Rebecca Serle does it again! I have read all of Rebecca's adult books and I love how she weaves a bit of magiccal realism into these stories. It punches you in the gut and makes you have all of the feels. What would you do if you got notes that told you how long your romantic relationships will last?

I loved the twist that came towards the middle of the book and what Daphne our main character did when she learned these twists. I highly recommend this book and think everyone will enjoy!

I love the way Serle writes, it isn't wordy or flowery and each book stands apart from the next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

For 20 years, Daphne has known exactly how long her romantic relationships will last. The universe tells her. Just as she meets someone new, she receives a note with the man's name and the length of time the relationship will last, from days to years. Now, Daphne has received one with just the name Jake on it, but there is no date. Is Jake her forever?

I was very intrigued by this premise, as I love magical realism. The story is told partly in flashbacks of Daphne's past relationships. The men and relationships in the flashbacks are not explored in depth but have a papery quality, almost like the notes that announce their arrivals, and I don't mean that as a criticism. I viewed them like snapshots of her major life events. Daphne searched for meaning and took chances romantically, even if a relationship would be very brief, because of where she is emotionally and physically at different stages in her life.

The exception to these fleeting characters is Hugo, who becomes Daphne's best friend after their dating relationship ends. Hugo was one of my favorite characters in the book. When the story takes an unanticipated twist, everything is turned on its head, and the idea of fate, controlling one's destiny, and living in the moment because of the preciousness of time comes into play. Themes of loss, grief, and strong female friendship are touched upon, and the way the setting is described makes this also feel like a love letter to the city of Los Angeles. A story full of warmth, and I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book in one sitting! I've read most of Rebecca Serle's books and this was my favorite so far. I was sucked right in by the concept of how Daphne, the main character, receives a piece of paper before each relationship that predicts how long it will last. The author cleverly illustrates the potential benefits and pitfalls of that knowledge. I liked how the timeline shifted back and forth. It really kept the story moving-- I was on the edge of my seat through the different plot twists. There were some really beautifully written moments involving her friends and her family, and true to her other books, there is some sadness here too.

What's interesting about this book is that I loved it while I was reading it. Then after it was over, I immediately had SO many questions and I almost felt annoyed by how much more could have been explored and explained. I also reflected on the relationship between Daphne and Jake and got even more annoyed on his behalf. I suppose it's good that I was left wanting more? But I also feel like there were some shortcuts taken (both the Jake and Hugo connections could have been better explored) and in thinking it through, I'm not sure if I really like Daphne that much since some of her actions are pretty darn selfish.

But overall, I did really enjoy the book while I was reading it, so I'm going with a solid four stars!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Another great read by Serle! I’m always excited to open up her next book. I enjoyed the use of boyfriends/timelines to show a snapshot of the protagonist at that time. I would have loved to have gotten to know the protagonist more throughout, it felt like it was left for the last 10% of the book. But overall, it was a wonderful record of dating life.

Expiration Dates is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca Searle and overall, I think I really just needed more.

Anytime Daphne gets a new boyfriend, she receives a paper with his name and exactly how long they will be together. Until one day, she receives one with just a name.

I loved this idea around this book! Seeing how someone would navigate just how long a relationship would last and how that heartbreak would potentially be less painful since you knew it was coming. Although we get to see Daphne briefly navigate several relationships, the most interesting was that of Hugo, whom only lasted 3 months but had remained her best friend after breaking up.

Daphne meets Jake and finds he is the “one.” There are some elements of the story that caught me off guard, but essentially what we are left with is a woman learning to embrace not only a future that she can’t plan for, but also a chance to truly make her own choices regarding love.

The story had some beautiful elements towards the end, but I think I definitely needed more relationship building with Jake or at least some more chemistry between the two. However, I did still really enjoy this story and what the author tried to do with it. I look forward to reading more of what she has to offer.

This is a cute and very easy read. It didn't exactly capture my attention, but didn't take long to get through. I wish the story was structured differently as well. Lastly, being from Los Angeles, the constant restaurant/hostess/manager dropping was a little over the top for me.

This was a cute read but not one that I got sucked into and couldn't wait to read more of. Honestly I felt a little let down at the ending. Maybe I missed it but I wanted to know here the notes were coming from. How did it all happen? The back and forth did make it an easy read but again just ok for me.

I always find the premise of Serle’s novels so interesting. Her writing style always captures me right in. This is another of those books where there is an unrealistic element to it, but it works for me. What a concept…know exactly how long every relationship you have will last. There were some twists and secrets in this one that I didn’t see coming and made yell WHAT??? My one hang up with the book is I am not entirely sure that Daphne really grows throughout the book. I can’t really say anything without giving things away, but if you have read this, I would love to talk about it! Still, Serle’s novels have become must reads for me.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received an ARC copy of Expiration Dates from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Expiration Dates had me hooked from the beginning. I was fascinated by the premise, Daphne getting notes with names of the men that she’s going to date and for how long - what twist would Rebecca Serle throw our way with her newest novel? I was hooked… until 60ish percent of the way in when like with her other novels, I became frustrated with the main character. I REALLY wanted to love this book, but the last thirty percent made me just like it.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC.

I thought the premise for this book was so interesting - every time the main character receives a note letting her know how long each of her relationships will last. A lot of themes could be explored with this premise, examining the nature of relationships, how knowing the outcome changes the way the relationship is navigated, etc. But another element was introduced for the main character about midway through, and it took away from the main story for me. Like the other book from Serle I’ve read recently, One Italian Summer, this one has a great setup, but the characters and execution really falls flat for me, especially all the beats that should be emotional or romantic.

Overall a good read, but I found myself not desperate to get back and finish the story. The end felt like there was added plot lines and I wasn’t as into the character as I like to be.

I predict you will see this book on lots of summer reading lists for 2024. (I know it will be on mine!). *Expiration Dates* is women’s fiction and romance with a splash of magical realism thrown in.

Daphne is a Jewish girl who grew up in the LA area who is normal in every way except one . . . whenever she meets a new man that she is going to date, a piece of paper appears with the man’s name and how long the relationship is going to last. But when the story opens, she gets a paper with a man’s name on it with no expiration date, which leads her to believe he’s the one. The story progresses from there as it alternates between the past and the present. What starts out as a bit of a whimsical love story starts to take shape as it is slowly revealed that there’s a lot more going on in Daphne’s life than what meets the eye. Without giving too much away, this book has a lot more depth to it than may appear at first glance.

I really enjoyed In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, and after enjoying this one, it makes me want to check out more books by the same author.

***What I liked about this book:*** This book read like a love letter to Los Angeles. While there are a lot of books about Hollywood life and celebrities; this one is about the world in LA and Hollywood outside of the elites. (Even though some of the characters work for some of those elites.) As a SoCal native, I really appreciated this. Here is one example:

*“I used to think LA was just a place I saw in movies,” Jake says. “I thought it was devoid of any character—how could somewhere so beautiful also be interesting? . . . There’s a lot that makes this place artistic and cultural and relevant, I think.”*

**The Food!** I loved the descriptions of all of the food and meals that they ate.

I also loved Daphne’s sweet Jewish parents. If you are Jewish or ever lived in a Jewish community or a community that is deeply tied to its cultural roots (thing Big Fat Greek Wedding), you will love this.

Open Door, but sex scenes are minimal.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
At the beginning of each relationship, the Universe sends Daphne a piece of paper with the name of her new love and the exact amount of time they will spend together - days, months, years. When Daphne meets Jake, she finally receives a paper with no date on it. So is Jake her forever relationship and if so can she tell him the whole truth?

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
What a unique premise. From the beginning, Daphne was always living for the goodbye and not really getting to know what lasting love could be. Through flashbacks, we see some of her past relationships, including her short lived romance with her now best friend, Hugo (who I adored by the way). What I was missing though was the chemistry between Daphne and Jake - it fell a little flat and I was looking for more to root for.

Daphne does have some struggles along the way which made her more cynical about lasting love and some twists I did not see coming but that to me is what makes this an emotional read but also one of growth. Daphne took control of her choices and chose to live her life to the fullest because it’s the only one you’ve got.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the #gifted copy

I have mixed ratings and thoughts when it comes to this author but I have to say, this is definitely one of my favorites from her. Her books are always quick, short reads and this one packs quite a punch with some really unexpected twists that got me good. I had no idea how this would end but the direction the author went was so great for me and it’s narrated by Julia Whelan so the audio version was a must for me. She’s just so damn good!

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

My reading habits have really slowed down lately and I find I'm reading a lot less books and they're taking me much longer to read than they used to. I picked this book up fully expecting to read a couple chapters and set it back down to continue on another day, however, I knocked this out in one day! Not counting short novellas, I can't even remember the last time I read a book in a day. There was something about the writing I found addictive and I just didn't want to put it down.

I will get a couple things I didn't love out of the way first. Daphne's clothing was described in almost every single scene. I felt it was really unnecessary and odd, but maybe some people like that level of detail? I also found Daphne to be a bit pretentious sometimes. There's a lot of talk about how great LA and New York are and it's like the only two conceivable places to live. I'm a Midwest girl, so I was rolling my eyes sometimes when it came to that.

I thought the idea of the mystery slips of paper Daphne receives with the name and length of time of her next relationship was intriguing. I thought the story would be focused on figuring out where they came from, but Daphne doesn't really seem to care. She just accepts that they come and they're accurate and she rolls with it. I usually don't care for magical realism or this type of laissez faire attitude about it, but it didn't really bother me here.

After years of getting these papers, Daphne receives one that doesn't have a time limit on it, so she believes this man, Jake, must be The One. Let me say that I liked Jake, I thought he was very sweet, but I wasn't too invested in their relationship. I felt like too much of the relationship building was done off the page. There is a lot more time on the relationship - romantic past and current friendship - between Daphne and Hugo. Hugo was the type of guy that I would probably hate in real life, but I kind of liked him here. I thought he and Daphne seemed like a good fit and enjoyed their banter. He's also the only one that knows about the notes.

A little over half way through the story, there's a twist that kind of felt like it came out of nowhere that I have a lot of thoughts on, but it feels like too much of a spoiler to share about. I will say that I had an idea this was coming from reading a friend's review who warned this book was way more Women's Fiction than Romance and this twist definitely takes it into that genre shift. Since I was expecting it, it didn't really bother me and I could appreciate the shift and the lessons learned during it. However, if I was expecting just a light and fluffy romance, it might have really soured me on the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed Expiration Dates! I enjoyed Daphne's journey and the growth she found in the last few chapters. I liked how the romantic elements played out and I could definitely see myself reading this one again in the future.

Talk about timing…this latest book of Rebecca Serle’s hit my heart, just as many of her other books (The Dinner List, In Five Years, and One Italian Summer) have done. Admittedly, this author is always able to make me cry, and cause my heart to grow 3X the size, so there’s that.

This time around, the magical realism component revolves around the main character, who receives notes prior to every relationship, telling her the name and the amount of time it will last. Yep, the ‘expiration date.’ Think about that…what if you knew, in advance, how long the love or the affair would last? Would it hurt as much? How would you prepare, or would you? How does it affect your behavior during the relationship? Soooooo much to think about.

However, the note Daphne receives this time only has a name, no date. Hmmmmm. And there’s a hugely significant plot twist with the lead character that also turns the story on its head, giving it more depth than I expected, as well as a huge personal connection to my life.

I loved this book. Serle makes me reflect on my own life choices, all the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘might have beens.’ I adore her use of magical realism in this book, as well as her previous books.

Rebecca Serle is known for her romances with a touch of magic realism, and the mystical element in “Expiration Dates” is the appearance of a postcard with a name and number of days that Daphne, now 33, receives every time she begins a relationship. So far — 6 significant relationships, 42 first dates, a long weekend in Paris, and a recent ex who turned into a friend. And suddenly, a name with no numbers, no expiration date — could Jake be “the one”?

As the story progresses we learn the fates of Daphne’s string of relationships, the short ones and the longer ones. She’s a romantic, but she has come to accept the “truth” of the postcards, so she’s thrown off by a blank card. Daphne does a lot of self-searching and as she’s hiding a secret, too. If you know you only have a finite amount of time, do you fight for more or just accept the end? Or are you guilty of a bit of self-sabotage as the expiration nears?

“Expiration Dates” can be emotionally devastating at times, but it’s much like Serle’s previous books, “In Five Years” and “One Italian Summer.” If you loved those, you’ll love this one, too. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Jake has hazel green eyes and Josh had green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Daphne’s mom grows legendary roses.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Every time that Daphne meets a guy, she gets a piece of paper with his name on it and the amount of time that she will be with him. She's always know how long her relationships will last except for when she meets Jake and his piece of paper just says his name. She tells her best friend, Hugo, who also is her ex-boyfriend about it as he is the only guy who knows about the pieces of paper. Jake and Daphne date and there are so many times that Daphne doubts the relationship but regardless, she ends up telling him her secret that only her parents and her boss know. But will it be too much for him to handle?

I love all of Rebecca Serle's books and this one was no exception. I love how they are more than just a romance story. They pull different emotions and really show to live life like it could be your last day. The magical realism aspect of the notes was a creative touch as well.

There is so much more to this story than just your typical romance. It was a deeply moving story that made me want to read late into the night to find out what was going to happen. I had to know if Daphne, the main character, would get a happy ending. The magical element was a great twist with little pieces of paper that tell Daphne how long she will be in a relationship. There is her dating history, where we learn more about Daphne and get insight into her life and how the notes have played a role. The real question in the book though is if Jake is the one and is the note right?

There was a lot to enjoy in this book and it is not a rom-com. The romance element is there but there is so much more substance to this novel. Daphne is an interesting character and there are more to her relationships than meets the eye. Plus the magical element really makes this book unique. Overall, a very enjoyable read!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Daphne's story of relationships and destiny are predicted by slips of paper. But ultimately her fate brings her back to her true love. Well written and emotionally engaging book.