Member Reviews
Unfortunately I did not find myself enjoying this book and struggled to root for the characters or romance.
The cover was what drew me in at first! It's so adorable and it matched the vibe of the story so well! It was so fun, easy romcom.
This book was really good 🥹
It took a while to get into the story and connect with the characters, but once I did I devoured this book. Gretchen is so much more than she lets on. She has so many layers and as soon as you start to peel away layer after layer, you see what a great person she is 🥹
Charlie won my heart from the start. He's a sexy farmer, but he's so much more than that. He's a person with a wonderful story who wins us over early on.
And honestly, I'd miss Everet if I were in Gretchen's shoes!
I've really become a fan of the author and her writing!!! 😍
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy 🫶🏼
Sarah Adler cements herself as the most exciting romance author around. Every day people come into the bookshop I work in and ask for something as good as Emily Henry - and in Happy Medium, I've finally found my answer. Surprising, sexy, sweet, silly, smart, and sharp - I loved this. The dialogue is great, the characters wonderful, the romance believable, yet still super good fun. 5*
Thank you for the opportunity to review this, I enjoyed this light read with fantasy twist! And the cutest cover!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. When I finished I found myself wishing there was a sequel I could plunge right into to spend more time with Gretchen and Charlie. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers and grumpy male main character. I did get a little frustrated by the miscommunication trope, but I appreciated the way the main character worked through it and I was glad there wasn't much of a third act break-up.
Oh, I really enjoyed this book, it was quirky and different, and just for those two traits, it was worth reading!
Gretchen is a fake medium who makes a living out of conning wealthy people. This is something she learned from her father and even though it doesn't sit well with her, she has no other skills. When she gets the chance to cleanse a property as a favour for one of her favourite clients, she takes it. After all, she needs the money. What she hadn't counted on was the resident farmer, who is very attractive and has no time for mediums, fake or real.....as well as an actual ghost that is haunting the farm and whom Gretchen can see.
Loved the character of Everett so much, I could really visualise him!
The romance between Charlie and Gretchen is a lovely one, and I did wonder how the author was going to tackle the subject of Charlie disliking mediums and Gretchen being one, but I needn't have worried, all was resolved nicely.
Gretchen did a good job of trying to overcome her early conditioning. And the goats were cute!
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books.
Brilliant! I absolutely adore the characters in this book, especially Everett! Such a unique premise, I loved the plot, the characters and the balance of funny and poignant.
Gretchen is a medium, some would say a con artist, she would say trying to help people in her own unique way. A new client send her into the path of Everett, who lo and behold she can actually see!
How will life pan out for Gretchen now she is an actual medium?
Brilliantly written, i loved every minute of it.
Gretchen Acorn is a fraud and she’s ok with that. She’s a fraud with strict code of ethics she only aims to make her clients lives happier by giving them messages from their dead loved ones. Then her number one client has a challenge for her, a haunted goat farm needs to be cleansed so it can be sold, Gretchen can’t say no but turns out the goat farm is owned by very hot, very sceptical Charlie Waybill so won’t let her over the threshold and on her way out she Gretchen comes face to face with a real dead ghost who informs her that due to family curse Charlie will die if he leave the farm. Gretchen’s fraudulent but ethical heart can’t let this happen. Happy medium is pure joy from start to finish, Everett is the most annoying ghost that ever ghosted but in an endearing way. All together charming.
The story follows Gretchen, a woman who was raised to be a con artist. Her father taught her to spin every situation to her advantage, so she’s been working as a medium for the last several years – convincing her clients that she can communicate with spirits, and making a great living doing it. So when Gretchen’s best client pays her to help out a friend with a ghost problem, she doesn’t see it as anything other than a new kind of con. But one step on Charlie’s property makes her realize that this situation is different. Charlie immediately knows that Gretchen is a fraud, and her usual tactics fail her. There’s also the unfortunate fact that the place is actually haunted… and Gretchen truly can communicate with this ghost. A family curse complicates matters even further, and suddenly Gretchen finds herself grappling with a situation that is entirely out of her control.
I absolutely loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, so I was excited to dig into Adler’s next effort. Her debut was tender and funny in the best of ways, making me smile, laugh, swoon, and shed a few tears. I really didn’t know what to expect going into this one, but I can honestly say that it put me through my paces emotionally in much the same way. It’s such a fun and interesting premise, but there are heavier, impactful moments sprinkled throughout the book. Yes, I loved the absurdity of Gretchen arguing with a TV-addicted ghost while trying to win over her grumpy new roommate, but I also loved the journey of self-reflection and the many, many tender moments. Both Charlie and Gretchen have some healing to do, working on themselves in ways that only draw them closer. The love story shines front and center, but it’s the kind that develops in tiny steps that slowly build momentum. There was definitely some heat and spice, but the intimacy bled from the pages more than anything. It’s truly Gretchen’s story – we only get her perspective – but I was hooked on Charlie from the very beginning. I even liked the ghost. My love for this one grew with every chapter, and it ended up being such a dynamic, memorable read.
First of all thank you for approving my request!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.
I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
This isn't my usual genre of book, but I was very intrigued by the blurb. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how witty and fun this book was. The characters were well written, I especially liked Gretchen. The banter between the two main characters was brilliant, and I really enjoyed the lightness of this book. I look forward to see what this author writes next.
I really enjoyed reading Happy Medium. It was a fun, entertaining paranormal romance. If you enjoy tropes like enemies-to-lovers, small town romances, ghosts, medium, farm setting - then you will enjoy this book! It was really fast-paced and I can't wait to read more from Sarah Adler.
Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.
I enjoyed this lighthearted rom-com. Gretchen Acorn - a self confessed con woman - is sent to deal with a ghost haunting a local goat farmer who is extremely sceptical about the whole ‘ghost’ concept. For the first time she is faced with a ghost she can see and communicate with - and his message needs to be believed to save his life!
Inevitably they fall for each other and have to work out how to evade the consequences of the family curse.
An entertaining heartwarming read about friendship, family, trust and love.
Thank you for my earc of the book. Unfortunately I couldn’t read due to formatting issues but I’ll be sure to update my review when I have a readable copy
Wacky and whimsical, this rom com was a lot of fun to read. My favourite part was watching Gretchen evolve over the course of the novel and become brave enough to build connections. She earned her character development!
Gretchen was a likeable heroine, even though she probably wasn’t meant to be. She wasn’t completely morally sound, but there was well-intentioned logic behind all her scheming. At her core, Gretchen had a good heart. This meant that when she (often) made mistakes, I still liked her. I appreciated her honesty with Charlie about the curse. While he didn’t believe her, this ruled out the infuriating possibility of miscommunication. Phew!
Charlie wasn’t my favourite romantic lead to ever grace the page, but he was kind and thoughtful. It was adorable how he (very unsuccessfully) tried not to like Gretchen. He gradually transitioned from being outwardly antagonistic towards her to genuinely admiring her and being actively caring. Their romance was a little melodramatic at the end, but it was hard-earned and ultimately rewarding.
I appreciated Gretchen’s friendship storyline with her roommate Yolanda. This highlighted her need for connection. It was heartwarming to watch her become brave enough to openly care about someone. Gretchen even formed a friendship with Everett the ghost. He was a proper troublemaker, injecting a chaotic energy into each of his scenes and propelling the plot forward. His friendship with Gretchen definitely wasn't perfect, but it was something they both sorely needed.
The ending threw in a few surprises, which made the story engaging right up till the last chapter. Overall, it was an utterly entertaining read!
This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love Sarah Adler and I loved this book!!!
I don't know why it took me so long to review this (I read it back in May). It think I was just processing?? But it does mean I can confidently say this book was a 5 star because I'm still thinking about it.
This book is exactly as fun as the description sounds - ghosts, a fake medium and a small town farm vibe. The banter is solid and the chemistry is 10/10. Sarah Adler is clearly very talented at writing deeply romantic romances, even when the premise is a bit insane.
Highly recommend checking this one out.
Thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Adler and Quercus for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.
Always leave people better off than you find them. This is the statement Gretchen lives by as a con artist who is currently working as a spiritual medium. Gretchen gets the fright of her life when she is asked to help a friend of her client with a ghost problem. The problem is for the first time Gretchen can actually see and talk to this ghost and Charlie the owner of the house is the only one who doesn’t believe her. When the chatty ghost reveals that Charlie’s life is in danger Gretchen must use all her tricks to try to save his life. But what happens when she starts to fall for Charlie and the stakes are suddenly higher.
A cute and cosy feel good rom com from Sarah Adler. I loved the story idea and the characters! There’s a crazy, nosy ghost, grumpy goat farmer and tragic con artist. There are some funny moments and the farm setting is richly crafted. The only complaint is that the romance had something missing and I cannot put my finger on what. Maybe it needed more swooning scenes I don’t know. I still really enjoyed the story and would recommend it.
Thank you to the author, netgalley and publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was the perfect mix between heartfelt and joyful!
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.
It was my first time reading a Sarah Adler book and I can proudly say that I really enjoyed the experience! I loved the pace of the plot and the writing. The setting on the farm was just chef's kiss and the characters were lovely. And the romance was amazing! I loved Gretchen as the fmc and I really enjoyed her dialogue and her character in general <3. I loved Everett too, he was probably my favorite character, tbh.
All in all, it was such a great book and I can't wait to keep on reading every book Sarah writes!