This book had such a good premise and idea, but the execution was ATROCIOUS. I'm honestly shocked because I loved In Five Years by this author, but this writing felt so chopping, boring and all over the place. I couldn't even follow the story, nor did I care about anyone.

As a fan of Rebecca Serle, I don't say this lightly: this is easily my favorite Rebecca Serle book that I've read thus far. What a beautiful ride this was--I love the questions that this story raises about the limitations that we impose upon ourselves, all based on what we believe our destiny is supposed to look like. We make so many assumptions about our lives that change the trajectory and become self-fulfilling prophecies, but what if we leaned farther into hope and open-heartedness? How different would our life look? This book doesn't shy away from grief and difficulty, and I loved that. It didn't feel saccharine--it felt true.

If you love reflective, emo romances...put this on your TBR right now. This is essentially a love letter to all the late 20s-30s single girls out there, trying again and again and putting themselves out there again and again, but still a little (a lot) afraid of getting their heart broken, wondering if it's too late to change paths or trajectories.

I devoured this book without even realizing it. Initially, I thought it would be a more lighthearted read and it would be a journey through each relationship she gets a letter for, but boy was I wrong. Instead, you fluctuate between present day and past relationships, spending most time in the present day. The concept of getting a letter with a name and timeframe ended up being more of a side note in the story than the main driver of Daphne's (FMC) motivations and choices in love and life. She can be a bit frustrating at times, which usually I'm fine with because that makes characters human, but she hides a huge health condition from nearly everyone, which doesn't really make sense to me when it can be an issue of literal life and death for her...like the logic behind why didn't add up. In the present day, there's really two MMCs that she could end up with...both of whom have flaws but are well-written and you don't root for or hate either of them. I anticipated which one she'd "end up" with, but was surprised by the ending...I'll leave it at that.

It's not your typical romance novel, which makes it stick with you.

Absolutely enjoyed Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.

Daphne has an interesting quality, she receives notes with a name and a length of time and these notes correspond to the men she dates. Thus far, each note has been accurate with each relationship ending on the same time frame listed in the notes that mysteriously arrive. One day she receives a note with a name, but no timeframe and her relationship with Jake progresses from there. While Daphne and Jake’s relationship grows, Hugo, Daphne’s best friend and ex, reveals something life-changing to Daph, which changes the trajectory of her life.

I had hoped for an epilogue with a bit more detail about the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I really liked this one but the ending absolutely threw me for a loop. This is my 3rd book by Rebecca Serle, so I'm not surprised at all. Just like the other books of hers that I have read, she takes the reader for an emotional rollercoaster ride. I loved it and I'm sad all at the same time. It was a beautiful book! The complex emotions that the main character experiences and the tragedy amongst beautiful moments was incredibly well done. I will absolutely pick up more books by her in the future and I appreciate the opportunity to review this one. 5 stars for sure!

First thought: I enjoyed it. You never know what to expect when you read her books and this one’s no different. It moves between points in time and you get more insight to the characters as you go. Just be warned this one has a few surprise twists.

Daphne has gone into every relationship in her life knowing how long it will last. She believes the universe is giving her a timeline to help her find love. It does this by sending her a note with the name with an amount it of time it will last.

For 20 years this has been happening, and tonight before her blind date she received another note but this one had no timeline just a name. Does this mean he will be the one?

This story follows Daphne forward and through the past as we learn how she navigates relationships and learns how to love and what it means to be loved in return.

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Magical Realism
* Finding the One
* Love is a Net
* Secrets
* Growth
* Moving Timelines
* Surprise Twists

💌⏳💌⏳💌⏳💌⏳💌⏳💌⏳💌

Well. Serle does it again! I would have never said that I would be a fan of magical realism, but Rebecca writes in a way that makes it feel so normal so natural this “ there’s no way in hell” situation could actually happen and she makes it feel so real within her stories. Somewhere near 50 to 60% I started to feel like I knew who Daphne would end up with and it started to make me sad because I knew who I wanted her to end up with but overall it was a very great story, and very interesting and had me placing myself in Daphne‘s perspective wondering how I would react, how would I live, if I were in her shoes and I knew that people and things had expiration dates!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free copy of the book and a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

interesting concept but the pacing really threw me off. this book go back and forth between the present and then randomly goes back in time to one of Daphnes prior relationships. at the beginning of each chapter i wasn’t sure if we were back in the present or still reading about a past relationship.

by the end of the book, we still don’t know why Daphne gets notes about her relationships. thought the ending of this book was a bit corny and really tried to push the moral of the story.

thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What if you were lucky in love? Okay, maybe not “lucky” but what if the universe had your back? What if every time you started a new relationship She sent you a little note with its expiration date? For Daphne, that happens!
Until she meets Jake…
Jake has no expiration date. So what does that mean? Where does that lead her?

I officially have a new favorite from Rebecca Serle. I love how the author incorporates a touch of magical realism in each of her novels. This one being unique in its own world. Having read Serle’s novels before, I thought I knew where the story was going but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!

Expiration Dates releases March 19, 2024 🗒️

A unique premise awaits in the new story by Rebecca Serle. Every time Daphne meets a new man she receives a slip of paper that states his name and how long they will be together. Until she meets Jake: she receives a slip of paper only with his name on it. The story follows the development of her relationship with Jake, her continued friendship with ex-boyfriend Hugo, and touches on her back story with her heart diagnosis and previous relationships.
The main theme that I gathered from this novel was "living life to the fullest". With that being said, I felt this theme didn't come strongly through until the very end and in a sense got lost along the way. I felt sorry for Jake as he became a pawn in the middle of two people who were very obviously still in love with each other. Daphne was definitely restrained by the pieces of paper she collected with each man she dated.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.
Okay, I love Rebecca Sterle. This one definitely made me shed a tear or two. Highly recommend.

I have loved every Rebecca Serle book I have read to date and Expiration Dates is no different! I love how she weaves little magical elements into books while keeping the world unchanged otherwise.

In Expiration Dates Daphne receives notes telling her how long she will be with someone shortly after meeting them. I did have to not think too hard about this one, especially when there is a reveal closer to the end.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. Daphne, Hugo, and Jake were all characters I connected to and felt invested in. There was a little surprise at the end and I did not see it coming!

This book is quick, I read it in a few days and I think most people will find it is hard to put down.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh wow. I really don't know where to start with this book, but it was so good! If you are a fan of this author's previous work, it is a safe bet you will absolutely love this one! Of the three I've read by Serle (In Five Years and One Italian Summer being the other two), this one is easily my favorite! We get the same writing style, the touch of magical realism (always a huge fan of this!), and the emotional, romantic storyline with heart, humor, and depth. I rarely cry when I read books, but this one had me shedding a few tears in a totally good way!

If I had started this when I had a chunk of time to sit and enjoy it, I could have finished this in one sitting easily. Because although it is only 272 pages, this story was impactful and all consuming. It felt bigger than what it was and to me that's a testament at how amazing of a writer Rebecca Serle really is. Even with this book being on the shorter side, all the characters have depth and you really get attached to every one of them. This book gave me that same emotional angsty feeling that One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid did, which is another of my all time favorites.

I generally try to read books closer to the pub date and with this one not coming out until March, I hate to tease people with my review, but I was really struggling to get into a book after reading my last one and this was the only one that captured my attention quickly and had me wanting to read. In my opinion, this book is worthy of a preorder and something to be excited about come March 5th!

I didn't really know what to expect when I picked up this book. I always go in blind and even when I requested it on Netgalley, I only knew I loved the author and wanted to read her latest. So although, I am not going to give any spoilers, if you like discovering what the story is about in the moment like I do, you may not want to read what I have to say below when this paragraph ends. But I will say I really enjoyed the concept of this book and was so delighted when I discovered what it was all about.

With this story, we are introduced to Daphne Bell, who lives in LA, where this book primarily takes place. She has a unique experience with her dating life. Every time she first meets or starts dating a guy, she receives a note with the man's name on it and how long the relationship will last. I thought this was a really unique idea and I loved the route the author took with this storyline. The third act twist she gives us was also really enjoyable for me. I did not see that coming and liked how it played out in Daphne's life.

2024 is really starting to pan out to be a great year for books I believe and this one is definitely going to be a highly recommended book for me and will likely be in my top favorites for the year. I believe this book is going to be very popular and worthy of the praise it will receive.


**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

"Expiration Dates" started off promising, with a fascinating concept of predicting relationships' duration through paper slips. However, as the story unfolded, my excitement waned.

The book starts with Daphne Bell receiving predictions for her relationships, a unique and interesting idea. The flashbacks to her past relationships, especially with her ex-boyfriend turned best friend Hugo, added depth to the story. Yet, the excitement dwindled as the focus shifted to her current relationship with Jake.

One big issue for me was the underdeveloped characters. The constant introduction of new men without delving into their personalities made the relationships feel shallow. Additionally, an unrelated problem introduced in the middle of the book felt out of place and disconnected from the main plot.

The romance between Daphne and Jake lacked the chemistry I expected. Despite an initial twist with an expiration date without a time period, the development felt more like telling than showing. Jake's character, described as boring, failed to engage me, making the central romance fall flat.

While the book had entertaining moments, especially in Daphne's past relationships, and was easy to binge due to its length, it didn't fully meet expectations. The constant descriptions of places, food, and clothing became tiresome, overshadowing the potential of the unique expiration date concept. The rushed conclusion left lingering questions unanswered.

Ultimately, "Expiration Dates" had its moments but didn't fully deliver on its promising concept.

First of all thank you NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for this ARC! I love Rebecca’s writing and have really enjoyed all of her books I have read! For some reason, Expiration Days was just lacking something for me. The story’s concept was so intriguing and what initially drew me in - Daphne receiving papers at random with predetermined timing of each relationship that ensues? Sign me up. The characters just all seemed so flat and boring. I feel like there just could’ve been some more story development and definitely character development to drive the story home in a more interesting way. Not my favorite Serle book, but still giving a 3 star because I do love Rebecca’s writing as a whole.

I devoured this book. It’s definitely a quick read. I loved the idea and the sense of magic that Rebecca Serle brings to her books. In Five Years will always be a benchmark book for me, and while I liked Expiration Dates quite a bit, I needed more! I need more of Hugo’s POV, I need more pages in general. I feel like the end was too succinct and things were wrapped up far too quickly. I need to know what happens if Daphne intentionally ignores a note. I NEEEEED to know what the last note said!
I feel like I’ve been left hanging, but I would (and probably will) read it again…in a heartbeat ;)

I love the premise of this book. The idea that you get to see when things end before the begin and the opportunities and conflicts that occur. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that went through time in the book pretty quickly. While I had a lot of great parts, the fast pace of the book also left a lot of parts out and I feel like I’m missing so much of the story and wanted more detail. It was a sweet read but I wish we had gotten to know the two main characters just a little better.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I saw this book get a lot of hype on social media and I tried not to read too much about it before starting it - and I ended up loving everything about it!

Daphne has always received a piece of paper with a name and a length of time which ends up dictating how long relationships last for her. Until she receives a piece of paper with just a name, and decides to take a chance with Jake.

Switching back and forth between present day Daphne and a look at her previous relationships and the past, this book moved so quickly and I did not want to put it down. I loved Daphne, I loved her sweet sincerity and her giant heart. And I especially loved her ex boyfriend turned best friend Hugo -- he had so much edge and was so swoony. Jake was super sweet and sincere and also so lovable.

If possible, go in to this one knowing as little as you can -- it is so satisfying to see how it plays out!

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a twist on the usual rom com, one that tackles some larger issues and is a page-turner. I really enjoyed one of Rebecca Serle's previous books (In Five Years) and wasn't as fond of The Dinner List, but I am so happy I gave this one a shot. I loved everything about it and I know it will stick with me!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for my honest review! This was the first book I read by Rebecca Serle and I really enjoyed it! I rated this book 4 stars.

I resonated well with a couple of points in this book.

“It's hard to hold on to people the older we get. Life looks different for everyone, and you have to keep choosing one another”. Focuses shift and change when you get married and have kids. Sometimes you lose touch with certain people. Not because you want to, but your time gets dedicated to your husband and children.

"Is that what you want someday?"
I'm not sure what to say. No, not really, I don't have that kind of drive? Or: I still, at thirty-three, am not entirely sure what I want to do with my life.
" think I'm kind of a commitment-phobe."

I am 34 years old and still am not entirely sure what I want to do with my life. Although, I still have a long time to figure this out. One day, I can go back to focusing on myself and building a brighter future.

Rebecca Serle has this special way of writing that just destroys me. Her writing poses the tough questions, would you love the same if you thought time was infinite?
Daphne's character was played a fine line between selfish and selfless but I loved her all the same.