I like it when a book really makes me 'feel' for the MC, and I really felt for Wyatt, not so much from Graham, probably because we see more of Wyatt's feelings.
The 'usual' was used to move the story to its conclusion and I sort of wished it had been something else , but all in all a great meaningful short read that I wished had been longer, because I'm greedy that way! :)

The sharp sting of unreturned love. The sweet honey of hope. In just a few pages Josh Lanyon manages to break my heart and stop my breath, for then to gently massage my poor ticker back to life and slowly blow air back into my starved lungs. Wonderful. Beautiful. Amazing.

That. Was perfect.

Short stories are so often written like prologues, a well-written one leaving the reader wanting more. I've always tried not to downgrade a short story when I want it to keep going, because I thought "Hey, I want more, that's good, right?"

But this. An entire story in 26 pages. There's no need for one more word - or one less. I even freaking cried a little (at work no less). It was whole, complete, and short.

And perfect. I loved it.

4.5 stars
Sometimes you cannot help to fall in love with someone who is wrong ... like one who can't love you back. Wyatt has been seeing Graham, who lost his partner three years ago after hit-and-run accident. Graham hasn't been over Jase -- but Wyatt can help to fall in love with him anyway. He tries to not say it, because he knows what to expect. But over a heat of the moment, those three little words are said anyway ... But Graham cannot return Wyatt's affection, right? So what should Wyatt d More...

4.5

This was absolutely lovely. A very touching short story, perfect length, very evocative. Josh Lanyon just has this special way with words that I adore. There is nothing stilted in his stories, nothing artificial. It's all heart-felt and reflected, with a natural, casual flow that I appreciate very much.

There was a little something missing for a full out 5 star rating (view spoiler)[(the allergy reaction seemed just a little bit too convenient as a plot device, reminding Graham what he has and might lose, et (hide spoiler)] More...

Well done, Mr. Matchmaker!
( I bet he did that on purpose...)

Perfect Day is about a day that is not so perfect (although the story is about as close to perfection as you can get). I think others have covered all the great points pretty well so I thought I would fill in a few background details that non-Oregonians might not be aware of :D

1. OMSI stands for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. It has a laser light show in the Planetarium (I think, it's been a while since I've gone). It's a GREAT way for people of Wyatt and Graham's education to meet a More...

This was a very nice short short...All about revelations...Wyatt is in love with Graham. He knows Graham is not ready for that. His grief over the death of his partner a few years ago is still too present.

The thing is he had to say it...He had to say he loved Graham, even if that revelation would finally end the fragile thing that he had managed to have with this man. So there he was, getting back from the camping trip they were in, thinking how unfair it was that he couldn't have more with Grah More...

Someone should tell Josh Lanyon he is on sabbatical...because his writing skills have certainly NOT taken a vacations!!

A sweet little story about realizing what you have in front of you before it is gone...

Graham is mourning the loss of his lover Jase who was killed in a hit and run accident 3 years before. He meets Wyatt, a gentle man, who is ready to settle down, fall in love and spend the rest of his life loving his man. Unfortunately,Graham cannot see himself in that roll because...he is sti More...

No one can write like Josh. He is and will always be my favorite author.

This short story had me in tears within the first few pages. The heartbreak/turmoil of (perceived) unrequited love and from losing one's partner to death about amazes me. He does what so many authors fail to do: take you from being a sobbing mess due to sadness, to a sobbing mess from happiness and in 28 PAGES!!! I knew I was in for an emotional ride. Again, I was NOT disappointed.


2nd read: 8/26/12

Josh's new short story is perfection. Wyatt loves Graham. Graham isn't over his partner Jase, who was tragically killed. They go camping on a perfect day and in a few short pages we find out their personal backgrounds, current state and possible next step.

What really struck me while reading it is how well Josh manages to capture all those nuanced gradations of feelings and thoughts a person goes through as they come to realize and start to process that maybe their love might not be returned...ev More...

Short stories just leave me frustrated and wanting more, but Josh Lanyon is one author who can tempt me to give in and read one. I'll read his books just for the characters he creates and the emotions he evokes with a few well chosen words. Perfect Day didn't disappoint, except that it was too short!

A beautiful, perfect little story, intimate and delicate, mature in style and approach, the narration essential and streamlined, so many palpable emotions... we identify with Wyatt's despair, but we also feel for Graham's loss and inability or unwillingness to commit again. He's not lost someone he loved very much, he's lost him suddenly and his killer has not been brought to justice. These are such hard things to recover from.
Josh Lanyon is careful in balancing each character's suffering and v More...

Perfect Day left me crying. Happy crying. Peaceful, slow, hopeful crying. With silent tears. And it didn't stop easily either. It's the way Josh Lanyon chooses his words - so carefully, but in so relaxed way at the same time it seems. And it's all the delicate tones and the way the mood changes. And how can he make me feel pleased and miserable at the same time? Angry and wistful?

But in the end the most important feeling for me in this story was hope. I have a soft spot for stories that end with More...

A beautifully touching short story. And the writing! The writing is so goooood! Do you know what I would give to get writing this good in all m/m books? Well, a lot. Zygotes would be involved.

Lanyon does it again. Somehow, he created believable emotional heft in the story within the first few moments of telling it. As a reader, you have have no background on these characters or this relationship -- that information is conveyed in skillful flashbacks -- but he makes you care about their fate almost immediately. This is a master-level accomplishment for short-story writers, and boy has he achieved that level of greatness. It is unfortunate that Lanyon isn't known outside of the gay lit More...

„Perfect Day“ is my first Josh Lanyon read. It was bittersweet, beautiful, breathtaking, heart warming, emotional... I could go on forever till I'll run out of adjectives.

Especially one quote touched me deeply:

I stared up at the darkening skies. The stars would appear soon, first a faint and milky glow, then a hard, adamantine glitter, burning steadily through the night. It would be a good night. Maybe the first of many...



Thank you for this wonderful, little gem. More...

I agree with Chris. This really was perfect. Looking back, it seems hard to believe it was as short as it was (under 30 pages!) because it was so amazingly complete. There was plot. There was characterization. There was humor. There was angst. There was even a pretty well developed backstory. I'd have to say this is probably the only time (so far?) that I've wanted to give out "extra credit," that I've been so wowed by a story it makes me sad the highest rating I can give it is a full score.
The More...

Talk about a perfect tale!

All those people who categorically state that they don't like short stories because they aren't fulfilling should read this.

In just a few pages, Josh manages to give us enough back story, character development and description to color in the picture enough so that when the black moment arrives, that point in the story where the risk is the greatest, you care just as much as if the story had taken chapters to get there.

If Josh is finding it difficult to write and wants t More...

The ability of Josh Lanyon to tell a story is second to none. This is a really short story ; yet he manages to achieve in so few words what other writers often fail to do in a full blown novel -- he totally captures the reader. How is it possible to connect with characters so much, in such a quick read? I actually teared up -- that is how well he has captured the turmoil that somebody goes through having lost their soulmate, struggling to move on, feeling guilty that he is in fact able too. Just More...

And there he went, reached into my chest, took my heart and squeezed. Only a little. Only enough to make me feel the pain of unrequited love, the heartache and the hurt when you see a relationship ending that hadn't quite begun and that you can't help longing for even though the other one won't probably be able to love you back. Ever.

An all around perfect little story. Highly recommended!

Another excellent short story by Josh Lanyon. This was short and sweet and made me cry. I've never read a Lanyon story that I didn't love. Seriously. He is by far my favorite writer (not just of m/m writers but of anyone). I've never encountered another writer who could consistently make me feel the same emotions as the characters and actually make me cry. His books are some of the few that I reread just to feel those emotions again and again.

I love unrequited love stories, they're so bittersweet and are easy to relate to. Josh Lanyon did an excellent job with this one. It almost had me in tears since I wanted so badly for it to work out between Wyatt and Graham but it appeared as if Graham wouldn't be returning Wyatt's feelings. I loved that there was some humor injected into such a serious situation, it helped to relieve some of the feelings of worry/heartache for Wyatt.

This is a great short story by Josh Lanyon. He is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors. In a short amount of time Lanyon was able to make me connect with Wyatt and to feel his heartbreak over loving someone who didn't love him back. Although I wish there had been a little more at the end to show how Wyatt and Graham's relationship grew I still highly recommend this book.

This was a step away from the usual Lanyon mystery/romance, still I liked it. In some ways it was much more mature than his usual stories. It's refreshing to see him take the plunge toward something slightly more challenging and see him come out victorious as he did here. The story is short, yes, but I don't think it really needed anything more than what he gave us.

There is a certain something that has been missing with Lanyon's more recent books and I'm pleased to see that it is back, even if I don't really have the ability to explain what "it" is. I'd complain that 26 pages is too short to really call a story but since Mr. Lanyon is on vacation, I really wasn't expecting anything.

Emotions: love, loss, fear, joy, sadness, uncertainty, delight. We all experience them. Nobody embodies them in the written word as Josh Lanyon does. Perfect Day is a prime example of this writer’s talent presented in a beautifully written short story. My emotion after reading it: pure gratification.

This was a brilliantly written short-story that manages to tell the whole tale. Romance, angst, lost love and the hope of happily-ever-after, what more can a reader ask for!

These are the pages in novel that I can't wait to reach!! AND it will definitely be a REREAD!!

5 stars. Loved this! It's only shy of 30 pages, but you can't even tell when your done reading. Most short stories leave you wanting more, but this one was just perfect. You get to know Graham and Wyatt and their emotions are spot-on.

Recommended!

It's hard to believe this was only 28 pages! I'm going to call Perfect Day a 'condensed story' instead of a 'short story', because there's gotta be at least 200 pages worth of plot distilled into this little book.