I loved Mrs. Nashes Ashes and was excited to read this one. The main character, Gretchen, has, in my opinion, a morally gray job as a medium which came out of her morally gray upbringing by a con artist dad. She justifies it by always trying to leave clients better than they were.

A client convinced her to help a friend get rid of a ghost on a farm. Everett, the ghost, turns out to be real and might be my favorite character of the book. He's definitely a charmer and he and Gretchen team up to convince Charlie that he shouldn't sell the farm. The romance between Charlie and Gretchen is intertwined with Gretchen's self-reflections about her job choices and her own value. I enjoyed their connection, her growth, and Everett. I really appreciated the author's note at the end of the book. I'm looking forward to the authors next book.

Audio Review: he narrator did a nice job capturing the main character's thoughts and emotional tone as well as the other characters' voices. It was easy to switch between print and audio and stay engaged in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a wonderful book and I'll be purchasing it for the library!

Sarah Adler has such a unique take on romcoms. I love her writing style and this one felt like it had it all! It was funny, it had lessons, magical realism and it had heart. Plus, as always, I enjoyed the romance. Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC!

An absolute DELIGHT! The perfect combination of laugh-out-loud humor, spice, and charm. Perfect for fans of the TV show "Ghosts"

I went into this really interested in the concept - a fake medium can finally see a real ghost! I also happen to love the show Ghosts on CBS, so this sounded like a great read to me. Sadly, it fell flat. While overall the premise is solid and the story isn't bad, it came off as a bit half baked - like maybe an early draft that hadn't been full developed. One of the core issues was that the motivations of characters / developments of characters was just underwhelming. The book also left some key questions unanswered - why can she finally see a ghost? Why was he the only ghost she ever saw? Overall, this had potential but just did not deliver the way I needed it to.

A delightfully quirky romance that blends dark emotions and family secrets with paranormal silliness seamlessly.

If you’re a fan of the movie Ghost, specifically the banter between Patrick Swayze’s & Whoopi Goldberg’s characters, you’ll enjoy this book. I’m glad the author referenced this movie at the end of the book, because I definitely kept thinking of it throughout. This isn’t a book with any real big surprises, but a fun, feel-good contemporary romance that will leave you wanting more. I loved the characters, the premise, and the setting. There were some plot points that could’ve been delved into further, but why stir up more drama? Just sit back and enjoy this one for what it is.

AMAZING. Loved this one so much. The storyline was so unique and it was so funny. Definitely want any and every version of this book. Such a breath of fresh air in overused tropes. A ghost? A con artist medium? A hot farmer man?? Say less. This was the best.

I expected this book to be one of my favorites - I love a magical realism romance - but unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me!

Something about the chemistry between our two MC's just felt off. Overall I enjoyed the read though, mostly because I loved Gretchen's self-discovery journey and her friendship with Everett (my favorite character!). If this had been more of a contemporary fiction book I would have been thrilled, because the romance is really the only thing that didn't work for me.

The setting and premise were A+ though, and I'll definitely be giving this author another read!

Thank you, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Enemies to lovers, paranormal

I liked this, but it needed more. It just kept losing me. It was too long for what it was. Enemies to lovers is my favorite. That helped. It was very humorous in parts. The pacing really bothered me. I do recommend it.

REVIEW: Happy Medium

SUMMARY: Gretchen Acorn is a grifter with a heart of gold – she’s been acting as a fake medium (in the best possible way) for years when her best client hires her to assist a friend looking to sell his haunted farm 👻. What Gretchen doesn’t expect is a hot, young farmer 🚜 OR an actual ghost who is more than a little excited for someone to talk to.

I thought this was a fun, if silly (yes, even for a romcom), tale of a girl falling in love while trying to overcome a mildly criminal past 💞. The chemistry between Gretchen and Charlie was great, and I enjoyed reading their love story! Both came with some weird family baggage, which gave their stories depth and made their romance that much more believable ❤️‍🔥.

Then there was Everett: The farm’s resident ghost 👻. His goofy antics brought a different angle to what would otherwise be a straightforward romcom. Have you seen the show Ghosts? Or probably any comedy on CBS… they’re not exactly hilarious but still cute. Would watch on a Sunday afternoon 📺.

Check it out if you like:

🌞 Grumpy/sunshine
🥸 Morally gray hero(ine)
🏠 Roommates
🐄 Small town

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

🌶️
This was an adorable listen. I loved that the MMC saw the FMC for exactly who she is. I loved that they both seemed to be genuinely trying to help people most times, albeit in different ways. And I’m always down for a sassy ghost, let’s be honest. This treaded the line of miscommunication just because of the lack of actual communication that happened. But let me tell you I whole heartedly approve of the reward system for telling the truth that was put into place 🥵🥵🥵 overall a fun listen.

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 enemies to lovers
💋 forced proximity
💋 city girl/country boy

Gretchen grew up learning how to con people, but now only uses her skills to help comfort people by pretending to contact their deceased loved ones. One of her clients contacts her for an exorcism. Not her usual set of skills, but considering she doesn’t believe in ghosts, should be easy enough. Only the owner had no idea she was coming, didn’t believe in ghosts, saw through her act, and told her to go back where she came from, all in a 5 minute porch conversation. Whatever. The only problem is, as she’s leaving she runs into a real ghost who tells her the owner will die if he sells the farm like he is trying to and leaves without intending to come back. Well, she can’t have that on her conscious. But how is she going to convince him about this?

A 1920s ghost quoting Guy Fieri is everything I’ve ever needed in a book.

Gretchen kind of irritated me how she always self sabotages. But it’s in character since it’s what she’s always known and done.

I didn’t really …. Get the romance here. Gretchen always says that Charlie really sees the real her, but I don’t know that he does. I feel like the romance was just lust and close proximity.

So overall, this was fun and fresh and enjoyable and unlike anything I’ve ever read. The romance was lackluster, but the found family and the self discovery were wonderful!! And baby goats!! Gah!

“Gretch has considered Charlie’s suspicions something of a cinder block wall between them since she arrived at Gilded Creek. But after their conversation in the outbuilding Tuesday morning, she wonders if perhaps the wall has been replaced by a …. privacy fence? Something tall and still extremely difficult to make her way over, but at least now there are cracks of light shining through. It’s like she’s found a way to look through the slats, and see to the other side. Simultaneously, there’s now a sense that something is surrounding her, squeezing her just tight enough that she’s always aware of the constriction. She’s become tangled in something she can only describe as a fierce affection and … yearning. Convincing Charlie of the curse no longer feels like the centerpiece of her bullshit artist career, but something she needs deep inside in order to feel complete.”

Gretchen Acorn, a fake spirit medium, accepts a job from her most important client to help rid Charlie Waybill’s farm of a ghost so that he can get it sold. Charlie is instantly skeptical of Gretchen and her abilities. Ironically, Gretchen can see and talk to Everett, a real ghost cursed to haunt the farm. He informs Gretchen that if she doesn’t stop Charlie from selling, he will end up just like him. Dead and stuck on the farm forever. Gretchen can’t leave Charlie to his fate and decides to save him at all costs, whether he is a believer or not.

Happy Medium was my most anticipated read this year after falling in love with Sarah Adler’s Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, and I can say that it didn’t disappoint. However, I found the first half to be slow with a lot of set up.

Everett came across as very young and, at times, infuriating. I disliked how much Everett and Gretchen were on the page together during the first half, and Charlie was nowhere to be found.

Finally, during the second half, we see some big shifts, with Charlie and Gretchen finally letting down some of those sky-high brick walls and developing a relationship built on true friendship. Charlie is a sweet man, and the way he takes care of his grandpa with dementia or how he wears his grandma’s knitted sweaters to feel like he is surrounded by her love made my heart burst wide open. This was just a feel-good romance, and I was smiling by the end of it.

If you’re a fan of Lynn Painter and Abby Jiminez, then definitely give this book a shot.

~ Michelle

This was my first time reading Sarah Adler and I LOVED this so much. I immediately read her previous book (Mrs. Nashes Ashes). Her writing is perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Ashley Poston.

A con artist medium is about to get a rude awakening. An easy gig for ten grand turns into actual work, real ghosts, sexual tension, scary goats, and more.

P.S. The ghost was my favorite character.

Perfect for fans of Lana Harper and Rosie Danan, Happy Medium is a wonderful addition to the rom-com genre! With a cast of quirky characters (including a fake-yet not so fake-medium and wildly skeptical farmer), hints of magic, idyllic setting, and witty one-liners, Sarah Adler has avoided the sophomore slump with this escapist romance.

This is the spooky romance I never knew I wanted. It did take me a bit to get into the story. I didn't love the con women aspect, but I did enjoy that she always did her best to help more than she was getting. I did enjoy the love story.

Do you look forward to october every year for your witchy, spooky TBR? Then this book is just for you, and serves as a reminder there is no seasonal limits on books like these! I fell in love with Adler after Mrs.Nash's debuted last year, and Happy Medium confirmed my love for her craft. Funny, light, and perfect!

What I loved:
- goat farmer MMC
- bi-sexual FMC
- found family
- forced proximity
- enemies to lovers

A cute, funny, tender story about a haunted farmhouse, its cursed owner and a con woman medium who ends up actually meeting/communicating with a real ghost. Our FMC, Gretchen, has spent years conning people (with her own set of rules and morals mind you) into believing in ghosts and then when she finally meets someone who really sees her and is a skeptic, she needs him to believe she's telling the truth this time.

Gretchen knows what she does is definitely morally grey but she always makes sure she's giving more than she takes when it comes to accepting clients. When her best client asks her to help a dear friend exorcise a ghost from his family's farm so he can sell, she considers it easy money -- after all, ghosts aren't actually real. But what she finds when she gets there is a hot young property owner -- not the old man she expected her client's bridge partner to be -- and an actual honest to goodness ghost named Everett. Everett has been cursed to haunt his family's land and prevent any future Waybills from selling and ending up like him - dead and stuck there anway. When Everett realizes Gretchen can see him, he enlists her help in keeping Charlie from selling and therefore keeping him alive. Considering Charlie threatened to call the cops on her at their first meeting, it won't be an easy task.

Happy Medium is a story about honesty, trust, acceptance, and falling in love. But it's also about friendship and family -- not just those you're born into but the ones you choose. It's funny and heartwarming, sad at times but mostly a happy ride. The romance gives some insta-lust/love vibes even when they *don't like each other* but overall it's an easy read. If you're looking for a quick, cozy, sweet read with plenty of funny moments and a bit of spice, then this is a great choice!

con woman x farmer
family curse
forced proximity
enemies to lovers
a very fun ghost

I voluntarily read & reviewed an eARC from Berkley via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.