Publication: 30th April 2024 – Quercus Books
Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn may be a fraud, but she’s a benevolent one. So when her client asks her to help a friend who’s struggling to sell his apparently haunted goat farm, who’s Gretchen to say no?
It turns out said farmer isn’t quite as Gretchen imagined. Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced by Gretchen. And things get even worse for Gretchen when she finds herself face to face with Everett: a very real, very chatty ghost.
Everett wants Gretchen to help save Charlie from the family curse that’s left him haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s. Now Gretchen has one month to win over the sceptical farmer. And as they grow closer, Gretchen realises the only way to pull off the greatest con of her life might be to finally risk her heart.
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!
A huge thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
Sarah Adler writes romantic comedies about lovable weirdos finding their happily ever afters. She lives hers in Maryland with her husband and daughter and spends an inordinate amount of her time yelling at her mischievous cat to stop opening the kitchen cabinets.
Twitter @sarahadler
Instagram @sarahadlerwrites
Website sarahadlerwrites.com
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