I am so disappointed. I was really excited for this book; the premise is entirely unique and I couldn’t wait to jump in and figure out what was behind the mysterious notes Daphne receives and how she allows them to shape her life (or not)! And…it just wasn’t that. The expiration date notes have almost nothing to do with the plot, somehow?? The notes are kind of just in the background, they are not a main focus and neither Daphne nor the book ever seem to really question where they’re coming from or try to mess with them, which to me felt like a missed opportunity to write something new and exciting. Instead we just follow Daphne as she plods through life, generally letting outside forces control where she ends up (even at the end when it comes to her new role at work! She has zero agency!) I didn’t feel connected to Daphne at all; much of the book is dedicated to descriptions of her outfits, her meals, and the city of Los Angeles. The writing was heavy and borderline beautiful at times, but shallow and empty at other times.

In one phase, I’d describe this book as a (massive) missed opportunity. It’s sad because now this premise has been used (read: wasted) so nobody else can do it justice. Ugh. I’m just disappointed. I wanted this to be so much more than it was.

3/5 stars. Can’t believe this.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to netGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Rebecca Serle is one of my favorite authors and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Daphne is a young Hollywood producer with a weird dating quirk – every time she meets a man, she finds a piece of paper with his name, any time frame, which indicates the length of their relationship. But before her first date with Jake, she finds a piece of paper with just his name, and no expiration date. What does this mean? Is he the one?

Serle’s lovable characters in Expiration Dates keeps the readers engaged and makes this book a fast, addictive read and sparks thoughts on our own relationships and how they might have been different had we known how long they were to last.

I really enjoyed the latest from Rebecca Serle. It spurred interesting philosophical debates for me on how much control we have in our own choices vs. a predestined future. It's one of the things I enjoy most about her books is that they get into deeper internal thoughts for me. I really loved Hugo-he was my favorite character in the book. Overall, one I'd recommend to many people.

This one had me hooked from the very beginning! The premise of the book was very promising, and I loved that it jumped timelines to keep you hooked. I wish we had a little bit better understanding of the notes themselves, where they came from, why she was getting them, etc. However, I think Daphne’s realization at the end when it came to the notes was a very nice resolution. The ending was slightly predictable, but it fit nicely and I wasn’t disappointed in it one bit! I would have liked some more character development from Hugo, or to see how he changed over the five years apart from Daphne. Plus, maybe some resolution for Jake because I genuinely did like him a lot.

Otherwise, this was a cute, quick read that I couldn’t put down. The perfect amount of twists and turns to keep you interested throughout.

* An ARC was provided by the author and publisher on NetGalley for an honest review

A touching story of the loves with expiration dates of a woman. Told in two timelines, it relates her current love set against the experiences with others. It is a time of acknowledgement of her life and her limitations. Deep and often heartbreaking.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a quick read. I am tired of really long books that don't need to be so wordy, so I was grateful it wasn't longer. The main premise is a woman receives a note for each romantic partner that tells her when that relationship will end. The novel cuts between past and present reviewing past relationships and focusing on her current relationship, which she perceives to be "the one" because there is no end date on the paper. There is a plot twist midway, which I wasn't expecting. That said, I don't know it needed to be a surprise. The ending was a bit predictable, but felt right. If you liked the Measure, by Nikki Erlick, this grapples with some of those some fundamental questions. What do you do if your fate is predetermined and how does that change your life?

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.