If you are looking for reasons to dive right into this book I have included a few of my favorite (made up) themes:

👻 Hillarious Ghost
🐐 Unruly Goats
🧶 Sweater trope (think Chris Pine)
🤬 Family curses

Gretchen is a professional “bs” artist. In fact she comes from a long line of them. Her current con is as a psychic medium that communicates with the dead. She has a nice little business going in DC with a wealthy clientele. Although she doesn’t really communicate with the dead she has 1 rule that she follows, not to harm anyone and that the people she helps end up better off.

All is fine until her favorite client offers her an offer she can’t refuse to go to a goat farm and perform an exorcism to rid the farm of a pesky ghost. Knowing that there are no such things as ghosts, Gretchen figures there is nothing to lose.

That is until Gretchen shows up and gets the door slammed in her face by Charlie. Charlie the very much younger owner of the property seems to see right through Gretchen’s scheme and kicks her out without a second glance.

Unfortunately as she attempts to flee Gretchen comes face to uh, face? With Everett, the resident ghost.

Everett informs her of a generational curse preventing the sale of the land. If Charlie sells the land he will die and be forced to live on the land instead of passing on.

Now Gretchen has to do the impossible, convince Charlie she isn’t a fraud, (right now at least) make the farm profitable and convince him not to sell it. This might just be her hardest hustle yet..

Spice 🌶️🌶️
Humor 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Definitely a must read!

✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Big City to Farm
✔️ And They're Roommates
✔️ Magical Realism

Just like with Mrs Nash's Ashes, there were some incredibly funny lines and situations in Happy Medium.

I loved seeing Gretchen's transformation to caring just about her own survival to caring about others around her (particularly Charlie and Everett). I loved watching Charlie slowly thaw as a result of Gretchen trying so hard.

I also loved how both characters start out as polar opposites but as you get to know them you see that both are lonely and had kind of given up on connection until each other. 🥹

Also, I know folks found sweaters sexy after Chris Evans in Knives Out but there is a sweater scene here that is 👨‍🍳💋.

Highly recommend!

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

“Loving you will always be worth it.”

If you hear a loud noise, that’s me screaming over how adorable this book is. I mean, come on, a con artist medium moving onto a goat farm with a grumpy goat farmer who has a BABY GOAT tattoo? And there’s ghosts? AND spice? Sign me up, respectfully.

Gretchen and Charlie are both well-developed characters who grow as the story progresses, and they really play off each other well. I do think Gretchen’s B-plot of her father and background was sort of overshadowed by the main plot, but I do think it helped flesh out her avoidance toward relationships of any kind.

The banter. Oh my goodness the banter:

“‘God knows the lengths you’ll go to fuck me over.’”
“‘I have no intention of fucking you over.’”

Also, Everett the ghost? So fun. It was a refreshing twist on the meddling best friend trope in romance books, and his quips genuinely made me laugh out loud. I do think he got a little annoying at times, however, and some of his banters with Gretchen didn’t add much but more humor to the plot.

The romance was a delightful slow burn, and I love how genuine we see Gretchen become with Charlie. I didn’t think a story about goats and ghosts would win me over, but I absolutely recommend Happy Medium to anyone wanting a romcom with a light supernatural twist. I just wouldn’t go into it expecting anything too deep.

Sarah Adler is officially one of my favorite new authors. I absolutely loved the humor and quirk of Mrs. Nash's Ashes but Happy Medium absolutely blew me away with beautifully descriptive writing and depth while never losing the quirk and humor that drew me to her writing in the first place. I cracked up at all the television references (tv addict here) and the banter between Gretchen and (ghost) Everett was off the charts fantastic. Last but not least, the chemistry between Charlie and Gretchen, even as Charlie put in a valiant fight to stop it, was sparkling. Sarah Adler is a true talent, and I cannot wait to read her next book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Con artist Gretchen is a fake spirit medium who lives by one rule as her moral compass: She only takes on a client if she can leave them better off than when she met them. When her best client offers her $10,000 to help her bridge partner cleanse his presumably haunted goat farm so he can sell it, she can't really say no. Gretchen is surprised on her arrival that Charles "Charlie" Waybill, the bridge partner, is actually an attractive man around her age how does not believe in the supernatural whatsoever. After he kicks her out, Gretchen is even more shocked to learn that there actually is a cursed ghost haunting the farm and only she can see him. Gretchen has one month to convince Charlie not to sell the farm, or else he will meet the same cursed fate.

I was so excited for this book. The plot sounded like fun and I loved the cover. I was even more excited when I learned that it was written by Sarah Adler, who wrote one of my favorite books from last year- "Mrs. Nash's Ashes." I was hoping that this book would be just as good and it didn't disappoint.

I usually don't love morally gray characters, at least not in my romances, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the character of Gretchen. She does bad things, but she tries to not actually hurt anyone. I found myself buying into her rule and appreciating that she grappled with what she was doing. It made her journey more interesting and you appreciate where she ends up in the end.

The author has said that this book was partly inspired by flipping the relationships in the movie Ghost and I definitely felt it while reading. Gretchen is Whoopi Goldberg's character, the fake psychic medium who suddenly can talk to a ghost and has to convince someone that they're not lying this time. Instead of reconnecting lovers, the medium in this one falls in love with the one who is still alive. It was a fun take on it and I think it worked really well. I also got hints of Meg Cabot's "The Mediator" series with the way that the medium interacted with the often annoying ghost.

I also enjoyed the goat farm aspects of the book. It's not a setting that I've read before and was a good vehicle for putting things into perspective for Gretchen.

I liked the male lead Charlie. He took a while to listen to Charlie but his skepticism felt very believable. Wouldn't most of us not believe a woman claiming to be a psychic? He was clear with his intentions and expectations and communicated pretty well. I'm a sucker for good guys in books and he definitely was one.

Sarah Adler is a wonderful writer. I love her use of imagery and her wide variety of references to other media. I trust any book that she writes in the future.

This was such a fun and charming book! The focus on Gretchen's relationships with Charlie and Everett were so entertaining. Charlie automatically sees right through her and puts up his guard. A little jarring for her, I think it’s exactly what she needs to move forward from this lifestyle she lives. They can’t help being drawn to one another, and their chemistry is so apparent, they can’t resist each other for too long.

Her and Everett’s dynamic is hilarious. The fact that she pretends to communicate with ghosts for her job and then ends up being able to actually see one, is divine intervention. Their squabbling is too funny and was the shining star of the story. I was a tiny bit put off by his perviness though, I don’t think that was necessary.

Such an interesting premise, and a different story that you’ll enjoy if you need a good laugh! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

I received this ARC and dove right in- I mean look at the cover: Adorable with a promise of goats!

This is my first book by Sarah Adler, as I have not yet read Mrs Nash's Ashes. After reading this book, I think will be moving that up on my TBR. I find her writing style to be easy to read and she's pretty funny!

The blurb seemed promising, though if I am honest with myself any time I pick up a book that promises something paranormal in a contemporary setting I am skeptical even though I can name several authors who do this type of thing well. I enjoyed this book, but I did have a hang up. But let's start with some positives.

I thought the concept of her being a fraudulent medium that ends up truly able to communicate with a ghost to be pretty fun. There are several funny moments that made me laugh out loud too. I liked the FMC and appreciated the care put into detailing her so called "rule" and explanation why she is how she is or how she ended up doing what she does. I found it helpful since I felt worried I would have difficulty relating or liking her at all since she is a con artist that is taking advantage of people for a living. No such issue really! Also the ghost in this story is the best lol. Loved him! I was pleased that there wasn't anything too heavy, other than the looming curse of course, and that the resident ghost was kind of like comic relief at times.

Now, I want to talk about what I wish we got from this book. THE MMCS POV! I'm not saying it isn't believable that someone could fall for a con artist while knowing they are a con artist, but man I kept wishing I was in his head. He was clearly suspicious of her, he made that known, but some of their interactions had me scratching my head because I had no way of knowing how he was truly feeling. Especially given how insane everything happening to him is. I know that may have been a specific choice the author made, but it FELT missing and I kept thinking he felt kind of one dimensional by comparison to the FMC because of it.

I wouldn't walk into this expecting to get blown away but it's enjoyable enough and there are cute goats.

I loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes so I could not wait to get my hands on this book! It took me a minute to get into this book because of the quirkiness of the FMC, but I think it’s because of the time of year that I’m reading it. I think this is the perfect book to add to your fall TBR list! It’s got all the great romance with a little supernatural activity with ghosts! This book has two of my favorite tropes: grumpy, sunshine & found family! I could have loved the ending of this book more!

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until April 30, 2024! But this is my honest review!

Gretchen Acorn makes a living by connecting the actual living with their dearly departed. Well, at least that’s what she CLAIMS to do. In reality, Gretchen is a con artist, justifying her lies are only done in the name of giving others hope. After all, where’s the harm in having faith?

So when one of Gretchen’s bread and butter clients approaches her with a supersized, supernatural assignment, her first inclination is to refuse the opportunity. Then the woman makes an offer Gretchen (and more importantly, her dwindling bank account), simply can’t refuse. This is how Gretchen finds herself trekking to a haunted goat farm in the hopes she can con, err, convince tbe elderly owner not to sell.

Only when Gretchen arrives she’s the one who can’t believe what she’s seeing. For one thing, the owner of the farm, Charlie, might be stubborn, but he’s also young and hot. Then there’s the matter of the Gilded Creek ghost that not only seems to really exist, but only Gretchen, the fake medium, apparently can see him. As Everett, the entertaining ghost, explains it- Charlie cannot sell the property or his soul will be forced to live there forever, a fate Everett knows all too well. Now Gretchen finds herself tasked with the job of not only making Charlie to stay, but that what she says is for real. But how do you go about convincing a skeptic to believe you, when your whole life has been built on a lie?

Happy Medium is the sophomore release from a new favorite author of mine, @sarahadlerwrites. In fact, if you enjoyed her debut, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, I’d say you’re likely to enjoy this story as well. There are some parallels in both, Hadler writing about matters of life and death with a mix of enjoyment and depth. But the real scene stealer is the engaging Everett, a laugh out loud ghost that will have you saying, Casper who? before too long.

I’m new to @sarahadlerwrites books and after binge reading this book as well as Ms. Nash’s Ashes, it was a mistake on my part to wait this long.

This book features a very angsty Gretchen Acorn, a con woman in the form of a gifted but fake spirit medium, isolated and alone by choice because she’s been disappointed by her father, a con man, and herself, too many times. Her best friend is her roommate Yolanda, but she considers it a transactional relationship because Yolanda pays rent.

A rich senior citizen who has been paying Gretchen to speak to her deceased daughter Rachel (a con), wants Gretchen to exorcise a ghost from a goat farm for $10K. Gretchen can use the money and the opportunity to hide from her deadbeat father, so she goes to the goat farm dressed as a boho goth spirit medium, in full glory.

She’s expecting another senior citizen, but instead she gets Charlie Waybill, his grandson, who is absolutely furious that his elderly friend Deborah sent Gretchen to him. Charlie is a brawny, tattooed, angstball in an ugly sweater.

She also gets Everett, Charlie’s relative, who is a ghost. Suddenly she’s not a charlatan, and nobody believes her.

Everett has been haunting the farm. He can’t leave the farm, and worse yet, he says that if Charlie tries to leave the farm, Charlie will haunt it too. Which sucks, because Gretchen is secretly lusting after Charlie while Charlie lusts after Gretchen despite not wanting to at all. It doesn’t get easier as they get to know each other, this inconvenient lust.

Everett and Gretchen are hilarious, Charlie and Gretchen are warm, funny, dreamy and just a little bit bittersweet and sad, definite weirdos. They’re fully realized characters inside of a very unique romance. The vibes were immaculate, and if you don’t know that I’m a “if the vibes are good the book is good” type of reader by now, where have you been? The author was inspired by Ghost, the movie, and I was really amused by her thought process in creating the relationships found here in the book. This book comes out later this month, so put it on your TBR!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ebook ARC. Adler did not disappoint with this book. I enjoyed the story and creative disbelief required to read. Characters were fun too.

What an incredible rom-com! Happy Medium is Sarah Adler’s sophomore novel and let me say she absolutely lived up to my expectations! The entire premise is extremely original and I loved every single page! I have always loved the idea of a mediums so that this novel centers around a faux medium (fakes talking to dead people) who unexpectedly becomes a real medium (a real ghosts talks to her) all to help a handsome grumpy farmer is a recipe for an unputdownable novel! This 5 star novel is a fantastic spin on the enemies to lovers trope! I adored the characters (especially the ghost) and thought this sweet novel was laugh out loud funny but also had a depth! I highly recommend absolutely everyone read this novel!

Gretchen Acorn is spirit medium - the catch? She can't see or hear any ghosts and she's conning rich grieving women. Well, that is until she DOES finally see a ghost for the first time. After being propositioned by a client to help out on the Waybill Farm, and realizing Charlie Waybill isn't old and wrinkly, but hot and steamy, Gretchen and her new ghost friend go on a mission to save the farm and maybe learn a little bit about themselves along the way.

This was a riot, literally laugh out loud funny. Everett the 1920s ghost making current sitcom references as advice and jokes sent me. I wasn't the biggest fan of Gretchen at the beginning of the book when she was really trying to justify her cons - but she really did a lot of self actualization about why she was the way she was and completely grew over the course of the book. Charlie was just a cinnamon roll that looked like a cinnamon roll - the tender moments he showed even through his frustration and distrust made my heart feel fuzzy.

I loved Mrs. Nash's Ashes and after loving Happy Medium too, I know for a fact Sarah Adler is 100% an auto buy for me from now on.

I'm obsessed with Mrs. Nash's Ashes and was so excited to receive a copy of Happy Medium!

I struggled to get into this one, but I think that's on me, not the book. There was probably a week solid where the only time I could read was on my kindle right before bed, so the beginning felt choppy to me but again, I was reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I loved Everett and Gretchen together. Everett was such a good amount of sass! I loved the tension between Charlie and Gretchen as well.

There were comments made throughout the book that I felt got old. The hatred from Charlie's end felt a little too dragged out and the romance needed a little more spotlight.

This is one book I'm excited to reread and hope my experience is different the second time around when I'm able to sit down and give it my full attention from the beginning.

Oh my god I really enjoyed reading this captivating paranormal farm romance where a fake spirit medium con artist gets a taste of her own medicine when she encounters a real ghost.

Gretchen Acorn, despite her fake persona, is struggling to make ends meet and help spirits move on. She's caught in a web of lies and deception, but when she's offered a lucrative deal to exorcise a ghost at a haunted goat farm, she jumps at the opportunity. Little does she know, the property owner, Charlie Waybill, is not going to make it easy for her!

This story is a delightful mix of love, friendship, and family dynamics that kept me hooked till the very end. Sarah Adler's storytelling is truly captivating. My only complaint was I wish the romance between our main characters was explored a bit more!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending the arc!

I really enjoyed the fun tone to this book, even with some tough stuff in both main characters' histories. Everett was a really great comic relief added to the story, and Charlie makes for a great cinnamon roll hero. I did sometimes feel a little iffy about Gretchen and her con-artist history, but she did work hard to move her life away from that and to leave people better than how she found them. Overall, a fun read that I really enjoyed.

Sarah Adler is an author to waaatch! I loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, and this sophomore novel did not disappoint. The premise is unique and just absurd enough to work and be utterly hilarious and heartwarming. Adler’s writing flows so well, her characters are lovable and relatable, and her stories are so full of humor and heart. Antics, banter, and some personal growth? I’m here for it.

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler is a delightful blend of humor, romance, and a touch of the supernatural. Gretchen Acorn, a charming con artist posing as a medium, is tasked with convincing a skeptical farmer, Charlie Waybill, of his property's resident ghost. What starts as a simple con job quickly becomes a journey of self discovery for Gretchen as she navigates her feelings for Charlie and her newfound belief in the supernatural. The characters are endearing, the dialogue is witty, and the plot twists are entertaining. This book is a charming and heartwarming must read!

📖 BOOK REVIEW

📱 HAPPY MEDIUM by @sarahadlerwrites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: contemporary romance
Did I cry: oh yes
Published in 2024 (april 30)

💭: after falling head over heels in love with MRS NASH’S ASHES, this was my most anticipated read of 2024 (so much so that I finished it on Jan 2🤭). It did not disappoint!!

This was a super fun paranormal romance with the same wit and banter that we saw in Sarah’s debut. It had a lot of tropes seen in other books (not even just romance😏) but there’s a fun spin on them in this book that makes you see them in a new light (hey con artist trope)🤭🤭🤭 as was the case in MRS NASHS ASHES, the characters in this book are truly what make it so amazing. They are all perfect for the plot, with personalities that are so well-developed and complement each other really well. The writing is the kind that makes you soak up every word. The ending had me WEEPING. This one is so lighthearted and fun, while also packing an emotional punch. It was definitely a little ridiculous but really leaned into the romcom.

If you can wait that long, i definitely think this is a perfect fall book (👻) but i enjoyed it in the heart of winter as well😌 another knockout from ms sarah adler. I am so excited to follow your writing journey & will continue to beg for more books😙🤝

This was so cute! I loved the way Gretchen got to know grumpy Charlie, and the timelines and disagreements the two had were reasonable in a way that still made the book relatable and adorable. (and I am one of those city people who dream of moving out to the farm for no reason other than how calm it would be)