sarah adler – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 418 pages
Author: Sarah Adler
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 30th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

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.

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 beneficent one. 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.

UNDERWHELMED.

I loved the previous book from this author and was excited to pick this up, unfortunately I’m feeling pretty meh about it overall. The book is not bad by any means, it just didn’t sweep me away either. Clearly, take this review with a grain of salt because you could love it way more than me.

I loved the farm setting and I thought the paranormal aspects were quirky and humorous. Lots of cute goat content and farmer’s markets and farm shenanigans. With the romance, I didn’t feel as much chemistry as I hoped. It came across more lusty from Gretchen’s angle, which is never my jam, and the feelings went up and down from there. I liked that Gretchen and Charlie did eventually communicate and talk things out at least.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3+ open door
Violence: low
Content Warnings: scenes with an older loved one with dementia

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Sarah Adler
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 23rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.

Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.

She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.

After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.

But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.

THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I didn’t really have plans to pick this up and a friend’s raving review convinced me to give it a go. AND I LOVED IT. I’m so happy I read it!

THE EMOTIONS. I felt them all throughout. The flashback chapters hurt my heart and when a reveal happened that I wasn’t expecting I was almost in tears. The writing just brought out all of the feels.

The romantic banter was amazing. I was laughing and swooning Hollis and Millie. They really had this enigmatic chemistry and the road trip antics were well placed. I’m not usually a road trip fan, but I love the way this story worked in its favor. I do think the physicality of their relationship surpassed what I love seeing, that’s a me thing though.

It’s a wonderful audio book. A deeply heartfelt story and I was in love from all sides.

Overall audience notes: