I absolutely loved this book. It had me in tears and that ending was chef’s kiss. This is definitely my favorite of Ms. Serle’s novels. There were twists I didn’t see coming and things I hoped for.

Expiration Dates
Author - Rebecca Serle
Pages - 262

⭐️ 4
🌶️ 1

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

D - I’m not the type of person that ever thinks if I know this is going to go this way or ends that way, would I still do it. I’ve had things happen in my past that have taught me to not play the what if game. I don’t want to know what’s going to happen. I want to live my life for me without fear, without restraint. I would like to think that if I was told by some deity or whatever, that certain events would go a certain way, I wouldn’t just accept it and would fight if I wanted what they were taking. This book however is the opposite of me lol

To echo Ashley’s thoughts, this book is hard to talk about without spoilers. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I loved the almost dual timeline of the story, where we go back and catch glances of Daphne’s past relationships. When the story first starts, I was annoyed because it almost felt like you had already missed something important. What are these notes? What’s her secret? But as the story unfolded you connect more and more with Daphne. Her secret is so much more than what you’re lead to believe.

I was so invested in Daphne and her story. There were moments I loved and moments I didn’t want to keep reading because I was scared of emotional damage. By the end I had read this beautiful story about life and the things we settle for because we’re told to vs things to fight for because it’s what we want. That love isn’t always enough. It’s hard and it’s heartbreaking but it’s life. Love is worth fighting for and making that choice daily especially if it’s the perfect person for you.

Rounded up from 3.5, a quick and easy read that made me cry in public at the end

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.
Every time Daphne meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake. But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction. Daphne's journey explores what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. This book is being promoted as a love story/romance novel, which I felt was a bit misleading and set me up to be disappointed. I'd categorize it under women's contemporary fiction. There's quite a few timeline shifts as Daphne chronicles all of her previous relationships, and to be honest I got bored during the first half. Things picked up after that, and ultimately I did find it to be an enjoyable read.

I loved this romance from Rebecca Serle! I appreciate that she's able to write her beautiful romances in under 300 pages. Her books have all of the necessary details without too much fluff. Thank you Atria Books for sharing this early copy with me!

When I first read the premise, I thought this romance sounded a little silly and I wasn't sure I'd like it, but the story ended up having more depth to it than I expected and there was a twist at the end that I totally didn't see coming!

Summary: Daphne always knows the lengths of her relationships because she finds a little slip of paper with a person's name and a time limit before or during her time spent with different men. Finally, she finds a note with the name "Jake", but no time limit. She has a hard time believing she's finally found the one and starts to wrestle with all that she might need to tell him about her past and present, knowing that the truth could hurt him.

Expiration Dates was the light romance I was hoping for, plus it had a few unexpected surprises that made it even better.

Daphne has always had a timer on her relationships. With every new man she dates, she receives a paper with their name and the exact length of their relationship, from one night stands to long term relationship. Until the night of her blind date when she receives a paper with no time restraints. Daphne thinks this must be the one with no end date. It isn't love at first sight, but Daphne is hopeful. Is Jake her forever? Or is her time for relationships running out?

I am a huge Rebecca Serle fan and Expiration Dates lived up to the hype. This book put me through all the emotions and I loved it. I tried so hard to savor every page but it all went by so fast. Daphne is one of my favorite book characters. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a love story with a hint of magical realism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Expiration Dates.

Another exquisite, emotional tale by Rebecca Serle. This author’s unique story development is unmatched. Expiration Dates is a truly lovely journey that is perfectly timed and delivered. From the way the title is represents the story to the satisfying ending this is top shelf romance at its best.

A cute enough romance novel, not as much of a focus on the magical realism aspect as I was hoping for but a very quick, light, enjoyable read.

I really really LOVED reading this book.
I thought I knew what was happening with the papers and the dates.
I was so so so surprised to learn why she did not take a bigger goal with her work.
I was glad when she moved in and got engaged
but then SO SO SO SO HAPPY when she went back to the actual true love
YAY
:)
GREAT BOOK
Thanks so much

I absolutely loved the premise of this story. I think it is a really great idea and an extremely difficult one to execute. It just felt like it was missing something for me. It was definitely good, just missing something and I cannot put my finger on it. It definitely had a cute ending, even if it was predictable. I do also wish we got an explanation on the letters as well. Overall though, it was a cute and quick love story so if someone is looking for just that, this is definitely for them. I just needed a bit more, I feel like.

This book was a difficult one to read, because I felt like it didn't know what it was.
The initial premise and set-up of the story presents as a romance. However, once we move past the set-up, the story becomes muddled. We spend very little time with the character introduced as the love interest, which makes it very difficult to care about the relationship. There are numerous jumps back in time to previous relationships that did not reveal anything about the main character or her current relationship. I had the feeling through this section that the novel was not actually a romance, but was about something else entirely.
Around the 60% mark there is a large reveal that proved this thought correct. As a reader, I found this jarring, as it seemed to be kept a secret from the reader just to have a reveal. I think the novel would have been stronger and more cohesive if this had not been a late reveal, but present from the beginning of the story. We would have had a chance to connect for the main character and root for her and her relationships.

I feel like Rebecca Serle’s books surprise me in the best of ways, and this one was no different.

I went into this book thinking it’d be a romance, and that’s not quite the case. This is a book about love, but not always in the romantic sense. It’s about self-love, and platonic love for people in our lives, and what it means to love someone for who they are wholly. I really liked the MC Daphne; she was relatable and flawed, and it felt like I was reading about a friend. There are a couple surprising twists I didn’t see coming, but I thought they both took the story in really interesting directions. I like the way it wrapped up, and even though there’s a smidge of open-endedness there, I think it’s done well and reinforces the message of the book.

After reading the synopsis I was ready to dive into this book. I adore books with a magical element. Add in past and present timelines and I’m hooked. Unfortunately Expiration Dates fell flat for me. There was no explanation of why Daphne the main character received these random notes with the name of her next love interest. I would have enjoyed how that came to be and I think would have made the story more interesting. There was so much detail about things that I didn’t care to read, the story dragged on. I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC. I’ve heard wonderful reviews about Rebecca Serles other books, I may give those a try.

I believe this book counts as a romance novel, but just barely. From the blurb (and the author's other novels) I knew going in that it would be a bit odd. It was enjoyable yet it also made me pause and say "what the heck?" a lot while reading.

The premise is unusual and a bit magical. For her entire life, whenever Daphne meets a romantic prospect she mysteriously receives a piece of paper printed with his name and the length of time they'll be together. This was intriguing but its origin is never explored or explained, which I guess it what makes it magical realism but it was frustrating as a reader. I wanted to know more about that.

The novel goes back and forth in time chronicling all of Daphne's relationships. That was a bit jarring. Perhaps straightforward chronological order would have been smoother.

It was a fun read that kept me engaged the entire time, but it did leave me wanting something more.

@rebecca_serle has done it again!

Thank you @atriabooks for my #gifted copy!

Rebecca is an autobuy author for me for good reason! I love how she weaves together magical romantic stories with all the emotions.

Expiration Dates follows Daphne, a young woman who believes the universe has her on a specific path. Whenever she starts to see a new person, she finds a piece of paper that tells her how long they will be together. She’s now waiting for the one. That all might change, though, when she meets Jake.

I loved how this story was told through alternating timelines, following Daphne’s current and past love stories. Also, I absolutely loved the Jewish rep in this book and was a bit surprised by how much there was.

I found myself flying through Expiration Dates and finished it so quickly! There was a place in the middle of the book that had me scratching my head for about a chapter, but since the chapters are short, I quickly got on board with the direction the book was going.

I don’t want to say much more, but you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy when it comes out on March 19!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#litbylillireviews

Title: Expiration Dates
By: Rebecca Searle

Genre:
Fiction, Women’s Contemporary Romance

Summary/Review:
Since Daphne was a little girl in fifth grade, she’s received premonitions regarding her love life. She receives a note with the name of the man she will date, and for how long. The notes list their relationship “Expiration Date.” I really enjoyed one of the storylines, and wanted to just skip the others parts. The pacing between the boyfriends, and the transitions between past versus present threw me off. I had to keep going back to remember which boyfriend I was reading about. Also, I found this novel lacked character connection, chemistry, and depth. I wish the author would have added at least fifty pages. If you like quick, fast paced, short clean romance reads this novel is for you. For me, I am giving it a solid three starts for the well written parts.

Thank you to Rebecca Searle, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#RebeccaSearle
#netgalley #netgalleyreads
#Expirationdates
#advancedreadercopies

Daphne receives a slip of paper every time she meets a new man with a name and number on it - the exact amount of time they will be together.

Thank you simonaudio + bookclubfavorites for my #gifted copy! I could not listen to this one fast enough! I am the biggest fan of Rebecca Serle and also love a good magical realism moment, and this didn’t disappoint.

✨ all the emotions
✨ the most supportive parents
✨ the overall message 🥹
✨ Jewish rep

(rounded up from 4.5)

I loved this book! I’m a fan of magical realism and this story featured it in a lovely way. Daphne is a young woman, a native of Los Angeles. When we meet her, she’s 33 or so, and we gradually learn her backstory. The book’s unique premise is that Daphne finds slips of paper every now and then with a man’s name and a length of time (for example: Hugo, 3 months). That is how long she’s going to be together with that guy. Imagine living like that! When you meet someone you’re interested in, you already know how long (or short) the relationship will last!

The two relationships highlighted in Expiration Dates are Hugo and Jake. Hugo has “outlived” his preordained relationship by staying friends with Daphne for several years. Jake is unique - his slip of paper has no deadline on it! What does that mean?

A lot of this book read like a love letter to Los Angeles. Having visited many times (a son lives there), I could picture so many of the places Serle mentions and that was a ton of fun for me. In addition to the men in Daphne’s life, there’s a wonderful assortment of other characters, including her parents, her boss and former coworker to enjoy.

A number of years ago, YOLO (You Only Live Once) was a rallying cry. This books brings that saying back to mind. What do you do with the life you have? Do you tell your deepest secrets to the people you love or not? Do you let those pieces of paper dictate what you do and with whom?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a UNIQUE book! This had me hooked from page one, which I always appreciate. I’ve read a few books by Serle now and she always has original stories that make me think. I loved “One Italian Summer” and this is now tied with that for my favorite book of hers. I love how she blends literary fiction with magical realism. If you’ve read and enjoyed any of her other books, don’t skip this one! It comes out 3/19/24. Thank you to @netgalley for my advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Every time Daphne Bell meets a man that is a potential love interest, she receives a slip of paper from the universe with his name and number on it – not his phone number, but the number of days, months and/or years that they will be a couple before the relationship expires. For over twenty years Daphne has been receiving these numbered papers and she has always wondered whether she will receive one with no expiration date on it, meaning that they will be together for the rest of their lives. Then she meets Jake and the slip of paper has no number on it. Is this a blessing or a curse?

My thoughts: I read In Five Years by this author and really enjoyed it so I knew that I wanted to read Rebecca’s newest novel and I’m so glad I did. I really liked Daphne’s character and I was engaged in her story to the point of thinking about what decisions I would make if I were to meet someone and then receive a slip of paper with the relationship expiry date on it. Do you go ahead with the relationship and risk heartbreak or not engage? I gave this book 4/5 stars and it is available for purchase on March 19, 2024.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for a review copy.