlie Waybill, his grandson, who is absolutely furious that his elderly friend Deborah sent Gretchen to him. Charlie is a brawny, tattooed, angstball in an ugly sweater.

She also gets Everett, Charlie’s relative, who is a ghost. Suddenly she’s not a charlatan, and nobody believes her.

Everett has been haunting the farm. He can’t leave the farm, and worse yet, he says that if Charlie tries to leave the farm, Charlie will haunt it too. Which sucks, because Gretchen is secretly lusting after Charlie while Charlie lusts after Gretchen despite not wanting to at all. It doesn’t get easier as they get to know each other, this inconvenient lust.

Everett and Gretchen are hilarious, Charlie and Gretchen are warm, funny, dreamy and just a little bit bittersweet and sad, definite weirdos. They’re fully realized characters inside of a very unique romance. The vibes were immaculate, and if you don’t know that I’m a “if the vibes are good the book is good” type of reader by now, where have you been? The author was inspired by Ghost, the movie, and I was really amused by her thought process in creating the relationships found here in the book. This book comes out later this month, so put it on your TBR!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ebook ARC. Adler did not disappoint with this book. I enjoyed the story and creative disbelief required to read. Characters were fun too.

What an incredible rom-com! Happy Medium is Sarah Adler’s sophomore novel and let me say she absolutely lived up to my expectations! The entire premise is extremely original and I loved every single page! I have always loved the idea of a mediums so that this novel centers around a faux medium (fakes talking to dead people) who unexpectedly becomes a real medium (a real ghosts talks to her) all to help a handsome grumpy farmer is a recipe for an unputdownable novel! This 5 star novel is a fantastic spin on the enemies to lovers trope! I adored the characters (especially the ghost) and thought this sweet novel was laugh out loud funny but also had a depth! I highly recommend absolutely everyone read this novel!

Gretchen Acorn is spirit medium - the catch? She can't see or hear any ghosts and she's conning rich grieving women. Well, that is until she DOES finally see a ghost for the first time. After being propositioned by a client to help out on the Waybill Farm, and realizing Charlie Waybill isn't old and wrinkly, but hot and steamy, Gretchen and her new ghost friend go on a mission to save the farm and maybe learn a little bit about themselves along the way.

This was a riot, literally laugh out loud funny. Everett the 1920s ghost making current sitcom references as advice and jokes sent me. I wasn't the biggest fan of Gretchen at the beginning of the book when she was really trying to justify her cons - but she really did a lot of self actualization about why she was the way she was and completely grew over the course of the book. Charlie was just a cinnamon roll that looked like a cinnamon roll - the tender moments he showed even through his frustration and distrust made my heart feel fuzzy.

I loved Mrs. Nash's Ashes and after loving Happy Medium too, I know for a fact Sarah Adler is 100% an auto buy for me from now on.

I'm obsessed with Mrs. Nash's Ashes and was so excited to receive a copy of Happy Medium!

I struggled to get into this one, but I think that's on me, not the book. There was probably a week solid where the only time I could read was on my kindle right before bed, so the beginning felt choppy to me but again, I was reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I loved Everett and Gretchen together. Everett was such a good amount of sass! I loved the tension between Charlie and Gretchen as well.

There were comments made throughout the book that I felt got old. The hatred from Charlie's end felt a little too dragged out and the romance needed a little more spotlight.

This is one book I'm excited to reread and hope my experience is different the second time around when I'm able to sit down and give it my full attention from the beginning.

Oh my god I really enjoyed reading this captivating paranormal farm romance where a fake spirit medium con artist gets a taste of her own medicine when she encounters a real ghost.

Gretchen Acorn, despite her fake persona, is struggling to make ends meet and help spirits move on. She's caught in a web of lies and deception, but when she's offered a lucrative deal to exorcise a ghost at a haunted goat farm, she jumps at the opportunity. Little does she know, the property owner, Charlie Waybill, is not going to make it easy for her!

This story is a delightful mix of love, friendship, and family dynamics that kept me hooked till the very end. Sarah Adler's storytelling is truly captivating. My only complaint was I wish the romance between our main characters was explored a bit more!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending the arc!

I really enjoyed the fun tone to this book, even with some tough stuff in both main characters' histories. Everett was a really great comic relief added to the story, and Charlie makes for a great cinnamon roll hero. I did sometimes feel a little iffy about Gretchen and her con-artist history, but she did work hard to move her life away from that and to leave people better than how she found them. Overall, a fun read that I really enjoyed.

Sarah Adler is an author to waaatch! I loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, and this sophomore novel did not disappoint. The premise is unique and just absurd enough to work and be utterly hilarious and heartwarming. Adler’s writing flows so well, her characters are lovable and relatable, and her stories are so full of humor and heart. Antics, banter, and some personal growth? I’m here for it.

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler is a delightful blend of humor, romance, and a touch of the supernatural. Gretchen Acorn, a charming con artist posing as a medium, is tasked with convincing a skeptical farmer, Charlie Waybill, of his property's resident ghost. What starts as a simple con job quickly becomes a journey of self discovery for Gretchen as she navigates her feelings for Charlie and her newfound belief in the supernatural. The characters are endearing, the dialogue is witty, and the plot twists are entertaining. This book is a charming and heartwarming must read!

📖 BOOK REVIEW

📱 HAPPY MEDIUM by @sarahadlerwrites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: contemporary romance
Did I cry: oh yes
Published in 2024 (april 30)

💭: after falling head over heels in love with MRS NASH’S ASHES, this was my most anticipated read of 2024 (so much so that I finished it on Jan 2🤭). It did not disappoint!!

This was a super fun paranormal romance with the same wit and banter that we saw in Sarah’s debut. It had a lot of tropes seen in other books (not even just romance😏) but there’s a fun spin on them in this book that makes you see them in a new light (hey con artist trope)🤭🤭🤭 as was the case in MRS NASHS ASHES, the characters in this book are truly what make it so amazing. They are all perfect for the plot, with personalities that are so well-developed and complement each other really well. The writing is the kind that makes you soak up every word. The ending had me WEEPING. This one is so lighthearted and fun, while also packing an emotional punch. It was definitely a little ridiculous but really leaned into the romcom.

If you can wait that long, i definitely think this is a perfect fall book (👻) but i enjoyed it in the heart of winter as well😌 another knockout from ms sarah adler. I am so excited to follow your writing journey & will continue to beg for more books😙🤝

This was so cute! I loved the way Gretchen got to know grumpy Charlie, and the timelines and disagreements the two had were reasonable in a way that still made the book relatable and adorable. (and I am one of those city people who dream of moving out to the farm for no reason other than how calm it would be)

This mostly book delivers on its premise of romantic comedy with a ghostly companion/side-kick.

Despite the looming of death, the book has an overall light-hearted energy. The main leads, despite their obvious attraction to one another, have an on-off dislike for each other. Mostly as a result of the female lead's career choice. Nevertheless, they are drawn to each other. Gretchen for Charlie's kindness and Charlie for the goodness he sees in Gretchen that she doesn't even see in herself.

On the banter front, we have the delightful comedic moments between Gretchen and her ghostly bestie Everett. Nearly a hundred years old, he is a distant relative of Charlie's who helps set the whole save Charlie from the family curse plot in motion. He's a lot, but I found him funny and mostly endearing.

Now the reason this book isn't rated higher is because, to me, while the premise is good and the elements are present, something is missing from this book. I just couldn't quite fully connect with the characters. To me, it felt like this book was missing that bit of magic and chemistry needed to elevate it to a four-star or higher. Anything four-star or higher is an instant recommendation for me and this book isn't quite that.

Still, I did enjoy it overall. So if the premise is something you're interested in I'd say give it a try.

This was such an amazing book. It was hilarious, emotional, and sweet, and I loved every second of it! I haven't read Sarah Adler's debut novel yet, but after this, I'll definitely be reading it (and anything else she writes)! The plot of this story was so unique, and the story was so easy to get lost in. The plot was pretty fast-paced, and the writing was very easy to read - I read this in about one day! I loved the setting on the farm and the characters so much, and the romance was super well done. I absolutely adored Gretchen as the main character; she was a very complex character, and I enjoyed watching her find herself. I also really loved Everett (honestly, he was probably my favourite character, he was so entertaining). Overall, I completely recommend this book, and can't wait to read what Sarah Adler writes next!! :)

Happy Medium features a con-artist love interest and magical realism; two of my not-so-favorite tropes, and still it charmed the skeptic out of me.

Gretchen Acorn is a fake medium with a (somewhat) conscience and she has been hired by her best client to help Charlie Waybill, an elderly farmer with a ghost problem. The first problem she encounters is the fact that Charlie is an attractive young man who calls out her bluff immediately. An even bigger problem is that for the first time in her career of deceit she can actually talk to the dead.

Everett is a ghost hunting Charlie’s home and he explains to Gretchen that if Charlie succeeds in selling his farm, he will be cursed to die. Gretchen is then faced with the biggest problem: convincing a highly skeptical and angry Charlie that she’s telling the truth.

The very obvious romance novel solution is for Gretchen to move in with Charlie for a month; to help out at the farm and convince him that his life is at stake. Their new living arrangement forces Charlie and Gretchen to slowly learn to trust each other. And, of course the forced proximity and physical attraction soon leads to very real feelings.

Happy Medium was a delightfully charming read with great banter, slow-burn longing, humor, and the most lovable ghost.

I don’t really know how Sarah Adler manages to imbue her books with such a magical combination of wit and fun and tenderness and a sense of bittersweet poignancy but somehow, she captured all of these emotions in her debut, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes and she somehow repeated the magic in her second novel, Happy Medium.

I’m always a little reticent to read books involving a ghost - they really aren’t my thing. However, I was intrigued enough by the premise to give this one a shot and wow am I glad I did. While the book is obviously a romance involving Gretchen Acorn, a fake spirit medium and Charlie Waybill, a struggling goat farmer, I could not write a proper review without including Everett Waybill, the resident ghost at Gilded Creek Goat Farm.

Gretchen is somewhat reluctantly roped into exorcizing the ghost of Everett from the goat farm and Charlie, who doesn’t even believe in the ghost’s existence, sees her for exactly who she is, a con woman scam artist who pretends to talk to the dead. And while Gretchen is a scam artist, for the first time in her life, she finds herself able to communicate with the dead, specifically with Everett. All Charlie wants to do is sell the farm that’s been in his family for generations. And on conversing with Everett, Gretchen realizes that she’s been brought to the farm, not to exorcize the ghost but to prevent Charlie from leaving the farm.

The two (Gretchen and Charlie) come to an uneasy truce of sorts which forces them to live and work in close proximity. All the while Gretchen is trying to convince Charlie to listen to her and trust her and Charlie is dismissing her as a charlatan, there’s Everett, with his hilarious addiction to tv and pop culture, pressuring Gretchen to convince Charlie to not leave the farm.

Both Gretchen and Charlie have painful, dysfunctional parents though, since the book is strictly told from Gretchen’s POV, we do get more of her backstory but we get enough of Charlie’s as well to know that this is really a story of a lonely girl and an equally lonely goatherd, finding a home in each other. (Suddenly, I have the song The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music stuck in my head and though no one yodels in this book, the farm presents a very bucolic setting in which to fall in love while befriending a ghost. As one does.)

Anyway, the book is charming and sweet, tender and sexy, witty and heartbreaking. It’s evokes all the feelings and I really enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for sending me an eARC!

I really loved this book! I feel like this was everything I could want from a romance: some light paranormal happenings, a gorgeous farm setting, ~banter~, a deeply heartwarming slowburn with scorching chemistry. Don’t be fooled by the cute sweaters and baby goats; this is a spicy one!

Gretchen is a fake medium who comes across a real ghost at a charming but mysteriously cursed goat farm. Convincing the skeptical farmer Charlie that she’s not a total fraud, and trying not to fall for him, is Gretchen's most difficult con yet.

Gretchen was so relatable and easy to root for. She has a lot of love to give but because of her past, she shuts off this part of herself and keeps herself at a distance from any potential close relationships. Her mother abandoned her and her father is a manipulative criminal, so she believes she’s easy to leave and convinces herself she’s better off alone, because friends and partners aren’t worth the heartbreak when they inevitably get tired of her.

Charlie is kind of a perfect love interest: a farmer who has a tattoo of his first goat, knits, and wants to be a librarian…but also hustles pool and is controlling in the bedroom? At first you wonder how these two can put up with each other, but they’re incredibly well-matched. The way their relationship progresses, with Gretchen allowing herself to care for others and be cared for in return, and Charlie working through his own grief, was a truly beautiful journey.

I knocked one star because the ghost, Everett, is wildly creepy. Gretchen is the only person who can see him, and she finds out that throughout the years he’s haunted the farm, he regularly spies on people in the bathroom and bedroom. Gretchen establishes firm boundaries with Everett, but this issue is ultimately brushed off. Non-consensual voyeurism is not a quirky personality trait.