Poignant. Profound. Insightful. Magical...

"All the Perfect Days" is a book I was attracted to by the cover first, and the synopsis second, but after a few chapters, I thought I may have made a mistake. I carried on with the mindset of it being a respite read and immediately felt better. Then something extraordinary happened:

I connected with Dr. Charlie Knight...

Charlie is the main character and anchor of this story. He is a family doctor - the kind of GP who genuinely cares about and talks to his patients. He is observant, accessible, and empathetic, sometimes to a fault. He has a few teeny tiny issues, some of which are his own making, while others are entirely out of his control. He is why I continued to read this story; I understood his dilemma, what makes him tick. I was rooting for Charlie all the way.

An immersion read, the audiobook was narrated by Ryan Ennis, who recounts the story with enthusiasm and energy, and whose gender voicing skills are pretty remarkable. Listening to the audiobook is my preferred format for the full enjoyment of this book. I fell in love with Ennis' voice!

"All the Perfect Days" has a quaint small-town setting, developing family dynamics, possibilities of second chance romance, memorable characters, and an engaging premise, all mixed in with a bit of magic, and the more I read, the more satisfied I became. A perfect in-between-book, a palate cleanser, if you will, when you crave a break from all the heavy reads you love so much!

4⭐

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark, Tantor Audio, and Michael Thompson for the gifted DRC and ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of the book and the narration was a perfect match. It was thought provoking and urged self-reflection and it’s an excellent book if that’s what you’re seeking! I struggled to feel connected to the characters or the town, the relationships were underdeveloped with so many unanswered questions.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to review this ALC.

Initially the plot of this story was an interesting, yet scary, concept to me--knowing someone else's expiration date. The book made me feel the roller coaster of emotions that Charlie felt, proving it is definitely a blessing as well as a curse. There could be advantages to knowing your final day. To live a fuller life while you are dying. The narrator was great and the audio flowed well with no confusion as to who was speaking. The chapters are a bit long, so you commit when you begin a new one, but they're easy to listen to. A sweet story with a bit of mystery, some romance, and a tad of drama. It ticks all the boxes. I enjoyed this one immensely.

All The Perfect Days is the second novel by Australian journalist and author, Michael Thompson. The audio version is narrated by Ryan Ennis. The first time it happens, country GP Charlie Knight thinks he is dying. His patient, Edna Bradley, is convinced he is having a stroke, but he recovers quickly with no ill effects. Except maybe one…

He describes the weird episode to a neurologist acquaintance: pressure in his skull, colours draining from his vision, and a shifting sensation behind the eyes, the impression of a number. But rush tests detect no abnormality. Stress? It keeps happening, seemingly triggered by the request for medical advice or treatment. Something makes him note down the numbers for each person, and he comes to understand, after the unexpected death of a patient, that they represent the number of days the person has left.

Charlie is bewildered as to why this information is falling into his brain. What is he meant to do with it? Surely, not tell people? Soon enough, he discovers how this thing he’s experiencing can be both a blessing and a curse: he saves a life, but also feels responsible for an unexpected death. Knowing this about patients for whom he has cared for years, let alone about family and friends, it’s such a weight on his mind. He starts avoiding those chats in the pub, on the street, at parties.

Charlie has a plan he hasn’t shared, either at the Marwick Family Clinic, or with friends and family: he intends to decamp from Marwick in six weeks to take up a spot in Emergency Medicine at St John’s Private Hospital in London, where he knows he can do something special, perhaps even spectacular. Seven years ago, events conspired to keep him in Marwick, but now he has an added reason to escape: knowing the life expectancy of strangers will be much easier to cope with.

And then, Genevieve Longstaff turns up, back after seven years, ready to resettle in Marwick. Ordinarily, if there was anything that could keep him here, her presence would be it. But they have a history and, of all people, Genevieve’s number is the last one he wants to know.

It would be hard to meet the standard that Thompson set himself with “How To Be Remembered”, but he’s managed to do it with this compulsive tale. The premise is one that will have most readers contemplating, and he easily evokes his setting. His characters have depth and appeal, are believably flawed but pull together in that inimitable small-town way: Charlie is the doctor everyone would want to have, especially if they had children. Only the hardest of hearts won’t empathise over his dilemma. This is enthralling speculative fiction
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Tantor Audio

Thank you to Michael Thompson, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC.

What would you do if you knew how many days a person had remaining to live? Would you consider this ability a blessing or a curse? Would you do or say anything differently than had you not known?

This is a thought-provoking story about Charlie, a family doctor, who all of a sudden finds himself able to predict the length of his patients lives. The premise was intriguing and had me really considering what I would do differently (if anything) if I knew how long someone was going to live. There is a secondary "second chance at love" romantic story arc (no spice) involving Charlie and his former girlfriend, Genevieve, that has the reader/listener rooting for love to prevail. Does love conquer all? Does love win in the end? Read or listen to find out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of magical realism, romance, and maybe even sci-fi, though the last two are sub-genres of the story.

Engaging, entertaining, original. Solid narration makes this a recommended purchase in all formats.

This was a fun read. So many layers to everything happening. Will definitely check out more of Michael Thompson's books!

Family doctor Charlie Knight is in his late thirties, still playing tennis against the same people every Friday night. Still jogging the same streets every morning. Still treating the same patients every day—fixing the high blood pressure and arthritic knees of folks who've known him since he was a kid. But Charlie has a secret plan to escape. A plan to live the life he wants, even if the woman he was meant to do it with has left him behind.

But then Genevieve Longstaff comes back to their hometown, just as something extraordinary happens. Charlie begins to have a vision of the exact number of days a person has left until they die.

Charlie believes it's a gift. It certainly seems like one—after all, he's using it to help his patients, family and friends make the most of their to mend relationships, to travel, to retire. But this gift comes with awful consequences, and soon Charlie realizes there are things he doesn't want to know—especially about the woman he still loves.

All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson is a story about Dr. Charlie Knight, a family doctor in a country town who develops a gift, an extraordinary sense of exactly how many days his patients have left to live.

If you are a reader who loved Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years or Nikki Erlick’s The Measure, and you enjoy magical realism, this one is for you.

I enjoyed this story. Narrator, Ryan Ennis was great and a perfect characterization of Charlie. A cute story with a profound premise that will make you think and ponder.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Tantor Media for the opportunity to listen to this ARC of the audiobook, All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson!

Charlie Knight is a family physician adored by his patients. He’s empathetic, compassionate, and skilled. Having grown up in the community where he practices, Charlie knows his patients. He knows their families, their personalities, and their histories. Now, in an unexplainable twist, he also knows how many days they will live.

Charlie’s new ability is both a blessing and a curse, and poses an ethical dilemma. What exactly is Charlie supposed to do with this knowledge?

It’s no surprise that I devoured this book. A big fan of Nikki Erlick’s THE MEASURE and Michael Thompson’s first book, HOW TO BE REMEMBERED, this is the kind of magical realism I love. Thompson creates fully developed characters who act and react in completely believable ways. Relationships between characters are authentic and sincere. While this book has a bit of romance, the focus is on Charlie’s dilemma and the question of whether knowing the future aids or prohibits us from living life to the fullest.

The audiobook is deftly narrated by Ryan Ennis who breathes life into Thompson’s words. Charlie’s emotions as he recognizes and grapples with his “gift” and the choices it presents feel genuine.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

If you liked “The Measure” then you will like this book. They are both completely different plots but similar all the same.

There are several side plots that are very interesting. There are the relationships that Charlie has with his dad, his strained relationship with his mother, the caring relationship he has with his patients, and the reacquaintance with his former love Gen.

Charlie is a doctor who has strange things start happening to him. He sees colors/grey and then a number will pop into his head. He starts writing these down and keeps a log. After 2 of his patients dies he begins to distance himself not wanting to know when people he loves and care about will die.

Ryan Ennis is a good narrator. I will admit it did take me a minute to get accustomed to his style but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am glad I had the audiobook and I was able to listen all in one day. I was hooked.

Thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This book has such a fun premise. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see where it was going to take me.

Charlie a general practitioner is living a somewhat monotonous life having passed up his dream job to stay close to his mom after she had some health concerns years earlier. Until one day he starts seeing numbers flash in his mind when he sees patients. Soon he realizes the number is their number of days in life. Some our in the thousands and some are in the single digits.

His first reaction is to think this is helpful information as a doctor, but then quickly learns that it’s not actually that fun to know when people will die. We follow Charlie as he tries to figure out how to handle this new power and balance his relationships, especially with his next door neighbor whom he has a romantic history with.

I really enjoyed the magical realism in this book and path Charlie took to figuring out how to handle it. Do you tell people their number? Do you encourage them to live life more fully? Do you try to save them?

This was a compelling story about what someone would do if you could see how many days everyone around you has left of life. It would be heartbreaking but I really admire Charlie for trying to make the best of this situation which hits him out of the blue right before he plans to leave and move to London to be an emergency room doctor. Though it comes with a hard choice of whether to let them know, especially if they only have a few days left. I would find it heartbreaking and it does make this book quite the emotional ride! There is a nice bit of mystery as Charlie searches for the reason why he was given this gift/curse plus drama about something that happened seven years ago to drive his love, Gen, away though now she is back, and why his relationship with his mother was strained. A touch of love, some heartbreaking scenes, a lesson learned about treasuring the days you have left no matter how much time someone has left, and a hopeful ending that is so sweet!

The narrator did a perfect job of being a doctor who cares about his patients and tries his best to make their lives pain free and getting them help, even if it is not his job for it, like finding some kittens for a patient after his cat died. It was soothing and fun to listen to and made the story real. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this wonderfully sweet and sad and hopeful book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Ryan Ennis does a stupendous job narrating the audiobook and makes the reader forget the world beyond the book!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS STORY!!!!!

If you have read the Measure, you will love this book. If you have not read The Measure, you need to as well!

Imagine being a doctor and with every patient you treat, you know the number of their remaining days before their death? For Charlie, this is suddenly his world when this "gift' or "curse", depending upon your perspective, descends upon him. He tries to live with the gift by using it for good but can he do that successfully? Along with his family and his old flame who has recently returned to town, Charlie learns how to navigate his new normal.

This is such a well written story with touches of romance, mystery, and secrets like any good domestic drama! The pacing is fast, the story is creative and while like the Measure, completely different. I loved the characters and the whole experience!

Highly recommend with 10+ stars!!!

Definitely a book that makes you think. I loved the concept. The narrator did a fantastic job as well. This was a very clever and intriguing read. The main question was “What would we do if we knew the exact length of someone’s life?” This is not an original concept and yet, this story gave it a fun and entertaining twist.

I love the doctor perspective of these premonitions and the internal conflict of what to do with them, do you tell someone they have 18 days left or just let them live their days out?

I adored the MC, Charlie, and honestly all of the characters were so whole and lovable. Such a good concept to contemplate and a very interesting read! The word “spectacular” has a whole new meaning🥹🩷

I think I, personally, struggle with magical realism as a genre since it isn’t a full fledged “magic system” like fantasy, but not a normal occurence in reality either. I very much want to know the “why” and “how” so it’s hard for me to just accept and fully enjoy without wanting to dig deeper.

Audio: LOVED this narrator. He spoke clearly, easy to discern different voices, and has an adorable accent!

*ARC Review*

“All the perfect days” is different from the genre I usually read, and it was a nice change. Charlie is a doctor who suddenly starts to see the exact number of days someone has before they die. Is this a gift or a curse?
The characters had depth and this was an interesting read. I am glad I read it!

Thank you to Tantor Audio for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
All the Perfect Days releases May 20, 2025

2.5

What would you do if you suddenly had the ability to know the exact day in which someone was going to die?
Well, as a well-known physician, this proves to be a moral dilemma for Charlie Knight as he naturally has a personal connection with everyone in his hometown.
Stuck at a crossroads in his life, Charlie must decide whether to go ahead with his move to London and escape everyone he knows, or stay tethered to the unexpected return of his old flame.

Thompson’s sophomore novel is charming and has a great sense of community, but lacks the right level of emotional depth that you’d want from a premise that hinges upon life and death since most of the emotional punches are left too late in the story.
The lack of logic tied to the fantastical elements of the plot also weakened the ending since nothing really made sense in those last couple of chapters — what was the purpose? If the numbers could often be wrong, what kind of takeaway is there, really?

I think this would appeal to readers who enjoy the works of Marianne Cronin and Clare Pooley, or books like <I>The Measure</I> and <I>Here One Moment</I>.

4.25⭐️
Wow.. this book took me by surprise! When I started it I was a bit wary as I wasn’t connecting with the narrators voice but I persevered. And thank goodness I did! Very quickly I settled in and realized that his calm vocals completely suited the MMC and the story at hand.

Ryan Ennis did a fabulous job. I felt like I was at a reading for the book. It felt personal. Like the narrator was reading just for me. That may seem strange but it was something about how he voiced it. It made me not want to pause when I had to do other tasks. He gave enough emotion to engage the reader but without getting dramatic and influencing how one would picture the action taking place. In the end it made me want to seek out other books narrated by Mr Ennis as well as more titles by the author Michael Thompson.

For the prose itself it weaves magical realism into such an emotional topic of facing mortality. It’s a book that is hard to characterize as it has a touch of many genres. This is a great book to read for a book club as there is much that the readers can discuss.

It comes out on May 21st 2025. It’s definitely one to put on your TBR for women’s fiction lovers


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Tantor Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Dr. Charlie Knight is a small town doctor who suddenly develops an extraordinary condition. Whenever he treats a patient, he feels an intense headache, the colors in the world around him seem to drain, and then a number forms in his brain. Soon he realizes that the number represents how many days the person has left to live.

What would you do if you knew exactly how many days someone had left to live? That’s the question I was asking myself as I read this poignant, thought-provoking novel. I went through all the feels, grinning as Charlie uses his power for good, and my heart cracking in two at the moment he realizes his new ability is both a blessing and a curse. Although some of the themes are heavy, the author treats them tenderly and the book ends on an open-ended but hopeful note. Audiobook narrator Ryan Ennis strikes a kind, understated, and mellow tone, just right for Charlie’s character.

If you’re looking for a romance, the gentle second-chance romance between Charlie and Gen is more of a side plot and might not hit the spot for you. But if you’re looking for thoughtful contemporary fiction with a touch of magical realism, this one is for you. Also perfect for fans of “The Measure” by Nikki Erlick, “Here One Moment” by Liane Moriarty, and “Expiration Dates” by Rebecca Serle.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Tantor Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. This story would be great for fans of The Measure, as it follows a Dr who suddenly can see how many days a person has left. Upon keeping track he tells one patient that she has one day left and she goes out and kills herself instead of giving her family farewells like he thought that she would. Then following him through the grief of his decision and the the outcome of his choice to tell someone that they were about to die.