I adored Mrs. Nash's Ashes by Sarah Adler, so I was beyond excited to read this one. While this one has a totally different vibe than the other book, I really enjoyed it! I loved the witty banter between Gretchen and ghost Everett. I'm also a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope so really what's not to like? It's a great rom com for your tbr!

Happy Medium was a refreshing read for me in the rom-com space! There were many times where made some assumptions about how some of it would play out and Sarah Adler completely surprised me by not fully committing to a trope. I loved the complexity of all the main characters and watching each of their journey’s unfold through the book. I will say the beginning felt a little slow, but when it hit the 50% mark and picked up, I wasn’t able to put it down. It was definitely a one-more-chapter kind of night!! Plus, there were so many sweet & thoughtful moments in this book that brought joy to my little romantic soul! I closed this one feel happy, cozy & satisfied.

I hands down loved Mrs Nash’s Ashes so I was hoping to strike gold twice. And I didn’t dislike Happy Medium, exactly, but it was very one-note, mostly falling flat, and I didn’t believe a lot of the emotional truths and reactions once all was said and done.

It’s a great set-up and the beginning is cute and funny, the animosity was entertaining, and there were great city girl out of her element vibes to coast on for a bit. But then it evened out into an earnestness that lost all other momentum and didn’t entirely pan out. Some key moments didn’t strike me as genuine or believable, despite efforts to make them so. And there were hanging teasers that didn’t go anywhere.

Overall, I liked and understood the characters, but I just didn’t entirely feel what I know I was supposed to feel. And it took more motivation than it should have to pick up the book occasionally and finish.

Thank you for the advanced copy!!

The concept of this story is very fun! I was so worried about the lying because I didn’t want it to be the 3rd act breakup! Thankfully it’s not!!

This book literally makes me want to pack up my life and husband and buy a farm! It was cozy and fun! The steamy scenes were very good!! But most of all, I love the tension ! The tension was sooooo good!!

I can’t wait to see this book on shelves!

Delightful little love story involving goats, ghosts, farm life, and hunky farmers. A family curse that brought out the best of both main characters (and the ghost).

A con artist medium, and a struggling goat farm? Doesn't sound like two things that belong together but man did it work for this book! This one charmed me to pieces! I'm not usually a fan of con artists in books but this one surprised me in the best of ways! I highly recommend it!

I love ghosts and romcoms so this book was made for me! It was silly, lighthearted, and romantic with a bit of spook and I can't think of a better romcom combination than that.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of Happy Medium in exchange for an honest review!

Happy Medium is perfect for fans of The Dead Romantics or Sara Adler’s first novel, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes! Delightfully macabre, full of heart, and artful humor makes this book such a great read.

Gretchen Acorn, an expert bullshitter, had met her match with Charlie the goat farmer who can see her con from a mile away. This makes the fact that she’s actually telling him the truth about the ghost haunting his farm and the curse that threatens his impending doom that much more difficult to believe.

Reading about Gretchen slowly learn how to let go of the con and risk something real (with her spiritual spectator, Everett’s help) while she falls in love with the farm and Charlie was such a rewarding experience. You really want her to be better, risk it all and tell the truth, and cheer her on as she succeeds. Which is saying a lot, because I find that a character with her background and world views could have easily become unlikable. Charlie’s juxtaposition between tender care-giver and hot-tempered shit talker was also such a fun experience and made his character much more interesting.

My only gripe was that the third act break-up that inevitably occurs in this genre was a little dragged out and relied too heavy on the miscommunication. Gretchen spends A LOT of time in her own head and it gets very tedious at times. Also, I don’t feel like the father issue was ever truly resolved and made me wonder why she included it in the first place if it was going to end up being a loose end. However, this was still a very entertaining and heart warming read. I highly recommend it!

I loved this book and had a great time reading it! It has such a cute, clever premise and I really loved Gretchen's character, the snappy banter she had with Charlie, and the beautiful friendship she formed with Everett. Her belief that people only kept her around based on how useful she was hit a little too close to home at times, but watching her start opening up and trusting that the people in her life now want her just because of who she is was so touching. Her growth over the course of the book was amazing and I loved that she found true contentment and joy in the work she was doing and the life she built for herself.

Her and Charlie's relationship was so much fun. There were times I thought he was a little too harsh with her, but I could also understand where he was coming from in not being able to trust her. The friendship and camaraderie they had that so easily developed into more was done really well. I also love how often Gretchen made Charlie blush - it was freaking adorable. Sarah Adler has definitely become an auto-buy author for me! Thanks to Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I couldn’t believe I got approved for this ARC on NetGalley but I was thrilled to get my hands on it! The cover caught my eye and the synopsis had me requesting it so quick!

A fake medium who has a job to go exorcise a ghost on a goat farm but then when she arrives, she can actually talk to the ghost?? 😂 I was here for it!!

It had a lot of fun aspects to it, the baby goats, barn cats, Everett (the silly ghost), the slow burn, Gretchen navigating the farm life, etc.
However, it did feel very repetitive and the slow burn was a SLOW burn. I was waiting forever for the connection but then the spice hit and I was shocked with the spice level!

I think this one was really cute and fun with a bit of spice in the last 1/4 but it’s not a book that will change your life - if that makes sense 😂 I am still interested in reading her first book though, Mr. Nash’s Ashes!

A fake medium who claims to speak with dead people meets a spirited spirit who helps her to break a family’s curse in this hilarious and tender paranormal romance. Con artist Gretchen Acorn has a string of wealthy clients that pay her to reconnect with dead loved ones. When a regular widowed client pays her $10,000 to visit her friend Charlie Waybill to exorcise the ghost on his goat farm that is sabotaging the potential sales on his ancestral home, Gretchen isn’t expecting a hot, young farmer; nor is she expecting Charlie to call her out as a fraud immediately–and THEN she meets the ghost that is actually haunting the property. Everett is a wanna-be actor and television sitcom addict who fancies himself a ladies man and a matchmaker; he informs Gretchen that his lingering is a curse that will pass to Charlie if he sells the farm and leaves. The only way to break it is to take the farm off the market and stay put because there must always be a Waybill on the property. Gretchen offers to stay and help through the kidding season and spend a month convincing Charlie she’s legit. During her stay, she learns new skills, comes up with money making ideas, gets on Charlie’s nerves (and under his skin)

The worldbuilding is tight, from the charming farm to Everett’s existence. He poofing to the Nowhere if he overexerts himself to impose his will in the corporeal world, his loss of time in that dimension. The character study is equally strong, with details like Gretchen’s ability to cry on demand–in fact, all of her con tricks learned from her slimy dear old dad–revealed in small doses that juxtapose her childhood with the life Charlie’s known: homecooked meals, homemade sweaters, and Grandma’s lemon meringue pie versus hole in the walls on the run and on the road. Charlie is a soft-hearted man who sports whimsical tattoos under crazily colored handknit sweaters, who takes pity on a lady covered in mud even when he suspects she threw herself into a giant mud-puddle to buy some time and talk to him. And it’s only Charlie who starts to make Gretchen feel regret for her lies, pangs of vulnerability at being honest, and fear at the idea she might not be able to save him and prevent an untimely death and eternal haunting.

A reader’s guide for book groups is appended, along with an excellent author’s note that speaks to the combination of lightheartedness and depth , how the novel started as a bit of joke, and evolved to something loneliness and belonging.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HappyMedium via #NetGalley, courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group.

I was so excited to get into this after being obsessed with Mrs. Nash's Ashes! I was not disappointed!

Gretchen, our MC, is a fake spirit medium and her number one rule is to always to leave people better off then when she met them, so as to not get lost in the morality of it all. Her biggest elderly woman client offers her a grandiose chunk of change she cannot refuse to go and help a seemingly old man sell his goat farm by performing an exorcism and clearing out the bad energy to get the place good to go, what she did not expect to find was that she actually could see and talk to this ghost, and that it is not an old man there after all, but a strapping young farmer who is equal parts grumpy and soft and not falling for any of her BS.

What I loved most about this story was our characters and our backdrop in which we got to see them progress within themselves. I thought that Gretchen and Charlie were both very complex and I enjoyed watching them develop. Everett was hilarious and achingly vulnerable and probably my favorite part of this whole story. He and Gretchen really got to the root of their emotional problems together by becoming the friends they did and that, in turn, helped her open up to Charlie even more.

I found the writing to be very tender and clever, and I am always so delighted with all of the quips and jokes and descriptives that Sarah Adler uses and how her characters speak. It just is my favorite.

Something that I struggled with a little bit was the journey of Gretchen getting Charlie to trust her. It felt very hard earned and a little times frustrating, but I understand that this was definitely needed for the story to work the way it did, so that is not a negative thing by any means. But I just found myself being like !!!! THERES A GHOST GODDAMNITTTTTT!!!!!! I felt a little wrung out by the time he finally believed her.

The romantic and spicy scenes were really well done imo- I think that they teeter tottered on the line of both intimate and hot hot, so there was a good balance there.

Overall, I really liked this story!! I loved the setting and our characters and their personalities and just the aesthetic and it all. There were some great highlights in here and I am excited for others to get to read it as well! 4.5/5 round up to 5!!!!

gretchen is a fake spirit medium who channels really good research and genuine empathy for her clients into her work, guided by a rule that she only will share what helps them. she gets hired to go to a farm and figure out what’s been haunting it, and she’s surprised to find that not only is the owner NOT an elderly man but a hottie farmer, and that there in fact IS a ghost and she CAN see him. maybe she’s not a fake after all?!

shenanigans ensue, of course, and gretchen has to convince hottie farmer charlie to stay or the curse that’s kept ghost everett haunting for the farm for nearly 100 years will befall him too.

DON’T WORRY— she has a few weeks and naturally, that’s enough time for her to become bff with the ghost and to fall in love with the farmer!!! oh, and also help birth some bebe goats and sell soap at the farmer’s market and totally become a new person at the same time. because of course.

but in all seriousness, this is a cutie read and it’s charming and fun and sarah adler writes delightfully earnest and tender stories that i will read every time!

Playful one minute and heart-wrenching the next, this strikes the perfect balance for an entertaining yet powerful read. It reminded me a little bit of The Dead Romantics with the humor and heat cranked up several notches, though this love story is truly one of a kind. I loved the chemistry between the characters, the slow-building romance, the forced proximity and the flawed heroine. It’s rare that I read about a morally grey heroine, and I loved how she was able to grow and change throughout the course of the book. Our hero was also immensely appealing, the softest grump ever. Absolutely loved him. He’s a genuinely kind and loving man who sees right through our heroine, pushing her to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about herself. His distrust of the whole situation creates some interesting friction, so I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out. I loved it!

The story follows Gretchen, a woman who was raised to be a con artist. Her father taught her to spin every situation to her advantage, so she’s been working as a medium for the last several years – convincing her clients that she can communicate with spirits, and making a great living doing it. So when Gretchen’s best client pays her to help out a friend with a ghost problem, she doesn’t see it as anything other than a new kind of con. But one step on Charlie’s property makes her realize that this situation is different. Charlie immediately knows that Gretchen is a fraud, and her usual tactics fail her. There’s also the unfortunate fact that the place is actually haunted… and Gretchen truly can communicate with this ghost. A family curse complicates matters even further, and suddenly Gretchen finds herself grappling with a situation that is entirely out of her control.

After loving Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, I was so excited to dig into Adler’s sophomore effort. Her debut was tender and funny in the best of ways, making me smile, laugh, swoon, and shed a few tears. I really didn’t know what to expect going into this one, but I can honestly say that it put me through my paces emotionally in much the same way. It’s such a fun and interesting premise, but there are heavier, impactful moments sprinkled throughout the book. Yes, I loved the absurdity of Gretchen arguing with a TV-addicted ghost while trying to win over her grumpy new roommate, but I also loved the journey of self-reflection and the many, many tender moments. Both Charlie and Gretchen have some healing to do, working on themselves in ways that only draw them closer. The love story shines front and center, but it’s the kind that develops in tiny steps that slowly build momentum. There was definitely some heat and spice, but the intimacy bled from the pages more than anything. It’s truly Gretchen’s story – we only get her perspective – but I was hooked on Charlie from the very beginning. I even liked the ghost. My love for this one grew with every chapter, and it ended up being such a dynamic, memorable read.

Happy Medium is a paranormal rom-com that's anything but average. Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is ready to hustle her way to some quick cash by "cleansing" a goat farm haunted by a chatty ghost named Everett. Little does she know, the farm's owner, Charlie Waybill, is no AARP member, but a hot and skeptical farmer who challenges her supernatural act. As the ghostly shenanigans escalate, Gretchen finds herself caught between love, a farm, and a very persistent specter. I didn't love Gretchen right off the bat but she definitely grew on me over the course of the story! With wit and charm, this book proves that sometimes, being yourself is the greatest con of all. Four stars for a delightful blend of romance, humor, and ghostly capers – who knew the afterlife could be so entertaining?
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Happy Medium follows Gretchen Acorn, a con woman masquerading as a spirit medium. When one of her regular clients hires her to perform an exorcism for her bridge partner so he can sell his goat farm, she’s reluctant to go. Despite all her lies, she does have an underlying rule — She can’t cause harm. But when she’s made an offer she can’t refuse, she packs up her bags, and heads off to the goat farm. Once she reaches the farm, she soon realizes that it’s not what she expected. For one, Charlie isn’t a decrepit old man, but rather, a young man who is incredibly skeptical of her abilities, and rightfully so. Not to mention, there’s a chatty ghost by the name of Everett, that Gretchen can see, and is the reason why the goat farm hasn’t been able to sell. It’s not that Everett wants to keep the goat farm in the family — rather, there’s a curse that requires the goat farm to remain in the family. If Charlie’s to sell the farm, terrible things will happen — which is how Gretchen is convinced to offer her help on the farm for a month as she attempts to convince Charlie not to sell the farm for his own good. When we first meet Gretchen, she’s the definition of someone who has all their walls up. She’s hesitant to let anyone in — including her roommate, who desperately just wants to be her friend. Her first real friend is Everett, a ghost who is trapped on a farm. While Happy Medium is a romance, the most pure form of love in the story, for me, was the dynamic between Gretchen and Everett. I loved how Everett truly annoyed Gretchen into accepting his friendship and his meddling behavior, and how through that, Gretchen learned to trust the people around her. Charlie is equally distrusting, although in this case, rightfully so. Gretchen and Charlie are two sides of the same coin; both distrusting, incredibly independent, and struggling to let other people help. While I wouldn’t call Happy Medium grumpy sunshine, I did love reading about Gretchen melting Charlie’s gruff exterior and earning his trust. The two of them truly made each other better, and helped each other grow. I couldn't help but root for them! I just absolutely adored Happy Medium.

Thank you Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own!

I’m just gonna say this: I LOVED this book. Sarah Adler is an author who just vibes with my reading taste. Her stories are unique with a quirk, but still grounded in reality. Both of her books had everything I look for in a romance: a believable connection, a great setting, and good conflict. I thought the premise of this book was so unique yet familiar, I need it to be a movie NOW! I want to watch this story play out over and over. There’s a quietness to her writing that makes me feel so good as a reader. I just loved it.

Synopsis:

“Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her best (read: wealthiest) client hires her to investigate the unexplained phenomena preventing the sale of her bridge partner’s struggling goat farm. Gretchen may be a fraud, but she'd like to think she’s a beneficent one. So if "cleansing" the property will help a nice old man finally retire and put some much-needed cash in her pockets at the same time, who's she to say no?Of course, it turns out said bridge partner isn't the kindly AARP member Gretchen imagined—Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced that Gretchen can communicate with the dead. (Which, fair.) Except, to her surprise, Gretchen finds herself face-to-face with Everett: the very real, very chatty ghost that’s been wreaking havoc during every open house. And he wants her to help ensure Charlie avoids the same family curse that's had Everett haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s.Now, Gretchen has one month to convince Charlie he can’t sell the property. Unfortunately, hard work and honesty seem to be the way to win over the stubborn farmer—not exactly Gretchen's strengths. But trust isn’t the only thing growing between them, and the risk of losing Charlie to the spirit realm looms over Gretchen almost as annoyingly as Everett himself. To save the goat farm, its friendly phantom, and the man she's beginning to love, Gretchen will need to pull off the greatest con of her life: being fully, genuinely herself.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The “Paranormal Light”: I loved Meg Cabot’s Mediator Series and it was so fun to read a contemporary romance with a paranormal element. It was unique and fun! I think this would be such a fun movie.

The Setting: Small town farm life is the complete opposite of my life, and yet I can’t get enough of it in my books. The setting was so clear and I just loved.

The Characters: I loved them all, including the animals on the farm! Charlie is dreamy and I became very attached to Everett.

The Romance: A perfect enemies to lovers. The tension was great!

What Didn’t Work for Me:

I want this to be like 4.9 stars because there was one aspect that I felt like we kept waiting for, and that was if Gretchen’s father would make an appearance. I felt like it needed to happen for her journey to be complete so I almost wonder if there had been a better way to achieve it. Just food for thought!

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

dementia/alzheimer’s, death, grief, animals giving birth

Sarah Adler's debut, Mrs. Nash's Ashes, was one of my favorite books of last year, so I was both excited and apprehensive going into this. I think it was really smart of Adler to go in a really different direction here - we have a sort of morally gray female main character named Gretchen Acorn (she describes herself as a bullshit artist, and she makes her living as a fake psychic, but she also definitely has a code of ethics and she's very committed to helping her clients, even as she is lying to them) who gets talked into going to help basically "exorcise" a goat farm outside of DC for a friend of one of her wealthy clients who is trying to sell the property. The client's friend, Charlie, is unexpectedly young and super handsome, and he and Gretchen share a spark of attraction until he realizes that she's the one conning his elderly friend. Gretchen is ready to say oh well and head back into the city when she's stopped by an actual ghost named Everett - not one of the ones she claims to see/speak to in her day job - and he convinces her to stay by explaining that he's been scaring potential buyers off because Charlie has to stay on the property or else he'll die from an old curse that was placed on him (Everett) and all future male relatives on the farm. This was really quirky and inventive but also sad and sweet and really well balanced. Very different vibes overall from Mrs. Nash's Ashes, but I still loved it.

Gretchen makes her living as a medium, knowing its a con and she's faking it. It turns out she may really be a medium when her highest paying client asks her to travel to a neighboring farm because she's worried about its owner. Turns out there really is a ghost and a curse. Add in that the farmer is not an older man as she assumed but a really attractive man who clearly thinks she's a problem. Fun dialogue, some magic, and fun characters combine in a highly enjoyable rom-com.

Thank you to Sarah Adler, Berkley Romance, and NetGalley for this digital ARC. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt reading about a fake medium traveling to the countryside to rid of a ‘ghost’ in a farmhouse that’s going on the market to sell. I really wasn’t sure how this storyline was going to go, but it worked! I didn’t read Mr. Nashes Ashes by Sarah Adler, but I think after this read I’ll be pushing it up on my list to take a look. I think I did truly fall in love with Everett, the ghost. I really liked the fun personality and the fun comical relief was needed between the two tense MCs. I think I would recommend it to future readers, as long as I understood with where they stand in relation to mediums and ghosts.