What an interesting and thought provoking premise! I was fully immersed in the story and loved the characters. I was surprised by a big detail not being shared until more than half-way of the story and I’m not sure if I think it would have been better for Ms. Serle to have revealed it sooner. This is a great read that’s emotional, romantic, and a tiny bit magical.

The premise of the book was intriguing,wherein the main character, Daphne, receives a note as to how long her relationship with a guy will last. Daphne receives a note before her her first date with Jake there is no expiration date. At times, the flash backs by Daphne were distracting to the main story. I also felt there was a lack of chemistry between Daphne and Jake. Unfortunately, it was fairly obvious as to what the ending of the book was going to be. It was a quick, easy read.

Expirations Dates centers around Daphne. A girls who has always known each of her relationships had an expiration date. She would randomly receive a slip of paper telling her how long the relationship would last. From one night to 2 years every relationship had an ending. That is until Jake.

Rebecca weaves Jake and Daphnes current relationship with her past ones to give us a story that deeply personal, raw, and honest. This was fairly easy read for me and hooked me from the beginning.

While this is technically a romance, I would probably consider it more of just contemporary women’s fiction because the romance between Jake and Daphne was often lacking. But I think that was intentional. I think the real story is Daphne discovering what she really wants from life and to stop living her life like it has an expiration date.

This book has all of the magical realism that we’ve come to expect from Rebecca Serle’s writing. While I did enjoy this book, I think
I liked In Five Years better. Once again, thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This author was new to me and I have mixed feelings about the story. I struggled to care about the main character, Daphne, for about seventy percent of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the locations and various places she went on dates all over Los Angeles. Daphne’s quest for love was not particularly romantic. It was more her checking another man off her mysterious paper notes. I almost quit trying to finish, my time is finite and the plot didn’t grab or excite me. The later chapters held some answers but the rest left me wondering why I didn’t just mark it DNF and move on. This women’s fiction definitely was not for me. An advance reader copy of “Expiration Dates” by Rebecca Serle, Atria Books, publication expected 03/19/2024, was provided to me by NetGalley. These are always my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Rebecca Serle really does romantic alter-realism (?) is that a thing? really well. The idea that things are real life, but augment reality while reading for the fantasy element without fairies and dragons? Yeah...she excels at that!

This was just the right amount of whimsy and love and romance. I loved it.

⭐⭐⭐💫 3.5 stars. All in all, I would recommend this book. If you're ok with a bit of a fantastical plot point, it is an interesting coming-of-age tale with a couple of major plot twists that I didn't see coming and sucked me in about halfway through.

Daphne is a 30-something woman coming to know herself through various romantic relationships but with a bit of a fantastical twist. Before every relationship, from a very young age, she receives a slip of paper with a name and a length of time. She figures out that the name is the person she will have a relationship with and the length of time is how long that relationship will last.

Rebecca Serle's stories are undeniably good but I often have difficulty getting into them initially. She writes with a lot of description (obscure current event references, setting descriptions, etc.) which is hard for me at times and I find myself thinking "Just get to the point!" By the end, I was sucked in and anxious to see how things came together. Characters' faults lead to annoying real and sometimes slow-developing characters. 🌶️🌶️- A little steam

Thank you so much to Rebecca Serle, Atria Books, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book, and the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There is something about Rebecca Serle and her writing that just makes me so happy. I'd been saving this book to read on my beach vacation, and I'm so glad I did. Although it's not an entirely light romance book, it captured me as a reader and kept me engaged. The character development was phenomenal, and although the road to a pretty happy ending was tough, boy was it worth it! I did see the ending coming, but I wasn't even mad about it because all I hoped for was that the main character would break free of the two things she was letting control her life.

Daphne has lived her life around two big secrets, rarely letting people know either of them. By rarely, I mean only her parents, medical professionals, and her boss are aware of one of the secrets. The other is kept secure by herself and Hugo. One changed her life forever when she was twenty years old, and one has determined the time she has spend with each person she has dated. The biggest problem is that she's let both things control and determine her life, rather than just living it.

Daphne's entire dating life has been guided by little white postcards showing up with the name of a man and a timeframe. Most of them have been for short periods of time, including her best guy friend Hugo. Daphne and Hugo have now been friends for five years after ending their relationship at the card-instructed time of three months.

Not only has Daphne been guided by these "dating cards," but also by what she went through at the age of twenty. Daphne was diagnosed with congenital heart disease after being rushed to the hospital one night by a former boyfriend when she began exhibiting issues while studying in the library at college. Many tests and consultations with doctors led to her diagnosis and the realization that the trajectory of her life from a medical perspective would be forever changed.

Daphne's dating life is about to change when a card arrives with Jake's name on it and no timeframe. Jake just so happens to be someone whom Daphne's best girl friend has been wanting to introduce her to. Could Jake just so happen to be the one that she's meant to spend the rest of her life with? Only time will tell if a card without a timeline means their relationship will last or if it's just another card to add to the box.

The premise of this book is unique to any other book I’ve read. It begins with a description of the “gift” of Daphne. She gets a note every time she is to begin a new relationship telling her exactly how long it will last. Throughout the story she takes the reader back through some of those relationships and how they played out. When she receives one with a different “message” she begins to think about all of her other romances and how they began and end. The plot twist in the middle of the book was one I didn’t see coming. The book shows a strong female character with quirks that make the reader realize that Daphne is much like all of us, with a mismatched apartment and a love of sleeping in. This story was a quick read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to the publishers for the ARC!

Rebecca Searle has a special way with magic realism that creates just enough of a spark of enchantment. Daphne believes that her fate is written and leans on a notes left which describe her love interests and how long it will last. Trapped by her assumed destiny, she may miss the real love of her life. Hugo is a well written male protagonist that while he has flaws, is so easy to love. The start to this story is a little difficult to follow as you pop around different timelines and learn about how Daphne’s notes play into her story. I recommend for a quick read with a little magic.

I always enjoy Rebecca’s books. They’re escapist while also being full of emotion. Without spoilers this one hit too close to home and I definitely struggled to get through it. Not because of the writing or story but just because one story line was too similar to something I am dealing with right now. So no stars review bc it was just not what I needed to read right now.

I will say I could have had more backstory and character development throughout. But I would recommend it and it will probably work for lots and lots of people.

DNf at 51%
I didn’t love all the exes stories mixed in. It’s an interesting concept, I just didn’t have enough attachment to the fmc to care much. I would have liked more in depth content about her and Jake with those other exes sprinkled in, instead it was just sprinkles of everyone. I also felt like her experiences with everyone was just told to me rather than a story painted about it. I ended up skimming to get to the parts with Jake then got a weird vibe and skipped to the end which reaffirmed my decision to put the book down.

Thank you so much Atria for allowing me to read an advance copy of Expiration Dates. My review may contain spoilers - proceed with caution!

Are our lives pre-determined? Is finding true love fate or is it destiny?

Daphne Bell has never been allowed to choose when to stay or when to leave a relationship - it's been chosen for her. Each time she meets someone new she receives a mysterious slip of paper with the man's name and length of their relationship. That is, until she meets Jake...

What an interesting and thought provoking premise! This story really makes you think about making choices and how much is in your control and how much is not. Up until now, Daphne truly believes that her fate is determined by the slips of paper that mysteriously show up. She never allows herself any more than that. For some of her relationships, this has been a relief and made it easier for her to walk away. Jake is a nice guy, but there is really no chemistry between him and Daphne. But she believes he is her fate because there is no time limit on their relationship. This clouds her ability to see the right man right in front of her. Was the story a little predictable - sure, but it was no less beautiful (hello, that scene with her Dad - tears!) and I really enjoyed it.

I have read and loved all of Rebecca Serle's books - she never disappoints! Expiration Dates is especially good and will, no doubt, spark many interesting conversations.

This was such a heartwarming and unique book!

The idea of the main character receiving letters that told her how long the relationship would be was definitely unlike anything I’ve read before!

Her books always have themes of loss, grief, and some health issues, and this one is no different

Overall really really enjoyed!

I was excited to read Expiration Dates since I enjoyed Serle's previous work In Five Year.

Daphne Bell has lived an interesting life. Whenever dating, Daphne receives a piece of paper and it has the man's name and the length of their relationship. Daphne believes the universe is telling her.
She has been receiving these papers for over twenty years. So when she receives a paper with her date's name and no date, she assumes he is The One.

As Jake and Daphne's relationship progresses, Daphne starts to question their bond.

This story is full of friendship, struggle, and love.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An easy ready from this author. I enjoyed it but I do feel like a lot of her novels have a very similar theme and I would like to see her expand and broaden her range.

Rounding up to 3.5. I loved this book at times but it could have been so much more. I felt like it had so many missed opportunities. The ending was abrupt and I wasn't finished with the story. Rebecca Serle is a favorite author so I will continue tuning in to her books.

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by this author and this one was no different. She pulls at your heartstrings. This book was so good, I read it in one day. I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what would happen next. This was such a great love story.

Yet again, Rebecca Serle knocks it out of the park. No one writes compulsively readable, unexpectedly and perfectly plotted books as well as she does. I never quite know where Serle’s going to take a story, but I know I can just buckle up and trust that wherever’s she’s going to take me is going to be good. I loved watching Daphne’s story unfolding, of how she really works to love and accept herself as she finds love outside of herself. Like with all of Serle’s novels, it’s not quite what it seems at the start, and that makes it all the better.

I was really excited to dive into Rebecca Serle’s newest novel, Expiration Dates, after having previously read and loved both The Dinner List and In Five Years. Like these books, Expiration Dates, has a unique and promising concept that includes an element of magical realism.

The novel follows Daphne on her search for love in LA. Like many other single 30-something, Daphne is looking for love and the novel flashes back and forth between her previous relationships and the current day. But unlike others, Daphne walks into relationships knowing exactly how long they’ll last. Before any first date, a magical note appears with her date’s first name and a length of time, how long the relationship is destined to last. Until one day she receives a note with just a name and no expiration date.

I was hooked by this concept and so eager to pick up the novel. But unfortunately, I felt like the execution fell a bit flat.

Daphne, and the supporting cast of characters, all read as very one-dimensional. I struggled to connect with Daphne and I often found myself rolling my eyes as she would tell others, men in particular, that she “wasn’t like other girls” while having no personality traits behind it.

The book is short, under 300 pages, and a quick read. But I felt like where I wanted character development and relationship building in a novel that should be centered around the relationships, I would get paragraph upon paragraph that felt like they could be ripped out of a Los Angeles travel guide. I’ve never been to LA, but I don’t need a two paragraph explanation of what The Grove is. The lack of character development in lieu of a focus on random overly-detailed and repetitive descriptions of settings, outfits, food, and drinks made the novel feel elementary and boring despite having such a great concept.

Perhaps because of the lack of character development I felt like none of the characters had any chemistry. The primary relationship of the novel felt shallow and to be composed solely of small talk that felt as dull to read as a mediocre first date is to sit through.

There is a giant plot twist halfway through the novel. But to me, it didn’t feel earned and the character’s behavior for the first half of the book really does not make sense when it is revealed. If anything it made me actively dislike the MC and find her to be cruel hearted.

Overall, I think this novel had the potential to be great, unique, and strike a perfect blend between being lighthearted but it fell short and flat for me. However, if you’re looking for a short, sweet, and quick read with a touch of magical realism, this may be a great option for you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle in exchange for a honest and fair review.

This is my third book by Rebecca Serle and as always, I really enjoyed it! I love how Serle intertwines women's fiction with magical realism in a way that leaves readers totally immersed in the story.. I thought this one would be a light, fluffy romance but boy was I wrong...this book was so much more than that!