Thank you so much to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Rebecca Serle for providing this book for my honest review. If you love this author’s previous books and magical realism then you will love this one. This is not just a cute romance but it has a lot of depth to it as well. We see multiple relationships throughout the story which I loved. This book is so unique and a wonderful read. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys magical realism and the premise of knowing how long each relationship will last before it really event starts. Thank you again for allowing me to review this entertaining book.

Great premise about defying the universe and creating your own destiny. I loved the magical realism, and I loved Hugo! Daphne felt a little flat for me, like she wasn't written with enough passion. She didn't feel like a real person, and she seemed very detached. The "plot twist" in the middle felt more like a completely different book—it went from being a cute magical realism romance to a health journey type of book that tried to be profound but missed the mark, to then a self-love romance instead. It seemed like the book didn't know what it wanted to be, and I didn't feel like Serle's heart was in it, despite what she says in the acknowledgements.

I would still recommend it. It just wasn't for me.

This book has such a unique premise and I found myself completely drawn in from the beginning. Daphne has a bit of a quirk when it comes to dating, she receives a slip of paper that tells her the length of time she will spend with her romantic partners. She is going on a blind date with Jake and receives a slip of paper without a timeline. She is left wondering what this means, has she finally met the person she will spend the rest of her life with?

This book had a lot of depth to it, which I really enjoyed, and I feel like it really helped me get invested in the characters. I loved that we got to see previous relationships and how this slip of paper has impacted her dating history. It provided a lot of context to see her relationship with ex-boyfriend and current best friend, Hugo. I loved exploring the different relationships in Daphne’s love life and relationships with family and friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My thoughts on this book are complicated. On one hand, I really enjoyed the initial premise and had fun reading the first half of the book. I was invested in the main character and curious to see how her relationship ended up. I also actually enjoyed the small speculative element and the flashbacks to how it had impacted her life so far. But then, a little over halfway into the book, it takes a dramatic shift towards the more serious. I think I would have preferred if this topic was part of the story from the beginning, so that readers can be mentally prepared and it can be talked about without considering it a major spoiler for the book. I saw that critique commonly made for this author's book In Five Years, and I think readers who had a problem with that book will have the exact same experience here. That also probably means those who loved In Five Years will also really enjoy this book. I gave both 3 stars... so with all that said, I would recommend this to fans of early Taylor Jenkins Reid books (One True Loves + Maybe in Another Life in particular) and who are okay with ambiguity when it comes to books with speculative elements. I would not recommend it to those who could be triggered by (minor spoiler ahead) the abrupt inclusion of a serious medical condition (congenital heart disease).

Expiration Dates is a story about Daphne, a young thirty-something woman, who knows the exact length of time each of her romantic relationships will last as she magically receives a slip of paper with a relationship expiration date for each man she becomes involved with. She becomes used to relationships ending and the idea that love is fleeting. But when she receives a note with a name (Jake) but no expiry date, she thinks the universe is telling her that she has finally met the one meant for her. That he’s everything she should want. But what if who she loves is her choice and not predetermined as she has lived her life believing? What if she embraces the unpredictability of life?

This is a story about romantic love, friendships, and familial relationships. But it has some great depth to it via an unexpected development that occurs mid-way through the novel and which really added to the plot for me and made Daphne more understandable. I also really liked her relationship with Hugo, a former boyfriend and best friend. This was a quick read with an interesting concept. If you like a bit of magical realism and romance with some depth, then definitely check this one out!

Thanks to Atria Books for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Will be posted to my book IG account on Monday, March 18.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle was an absolutely unique and delightful read. If you enjoy magical realism, this is the book for you! If you have enjoyed Serle’s other books (In Five Years and The Dinner List are 2 I would highly recommend), you won’t want to miss Expiration Dates! On sale next Tuesday - March 19, 2024.

Thank you to the author, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 rounded up. I really enjoyed this book! I always like Serle’s elements of magical realism, and I found the expiration post cards so whimsical. I can also see how they contributed to the protagonist’s problem with self growth and limitations. I enjoyed seeing her unique relationships through flashbacks. I will say that I think the secrecy surrounding her health condition was a little dramatic, but I do empathize with Daphne’s desire to be “normal”. I just didn’t think it needed to be a secret that was so negatively portrayed. I would have thought she’d feel more embarrassment explaining the magic notes she receives. I loved both Jake and Hugo for different reasons, so I felt bittersweet towards the ending. However, I felt a big sense of empowerment and hope for the protagonist which I loved. Thanks to netgalley, Serle, and Atria for the advanced ecopy!

I started out really liking this book. I found the premise of the notes very interesting, and I liked the time jumps of past romances. When the first “plot twist” happened, it started going down hill. The pacing killed me. Jake was boring. Daphne was boring. The second “plot twist” was obvious and then the book ended. I really don’t have much else to say — it was all just…fine. I would hope for some kind of emotion or something deeper considering the topic, but nope.

3⭐️

I would give this book 4 stars. It wasn’t my favorite of Serle’s. I cried while reading In Five Years and One Italian Summer but I didn’t on this one. I still think it would be a great summer read and would definitely recommend it. But it’s not a life-changing kinda book, which I’m totally okay with.

Did I like this? Yes. Did I want more? Yes.

Expiration Dates was an interesting premise. I liked learning about the FMC and the notes that she would receive. I enjoyed the snips into the past relations, some lasting one day others weeks to months. I would have liked to have seen more about Daphne and Noah's original relationship and why they remained friends.

While I did guess what the ending would be it definitely made me think about fate. Also, where are these letters coming from?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Expirations Dates by Rebecca Serle for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me an ARC of Rebecca Serle’s newest novel Expiration Dates. In exchange for the digital copy, I am providing my unbiased opinion. Have to say….. BIG kudos for the adorable title!

I was truly delighted to receive an early copy of Rebecca Serle’s newest work, I absolutely love that she proudly includes her Jewish roots in this modern romance with hints of magical realism and a balance of depth and seriousness too. Daphne, our protagonist is the recipient of an unexpected “gift”, she is able to know how long her relationships will last. So when she is introduced to Jake and he doesn’t appear with an expiration date she assumes this must be the universe letting her know, he’s the one. But as we discover, does the universe really know our hearts?

This was an easy, quick read that held some interesting twists. Enjoyable.
Available March 19; 2024.

I can honestly say I don’t know what I just read because I feel like I’m not finished with the book. Yes it did end and I finished it, but I want more. The storyline was different and intriguing, with her receiving time stamped letters for her love life, but I feel like halfway through the book, that storyline was tossed to the side. You finish the book wondering if it was the universe sent the letters or if she conjured them up herself.
The characters were well written and the story kept you engaged with their banter and real emotions. I like how it jumps back in time as well, but at times, it was hard to follow.
Overall, I liked the book and wanted to round it up to 4 stars, I will definitely be thinking about this book for awhile.

Thank you Atria books for the ARC!

Rebecca Serle never fails to hit me right in my feels and her latest is no exception! I love that she always includes an element of the mystical without feeling the pressure to give reasons and you see that reflected right off the bat in this book. I can't say too much without giving away key elements of this book but as someone with a chronic illness, I really loved seeing the main character's experience with something similar. Living between "expiration dates," is it really living at all? Beautiful book and the kind of easy reading style you just don't want to put down. Highly recommend but be prepared for tears!

Serle does it again with unexpected twists in Expiration Dates. This novel explores the role of choice on several levels that were interesting yet, at times, very disjointed. I’m not a fan of the format Serle used and question the necessity of some of the flashbacks. The cast of supporting characters is excellent. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

This is a romance with a lot of depth. Definitely not a light-hearted read but I finished it very quickly because I got sucked into the story.

I didn’t love the main character, Daphne, at first but she grew on me by the end. About halfway through we find out a lot more about why she is the way she is.

The premise js unique: since she was a teenager Daphne receives letters with the name of a man and the length of the relationship she will have with him. For instance : “Josh, 6 months” and she knows she’ll meet a Josh and will date him for 6 months. She finally gets a letter with a name and it’s blank otherwise so she assumes she’s met the guy she’ll be with forever.

But there is a hidden dimension to the plot. I found myself immersed in the story and wanting to see what would happen next.

I really liked the ending. It sealed the deal for me with this one. It was maybe a little predictable but it’s what I wanted to happen … so I was pleased!

The ending was not at all what I would have expected and I'm not sure I fully enjoyed. It's a very quick read and overall enjoyed it. I think that the main factor holding me back from a 5 star is the magical realism element of the papers is not explained at all and it somehow only affects our MC. I enjoyed the overall premise but wish that more was shown to us.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 1/2 stars

This book is a good depiction of why you should never know when things in life will happen. Daphne receives a note each time she starts a relationship with the name of the boy/man and the amount of time their relationship will last. So, right off the bat, she knows the end time and when you know that, can you ever truly attach?

Throughout the story, it goes back and forth in time so that you follow Daphne in the current timeline but also go back to each of her previous relationships to see how they each impacted her. It was important because you saw how she gradually started hardening herself to relationships and accepting that they all had an end date. Initially she didn't do that. It's as if she still hoped against hope that if it felt special enough, it would outlast the time. When that never happened, her view became tarnished.

There's so much that has happened in Daphne's life to make her the person she is today. The only boyfriend she's kept in contact with is Hugo who she dated for three months and then over time he became her best friend. When Daphne meets Jake and there's no expiration date written on his note, she doesn't know exactly what that means but since it's never happened before,

This storyline was really lovely. It explores the need for self love along with that of friendships. It demonstrates that you can trust your friends with who you truly are - - all of yourself - - and they'll still love you. And it's got some romantic love thrown in too. A really sweet book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. 4.25 stars. I really enjoyed this book! The storyline was unique, and I liked how the timeline alternated between past and present. There were a couple of twists I did not see coming at all, which was a pleasant surprise.

It’s a quick and easy read but also full of depth. This was my second Rebecca Serle book and certainly not my last!

Pub date: March 19, 2024

I just love Rebecca Serle’s writing!
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
I fell in love with this book almost immediately. I was not expecting the story to be what it was. But it sure did captivate me. I read this novel fairly quickly, which I believe speaks to the flow and the novel. I wanted to keep reading as I was getting more invested and drawn into the story by the characters and their development throughout the novel. The writing style and the flow of the words seemed to come effortlessly to Serle.
The characters are all very intelligent and the way they were described brought them to life.
Serle is an amazing writer. Her last book, One Italian Summer, also blew me away and left me an emotional mess. She's definitely an author worth reading.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

You can either choose to accept the cards you’re dealt in life or make what you can of it. Daphne accepts her fate every time she gets a note from the universe telling her who she will date next and for exactly how long. Whether its a one night stand or two year relationship, she knows that it’ll end at some point.

The premise of the book was cute but I felt like it was too fast-paced and there was not a lot of connection between Daphne and her love interest(s). I wish it built on the romance more, especially between certain characters, but I do understand that two of the most important themes of the book is self-love/acceptance and making the most out of every situation.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!