Reading the promotion blurb convinced me to try this novel by an author I had never read before. It sounded like fun!

This story was like a kaleidoscope. You anticipate pretty colors, patterns and designs to ooh and ahh to. Then you discover the kaleidoscope is broken. And while the colors are very pretty, the pieces just never mesh into anything lovely enough to hold your interest. The author can write, and there are some funny bits between some characters, but hard as I tired, I couldn't get the kaleidoscope to turn into a beautiful motif.

The storyline is unique; beginning at a young age, Daphne receives pieces of paper stating a boy's name and a timeline (three weeks, six months, etc.). Girl meets boy, relationship lasts the allotted time, girl dumps boy. Repeat. This describes the first half of the book. The main characters are enjoyable but slight. I never felt like I really got to know any of them in depth, just a surface skim.

Second half picks up a bit. A relationship with one guy ends on schedule, but this time Daphne remain friends with him, and they are still in each other's lives. Then there is a life shattering secret revealed, and it changes the readers perception of the whole dating thing. A little. Again, the colors are mesmerizing but never meld into a cohesive shape.

Some of the chapters are specific to one man and the weeks he was given. Then we never hear about them again. They didn't seem to serve a purpose to the overall story. Just pretty pieces of cracked glass.

The ending was very unsatisfying. You could see it coming a mile away, plus (stop reading here if you don't want any spoilers) there is never any explanation of the notes. Who sends them? Why was she getting them? Will they ever stop? None of these questions are answered, even vaguely. Never play with a broken kaleidoscope, it's frustrating and unsatisfying, despite the initial pretty colors.

⭐: 3.7/5

Compared to In Five Years (written by this author), this could have been better. The beginning of this book was so boring and stretched out unnecessarily. I was getting impatient to get to the main plot. Also, reading this book felt like I was reading Daphne’s personal journal with random thoughts here and there and I don’t know if that was the goal. It just felt confusing at times as to what I was reading. Many times I went back to the beginning of that particular chapter to read it again because I didn’t understand what was going on. Sometimes I was confused as to whether the memory Daphne talked about was from her past or the present.

I love this book’s storyline but the execution was not up to the mark. The last couple of chapters were the best to read. Another thing worth mentioning is that I loved that twist at the end! I never expected a twist like that!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rebecca is such a talent. I loved this book right along with the others of hers I've read. Highly recommend this book!

Where to start??? The plot was mind blowing and I was HOOKED from the get-go!

What would you do if you received a slip of paper with a name and the length of the relationship? I. Can. Not!! Daphne’s struggle to navigate these relationships are next level and this book DEF points to the power of the mind! Because one of those pieces of paper may have been tampered with…

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN…

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Expiration Dates!!

With no preconceived notions of Expiration Dates save for a brief summary, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. And I loved it. Completely. From the beginning, I found myself intrigued by the plot premise and as I flipped through the first pages, I became more and more eager to grow in curiosity. It has just the right amount of mystery that pulled me in. Author Rebecca Serle writes with such compelling, well-written language that further propels me into her story, like, I needed to know what was going to happen. The only thing is that this booth felt a tad short, but only because I wanted more content and didn't want to hit that last page.

CW: Chronic illness, Death of a spouse

Rebecca Serle never disappoints! This book had me invested from the very beginning. I could not resist the opportunity to finish in one sitting. I really enjoyed the structure of the plot and characters! This novel definitely hit all of the right emotions. One of my favorites.

The premise of this book was very interesting. I enjoyed Daphne's quirky character. The execution was okay. It did not quite live up to my expectations.

Other than In Five Years, which I loved, I always have mixed feelings about the author's books. The plots are unique, and the characters are multi- dimensional, but some how the middle drags. Too much of the same thing. However, I do enjoy and will continue to read her books.

I loved the premise of this book and went in hoping to love every chapter and I did!! This was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint. I loved the idea of a random piece of paper with a name and number of weeks she’d be with someone. Until one day there wasn’t a number. The numbers were never wrong. I good magical love story ❤️

rebecca the woman that you are.

this writing is beautiful. truly enthralling and had me hanging onto every word. as for the story itself, i loved the idea of an almost life long romance- my favorite. she weaves this story so effortlessly and i enjoyed watching these characters slowly find themselves as well as fall in love with each other

This was one of the most unique ideas for a romance I've heard of, but it fell a little flat for me. It was a short book and read quickly, but I wanted a bit more. I wanted more of her story and more about these notes she was receiving. I also didn't love the ending sadly.

I do think people will enjoy this. The authors writing is great and funny, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

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

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. The weakest part for me was actually the premise founded in magical realism - the notes Daphne received telling her the names and timelines of her relationships. There was no explanation and it appeared to be the sole element of magic.
I did enjoy the characters, particularly Kendra and Daphne's parents and boss. and their relationships. I also appreciated the twist mid-story and how it factored into the theme of the book.

3.5 stars

Wow what a masterpiece!! This one is similar to Rebecca’s other book, one Italian summer, in that magic realism is apart of the story. I loved the journey this book took me on. The message I got from the book was to make sure you live your life to the fullest.

I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t initially interested in reading this book, because the concept of knowing your the timeline or “expiration dates” of your relationships is not something I was intrigued by. Much to similar to the question, do you want to know the day you are going to die? The answer is absolutely not because you won’t live the same.

After reading a review by one of my favorite avid readers I decided to give it a try and it didn’t disappoint. As I suspected, the book has so much more to offer than I anticipated. I would say it took about halfway through the book to really open up, so you can truly understand why Daphne’s character is the way she is. Then, everything suddenly makes sense…

My heart absolutely tore open when she had a conversation with her father about what she should do. As a parent and a caregiver, his statement, “Love is a net” had me sobbing along with him. Although I related more to Daphne’s parents perspective, this story rings true in so many aspects and reminds us all to live life to the fullest! ❤️

A big thank you to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced digital copy of this book. This is well worth the read.

Interesting concept for a book. Little pieces of paper with names and amount of time on them are causally sprinkled into Daphne's life each time she meets a man. Her relationships are predetermined by each piece of paper, telling her how long they will be together. Always knowing when the end of the relationship is coming, Daphne never really gets too attached until one day the slip of paper contains just a name and no amount of time. The story takes off from there, when she meets Jake with no timeline. Does fate or Daphne steer the relationship this time? This book had romance and kept me guessing even though the paper pieces told me what was coming -just like Daphne, I was thrown for a loop.

I loved the concept, storyline, characters, and folding of events in Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle! A great, romantic tale with great twists. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy, all opinions are my own.

I have to say, Rebecca Serle is at the top of her game! I loved Italian Summer which seemed to divide some readers (my mom couldn’t get past the first few chapters!) as well as In Five Years and Serle’s latest should please readers of both or be a nice introduction to her works.

Expiration Dates had an intriguing story that unfolded over each chapter. In true Serle fashion, the description is just the beginning and be ready for a few twists along the way.

And the end note? Phew! It really got me. Thank you Atria Books for an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Serle's previous books, One Italian Summer and In Five Years. Because of this, I was very excited to read her newest, Expiration Dates. I found Expiration Dates to be an enjoyable read but it did not have the same emotional punch for me that the author's previous books had. The first part of the book seemed to rotate around the mysterious papers that arrived, and halfway through, once the heart condition was made known, the papers disappeared from the discussion. In this way, it felt like I was reading two different books.

This book is perfect for those seeking a happy for now romance, with a bit of magic and a couple of twists along the way.

The premise of knowing how long each relationship lasts had me questioning if Daphne really gave each one a solid try, or if the relationship fizzled as predicted simply because her level of effort fit the expectation. That theory was proven over the course of the story.

I have to admit I didn’t care much for Jake. He was nice enough, but the chemistry seemed forced. I really liked Hugo and was rooting for him to make a comeback. The beginning of the story kept alluding to Daphne’s big secret, which led to an unexpected revelation that threw the story in a different direction. Overall, I liked the story and thought it had a really great ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review the book prior to publication.

I love the premise of this book! Having a message from the universe for how long a relationship is going to last would definitely put some dating anxiety at ease.

While I enjoyed getting to know the characters, I didn’t feel the spark between Daphne and Jake from the start. Immediately she clocked his height. I get that, 100%. Jake was an altruistic character, and I would like to have seen justice for him. He really did deserve better after the heartbreaking loss he had already experienced. Even if he did leave her shoes in the closet…

The passion between Daphne and Hugo was evident from the start; however, he was painted as a sort of philandering playboy. I’m not sure what arc would have gotten him to the place of being all in for her. I appreciated that Daphne didn’t run straight back into his arms after letting Jake go.

This was an interesting concept and an overall delightful story! At times I got bogged down in the dating histories and had to pay close attention to the timelines. I definitely saw Hugo coming, but I can’t say I saw the twist that it was him who wrote Jake’s paper. There is a satisfying frustration in not knowing what that piece of paper said….

Thank you to Rebecca Serle and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this book!