I started Expiration Dates expecting a nice, light hearted romance. And for a few chapters I was right. But then it became real. Daphne had a lot going on in her life, including men, but she needed to learn how to drive her own ship. Hugo is a great wingman and I love how he seemed to grow up with her. Definitely one of the most thought provoking romance novels I have read!

A PG romance story! Was hooked from the opening page and was surprised by the turn in the middle of the book, which was refreshing! I do wish the notes theme was explored/finalized a bit more. Having spent some time in LA, the realistic present-day references, made me feel like I was living in Daphne’s shoes, which also made me love the characters even more. Great, quick read!

3.75 stars. Rebecca Serle has a way of sprinkling touches of magic in her stories and she did not miss the target with Expiration Dates. Daphne has been receiving notes and postcards with the amount of time she will be with each partner and they've all proven right until she receives a name and no date or extent of time she will be with Jake.

Throughout the novel, Daphne falls in love with Jake under the pretense that he is *the one* and this ultimately leads her to question what real love should feel like, but how to trust those that love her most.

Another wonderful, quick, read by Serle!

Expiration Dates was a unique and interesting take on a romance novel. Prior to meeting a new partner, Daphne receives a piece of paper noting the length of time she will spend with her new love interest. We get to follow along and see how she reacts to knowing how long or short each relationship will be. Overall, I thought Expiration Dates was a fun and quick read.

Rebecca Serle does it again!!! This books humor and romance is a 10 out of 10. I love the whole note situation and this was a book where I did not mind if it went back in time with the flashbacks because it still kept me on the edge of my seat. There are a few unexpected twist that you don't see coming but that is what makes it so good.

I absolutely loved In Five Years and think about it often, so I was excited to read Rebecca Serle’s latest (thanks NetGalley for the ARC). While the premise of Expiration Dates made me excited to dive in, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I struggled to connect to Daphne or empathize with her choices. I also felt like the concept of the notes and their effect on Daphne could be explored more. That being said, I felt like it ended on a great note and did enjoy elements of the story. Overall, a pleasant beach read that can be read quickly

What a gem of a romance novel! I think this author has a great relatable story-telling gift. I have enjoyed all the books I have read by her in the past, but this one might be my fave!
The premise is a great one--what if you knew how long a romance would last before you started a new relationship? Would it last-mere days, a few weeks, several months, a few years? If you had an idea of how it would all play out and who they would be, you could protect your heart, but would you ever truly love?
Daphne has known her romantic fate since her very first school girl crush, but when a new beau, Jake, enters her life with "no expiration date," she's unsure of how to proceed into this new relationship which has the one thing she's never experienced in her thirty plus years--full on long-term commitment potential.

I really wanted to like this but I didn’t. I’ve loved her past books but this one didn’t do it for me. It was bland and seemed to take a long time to get nowhere. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Rebecca Serle never seems to disappoint, and this was no different. Expiration Dates might be my new favorite of her collection. I love the slightly magical journey her books take you on while falling in love with the characters. There was also a slight twist toward the end that I didn't expect, which added to the reading experience.

This book was sweet and the story of the expiration dates was a surprise as was some other revelation.
The character development was great and I enjoyed the supporting cast.
The ending wasn’t what I expected but I can see why Ms. Serles went with that ending,
I’m still thinking about this book a day later.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I have enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s book, In Five Years, so I was so excited to read an ARC of this story. I am happy to report that it did not disappoint!

I found this story very enjoyable. I loved the characters and found myself engrossed in all the flashback chapters from different periods of Daphne’s life. I loved the concept of the slips of paper telling her how long her relationships would last, and seeing how they played out.

While I was able to predict some of the big twists in the story, this didn’t detract at all from the pleasure of reading this book. I think Serle can really make her readers connect with the characters and become emotionally invested in her stories. This isn’t one I would skip!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the latest romance, Expiration Dates, from author Rebecca Serle, 33-year-old Daphne Bell has had six important relationships, one weekend in Paris, and 42 first dates over a period of 20 years…all determined by some kind of cosmic force. Coming out in early March, the novel relies on magic realism with names of men and the length of the relationships showing up on such things as slips of paper, a post card, and a fortune cookie, all describing the who and the length of the romance.

This phenomenon started in fifth grade when she received a post card that said “Seth 8 days” that pointed to a kid in soccer who became her very first boyfriend. Her relationship with Hugo is to last 3 months, with Noah, 5 weeks, with Martin, 3 days, and so on. Daphne relies on the messages from the universe telling her how long a relationship will last so she is always prepared and never heartbroken.

Then along comes Jake with no indication of time to be spent together making Daphne believe Jake is her forever guy. He is a great prospect, everything Daphne would look for in a lifetime partner. However, he has suffered a great loss before meeting Daphne, and she has a huge secret that could change their course.

What happens if Daphne reveals her secret to Jake who wants something more than a casual relationship? How will Hugo’s reappearance in her life affect her feelings about Jake? How can her secret compromise everything in life?

Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years, The Dinner List, and One Italian Summer. With the help of a writer-producer-director, Serle turned her young adult book Famous in Love into a TV series that lasted two seasons. Serle lives in Los Angeles.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 18, 2024.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

4.5 stars! Rebecca Serle has a way of tugging at your heart strings and making you feel all of the feelings. By the end of this, I was sobbing! It’s such a unique beautifully written love story that has you wanting more. I loved Daphne as a character and enjoyed her character development.

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle is one of the most honest and beautiful books I've read in a while. The narrator, Daphne, is so well-drawn and specific. She only allows the reader to see the truth as she allows herself to see it. This changes throughout the book and her willlingness to trust herself changes. The story is not predictable at all and the structure of the book really lends to the narrative. This book asked big questions about the nature of love, trust, and relationships. I couldn't put it down and read it in a few hours.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I wrote a longer review on Goodreads, which is linked below. This review may contain minor spoilers.

First and foremost, I flew through this book. This is the definition of a light, fluffy palate cleanser - and will be perfect for the romance girls who love a quick read.

I'll start with what I loved. The premise is a very neat idea, low stakes but fun and unique. The pacing is quick, and the backstories are fun with interesting characters. I felt that the atmosphere was really strong and I lost myself into the scenes pretty easily.

What I have to address, though, is the plot twist at the 60% mark. I'll give the disclaimer that Daphne's story nearly mirrors my own exactly, down to the years at which she experienced her sudden heart issues. I understand the purpose that this twist was supposed to add to the plot, but I find it a bit distasteful to throw it in as a surprise. Chronic conditions, heart conditions, affect you every day in everything you do. This would be on the forefront of her mind constantly. The aspect of being a patient could have been much more fleshed out, as it goes beyond being afraid for your future and how it affects your relationships. There are so many constant battles, so many wins and losses, so many angles that could be explored. I have a lot of bright spots with my condition, and having those written out made it feel like a quick grab at a plot twist. Her condition was never described beyond "heart disease," though there are dozens of kinds, and there are a few minor inaccuracies, like she likely wouldn't be able to consume caffeine at all, and exercise would be a requirement, even if just light weights or short walks. I recognize I'm probably hypersensitive to this, having experienced it myself, so I don't want to be too nitpicky here. This will not bother or even be picked up on by 90% of readers at least.

Overall, I had a fine time reading this. I enjoyed it - especially the final twist at the end, though I wouldn't have forgiven so easily. I'd still recommend to friends and anyone who loves romance!

This was not my favorite from Rebecca Serle. I LOVED One Italian Summer, and I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. I really enjoy magical realism and love how her books always have a little touch of it, often in unique ways. This book started off strong, but as the story progressed, I just found myself wanting more. Particularly, I wanted more of a focus on the notes- who/what/where were they coming from? Is she the only one getting them? Why did she believe them? Why didn't she try to challenge them? Considering they were the main focus of the first 50% of the book- I expected some sort of answer to these questions. Then, the twist that came about halfway through the book felt completely disjointed from the rest of the book and honestly gave me whiplash. All of a sudden, it felt like I was reading a completely different book. I did really enjoy the love story between Daphne and Jake, but I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a romance book, as their romance was more a side plot. Overall, I did find this one captivating and binged it in about a day, but I feel like it had the potential to be much better.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books!

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't really liked any of this author's work previously. I always go in with such high expectations because the premise of every story she writes is always amazing. But, everytime I read, I am always disappointed because the execution of the ideas is never what I want it to be or what I was expecting at all.

While this story was emotional and made me think, it wasn't what I wanted out of it. The characters didn't have any chemistry, the way the story ended just made me angry. Over all, I just didn't like it. This was a definite miss for me.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Expiration Dates. I really enjoyed that this wasn't a typical romance book and I really enjoyed the notes about Daphne's boyfriends. I thought it was an interesting concept and I flew through the book in record time. I found myself emotionally invested in Daphne. This is my first Rebecca Serle book and I really enjoyed her writing style.

On the other hand, I was left with a lot of questions after finishing. I, of course, was rooting for Hugo the whole time though. It was hard to root for Jake for once learning more and more about Daphne and Hugo's friendship. So it was hard to get invested/found it getting a little boring or annoyed that Daphne wouldn't come to terms with her true feelings. The biggest issue I had with the book was that there was no conclusion to the notes about her boyfriends. Why did she receive them???

I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the concept for this book was really interesting—the idea of knowing exactly how much time you have with someone you are in a relationship with. Throughout this book, Daphne receives pieces of paper throughout her adult life that reveal with whom and how long she will be with someone -whether it be one night, a few weeks, or even years. Then one day she receives a piece of paper with the name Jake, but no timeframe is given. What follows is her journey of self discovery as she navigates this relationship and the unknown.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, the main character and her best friend, boss and parents, etc. but I did find myself struggling a bit with the MMC in the story. The relationship felt very safe and almost too easy, which, I suppose could’ve also been a sign. I did enjoy the slight twist that gets thrown in probably 2/3 of the way through and I did enjoy how it ends, and would recommend it!

I devoured Expiration Dates. It does not give me the goosies quite like In Five Years, but I really enjoyed it!
The only comment I have: I doubt the chemistry between Daphne and Jake. But maybe I was feeling a bit jaded when I read it.
All in all a great read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy.