I’ve read every single Rebecca Serle’s books, and this one is by far my favorite. Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her, and every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and exact amount of time they will be together. Finally, on the night of a blind date, she receives a paper with the name of the man and no expiration date. But as their story unfolds, she finds herself doubting the papers prediction. This book was deep and intriguing, much like Serle’s books usually are. I love her magical realism. There are a couple of twist I didn’t see coming, and I was so happy when Daphne decided to stop letting the papers dictate her love life. The writing and plot in this one was so engrossing that I read this book in three days. Definitely check this one out when it releases in March.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced eARC of Expiration Dates. Rebecca Serle is a must read, unfortunately this book really missed the mark for me.
I honestly did not like one thing about this book, the characters and story line did not feel believable at all!
However, it is getting lots of higher stars on Goodreads, so maybe there is a place for this book with other readers.

This novel was a charming exploration of commitment and honesty. Its nonlinear storytelling feels like the unfolding of a mystery. A nice light read overall.

Very typical Rebecca Serle - I like it but I won’t rave about it yo anyone - very unique and good for book club discussion

There’s nothing I love more than to be fooled and Rebecca Serle certainly did that in EXPIRATION DATES. You think that it’s just about the notes she receives that tell her when each of her relationships will end but a little more than halfway through the book there’s a twist and you wonder if it means something else entirely. I don’t want to say more and spoil it, but this was signature Rebecca Serle and you won’t be disappointed.

I loved this book as much as Revecca Serle’s other books. She always brings the magic to her stories and this was no different. Great from page 1!

This is by far Rebecca Serles BEST book yet!
I was intrigued by the synopsis and wondered how this was all going to play out.

We follow Daphne through a series of past relationships. Before each one she receives a note telling her how long each one will last. But then one day she gets a note with just a name, no expiration date. And we watch as her relationship unfolds with Jake.

I enjoyed Daphnes journey as she learned about love from her relationships, and also learned more about her self in the process; and how she needed to learn to be honest with the most important people in her life.

This book gave me all the feels and was a 4 star read for me. Will Daphne find true love? You have to read to find out!

I reallly realllly wanted to love this book but it fell short for me. I am a huge fan of magical realism but I felt like this story was drawn out with no real reason for finishing it . I liked the twist towards the end but felt like it was too close to the end to really enjoy the way the twist changed the story. I expected a little more but was sadly disappointed.

Wow. I've been a Rebecca Serle fan for a while, but this one really blew me away, in a very subtle way. This book has elements of what I would call quiet magical realism - Daphne receives pieces of paper with the name of her next relationship, and how long it will last. Which is a pretty intriguing premise for a story! If you know that a relationship will only last a certain period of time, you will make decisions accordingly, which Daphne does. The 3rd act reveal about her illness very much took me by surprise, and made what was, up to that point, a fairly low-stakes romance, much more intriguing and thought provoking. I really loved this book, especially for what it said about the expectations that we put on ourselves, and on others, and how letting go of that can lead to beautiful things. I will definitely be purchasing this for our Fiction collection, and recommending to readers who like thoughtful, cerebral Romance.

I have read Serle’s other books, and I liked them, but to be honest, this is her best yet. I didn’t know what to expect because I really don’t enjoy elements that are seeped in fantasy, and in this book, the main character mysteriously receives notes that tell her just how long she will spend on a relationship. Frankly, it sounded cheesy. Surprisingly, it wasn’t. I found that the characters had depth, and the plot moved at a nice pace with intermittent chapters in flashback to tell the whole story. Overall, 5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Every time Daphne is about to enter into a new relationship, she receives a slip of paper with the person's name and an amount of time. The amount of time directly corresponds with how long they'll be together... and then one day, she gets a note with a name (Jake) but no amount of time. She immediately thinks that this must mean that this is the man that she's going to marry. As Daphne and Jake's relationship begins to unfold, she starts to wonder how much truth there is in these notes or if they were a self-fulfilling prophecy.... Expiration Dates is another great book by Rebecca Serle, one of my favorite authors, and I'm so thankful to be able to read an advanced copy! You won't want to miss this one come March 2024.

I have really enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s previous book and was so excited to receive an ARC of her newest!

This one was just ok for me. I LOVED the concept of this book. Every time you start seeing someone, you know how long the relationship will last, because a piece of paper told you so. Sounds pretty great right?
But, when Daphne meets Jake, she wonders if those papers really tell the truth.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just left me wanting more. Ultimately, I would recommend it for a quick, enjoyable read, with a really cool premise,

A unique premise with a touch of magical realism - at the start of every romantic relationship, Daphne receives a slip of paper with the man’s name and a timeframe that is exactly how long the relationship will last. When she receives a paper with a name but no time, she’s not sure what it means - is he “the one”?

I loved this book so much. I read it basically in one sitting on a series of flights, and I was so glad to have it as my travel buddy.

This story was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. Entering every relationship with the knowledge that it would end is a difficult cycle for Daphne to be stuck in. When the blank paper appears, the reader (and Daphne) can finally breath a sigh of relief knowing she has found someone to spend her life with. However, things are never quite as they seem. While Jake may seem perfect for Daphne, Serle creates such a lovable character in Hugo, that it is hard not to root for Daphne to ditch her expiration date theory and truly follow her heart. Rebecca Serle's best book, by far.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this arc.
I loved this book so much. Daphne has lived in Los Angles all of her life. She gets a piece of paper with the name of a man and how long she is supposed to be with them. Martin- three days in Paris, Noah- five weeks in San Francisco, Hugo- three months. She doesn’t understand why she gets them so Daphne takes what she can and then after the allotted time ends the relationship. Hugo is the only one she stays in touch with and knows all about the papers and her heart condition. Hugo still has a thing for Daphne and tries to get her to see that she doesn’t need a piece of paper to dictate the amount of time for her relationships. Jake is the new relationship that we are following and he doesn’t have a allotted time like the others. Daphne believes that she has finally found the one and moves in with Jake and even gets engaged to him. Daphne believes she’s finally going to get her happily ever after until Hugo reveals that he wrote the note with just Jake’s name on it because he found a paper with Jake’s name and the words three weeks. He wanted to show Daphne that she can make her own happily ever after. Then sixteen months later Daphne and Hugo start a fresh new relationship with each other. I love the constant references to places in LA especially since I would love to visit someday. People are going to fall in love with Rebecca Serle’s new book.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. It’s a novel concept, every time Daphne meets a new love interest, she also receives a slip of paper with a date on it, telling her how long they will be together. This has been happening for years, and then she gets one with just a name on it, no date. Does this mean this is her forever person? Her best friend Hugo, who she met a long time ago when she dated him and had a note with the expiration date, is not so sure. It’s a fun read, a lot of it kind of a stretch. It shows interesting things about relationships, and also expectations and manifestation. When you expect something to happen, does that mean it will? #netgalley #expirationdates #rebeccaserle #advancedreadercopy #lovestory #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

So the summary and the cover of this book really made me excited to read it. I don't know what I was really expecting than a love story and happy ending and I guess that's what you'll find in this book. I kept reading expecting something to happen but nothing did. This might be the fact that I mainly read thrillers and I'm always waiting for than unexpected twist. Not sure if this review makes any sense. But if you read it and enjoyed it than that's what's important.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the ARC.

Expiration Dates is the story of Daphne Bell, a thirty-something production assistant with a secret – every time she begins to date someone, she receives a slip of paper with his name and the length of time they will be together on it.
This was a very interesting premise, but I am sorry to say that the premise was better than the execution. What could have been a cute romance with some depth to it – if the author chose to focus on the idea of fate vs. free will – instead fell flat.
First, the “romance” between Daphne and Jake never made any sense, and there was definitely way more chemistry between Daphne and Hugo. It made me feel like the author was saying the book was about one thing, but in fact it was really about something completely different. And then, a little over halfway through the book, the story suddenly took another turn and wasn’t even about the notes anymore. I won’t give any spoilers, but personally I hate when authors do that. And, I was disappointed that we never learned how or why Daphne receives these notes – it seemed like a major selling point of the book that the author pretty much forgot about.
Not to mention, Serle spends way too much time talking about what people are eating and wearing. This is my third book by Serle and she did the same thing in One Italian Summer (which for the record, I did not enjoy at all because the MC was also incredibly immature and kind of a terrible person). Now, don’t get me wrong – I believe there is a place for unreliable narrators and unlikeable main characters. However, I do not think romance novels are the place for it. To be fair to the author, I probably would consider this women’s fiction over romance.
After really enjoy In Five Years but disliking her last two books, I think I’ve decided that Serle is not for me. That being said, a lot of readers really enjoy her novels so I think I am an outlier here. If you enjoy women’s fiction and aren’t afraid of surprises, you might enjoy this book more than I did.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. 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. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. 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 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. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

I love all things written by Rebecca Serle. She has a way with words that make even the most delicate of storylines magical. I loved this book so much. The story was so good and easy to follow. I enjoyed all the characters and various backstories of Daphne's dating life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A good read that held my attention the whole way through. I never found myself truly engaged with any of the characters though, which is where this book slipped for me.

I still enjoyed the story line though, despite hoping for a different ending.