Book Review: Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

Title: Happy Medium
Author: Sarah Adler
Pages: 416
Publication Date: April 30, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary / Fantasy
Synopsis:

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 ( 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 beneficent one. 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 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 being fully, genuinely herself.

LINKS: Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Happy Medium is such a fun, heartwarming, and original rom-com. I was looking forward to this one after hearing so many wonderful things about the author’s debut novel Mrs. Nash’s Ashes. Adler has a unique voice that’s perfect for sexy and heartfelt rom-coms, and I plan on going back now and reading Adler’s first book. I love the author’s writing style and humor, the layered characters, and the love story!

Gretchen is a fake medium swindling many of the older people in town, but she’s in for a surprise when she goes to Charlie’s farm at the behest of one of her best clients. She expects an old farmer, but instead she meets the incredibly good-looking Charlie. After learning Charlie doesn’t believe in her and being ushered off the property, Gretchen encounters a real-life ghost with a warning about a curse and what will happen to Charlie if he sells the farm.

A con artist with a heart of gold, Gretchen shows so much growth throughout the story, and she’s a layered character – snarky and sharp with a quick wit. Gretchen goes through a lot as she tries to convince Charlie the curse is real when she knows most of her life is built on lies. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, and it, as well as some of her relationships, makes her take a hard look at her life. She and Charlie have so much chemistry, and their enemies-to-lovers vibes are fantastic. Their banter – so fantastic! Charlie shows a ton of growth too as he struggles to maintain the family farm. He’s such a grump and a total skeptic when it comes to Gretchen, but he is also really caring and good, and I liked seeing him heal and change over the course of the story.

Then, there’s Everett, the ghostly sidekick who often stole the scenes he was in. His friendship with Gretchen had the best banter. They are so comical together, and there were times when their scenes were really emotional. I love how the author seamlessly weaves humor and lightness with more serious and emotional subjects.

I really enjoyed this read. It’s fun and funny, emotional and charming, and the characters are great. And the goats! I have to mention how much I loved the goats! lol Special thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

• The romance.

• The found family.

• Everett!

• enemies to lovers
• found family
• forced proximity
• opposites attract
• grumpy/sunshine
• slow burn

Sarah Adler writes romantic comedies about lovable weirdos finding their happily ever afters. She lives in Maryland with her husband and daughter and spends an inordinate amount of her time yelling at her mischievous cat to stop opening the kitchen cabinets.

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