This was a slow start for me but I'm glad I stuck with it. The exposition paid off for me in the end. I really really liked this one — my favorite of Serle's so far. And that declaration of love … swoon.

Most times I hear the phrase, you can run but you can’t hide it’s been in a threatening way. But what if it was used as an eye opening way to look at your life and how something was running it?
A piece of paper used to predict your relationships and how you attach to these men….allowing yourself never to fall in love to never break your heart.
Would you be afraid to move on, throw caution to the wind and make your own love?

A thought provoking look at fate vs self determination

3.75 rounded up to 4

If you knew how long your relationships would last, would you want to know? This book is about Daphne who receives notes before each of her relationships telling her how long it will last. She goes through life with this finite period of time in front of her and plans accordingly. But what if, by living based on these notes, she is making them come true? Has she already met her true love and lost it?

The concept of this was so interesting and a departure from anything else I've read lately. Many thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a big fan of Rebecca Serle's work since I discovered "In Five Years" a few years ago. I could not wait to get my hands on this book, and it absolutely did not disappoint! This story uses magical realism to explore the theme of fate vs. free will as it relates to a young woman's search for romantic love. The main character's journey was relatable and heartwarming (and included a twist that I did not see coming!). Rebecca Serle has a gift for crafting flawed yet lovable characters. This book also has such a rich sense of place to it-- Los Angeles is to Expiration Dates as New York is to In Five Years.

I cannot wait to have a hard copy of this book on my bookshelf come March. I will be recommending this book to all my friends, as well! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to love this book in the worst way possible. I love the idea of it I think it’s so unique but unfortunately, it just didn’t do it for me. I found the characters hard to connect with, and had only surface level relationships. I just felt like I wanted more. I wanted more about her and Hugo, and more about each of their back stories, and maybe even more about her partners she has throughout her life.the concept of it as a whole was great but overall I struggle to finish the book.

This was a clever rom-com incorporating tropes of friends to lovers, do-overs, and a little magical realism. I loved the opposing ideas of meant-to-be and self-determination. The characters are al likeable - people you want to root for!

I really loved the idea and premise of the book. Daphne received notes with the expiration date of her relationship usually on the day it begins. I felt like the book kept a good pace but did start to slow down around the middle. I liked her dog and the setting in LA. I liked her relationship with her parents. I did feel like the chapters went back and forth to the past too often. I feel like it got better towards the end but for the first half of the book, it felt like I couldn’t really get into the present because I kept getting pulled back into the past ever other chapter. I liked the ending and felt like it matched the rest of the storyline well. Overall very cute but felt like it wasn’t quite long enough.

Daphne Bell is not like other girls. Whenever she meets a man, she gets a note, postcard, or letter with the man’s name and a length of time. This is her relationship’s expiration date. She secretly loves that she always knows how much to invest into everyone, but when she gets a letter with just Jake’s name and no length of time, she’s shook up. Is he forever? And if he is, why is she having such a hard time letting him in?
💭Thoughts💭
This book’s premise is so cool and I loved going back to some of Daphne’s previous relationships and having glimpses into them, in addition to the present. Her friendships (Hugo, Irina, and Kendra) added great depth to the novel.
.
⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
Daphne’s parents and the conversations she had with them were so lovely and beautiful. I sobbed toward the end when she finally opens up to her dad.
.
🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Hugo and Daphne took her dog, Murphy, to the farmers market early on the weekend. Go to your local farmers market, buy some sunflowers and some bagels and have breakfast outside!

Oh I picked this one up because of the interesting premise. Everytime Daphne had a new date, she received information about their name and the exact length of time they would be together. Some were a few weeks and others a few years. On the last blind date the note stated Jake with no expiration date. As their story unfolded, Daphne had to find her path of finding the right one, she also realized she needed to love herself as well. I liked the premise. It was what drew me in, but the execution was done poorly. My problem was I didn’t like the main character at all. She was insufferable. I didn’t care about the ex boyfriends nor her dating history. Her medical issue was such a huge part of the story that wasn’t revealed until halfway through the book!!!It was thrown in like I should care, but at that point of the book I didn’t. I didn’t understand her relationship with her ex boyfriend, Hugo. He was now her best friend? I didn’t understand that. Jake was sadly a good guy that didn’t deserve her treatment. There were some good parts to the book. One, it was short length. Another was that her friends had redeeming qualities. The ending was okay. Overall, it was an okay romance book. If you want to call this romance. I’m a little afraid to read another book from this author. And I am fully aware I am in the minority of disliking this book. Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for this review.

This book was a rollercoaster for me, at first I found it to be a little bit stale and I was a little uninterested, but about 20% through it really caught my attention and kept it. It had me routing for something I wasn’t even sure was going to happen. This book definitely also has a lot of good stuff to take away from it. Over all, I was really happy with how this book turned out!

What would you do if you knew ahead of time how long your next relationship was going to last? Go through the motions? Get invested?

Daphne goes on such a journey in this book while she navigates these questions. The writing in this felt so emotional it’s impossible not to get sucked in. It had Serle’s signature magical realism coupled with heart, sorrow and humour. The second twist shocked me and the ending had me in tears. This was an easy 5 stars for me. Also, Hugo 💜

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Book for this eARC!

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Serle and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Expiration Dates has such an interesting concept going here. Daphne always enters her relationships knowing exactly how long they’ll last. Mysterious letters with her partners name and length of time the relationship will last are always a constant in her life, until she receives one that only has a name with no time associated with it.

Rebecca Serle has such an interesting and descriptive way of writing. She always sets the scene, from the setting to the characters - you have every detail to conjure up in your brain. I love that about her writing, she makes it easy to have vivid ideas of what things look like throughout her books. I thought this book was the perfect length, easy to read and easy to get through which is something else I’ve noticed about her books. I never feel like they’re too short or too long.

I do feel that this book could have used more depth with the actual plot - to help us connect more and understand more deeply. I still enjoyed reading it, but a little more depth would have made it even more enjoyable, in my opinion. The twist or major plot point didn’t shock me or cause any intense feeling around it while reading. By the end of it, I still had a few questions left unanswered. Overall, the book felt very easy and breezy. If that’s something you look for in a book, then this would be a good read for you!

Imagine your love life and everything that’s happened through each relationship- how would you feel if you had known when the relationship was going to end, in the beginning? Personally I think I would hate that! The dread of getting close to someone just to know exactly when it’s going to end? PASS.

this story was so heartbreaking and beautifully, in so many ways. “The problem with love is that it’s not enough,” it’s not often that I truly take away from a book and try to apply it to my real life, but I definitely will with this one. “You have to stop believing the worst in yourself.”

I was not expecting the two twists either, I of course was expecting something but not THAT.

Daphnes character is so strong and empowering. The author did a flawless job at creating her and showing her development.

My only “flaw” was the constant talk about California. I found it nice at first, but it seemed to become a main focal point of the story and it almost took away from the plot IMO.

I have enjoyed all of Rebecca Serle's books and Expiration Dates may have been my favorite one yet. I love how there is a touch of magical realism mixed into the story while also providing a heart-warming storyline.

Another beautiful book from Rebecca Serle! If you knew how long your relationships would last, would you want to know? This book is about Daphne who receives notes before each of her relationships telling her how long it will last. She goes through life with this finite period of time in front of her and plans accordingly. But what if, by living based on these notes, she is making them come true? Has she already met her true love and lost it?

Wonderful book that burrowed it's way into my soul. Daphne was an amazing character. Many thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite Rebecca Serle novel. A very moving and sweet story about what happen if we all knew how long our relationships last. Couple of interesting plot twists and very good descriptions of food. I couldn’t put it down.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

This was my first book by Rebecca Serle and I really enjoyed it. I’ve heard great things about her books and I’ve also discovered this year that I love books with a touch of magical realism so this one piqued my interest immediately. It doesn’t come out until March but I just couldn’t wait that long to read this story.
The basic premise of the novel is that every time the main character, Daphne, meets a new man she is interested in, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it – the exact amount of time they will be together. I don’t want to give spoilers but some of the details on how this happened weren’t what I assumed and I thought that made the book stronger because it was less predictable. I also really loved all the stories of Daphne’s previous relationships.
At first, I thought maybe the universe was telling Daphne which men she should date but I soon realized that it was actually up to her, and only the length of time was pre-determined. I also loved that her relationships did come to a natural end, and it wasn’t Daphne proactively ending the relationships at the determined time just because that’s what the slip of paper said.
I was definitely surprised partway through to find out some more background on Daphne and realize what these slips of paper actually meant to her. I thought it was so smart of Rebecca Serle to connect them to a bigger picture of Daphne’s life and give it more meaning than I initially thought.
Ultimately, I thought the ending was perfect and it kept me reading with interest, as I wasn’t sure which way things were going to go. I can’t wait to read Rebecca Serle’s other books.

This story got its claws in, and I couldn’t put it down! So many feelings, but another great heartbreaking romance from Rebecca Serle. The story follows Daphne Bell, a woman whose love life seems to be dictated by the universe. Whenever she meets somebody she may end up dating, she receives a piece of paper — sometimes a fortune cookie slip — with their name and the amount of time they’ll be together, whether it’s one night or two years. Before she’s scheduled to go on a blind date, she receives a paper with her date’s name on it…and nothing else, no time listed. Is this a sign this is her soulmate or can Daphne’s own secrets be a sign as to why there’s no time. This is refreshing story exploring the relationships that don’t work and the one that does, while also tackling heavier topics like heartbreak, grief, and diagnoses. I couldn’t put this book down and found myself tearing up more than once.
Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This will release on 3/5/24!

Rebecca Serle has never let me down with a book, so I knew I couldn't go wrong with Expiration Dates. Sure enough, she didn't.

Expiration Dates is a quick read but takes you on a magical and poetic ride. Rebecca Serle has a way with words that just capture your heart.

Every time Daphne starts to date a man, she receives a piece of paper that keys her know must exactly how much time she has with him. Now, I don't know about anyone else but if I were in her shoes, I'd just hide unless I received a piece of paper that had years. It's as if you know you're setting yourself up for heartbreak, but yet intriguing wondering how the relationship will turn out. After all,
one of these men becomes her best friend. However, Daphne sometimes has only a few days to months. This goes on for 20 years. All these predictions that are alwsys right understandly make Daphne question her worth. Then Jake comes along...
Daphne is determined to not let these pieces Of paper control her future. I really appreciated the realism of this book that I think many readers will relate ti but also the magical and whimsical elements as well. These little touches always manage to take me away to another place and truly get lost in a book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

3.75 stars --

rebecca serle's upcoming novel 'expiration dates' gave me what i wanted from one of her books, but felt a bit watered down compared to 'in five years' and 'one italian summer'.

this book follows daphne, a woman in her 30s who has an unusual quirk in that she always receives notes with the name of her next relationship and the length of time they will date, and the notes are always correct. however, when the story opens, she receives a note that just has 'jake' written on it, and daphne assumes this is the man who she will spend her life with. the novel follows her romance with jake, but also shows us flashbacks to other relationships, including a three-month relationship with hugo, her now best friend.

the book takes a twist in the middle that i initially found jarring, as it seemed to come out of left fiend, and becomes the central focal point of the second half the story. daphne & jake also had little to no chemistry, so it was hard to root for them throughout the story. there was a great message about living life to the fullest and not wasting the time you have, but i ultimately wanted a little more oomph from this one.