This novel works on two levels: romance, and , magical realism, Do we take control of destiny or do we let destiny take control of us? Thought provoking at times.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Short, sweet and heartfelt! Really enjoyed the characters and I feel like I’m slowly loving magical realism more and more. There was a slight twist in the middle that I didn’t see coming but I’m not sure it was entirely necessary or added to plot? Overall I enjoyed it, it’s great if you’re looking for a sweet story filled with magic and a HEA.

I loved the setup of the book, and the pacing. I felt like I was in warm and sunny LA, and I was surprised by the FMC's heart disease reveal. I would read other Rebecca Serle books after reading this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC of Expiration Dates, available everywhere March 2024.

What would you do if you knew your relationship had an end date before it even got off the ground? For as long as she can remember, that question has been at the forefront of Daphne Bell's love life. Each time she's about to meet someone new, a mysterious piece of paper with the man's name and the duration of the relationship appears. Whether it's for five days or over two years, she ultimately says yes to him, all while keeping an eye on the clock. Knowing each man is disposable, she doesn't allow herself to become invested in any relationship until one day, a paper appears with a name but no end date. Is the end of all the endings? Is Jake the one? As the two plan for their future together, the less convinced Daphne is. Maybe the pieces of paper don't know everything after all.

This was such a fun, intriguing opportunity to explore the idea of choice versus what is preordained but the execution didn't land for me. For the most part, I liked the novel, I finished it in one sitting. It was easy to stay engaged in the novel as I bounced back and forth between the present and Daphne's past relationships. I will say that despite how quickly the story moved, there was still a fair amount of filler dedicated to how someone was dressed, the state of Daphne's apartment, commentary around food, etc. There was one light body-shaming comment that should have been cut.

Daphne and Jake, though, were two boring people who lacked any chemistry. Daphne had more spark with a previous ex so I found myself rooting for them to get back together instead. I would read this less as a romance novel and more akin to a woman searching for herself. The ending was left more open-ended instead of a true happy ending.

The abrupt introduction of a medical condition, one that was preexisting in Daphne's life, felt so unnecessary. It could have been introduced much earlier instead of what felt like something dumped in for shock value.

Lastly, why do we never learn how these notes appear in her life??? How can one of her exes learn about it, shrug, and just move on? Where are the questions??

I loved, loved, LOVED this book. Where to even begin??!

Daphne Bell has some unique circumstances. For one, 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.

This book makes you think and brings up so many good life questions. Would you make the same choices if you knew the outcome? Does knowing the ending influence your choices and the risks you’re willing to take??? And is it all worth it? The good and the bad??? I found myself highlighting so many great quotes and thoughts, too- and I’m not even an annotator! I was so sad when I finished this book- not necessarily because the ending is sad- I’ll let you decide if it was or not because that’s very subjective- but just because I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet; to have to let go of these characters. Rebecca Serle, please write a sequel. Thank you for writing this amazing book. I have a new favorite author!

This ARC was provided to me by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

First thought was this would be a cute book, sorta like the TV show where the guy guy the news a day early. After reading - it is a cute book but the papers seem to take a lesser role as we explore Daphne's love life. Pretty predictable except for the events in the middle but that wasn't enough to salvage it for me. I have to go with a 3 or maybe a 3.5 because of the flipping back and forth seemed a little off and Hugo was thrown into the mix of all of them so for a minute or two it's hard to tell if you are in the past or present. Overall it is a cute book, just not a favorite for me. I was provided an advanced reader copy at my request and was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the read.

3.5 Stars - 4 rounded up.

I thought this book was good - I liked the pretense and plot: a woman receives a piece of paper after the start of each relationship noting how much time they'll spend together. I thought the characters, the setting, the plot and idea were all very likable and I thoroughly enjoyed the witty banter - I felt like I was with Hugo and Daphne sitting in on coffee shop dates or going to the farmer's market. Judging from the synopsis, I anticipated to feel more sadder and more heartbreak? Despite that "letdown" I thought this was a solid read.

Thank you to NetGally and the publishing team for the advanced read - I appreciate it & enjoyed it!

Not my first read of hers but it’s definitely my favorite by far and definitely a one dear read for me. Her use of magical elements has not always been my favorite but it worked so well within this story. I would read this forever again and again!

I was so dang excited when I got the email that I was receiving an early copy of this book! I really love all her books. They are just so bingeable and well written and the characters are so realistic. The synopsises (s) are usually simple and draw you in, but then you find out that there is much more to the story. The touch of magical realism is just 👌 I find myself wanting to rush through her books but savor them at the same time.

Daphne has been receiving pieces of paper with how long she will date someone since she was in high school. The book flashes back to previous relationships and then her current relationship with Jake. Jake's piece of paper doesn't have a time-line on it, so she wonders if this is the real deal. She's also still friends with her ex boyfriend, Hugo. She's also pretty close with her parents and they are adorable.

I don't want to give too much away but I loved the premise of the book and was a little surprised by the ending but overall I really loved it. The chapters jumped around a bit with the flashbacks and it wasn't always a one to one ratio if that makes sense. Los Angeles was also almost a character in itself and had me wondering/hoping if all the locations really exist. I would guess yes!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca Serle, forever has a fan in me!
I love this book and such an emotional read with a mind blowing concept!!! I was surprised by the ending, and enthralled the whole journey. I laughed, I cried…..such a great read!

I had a great time reading this book. I couldn't put it down and read it in less than a day. This book was just what I needed because I had been in such a reading slump lately. The concept was really original and it was highly intriguing. Although this narrative isn't flawless, it will satisfy your want for something lighthearted and entertaining when you're in the mood.


I am grateful to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Daphne isn’t free to decide how long each of her relationships will last. Fate does it for her in the manner of a note with name and length of time they’ll be together. This has been ongoing for 20 years until the evening she meets Jake. There is no time specified. She’s lost without a set date like she’s been used to, and she flounders like a fish out of water. Is it preferable to be entirely honest or follow your heart?
This story is an interesting concept of the world of dating, taking the choice out of Daphne’s hands. But is it fate, or is there an ulterior power at hand here?
I think this book is better suited for young adults who enjoy reading about dating, relationships, and being true to oneself. I enjoyed the writing style, the characters, and the plot, but I just couldn’t get into the dating scene.
Thanks so much to Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is March 19, 2024.

Thank you Atria for inviting me to review Expiration Dates.

For me, this book just did not work. I know many will love it and with the theme and idea of the plot... this could be such a great book. But in all honesty, the characters are very flat, I felt no chemistry with the main romance focus between Daphne and Jake, and the back stories just never took off, they were too short and some seemed so potentially interesting. The magical realism is such a coo premise but it's never explained (is it a metaphor? how did she figure out what the papers meant? ), and there are few twists/plot switches that just kind of change the tone of the book and make it harder to process the underlying them of the book and one or two twists took away from how much I liked certain characters *saying more becomes spoilery*. I was disappointed in some of the ways characters were developed or not developed and I was yearning stronger development of secondary characters, especially Irina and Kendra, and looking for a more developed sense of self-growth. At times as well the sequencing of years from college to post college/where Daphne was, at times it was implied lots of time had come/gone between events and next events but it seemed at times hard to figure out ages/sequences of when different jobs and relationships had happened and how it all fit in with the age Daphne was in the present day setting of the book.

Overall the book read as very rushed, underdeveloped, and never diving into the strong potential of the characters and the plot.

Daphne has been receiving mysterious pieces of paper with the names of guys she will date and the amount of time they'll be together since she was in 5th grade. She finally receives one with only a name, Jake, and no time. Jake must be the one then.

As the story unfolds we learn about Daphne's past relationships. We also learn more about Daphne. I don't want to give away anything else about this book. But there is big reveal and then what I'd call a twist. The reveal seemed overly dramatic. The twist I didn't see coming and it felt like the characters and reader needed more time to digest it.

This was a short book and easy to read quickly. If you've enjoyed Serle's other books pick this one up. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

I loved every bit of this until about 87% to the last chapter. The end absolutely killed all of the amazingness that was in the rest of the book. Don’t get me wrong it’s a HEA but it felt so lack luster.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. So much so that I listed this book as one of my most anticipated romance books of 2024. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. This was my first book by Rebecca Serle so my expectations (along with the amazing book blurb) were high given her popularity but I was disappointed in her writing, the story development and pacing, and lack of chemistry among all the characters in this love story. The aspects of the notes with time frames for her relationships is such a cool concept but that uniqueness just didn't come across on the page or redeem the lackluster story. Instead, I found the book boring and by 40% in was just skimming. While the flashbacks to her romantic relationships were a good hook to use in this story, they were overshadowed by so much extra prose that distracted from the point that I assume she was trying to make with them that just got lost. I did see the connection between Daphne and Hugo and want to root for them in the beginning, there just wasn't enough to get me invested in them to care about their possible happy ending. Daphne and Jake had zero chemistry so I just started skipping their parts all together. Then the heart business.....why was that even needed? I respect the amount of effort that goes into writing a book which is why it pains me to criticize one but I was sorely disappointed.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to try this author's work.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading One Italian Summer and had high hopes for Expiration Dates.

The premise of receiving the mystery notes is what attracted me to the book, and yet, it is the thing that left me feeling disappointed. The notes have expiration dates, yet I felt ass though Daphne just accepted this as fact and rather matter of factly at that. Why not challenge the date? It was if though she lived life based on the dates aand didn't question it.

The weaving of the different boyfriends kind of felt a bit disjointed. I get the reasoning, but for me, it didn't flow well.

As other reviewers have noted, the 'twist' mid-way though the book also felt a bit disjointed.

When it came to Hugo and Jake, I felt that Daphne would always choose Hugo. I think she just had to come to the realization that he was 'the one'. Her relationship with Jake didn't seem to have any passion. Daphne exude enthusiasm about getting engaged. It was almost as though she just checked off boxes when it came to her relationship with Jake. Date - check. Move in together - check. Get engaged - check. It was difficult to become invested in their relationship.

I would have enjoyed more clarity about where the notes came from. We know in the end the source of Jake's note, but what about the others?

I'm grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

#NetGalley #ExpirationDates

I love this book and such an emotional read with a mind blowing concept!!! I was surprised by the ending, and enthralled the whole journey. I laughed, I cried…..such a great book!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I connected with this book from the first page. The magical realism of the notes was so intriguing and carried such philosophical weight. Would you give a relationship all of yourself if you knew it was going to end? Would you stay in a unfulfilling or even toxic relationship if you were told it was fated to last? It explored the question of fate versus choice in a way that provoked so much thought that I actually took a break from reading to just…sit with it.

It was also a fun and exciting read! I loved reading about their jobs in LA- the production, movie sets, directors, and execs. I felt like I got a taste of LA, took a trip to France and explored the set of a movie within these pages.

This book was emotionally provocative and beautifully explored the complexities of emotions, belonging, and varied forms of love. I loved how it highlighted that so much can happen in such a short time. The small moments and big ones are all important in our lives. The revelation halfway through gave such new meaning to the notes and really resonated with me. I wasn’t sure if I liked the ending at first, but the more I sat with it, the more I came to love it. This one will stick with me for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the wildly talented Rebecca Serle for an ARC of this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading and giving my honest feedback!

I really enjoyed this book. I often struggle with elements of magical realism but the way it was handled in this book was very consumable.

I had a feeling I knew the direction of the love triangle was heading but there was another twist midway through that surprised me in a good way.

Overall I enjoyed this book but felt like the relationships fell a bit flat