
Member Reviews

A cute, light, easy read! I love enjoyed Sarah Adler’s other book, Mrs. Nashes Ashes. I liked this one too! It funny but also heart warming and I felt like I could relate to the characters.

Do you struggle with romance because so often the protagonist has no friends? Do you like ghosts but not scary stories? Are you okay with not every single loose end being neatly tied up before the book's conclusion? Then this is the book for you!
This book is not serious and it did not make me a better person. It made me happy, I was curious about what would happen next, and while not every loose end gets addressed, the author did a pretty fabulous job of answering the majority of plot holes that I tried to poke.
Above all else: come for the romance, stay for the friendship. I really loved this book.

While I thought the beginning and premise was good I became tired of the plot and the characters. I liked her first book but I didn’t feel anything for the characters in this one, nor care and thought the writing was mediocre at best.

I fell in love with Sarah Adler's writing style and wit when a friend recommended "Mrs. Nash's Ashes" to me. I was hoping that "Happy Medium" would at least be as good as that book, and incredibly, it was even better!
Gretchen Acorn is a fraud; she pretends to be a medium in order to help her clients grieve and move on, and if she gets paid for that, that's just a side benefit! When her wealthiest client asks her to check out her friend's struggling farm and find out what paranormal phenomena is causing sale after sale to fall through, Gretchen is eager to help.
What Gretchen never sees coming is the owner of said farm: Charlie Waybill. Nothing like the old man she was expecting to find, Charlie is young, hot, and very skeptical of Gretchen's abilities to speak with the deceased.
The most ironic thing is that, though she came to the farm set on using her fraudulent skills to collect a nice paycheck, she finds that she actually can talk to Everett, the chatty 1920s ghost that's been sabotaging his descendant's attempts at selling the farm.
Gretchen and Charlie must find a way to understand and trust one another in order to save the farm. Though it may be difficult when Charlie is determined to maintain his skeptical attitude toward her.
I giggled, I blushed, I swooned. This book was perfect!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Medium is BRILLIANT. Sarah Alder truly showcases her class act wit and humour with Gretchen, Charlie (and Everett). This book is an absolute delight; it is humorous, heartfelt, and horny. My perfect trifecta of a romance novel. Gretchen is a prickly heroine, and I would protect her with my life. The way that Adler allows her to be grumpy, and unlikeable at first (to some, but never to me, I loved her from the first word), but then with brilliant character development, shows what her hard shell is hiding. Charlie truly is Gretchen’s perfect match. They are each other’s happy mediums. I am constantly blown away by Sarah’s ability to pull me in to a story and make me weep at the most unlikely moments. I’m just goats about this book.

Sarah Adler is definitely, officially an autobuy author for me. Her sophomore novel was so different than her debut - but she was able to weave elements of the paranormal with another heartfelt and beautifully told story. Her humor and writing style feel effortless but also so refined and detailed. Loved this one so much!
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This book has it all: humor, love, spice and friendship (plus a ghost and baby goats!)
The banter between Gretchen and Everett is delightful and the chemistry between Gretchen and Charlie is sizzling.
I was completely charmed by this unique romance.

RATING: 4/5 STARS
This is Sarah Adler's second book, and it was just as enjoyable as her first! I loved the small-town ghost vibes and enemies-to-lovers trope in this one. Gretchen's ghost companion Everett added a splash of comedy and the novel's resolution was sweet and heartwarming.

So much fun!! The Sarah Adler special of hilarious and heartfelt. I laughed, I cried, I was sweating profusely many times. Only Sarah can hit you in your heart with all the feelings and then literally set the bed on fire a few pages later. Endless talent!!

This is the first book I’ve read in a while that I genuinely did not want to end. I liked Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, but I truly LOVED Happy Medium.
First of all, you should know that paranormal elements are usually a bit of a turn off for me. To be completely honest, after the first few pages I had serious doubts. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a con artist “scamming” old ladies. Plus, the phrase “real-life ghost” is used in the first sentence of the synopsis. Maybe I was just blinded by the adorable cover?
Well, color me very very surprised, babe, because I couldn’t get enough of this book! The (very mild) paranormal elements worked so well for me and I am beyond obsessed with Everett and his bomb-dot-com tasty catchphrases.
The romance is a very slow burn and it didn’t feel as spicy as MNA, but it was fabulous in my opinion. I loved sweet and spicy Charlie, the forced proximity, the goats, the goats in sweaters… I could go on and on!
The ending might not have been perfect and the book was definitely on the longer side but it made me so happy. Truly such a joy to read!
Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader! All opinions are my own.

ARC provided by Netgalley. Another hilarious outing from Adler. Happy Medium is the story of Gretchen, who was raised to be a grifter as she tries to establish an authentic life]. Adler's story behind the book is almost as good as the book itself. Some loose ends could have been tied up a little more neatly for my liking (Gretchen's dad??!?), but otherwise, this was a delightful read. Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry fans will be happy.

Thank you, Sarah Adler, for breaking me out of my year-long reading slump!! This book helped me self-soothe after an icky interaction at my bookstore -- and for that I will be forever grateful 🧡
HAPPY MEDIUM made me feel all the feels! This book has sizzling enemies-to-lovers tension, an adorable, scheming ghost (oh, Everett, how I love you!), and baby goats... What more could you ask for?!
Can’t wait to pick up my physical copy in April, and devour it again whenever I want to feel like I’m participating in spooky season 👻 🤪

I'm having such a hard time putting my thoughts together for this review. I absolutely love-loved this book so much! I devoured it in 2 sittings and now I understand what a "book hangover" is. I would recommend Happy Medium to everyone - there's a perfect balance of romance, spice is, and ghostly shenanigans to keep you wanting more.
" Sarah Adler is especially talented and has made her way to the top of my auto-buy authors list.
? What I liked:
Paranormal Romance: I did not see this coming! The paranormal element introduced into the story just made it that much better for me. *
Enemies to Lovers - this was executed so well I could feel the passion and angst between the two characters while reading. This is my favourite trope especially when done well!
Farm Romance/Small Town: I didn't think I really felt one way or the other for this setting/trope but I loved it in this book. As I was reading I could picture everything that was happening and really enjoyed the small town vibe. Farmer's markets, tight-knit community, loyal friends that are locals.
Baby Goats (enough said)

Call me psychic but this book is going to be one to watch out for in 2024. I absolutely adored these characters and their arch together. The perfect rom-com. Sarah Adler is an absolute star.

I recently read (and LOVED) Sarah Adler's debut, Mrs. Nash's Ashes and snagged her upcoming release on NetGalley. The author posted about this book as a joke "A medium inherits a historic goat farm and falls for the spirit of the farm;s former owner. It would be called I AIN'T AFRAID OF NO GOATS" That was the launching point for Happy Medium.
We have Gretchen, a female con-artist masquerading as a medium until she sees a very real ghost, Everett Waybill. She needs to convince current owner Charlie Waybill that he can't leave the farm or he will be doomed to haunting it just like Everett. This book is brimming with vulnerability, humor, heart and a bit off-the-wall . Everett, the tv obsessed, unbelievably chatty, slightly amorous ghost was so endearing he stole the show.

Having not read Mrs. Nash's Ashes, I didn't quite know what to expect from Sarah Adler, but I loved every minute of Happy Medium!

I just reviewed Happy Medium by Sarah Adler. #HappyMedium #NetGalley
This book was so cute, I ate it up in a day! It took me a bit to get into the story. The first few chapters were kinda boring. But once we got to the farm and Charlie was introduced obsessed. Let's not forget the true star of the show.... Everett. He was the perfect comedic sidekick and had me laughing.
I loved that Gretchen had a genuine side of her, that there were more than her "scamming" people. Even though I do belive her work had actually helped more people than hurt. Charlie is one of those characters you want to hold and god damn I loved him.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and can see fans of Abby Jimenez, Katherne Center, and my queen Emily Henry also loving it

Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is hired to help one of her clients friends with a ghost. She takes the money, but the friend, Charlie, is a skeptic, who accuses her of being a con artist. When she goes to leave though, the ghost appears and tells her of a curse. Now she must convince Charlie that she is telling the truth.
This is a cute little rom-com, but the main character's viewpoint got repetitive and frustrating at times. Luckily, ghost Everett is there to keep the story going!

A con artist who makes her living as a fake medium finds herself in over her head when she begins seeing an actual ghost and now has to help him break the curse on his family... except said family member is a hot grumpy farmer who sees right through her and wants her off his farm. Gretchen Acorn is a fake spirit medium and has become one of the best at her job. She has only one rule though: to leave her clients better off than when she met them, thats so she can be different from her father, a horrible con man, Gretchen might take money from people but she's adamant that they're happier when she's done. Gretchen isn't a bad person, but she's not exactly a good one. When Gretchen's client pays her to help a friend she can't help but say yes, what was suppose to be an easy pay day is ruined when she finds out that Charlie Waybill, the friend she was suppose to help isn't an old man on a farm but rather a very hot farmer who is unconvinced Gretchen can communicate with the dead. Yet Gretchen is in for the surprise of her life when she actually begins seeing a ghost, this time the con isn't fake and she is really communicating with a ghost. The ghost is related to Charlie's family and tells Gretchen that she has to help him break the curse on their family and to save Charlie. How can she save Charlie when he wants nothing more for her to get away as far as possible. Now Gretchen has to find a way to convince Charlie that the curse is very real and that she can actually communicate with him. Gretchen won't leave so Charlie offers her a deal: she'll work on the farm for a few months in exchange for room and board, that'll give her enough time to try and save Charlie. Yet the more time they spend together the more the feelings between them begin to grow. Gretchen is about to face her biggest challenge yet: being her true self and possibly opening her heart up. Can she break the curse before it's too late? This was such a cute and cozy autumnal/spooky romance vibe book. I love a fun con artist story with a touch of ghost. Charlie and Gretchen were really cute, despite how much they thought they were different, they had so much in common and cared so much about each other. This was a really cute feel good read and I had fun with it!
*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Happy Medium is full of madcap whimsy plus goats in sweaters which thoroughly charmed me.
While there’s plenty of fun banter and goofiness, the author balances that with some deep dives in the MC’s feelings and motivations. I loved watching Gretchen, who’s never allowed herself to get too attached to a place or the people in her life, slowly realize that roots might not be so bad. Her heart to heart talks with Everett are particularly sweet.
The attraction between Gretchen and Charlie is instantaneous but they both fight so hard against it. And then - whew - the steam! Who knew that a hand-knit sweater with too long sleeves could be so sexy?
I loved the rich descriptions of the farm and farmers market. It sounds so appealing that I wish I could visit Gilded Creek Farm to watch the goats cavort and to try the cheese and soap.
Happy Medium gives you a contemporary, charming small town, cozy, romcom with opposites attract, slow burn spice, a ghost, and lots of goats.