Sally Malcolm’s first published m/m romance is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion (which regularly vies with Emma for first place in my ranking of Austen’s novels!)  set in a sleepy New York seaside town.  I admit I’m usually a bit wary of retellings of classic novels – especially when they’re great personal favourites - but I’ve known the author on and off for over a decade, I enjoy her writing and was confident that she’d treat the material with respect - and that confidence wasn’t misplaced.  Perfect Day is a beautifully told second-chance-at-love story that tugs at the heartstrings and can be enjoyed regardless of whether you’re familiar with Persuasion or not.  It stands on its own very well, although the fun for those of us who do know the original is in recognising the plot points and characters the author has chosen to ‘transplant’ and how she’s made them work in a contemporary setting.

During one halcyon summer eight years earlier, Joshua Newton and Finn Callaghan met and fell in love when Finn was employed to work on Charles Newton’s classic car collection at his Hanworth Hall estate in upstate New York.  The Newtons were extremely wealthy; Joshua’s father and older brother Michael were tough-nosed businessmen who believed money was everything,  but Josh was always a bit of an outsider, a talented musician and gentle soul whose ambitions lay in a different direction.  He and Finn spent as much time together as they possibly could over the couple of months that followed, falling deeply and passionately in love and eventually deciding to move to Los Angeles together, where the stunningly handsome Finn would pursue an acting career while Josh would further his musical studies.

But their dreams came to an abrupt end when Josh allowed his aunt Ruth to persuade him not only that he should finish his MBA at Harvard, but that for Finn to arrive in LA with a boyfriend in tow would end Finn’s career before it had even begun.  If Josh truly loved Finn, he should end their relationship and let him go.

Eight years later, and Josh never did leave New Milton and embark on a musical career.  His father kicked him out of the family home when he came out around a year after he split up with Finn, and he now lives in a small cottage near the beach, works part time as a music teacher at the local school and works a few shifts at coffee shop in town.  He knows he’s living a small life, which isn’t at all what he’d intended, but he lacks the energy to break out of his regular patterns and prefers his music and his own company to interacting with people – who are exhausting.

When the present day story opens, Josh’s father has been imprisoned for tax fraud and the house and as many possessions as possible must be sold off in order to pay his creditors.  Josh is completely unprepared to learn that Hanworth has been bought by hot-shot lawyer Sean Callaghan – Finn’s younger brother – who will be arriving, with his wife, to take possession in a matter of days.

Josh tries to tell himself that it’s unlikely Finn will ever visit, and that if he does, they’re unlikely to meet.  Even when he learns that Finn is flying in to spend a few days with his brother, Josh hopes to avoid seeing him – hopes which are dashed when Finn accompanies Sean into the coffee shop one morning.  Josh is stunned but manages to nod an acknowledgement – while Finn looks furious and leaves without saying a word.

At first, Finn’s ire is focused on Josh and the way he’d so carelessly broken Finn’s heart, but later it turns inward as he realises that even after eight years he still has feelings for Josh - and doesn’t want them.  Being afforded the second PoV is probably the biggest difference between Perfect Day and Persuasion; in that novel, the story is told entirely through Anne Elliot’s eyes, whereas here, we’re given direct insight into Finn’s emotions and motivations, and I enjoyed that aspect of the storytelling, as it means that the author is able to present Finn as a more fully-rounded individual and explore his conflicted feelings for Josh, his desire to punish him for breaking his heart and the desire to grab onto him and never let him go.

Ms. Malcolm sticks fairly closely to the original story although she has removed or pared down some of the secondary plotlines; and Josh and Finn are very much characters in their own right and not just cyphers or pale representations of Anne and Wentworth.  They’re richly drawn, with very distinctive personalities and voices, and flaws that make them seem that much more human.  Josh has been living in a kind of limbo since he split up with Finn, and I loved watching him gradually find his way back to the person he’s supposed to be, and eventually, the strength to try to move on with his life.

The writing is lyrical and romantic, yet economical and precise, and while there’s plenty of angst in the story, it’s never overdone or overplayed.  My one criticism is that the epilogue is perhaps a little long, but ultimately, Perfect Day is the sort of book you finish with a heartfelt sigh of satisfaction and a dreamy smile, and I’m more than happy to recommend it.

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I loved Finn and Josh's story. I'm not very familiar with Persuasion, so I can't say how closely it is followed, but that doesn't detract from the story at all. Finn and Josh are written as real, fully formed people, and the pain they cause one also seems quite real. Even after all of the drama, their love wins out and they come together.

Well, this week’s read was a downright pleasure, folks. It wasn’t what I was expecting going in, yet I came out the other side thoroughly sated and filled with all the happiest of little sighs. Perfect Day by Sally Malcolm is a gender-bending retell of the classic Persuasion by Jane Austen. And, oh my heart, what a sweet and wonderful twist on that tale it was.



It didn’t march side-by-side with the plot of Persuasion, but it held true in all the areas that mattered most. Really, though, it’s those places Ms. Malcolm strayed to make the story her own that make it shine as brightly as it does. Because, yes, the skeleton of the classic is there, holding strong and true, but the heart of the story—and indeed, the characters themselves—feel fresh and uniquely reimagined.



I absolutely adored Joshua and Finn, our heroic and loveable leads. They each had a distinctive voice within the narrative, and they were rife with flaws and realistic thoughts and reactions that made them delightfully genuine. My eyeballs get tired from all the rolling when the main characters are the epitome of perfection. I cannot stand when every head turns and drool puddles on the floor anytime one of the MCs is in the room, or when an MC embodies godlike flawlessness. That’s not an authentic representation of any true human being, so it makes it pretty flippin’ hard to relate to the characters. It puts them at a distance no reader can cross and winds up with an unsatisfactory and near-impossible connection.



But Ms. Malcolm and her leading men? They did not fall prey to this faux pas. Nope, not one bit. Both Joshua and Finn were down-to-earth, faithful representations of real human beings, complete with faults, flaws, and beautiful imperfections.



Then again, they were also quite stupendous in their level of awesome. Just not, ya know, unrealistically so. I fell head-over-heels for them both because they were such magnificent, compassionate, and brilliant men, rich in character and full of heart.



My experience thus far with Carina Press has tended toward the high-heat level as far as sexy time depictions go, so I went into this expecting a similar encounter. However, this very nearly faded to black, with just the hint of a carnal undertone overlaid by eloquently written scenes. Did it leave me disappointed? Surprisingly, no. I’m a fan of the high-heat, but when done properly, can absolutely appreciate the softer side of romance. In this instance, Ms. Malcolm did a beautiful job of giving just enough to allow the reader to picture the scene she laid out, then run with it to their heart’s content.



Overall, this was a lovely and thoroughly enjoyable read. I would recommend it to any Jane Austen aficionados out there, and certainly to any m/m romance fans. The love between these two men is genuine, delightful, and a downright pleasure to experience. This isn’t a story any gay romance enthusiast should miss.

3-3.5 Stars

”...I think it’s romantic when love is more than seizing the day, when it’s about everything in two people’s lives coming together. That’s not something you rush into on a whim.”

Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” was one of second chance story that still make sense to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love Austen’s books, but generally the misunderstanding between heroes/heroines of her books that prolong their start to happy ever after could be exasperating. Conversely, Captain Wentworth had cause for his grudge toward Miss Elliot. Just like Finn got beef after being rejected by Joshua after the promise they made each other in “Perfect Day.” This classics queered retelling is relatable in modern world where vanity, pretension, and missed opportunity were in abundance.

“Perfect Day” is a sweet and gentle second chance story, set in a seaside town. I was surprised to find that I quite liked Joshua, especially the new and grown up Josh who’d come out, stood up to his family and made his own way in the world. His remorse over the wrong he’d done to Finn and the affection he still felt did caused him to withdraw from people, not necessarily hiding back into the closet but just never be open about his true self. When Finn came back and practically treated him as shit... I felt like weeping!! Josh might seem like such a doormat, but I got where he came from and I liked that he at least still make friends with Sean (Finn’s brother) and his wife and kept mum about the fact that Finn - the sanctimonious prick - who resented Josh for not coming out and left his family for Finn never came out to his own brother himself!!!


The back and forth POVs between Finn and Josh showed the turmoil both men felt - for Finn, the urge to punish, took revenge on the pain Josh caused warred with the desire to grab him again and never let go and for Josh the strength to let go and finally move on - they were just too heartbreaking!! Praise to the author who managed to wreck my heart over the guys’ dilemma. Way to go reincarnate Captain Wentworth’s and Miss Elliot’s anguish into Finn and Josh! The transition from the historical into modern premises was done nicely, down to the big revelation that cracked the pretension open.

From a number of classics queered retelling I’ve read so far, “Perfect Day” fell under the enjoyable category. The character portrayal might feel rather off - hello way too friendly lawyer and heyy, emo older brother! - but eh, they fit the story fine! :D The time frame felt erratic at times, suspiciously long for a day (like cramming-in-a-day-work followed by an outing in a pub, then arrived home to some guests arriving... in the middle of the night?) to leaping days. And then there’s that long epilogue... But I guess when Finn wanted to make things perfect he went all out. Personally I didn’t think it gave good balance in their new start at relationship, but what the heck do I know. ;-) And as an intro to Sally Malcolm’s works, “Perfect Day” hit the right spot for me.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've never been a fan of Jane Austen but I figured I would give Perfect Day a chance since I love gay romances. Unfortunately, I didn't like this either. Convoluted plot with too many extraneous characters.

This book was well written and very fun to read. The characters were great and I enjoyed the world building. The author does a great job at introducing the characters and moving the plot along. There were a few things that I didn't like, but it wasn't enough to really sway me one way or the other. It's definitely a story that I can get lost in and both feel for the characters. It is definitely a go-to novel that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a great read. Definitely a highly recommended read that I think everyone will enjoy.

3*. Not sure about this one, as the leads barely spend any time together, and there's more reference to family drama than romance.

I've not read the book by Jane Austen that Sally Malcolm has written her novel in tribute to, so I went into this blind expecting a lovers reunited tale. I didn't get that.

I got a tale set in a small town with a ton of characters, several of whom seemed to get too much page-time and took over the book, to the point where I was wondering if I was reading a tale about a community, and not a romance.

The leads barely had any time together, and when they did spend time together, Finn was 'romancing' a woman, and then drama broke them up and he came looking for Joshua. It ends with them together, of course, but there was no passion, no fire, no reunion or anything that really made me think that this book lived up to its blurb - it utterly didn't.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.