This is my favorite Rebecca Serle book to date. Love the unique concept and all of the characters. Tear jerker for sure- worth the read!

REVIEW: Expiration Dates ⭐⭐⭐.5 (3.5)

“But being surprised by life isn't losing, it's living. It's messy and uncomfortable and complicated and beautiful. It's life, all of it. The only way to get it wrong is to refuse to play.”
― Rebecca Serle, Expiration Dates

When I received this arc, I was very intrigued by the premise. Daphne has something unique about her; whenever she dates someone, she gets a piece of paper telling her how long their relationship will last. One day, however, she receives a paper with just a name, Jake, and no time length. Does this mean forever? How can she be with someone forever with her secrets to hide?

Reading Expiration Dates, I had a lot of mixed emotions. First I really liked how the story switched from the current time. It was so interesting to see how some of her past relationships affected her current one. I also liked how deep and reflective some of the story got. There was some great dialogue discussing things like time in life and relationships. I also really enjoyed the relationship with Daphne and Hugo. Hugo was one of Daphne’s former dates who became her best friend. They had some fun banter as well as heartful moments.

There were a few things that I wasn’t a fan of. We didn’t get a ton of background on why Daphne was receiving these notes and their limitations. This affected some of the ending for me. A lot of the story felt very one note. There were a few twists along the way, but it generally felt pretty predictable and without too many major challenges. Some of the characters, especially Jake, didn’t have much depth to them. He didn’t do a whole lot and honestly was boring at times. I liked the ending, but I do wish she wrote just a little bit more to it just to wrap it all up.

Overall I did enjoy reading Expiration Dates, but there were a few things I thought could be improved upon. I’m glad I picked up this book with this fun premise.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and Rebecca Serle for the advanced copy for my honest review!

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Expiration Dates is a heartfelt romance about Daphne Bell who receives a slip of paper every time she meets a new love interest that tells her how long the relationship will last. I enjoyed the characters and the dynamics between them, especially with the non-linear timeline of Daphne's past relationships. While I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the idea of story, some of the plot twists just seemed out of left field and not set up very well.
This would be a great read for anyone looking for a romance book about taking fate into your own hands and just a little bit of magic.

Nobody does magical realism with Rebecca Serle! Every time our main character, Daphne mets a new romantic interest, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it, which happens to be the exact amount of time they will date each other. Then she finally gets a paper with a name and no end date. This was such a fun and satisfying read and I loved the concept. Rebecca Serle is an auto-read author for me and this one was no exception.

This was a super cute read! I enjoyed it and it’s little bits of magic and hope within. It was a quick read that was the first one of hers truly about love and I adored it!

Rebecca Series’ latest book Expiration Dates is an engaging read about Daphne and her life and relationships. The twist is she always gets a note that tells her how long her current relationship will last until she finally gets one that doesn’t show an expiration date. The story largely centers on Daphne’s relationships with Jake and Hugo though there is another storyline that adds additional depth to the book.
The author writes in a very readable style and I whipped through this book and appreciate that she didn’t belabor the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Expiration Dates is available now.

Thank you to netgalley for the e-arc 🤍

This book peaked my interest right away with the interesting concept of these expiration dates, but unfortunately the execution was not great.

Thinks I liked:
- the concept was neat! Learning about it in the first few chapters of the book was really interesting and gave me lots of hope.

Things I didn’t like:
- too many little details that didn’t really matter. It made the book feel boring at times. There were so many parts I wish we got more of instead.
- There is something that pops up midway (to 75% even) through the book and it alters the entire story. It felt like didn’t fit well with the plot, but then it became the entire focus of the story. It was just a weird shift in plot when the plot was going so well. It’s not the fault of the actual ‘something’ itself, it’s just the way it was executed.
- The ending… wow. I don’t want to say much because I don’t want to spoil it but I felt like it thew any of Daphne’s character development out the window. It felt like such a let down.

Overall I didn’t really enjoy this one much. It started out so good and the main character Daphne was so likeable and strong, and then seeing the way she dealt with these expiration dates and also her character yet development were just not great.

I really enjoyed other books by this author, but this one left me with so many feelings. I would suggest checking out ‘One Italian Summer’ or ‘In Five Years’ if you are looking for other books by this author.

This needs to be a movie or a limited series like immediately.

I flew through this book. It is written so beautifully and it had just shock after shock after shock. I loved Daphne and I loved all of the side characters. I seriously just fell in love with this book.

I have no bad words. I think this will be a fave of the year.

4.5 stars- I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my first book by Rebecca Serle and to be honest, the first half of the book I found a bit unrealistic and cheesy. But when I got to the middle, it all made sense and I couldn’t put the book down.

Rebecca Serle does it again! I laughed, I cried. She has a real gift for creating characters that feel relatable and so easy to love. This novel is pure magic. I adored it.

I had a complex experience with "Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle. The premise of the book, with characters knowing the duration of their relationships, seems intriguing and likely drew you in initially. It's understandable that you were invested in the first half, given the unique concept and the development of the characters.

Jake and Hugo seem to have left strong impressions on you as characters, which is a testament to Serle's skill in crafting relatable and engaging personalities. However, it seems like the later twists in the plot and the ending didn't quite meet your expectations. The unexpected turns may have disrupted the flow or the enjoyment of the story for you.

The chapters detailing Daphne's previous relationships might have felt unnecessary or distracting to you, especially if they didn't seem to contribute significantly to the overall narrative. This could be a matter of personal preference in storytelling style.

It's commendable that despite not loving certain aspects of the book, you still found elements to enjoy and appreciate. Serle's writing style and the unique concept of the novel seem to have resonated with you to some extent, even if the execution didn't fully satisfy your expectations.

Overall, it's a testament to the complexity of storytelling and the subjective nature of reader preferences. While "Expiration Dates" might not have been your favorite from Serle, it still offered a unique take on romance that intrigued you despite its flaws.

I fell in love with Rebecca Serle after reading In Five Years, and while none of her books have lived up to that one for me, I’ve still immensely enjoyed reading her other works.

Expiration Dates was a fun concept and I enjoyed reading along as Daphne received each new slip of paper. Is it a curse or a gift? Who’s to say, but once Daphne finally took control of her life and stopped letting the papers dictate it, she was finally able to find herself and true happiness.

Thank you @NetGalley and @atriabooks for the digital arc for my honest review.

4/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the e-arc of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. I wanted to like this one so much, but the writing style made it hard for me to get into this story from the first few chapters.

Magical realism is not usually my jam but this book was MAGIC! Absolutely my favorite one this author has put out so far.

This book has a really interesting premise. I loved the idea of the papers predicting how long her relationships will last. Overall it was a sweet story but I couldn’t relate to any of the choices that Daphne made. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t tell anyone about her heart condition.

I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was such an interesting concept as well. The friendship between the FMC & MMC was so funny, honest, and beautiful. Watching Daphne and her love/hate relationship with the slips and the men these slips were assigned to left me feeling magical at times and also heartbroken for her. Overall I really loved the book and would recommend it to all the romcom lovers out there. Thank you to the publishers & netgalley for this ARC.

The only magical realism I ever want to read comes from Rebecca Serle. I loved this one just as much, maybe even more than her others. Ugh, this story. Just a wonderful read.

Does not disappoint loves this one, definitely has moved Serle to my must reads. She just keeps getting better and better

3.5 stars (rounded up).

"Expiration Dates" is the first Rebecca Serle book I have read, and it likely won't be the last. I enjoyed this book, though I did find it to be predictable here and there. I think the idea for this story is fascinating. It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief as this is a book full of magical realism, but that's not an issue for me at all. The crux of the story made me think about the relationships we choose to be in, who we choose to be with, and when we choose to get in or out of them. How would it be different if there was a known "end time"? Would we do anything differently? Live any differently? Love any differently? I was frequently left guessing as to what was going to happen (until I wasn't). I will say, I did not recall the main character's name until about 45-50% into the story, so I'm not sure what that says, but I think it's worth noting. Perhaps it's not as fully fleshed-out as I had hoped it would be? I have to say, I predicted the ending, and I didn't love it. If what happened to Daphne had happened to me in real life, I would be p1ssed off, *not* happy and/or romanced! The regular time jumps confused me a little bit until I got the hang of what was going on. I never really felt myself drawn to Daphne or the guys she dated until her health saga was revealed. Then, I got curious! I did enjoy the writing style. Serle's book is infused with magic and love and pain and heart. I will definitely be reading her back catalog!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Serle, and Atria Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This author's imagination must be fascinating. Take this latest book: our main character gets a note with each new guy, with his name and a number on it - detailing how long their relationship will last. Then, wham! A note sans deadline. Le gasp, where will this book take me? And as if that weren't enough, there were twists that had me gasping out loud and explaining the plot to my boyfriend so he could gasp with me (spoiler, he did not).

So, we're tagging along with Daphne on her relationship rollercoaster, where Jake's about as exciting as the blank page he is, while Daphne's and Hugo's chemistry is setting off fireworks left and right. Sure, the story's romantic direction wasn't exactly a mystery but don't get me wrong - I was Hugo's number one cheerleader. But it wouldn't have minded if the book led me on a little.

I also wouldn't have minded fewer outfit descriptions. Thankfully, the short chapters kept the story flowing freely and it was hard to put down. It was that perfect mix of lighthearted and heart wrenching, one minute laughing out loud the next clutching my heart like a daytime soap opera star. I loved Hugo and Daphne (though Daphne definitely did not evolve as much as I wanted her to), the side characters were *chef's kiss*, they were all so wonderful and supportive, her parents were lovely - that heart to heart with her dad had me legit sobbing.

Overall, a sweet and memorable read that I highly recommend and has me impatiently waiting on her next book.