3.5 stars, rounded up.
The premise for this book was absolutely up my street. Fake medium, goat farm, ghost, romance, sign me right up.
But I don’t think I am the reader for this one. I personally didn’t connect with the characters in a way that I think they deserve to be connected with. I found the way in which Charlie spoke to Gretchen a little too jarring and it went on for too long for me to be able to root for them as a couple.
I did love the goats storyline and how they enabled Gretchen to develop as a character and start to come to life a little. I loved her bestie relationship with Everett, even if sometimes he went a little too far for me.
I really wanted to love this book, but I’ve come to the conclusion that this one just isn’t for me. I know it will find its readers, and they will adore it.

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes: Paranormal romance, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity.

I absolutely loved this sweet romcom.

Gretchen, a conwoman claiming she can talk to spirits, finds herself on a goat farm trying her best to convince it’s owner, Charlie, a complete skeptic, that if he were to sell the farm he’ll be cursed.

This was an absolutely heartwarming and witty read with tension that was built up perfectly. The characters were relatable and the goats threw in an extra layer of cuteness.

I would definitely recommend this book if you’re into sweet romances.

5 stars - this was a treat!

Happy medium tells the story of Gretchen, who is a con artist. She tricks people by "talking to the dead". Her client hires her to exorcise a ghost from her friend Charlie's goat farm.

Charlie turns out to be a young man who doesn't believe in ghosts. But what - Gretchen meets a real ghost at the goat farm, who says that he is a relative of Charlie, and he is stuck haunting the farm due to a curse. He tells that Charlie faces death if he sells the farm. So Gretchen would have to convince Charlie that a) the farm is haunted, and b) under no circumstances should Charlie sell the farm.

Gretchen ends up staying at a farm where she grows to love the farm life and gets to know Charlie.

I really liked this book! Emmett the ghost was a hilarious character and Gretchen's development as a person was interesting to watch. The sparking tension between Gretchen and Charlie was delicious.

The book was funny, emotional and romantic. A wonderful work!

What to expect:

a ghost
goats
a farm
enemies to lovers
difficult past
slow burn

Gretchen Acorn, self proclaimed bullshit artist has one rule- to always leave people better off than when she finds them, even if she Is conning them into believing she's communicating t9 their loved ones from beyond the grave.

The premise of this book intrigued me as soon as I read the synopsis. Fake spirit medium vs grumpy goat farmer? Throw in the TV obsessed native ghost and this was a win for me!

Comedic in all the right places, brilliant characters and a slow burn romance make this book a top read for me in 2024.

Arc copy received through NetGalley.

A ridiculous storyline with this
Book, love stories and ghosts. Very enjoyable and amusing nonetheless. A quick read.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoy mostly every part in this book especially every hilarious banter between Everett and Gretchen, the push and pull tension between Charlie and Gretchen, every scene the way Gretchen tried to help the farm and makes Charlie trust her, and even when they acknowledging their feeling toward each other, and everything going on between them, i very much love it.

I just do not very fond of their name, like Gretchen? really? that is like a side character's name in a spooky book Brontë sister would write, and i find myself always feeling uncomfortable to read it. And Charlie? Uh huh. Didn't like it either. Although they are very much have unique characters of their own.

At first i didn't think this book could possibly make me cry because the characters are so hilarious and silly (Gretchen and Everett), but then when everything going upside down and the pinning, the wanting, and Everett at the end, im shock to find that tears has left my eyes... it's a good book with a good start and a great end. tho, i would be very delighted if the pages is shorter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

From the cover and title I had expected a light fluffy read, but the characters were well developed. The plot was engaging, this was a lovely book, I laughed out loud when we first met Everett.

A charming book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy to review.

I’m very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the access to the e-arc of Happy Medium.
I was rather apprehensive about this book at the beginning. It’s such a quirky idea: fake medium (although is there such a thing as a real one really?) Gretchen is asked by her best customer (and generously paid to do so too) to see a haunted goat farm and get rid of the ghost in order to help the farm’s grumpy owner sell it. Grumpy goat farmer Charlie is not into the idea, in fact he threatens our FMC with calling the cops for trespassing when she arrives. Then the oddest thing happens: our medium encounters a real ghost, who begs her to help Charlie with keeping the farm, otherwise awful things will happen to him due to a curse that’s looming over the family and the farm and attacks everyone who tries to leave it. And then the shenanigans begin.
It’s such a quirky idea, that I assumed the book is not for me. That I won’t like it because I don’t find con artists, mediums, ghosts relatable and believable. I was thoroughly wrong.
All characters, including Everett the ghost, are very relatable and interesting. They have their little quirks, like Everett’s passion for TV, Gretchen’s fear of all animals (although she’d never admit it) and Charlie’s pool talents. Their backstories are compelling and well thought through, and the banter between them is great, especially between Gretchen and Everett, who had me laugh out loud. The story is unusual, but the development of the events is believable and makes perfect sense for the characters. I felt a great connection to them, I was curious what’s gonna happen next and I was really happy with the book’s ending. All due to the amazing storytelling by Sarah Adler.

Since I couldn’t get enough of Happy Medium, I decided to rate it 5/5. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

After loving Mrs. Nash's Ashes I was very curious to read Sarah's new book.
I'm not a huge fan of paranormal books, but Happy Medium was really an enjoyable and funny one. What I adored most was the friendship between Gretchen and Everett (the ghost). Their interactions really made me laugh a lot, and you can see the affection they had for each other. On the other hand, I wasn't entirely sold on the romance between Gretchen and Charlie. Even if there were some nice moments, the whole I want you, but I don't trust you thing dragged too much and when they finally overcome this obstacle, it was a little bit too late to be invested in their relationship (at least for me). But it was still a great book. Sarah knows how to write a story, how to tell a story, how to convey emotions, and I'm sure her next novels won't disappoint.

My only negative comment would be that the majority of the witty back and forth banter in this book is between the FMC and the ghost.

I wanted more on the page between Gretchen and Charlie. It's not quite all telling and not showing but cutting a few scenes with Everett the ghost and replacing them with scenes between Gretchen and Charlie would have improved the book.

The author has seen and enjoyed BBCs Ghosts lol

I'm not going to go to far into a spoiler but I will say that Gretchen is a great character, when the extent of her work with her father eventually comes out, I really just admired the author for taking that chance on having a FMC be party to something that heinous.

"Happy Medium" is a paranormal rom com written by Sarah Adler.

"Happy Medium" is a paranormal rom com that captured me from the premise! A fake medium? A real ghost? An adorable, quirky goat farm and its grumpy, suspicious owner? How wonderful! I jumped on this book with great enthusiasm, hoping for the best, and I was not disappointed at all! "Happy Medium" is a light, funny, effervescent and fast novel that completely won me over! Which I did not expect, considering that it is written in THIRD PERSON! And I don't particularly like romance written in third person! But here, seriously, I had no problem with it! I was absorbed in the narrated events and connected with the characters. The captivating writing, the fast and brisk pace and the intriguing and well-drawn characters worked their magic, keeping me glued to the pages from beginning to end. Added to these elements are also a sizzling enemies to lovers, a very slooow slow burn, and a hilarious forced proximity! Seriously, I loved everything!

The setting of Gilded Creek, a goat farm in Maryland, enchanted me! I was fascinated by this structure surrounded by fields, with its placid landscapes and its pure creek, far from everything and everyone. The vivid descriptions paint the scenery beautifully, creating an atmosphere that I found delightfully cozy! The goats then are wonderful and I admit I giggled and/or melted every time they appeared!

Gretchen, protagonist with her only third person pov, won me over! Gretchen is a fake spirit medium who grew up with her father, himself a con artist, constantly moving from place to place. After breaking away from her parent, Gretchen built her business as a professional medium in Washington, working for extremely rich clients through a careful word-of-mouth network. That is until one of her most loyal and wealthy clients hires her to investigate unexplained events on the farm of a dear old friend in Maryland, setting events in motion. Gretchen is a wry, determined, talkative, and shrewd woman who is used to lying and deceiving people. Unlike her father, although she is a skilled con artist, she does not act with malice, trying to stick to a strict rule of conduct. Gretchen appears as a confident and easygoing person, but under the surface she hides an extremely sensitive and fragile soul, full of doubts and fears. I laughed so much at some of her behaviors, the way she tries to adapt to life on the farm, and I was rooting for her!

Charlie, owner of Gilded Creek, is another character who convinced me right away! Outwardly grumpy, gruff, and reserved, he actually hides a huge heart! The romance between him and Gretchen totally absorbed me! The two do not begin in the best of ways: Gretchen shows up at the farm to investigate the mysterious phenomena and Charlie, skeptical, does not believe her, accusing her of being a liar, kicking her out and closing the door in her face. However, after reaching an agreement to spend a month together under the same roof, they begin to grow closer and get to know each other, developing feelings for each other. Their sizzling interactions, their hilarious banter, had me rolling with laughter and swooning in a powerful way! Between a tasty enemies to lovers, a slow burn very slooow and a hilarious forced proximity I was fully satisfied. The spicy then is really hot and made me sweat a lot!

In addition, I can't not mention Everett, the ghost of Gilded Creek, a big fan of the TV series! I found him to be a very funny character who amused me greatly, tinged with a certain melancholy due to his situation. His friendship with Gretchen, the only one able to see him, warmed my heart!

All in all, "Happy Medium" is a light, funny and cozy novel that I loved so much!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start of by saying that I ended up rating this book 5/5 stars. I normally only end up revealing my rating in the end of my review to keep the suspension going for a lil while longer but something about this book just got to me, so I felt like switching up my rules a little bit (sorry Gretch, I know how particular you are with your one rule)

I haven’t had this happen in a while so I was at a bit of a loss how to start of this review and I’m terribly sorry if I end up rambling anyways but I really ended up seeing a lot of myself in the main character.

Okay so am I a fake medium con artist??? … no. Am I suddenly able to see a very annoying yet kinda charming ghost who is in desperate need of my help?? No, yet again. Or am I kind of falling for the grumpy owner of a goat farm which said previous ghost is kind of haunting?? No, unfortunately cause to be honest it sounds like the kind of excitement I’m desperately craving. Despite the differences between Gretchen and I, I couldn’t help but really recognize myself in her thought process and feelings. Just like Gretchen, I think we’ve all done things to survive that we end up regretting and/or being ashamed of, and it was kind of healing to see how she was able to kind of close off her past and finally let people get closer to her.

My conclusion with this all over the place review is that I always really admire authors who can write ‘’flawed’’ characters who you just can’t help but love cause they’re just so… real?? Nobody is perfect so who would I want a bookish character to be?? So thank you Sarah Adler, I had an absolute blast reading this one and I can’t wait to read your future works!

Oh my heart! This book was everything I didn’t know I needed and nothing I expected it to be. It was fun, silly at times, and so, so charming. I really liked it!

Gretchen Acorn is a fake spirit medium who’s always happy to help her clients using her *ahem* artistry to leave them better than she met them. So when one of her wealthy clients asked Gretchen to go to Gilded Creek, she accepted the job - even though she never interacted with any spirits at all, let alone knew how to perform an exorcism. At Gilded Creek, Gretchen is shocked by the very hot owner (Charlie) and the very icy ghost that haunted the very cute goat farm (Everett).

I almost can’t believe I’m saying this but the connection between Gretchen and Everett was definitely the highlight of this book and outshined the romance between Gretchen and Charlie. I’m not complaining though, for their friendship was truly something else. I could listen to their squabbling for ages, they were that good!

And Charlie. He was just a good egg. He had his fences up, but he meant well. And he made Gretchen happy and that’s all that matters, right?

There were a couple of other characters in the story that provided for some sweet moments or funny interactions who I thought could have used more page time (like Charlie’s grandfather or Hannah from the market). They weren’t necessarily adding something to the story but they did really well in showing who Gretchen and Charlie were as a person.

A charming read I can recommend to anyone who loves their romances with humor, style and substance.

I am afraid I did not like this book. I sometimes felt it too slow and I found the heroine's musings and trepidations too lengthy, and, frankly, boring.
Unfortunately I did not like the characters either and the explicit sex scene was way more than I had bargained for.
I had expected a lighthearted comedy with a funny ghost in the centre of the plot. Sadly I was disappointed.
I did not particularly like the author's style either.
However, It is only my personal opinion. We are all different with different tastes. So other readers might love this novel.

‘Happy Medium’ captivates with its charm, uniqueness, unpredictability, and heartwarming essence, and in my opinion surpassing even Sarah Adler's debut, ‘Mrs. Nash’s Ashes’.

In this tale, we encounter Gretchen, a quirky, lonely protagonist making a living as a (fake yet benevolent) spiritual medium. Raised by her con artist father, Gretchen learned to keep relationships transactional, avoiding attachment or emotion.

During an exorcism job on a goat farm, Gretchen encounters an actual ghost, Everett, who warns her of danger befalling the farmer, Charlie (MMC). They strike a bargain, leading Gretchen to eventually step out of her comfort zone and embrace honesty to save him and redeem herself.

Everett's endearing himbo personality, along with Charlie's alluring mix of gentleness and ruggedness, as well as Gretchen's transformation from a benignly callous con artist to a savvy yet vulnerable sweetheart, added depth to the narrative.

This romance transcends the ordinary (and often somewhat formulaic romances), with unexpected twists that keep readers engaged. Gretchen, Charlie, and Everett's journey is not only humorous but also emotionally resonant, sprinkled with just the right amount of spice.

There were a few loose threads and it could have dug deeper emotionally, but for those seeking a quirky rom-com with a paranormal twist, Sarah Adler's second novel is a must-read. I highly recommend it.
4,5⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for providing this ARC.

Well, this was just a-freaking-dorable. But more, it had layers to it that I wasn’t expecting.

I went into Happy Medium expecting very much a funny romantic romp on a goat farm with a ghost. Well, there’s a goat farm and a ghost, it is funny and romantic (and yes, there IS romping…) but there’s a poignancy below the cuteness. These are three characters who are, in their own ways, lonely and searching to fill the void. And that’s what makes it a fabulous romance because it has heart as well as humour. And just downright quirky!

God, this book. I read it with the biggest, goofiest smile on my face and all in one sitting. Gretchen is a really interesting take on a romance heroine, not at all what you’d expect, imperfect but scared and someone to relate to, perfect against my marshmallow man, Charlie (who still manages to say “Good girl” in the way that melts a woman’s knees from under her!) And we absolutely need to talk about Everett who provides much welcomed comic relief! He was so funny and underneath, the ideal friend to make Gretchen realise she’s never really been a fraud.

Basically, this was unfor-goat-ably amazing (had to get one in there somehow!) and everyone should read it now. I’m not kidding (sorry, had to go for a second!)

Happy Medium is a delightful read that I devoured in just one sitting. It blends humour with a touch of the paranormal in a heartwarming and funny way. Author Sarah Adler has created lovable characters in Gretchen Acorn and Charlie Waybill that perfectly fit in the grumpy x sunshine genre.

Gretchen, a fake medium who prefers the 'harmless' con of speaking with the dead over outright hustles, finds herself in a tricky situation when tasked with cleansing a supposedly haunted goat farm. Meeting the sceptical and brooding (and hot) Charlie puts a spanner in the works. When Gretchen bumps into the real ghost doing the real haunting, her adventure takes a surprising turn, making for a charming and unconventional supernatural rom-com.

The premise of Happy Medium combines humour, romance, and a bit of the paranormal refreshingly well. The chemistry between Gretchen and Charlie is electric. The addition of a handsome (and horny) ghost adds to the chaos and charm of the story. Adler excels at creating relatable characters and placing them in entertaining situations.

I highly recommend Happy Medium with a rating of 4.5 stars. It's a fun read that offers a mix of contemporary and unconventional elements. Whether you enjoy paranormal romances or grumpy x sunshine romances, this book is sure to satisfy you.

This book isn’t at all what I expected but I was here for the ride it sent me on, honestly this is worth the read.

Happy Medium is a paranormal.romance that revolves around a fake spirit medium who is employed to do an exorcism on a goat farm.. only things don’t go quite as planned.

This book is so entertaining, I haven’t read a book that made me laugh like this in so long. It’s also very emotional and I love how everything just clicks together.

Sarah has done a fabulous job writing this book and I am so excited to read more from her.

Romance, paranormal, farm, cozy, I loved it.
Thank you Netgallery, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read it, this book has been for me like a ring to my finger, I have enjoyed it very much.
I had not read anything by this author but from now on I will follow the track because this book has made me fall in love completely.
I dare say that it is going to be one of my favourite reads of 2024, and one of the best.
It is one of those perfect readings to read with a blanket, a good tea or hot chocolate while it rains outside, because it is one of those stories that warm your heart.
The plot, the characters, the setting, there's nothing I didn't like. It has all the elements that I love in my reading.
The author's way of writing, everything, everything fascinated me.
This book has earned a place in my heart.
For me it is a clear 5 stars.

this was a super cute paranormal romance! the tension was there from the start and i loved the development throughout the book. for me it was slightly too much will they wont they, but overall i loved it. This is probably the most creative romance story i have read in a while.