I was hoping this book would have been much better than it was. I had some high expectations and was let down, sorry. I gave it a 3.5/5 star rating. I have copy/pasted my Bookstagram review and also linked my post about it below;

Unfortunately, this book was by first big disappointment of 2024. Rebecca Serle’s writing holds a special place in my heart, because In Five Years was literally one of the first books I read to get me into reading a few years ago. So, I’ll talk about the positives first. I love the concept of the story with the magical realism aspect. I enjoyed the setting of Los Angeles, as I will actually be traveling there in August. I was a fan of one of Daphne’s boyfriends Hugh. Ok, for the negatives, just about everything else for this book didn’t work for me. The pacing was off. I felt bored during some chapters, but then the ending felt rushed. Watching the note concept play out…without spoiling anything, I just didn’t vibe with it. I felt like the writing/ editing process for the book should have taken more time to really flesh out the story.

Expiration Dates is a contemporary romance with a magical realism element. The story follows main character Daphne, who since she was young has received mysterious notes telling her how long every relationship she’s in will last. One night, she’s meets a guy named Jake and finds a note with no end time listed, meaning this is her forever love. Basically the story follows how Daphne navigates her and her relationship with Jake in present day as well revisiting her past relationships.

I also read this as a group buddy read. It’s funny some of us disliked the book more than me, and others gave it 5 stars. So, take this review in mind if you are interested in reading it, but would recommend also checking it out to form your own opinion! Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the arc in exchange for a honest review! Expiration Dates officially publishes on March 5.

An amazing book filled with emotion, humor, romance and fate. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end! Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, you are thrown a curve ball that completely changes your perspective. All my emotions were activated while reading this book and made me wonder if I was given the expiration dates that Daphne is given how would I react?

Daphne has been searching for love all her life but until a blind date with Jake she has always known when her relationships will end. She knows because just as a relationship starts she receives an anonymous note revealing how long the relationship will last. The only guy she has dated that she's stayed friends with after the expiration date is Hugo, and he knows her better than anyone else.

I easily became engulfed in Daphne's story. She is a very likeable character and her friendship with Hugo is fabulous. The plot was unique and well-conceived. I can easily give this book five stars without hesitation. When I finished this wonderful book my heart was happy but I was sad to leave these characters behind.

I am very grateful to Atria Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this magical and heartwarming book.

I wanted to like this but I really really did not. The characters felt very unrealistic and I just did not find myself caring about most parts of the story.

Expiration Dates is the third novel that I have read by Rebecca Serle. Magical Realism is a common style that she likes to incorporate in her stories and in this particular novel, we have the "what if" factor. What if you mysteriously receive a piece of paper telling you the name of the person you were going to date with a time frame of how long it was going to last? Would you follow it, or would you ignore it and follow your own path? This is what Daphne was up against since she received her first note which started in the fifth grade and continued into her adult life.
The story switches back and forth from present day boyfriend to past boyfriends, each with their own individual journey and time limit with Daphne.
Since Daphne is the narrator, you get to hear her thoughts about the different people that she dates and also get to witness her insecurities about her life. What the reader eventually finds out is that she carries a "Big Secret" about herself and hopes that she will not be treated any differently when it is discovered.
As her life moves forward, decisions have to be made, especially since she received her last note with a name and NO Expiration Date.
I enjoy reading Rebecca Serle's novels because I love the way she writes. She presents fictional scenarios in a very realistic way which captures the reader and leaves them wanting to read more. This story in particular, was more emotional for me. There were moments that were heartbreaking and moments that I hoped Daphne would follow her heart and realize that no matter what, she deserved happiness too.
I give this book a Five Star rating with the hope that maybe Rebecca Serle would love to continue Daphne's story.
Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of this novel.

I am so conflicted on my review of this novel. There are some elements I absolutely adored about Expiration Dates - mostly Hugo. I think he was a great character and I enjoyed his development a lot. The rest just felt kind of rushed. I didn't feel satisficed when I finished if that makes sense. Overall, I would recommend if you need a quick palette cleanser.

Thank you to NetGalley + Atria Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rebecca Serle is one of my favorite authors and this venture into romantic love was so captivating to read. It really cracks open a question I think a lot of us have asked ourselves — if we knew how something would end, would we still do it? And in this case, Daphne does go through with every relationship, no matter the length. And in doing so, she lives a life of adventure, of wonderment. I liked getting insight into Daphne's past relationships throughout the book, and while I knew Hugo was still in love with her, I knew she was denying her feelings because their time had 'ended.' I was SHOCKED by the twist, but grateful for it because she did get to have a choice, She didn't HAVE to be tied to a paper, and she proves it by ending a relationship that she wasn't fully in and choosing Hugo instead. I loved the strangers to lovers to friends to lovers again trope. BIG fan.

I'm also always so impressed by the way Rebecca manages to make the city her book is based in a character of the book. I highlighted almost every LA restaurant or location Rebecca wrote about, and now I'm going to do a Tour of La (Rebecca's Version) and play tourist in a city I've only lived in for 2.5 years.

This was a solid read from Rebecca and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this copy of “Expiration Dates”.

I loved this book. 4.5 STRONG stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Daphne has been receiving papers with a name and an amount of time of them since she was a child. A boy and a time- each time she retrieves a paper a new adventure begins. How can Daphne know when she’s found “the one” and what it will take for her to truly be happy? Could scraps of paper throughout her life be telling the story or is her future still in her own hands?

Rebecca Serle's 'Expiration Dates' gives romance a quirky twist, exploring love and commitment in a whole new light. Daphne Bell's life revolves around mysterious slips of paper predicting her relationship durations. While it delves into the complexities of love and self-discovery, I missed the deep emotional punch of 'In Five Years.' Still, Serle keeps you hooked with her storytelling, making it a quick and interesting read about love and finding yourself.

Thank you Netgalley for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

For Daphne, breakups haven’t been much of a surprise. This is due to the simple fact that she can always count on a note being delivered with the person’s name and a length of time. For example: Josh, six months. Stuart, one night. For a long time, she’s tried to look at this as a positive rather than a negative - for the most part, she can prepare herself ahead of the end of a relationship and try to protect her heart. But when her friend Kendra sets her up with Jake, the note Daphne receives shows only his name - no time period. No expiration date for the relationship. Could this be the relationship she’s waited so long for?

Rebecca Serle has done it again - this was an easy 5 star rating for me. We travel back and forth between Daphne’s prior relationships and her current one with Jake, and it’s a wild ride. I told the friends in my buddy read group that reading this story felt like watching old episodes of Sex and the City to me - and I mean that in the best way possible. With her friend Kendra and boss Irina, bestie/ex-boyfriend Hugo, and new beau Jake, it felt like I could match each of them to a SATC character and I would love to watch this novel be adapted for TV. This book has Serle’s signature dose of magical realism, so you definitely need to be in the headspace to totally give into that to enjoy this, in my opinion. I loved this one from start to finish - the chapters were short, the timeline went back and forth and it kept me reading. I am so thankful to Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for my complimentary ARC, and thankful to the group I buddy read it with - we definitely didn’t all have the same opinions on this one, and I enjoyed hearing their points of view. This book will be published 3/19/2024 - I hope you grab a copy!

4.5 stars
I love this authors writing! How she adds the perfect amount of romance with magical realism is just a *chefs kiss!
This story is great-such an interesting concept to think about…how you’d react to knowing exactly how long your relationship would last.
The health issue came out of no where.
A sad read but also so tender. Loved the scene with the father daughter.

Always love a good Rebecca Serle book and this was no different. This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Daphne lives in a world where she knows exactly how long her relationships will last. How? She receives mysterious slips of paper with a man’s name and the amount of time they will date. 1 night, 3 days, sometimes months or years.
We meet Daphne as she’s living in LA, besties with an ex, and receives a slip with a name but no time allotment. This must be the one. Enter, Jake. The story flip flops between Daphnes current romantic relationship with Jake, her current platonic relationship with her ex Hugo, and seemingly random past fling flashbacks.
I wanted to love this book, I really did! I loved One Italian Summer by this author and the premise of this seemed so cute. I learned a few things… first is that LA setting books just aren’t for me. I like to get lost in a world outside of Hollywood city life. The setting just wasn’t doing it for me that way! I also found the characters bland, and Daphne lacked a lot of maturity and compassion for others. Not to mention… where were these notes coming from?! We get a short glimpse into ONE of the notes but I kept waiting for answers that didn’t come! This was a quick and fun read, and will be great for spring but left me just wanting a wee bit more.
Thank you Atria Books for an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Daphne believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she starts a new relationship she receives a note with the name and length of the relationship until one night a note shows up with just a name. The letters have always been accurate but this time it doesn’t seem right. Daphne is keeping secrets that could just end her relationship but if the note is to be believed they are suppose to be together forever.

This book was absolutely amazing and I think will be a huge hit once it comes out. I am so happy that I got an ARC of this book because I can see it becoming such a success. I loved this book and the characters within. I wish I got notes with my relationship lengths I could have saved myself a divorce 🤣🤣. The plot in this book was so amazing and I loved the flash backs of her previous relationships. This is definitely a book I wish I could read again for the first time.

This was my favourite yet from this author. I found the main character difficult to connect with at first- it was frustrating how she avoided managing her own life, and also hard to watch her hide a chronic illness from her partner with a history of dealing with illness. but the last 1/3 of the book picked up after she revealed her illness. i liked her dynamic with Hugo!

Short Synopsis:
Would you want to know how long each relationship lasted before starting the relationship? That Daphne’s life. Every time she meets someone new, she gets an envelope with the name and how long each relationship lasts. And then one day she gets an envelope with just a name. And no end date.

My Thoughts:
Rebecca Serle has some of the most creative ideas for books. The premise of this was so interesting. I loved how one of her past 3-month-relationship turned into her best friend. And I loved the concept of how you approach different relationships knowing the outcome. I find the book to be painfully obvious though. And I think I struggle connecting with Serle’s writing and lack of character development.

Read if You Like:
✉️ In Five Years
✉️ Magical Realism
✉️ Love stories
✉️ Fate
✉️ Doc Martins

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. Rebecca Serle is one of my go to authors for humor, heart, and romance and this book is no exception. This book is sweet and happy and hopeful. Read this book if you’re looking for an uplifting read.

Expiration Dates is my favorite book (so far) of Rebecca Serle’s! What started off as what seemed like a cute romance of how Daphne and Jake meet and begin their relationship turned into so much more and I loved the journey readers get to go on with Daphne.

There were a few twists along the way which made the book for me impossible to put down because I was curious how it would make things play out. I liked the flashback chapters that explained Daphne’s past relationships and how they helped shape her into who she was.

The Jewish representation in this book was amazing! This book truly felt the most personal out of all of Serle’s books and the representation definitely played a part in making it feel like that,

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

There’s just something about this book that pulled me in from the start. It was like a comforting, well-loved blanket that I could just cozy up in. I think it’s the author’s best yet.

With just a tiny hint a magical realism, nothing too bonkers…some romance, some drama and a passage that produced a few tears, culminated in a beautiful read.

As a fan of Rebecca Serle’s books, I was super excited to be approved of her new book. In my opinion this is her best yet! The characters were relatable and lovable it made me not want this story to end. Rebecca is such an amazing storyteller as she pulls at the heartstrings and had me through a couple of loops I didn’t see coming. I found this refreshing and unique and I flew through this book. Thank you netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC, I enjoyed every minute of reading this!

Thank you Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Especially where I am at personally I felt connected with the main characters search for love. I thought that the author did an amazing job showing the growth of the main characters. I also did not see any of the twists coming. The twists were also very well written in that I thought they were completely realistic and not so far fetched. I could not stop reading this one! It is not a long book, however a great read!

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her life. Each time she begins a relationship she receives a piece of paper with the length of each relationship will be. Each suitor has an expiration date. However, when one day Jake doesn't come with an expiration date. Daphne has to believe that Jake could possibly be the one for her. However, as Daphne and Jake's relationship progresses she begins wondering if the paper is so true. Also Daphne knows certain things that if Jake knew them he would be so broken up about them. This story is told with such heartfelt passion.

Content: swearing, spicy scenes

Read if you enjoy:
Romance
Character Development
Twists
Heartfelt reads