I read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
There was something about this book that made me want to read it all until it was finished! I guess it was unpredictable in the way that both main characters had dads that could've changed the outcome of the story. Luckily those factors didn't affect the ending.
I think I really enjoyed Gretchen's interactions with Everett a lot too. Plus the fact that Gretchen had some baggage and a past, it really helped the audience to like her.
4.5 stars

Gretchen Acorn doesn’t consider herself a grifter. She tries to kid herself that her blue-haired grannies feel better for a fake séance. At the back of her mind it’s her father who is the ultimate snake oil salesman. She’s so good at faking ghostly appearances that one of her rich clients decides she would be perfect to exorcise a friend’s farmhouse so he can sell his farm. Gretchen thinks that would be cool. She examines the offer from every angle and thinks it can’t do any harm especially because of the vast sum offered.
Her new ‘client’, Charlie Waybill, can spot a fraud from a mile off and Gretchen makes a bad first impression. She decides to cut her losses but it’s the friendly ghost she meets on the way out that shocks Gretchen into her first real unselfish act. She decides to stay to help to lift a family curse that would condemn the rather hot Charlie Waybill to an eternity rattling his chains around his goat farm. It seems Gretchen isn’t as cynical as she likes to believe as she befriends Everett, the family ghost and tries to convince Charlie of the reality of the problem before he falls victim. It turns out she’s not as selfish as she thinks and not only discovers love but also the power of real friendship.
Despite have a somewhat dark premise this turned out to be an absolute hoot. There is plenty of fun to be had in the will they won’t they romance and we get to learn just why Gretchen holds back from love and friendship whilst demonstrating to Charlie that there are things he can also change to make a better life. As for Everett, the ghost, he gets to make a journey too. This is great fun and I hope there are more to come.

4 stars⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the e-arc of this cute little rom-com. The plot of this book was written so good! I loved how it had the paranormal element in it with Everett and the characters were lovely too!

A well-meaning con-artist is hired to rid a house of its hauntedness, only to realise that ghosts are real – and annoying. Suddenly, Gretchen finds herself responsible for convincing said haunted house’s owner, Charlie, that his farm is, in fact, cursed, and that he’ll die if ever leaves.

This task proves to be tricky, but with the help of the impatient and meddling ghost, Emmett, they might all be fine.

I’ve heard such great things about Mrs Nash’s Ashes – which I’m still excited to read! – but this novel was unfortunately not for me. It’s rather long, and I felt there was a lot of back-and-forth in the characters' relationships, which was a bit tiring. The dialoge also felt a bit off; I think this story would have worked well as a movie, maybe something like Hillary Duff’s Cinderella.

Happy Medium can provide a welcome break from a busy life, and is well suited for a reader who likes to take their time.

Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

If you love small-town romances and don’t mind some paranormal aspects, this book is perfect for you! It’s about a fake spirit medium named Gretchen, who is tasked with helping a friend of a client sell their house by exorcising the ghost who haunts it. However, the owner of the house doesn’t believe in the supernatural, and Gretchen finds herself trying to convince him that this time, it’s not a con, and there truly is a ghost named Everett haunting the house.

The ghost, Everett, is hilarious and unhinged, and the main couple, Gretchen and Charlie, are both quite relatable. I couldn’t help but devour the book in a single day! The spicy parts of the book are very well-written, and I was hooked from the very first chapter. The only reason I didn’t give it a 5-star rating was that I felt we could have had a more thorough development of the main couple’s relationship. While the book is not short by any means, I felt that the pacing of the relationship was a bit rushed at times.

A blatant con-woman operating as a spirit medium with her own version of a moral code. A goat farmer who’s struggling, isolated, and understandably sceptical of the aforementioned medium’s motives. And a television-obsessed ghost revelling in the fact that someone can actually see him for the first time in a century. All of these combine to produce a heartwarming and thoroughly romantic novel full of humour, character growth… and goats. I particularly enjoyed the push-pull slow burn relationship between Gretchen and Charlie, falling for each other despite their best intentions, and that was offset beautifully by Everett, a metaphorical and literal scene-stealer with his dramatic flair. Delightfully entertaining and highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

A book that will make you smile. Turning up on a goat farm at the behest of her most profitable client Acorn is called out as a fraud. A confidence trickster playing medium for profit. But the exorcism she has been booked to carry means she meets the real ghost.
If the owner sells the property and it's no longer in the family he will be condemned to the afterlife for ever.
Belief, disbelief and opening up to possibilities.
Enjoy I did

The main character, Gretchen Acorn, may be a fake spirit medium, but her intentions are pure when she agrees to help a skeptical, sexy farmer, Charlie Waybill, who is struggling to sell his goat farm due to unexplainable occurrences. As Gretchen navigates her way through the task of convincing Charlie of the property's resident ghost, she finds herself falling for him. But with the looming threat of losing him to the spirit realm, Gretchen must use all of her cunning and charm to save the farm and the man she's grown to love. Adler's writing is humorous and heartwarming, making this novel a delightful read for fans of her previous work, Mrs. Nash's Ashes.

When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get on but I ended up loving it and loving all of the characters! It was a slow start but once I started to get into the book, I couldn’t put it down.

It starts with Gretchen, who’s making a living being a fake medium and helping others “connect” with their loved ones after they have passed away. When one of her clients offers her a lot of money to help her friend get rid of a ghost, Gretchen can’t say no. Except what she didn’t have in mind would be that the hot but grumpy farm owner thinks she’s a fraud and all but slams his front door in her face. That is until Everett, the very real and very dead ghost appears, begging her to save Charlie from the family curse that has him haunting guilded creek forever.

Watching Gretchen try and explain to Charlie why he can’t sell the house and goat farm was very entertaining, because Charlie just doesn’t believe her at all. Nothing she could say would change his mind but watching as the two of them grow closer, and their relationships grows, so does Charlie’s suspicion that maybe she isn’t lying this time.

I loved watching as Charlie and Gretchen started to trust each other and open up more, having a few cute and heartfelt moments together but what I loved the most, was watching the friendship between Gretchen and Everett. He was such a character and really made me laugh the entire time I was reading, his inappropriate comments only Gretchen can hear as well as the mischief he gets up to with other guests.

I really enjoyed the whole concept of this book and how their weren’t just 2 main characters and that Everett had such a big role within this story, he really managed to make me laugh and I loved reading about the time they spent together and how they worked together (sort of) to help Charlie and the goat farm.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and how comfortable it made me feel while reading it, I could picture everything I was reading and that made my experience even better!

This is the second book by this author I have read and I read it one sitting - just as I did with the first, Mrs Nash's Ashes.

Gretchen is a bit of a con artist, but with a heart of gold, who is sent by one of her most wealthy clients to a farm to perform an exorcism. But once she gets there and meets the man, Charlie (Hot and Grumpy) and the Ghost (strangely wonderful and a bit gross) she decides to do the opposite. She has to get Charlie to stay and make the farm successful, despite her discomfort around goats and love for her suede boots.

Charlie is automatically suspicious of Gretchen. He thinks she's been scamming his friend and he's a skeptic anyway. He doesn't believe that the ghost is real but he's willing to let her stick around for reasons he does not want to analyse to closely.

Sparks fly but also moments of closeness happen and Everett, the ghost, not only becomes one of Gretchen's best friends, but helps her to see the good in herself. I loved the relationships in this book. The characters are complex and believable, even though one of them is on an astral plane. They are very endearing. The end was bittersweet (still a HEA for our couple) but I put it down with a smile on my face.

This author is one I will continue to follow - I really enjoy her style of writing and the way she writes about human frailty with empathy and insight. And even though the romance is slow burn, it packs a punch.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When I started this book, I was thinking - how is this going to work? But wow this turned out to be the perfect romcom!
A witty romance with a hint of the paranormal set on the backdrop of a goat farm.

Gretchen Acorn is a con-artist with a conscience. She has a rule to only leave people better off than she finds them -while simultaneously conning them out of money. When a regular client contracts her to help a friend, Charlie Waybill with a pesky farm haunting, the last thing she expected was to meet a real ghost.

When Charlie makes it clear he sees her as nothing but a con-artist taking advantage of his friend, and Everett, (the resident ghost), makes it clear there is a curse on the Waybills that she must convince Charlie of, Gretchen realises she's signed up for a lot more than she bargained for.

Convincing Charlie via a bet that she can persuade him she's being genuine leads to a whirlwind of banter, grumpiness, goats and chemistry as Gretchen and Charlie try to discern what is and isn't real, while working together to save the farm, and Charlie's life.

Tropes&Micro-Tropes include

-Forced Prox
-Enemies to lovers
-Ghost Banter
-Grumpy but soft-hearted MMC
-Goats
& more!

I was left feeling utterly bewitched by Sarah's style of writing and I would for sure recommend her to anyone looking to delve into her work or this genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, and I have to say I was very surprised because this is not my usual romantic comedy, but it was a great introduction to Sarah's work as it was my first time reading her books.

At the start, I felt the story was slow, and I felt a bit uneasy as I don't enjoy reading about people who scam others for a living. However, I found myself laughing when Gretchen was sent to perform an exorcism and encountered a real ghost; I thought this was the best way to redeem this con artist, haha.

Overall, I enjoyed this read, but it was not my favorite. I loved the banter between these enemies, who, of course, turned into lovers, and how the grump turned out to be the softest, gooey cinnamon roll underneath.

I enjoyed Happy Medium by Sarah Adler and would recommend it to others who enjoy a story with light humour, enemies to lovers/grumpy meets sunshine type tropes and steamy romance. It has the classic city girl falling for the countryside but with a twist, she can see and talk to a ghost! It was very entertaining and I look forward to reading more by Sarah Adler.

Going into Happy Medium, I found myself vaccillating between being appalled at how Gretchen was conning people, and applauding her genius - she was really good at telling people what they wanted (and needed) to hear.
It took me a minute to get into it, but once I was in, I was completely hooked!
Everett the ghost made for a great sidekick. He actually stole the limelight quite a few times. He shone through all of his scenes, brought the fun, and oftentimes an unexpected poignancy to the story.
I loved both Gretchen and Charlie. Gretchen was such a good soul, wanting to help people (even though her means were morally questionable), and Charlie was, like Everett (the ghost) said, a good egg. It was a slow-burn for them, and it really paid off.
This book is riddled with pop culture though. And mostly came from the decades-old ghost too - lol at his obsession with tv shows - which made it hilarious. However, in most of the cases, I could not get the reference and that was a bit frustrating to me.
That being said, I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. A very enjoyable one!

Thank you to Quercus Books for the ARC via Netgalley UK. All opinions are my own.

I’m very new to romance and seem to only choose books with a witchy or paranormal element which can be a bit hit or miss, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

I really liked all of Everett and Gretchen’s interactions, he may have been slightly annoying but who wouldn’t after so many years of loneliness. It made me think of BBC series Ghosts and I loved all of Everett’s TV references.

Charlie was the perfect brooding hero, even with the garish jumpers - very Mark Darcy.

There was just the right level of spice in this for me but I think I’m pretty vanilla! I’d definitely read more from this author if it’s in a similar vein.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this arc!

This was such a fun read - it was quick and witty, and there were a lot of funny one-liners.

Gretchen was sassy and sarcastic, and her character had depth instead of falling flat. Her interactions with Everett made me laugh and cry, especially when he admitted how lonely he was and that he saw that in her.

The tension between Gretchen and Charlie was electric, and I loved watching them soften towards each other.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to seeing what the author does next!

Happy medium was the perfect mix of funny, heartwarming, and enchanting, all wrapped up with an original plot for the seamless rom-com recipe.
Grenchem was raised to be a con artist and earns her living pretending to speak with ghosts. In an surprising turn of events, she ends up in haunted farm speaking with a real ghost, trying to convince a sceptic tattooed farmed that this time she is telling the true.

I was utterly charmed by Grenchem and Charlie! Their banter was great, and their chemistry was off the charts. I must admit that at some point I was a bit worried with Charlie’s behaviour, but he does have a wonderful heart that won me over completely.

Everett was the best character and absolutely steals the show!

<i>I would like to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest an honest review.</i>

P.S: As a former big4 consultant, I feel obliged to defend their honour and tell you that absolutely no one working in Deloitte, PwC, EY or KPMG would ever go to a bar wearing clothes with the company’s logo, much less bet $1,000 on whichever… everyone is usually too overworked, and value their hard-earned salary too much.

Gretchen is a fake medium, sent by one of her clients to carry out an exorcism on a friends goat farm. Charlie the owner is sceptical. Things get complicated when Gretchen meets the ghost, Everett, Carlue's ancestor. Cursed to stay on the farm he tasks Gretchen to stop Charlie selling the farm or he too will end up like Everett.

The ensuing rom-com story plots Gretchen's attempts to make Charlie believe but also details Gretchen's attempts to resolve her own issues.

An interesting idea for a story but too many plotlines some of which are never resolved. The relationship between Everett and Gretchen is the most interesting one!

A fun read but not a great one.

A flimflam woman, a hot tattooed farmer and a cursed tv obsessed ghost living on a goat farm made for a wonderfully engaging read. Gretchen was a great female lead who after years of playing a medium actually ended up being one. She was funny, snarky and charming and relatable in her loneliness and fear that she was not wanted (I kept wanting to bubble wrap her heart). Charlie was a lovely, soft hearted marshmallow, struggling with his own loneliness and the pressures that came with holding everything together. Their chemistry was electric and loved how these two people found each other in such strange circumstances and found that piece they had each been missing. And finally Everett, I loved him and all his ridiculousness. He was funny, a little sad, charming, soooo dramatic and a such a child in often hilarious way. The connection, love and friendship that grew between him and Gretchen was wonderful and heartwarming. A very entertaining read. 4.5 ⭐️

I absolutely LOVED this book. The premise was so great - I loved the fact that it felt utterly original but managed to deliver brilliantly on so many great romance tropes, a balancing act that takes real skill. I cared tremendously about the characters, and wanted only good things for them. The chemistry between Gretchen and Charlie was flawless, and the way they saw and understood each other absolutely swoon worthy. Of course, Everett was a huge joy, and there were so many lines that had me laughing out loud.

Honestly, one of the best rom coms I’ve read for ages, full of baby goats and sassy ghosts, a beautiful family farm that needs saving, and a handsome, tattooed, knitting- enthusiast of a love interest. A total delight.