First off please note there is a mystical element to this book that is never explained, questioned or given much background.

If you can get behind that you might enjoy this book. It is captivating enough and while I could clearly see where the book was going to go, I enjoyed getting through it. I didn’t ever connect with one of the main relationships and honestly preferred the friendships over any relationship. But I was cheering for our main character the entire time.

"Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle is a romance novel that follows the life of Daphne Bell. Daphne has a unique belief that the universe has a plan for her love life. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. These papers have been guiding her romantic life for over twenty years, dictating the duration of her relationships.

The story takes an intriguing turn when Daphne, on the night of a blind date, receives a slip of paper with only a name—Jake—without a specified expiration date. As Daphne's relationship with Jake unfolds, she begins to question the predictions of the numbered papers and grapples with the complexities of commitment and honesty. The narrative explores themes of love, fate, and self-discovery, offering a gripping and emotional journey through the intricacies of romantic relationships.

Rebecca Serle, known for her bestselling novels like "In Five Years" and "One Italian Summer," brings her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart to "Expiration Dates." The novel promises to be a passionate and heartwarming exploration of what it means to be single, find love, and define these experiences for oneself. Fans of Rebecca Serle's work and readers who enjoy emotionally charged romance novels are likely to find "Expiration Dates" a compelling and satisfying read.

Daphne receives a piece of paper every time she gets involved wish a man that tells her how long the relationship is going to last.

I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars. I didn’t really enjoy this book but it was not bad. The story kept bouncing between timelines and the romance was rushed. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and I felt like there should have been more explanation to the notes. This book was very short so it didn’t really have a deep plot which is not for me. Overall, I would not recommend this book to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rebecca Serle has done it again! Her sharp, witty writing makes this a standout story for 2024. If you loved the One Italian Summer and Five Years From Now, you will love Expiration Dates! Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

Loved the premise of this novel and really enjoyed reading it! I have to say I definitely didn’t see the twist coming at all because I was so wrapped up in the story.

I was very excited to receive an advanced reader copy of Expiration Dates. I was highly intrigued by the premise of the book. I love (and hate) the idea of knowing just how long a relationship will last. This was a quick read that held all of Rebecca's usual heart. Unfortunately, I didn't get really into the story until about 50 or 60 percent of the way through it. I enjoyed the read, but I've enjoyed some of her other reads more. I wasn't super tied to any of the characters or the storyline. However, I was very pleased with the way it ended. Overall, I ended up rating this three stars.

Thank you to Atria Books for this ARC of Expiration Dates!

Honestly this wasn't anything great, which surprised me considering how any great things I've heard about Rebecca Serle's other books. I didn't vibe with Mallory's character too much, she just seemed like a regular white woman (lol) who just so happened to fall in love with a lot of people. What really bugged me about this book might have been the writing. It was just so descriptive of places and thigs I already knew (like ofc Daphne and her main love interest went on a date to the Comedy Store lol.) It just kept taking me out of the book. I didn't really think the "plot twist" was anything crazy, it actually seemed a bit random and out of place considering the whole second part of the book surrounded it. I did really like Daphne's exchange with her father towards the end of the book, but honestly that was it. Nothing special for me I am afraid.

In between heavier reads I picked up EXPIRATION DATES for a serendipitous escape. This breezy and big-hearted story follows Daphne who upon meeting a potential love interest receives a mysterious piece of paper with the name of the person and the exact amount of time their relationship will last.

This is a quick, whimsical read with a lot to love. It made me contemplate the inevitably of fate vs free will, the factors that make a relationship succeed, and moving forward with the cards life deals us.

READ THIS IF:
-A quick, palate-cleansing read is just what you need
-You enjoy a touch of magical realism and/or found the premise of The Measure fascinating
-You appreciate a main character with life goals other than finding her husband

Many thanks to Atria and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really like the easy flow of her writing style. This book features a unique and clever premise: What if there were expiration dates on relationships? Daphne is the protagonist of the story, a single woman who lives who lives in Los Angeles and works as a production assistant. This is a romantic story, with very likable characters. It tugged at my heartstrings. Recommended!

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t see the twist coming at all but I knew who she’d end up with. The scene with her dad made me cry 🥹 as a parent, everything he said was so true.


I love Rebecca Serle’s writing and was so happy to read this early! This follows so close behind One Italian Summer for me.

Daphne Bell's life is ruled by a series of notes. Whenever she meets a new potential partner, she gets a note with their "expiration date," exactly how long they'll be together.

From days to years, her whole life is ruled by these tiny notes until she meets Jake. His paper just has a name. Has Daphne met her match? Is Jake the one? Wresting with the "what ifs" Daphne sets off on a journey to be happy, no matter what the paper says.

A very interesting and cute storyline, Rebeca Serle never disappoints!

I have received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if you were mysteriously informed of the length of every one of your romantic relationships? I'd probably first try to find where the messages were coming from; failing that I'd push the boundaries to see if I could shorten or lengthen the relationship. Our lovely heroine, in her entire magical life, has appeared to try neither. At least, not very hard.

I have three big peeves with this book: first, the messages that "love isn't enough" without ever defining love as anything more than an emotion; and that genuinely nice, loving, supportive, financially stable, emotionally stable guys are simply not good enough to marry. Soul mate or bust, I guess.

Second, the idea that the love of your life will wait for years for a second chance. I get this is a romance, but in real life dude would be married with a baby by the time our sweet FMC (who is old enough to know better) figured out her life and quit shopping around. Sure guys pine. For how many years? I just read a book about this. 😂

Finally, the magical element that this book hinges on ended up having a very negligible effect on the plot. She drifts through life, takes no agency, and absolutely nothing is explained. We are thrown not one single bone.

I am grateful the publishers let me read this. The author's writing style was very readable. Unfortunately the plot left me cold.

This was a great book! I loved the unique storyline - the main character Daphne gets mysterious notes every time she dates a guy telling her how long they will be together. While this sounds like it would be amazing, it actually makes Daphne believe she doesn’t have a choice in her love life. There are two twists in the book that I didn’t expect - one that gives more clarity into Daphne and the second that gives more clarity TO Daphne. All in all, this was a fantastic book, and I was hooked to see how everything played out for Daphne.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle will be released on March 19th, 2024.


If you knew exactly how long each of your relationships would last, what would you do? Since she was young, Daphne has received a piece of paper with a name and a length of time on it, letting her know exactly how long she will have with the person she is seeing. One day, one week, a month, a year. These pieces of paper always have a date until one day, they don’t.

Rebecca Serle is amazing at writing emotional books. The number of books that make me cry are slim, but I every single one of her books that I have read has had me shedding a tear. Expiration Dates was no different in this regard. Her writing flows beautifully, so much so that you can forget that you are even reading a book and not a personal account of her life experiences with the depth of emotion she imbues in her words.

While I love the way that Rebecca Serle writes, and while I did very much enjoy Expiration Dates, I don’t think anything she writes will ever top In Five Years for me. My biggest complaint with this book was the way that the emotional twists were revealed. They came out of nowhere took me off guard. I also felt like the ending of the book was a bit rushed.

All in all, if you want a good contemporary romance book that will have your eyes watering and your heart hurting for those in the book, definitely pick this one up on the release day!

What would if you do if you know how long every relationship was going to last at the start? That’s exactly how life is for Daphne in this quick, but endearing read. The story unfolds in a purposefully frustrating way as you’ll have more questions than answers through the whole book, but I loved it. Daphne spends her life with so much that’s finite so it’s fun to think of all of the infinite possibilities instead. Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for this honest review!

Another beautiful novel by Serle! I can always count on her to write about something other authors haven’t. Always look forward to her books.

Daphne’s relationships have always had expiration dates, that mysteriously appear to her in a note with a name and the number of weeks, months or years that they will last.

You’lI love Daphne's feisty banter; it's what makes this such fun yet serious read.
I had such heartfelt sadness with what her life has gone through in the last 13 years.
The story ends in the best possible way you could wish for.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my free copy to read and review.

Serle's In Five Years was so heartbreakingly beautiful and this one was right up there with it! Loved the story but I gotta say I called the ending. Still loved it though!

Such an amazing book. The plot twist towards the end was amazing. Hugo is just ugh I can’t even describe. Sure the way he went about the whole Jake situation was a bit iffy and I can understand why Daphne was upset, I would be too girl! It was never her intention to hurt him back then but the way in which he created this whole thing between her and Jake and then was jealous about it. I understand that that was his way of showing her that she doesn’t have to follow with what’s on the paper. He fell so hard for Daphne. I’m just glad they stayed friends after their breakup and were able to resolve this situation because I loved that last chapter. It was just too cute. Also, can I work for someone like Irina pls.

It pains me to say that this wasn't my favorite of Rebecca Serle's books. I LOVE her creativity, and she still remains one of the few romance/romance-forward authors I can read because her cleverness with magical realism is unparalleled. I was so excited (as someone *very* close to Daphne in age, job, and single status) to read a book with this premise and guiding narrative, but unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I normally don't say this, but I wish it was longer and delved more into its unique qualities. SPOILER WARNING: The heart disease twist was surprising but not too surprising (especially as I am familiar with Serle's love of breaking your heart halfway through), but it felt a little overdone as the second half of the book went. If we spent so much time on it I wish there was more of a dramatic ending (not death but something closer to raise some stakes). I also wish we didn't jump straight to an epilogue-esque chapter with Hugo and that we learned more about the notes (if Hugo could manipulate one, why were they coming/when was she supposed to break up with Jake/etc). It left a little too much too be desired.

I still would recommend and I think Serle is so talented!