Sarah Adler, you little rascal, you...

This book is the biggest giggle, swelled up in love, wrapped up in a book.

To say Im in love is quite honestly, the understatement of the year.

Adler, is a genius behind the keyboard and completely dominated the rom-com genre with Happy Medium. Never in my life have I experienced a book quite like this one.

A con woman and a sexy farmer? Didn't see that one coming but sign me up!

The cast of characters were eccentric, lovable, and even at times down right annoying. Gretchen, Charlie and Everett. Gosh! How am I going to live without these three now that it's over?

Big thank you to Berkley, Netgalley and Sarah Adler, for allowing me to read and review this bestseller before the big release!

Happy Medium publishes April 30th and I promise, you don't want to miss it!

Check out this teaser :

A clever con woman must convince a skeptical, sexy farmer of his property's resident real-life ghost if she's to save them all from a fate worse than death, in this delightful new novel from the author of Mrs. Nash's Ashes.

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 beneficentone. 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.

Baby goats, farmers markets, enemies to lovers…and a friendly ghost. What more could you ask for in a romcom? Gretchen is a fake spirit medium making a living conning folks. When she’s called to “cleanse” a farm for a pretty penny, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with a real ghost, who has haunted the farm for nearly 100 years. Together they’re tasked with protecting the farm’s owner from ending up with the same fate…but it’s a tall order when he just thinks she’s pulling another scam…so some hilarious hijinks are in store as they convince him otherwise.
I couldn’t stop laughing while reading this and absolutely LOVED Everett!! What better of a spooky companion could you ask for.
Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Medium is an utterly charming read. After falling in love with the author's debut last summer, I was eager to dive into this book, anticipating a heartwarming romance. What I found instead was a delightful and quirky friendship between the main character and a ghost, which became the true standout relationship. The chemistry in their camaraderie warmed my heart and had me laughing out loud!

The romantic subplot, by comparison, seemed to take a backseat, which might leave fans of the author's previous work a bit underwhelmed. However, if you enjoy witty banter and a dose of eccentricity, the setting of a goat farm provides ample humor, and the character's growth throughout the story is genuinely satisfying. If you're in the mood for something fun and different, this book is a fantastic choice.

I absolutely adored this book. Gretchen and Charlie were so cute. I loved all of their interactions & the way Charlie took such good care of her despite his doubts about her. I also love how he fully accepted her for who she was once he understood her. Everett was also such a fun touch to this book. Normally I am not huge into paranormal aspects of books but how could you not love Everett?! Definitely recommend! 4/5

As soon as I saw hot, tattooed goat farmer, I was all in. This was such a cute, fun read! We have a con artist medium FMC who, surprise, all the sudden sees a real ghost, who happens to be my favorite character in the whole book. Mix in a grumpy goat farmer who doesn’t believe a word she says and sprinkle in some sexual tension and BAM! You have a winner. I am so glad I got the chance to pick this one up.

In these pages you will find:

-Enemies to Lovers
-A loveable, charming, and hilarious ghost
-Forced proximity
-GOATS!
-Banter galore (I loved the chemistry + slow burn between these two!)
-A fun romcom, with paranormal elements
-I’m going to say it again, GOATS!

I’m pretty sure goats + ghosts was the combo I didn’t know I needed in my life. If you are looking for a fun, quick read then definitely put this one on your radar.

I just finshed this audiobook this afternoon and it was a treat. I appreciated this unique and quirky romance plot. Gretchen Acron is a fake spirit medium. She ends up going to a goat farm to “save” one of her wealthiest clients', good friends, from the ghost on her farm. Gretchen believes this farm owner is going to be an old man. She’s pleasantly surprised when she meets Charlie, the young and attractive farm owner. Gretchen does really see the farm ghost, Everett, and needs to get Charlie to believe in his family curse. I grew to love all the characters, but I think Everett (the ghost) was the most entertaining.

This book won me over in the end, but it took some time in getting there. It was a little too silly for my personal tastes, and I sometimes felt it should have sacrificed some silliness for the sake of the romance. In the end, though, I appreciate some twists on well-worn romantic tropes, and I liked that the characters were messy. I didn't like this book quite as much as Mrs. Nash's Ashes, but I will definitely keep reading this author!

Gretchen is a spirit medium and the daughter of a con man. One of her wealthiest clients offers to pay her to do an exorcism at a friend's farm because she believes a spirit is interfering with the sale of the farm. So, Gretchen heads to Gilded Creek Goat Farm thinking that it will be easy to "cleanse" the property make some cash. But when she shows up, the owner Charlie (who isn't elderly, but young... and attractive) wants nothing to do with her mission. And then she meets the ghost who is really is haunting the property and finds out there is a curse that means Charlie will die if he sells the property. So, Gretchen cuts a deal with Charlie move in for 30 days and help on the farm in order to convince him that the curse is real. But can Charlie ever trust her?

Adler's book Mrs. Nash's Ashes was one of my surprise hits of last year. So I came into this one with high hopes for another feel good novel with a sweet romance thrown in. However, this one didn't captivate me the same way and I almost DNFed it several times. I don't know if it was the fact that the FMC starts off morally grey or the fact that I felt like Charlie wasn't nearly developed enough or the fact that there was an attempt at humor with Everett the Ghost seeing Gretchen naked without her consent. I did enjoy the last third of the book more, so I don't regret sticking it out. I felt like Gretchen was well-developed and enjoyed seeing her journey in the second half of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Rating: 3/5
Spice: 1.5/5

This is such a quick, fun read! I absolutely loved 𝙈𝙧𝙨. 𝙉𝙖𝙨𝙝‘𝙨 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨 last year and couldn’t wait to read this one! A broody farmer, baby goats, a fake medium, and a real ghost?! Sign me up!

Mara Wilson always does such a great job when she narrates but I especially love her humor and ability to amplify sarcasm. Everett the ghost was definitely my favorite character and Mara brought him to life in such a delightful way! You’ll definitely find yourself cracking up listening to his silly antics.

Gretchen is very good at faking her ability to talk to the dead thanks to the internet but when one of her favorite clients pays her to exercise a ghost from a house of one of her friends, Gretchen thinks she may be in over her head. That is until she shows up to the farm and runs into none other than the actual ghost! Now, she has to convince the young handsome owner that she’s not a fake while also talking him into keeping the farm so he doesn’t wind up with the same fate as ghostly Everett.

Add this one to your list if you’re a fan of:
- enemies to lovers
- cute baby goats
- ghosts with character
- a little sprinkle of spice

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f paranormal romance
-small town romance
-goat farm
-frenemies to lovers
-meddling ghost
-roommance

This was such a cozy read, I loved the goat farm setting. But my absolute favorite part was how grief was intertwined with the paranormal aspects of the story. Of finding family even in the most unexpected of places and of forgiving yourself. So much hinjinx and fun wrapped up in this story that I'm not srue I could do it justice. Sarah has such a unique voice to her writing

Thank you PRHAudo for a free audiobook and NetGalley and Berkley Pub for an eARC.

Take one slightly scam artist medium, who actually sees ghosts, and pair her with a grumpy goat farmer and you have one hilarious slow burn of a romcom.

Mix in some baby goats and a ghost who is addicted to television for some added fun and giggles.

This one had some witty banter, some sizzle in the romance, and lots of laughs.

Mara Wilson was fabulous with narration, adding warmth and wit to the story.

Thanks to Let's Talk Books Promo for letting me be a part of this Berkley Buddy Read.

I will admit that this book took a couple of chapters for me to get into. I did not instantly connect with Gretchen's character, and the story just didn't jibe with me. But the moment Everett (the ghost haunting Gilded Creek farm) popped up on the page, I was instantly drawn in. Everett's character is so perfect and charming that you cannot help but love him. He also brought out a side of Gretchen's character that had me seeing her in a different and more likeable light. The story also gets this wonderful injection of humour and lots of slightly outdated pop culture references (which should be expected when you are dealing with a ghost who has been around since the 1920s).

The overall story is a lot of fun once you get past the first couple of chapters. Gretchen, who is a con artist who pretends she can talk to ghosts, is asked to go to Charlie's farm to help him with a ghost problem. Gretchen thinks this will be a quick and easy job, but things take a dramatic turn when Gretchen literally walks through Everett, who is a ghost. Everett explains that Charlie cannot sell the farm because if he does, the family curse will kill him and prevent him from leaving. Gretchen finds herself trying to convince a very skeptical Charlie that she isn't a con artist and that ghosts and his family curse are very real. This story takes place over a month, so a lot happens during those four weeks.

There is a real fish out of water tropey feel to this book. Poor Gretchen has no idea how to work or live on a farm, resulting in some hilarious moments. There is also a fish-out-of-water experience when Gretchen learns that ghosts are real. Her growing friendship with Everett was wonderful. Their banter and chemistry were playful and just screamed best friends. As I mentioned, I didn't immediately take a shine to Gretchen's character. But once I understood her and her past, I started to really like her. Gretchen is battling some inner demons. She doesn't want to be like her father, a ruthless conman, but she also knows she needs to earn a living. She struggles with what she does but doesn't think she can do anything else. Her lifestyle is lonely, which is why she clicks so well with Everett and Charlie. Everett doesn't judge her for who she is, and Charlie is also living a life that has him rather lonely. I loved watching Gretchen find her place on the farm and begin to realize that she can break free from the cage she has placed herself in.

The romance in this story is delightful. It has this one-sided, loath-to-lovers feel to it. Charlie cannot stand Gretchen because he thinks she is a lying con artist who is out to swindle everyone she meets. I liked the relationship between these two. Charlie is a big old cinnamon roll with a heart of gold. You can tell that both characters feel something for each other but are hesitant to act upon those feelings. Charlie, because he doesn't think he can trust Gretchen. And Gretchen because she doesn't see how these two could have a future. The chemistry was fabulous, and like so many love stories where the two MCs don't get along, the banter is sharp and witty. The spice level is pretty tame, which worked with the overall story. There is a lot of progress and regress in their relationship, which is from Charlie's lack of trust in Gretchen's intentions. There is also forced proximity, instant attraction, miscommunication, and opposite-attract tropes sprinkled throughout this story.  All of these tropes come together to make a really enjoyable story.

Happy Medium is an easy-to-love paranormal romance. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique love story.

🐐Favorite Quote: “I haven’t been this excited since Charles accidentally left the TV on the entire weekend.” Everett smiles wistfully. “It was just the Weather Channel, but it sure beat sticking my head into the creek and making up soap opera plots for the tadpoles. Though I am rather proud of some of their character arcs.”

🪴Contemporary Romance
🪴Haunted Goat Farm
🪴Cursed Ghost
🪴Slow Burn
🪴Morally Grey FMC

💭My Thoughts:
I absolutely loved this book! It was cute and quirky while still touching on real feelings. Gretchen is just doing her best to survive with the skills she was taught. She is a total city girl meets farm boy and the attraction is instant! She is determined to help Charlie even if he doesn’t want her help. And he wants nothing to do with her when he finds out who she is 😂 I 100% recommend this book for Everett alone! His shenanigans were everything! Charlie was the quintessential cinnamon roll main character who stole my heart and is totally book boyfriend material 😍
I definitely loved the praise kink that happened when they finally got together! The slow burn was everything! Everett was just the icing on the cake!

This book was so fun! I adore Sarah Adler’s writing and this is a story that will stay with me. She writes such entertaining characters, great banter, and unique plots.

I loved that Gretchen, being a fake spirit medium/con woman, gets an offer from a client that she respects and can’t refuse - $10,000 to exorcise a “ghost” from a farm property that is keeping the owner from selling. What Gretchen doesn’t expect is for the farm owner to be a young, handsome goat farmer or for there to be an actual real ghost on the property. With the latter realization comes a new assignment - keep Charlie from selling the farm.

Gretchen was such a relatable character, just wanting to prove herself and find her own way in the world. And Charlie had such a wonderful grumpy exterior, while being caring and gooey inside. The grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers romance made me so happy - these two characters were just so good together!

I do think,though, that Everett - the ghost haunting the property - might have taken the cake! He had me cracking up so many times!

Gretchen Acorn is a fake spirit medium who tells her clients what they want to hear. She has one rule: she will only "con" or "help" someone if it will help them be better off. When one of her loyal clients offers her money to help "exorcise" the family farm that her friend is trying to sell, Gretchen immediately takes the cash and heads to the country. When she arrives, she's surprised to find out that her client's "friend" Charlie is actually her age, very very easy on the eyes and not so willing to believe her usual cons. Unconvinced she can speak to the dead or has any real medium skills, Charlie sends Gretchen on her way, but in a surprising turn of events Gretchen runs into the ghost haunting the farm. Gretchen who has never seen or spoken to a ghost in her life. Everett Waybill, Charlie's very great (somehow related) cousin tells her Charlie can not sell the Waybill family farm or he will be cursed and forced to live at the farm as a ghost just like him.

I really enjoyed this book! The scenario or plot in and of itself is very interesting. I'll admit when I originally dived into this title, I was hoping that Gretchen would be falling for the ghost... However, having Gretchen try to convince her later on love interest that there was a ghost was pretty entertaining. By far my favorite character with the best back and forth was Everett the ghost. He was just so entertaining.

The major issue that I felt this book had was the pacing and the aspects of the story that it decided to focus on. For example, I would have loved to know more about Gretchen's background rather than what was just shared in a specific little section of the book. As well as that, I felt as though the book was longer than what it needed to be.

One sentence summary: A fake medium ventures to a goat farm to find a very real ghost (who wants her to stay) and a very hot farmer (who wants her gone).

My thoughts: Ok I think this is one where I liked the premise better than the execution. I did enjoy reading this one, but I never really felt the romance. I did laugh quite a bit while reading this one and absolutely loved Everett. How could you not love a hundred year old meddling ghost?!

I think I would still recommend this one and I will definitely be checking out this author’s other work, but it’s not a new fave.

This cover is 10/10 though!

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes was one of my favorite books last year so I was really excited to read Happy Medium. I really enjoyed this unique take on a paranormal romance. I haven’t read a paranormal romcom with a ghost in it before, and it’s now something I want to read more of, especially if the ghost is like Everett! He was so funny, and I loved all of his references to TV shows. Everett was my favorite character for sure!

I liked both Gretchen and Charlie, and I thought their romance made sense. He was skeptic about her intentions, and I liked that she was honest about being able to see and talk to Everett. The scenes where they were farming were some of my favorites especially the first time Gretchen meets the goats. Note to self, don’t have almonds in your pocket if you’re around goats!

Overall, I found this romcom unique and refreshing. I like that Adler thinks outside the box and writes books that are different from your typical romance tropes. I look forwardto reading whatever she comes out with next!

Thank you Berkley and for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Sarah Adler's debut, Mrs. Nash's Ashes, however, Happy Medium was just a little too out there for me. I was interested in the fraudulent psychic component but the ghosts were just too quirky for my taste.

I'll chalk this up to a mismatch in taste and look forward to what Adler write next!

I breezed through Happy Medium, Sarah Adler’s newest paranormal romcom. The rural farm setting made the perfect backdrop for this story about a fraudulent spirit medium assigned to exorcise a grumpy goat farmers abode, only to find out that her “powers” might not be as fake as she thought.

Gretchen, Charlie, and the farm’s resident ghost Everett made up the trio of quirky characters at the heart of this book. Gretchen and Everett’s banter was beyond funny and was a true highlight of the novel. The way their friendship progressed was just as captivating as Gretchen and Charlies growing romantic relationship.

The enemies to lovers aspect between Charlie and Gretchen worked well due to Charlie’s innate skepticism and ability to see Gretchen to her core. This ends up being the basis of their romantic connection and watching Gretchen break down her walls and lay her truth bare was both vulnerable and lovely. I also thought Gretchen’s business savvy nature complimented Charlie well. I loved watching all the changes they implemented to keep Charlie’s family farm thriving. I do wish we had a little more backstory and resolution in regards to Gretchen’s relationship with her father but all in all, this was an adorable and fast-paced read!

What I loved:
Reformed con woman FMC
Hot goat farmer MMC
A sassy undead spirit
Peaceful rural setting
Adorable animal appearances
Enemies to lovers tension
The mysterious family curse

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What to Expect:
👻lots of pop culture references
👻he’s only grumpy with her
👻haunted farm
👻fake medium
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🫶🏽What I enjoyed
This book gave me ALL the feels! I laughed out loud, felt the tension/chemistry between Gretchen & Charlie, and Everette the ghost was my absolute favorite! He was hilarious and kept me thoroughly entertained. The ending was perfection and tugged at my heart. I loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, but this book became an instant fave and @sarahadlerwrites is now on my auto buy list
Happy Pub day Sarah!
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This book brought me nothing but pure joy ❤️
If anything, I’ve been in a mood for supernatural rom coms since reading it!