Absolutely ridiculous. What kind of actual doctor would get involved with someone who sells essential oils? Gen was insane. Quitting her actual job to shill these oils to vulnerable people. This character just sucked so hard. Then in her public office at a desk job she’s subjecting others to a diffuser spitting out patchouli oil. Come on now. Charlie’s decisions just made no sense here. The story felt very muddied and the whole number thing was not handled well. This just seemed like disguised grief porn to me.

I really enjoyed this book! I feel like it got right into it, which is always nice. And I feel like it dragged the main character Charlie’s life before the book started very nicely throughout the book with a hint of mystery as you puzzle together what happened between him and the love of his life seven years prior. I enjoyed the hint of magical realism in this book. There were so many different instances where the gift could feel more like a curse and other times more like a blessing. All in all, I would absolutely have hated having this specific gift and I am quite positive I would have messed up many lives. Had I ever had it thrust upon me. The book itself was a lovely story. It was very well written like I was just dropping in on someone’s life. It wasn’t awkward or cringe in any parts and I feel like that’s been really hard to come by lately! Also a very clean book as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks landmark for the ARC!

NOT A ROM-COM. Do not look at the cover illustration and think it's going to be a sweet little romp as the MC gets a second chance at Luuuv. (That is part of what happens, but honestly not as much as the visuals suggest.) Oh, and to be honest, calling a thirtyish woman "the girl he still loves" is not a great choice, copywriting department.

What kept me reading this story was Charlie's mildly perplexed attitude towards his newfound ability to "see" how long a person has left to live. What a Burnsian gift:
Oh, would some Power the gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!...from To a Louse

...for a doctor to discover! It could at first glance seem like a gift...but quite soon it would naturally become a burden.

Bearing that burden is a man we don't really get to know, but more know about. We have no access to his...or anyone else's...thoughts, we're in a third-person close narrative style so we are more or less the camera in the movie of Charlie's life. I went back and forth on this choice, does it work does it help me "get" the story...it does and it doesn't. It's a choice that makes the story outside us, and them; it's a story that is about a place we do not feel we belong to while really caring about the guy showing us around.

No one else gets much attention, really. Ideas are introduced but not explored any more than the not-Charlie characters are. I'm not all the way in sympathy with that choice because of the nature of Charlie's "gift." A bit more about the people whose lives he senses pretty clearly the ends of might've increased my investment in them and the story.

I did get invested, however, as I resonate with Charlie's newfound ability to see what is not obvious. I quite liked his slightly befuddled response to it. I liked Charlie, and I was glad to sped time with him. As it is told, it felt to me like something from the midcentury of US or UK middlebrow fiction.

That is an honest compliment, as those kinds of stories are able to convey the essential goodness in most people. Everyone in this story, no matter how incomplete their characters felt to me, was an essentially well-meaning person (if sometimes slightly lost).

It's a welcome, and welcoming, place to be.

Charlie is a small town doctor who suddenly develops the ability to see how many days someone has left to live. Perplexed at first, he starts to keep track of the numbers and is overwhelmed by the weight of this knowledge. He tries hard to avoid situations where he might find out this information about his loved ones, especially Genevieve, his former love, who recently returns to the small town after 7 years. Charlie had a plan to leave this small town and head to London but with the reappearance of Genevieve, he is torn. With the new ability he has, he wants to run from all who he loves.

I really loved How to Be Remembered and this novel has the element of magical realism as well. I felt the characters were a little flat and the story, which had promise, felt thin. It reminded me a little of The Measure but not executed as well. Charlie IS a loveable character and it’s a sweet little read. I just think it had the potential to be deeper.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for a #gifted early digital copy of this novel

I enjoyed the concept: reconnecting over missed opportunities and second chances felt heartfelt. The leads have warm chemistry and thoughtful introspection. But I often found the pacing uneven: some scenes sparkle with emotional resonance, while others felt filler. The ending, while satisfying, didn't leave me with that lingering impact I’d hoped for. Still, the sincerity shines through, and it resonated as a quiet, character‑driven romance. I’ll give it a thoughtful 3,5 stars—round and reflective, if not extraordinary.

The idea of a doctor suddenly being able to see how many days each person has left to live was so interesting and thought provoking. It really made me think about how we use our time and what it means to live fully.
I enjoyed the small town feel and the community. There’s a sweet second chance romance (just a hint) mixed in with a lot of heart and reflection.
It wasn’t a super fast paced read but that worked for this story. It gave me time to sit with the emotions and the ideas the story brought up.

I will say I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and I love when that happens. This book was a quick read for me because I was so hooked. I was expecting more of a “romance” theme but was pleasantly surprised to see it was not just that!
This is a unique read for sure!

(Actual: 3.5⭐, rounded up) I loved Michael Thompson's debut novel, HOW TO BE REMEMBERED, which is why I was super excited to receive and read an early copy of ALL THE PERFECT DAYS. It's worth noting that this book falls moreso under the general fiction genre imo than it does as a romance or love story, though there are some romantic elements woven in (it's just not the main focal point). While the pacing of the plot was a bit slow at times, it overall felt pretty consistent and I enjoyed the magical realism aspect of Thompson's narrative (similar to his last book). Death is a big theme featured in AtPD of course, along with second chances; reflecting on past decisions & reconciling with any guilt or regrets we may have; as well as how we decide to navigate through grief. The novel ends on a mostly hopeful, if not bittersweet, note, and I actually kind of liked that it was rather open-ended/left to interpretation because that's how real life is sometimes too— we don't always get a concrete answer or resolution to things, and that's okay. Overall a solid summer read for me & would def recommend out to others!

Thank you to the author, Sourcebook Landmark and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I have had continuing familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

The premise of a doctor suddenly being able to see how many years his patients had left to live had me intrigued. This is a slow-paced look at someone who feels as though life might have passed them by, because they're too willing to be helpful and supportive to others - and don't seem to have anyone in their corner advocating for them. While there is a bit of romance, this is most definitely not a love story - and I didn't find the chemistry between the two people in question believable. Much is made of familial strife between the main character and his parents, with it being constantly alluded to, but not clearly named - I found this annoying after a while, and felt taking it up in the last quarter of the book was too late. Overall, the book deals with heavy themes like guilt, life decisions, the desire for a second chance, death... not necessarily a light read. However, while these themes come up, none are gone into in any depth and the ending felt a bit of a letdown.

This book was an easy read and did a great job of keeping me engaged! I loved the dynamic between the characters and how much Charlie’s character made such strides and challenged himself to grow. It’s very reminiscent of how it can feel in your 20s and 30s when you’re just trying to figure things out! I can only imagine what it would be like to have such an uncanny gift: knowing how long each patient you meet has to live! A blessing perhaps, but a curse too.

How awful to be a doctor and all of a sudden find yourself with the ability to predict the day that your patients will die. That put quite the burden on Charlie but he found a way to work with the prediction--making sure that his patients were encouraged to make things right with others, do things they've always wanted to do, all without letting them know that they would die in a certain amount of days. At the same time, he has decided to move on with his life and do the things that he wanted to do 7 years ago. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the complementary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion. I have rated it at 3.5 stars for "Good, but a little slow." Rounding up to 4 because it deserves more than 3 stars.

There’s something about this book that just felt off to me. It lacked verisimilitude, which sounds weird to say about a speculative fiction book, but what I mean is that there were times when I didn’t buy a character’s behavior. Like, suspending disbelief for a fantasy or sci-fi premise is easy for me, but if people react to things in a way that feels unrealistic, I can’t stay engaged. And there was a twist in the fantasy/sci-fi element of the book that kind of just broke the worldbuilding for me. If the fantastical elements don’t adhere to their own internal rules, or break the rules but in a way that’s not explained in the book, it falls apart for me. It just felt like sloppy writing. It’s a shame because I really loved this author’s first book. I wouldn’t call this one bad but it definitely didn’t live up to its predecessor. I’d still be willing to check the author’s next book out because I know he can do much better. This one, though, gets 2.5 stars.

CW: Suicide, mention of addiction (past) and description of withdrawal symptoms

Representation: LGBTQ+ characters

Being able to see how many days someone has left in their lives should be a marvelous thing, however for Charlie, being a doctor it is more of a curse than a gift. The concept for this novel was interesting and well written. An enjoyable read.

The idea of being able to foresee how many days a person has left to live may be considered a psychic gift but for young doctor Charlie, it turned out to be a curse. I was intrigued with the idea of this and decided to give this book a try. I found it to be a light hearted easy read. For me, it did not deliver the drama and suspense that I anticipating in a fantasy story, but it was still enjoyable.

Received this book as an ARC from Netgalley,, I was immediately intrigued by the summary. A family doctor in their hometown being able to see how long everyone has left to live seems like a horrible nightmare, so naturally I wanted to finish the book immediately to see how this started and how Charlie can move forward from this.
This was a book I struggled to put down, It really drew me in, which I loved. Although it does deal with death, and grief, it still felt like a lighthearted read at some points, which I loved.
This book really helps you open your eyes to what you want from your life, and shows you how short life can be.

Thank you Michael Thompson and Sourcebooks Landmark for letting me read this ARC via NetGalley.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Vibes: 🩺⏳💔📖🌅😢💞
Rating: 3.5⭐
Tropes: magical realism / moral dilemmas / personal transformation / life and death themes / romantic subplot

The description of the book caught my eye when browsing. How cool would it be to be able to see how many days that people have left to live? But then again, I can see the struggle that Charlie is having in this book because he's a doctor in a small town and wants to be able to help people, but he's cursed knowing how many days they will have left in their life.

This book really had my thinking about the value of time. It was a little bit of a blander read at first, seemed like it didn't really dive too deep on any topic, but touched on a little bit of everything. Wish I knew how Charlie was given this gift. It kind of just happens. 2/3 of the way through the book, I got to the point where I couldn't put the book down, just seemed to be a little chaotic in a good way -- I found myself needing to finish. The Gen and Charlie subplot is very ... slow. More like friends, definitely not a romance book. The ending was mediocre honestly, but brought it back to feeling a little romance-ish. I could see the humor that the author was going for at the end.

Also, not really related to the plot but every time Gen brought up her oils, I cringed a little. I laughed when Charlie was like "seems like a cult".

I received a complimentary copy of this book "All the Perfect Days" and all opinions expressed are my own. I have both the kindle book and audio book. I listened to the audio book. This was a heartwarming story about Dr Charlie Knight who sees when he patients will die. It's a countdown. I thought this was a good story, different, heartwarming.

Charlie is a doctor in a small town. He’s well-loved and good at his job. Recently, Charlie has had visions while he’s been with patients and others who he cares for. His senses become altered and he sees a number… the days each person has left to live.

As Charlie grapples with this, he’s also faced with a tumultuous relationship with his mom, his old flame (Gen) coming back to town, and his plan to leave his hometown for good. @michaelthompsonauthor keeps you wondering- Am I making most of the days I have left?- while reminding you that being present and loving one another is always enough.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for this #advancedreaderscopy -it’s out now!!!

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This was a sweet and introspective read—light enough to breeze through, but layered with a thoughtful “what if?” premise that sticks with you. Family doctor Charlie Knight finds his routine life turned upside down when he suddenly starts seeing the number of days each person has left to live. Wild, right?

The story leans more into quiet reflection than fast-paced action, and I enjoyed how it explored the emotional side of such a power. Would you want to know how many days you had left—or your loved ones? It’s a concept that invites a lot of personal reflection, and the author handles it with warmth and a touch of melancholy.

It was a bit predictable in places, and not everything landed perfectly for me, but overall it was a gentle, heartfelt story with just the right dose of magic realism. And the rekindled romance element added a nice emotional pull without being overly heavy.

A solid read if you’re in the mood for something thought-provoking, a little whimsical, and deeply human.

Dr. Charlie Knight is itching to get out of his small town, to take the emergency medicine job in London he was supposed to take seven years ago, before life got...complicated. But as he's counting down the days, he starts seeing a different kind of number - the number of days his patients have left. Each time he treats them, he's privy to this information he shouldn't have. What does he do with it? How can he keep from seeing it? When Genevieve, the woman he loves moves back next door, he's caught between where he thinks he wants to be and where he truly is.