What would you do if at the start of every relationship you received a piece of paper with that person's name and the length of time the relationship would last, whether it be one night or several years? Would you want to know the expiration date before you've even explored the relationship? That's the situation that Daphne Bell finds herself in, starting with the first piece of paper she received as a teenager for her first relationship. Each time the paper has proven to be an accurate predictor of how long the relationship would last. But then one day she receives a piece of paper with only a name and nothing more. Is this The One or is there some other reason why this relationship wasn't given an expiration date?

This story jumps back and forth between the present and flash backs to Daphne's various relationships and what she's learned from each. This was a beautiful story for anyone who has ever worried if they'd find "the one", who has struggled with a period of singleness, or wished that they'd know the relationship had an end date before investing in it.

Thank you to Rebecca Serle, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank yo to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. The main character was very unlikeable to me but once I kept reading about her I started to understand the way she was or thought. All in all it was an enjoyable read and will recommend.

Expiration dates is about a woman that receives notes with the name of her next boyfriend and how long they will be together. She always knows when their time together will be up so she's never surprised. The premise of the story is very interesting. You wonder if she will still be invested and happy in her relationships even if she knows it will only last a few days or weeks. With this author there is always more to the story than there seems so I was waiting for a twist to happen from the beginning. I could see where the end was heading but was still shocked by a couple turns the story took. It's. a very quick read that is hard to put down. Readers that have enjoyed other books by this author will also love this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did not like this book as much as I liked In Five Years by the same author. This book lacked character and intrigue.

So the first half of this was (mostly) fine. I requested an ARC because I really liked the premise, but found out very quickly I didn't actually care about any of Daphne's past relationships (other than Hugo because you know right off the bat that he's still in her life) because who really cares about her past relationships? I kept wondering if we were just trying to stretch this story out. We then do a dumpster dive about halfway through that had me actually roll my eyes and question if we were going to go this route, because...ugh. I was pretty much over it at that point. This could have been so much more, but this is what we got.

1.5 stars, rounded up because I liked Daphne's boss and parents and other side characters.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Super quick, enjoyable read. A sweet love story with a couple of twists. I usually don’t like fantasy/magical realism but I just love the way Rebecca Serle weaves it into the story. I did figure out the end well in advance and I’m happy I was right! My biggest complaint is that now I have a super long wait for her next book.

Thank you for the ARC! I adored this book, just as I do every book by Rebecca Serle. Her twists never fail!!!

Expiration Dates
Rebecca Serle
Mar 5, 2024
Atria
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
* magical realism * romance
Loved this book! Serle has done it again! All my emotions are drained in this beautiful 272 page novel.
Serle is a highly skilled writer and you will love this book as it tugs at
Your heart, I am not a typical rom com reader but this book is great!
5 stars

This is a really good read. I liked Daphne and her friendships and her job. She is really a go getter.
I liked seeing the look into her past and all the guys that had come before. I could tell that things with her and Jake, were not totally what she expected and I liked that she really takes time to think about moving forward.
There were some things I wasn't expecting too, but they were good and added to the story.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Expiration Dates is a lovely story about plans, the universe and fate. Daphne Bell thinks that the universe has a grand plan for her to find the love of her life. She receives a piece of paper every time she meets a new man that has the exact time that the relationship will last. When she receives a piece of paper with no date she believes she's found the one.

I thought this was a wonderful read. Several times I thought I had guessed a twist only to be proven incorrect but delighted with how the story was progressing. I found myself rooting for the characters throughout the story. Overall I wanted each main character to get their happy ending. I really enjoyed this and cannot wait to recommend it to my girlfriends.

If you need a deep emotional read this book is for you!! It’s got heart and humor and romance that is just so good! If you enjoyed any of Rebecca’s other books you’ll definitely enjoy this one!

This was far and away my favorite Rebecca Serle novel. It was the perfect balance of love, painful reality, and opportunities.

This book is going to stay with me for a long time. It will have you taking a long, hard look at life and love and what both really mean. Is love something we’re fated to find or an active choice we make? Can someone fully love if they’re living in fear. Can we trust ourselves to take care of our own happiness?

If you want an emotional, moving, and incredibly touching read, I cannot recommend this enough.

I’m a big fan of Rebecca Serle so it wasn’t shocking that I was sucked into Expiration Dates immediately and finished it in one night. This book has a bit of the same magic from other Rebecca Serle books so if you loved In Five Years or One Italian Summer, you’ll love this.

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley for this ARC. It was truly magical to get to read a classic Rebecca Serle book ahead of its publishing date.
Expiration Date is everything we expect from the ever developing plots that Rebecca creates in her stories. They’re never as simple as we imagine. The complexity of the story and the character’s development are what make her storytelling so powerful and profound. This story was just as beautiful and thoughtful.
Daphne Bell receives a piece of paper, every time she meets a new man, with his name and a number defining the exact amount of time they will be together. And then she receives one with just a name. It’s too good to be true and this exact twist is what takes us on such an honest and gripping ride of self-discovery, truth, honest displays of passion and heartbreak. All while we discover a piece of the puzzle that Daphne has been holding to herself for over a decade.
I was probably the biggest fan of In Five Years, and Expiration Date will take your breath away in the same way and have you gasping at what is takes to be honest with yourself in the name of love. It takes the saying, “In sickness and in health” in a new direction. What a fantastic read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I loved the story line of this book, it kept me intrigued for the whole story. I definitely recommend this book! Another fantastic story by Rebecca Serle!

Was this as good as The Dinner List? No. Was it entertaining enough to hold my interest during a book slump? Yes, but I think it could have been great if we got a teensy bit more. The whole premise of relationship premonitions is so intriguing, yet it’s almost background noise when it should be center stage.

Daphne got the first note in 5th grade. It was a postcard with a boy's name and a length of time in this case it was eight days. For the next 20-something years her dating life is determined by these innocuous slips of paper. She never knows when they will appear just that they always do. She never questions the notes. She just tries to make the best of the time prescribed and move on. Until on the eve of her blind date she receives a note that shakes her. This one is different, because when she opens it all she finds is the name of her date, Jake. Daphne assumes that Jake is the one. He must be right? In the years that she's been receiving them no man has ever been a permanent fixture when she's been given an expiration date....well except for her best friend Hugo. Hugo and Daphne dated for three months, but they've been best friends for five years.

As Daphne is free to explore this newfound relationship with Jake the reader is moving back and forth through time to discover how we ended up here. With time not being a factor will Daphne finally get her happily ever after?

The premise of this story was intriguing. How and why did Daphne start receiving these notes? More importantly who was sending them. Why did Daphne willingly accept what was written? As the story progresses a secret is revealed which might explain why Daphne just leaves her fate up to the anonymous notes, but personally it felt like a cop out on her part. When we leave her Daphne has ended up where I think she wanted to be all along she just needed to find the courage to admit it to herself.

I really wish we could have gotten a little more of Daphne questioning things and not being so resigned to following the directives of random pieces of paper. Additionally I would have like to explored her reasons for thinking her other secret was reason enough to close herself off to friendships/people. This novel is not very long so the author could definitely add a couple of chapters to flesh Daphne out a bit.

Overall it was a decent read. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I'd definitely recommend it to someone looking to have their heartstrings tugged.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Expiration Dates was a wonderful and moving read. I have read author works by this authors (One Italian Summer and In Five Years), and this book was my favorite from Rebecca Searle. Like the other two books, this contained elements of magical realism.

Our protagonist, Daphne, receives slips of paper with the names of men and a specific amount of time. That amount of time denotes how long their relationship will last. She's in her early thirties and for the first time she receives a paper with a name, and no time amount.

Could this man be the one?

Serle excels at describing places and experiences (the food in One Italian Summer made me want to book a ticket to Italy), but this is her first book where I truly connected with the main character. Daphne was a living, breathing human and her growth was spectacular to watch. This book isn't so much about finding the person you will be with forever, as it is about destiny versus choice.

Thank you so much to Goodreads and Atria Books for the ARC for my honest review of this very special novel.

How would it change things if you knew going in how long your relationship with someone you just met, would last? That's the premise of this new novel by Rebecca Serles who definitely has some magical realism sprinkled into her novels. I've read "In Five Years" and "One Italian Summer," both of which I enjoyed so when I saw this new one on offer, I immediately jumped on it.

There is a twist, there are some touching moments and some interesting characters, all of which come together in a most satisfying way.

Publication date is March 2024