This was a solid four stars for me! The magical realism was just so special in this! It was really easy to get into and I loved it

A solid 4+ stars. What if you were given a piece of paper every time you began a relationship with the name of the person a time period on it? The time period was exactly how long that relationship would last. And it’s always been correct. Daphne has always received these pieces of paper and lives her life knowing this is how it is.

I don’t want to give any more away because you just have to read it.

I have to say that I thought I knew how this was going to end … but I was wrong. And I’m so glad I was. The author wrote with grace and insight that I really liked.

Thank you to Rebecca Serle and Atria and Simon and Schuster for the very enjoyable ARC.

Mix a little bit of magical realism with several heaping spoonfuls of romance. Add lots of heartfelt emotion and a pinch of twists. Pour into the protagonist Daphne Bell and stir well. Now sit back and enjoy this wonderful and poignant story .

Throughout her life, each time Daphne met a new man, she would find a slip of paper on which was written his name and the length of time they would have together, until the final slip arrives with only a name. Daphne’s story will take you on an emotional journey filled with a host of great characters, fun locales, lots of adventure and even more romance. I laughed, I cried and I enjoyed every minute.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Rebecca Serle for the opportunity to read this delicious book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have you ever wished things could just be laid out for you, answers to the unknown, decisions made? Daphne, in “Expiration Dates” got just that, except only in her love life. A piece of paper would tell her just how long her relationship was going to last.

Rebecca Serle, the author of “Expiration Dates” , takes us on a playful ride as we wonder if ever, Daphne will get the note with destiny as the date.

A clever read giving hope in what seems a hopeless situation. A few surprises kept me engaged and rooting for the underdog.

My favorite character was Daphne because she was optimistic in her career, hopeful even when her paper said “one night” and ultimately listened to her gut.

The plot was fun, interesting and favorably fictional. I appreciated the twist and kept me turning the pages.

The thing I liked most about the book is that it touched my heart, that feeling of love and hope and sincerity.
I am intrigued by Rebecca Serle now and want to read “ In 5 Years”.

Thank you @atriabooks @rebecca_serle @netgalley for this eARC for my honest review.

3.5 rounded down. This was an easy read with a really interesting premise. I think the ideas were all there and if they had been fleshed out a bit more, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. I didn't enjoy the "twist" about halfway through the book that then turned into the only plot point for the remainder of the book. Without revealing any spoilers, the ending wasn't what I hoped for and the beach scene was honestly rude. Murphy was my favorite character and I'm still very confused about the Doc Martin's.

"In Five Years" ripped out my heart and left me sobbing so I was expecting more of that energy here but I think it was just lacking in some areas. There were a couple of points where the author tugged at my heartstrings so I'll give her that!

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

I enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s previous books and liked this one just as much! There were times I was annoyed with the main character and her relationship with Hugo and Jake. I found myself wanting to better understand more about the papers and the story behind them! Overall I really enjoyed this book and was a great quick read to get lost in.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

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!