I enjoyed this but unfortunately not quite as much as Mrs. Nash’s Ashes. I didn’t feel like I connected to the romance like I wanted to, but I found Everett to be so incredibly funny!

Gretchen is a fake spirit medium who attempts to only use her acts to help people and never to harm. When her client asks her to do a cleansing at a friend Charlie's goat farm, she's initially reluctant until she realizes how much money she can make. Charlie is completely skeptical of Gretchen and wants nothing to do with her. However, as Gretchen is about to leave, she discovers a real ghost Everett who says there is a curse and only Gretchen can help save both Everett and Charlie. Gretchen now has to figure out how to convince Charlie that Everett is real and in the meantime learns more about the farm. Overall, a relatively low stakes romance with a happy ending. There are some quirky parts and Everett was an interesting character, but the romance between Gretchen and Charlie wasn't necessarily the strongest.

Rating: 4.25/5
Steam: 2.5
Warnings: con artist /history of deceiving other, parental estrangement, death of a loved one and grief

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have I attempted to write this review many times over the last month? Yes. But really it's just because it was such a good sophomore novel and I don't have many thoughts on it. Or maybe I do and I just needed to sit down and start writing them.

Here's what I loved: I was so charmed by this book and the quirky story it followed. I LOVED our friendly ghost, Everett, and his need to watch television. Goat yoga, to selling soap and cheese to all the farm things. I was transported. Gretchen's character felt so realistic as she grew emotionally and as a person. I loved how Charlie evolved and melted into sweetest cinnamon roll MMC. He was a good egg and had all the qualities of the hot hero starter pack (tattoos, forearms and gray sweatpants).

Here's what I didn't love: For a period of time, the back and forth of Charlie. He was giving hot and cold to a point I was getting a bit of whiplash. The final conflict really did have me wanting them to just talk to each other.

How DARE Sarah Adler make me fall in love with a character that I just knew would break my heart?! Am I free on Friday? No, I'm watching Gilmore Girls with Everett.

Adler has done it again, Mrs. Nash's Ashes was one of my favorite 2023 reads and now Happy Medium can be one of my favorite 2024 reads.

I’d heard of Sarah Adler’s other book, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, but hadn’t had a chance to read it yet. But now, after reading Happy Medium, I’ve added it to my TBR ASAP list!

Happy Medium is about a woman named Gretchen who pretends to be able to speak to the dead - but is very adamant to herself that she only takes clients who she believes she can actually help by “communicating” with their loved ones. However, when her best client sends her to a friend’s goat farm to “exorcise” a ghost that’s preventing its sale, she discovers that there’s at least one ghost she can actually see - and he has a very good reason for preventing the sale of the farm.

So instead of pretending to exorcise an imaginary ghost, she ends up teaming up with him to convince Charlie not to sell the farm - and along the way, to her surprise, ends up falling for both the farm and its owner. It’s a lesson in joy, and trust, and prioritizing the good and happiness of others over oneself.

3.5

I feel very conflicted about this one. It was super silly which is great I have no problems with that but I personally felt like Gretchen and Charlie had no chemistry. So I was never invested in what happened to them. I love Mrs. Nash’s so I’ll read whatever Sarah Adler writes this just wasn’t my favorite.

3.5 Stars

I thought this was unique romance with a ghost, a fake medium and farmer. It was a quirky story filled with a great cast of characters my favorite being the ghost, Everett. He was hilarious and his interactions with Gretchen made me laugh out loud. The romance between Gretchen and Charlie was slow burn with them first enemies, friends and then lovers. My one complaint was that Charlie was initially really mean and rude to Gretchen – he didn’t even want her on his property, but then he redeemed himself by the end. Other than that, it was a charming and enchanting read!

Read If you enjoy:
Forced Proximity
Friendly ghosts
Small town romances

This is an interesting women's fiction with a romance because it has paranormal/fantasy elements but that is not really related to the romance. Our FMC starts off pretty morally grey (conning people using her abilities) and then progressing to form solid relationships with others.

I think this would be the perfect fall read.

I have never read a book by this author before, but I would definitely read another one based on this.

Thank you so much to Berkley for my gifted eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I liked Adler's book from last summer, Mrs. Nash's Ashes, and I was excited to pick this one up too! The premise sounded funny and interesting and I love enemies to more stories! But unfortunately I DNFed this book. I just wasn't excited to pick it up and felt a little apathetic about the storyline. However, I think this was a me problem and I hope that everyone loves it as I think it would be a perfect read around Halloween time!

I binged Happy Medium, IMMEDIATELY falling in love with Everett.

Gretchen has been a spirit medium for awhile, content with letting others believe her lies. When asked to figure out why a small town goat farm isn't selling, she goes and finds a whole lot more than she bargained for. The farm's owner, Charlie, does not whatsoever believe why Gretchen is there or that his farm is haunted by a friendly ghost. Convincing him is going to take a lot of work and the stakes are high. But there's no job that this happy medium won't try.

I adored the goats and the way we could tell Charlie had the best of heart without truly getting his point of view. I cackled laughing and relating towards his Walmart viewings. However; I just couldn't fully get behind Gretchen's family plot at the end and how she didn't open the letter her dad had sent her! It was too much of a build up to leave that section up to the reader's interpretation.

If you’re looking for a fun, quirky, romcom, with some spicy enemies to lovers vibes, you’ve come to the right place.

Gretchen, is great at what she does, and that is pretending to be medium. But when she is hired by hottie Charlie to cleanse his house, following some mysterious happenings during his open houses, she finds that she may not have been pretending at all.

She encounters a ghost Everett, and their conversations are hilarious and fun. Gretchen has to now convince Charlie to keep him, and the farm.

Loved loved loved!

We're reading this book for my Romance Book Club that I host!! I can't wait to share it with all my friends!

This is a cute book! I really loved the fact that the protagonist is a little morally grey -- usually we follow someone close to perfect, and it was a breath of fresh air for her to be a con woman (with a heart of gold, natch).

This romance was a winner! I loved the dialogue between characters, the funny ghost, some of the hijinks, and the relationship building between characters 😍

This book made my heart happy, and I loved how our FMC grew in her confidence in herself and feelings of her value to the world 💕

If you love books with…
ENEMIES TO LOVERS
A HILARIOUS GHOST BESTIE
SEXUAL TENSION AND SPICE
FAMILY CURSES
BANTER
BABY GOATS
COMPLICATED FAMILY

This may be for you!

I appreciate the lack of a third act breakup but this was fine. Not overly interesting but okay. Not the spooky silly Halloween romance I was hoping for so don’t go into looking for that. Sure there’s a ghost but honestly the way Everett is described, he’s just a pale cold dude that floats. I just felt like it was super average and not overly rememberable

Happy Medium covers a window in Gretchen Acorn’s life when she is coming to terms with her true feelings about her life as a Spirit Medium, her inability to form close relationships to trust in others, as well as accepting that she is, quite possibly, not a bad person after all. At this crucial juncture, she also runs into Everett, the resident ghost at Gilded Creek farm and Charlie, the farms owner. And that’s where the story kicks off.

I don’t think I have ever read a contemporary romance novel that centers around the paranormal, without it also being a paranormal romance. So, for me, the plot of this book really felt like a breath of fresh air right from the get go! The blooming relationships that Gretchen forms with the residents of Gilded Creek Farm, both alive and not, were a delight to read. The best friend banter between her and Everett was crisp and snarky! The plot was surprising even while it was familiar. I loved how well rounded the whole book was!

I also have to add that the inner monologues does touch upon hints of loneliness and depression. However, I believe it was done well, without overwhelming the plot but providing the right impetus to move it forward. And there wasn’t a magical fix provided for it going away. I like that reality check.

Overall, loved this book and would recommend if you’re looking for a silly and light read that could, on closer inspection, make you think deeply.

I loved this book. The paranormal aspect was such a fun twist on this romance. I loved the witty banter and found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire thing. I loved the city girl meets farm life so much!

The was such a fantastic follow up to Mrs. Nash's Ashes! Sarah Adler is a must read in the contemporary romance/women's fiction space.

So fun! Perfect for folks looking for a quick, delightful read. Felt fluffy and wonderful. I would definitely recommend!

This was my first Sarah Adlrer book and oh my goodness, it was so soft and charming. It was the perfect introduction to the kind of writer she is. Happy Medium is such a wholesome and unconventional story that created a blend that I could not put down. I was transfixed by the words, and I couldn't get enough of Charlie and Gretchen. They were such a perfect pairing despite their not-so-great beginnings. This was such a quirky romance and I can't wait to read more from Sarah Adler!