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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
i really thought i wasn't going to enjoy this book because im REALLY picky when it comes to romance novels. but oh i really loved this one. a lot. i picked it up because of goats and spooky vibes. two things i love most in the world. the romance and chemistry between charlie and gretchen was SO good. the farming and goats actually being part of the story and not just thrown in quickly and forgotten about. it was a delightful read. it was really funny too. everett and gretchen's friendship was so much fun too!!
theres really only two issues i had with this book: this is something im lowkey torn about but i've noticed a trend in cishet romances that the author (i have no idea if she is queer, i'm assuming she's most likely straight) has a tendency to use poc and lgbt+ as background characters in their books. idk how to feel about this. on one hand i think its nice to see it being normalized. but it feels so like secondhand thought. i want more than just supporting side characters that are barely fleshed out. but then again to expect anything more from a (presumably) straight author is setting myself up. and i should focus reading books with lead queer/poc characters.
second thing was the ending was pretty bittersweet.everett leaving was so heartbreaking. i wanted him to stay. i wanted him to be given the choice to leave if he wanted to.
theres really only two issues i had with this book: this is something im lowkey torn about but i've noticed a trend in cishet romances that the author (i have no idea if she is queer, i'm assuming she's most likely straight) has a tendency to use poc and lgbt+ as background characters in their books. idk how to feel about this. on one hand i think its nice to see it being normalized. but it feels so like secondhand thought. i want more than just supporting side characters that are barely fleshed out. but then again to expect anything more from a (presumably) straight author is setting myself up. and i should focus reading books with lead queer/poc characters.
second thing was the ending was pretty bittersweet.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Sarah’s books! Magical realism is the perfect genre to me - our world needs a little magic. So this one hit the spot! The first half moved a little slower, but I was so invested in the characters and setting. I didn’t realize that small niche farms were a sub-trope that I was interested in, but this is the second one I’ve read recently and I’m obsessed. Also Everett was the perfect sassy ghost.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Libby/audio.
Im feeling a bit jaded and cynical at this point, but all these rom-com/contemporary romance stories seem to start out with this really forced tension between the MCs at the meet-cute. It's something that i really dislike. It's so unnatural! Who the heck talks this way to a stranger? And why would you subsequently fall in love with them after being such a jerk?
The setup for this story involves the FMC Gretchen, who is a conwoman medium who has a moral code-to take peoples money, in exchange for a ruse about their dead loved ones, so long as she weans them away from this grief eventually, and sends them back into life happier in the end. On the one hand, this is icky. On the other, these ppl are determined to spend their money on this service, and at least she has a small amount of goodwill toward them, and at least tries to gently nudge them away from this sad behavior. I guess that's something.
She then gets hired for an exorcism at one of her clients friend's goat farm. She cant turn down the money, so she goes.
Enter Charlie, hot but grumpy skeptical farm owner guy. And an arrangement of sorts begins after it turns out there really is a ghost, and he has a curse and only with her help will Charlie be saved from meeting the same fate as Everett, his Ghost ancestor.
There are goats, dogs and cats, farmers markets, goat yoga, soap and cheese, lots of TV, a twisted ankle, pirates, instagram, pool hustling, and a whole lot knitted sweaters. It's a wacky mix.
I actually really enjoy Ev(the ghost). He has a pretty silly personality, and lots of fun stories. His life turned out in a fairly sad way. I like the friendship that he and Gretchen build. I do wish it had been more of a focus in the story.
Charlie is going through some difficult things. I really wish the story focused on these two and the relationship building between them. They get there by the end, and maybe i just went into this expecting it to be a romance, but it may not be? IDK.
It's also equally as hard for me to trust Gretchen as it is for Charlie. This is one of those red flag setups that just sets me back from the start. (There is also the Good Girl trope randomly added in when things get spicy between them. And it feels weird, but what the heck do i know? )
I enjoyed a lot of this story, and seeing the characters grow and change.
The animals and all the random money making ideas that Gretch implements are where to story kinda drifts into the eye-roll territory for me. I really don't like the place it ends. I also dislike where the story goes with Ev. I suppose it's great for him, all things considered, but it left me wanting. And i also equally dislike the way Gretch decides to handle the closure with her father.
Overall, i think i enjoyed this, but it's not something i will reread i don't think. I always love an HEA, but in this case, the reason i kept returning to this story was the friendship between Ev and Gretch. He really is the star of this show.
Im feeling a bit jaded and cynical at this point, but all these rom-com/contemporary romance stories seem to start out with this really forced tension between the MCs at the meet-cute. It's something that i really dislike. It's so unnatural! Who the heck talks this way to a stranger? And why would you subsequently fall in love with them after being such a jerk?
The setup for this story involves the FMC Gretchen, who is a conwoman medium who has a moral code-to take peoples money, in exchange for a ruse about their dead loved ones, so long as she weans them away from this grief eventually, and sends them back into life happier in the end. On the one hand, this is icky. On the other, these ppl are determined to spend their money on this service, and at least she has a small amount of goodwill toward them, and at least tries to gently nudge them away from this sad behavior. I guess that's something.
She then gets hired for an exorcism at one of her clients friend's goat farm. She cant turn down the money, so she goes.
Enter Charlie, hot but grumpy skeptical farm owner guy. And an arrangement of sorts begins after it turns out there really is a ghost, and he has a curse and only with her help will Charlie be saved from meeting the same fate as Everett, his Ghost ancestor.
There are goats, dogs and cats, farmers markets, goat yoga, soap and cheese, lots of TV, a twisted ankle, pirates, instagram, pool hustling, and a whole lot knitted sweaters. It's a wacky mix.
I actually really enjoy Ev(the ghost). He has a pretty silly personality, and lots of fun stories. His life turned out in a fairly sad way. I like the friendship that he and Gretchen build. I do wish it had been more of a focus in the story.
Charlie is going through some difficult things. I really wish the story focused on these two and the relationship building between them. They get there by the end, and maybe i just went into this expecting it to be a romance, but it may not be? IDK.
It's also equally as hard for me to trust Gretchen as it is for Charlie. This is one of those red flag setups that just sets me back from the start. (There is also the Good Girl trope randomly added in when things get spicy between them. And it feels weird, but what the heck do i know? )
I enjoyed a lot of this story, and seeing the characters grow and change.
The animals and all the random money making ideas that Gretch implements are where to story kinda drifts into the eye-roll territory for me. I really don't like the place it ends. I also dislike where the story goes with Ev. I suppose it's great for him, all things considered, but it left me wanting. And i also equally dislike the way Gretch decides to handle the closure with her father.
Overall, i think i enjoyed this, but it's not something i will reread i don't think. I always love an HEA, but in this case, the reason i kept returning to this story was the friendship between Ev and Gretch. He really is the star of this show.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes