What if you knew at the beginning of each when it would end? That is the premise of Expiration Dates. Fun premises. For me there was no chemistry between the trio main characters so I was never fully engaged in the story. This one was a miss for me. Thanks netgalley for the early copy!

I loved One Italian Summer and In Five Years is in my top reads of the decade. However, Expiration Dates was pretty underwhelming. It was a very quick read but I felt like I knew where it was going early on in the novel and there were no big surprises. I liked the premise but the characters and plot were pretty bland.

Thanks so much for the review copy. I’m not a big romance reader but I loved this one. I look forward to reading more books by Serle.

"Expiration Dates" takes readers on a captivating journey through the life of Daphne Bell, a woman whose belief in the universe's plan for her is shaped by a peculiar phenomenon. With each encounter with a new man, Daphne receives a slip of paper containing his name and a number – a precise duration of time they will spend together. This intriguing concept sets the stage for a thought-provoking exploration of fate, commitment, and honesty. For over two decades, Daphne has received these numbered papers, each one dictating the duration of her relationships. From a mere three days with Martin in Paris to five weeks with Noah in San Francisco, and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend, she has always wondered if there will ever be a paper without an expiration date. The anticipation builds as she embarks on a blind date at her cherished Los Angeles restaurant, only to discover that there's only a name: Jake. As the tale unfolds, Daphne finds herself questioning the reliability of these papers, leading her to confront her own beliefs about commitment and truth. However, she harbors a secret – information that, if revealed to Jake, would undoubtedly shatter his heart. This internal conflict becomes the central theme, forcing Daphne to grapple with the complexities of romantic love. Rebecca Serle, known for her ability to infuse warmth and insight into matters of the heart, deftly explores the intricacies of relationships with "Expiration Dates." The novel grips readers emotionally, drawing them into the passionate and sometimes heart-wrenching narrative. Serle masterfully delves into the concept of singleness versus finding love, challenging readers to question and redefine these notions for themselves. "Expiration Dates" is a long-anticipated novel that showcases Serle's storytelling prowess as she ventures into the realm of romantic love. With its gripping plot, emotional depth, and relatable characters, this book is a must-read for Serle's fans and anyone seeking a poignant exploration of the complexities of love and self-discovery.

i loved the premise of this book. Everytime Daphne meets a new man she gets a note with his name and the exact amount of time they will be together. One day she gets a note with only a name on it, Jake. It appears that she has met her forever love.As time goes by Daphne questions the relationship as she isn't 100% honest with Jake. We see through flashbacks her previous relationships and what happened to end them. One of her past lovers is now her best friend Hugo. There is still chemistry between then. As she navigates her relationship with Jake it takes her on a journey of self discovery. Things are not as they seem. This is more of a romance book than anything although there is a mysterious aspect to it. It was engaging and funny in parts with a somewhat predictable ending although some twists along the way. If you are a fan of this author I think this will be a winner.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

A good read overall - and I have to give the author major kudos for throwing in two big twists that I didn’t see coming. My biggest issue with this book is that there is never any explanation for the papers. I get that that is where I was supposed to suspend disbelief as this author often has a magical aspect to her books, but even when another character learns about the paper notes, it’s not questioned which seemed strange. I also wish there would have been more Hugo - I would have been happy to learn less about her former flames and had more time with Hugo.

Every time she meets a new man, Daphne Bell receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake. But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful.

Thank you @netgalley, @rebecca_serle, and @atriabooks for the ARC! Serle has a penchant for tying romance together with some of life’s tragic and more heartbreaking moments, and I love how real all of her characters and stories are because of this. There was a major reveal about 60% in that really shocked me and made me enjoy the book more than I did for the first half. The first half of the book was a little hard for me to connect with, and it think that was because Daphne’s character felt a little more detached until the plot reveal, which really explained a lot about her character and her motivations. The book heavily explores the theme of choice versus destiny. I loved Daphne’s bluntness and her ability to overcome adversity. I didn’t really care for most of the male characters and felt they were a little underdeveloped (perhaps due to the expirations dates), but overall the story had a happy and heartwarming ending. The book was a super quick read and Serle lovers should definitely pick this up when it publishes in March!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

It’s 4.5 stars for me. Another book by Rebecca Serle that I couldn’t t put down! I loved the flashbacks and relation to the present. Great great read.

Another Rebecca Serle book that I enjoyed.
I flew through this one, I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. There was a bit of twist I didn’t see coming, and the ending was a little predictable besides that. The main character was very fleshed out and I understood, even if I didn’t agree with, the decisions she made in her life. I would have liked a little more character development for the side characters and a little more of what happened “after”.
Overall would recommend this one, especially if you enjoyed her others. Some really great hightlightable quotes in here!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this eARC.
More of my review on my instagram- @bookish_starry_skies

This book wasn’t written for me. I didn’t resonate with any of the characters but that doesn’t mean this is a “bad” book by any means. It flowed well, the dialogue was great between characters.

I love Rebecca Serle. The melancholy vibes that center around what it means to be human with a touch of magic really resonates with me. I adored this book and will be purchasing a copy for my shelves.

I really liked the concept behind the book, but didn't really connect with the romance driving it. I find the premise of knowing how long a relationship would last before it started fascinating because I wonder how much this would affect the character's behavior in the relationship. But while I think there could have been a cool opportunity here to watch the character test these boundaries or act poorly because she doesn't think it mattered anyway, instead we mostly see her accept the situation without question. I wondered why she didn't question the situation more and why no one else she knew didn't question the situation more. Surely someone would have thought she was making this up or suggested that she was self sabotaging by ending all of her relationships at the deadline? While I think we moved in the directions of these questions with the ultimate conclusion of the novel, I would have loved to see it explored more throughout the whole book, where instead we spent a lot of time exploring relationships that weren't really important to the plot. I guess overall I'd say I really liked the concept and plot of this book but it felt like the story took a lot of segues away from the plot into anecdotes of past boyfriends that didn't really drive the story forwards or show the characters journey progressing in any way than through the passage of time.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for an arc in exchange for an honest review**

2.5 stars that I’ll round up. I liked the feel of this book. The narration was comfortable and flowed easily. It felt safe. The author made the reader feel cozy. Unfortunately at times it also felt like a nonfiction/memoir… like the author was writing about their own experiences so they had to make them sound interesting no matter how dull they were. But this is fiction, it could have gone anywhere. It just… didn’t. The concept was there I just wish it had been expanded upon more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is an interesting story, with an unusual concept. Not unlike Serle’s previous book, One Italian Summer, there’s a bit of fantasy in this love story.

Daphne is a young woman, searching for her perfect partner. She seeks complete and lasting love.
Every so often, she receives a mysterious, anonymous note, with a name and a number.
The name is a man she has recently met, the number is how long the relationship will last.
However, Daphne has a secret- she has a serious heart condition, that might end her life at any time.
Throughout the book, we see her many relationships flourish, and ultimately fail, exactly as predicted by the timeline in the notes.
We watch her struggle with the pressing reality of her illness, as she lives within the boundaries of her “ expiration date”.

This book was very thought provoking, as it reminds us that nothing is forever in our lives, and every day should be relished.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A classic Rebecca Serle novel. Deep, complex, female lead, a splash of romance and a thread of magic driving the plot. I love the small element of magic Serle uses in her novels, it's the perfect amount of fantasy if you are not a big fantasy reader because it feels believable in context or reality. I enjoyed the main character Daphne, and could see how this "gift" of knowing the expiration date of her next relationship impacts her life in a variety of ways. Does she live her life because of what the notes tell her or does she live in spite of it? I felt like I was able to really get inside Daphne's head while reading this book and felt like I understood who she was as a character and the decisions she made along the way. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys women's fiction, romance and a bit of the fantasy elements.

This was a weird one for me. The premise was very interesting and the book moved along quickly. I did appreciate that Serle was trying to do something more than the usual with her concept and got very philosophical about what it all means. But the execution was lacking for me. The plot was very predictable and while Daphne’s inner torment was drawn out in extreme detail, I never really understood her or her motivations. The pacing and plot twists came at odd times. And I felt like the whole thing was too self-conscious. I never stopped being aware of the writer and that prevented me from getting fully absorbed in the story. Close, but not quite there for me.

In Five Years was one of my favorite books of the year and Ive come to find that Rebecca Serle is a consistent author for me. The premise of this book was thought provoking and it was fun to think about how I would feel in the main character’s situation. I was sucked into the story and didn’t want to put it down. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you knew how long each of your relationships would last, how would it impact them? Such an interesting and unique premise. This is a beautiful book about fate, love, and hope. Rebecca Serle is being added to my must read list.

I loved the story of Daphne and her men. I really enjoyed how the story was told with some of the love cards aligning to Daphne’s backstory. It provided an entertaining and relatable way to tell the story. Daphne is incredibly lucky to be surrounded by great friends and family. There are definitely some twists to the story but it all flowed very naturally.

Expiration Dates is such an interesting storyline, but one that I really enjoyed reading through. It floats a similar idea as the question of “when will I die?” While you think you want to know, you actually don’t because then you feel like your time is expiring. I really enjoyed reading through this one and I’m not sure why it doesn’t have a higher overall rating because I didn’t find anything bad about it. A great Rebecca Serle read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book.
Daphne received magical paper about her dating life, and she lived by that. Until the paper changed and she met Jake. But do the paper are alway right ? Or did she let the love of her life go ?
This was a great story about how we can be influence by small thing. I like seeing her previous relationship, and her friendship with Hugo.
It just miss an epilogue to be perfect !