4.5 stars [Loved it]

This was such a good read. Such a unique and fun storyline. I absolutely loved the main characters, especially BFF Hugo. I felt like the execution of the book could have been a bit better but overall I really loved this book. Highly recommend checking this one out when it comes out [March 5, 2024].

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️
Another heartfelt book by Rebecca Serle! I was able to fully invest myself in this story since there was only a minimal sense of magical fantasy. Cried, laughed, and my heart felt whole by the end. Loved the messages that it brought home while also being entertained for the whole book. Absolutely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Serle, and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to review this ahead of its publication date!

Expiration Dates is a heartwarming romance novel that explores the concept of destiny and love. The story revolves around Daphne, a woman who believes that the universe has a plan for her love life. Daphne has a secret, as a matter of fact she has two secrets. One of her secrets is that whenever she meets a new man to date, she receives a mysterious slip of paper with his name and the exact time that their relationship will last. The narrative unfolds by weaving between the past and present. In the past, we gain insight into Daphne's previous relationships, allowing a deeper understanding of her journey and more about who she is as a person and her struggles. In the present, we are introduced to Hugo, her ex-turned-best friend, who she maintains a close relationship with. As a matter of fact, Hugo is the only person she's dated who knows both her secrets. Everything takes an interesting turn when Daphne goes on a blind date with Jake, a man for whom the slip of paper provides only his name and no timeframe. As the story between Daphne and Jake unfolds, Daphne begins to doubt the prediction given on that piece of paper and questions her true fate.

The story skillfully explores the themes of fate, love, and self-discovery. The narrative's back-and-forth between past and present helped me to connect with Daphne's character and understand her growth and choices throughout the story. I was fully invested in the outcome of Daphne's choices. Rebecca Serle has a knack for fully immersing the reader in the setting, no matter where the story is located. Expiration Dates is no different and I loved all the specific details in LA. LA is one of my favorite cities and for a few hours I felt like I was transported there. The exploration of whether destiny truly governs our love lives adds depth to the plot and kept me hoping that in the end Daphne would get her happy ever after. This story begs the question is life destiny, choices, or a combination of both?

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have not read anything by this author before and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was very smooth and I could follow along easily. The characters were likeable and the plot was unique. I thought at the 60% mark that I knew how the stoy would end, but I was wrong. I liked how it ended though! If you're looking for a quick, drama-filled but fun book, this is it!

I really enjoyed Expiration Dates, but it was a really short book. I loved the characters and story-line, but it could have been so much more. It ended so abruptly I was disappointed. I’ve read all of Rebecca Serles books and they’re all good, and so is this one!

Rebecca Serle is one of my favorite authors that incorporates magical realism in all of her novels. Expiration Dates is her latest story, in it we meet Daphne. Every time that Daphne meets a man, she receives a slip of paper (a sort of surprise gift from the universe written on a receipt or a parking ticket for example.) The slip of paper has the man's name and a number. The number is the exact time that they will be together. It may be a few days, weeks or even months.

Daphne gets set up on a blind date by a friend and meets Jake. This time something different happens....the paper only lists Jake's name....no number is attached.

That is as much of that plot that I wish to divulge. There are twists and turns coming that I don't want to give away. You must read this for yourself!

I loved this unique story; it was such an interesting and original concept. The characters are well written This was the perfect palate cleanser of a book, both interesting and a fast read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

Very sweet and heartwarming story! There were a few twists thrown in that I didn't expect, and the ending was unexpected as well, which was actually very satisfying. Rebecca Serle continues to be a favorite of mine!

Absolutely LOVEDDDD this book!! I thought I knew where this book was going, and then I was completely surprised with the plot twists. Truly was completely caught off guard, which I love when reading books.
I adored Jake and his character. Although him and Daphne don't end up together, I loved the maturity and the security of his character. Truly hope everyone finds a man as loving, caring and kind as Jake because he really was a good man. He knew what he wanted. He spoke his mind, was open, communicative, and caring. Honestly, such an A+ man.
I loved Daphne finding herself and finally coming to terms with her life and finally being free.
Such an amazing read, 100% recommend

I have been a fan of books by Rebecca Serle, particularly her early books, and was grateful to get an advance copy of her new book from NetGalley. I loved the premise - whenever the narrator Daphne starts a new romance, she receives a note with advance warning of how long it will last. When she starts dating Jake, there is no end date, no expiration date, on her note, so this romance sounds like the one "for keeps". We get a peek into her past romances and why each ended - loved all of this. Unfortunately the story shifted about midway when there is a big reveal by Daphne, something that shifted the tone and plot of the book, that put me off from the fun ride it had been to that point. I enjoyed the book, enjoyed the writing, just not as satisfying as I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I mostly enjoyed this one. While the book was warm and beautiful, I wish there was more explanation on things and I felt like it was all cut a little short.

Daphne has always known exactly how long each of her relationships will last. The universe delivers to her a piece of paper at the start of each new relationship detailing the name of the new love interest and the exact amount of time they will spend together. So is Daphne open to exploring love in each of these relationships or is she simply biding her time until the expiration date?

When Daphne meets Jake for a blind date, she finally receives a paper with no date on it. Is Jake the one? And if he is, can she tell him the whole truth? As time goes on, Daphne wonders if her fate is really tied to Jake for the rest of her life.

This book explores what it means to be single and part of a couple, what it means to be independent and truthful, and how all of those things change as life goes on. I liked this book, but I was about halfway through before it really got interesting. It's not my favorite Rebecca Serle book, but if you believe in love, true love, and the journey it takes to get there, you will enjoy it.

I really liked this one! Fun and def great for springtime/summer vacation reading this little romance with a bit of fantastical element is a delight. Daphne is single and the plot Serle weaves in order for love to come her way, and stay, is a unique one. I liked the deeper meaning of finding ones self and identity, with or without love connections.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 05 March 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Throughout her life Daphne sporadically receives notes which contain the name of the next man she'll date and how many days / weeks / months that relationship will last. One day she receives a note that just says "Jake" with no time period defined which leads Daphne to believe this man must be her forever person.

WHAT I LIKED:
- core themes that I think a lot of people will relate too (uncertainty in relationships, inevitability of morality and living with hope)
- this author is really good at writing contemporary romances sprinkled with light magical realism
- such an interesting premise for a story

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- too much page time was dedicated to relationships that ultimately didn't matter (I wanted more with the main love interest to understand why he was a good fit for her & make me root for them)
- introducing a serious medical condition more than halfway through the book felt like a copout (also this particular health condition is especially triggering for me)
- the ending felt really abrupt & unfinished
- the romance(s) felt overshadowed by the health condition

This one was a DNF for me. I'm sorry. I got 100 pages in and was just struggling.

There are a lot of good things. For instance, I love this idea of someone getting love notes for suitors. I love the premise. The characters are relatable. I loved that.

I feel like this wasn't cohesive enough for me. There were holes that I needed to be filled in for me. Perhaps if I had continued on those would be filled - but I have too many books on my TBR to struggle through a book that just isn't for me.

I will still continue to read what Rebecca Serle writes. She's a great author - this one was just a miss for this girl!

Entertaining read, but found the romance plotline to be predictable. I liked the characters, but overall found the plot to be underwhelming and didn't feel an emotional pull. The magical realism element was fun.

I thought the concept for this book was very intriguing. However, the execution of it fell rather flat. The character development was lacking and the pacing was slow. I do appreciate being given the opportunity to read an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I absolutely adored this book. It had a unique twist in it that immediately hooked my attention in addition to the fact that it's written by Rebecca Serle. I fell in love with her writing after In Five Years came out and I eagerly await every novel since. The development of the main character was done perfectly and I truly loved rooting for Daphne to be happy. Love is complicated and it's messy. Everyone is always trying to find their person, even when they say they are not looking. In some ways, I wish I had a note telling me expiration dates of relationships. However, the truth of love is that we are in control of our destiny and Serle captured that idea perfectly. The twists and turns within the book kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down until I had finished the last page. You can't ask for anything more than that from a book!

Thank you for the ARC! I am eagerly awaiting having this book on my shelves.

This was my 2nd book by Rebecca Serle and while I didn’t love One Italian Summer, the premise of this book sounded really interesting and it was until it wasn’t.

Spoilers ahead:

I loved how this book started out and the notes with the amount of time you spend with someone. I was rooting for Hugo from the jump and I think that just sticking to the notes and finally ignoring them could have been enough of a story since ultimately that’s what ended up happening. I think that throwing the heart issue in in the middle of the story ruined the book for me. You are dating someone who lost a spouse to illness, but are letting him fall for you without telling him you have a life threatening disease…it just felt wrong. I think that this was a totally unnecessary addition to the story and the same ending outcome could have occurred without it. Speaking of the ending, it felt so rushed and I wanted more. I’m giving this 3 stars simply because I enjoyed the book without the medical issue and the ending was mostly what I was hoping for. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Rebecca Serle easily became one of my favorite authors and once again, she knocks it out of the park with EXPIRATION DATES. I always admire how much depth and beauty there is to her stories and writing, how captivating they are with such profound messages with a dash of magical realism. Her writing has a way of tugging at my heart strings... making me laugh and smile in one moment and crying the next.

Seeing Daphne know exactly how long her next relationship will last and with who based on a piece a paper that magically appears, she has the advantage of having armor around herself to prevent her from being completely heartbroken. As nice and helpful as that would be for anyone, Daphne realizes that that protection is what ends up limiting her (along with something else I will not spoil). That what makes relationships so beautiful, the fact that no one has no idea how it's going to turn out and for how long and still deciding to risk it all. Sometimes playing it safe is what ends up hurting us in the end. I would like to know the meaning of why Hugo's card appeared later than all the others.

I loved getting to see all the beginnings and ends to Daphne's romantic relationships and the different personalities of the partners and the lessons learned from each. I devoured EXPIRATION DATES as quickly as I could while the whole time thinking to myself, "this is so good, I never want to be done with this book." But the ending was so, so worth it. I look forward to whatever the author decides to grants us with next... I'm just praying I can wait that long!

Much gratitude to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you're love romance books but want something different, read Expiration Dates. You don't even need me to write anything else to convince you to read this, just trust me on this. Pick this book up and read it. I went into this completely blind and my mind is completely blown. Serle is brilliant. The story jumps from Daphne in the present day to Daphne's relationships in the past. As each relationship is told, you get a bit more of Daphne. A bit more of why she is the way she is. This was so beautifully and smartly written, the language used, the characters, just everything. It was emotionally heavy and real, while still being cute and funny. Daphne was such a relatable FMC, not just in her romantic life but in her everyday struggles. And, man, the way Serle writes her characters to say I love you without actually SAYING "I love you". Ugh. My freaking heart. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rebecca Serle for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!