Happy Medium Review

Hello, all!

I know Spring has only just started, but if you're always in the mood for something a little spooky, you must add Happy Medium by Sarah Adler to your TBRs.

Pub Date: 4-30-24
Adult - Contemporary

Gretchen Acorn grew up running scams with her conman father, but now she only uses her skills by pretending to be a spirit medium. Gretchen believes that as long as her intentions are good by helping those who've lost loved ones get closure, she isn't doing any harm. So when her best customer hires her to cleanse her bridge partner's goat farm from a ghost, Gretchen expects to help some old man while putting some much-needed cash in her bank account. But Gretchen soon realizes she's in over her head.

Charlie Waybill is not what Gretchen imagined. Instead of the elderly veteran she built up in her head, Charlie is young, handsome, and very skeptical. He wants no part of whatever scam Gretchen is trying to run and is quick to turn her away. Gretchen can't blame him; she is a fraud. Except now she finds herself face-to-face with an actual ghost, a very chatty one at that, who tells Gretchen about a family curse threatening Charlie's life. Now, Gretchen must convince Charlie his life is forfeit if he sells the property, which is easier said than done. The longer Gretchen spends around Charlie and the farm, the more she starts wanting a genuine life. But can she pull off one last con to get Charlie to stay without losing her heart along the way?

Adler has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. I can't get enough of her books. They manage to be both whimsical and serious at the same time. I loved the premise of Gretchen being a fake medium only to be faced with helping a real ghost. Her friendship with Everett was everything. They felt like siblings, and it was so wholesome. It was one of the highlights of the book for me. The relationship with Charlie was more slow burn than I expected, but it worked well. I appreciated how Charlie made Gretchen confront a lot about herself, and her character growth by the end was so satisfying. Some parts in the middle dragged a smidge, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating: 4/5