Really lovely. A fun exploration of things we all think about dating and the inexplicable rhythms of our lives. It bothers me not to find out the mechanics of the papers' generation, but it's a fairly minor point and whatever explanation could be given would obviously invite skepticism. Emotionally intelligent, a solid arc for the main character, and a realistically drawn woman with a believable inner dialogue. Could have used more development for some of the characters who prove to be more important than they first seem.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy!

I really loved the concept of this book! Daphne was a great protagonist and I liked how the story was told in alternating timelines. My only “gripe” was that the ending felt rushed and not fully Sussed out. I did love the big reveal and twists that are classic Rebecca Serle now.

I loved every bit of this story. The characters, the plot, the little stories in between. The build up was lovely and I loved the touch of mystery/suspense that was involved. This is my second book by Rebecca Serle and I absolutely adore her writing. There is just something so personal about it. She has a way of making you feel like you are right there beside the characters. This story has such a creative spin to it. I love how unique it was. I can’t wait for it to release March 2024 so I can snag a physical copy for my home library. I wish we got a little more of an epilogue but the ending was top notch nonetheless. 4.5ish stars? Rounding up ! ☺️

3.5 Stars. Interesting love story concept, I like that Daphne receives these slips of paper with the length of her next relationship on them. I liked going through all the relationships over the years and seeing how Daphne evolves. It was a quick read & had a nice ending.

I loved the concept of this book. The FMC gets a card with a name and an expiration date for every relationship she's in, until she finally gets one with no date on it. But, the execution could've been better. My biggest issues were:

1) I could not get into the romance in this book. The MFC Daphne has multiple love interests in this book and you don't know who she's going to end up with at the end. You see every relationship she's ever had. Her biggest ones are Jake, the guy who doesn't have an expiration date and Hugo, her ex-bf/best friend. I didn't care about either relationship. Jake was boring, but Hugo didn't seem to have grown much since the ended years ago. I would say this has a more HFN end than a HEA.

2) I hated the twist later in the book. It was also a similar twist to something that happened in the other book I've read by her.

I think if you like her other books, you'll probably enjoy this.

A short fast read. It wasn’t my favorite book by this author but a good story overall. Nothing to exciting just a simple easy read

This was another enjoyable Rebecca Serle read. Interesting title. I thought that this would for once be a lighter read, but like the author's other works, it is not. Overall this was about whether you let others control your life, or if you decide your fate.

All of Rebecca Serle’s novels are deep, meaningful and have a bit of magic. Daphne’s story encompasses love and friendship and does an excellent job painting the complications of both. This was a heartfelt book and very enjoyable to read.

Daphne finds that whenever she meets a man, she receives a slip of paper that tells her how long they will be together. She begins to wonder if there will ever be a permanent person for her. Daphne has secrets but does not know how to share all about her health and the expiration dates of her men. It appears that Jake may just be the one and they seem perfect for each other. She may be committed to him, but she also needs to be honest. Through all her dates, she learns love takes on different facets. I loved Daphne and as she shares her struggles, she becomes even more unique. Her parents are special people, as is her longtime friend Hugo. Great book and wonderful characters.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle shows us what it would be like to know upon meeting a person how long that relationship will last. Is that a blessing or a curse? Take it for what it is or try to hang on as long as possible. Really enjoyed this story a lot! Another winner by Rebecca Serle!

I don't think I've ever read anything by this author before, but the cover drew me in enough to see what it was about and this seemed like a fun premise. And it kinda was? Until it most definitely wasn't.

It's a solid three star read from me. A star for a cool concept. A star for the writing not totally sucking. A star for the story keeping my attention long enough to finish this book in my normal book consumption timeframe.

What I didn't like:
50% into the story, the author throws in a monkey wrench that took things in a much different direction then they needed to, in my opinion. It wasn't a fun light read anymore because of it. There were also parts of the story that were just overly written detail wise. Like, I think I was told the color of every single piece of clothing that any character was wearing, every time they came back around? I dunno. Seemed that way at least. Spice level...1.75 chili peppers.
Overall the book was okay. Not a flop. Not a banger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy so that I may share my honest feedback and review.

I don’t know what it is about Rebecca Serle’s books but I always adore them. Her plots somehow feel imaginative and her writing is strong enough to carry through. Daphne and Hugo both felt like strong characters, but Jake slotted a bit too easily into the Too Good To Be True stereotype. Some of the past relationship descriptions didn’t feel needed—the plot of the story with the cards that tell her how long she’ll date a guy was enough without constant proof of it, and I did like the “twist”. All in all, an enjoyable, easy read.

I had to give up at 48% and I’m pretty sure I skimmed through half of that. This is my third Rebecca Serle book, and my second that I did not finish. If that tells you anything. I don’t have a good description of the book because I can’t tell you what it’s about except a woman going on a lot of dates, and I didn’t care about a single character in the entire thing.

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy. This was a super cute, fun read. Enjoyed Rebecca’s last few books, so I was looking forward to this one. And it did not disappoint. I have really come to enjoy her writing, and a genre that I typically don’t read.

This is a story with promise- very interesting premise that made me eager to read it. Reality: at times I was turning pages completely engaged in the story, while other times I was wondering how many more boring relationships I was going to be forced to read. The story is like a rough draft that needs to be honed to stay on point.

Daphne receives a mysterious paper before every relationship that provides the name and exact term of the relationship. This has occurred since she began dating. Unfortunately, readers never learn any more about this- not why or how it happens.

The surprise crisis added human interest to a character who was under-developed. Had the mysterious papers been explored, that would have added interest. Honestly, when I saw “psych” mentioned a few times, I was prepared to learn she imagined all of the papers, and even THAT would have been interesting. Her job would have added interest, but little was explored with it..

The reader then sees many, many different relationships played out. It would have been nice if this had played out in a sequential manner, but the author wove multiple timelines together.

The voice of Daphne is sort of off-putting. Perhaps she’s depressed. That would fit her character, but it makes it hard to get into the story.

As always, a bad ending results in the deduction of one star in the rating. I spend too long reading a book to get rooked at the end by a crummy ending. SPOILER: I thought we were going to get an HEA ending, but nope. Everything must be hoped. Inferred is too strong of a word for this ending.

Daphne gets auspicious notes with the name of her next possible relationship and how long the relationship will last. There’s safety in knowing, but is it really living freely and honestly? Daphne has reasons to lean towards the safe path, but ultimately there is a reckoning. The book ends with some unanswered questions, but that didn’t matter to me as I found the ultimate message(s) came through, one of them being embracing the life come what may. Without giving anything away, Daphne’s conversation with her dad at the end was deeply tender and will resonate with parents like me who can relate. Sometimes this felt light and other times it was a deeply emotional read. Daphne had several well-written, supportive and honest family bonds and female friendships.
Thank you #NetGalley and #Simon&Schuster for the ARC e-book

Five stars! Such a unique story. So well written. I love the perspective it’s written in… how each note and the man named in the note moves the story along. A romance and a tear jerker. This is one of my fave books all year! Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will adore this one. No synopsis because I don’t want to give any spoilers… But READ IT!

This is a darling story. She just has a way of grabbing your from the start and making you want to read all in one sitting. A cute and light story that you are sure to enjoy.

I absolutely loved “In Five Years” so I was excited to get an ARC from this author.

In this novel, our main character Daphne receives a piece of paper everytime she goes on a date dictating how long the relationship will last. This premise sort of reminded me of one of the Black Mirror episodes. Then she meets a man named Jake, but this slip of paper is blank. What does this mean? How is she to proceed? You’ll have to read the rest to find out, but this was worth every second and I absolutely will be recommending this as a book club pick in 2024.


Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Daphne Bell has known all her life how long her relationships will last. Each time she has met someone knew a piece of paper comes and tells her how long that person will be in her life. Ironically, they all come true until she meets Jake and there is no date of how long the relationship is going to last. Overall, its a easy beach read. It wasn't my favorite book as the ending was pretty predictable.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read ahead of time.