Quick 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.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her best (read: 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 beneficentone. 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 Everett: 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 life: being fully, genuinely herself.

Book Review

When Aardvark announced Happy Medium as a pick for May, I immediately added it to my box. I have had Sarah Adler’s debut, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, sitting unread on a shelf since shortly after it was published. I knew that it was adored, so I went ahead and ordered Happy Medium based on its adorable cover and Adler’s reputation. I never really read the synopsis but expected to find a unique, fun romance novel within its pages.

Happy Medium is a humorous, paranormal, and heartfelt enemies-to-loves romance. A con artist (Gretchen) pretending to be a medium is hired by her most loyal customer to help a friend, who happens to be a sexy goat farmer (Charlie), rid his property of a ghost. When Gretchen arrives, she encounters a very skeptical Charlie as well as her first ever ghost, Everett who needs Gretchen to persuade Charlie not to sell or he will be cursed.

As I predicted, Happy Medium has a unique plot that endears readers to eccentric characters. The story is full of charm and fun farm happenings. Goat yoga, anyone? It does take a little while for the chemistry to sizzle between Gretchen and Charlie as they build a friendship first, but I prefer a romance that builds over time, rather than insta-love. In the interim, Charlie is a bit mean to Gretchen as he expresses his skepticism. I can see this turning off some readers, but I felt like his heart will ultimately win over anyone with initial doubts. And when the romance begins, the banter and chemistry is swoon-worthy. Adler does an excellent job contrasting deep moments with whimsical and humorous ones, many of the courtesy of a friendly sidekick/ghost.

In addition, Adler worked a lot of character development into Happy Medium, which made the story very enjoyable. I thought I would be hesitant to cheer on a con artist, but Gretchen is a grifter with principles and a heart. Essentially, she is the most likable con I have ever encountered. Despite his initial barbs, Charlie is a grumpy farmer with a soft center. Everett, a ghost of Charlie’s long dead relative, brings the humor and counters the levity of the story’s stakes.

Overall, Happy Medium is a feel-good romance with memorable characters. This novel is a great light-hearted summer read or a perfect book for spooky season.

Rating

Overall Rating

Writing

Plot

Character Development