Rebecca Serle sure knows how to write romance! This story was cute, wholesome, but will also pull at your heartstrings. I am often critical of romance novels for having too much comedy and not enough realism, but this is one story I really enjoyed, despite there being a touch of magical realism.

This story had an interesting concept: the main female character receives random letters for each relationship, stating how long each of those relationships will last. One day, however, she receives a letter with the man's name, but no timeline.

There were a few twists and turns in the story. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but that's just me being picky. Will I remember this book forever and ever more? Probably not, but this love story is on the shorter side, can be read quickly, and will still give you all the feels.

Those who enjoyed The Measure would likely appreciate this one too!

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing will ever come close to In Five Years for me, but this one is probably my second favorite of Serle’s, with a fascinating premise to boost that will have you questioning fate versus our own expectations and their intermingling role in our lives, relationship, and choices.

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Daphne Bell has received a postcard with a man’s name on it and a timeline of how long her relationship with him will last since her very first relationship. When she receives one with a name and no end date, she believes she’s finally found the one. And it will force her to look at her life, her choices, and her own role in her destiny in ways she never has, as she decides how much faith to place in a little piece of paper amidst her feels, ongoing personal and health issues, and complicated relationship with ex-boyfriend and bestfriend, Hugo.

3.5 Stars for Expiration Dates.
If You like books with friends as lovers, second chance romances and just overall a good romance book this one was a good choice! This author brings you in from page one and definitely captures your attention. The writing was written well and the characters were enjoyable to read. Not too much spice but thats totally ok! Its a book that will have you questioning certain things.

I liked but didn’t love this book. In fact, it’s a couple days later and I don’t remember the characters names. I know a lot of people loved this book though, it just wasn’t the right “bottle of wine” (thinking of books as a wine library) for me at the time!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really starting to enjoy the whimsy of magical realism. I love how anonymous notes show up and it's just a little magical gift that we accept as readers. This story was so cute and fun to immerse myself in for the day it took to read. It was great to get to know Daphne and follow along with her relationship with Jake while peeking back to previous men in her life.

Rebecca Serle delivers a poignant book about hope, love and acceptance, which hit too close to home. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read her other ones!

I was super intrigued by the premise of this one- I love a touch of magical realism in contemporaries, and Rebecca Serle usually integrates magical realism so well into her romances.

This protagonist in this story receives a slip of paper with an amount of time whenever she begins dating someone, which will determine how long the relationship lasts. This inevitably leads to questions about what is fate vs what is a self-fulfilling prophecy, etc. I was interested in settling into the flashes of Daphne’s past and seeing the snippets of her past relationships and how they ended juxtaposed against her current relationship, the first to NOT have an “expiration date” on the paper she receives.

However, in what I am coming to learn is a bit of a Rebecca Serle book habit, the story unveiled a rather heart-wrenching twist. I was also caught off guard this way when reading In Five Years, and I’m starting to think it’s a signature style of hers. While it definitely lends gravity to the story, I definitely didn’t see the twist coming and it found like such a big, shocking omission from the protagonist for so long that I had a hard time connecting with her throughout the rest of the novel.

I did love the Los Angeles setting of the novel, and you can tell Rebecca has an intimate knowledge of the city. Rather than a romance, I felt much more like I was reading a contemporary novel set in the sprawling urban paradise (which is not a bad thing!) and Serle’s writing, as always, is easily digestible yet still poignant. However, I think I prefer more of a traditional HEA when it comes to my romances.

This is the second book I've read by Rebecca Serle and I enjoyed it just as much as "One Italian Summer", if not maybe more. I still have "In Five Years" on my shelf calling for me to read as well! Reading Expiration Dates might have given me the push to move it up on my TBR! I balanced both reading the e-book as well as listening to it on audiobook format. The audio was performed impeccably by the wonderful Julia Whelan. I've yet to listen to an audiobook that she narrates that I don't enjoy. "Expiration Dates" revolves around the main character, Daphne, who receives notes from the universe telling her how long each of her relationships will last. Until there is finally the night of a blind date with a truely remarkable man, Jake, who could truly fall for. The note reveals no number....it's just blank. So what does that mean for Daphne? Is this the forever love relationship? There are twists and turns in their relationship and the story which leaves you surprised and wondering what would happen next. The sweet touch of magical realism was fun, it made me think...what would I do with these notes? Would I open them up, would I really want to know the end date? The ending of this book was emotional, passionate, yet heartbreaking too. I really enjoyed it and it went quickly! Well done Rebecca Serle!

Omg Wow I ended up listening to the audiobook from my library. Loved the narration but the story itself was just stunning. I loved the subtle magical realism in the book. My only wish would have been that we got more of a clear answer as to how or why with the expiration notes.

I had a feeling the couple would need a redo and I loved that we got that second chance romance and sort of friends to lovers trope as well.

I really liked the setting and both characters. The story flowed effortlessly and there was never any down or boring parts.

I've been a fan ever since I read In Five Years, but this one just wasn't my favorite. I absolutely love magical realism and was very intrigued by the premise of this book! In the end, I wanted more answers regarding the notes that Daphne was receiving. Who were they coming from and why? But on the other hand, maybe the beauty is in not knowing. I won't give anything away, but I do want to add that the twist took away from the focus of the book for me.

It was hard at times to find someone to root for because I just couldn't feel any chemistry between Daphne and her love interests. I will say that I did enjoy Daphne's character and her inner monologue! It felt very relatable to me. I loved the descriptions of LA and it made me feel as if I was there myself!

Thank you to Atria Books, Rebecca Serle, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Cute story. Something I'm sure all of us wish we knew... how long a relationship would last. Kind of wish it was chronological instead of jumping back and forth within her timeline.

Ever since I’ve read In five years I’ve been looking forward to RS novels. One Italian summer did not quite hit the mark but this one I loved! It gave me more In five years vibes and I was hooked. I was so invested that at some point I had no idea where the story was heading and how it was going to play out! So I was completely blind sided by the reveal at the end. Truly enjoyed this!

Someone remind me to never ever ever skip a Rebecca Serle book. If I do I am only doing a disservice to myself. Thats all. read the book. it was good.

This book was good, but I found the twists (while slightly unexpected) to be fairly manipulative. I didn’t love this as much as some of her later novels, and I’m annoyed that it ended where it did. I did enjoy the main characters and thier relationships.

Thanks to the publisher and author for the wary copy of the book!

Expiration Dates

“Learning to be broken is learning to be whole.”

Such an interesting premise! Daphne starts every relationship in her life by receiving a mysterious paper - a name and a time period. This tells her how long she will be with each man. Until suddenly one arrives with no time, just a name. A name of a seemingly perfect guy.

I did not see the two twists coming and one of them seemed to take the book on a significantly darker turn than I was expecting. If you’re looking for a cute and light hearted romance, this one has more depth than that. It will make you think though.

Expiration Dates
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Rebecca Serle

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. 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.

My Thoughts: The premise of the book intrigued me. However, I don’t think the book reached its full potential. That is not to say that this was a bad book, quite the opposite, I really enjoyed reading it. Daphne has believed that the universal has a plan for her. Every guy she has ever dated, a note shows up shortly before the relationship begins with the time that she will be with him. This note has always been spot on true. She does not know how or why these notes show up. So when she gets the latest one for Jake, it only has his name with no date span. She presumably believes that he is the one that she will spend the rest of her life with. When Daphne starts to doubt the paper when the relationship with Jake doesn’t progress as she expects, does her whole universe begin to crumble? This follows a mixed trope, women’s lit with magical realism and a sprinkle of romance.

The story is narrated by Daphne in her POV. The characters were well developed, witty banter, chemistry (in other ways), engaging, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, unique, slight humor, and kept me invested in the storyline. I love how Serle does the flow of her books, the plot is not circled around a romance, but is still heartfelt. i felt a lot of emotions reading through this story, from happiness, to sadness, and even silent yelling at the characters for their behaviors and choices. Daphne had a tremendous amount of growth throughout the story. Her self-discovery, relationships with other women, her relationships with business colleagues, and her acceptance of life as it is was just embracing and pulled me on this emotional rollercoaster reading journey that no other book has been able to do recently.

While I wanted more, this was still a beautifully written story that touched my heart. I really love the message that this story sends. To take control of your life and don’t allow circumstances dictate your life. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.

Expiration Dates is a beautiful book that is hard to put down!

Little pieces of paper have let Daphne know her entire dating life of when, exactly, each relationship will end. Until one day, she receives one without a date. What does that mean? Is this THE ONE?

I loved the glimpses back to Daphnes previous relationships, and lessons she learned along the way. As the story progresses, we also learn more about her family history and hers.

If the universe put an expiration date on your relationship, how would you treat it?

This was a very thought provoking and heart warming story that I truly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 05 March 2024

EXPIRATION DATES is beautifully written, enchanting, heartwarming, and magically realism-infused. The author's winning style hooks you from beginning to end.

✨Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (Out Now)✨
My favorite of Serle’s yet! This book was such a quick read thanks to the intriguing plot and short chapters. I thought the premise of knowing how long each of your relationships was going to last was so interesting and unique. This was a perfect light read for summer!