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A Perfect Day
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Broken Road series presents an inspiring story about a man who has to rediscover his priorities after finding money and fame.
Robert Harlan has three loves in his wife, his daughter, and his writing. But when his thirst for success causes him to lose focus on his family life, it takes a few more missteps—and finally, a stranger with a mysterious message about the brevity of his future—before he discovers the truth about who he has become, what he has lost, and what it will take to find love again...
“ A Perfect Day examines love, relationships and self-awareness...This well-written story spans the range of emotions from joy to sorrow and grief.”— The Sunday Oklahoman
Robert Harlan has three loves in his wife, his daughter, and his writing. But when his thirst for success causes him to lose focus on his family life, it takes a few more missteps—and finally, a stranger with a mysterious message about the brevity of his future—before he discovers the truth about who he has become, what he has lost, and what it will take to find love again...
“ A Perfect Day examines love, relationships and self-awareness...This well-written story spans the range of emotions from joy to sorrow and grief.”— The Sunday Oklahoman
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
206 people are currently reading
4928 people want to read
About the author
Richard Paul Evans
230 books6,554 followersWhen Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written eleven consecutive New York Times bestsellers. He is one the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won several awards for his books including the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards, and the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women Novel of the Year Award. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
August 14, 2011
Have you ever achieved something that you wanted so badly and then once you got it, it only ended up ruining your life instead of making it happier ? For Robert Harlan, he always dreamed of becoming a writer and eventually four years later when he lost his job, he finally finished his book A Perfect Day , a book based on the last few months his wife Allyson and her father Carson had together before he passed away with Cancer. Robert sends out the book to twenty-five publishing agents and one finally comes out on top amid a pile of rejection letters . His manuscript , his dream is about to happen and sooner than later , Robert is swirled and wrapped up in a world of book signings, radio/tv appearances and book tours. Even talk about his book becoming a movie. However as his dream becomes more and more of a reality, it seems his family life is becoming more distant and a thing of the past. When Robert meets a stranger on his tour who tells Robert he only has 40 days to live, Robert thinks he's a nutjob but when this stranger known as Michael starts revealing things about Robert's past that only he knows - we start to wonder if Michael is an Angel from God ? With only 40 days to live, we see Robert start to go back to what is most important to him and put his life into perspective .
A Perfect Day is an heartfelt and inspiring novel that teaches us that when you only have a short time left on earth, the most important things in life are your family.
This book in real life was actually made into a Film , so head to your DVD shop after the Library and pick up A Perfect Day featuring Michele and Julia Adams , Michael Arata and Barbara Ballentine.
As usual , if you are looking for an Inspirational Tale head to Richard Paul Evan's Collection of Stories.
A Perfect Day is an heartfelt and inspiring novel that teaches us that when you only have a short time left on earth, the most important things in life are your family.
This book in real life was actually made into a Film , so head to your DVD shop after the Library and pick up A Perfect Day featuring Michele and Julia Adams , Michael Arata and Barbara Ballentine.
As usual , if you are looking for an Inspirational Tale head to Richard Paul Evan's Collection of Stories.
March 30, 2008
I've read all of Richard Paul Evans books and this is by far my favorite. It's not as sappy romantic as his others and it made me cry. It's about a guy who loses his job then finally fulfills his dream of writing a novel. He quickly finds huge success then realizes how hard it is to balance family and his touring. He meets a man who knows intimate details of his life and tells him he's gonna die on New years and it makes him start to re-prioritize his life. It's a tear-jerker so be warned!
October 12, 2014
Primitive. Even for christian literature this is primitive.
Basically a guy gets rich and his wife becomes whiny biatch because of that, although for the first half of the book it was repeatedly established that they had perfect marriage.
Anyway.. now he's rich and goes to business trip and she's sooooo unhappy, but - you guessed wright- it's all his fault. Nowhere in the book does it say what he did to offend her so badly (other than go to work), but everything is his fault (because majority of the readers are female).
And morale of the story is - money equals sin :)
Basically a guy gets rich and his wife becomes whiny biatch because of that, although for the first half of the book it was repeatedly established that they had perfect marriage.
Anyway.. now he's rich and goes to business trip and she's sooooo unhappy, but - you guessed wright- it's all his fault. Nowhere in the book does it say what he did to offend her so badly (other than go to work), but everything is his fault (because majority of the readers are female).
And morale of the story is - money equals sin :)
March 16, 2022
Cute, quick read. A little oversimplified story but warms the heart about how we can get lost in our success. Needed this after some harder non-fiction reads.
December 28, 2025
Good story.
March 12, 2018
If you like sappy, predictable stories with poorly developed characters and a by-the-numbers plotline, this might be the book for you.
In it, a wannabe novelist hits the big time after appropriating his wife's story of her last days with her dying father, and their supposedly perfect union begins to dissolve under the pressures of celebrity. He goes off on a four-week book tour (which probably ought to be banned by the Geneva Convention) and finds he enjoys the perks while she stays home in Utah with their 6-year-old daughter and feels sorry for herself because he's away,pushing his book up the Best Seller List.
At every opportunity, they undermine each other. He doesn't seem to have the backbone to tell his publisher that he absolutely has to have a mid-tour break; she never suggests the notion of meeting him somewhere along the route for a little together-time. (Example -- he finds himself in New York for Thanksgiving week because he has an absolutely vital Monday morning meeting, and notes with what Evans tells us is regret that he will miss his daughter's Thanksgiving Pageant on Tuesday. Why? Don't westbound planes depart New York several times a day? Then, first thing Monday morning, he discovers the meeting has been cancelled. Does he hie to the airport and grab the next flight for home? No, he hangs around until Wednesday afternoon bemoaning the fact that he's missing the family holiday.)
Evans never shows when he can tell, and his choppy chapter structure prevents the narrative flow from ever gathering strength. Then, about halfway through the narrative, the story takes a hard right into woo-woo land when Our Author meets an angel who tells him he will be dead by New Year's and of course, like Ebenezer Scrooge (but with less verbiage) he is transformed by the experience.
Nope. Just not my thing.
In it, a wannabe novelist hits the big time after appropriating his wife's story of her last days with her dying father, and their supposedly perfect union begins to dissolve under the pressures of celebrity. He goes off on a four-week book tour (which probably ought to be banned by the Geneva Convention) and finds he enjoys the perks while she stays home in Utah with their 6-year-old daughter and feels sorry for herself because he's away,pushing his book up the Best Seller List.
At every opportunity, they undermine each other. He doesn't seem to have the backbone to tell his publisher that he absolutely has to have a mid-tour break; she never suggests the notion of meeting him somewhere along the route for a little together-time. (Example -- he finds himself in New York for Thanksgiving week because he has an absolutely vital Monday morning meeting, and notes with what Evans tells us is regret that he will miss his daughter's Thanksgiving Pageant on Tuesday. Why? Don't westbound planes depart New York several times a day? Then, first thing Monday morning, he discovers the meeting has been cancelled. Does he hie to the airport and grab the next flight for home? No, he hangs around until Wednesday afternoon bemoaning the fact that he's missing the family holiday.)
Evans never shows when he can tell, and his choppy chapter structure prevents the narrative flow from ever gathering strength. Then, about halfway through the narrative, the story takes a hard right into woo-woo land when Our Author meets an angel who tells him he will be dead by New Year's and of course, like Ebenezer Scrooge (but with less verbiage) he is transformed by the experience.
Nope. Just not my thing.
February 13, 2024
Hatte vergessen, dass man Bücher die Anfang der 2000er geschrieben wurde allein wegen des Sexismus nur noch schwer ertragen kann. Das war aber noch das kleinste Übel. Evans schreibt ohne jegliches schriftstellerische Talent, aber anscheinend gut genug, dass er Leser:innen hat die ihn lieben. Die Story ist so trivial, dass ich Sorge hatte, dass mir während des Lesens ein paar Gehirnzellen absterben. Dies lag vor allem daran, dass die männliche Hauptfigur (zufällig auch ein Autor) sich als gefühlvollen Frauenversteher darstellt. Auch wenn sich das am Ende nochmal ändert, bleibt die ganze Geschichte komplett oberflächlich. Eventuell ist es angenehmer es in Englisch zu lesen? Das einzig gute an dem Buch ist, dass man es sehr schnell durchlesen kann. Falls jemand überlegt dieses Buch zu lesen, lies lieber was anderes!
January 29, 2025
I would recommend this gem and read it again. I read it straight through in one sitting. That makes a 5 star for me. One of RPEs early works, it's an easy read with an unusual storyline; a book about the author's first published work, which is the book you're reading. Maybe a bit sentimental at times and soft, but that's why I liked it. No pretenses or platitudes, no agendas, or uncomfortable scenes. Just good old storytelling adapted to our time.
July 13, 2019
Another great book. Such a good author. one of my favorites.
March 5, 2023
Very touching and heart felt!
June 26, 2022
Sometimes the simplest books are the most profound.
September 23, 2012
Somehow my written review got deleted which is a good thing for Mr. Evans should anyone take my reviews to heart. Those who have read my reviews of JPEs work know I love most of what he writes. I thought "The Last Promise" and "The Carousel" were top notch. While I found much of this novel interesting (since like the hero I am an author with a first novel just released) I felt two things that kept me from embracing this work. First, I thought the hero was far from sympathetic. Despite his hard work, frustrations with his new career and apparent overnight success I had no real sense of loss or trepidation when he receives an ominous pronouncment that changes him and threatens to destroy not only his newfound success but his life. Evans has made him too full of himself and too egocentric, such that I am almost secretly happy when he gets the "bad news". Second, this is difficult to do without spoiling the surprising denouement but the whole ending is while believable at a distant end of the reality spectrum, so bizarre and far-fetched as to make the story seem completely contrived. I do not know the chronology of Mr. Evan's work but some of it has an autobiographical touch. I only hope that the finale which teases the edge of believability is one of his earliest. And as a fan I can assure those reading this that he has made great strides since The Perfect Day!
April 24, 2010
I know a lot of people who would probably really like this book, but it actually left me not quite satisfied. I really liked the premise of the book; it was just the execution, and the ultimate resolution, that bugged me. I don't want to say too much so that I don't give the end away to those who might read it, but I will say that I think the author copped out of a potentially really strong ending. I do applaud him for trying to do it creatively, but I just didn't buy it.
As for the rest of the book...
I thought that once the author introduced Michael (the stranger mentioned on the inside cover), the story really picked up. The path to redemption made for the lead character was really touching, especially the pieces with him and his daughter. And it was in this section that I felt the dialogue and the overall story flowed most smoothly. (To me, dialogue is often the most important and interesting part of the story.) If the whole book had been written with this same style, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
As for the rest of the book...
I thought that once the author introduced Michael (the stranger mentioned on the inside cover), the story really picked up. The path to redemption made for the lead character was really touching, especially the pieces with him and his daughter. And it was in this section that I felt the dialogue and the overall story flowed most smoothly. (To me, dialogue is often the most important and interesting part of the story.) If the whole book had been written with this same style, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
February 27, 2016
What an eye-opening book! This was such a good read for me. It not only opened my eyes to what I should expect as a best selling author, but it opened my eyes to what other lives that other people sometimes lead and the important things they tend to forget along the way. One thing that you tend to forget although it's the last thing that you want to forget (or intend to forget) is your family. For some of us, when the fame hits us, that's all we can see. We get a little full of ourselves and think we are more important because of what we have become. We tend to forget about our spouses and our children that are changing every day, the important changes we are not able to see. This book emphasizes this fact and teaches the author in the story a little bit about that. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes Richard Paul Evans other books. I think this one was even better than his other Non-Fic books that I've read in the past.
October 15, 2008
Another wonderful book by Richard Paul Evans! It is a book about learning what your priorities are and should be. A man has his dreams come true with a best selling book about his wife's life. What looks like the best thing that could ever happen to him isn't all that great. He loses his priorities in the middle of his new exciting life. It goes down hill from there for him but the sweet twist that brings this book to an end is great! I recommend it for everyone.
February 21, 2008
Probably my favorite "Richard Paul Evans" book that I have read. I think his style has evolved over the years and his storytelling is drawing me in. (I didn't care for and quit reading his earlier works right after Christmas Box House). The lesson and unexpected twist at the end of this book has stayed with me over the years reminding me what is really important to me in my life.
January 26, 2015
Enjoyed the book. Flows well. Easy to read. Good message. Didn't rate as high as Richard Paul Evans' other books because there were aspects of the story that were a bit of a stretch and there really wasn't much depth to the book. Nonetheless it is worth reading and would be a good pick me up read for a leisurely weekend.
April 25, 2023
Sappy and god involvement, neither are my genre, read it as a book club pic. At least is was a fast and easy read. Lots of people liked it and it was a little over 4 stars on Goodreads. I am not a fan of this authors books. I watched a couple of Hallmark type movies from his books and didn’t care for those either. Just not my style.
November 15, 2007
I'm kind of embarassed giving 5 stars to a Richard Paul Evans book, but I really, really enjoyed this one! As it is a RPE, it's a very easy read, but I was intrigued by the story and it had a great moral to it, too.
July 20, 2022
Eh…don’t know what else to say. As a marriage therapist I can’t read books like this and enjoy the reading. It’s work. I’m yelling at the characters from outside the page because they’re being stupid. I’m analyzing their behaviors. I’m cursing their lack of communicating even the basics. Ugh.
July 10, 2008
This book made me cry. We get so caught up in life/success that we forget what really matters. Good message in this book.
January 30, 2009
I read this during Christmas break and it was a perfect book to read for my weeks off of school. I cried!!! It was a perfect book for a perfect day!! :)
July 9, 2010
Great story about the challenges of unexpected success and fame. Even in the good times we must keep balance in our lives. Learn from the past, embrace the present, hope in the future.
September 24, 2010
Insightful!
November 5, 2010
I think this is my favorite book by Evans. I love all his books, especially when I need a good cry. I walked away from this one with more love in my heart for the awesome guy I married.
December 22, 2014
Xmas happiness
Sweet Christmas read. It was a sweet read for the season. Book so much better than movie. Author has a nice voice and style.
Sweet Christmas read. It was a sweet read for the season. Book so much better than movie. Author has a nice voice and style.
February 19, 2017
Book with an important message about putting family first. Quick and easy read.
March 31, 2021
A perfect waste of ink, paper and time.
May 4, 2023
Very enlightening on human nature. Great read.
September 20, 2019
A one star review for otherwise five star books by Richard Paul Evans
First I want to say that all the other books I've read by Richard Paul Evans are five star worthy and I highly recommend you read them.
Robert, the main character and his young daughter are the blameless and innocent ones of this story. The author does very effectively detail the importance and benefit of the grace Robert discovers by forgiving those who have used him in a self serving way that caused him to be deeply resentful. That was the most identifiable and significant part of the story for me.
ALL the other characters, with the exception of Roberts innocent daughter fall below the make to my way of thinking at the books ending. ALL of them totally clueless as to the gift that Robert gave them from the deepest regions of his heart and soul.
I've pasted here below, a review by another verified reader (spoiler alert) who was spot on with her observations.
Read on if you want to know if it's worth your time investment to read this book.
p.s. I guess there is something to be gained from everything we invest our time in pursuing.
=================================================
Leona Jewel
Very Poor Effort
May 14, 2010
Format: Mass Market Paperback
I'm very surprised at the large number of favorable reviews that this book received. This being my first time to read a Richard Paul Evans book, I will not read another. I was not so much put off by the Hallmark Hall of Fame'ish sappiness of the storyline as I was by the poor quality writing. (I happen to like Hallmark movies.) My biggest problem was that the storyline was not developed in a believeable manner. For this "perfect" marriage to fall apart after only a four week separation while Robert was on his first book tour just did not seem realistic. Moreover, it was more Allyson's inability to cope with the new situation than it was Robert's attraction to the life of fame and fortune that led to their problems, which, of course, was the opposite of what the author was trying to develop. From my perspective, Robert seemed to stay pretty grounded and behaved about how I would expect. He did not fall for another woman; he was still eating in Appleby's restaurants. The one thing Robert could have done differently was attempt to assert more control over his schedule and not allow his publisher to control him so completely. But, in his position as a first time author and an overnight success, I would expect him to be reluctant to be so brave as to say "no." If Allyson had been so genuinely interested in Robert's success and giving him a chance to live his dream, I think, at least initially, she would have been more willing to go with the flow. If over an extended period of time (one or two years), she grew tired of this new way of life, and he had really demonstrated that his basic character had been adversely influenced by the lure of the high life (and there had been tangible evidence of this in the storyline), then the book might have worked. The author just did not really develop his theme.
One other thing that did not work was the switch between a first person narrative from Robert's perspective and then a narrative from inside Allyson's head.
There were a few glitches in the story. Would it really take an entire day to fly from Salt Lake to Birmingham, Alabama? Also, on the last night, it was mentioned several (way too many) times about how treacherous it was to be out driving in the blizzard, and yet, neither Robert nor Allyson gave any thought to having their daughter out with Nancy in the storm.
First I want to say that all the other books I've read by Richard Paul Evans are five star worthy and I highly recommend you read them.
Robert, the main character and his young daughter are the blameless and innocent ones of this story. The author does very effectively detail the importance and benefit of the grace Robert discovers by forgiving those who have used him in a self serving way that caused him to be deeply resentful. That was the most identifiable and significant part of the story for me.
ALL the other characters, with the exception of Roberts innocent daughter fall below the make to my way of thinking at the books ending. ALL of them totally clueless as to the gift that Robert gave them from the deepest regions of his heart and soul.
I've pasted here below, a review by another verified reader (spoiler alert) who was spot on with her observations.
Read on if you want to know if it's worth your time investment to read this book.
p.s. I guess there is something to be gained from everything we invest our time in pursuing.
=================================================
Leona Jewel
Very Poor Effort
May 14, 2010
Format: Mass Market Paperback
I'm very surprised at the large number of favorable reviews that this book received. This being my first time to read a Richard Paul Evans book, I will not read another. I was not so much put off by the Hallmark Hall of Fame'ish sappiness of the storyline as I was by the poor quality writing. (I happen to like Hallmark movies.) My biggest problem was that the storyline was not developed in a believeable manner. For this "perfect" marriage to fall apart after only a four week separation while Robert was on his first book tour just did not seem realistic. Moreover, it was more Allyson's inability to cope with the new situation than it was Robert's attraction to the life of fame and fortune that led to their problems, which, of course, was the opposite of what the author was trying to develop. From my perspective, Robert seemed to stay pretty grounded and behaved about how I would expect. He did not fall for another woman; he was still eating in Appleby's restaurants. The one thing Robert could have done differently was attempt to assert more control over his schedule and not allow his publisher to control him so completely. But, in his position as a first time author and an overnight success, I would expect him to be reluctant to be so brave as to say "no." If Allyson had been so genuinely interested in Robert's success and giving him a chance to live his dream, I think, at least initially, she would have been more willing to go with the flow. If over an extended period of time (one or two years), she grew tired of this new way of life, and he had really demonstrated that his basic character had been adversely influenced by the lure of the high life (and there had been tangible evidence of this in the storyline), then the book might have worked. The author just did not really develop his theme.
One other thing that did not work was the switch between a first person narrative from Robert's perspective and then a narrative from inside Allyson's head.
There were a few glitches in the story. Would it really take an entire day to fly from Salt Lake to Birmingham, Alabama? Also, on the last night, it was mentioned several (way too many) times about how treacherous it was to be out driving in the blizzard, and yet, neither Robert nor Allyson gave any thought to having their daughter out with Nancy in the storm.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews