This book was slow for me to get into but I really enjoyed the pacing, the depth of the characters and how the author wove the story together!

Throughout the whole book I asked myself what if I was Daphne? Would I WANT to know how long I had with someone? I think it would drive me insane to know I was on borrowed time.

Rebecca Serle, the queen of the romance mixed with the ‘What If’s’….., returns with her newest offering that I can already envision being adapted as a movie! For readers who are fans of the classic Rom-Com MY BEST FRIENDS WEDDING starring Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney, this book has reminiscent vibes of the classic film. Although that comes with familiar expectant themes and story paths, Serle surprises the reader with two big twists to turn the story on its head and change the lens the reader has viewed the story up to the reveals. She also infuses her own unique spin in this new release with her latest take on her hypothetical ‘What If’ — what would happen and what would someone do if they received a slip of paper with the exact amount of time their upcoming or current relationship would last and with whom?? Serle wrestles with the longstanding question and debate of fate vs. free will in a fresh modern way, exploring what happens when someone knows the expiration date of their relationship. Does it change the way they perceive or invest in their relationships and in how or if they guard their heart? Does it affect how deep they fall in love or influence one’s control of sustaining or ending their relationship? Are the mysterious notes a definite tried and true fact or can they be wrong? Rebecca Serle invites the reader along for the ride with a front seat to her latest novel, the refreshingly inventive romantic adventure that is: EXPIRATION DATES.

If your book club has tapped this book for its next selection, you don’t want to miss the fabulous reading guide available on rebeccaserle.com! It not only includes the traditional topics of discussion questions, an author Q&A, and book introduction, but also lets the reader in on a list of Serle’s favorite things in LA and a curated Spotify playlist inspired by main character Daphne. LA acts as a dynamic setting influencing the book’s characters and impacting their storylines, clearly displaying Serle’s love for her current home city — the LA from her local’s view and not just the starlit Hollywood version. Readers won’t want to miss hearing Rebecca talk about how the search for love and the marked imprints those relationships leave come through in this book, etched into and splashed across its pages, yet familiar to all who bear the invisible battle scars from their search for love.

3 Stars

Sadly, as much as I wanted to, I did not love this one.

𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 explores what happens when the main protagonist knows in advance how long each of her relationships will last.

Daphne’s story is set in the often enchanting city of Los Angeles. Each time she meets a new love interest, she magically receives a note with the name of her potential new boyfriend and length of time they will be together. Are the notes from a friend, family member or the universe? We don’t know. While they add a note of fantasy to this romance, the reader knows in advance that most of the characters in the story won’t be around by the end of the book.

I enjoyed the idea of this story and the Los Angeles setting. I wanted to know if any of Daphne’s relationships would actually prove the notes wrong or not.

Overall, this was a rather lighthearted book despite the sudden interjection of a serious illness near the end. The ending was very sweet and sentimental and left things in a good place. For me personally, not my fave from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I kind of wish Daphne’s secret was revealed earlier, because before it was everything seemed playful. When the story took a more serious turn, it felt a bit late. I fully understand, and appreciate that Daphne had to figure things out herself, but it all seemed very obvious from the beginning. I loved where the story went, and how it ended - I just wish there was more of it.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Rebecca Serle for the free ARC.
Expiration Dates is a story about Daphne Bell, who receives mysterious notes from the universe. Always with her next relationship's name and the amount of time that relationship will last. The universe, it seems, has everything planned out for her. But what happens when she receives a note with a name but no number?
Rebecca Serle tells a wonderful story about relationships and love but she also tells a story about life. There is no way for us to be able to predict the future and we can never know what to expect. The key to a happy life is to appreciate every day that you're given and to be open to what the universe has for you.
I really enjoyed this story overall and am so glad that I was able to read it! I hope you will also!

I really like Rebecca Serle's books and this one is no exception. However I will say that the first half of the book was kind of choppy and didn't have great flow to me. About halfway in though I was really intrigued on where Daphne's story was heading. I really enjoyed how Daphne's story played out and the book was wrapped up really well. Overall, I really enjoyed the premise of this book and I would recommend it to anyone. A solid 4 stars for me!

Oh my goodness! I loved this book so incredibly much! I think Rebecca Serle is gold and I will continue to fevour everything she writes. She is incredibly talented, and lucked me into this book, very quickly.

This book gave me all the feelings. I have several of Serle's books on my shelf but haven't gotten around to reading any of them. I'm glad this was my first. The touch of magical realism was what set it apart from other books I've read. I really enjoyed the friendship between Daphne and Hugo. He was the only one who knew about the relationship expiration dates, and it was clear how much he cared for Daphne. The story unfolded exactly how I had hoped. I definitely need to go back and read more from this author.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I thought this was a really cute book with a really unique premise. I liked how the book was formatted, alternating between present day and snippets of her past relationships. It was really fun to see how the main character historically dealt with receiving expiration dates. However, there is a reveal midway through the book that soured the experience for me slightly. It made me feel like the main character was not a fantastic person, and I found it hard to enjoy the rest of the book and root for her. It was a fun cute book, but I couldn't enjoy it after the reveal.

Each time Daphne meets a new man, she receives a piece of paper with a timeline. This paper tells her how long the relationship will last, giving it an "expiration date", until one day she receives a blank paper. Expiration Dates is a story of what happens when you let the universe decide your fate in love.

Rebecca Serle is such a unique romance writer, weaving the magical fantasy into her stories. It took me a few chapters to understand the premise and become engaged. About 1/3 in I could not put this book down!

Thank you SImon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an intriguing story, romance and self discovery at the same time. Daphne receives notes that tells her how long her relationship will last, or does it? The question is what happens when the note is blank?

A delightful story that will make you wish for true love.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

What a fun twist on the rom com genre! I loved the take that #rebeccaserle had on a story being predictable and yet so unknown ... even when you think you know how it ends and plan your life around it. If you scratch the surface, that is the story line for a couple different aspects of this story. I was fortunate enough to listen to the audio book as well and absolutely loved the narration and think their personality added to the bingeability of this book!

Daphne Bell believes the universe guides her love life, receiving slips of paper with the names and durations of her relationships. She’s had numerous short-term romances, including three days with Martin, five weeks with Noah, and three months with her ex, Hugo. After twenty years, she finally gets a slip with just a name, Jake, and no expiration. As their relationship deepens, Daphne doubts the paper's prediction and struggles with keeping secrets from Jake, knowing the truth could shatter his heart.

I’m such a fan of Rebecca Serle, but unfortunately, I did not love the premise of Expiration Dates. At first, it was fun and unique, but once the story got to the massive plot twist I found it somewhat cliche. The main character was not my favorite. She had this air of complete cluelessness that made her seem overly self-centered.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle from the publisher Atria via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Daphne Bell believes that the universe has a plan for her. Ever since she was a teenager, she has received a slip of paper with his name and a number on it-the exact time she has with a given partner. It was true for the three days with Martin in Paris; the five weeks with Noah in San Francisco, and it was true for the three months with former boyfriend, now best friend, Hugo. She has always received these papers and has always wondered when her final paper would come, until one day she receives a paper the day before a blind date at her favorite LA restraurant, there’s only a name: Jake. As the romance unfolds, Daphne finds herself balancing her doubt and wrestling what it means to be committed and not have to worry about someone leaving. What that means for her secrets and finally having a fulfilling relationship.

What I Loved: This book has a really unique premise, the book asks, what would happen if you knew how many days you had with someone. How long a relationship will last. As always Serle makes you examine some unique questions, and this one is her version of a romance. The premise and writing are good. I particularly loved the family dynamic for Daphne’s nuclear family. I also liked the work relationships discussed here. There’s a part that I was kind of on the fence with, if you have read Serle’s earlier work you know how feature terminal illnesses play in her work, and here it comes up again, but in this regard I do believe it worked, I think Serle needed to show how the impact of always knowing when a romance is going to end, ultimately leads to Daphne not trusting people with her own life, and I think this chronic illness really highlights this.

What I Didn’t Like: I felt like the romance in this book was underwhelming and as a book that’s supposed to be about romance, it was frustrating. It was annoying to not really care about the romance or buy into it, no matter the big twist, there were significant problems with the chemistry and the buy in.

Who Should Read It: People who love Serle’s previous works. People who like books with lots to discuss.

Summary: A woman always receives a note for the length of a relationship, finally receives a blank paper.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It poses the question of how you would react and dedicate yourself to a relationship if you knew its expiration date. Do we allow our expectations to dictate our response and devotion? Interesting characters and plot line. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the eARC!
Another cute read from Rebecca Serle. The concept of the expiration dates was interesting yet I found myself getting stuck on why Daphne is the only one to receive the expiration dates. Overall a cute and easy read

I thought this was an interesting read that made me think - with a tiny twist I didn’t expect coming. Daphne never has to guess how long her relationships will last she’s just not always sure what will make them come to an end. She gets notes with expiration dates that will tell her how long she’ll be with her current guy. Three days with one. Five weeks with another. Three months with Hugo.. her ex now best friend. Hugo is the only one who knows about these predictions so when she received a note with the name Jake and no expiration date.. her thoughts about her future changed. Is this the man she’s supposed to spend forever with?

I found myself wondering if Daphne was just overlooking something’s with Jake because she knew he was supposed to be her end game. He was perfect for her in the fact that he was so kind and attentive and thoughtful but he had his own traumatic past.. and Daphne had this huge secret. She never seems to let herself fully invest in him. She confides in Hugo who also never seems to fully commit to his relationships either and Daphne never seems to know why.

With knowing there’s no expiration date can she fully be herself and tell him her secret? Or will that change everything?

This story reminded me of The Measure which I also enjoyed. Thank you to the Rebecca Serle, the publisher, and NetGalley for this arc!

Rebecca Serle's books are always cutesy, feel good books and this one is no exception.

Any book that gives me 2000s rom com vibes is a yes in my book. And that's what this did. All her life, Daphne receives little pieces of papers with a mans name and how long they will be together. She keeps waiting for the one with no expiration date, and it finally comes, in the form of a piece of paper that just says "Jake". Jake and Daphne's love story is cute, both characters are likeable. It was a unique storyline, that made me laugh out loud at times and there is a little twist at the ending. Definitely recommend! A good summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.