The protagonist of this fantastic story is Gretchen Arcon. Gretchen is a fake medium because, of course, she can’t talk to the dead, but she feels she is doing something good if it helps grieving people move on, even if, in exchange, they give her lots of money. When her best client offers her a large fee to help her bridge partner, Gretchen is happy to help. All she has to do is to investigate strange events that seem to prevent the sale of his farm. However, when she arrives at Gilded Creek, there are quite a few surprises waiting for her. First of all, Charlie Waybill is not the old farmer Gretchen was expecting, but a handsome young man who scowls a lot and who doesn’t believe she can’t talk to the dead. Then, there is really a ghost in the farm who scares away potential buyers. His name is Everett and he’s been cursed to never leave the farm since the 1920s. And, he reveals that if Charlie manages to sell and leave the farm, he will be destined to the same family curse. Gretchen needs to convince Charlie to not sell the farm, but he is stubborn and he doesn’t trust her. So, not only she has to earn his trust and convince him that the curse is real, but she also must face the past that still haunts her and makes her keep people at a distance.

I must admit that I had a bit of a slow start, but, as the story progressed, I really started to enjoy it and I didn’t want it to end. Happy Medium is fun, engaging, and witty. I loved the easy relationship between Gretchen and Everett, who was my favourite character. How not to love a chatty and honest ghost who watches too much television? The romance is also well-developed: an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-vs-sunshine love story that kept me completely immersed.

Sarah Adler is definitely an author I will keep reading. She created an heart-warming and satisfying story of romance, family, and friendship that kept me entertained for hours!

This book was definitely something different to my normal reading but it was a pleasant surprise. The book follows Gretchen who a fake spirit medium. She is tasked by a client to preform a cleansing of a property. This property is owned by Charlie. This book is funny and quirky. It was super heartwarming read. I will definitely be reading more of Sarah Adler’s books. Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley romance for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the humour and quirkiness of this book making it stand out from other romcoms. great characters (I especially loved Everett) making it a perfect light summer read

This book quickly became a favorite read for me!
Stunning writing and incredibly complex characters made for a wonderful reading experience.
The romance felt so genuine and with such a cool and fascinating set up.
I cannot recommend it enough!

I got to 15% through and I really considering DNF’ing because I just wasn’t vibing but I am SO glad I persevered because this is easily a four star read for me.
The story is super cute, it is heartwarming and laugh out loud funny. I just loved Everett, I will definitely be checking out this authors other book!
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Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to review this book.

I DNFed this bok at 13%. I found I could not reconcile the premise enough to settle into the story. The main issue was an intense dislike for the FMC.

I've read plenty of books where the FMC does horrible things but they've always been justified enough to assuage any moral or ethical dilemma I felt about their actions. Gretchen, on the other hand, does horrible things but justifies them to herself by reasoning she's doing something good. She's not, and I could not agree with her logic that taking money - lots of money - from vulnerable, grieving people and pretending to commune with the spirit of their lost loved ones was something that it is ok to do, or earn a living from. The character gave me an almost visceral ick and I found I just didn't want to read about her conwoman antics at all, amusing romcom plot be damned.

When the talking ghost showed up, I was out.

Oooh I loved this. I loved the connection between Charlie and Gretchen while they search for a place that truly feels like home. I also adored the friendship between Gretchen and Everett which had me cackling on multiple occasions but was also really emotional in places as Everett comes to terms with the way he lived his life and how that impacted his afterlife. I loved seeing Gretchen open herself up to love, both romantic and platonic, and realising that living without it would be far worse than being alone forever. Just a joy to read.

This was an extremely sweet and cosy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hadn’t read anything by the author before this one and I’m glad I took a chance on this one. I loved the humour of it and the representation of a Bi lead character.

This book had such a great premise, that I was a little worried it would fall short but it was really well executed and a total delight to read. The book is well-written, with vibrant, loveable characters and a quirky but ultimately moving story. I loved the ghost element, which provided a lot of humour but also somewhat surprising emotional depth. The goat farm setting adds a sweet layer to Gretchen and Charlie's relationship, and particularly Gretchen's character development. Overall, definitely recommend picking this one up for an enjoyable read.

This book was really cute and funny. Some of the subjects around the main plot could be heavy but they were executed well to keep it as a light rom com. I loved the MC she really made me laugh, as did the resident ghost. Charlie was the perfect grumpy character. The book was a delight 🩶

Gretchen is a fake medium discounters a real ghost when she is hired to help Charlie well his family property. A fun read!

I didn't expect to love this book so much! It was different from the others I've read before and it felt like a breath of fresh air. It still had that enemies to lovers vibe, but with a touch of goofy paranormal romance with charm and humor.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC. 🩷

I have been waiting for the next Sarah Adler book since Mrs. Nash’s Ashes changed my brain chemistry last year and this one did not disappoint.

Gretchen Acorn was raised but a con artist to be a con artist and it’s all she’s ever known. She’s been working as a psychic in DC but when one of her long term clients asks her to check out a friend’s haunted farm, she can’t possible say no. Partly because there’s a $10,000 check that comes with the ectoplasm.

When Gretchen arrives she gets a chilly welcome from both the very attractive owner of the farm and the unfortunately very real, ghost. The particularly talkative ghost informs Gretchen that not only is he haunting the farm and making it so that his distant relative (Charlie) can’t sell it, but if he does, Charlie will almost certainly die. Which is a problem since Charlie thinks Gretchen is a complete fraud.

Sarah Adler writes the best combinations of romance tropes again with forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and a sprinkling of arranged marriage. If you like any of these tropes with some supernatural comedy you’ll love this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Quercus Books, and Sarah Adler for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well, this book started out as kind of a wild goose chase. I’m not really a fan of con artists. Thankfully, Gretchen was different than the rest. She had good in her and throughout the story she could really transform into an honestly good person with good purpose. I understood why Charlie was so untrusting. But they were really good together and he realized it eventually. The paranormal part of the story was so hilarious, Everett was such a little shit. I really loved the life on the goat farm and how things turned out by the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book.

Gretchen Acorn, a fake spirit medium, is hired by her wealthiest client to help her friend get rid of a ghost so he can sell his house and goat farm. When she arrives at the farm, she is shocked to find a young, hot goat farmer instead of someone as old as her client. Charlie Waybill already thinks Gretchen is a fraud who is conning his friend and definitely doesn't want her at his house to help with his problem. However, when she goes to leave she is shocked that she can actually see and talk to the resident ghost, Everett.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved Gretchen, Charlie, and Everett and their stories! Gretchen and Everett's friendship literally had me laughing out loud. Watching Everett try to use modern slang in all the wrong ways had me cracking up! I really enjoyed Gretchen and Charlie's relationship and how it changed throughout the book. I especially loved Gretchen and how she was able to overcome her past in order to move ahead in her life. I will definitely be buying this one when it comes out! Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In Happy Medium we follow Gretchen. She's a fake medium and when an elderly client offers to pay her a lot of money to help rid her friends farm of the paranormal, she can't resist. Only the the clients friend isn't the old man she expected, and she wasn't expecting to meet Everett, a ghost from the 1920's, stuck at the farm because of a curse.

This was such a fun read, I adored Everett and the grumpy/sunshine romance was really well done.

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for the chance to read Happy Medium.

Charming lil grumpy sunshine romcom with a paranormal spark.

- opposites attract
- contemporary romance
- romcom
- grumpy sunshine
- she looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll
- he looks like he could k*** you, is a cinnamon roll
- forced proximity

This is such a delightfully fun romance novel, with a paranormal twist, and I had such a good time reading it!

Gretchen Acorn is a medium. Well. She’s a fake medium, but she’s a hell of a good fake medium. She prides herself on trying to help her clients move on, while also making a living for herself. When one of her loyal clients asks if she’ll help exorcise her friends goat farm, so that he can sell it, she agrees, and heads off ready to flex her skills in fakery.

Her first shock is that the current owner of the farm is an attractive man in his thirties, called Charlie, who is categorically not the elderly man she had been expecting. Her second shock? Turns out the farm IS actually haunted, and now she has to get to grips with convincing the hard-core skeptic of a farmer that his farm is actually cursed, and that she’s not conning him - which, up until five minutes ago, had been the case. Panic.

I loved the dynamics between all the characters honestly - particularly between our resident haunt, Everett, a trapped 1920s man, who’s developed a taste for sitcoms over the decades, and Gretchen, as she’s thrown into the deep end of having to actually deal with a ghost for the first time in her life. Which, yes, is as hilarious as it sounds.

Charlie is such a great character. He’s kind to his core, but stands his ground. He never treats Gretchen poorly, but he’s also not about to blindly accept someone who he believes to be fleecing his friend, even if she is incredibly beautiful, and keeps having intense conversations with thin air.

Both Gretchen and Charlie have their reasons for being the way that they are, why they’re in the jobs that they find themselves in, and both backstories are explored in sensitive ways. I loved seeing them slowly grow closer together, despite the very odd circumstances they’re in, alongside the stress of Charlie trying to sell the farm, and Gretchen trying to stop the curse. The way the romance builds is great, and the spicy scenes - oh my. I don’t want to spoil anything, but one scene is a particular stand out, and is my favourite raunchy scene that I’ve read for a hot minute.

Overall, this book is earnest, sweet, funny, and sexy, and I really loved it. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a light-hearted romance novel with a twist!

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

"Happy Medium" by Sarah Adler is a charming romcom that took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. At first, I was skeptical about Gretchen, a fake medium with a heart of gold, and Charlie, a surly farmer who's not buying her act. But as the story unfolded, I found myself falling in love with both characters and rooting for their unlikely romance.
Gretchen's journey of self-discovery, from a woman against the world to someone willing to risk her heart for love, is beautifully portrayed. Despite Charlie's initial coldness, their relationship blossoms in a wholesome and heartwarming way, with just the right amount of sexual tension building up before their passionate moments.
The addition of Everett, the lovable ghost, adds a delightful touch of lightheartedness to the story.
Overall, "Happy Medium" is a delightful read filled with humor, heart, and a touch of magic. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good romcom with a twist.

Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own

When Gretchen Acorn agrees to assist one of her best clients, little does she realise that she will trying to prevent the sale of a goat farm. Gretchen may be a fake spirit medium aka fraud, but she tries to give people more than they plan. Yet, when she meets the farmer, it is not the person she imagines. Charlie Waybill is young, extremely attractive, and completely convinced that she is a fraud. Yet, Gretchen can communicate with the dead and it turns out to be Everett, a distant relative of Charlie’s who wants Gretchen to convince Charlie not to sell, otherwise he will fall victim to the same family curse that's had Everett haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s. With only one month to convince Charlie he can’t sell the property; Gretchen will have to gain his trust. Soon Gretchen realises that she must do all that she can to save the goat farm, its friendly phantom, and the man she's beginning to love.
Sarah Adler just keeps getting better. Whilst this is a bit of fantasy, she had me believing in the story, from the very first time that Everett appears. Both he and Charlies won me over with only a few phrases and whilst Gretchen was a fraud, she was so easy to love. Such great character development and a sweet romance. I loved every minute of it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.