Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Rebecca Serle's utterly perfect new novel, Expiration Dates. This is the first book in ages that had me laughing out loud, crying sad and happy tears, and feeling all the feels. I'm already having withdrawal that it's over.

Daphne's love life has always been mapped out for her by a series of unexplainable notes that accurately predicted the name of the next person that she would date and the length of time the relationship would last. It saved her from a lot of potential heartbreak but it also took away the spontaneity and the real feelings that could have developed.... until she gets a paper that says "Jake" without any time limits. Is Jake meant to be her forever, or is it time for Daphne to decide her own destiny?

I was already a huge fan of Rebecca Serle's novels and this is easily her best one yet.

This was fine. I enjoyed it more than Serle's previous book, but not as much as In Five Years. The reveal came a bit too late and I didn't love the pacing.

Another fabulous novel that pulls you in from the first page. This author is talented on waving the past and present to draw the reader further into the story. This book does not disappoint and brings the reader along for the journey with plenty of turns to keep us on our toes never delivering the expected! Great, engaging read!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

⏳Book Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle 💛

3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for this book!

Okay, I love Serle’s writing but the ending is what made this book drop stars for me. I loved the premise and story telling and the setting but I don’t love books that leave too much to the imagination at the end. I want the author to tell me what happened and Serle did not do that. This is a short book (272 pages) and I loved how much was packed into those pages with character building and attached you became to the story. I will definitely keep reading books by this author because I’m left thinking about the book for quite some time.

I'm a Rebecca Serle completist, I adore how her novels all play with magical realism in such wonderful ways. Expiration dates lived up to the high expectations I had for it! I loved reading Jake and Daphne's story and watching how Daphne came to terms with not having Jake's 'expiration date' was heart breaking, moving, but mainly life affirming!

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of EXPIRATION DATES by Rebecca Serle from a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Rebecca Serle has done it again - taking readers on a journey of love, connections and emotional devastation. 5/5 for every ounce of perspective and love.

I love a book that hooks me instantly. That being said, I do wish this one was a little bit shorter. I started losing interest midway through and questioning why some of the stories were necessary. Overall I really enjoyed the premise, the characters, and lessons.

Thank you NetGalley & Atria for sending this book for review consideration.

I was so excited to read Rebecca Serle's newest novel as I know it's a hot commodity here on Netgalley! She delivers another "easy breezy beautiful CoverGirl" kind of modern romance — with a twist. I liked that this was fast paced and easy to read. Serle paced the novel incredibly well, and the short chapters kept me interested as the book alternated between main character Daphne's past and present. All her life, Daphne has received notes with the names of the men she dates and an expiration date for the relationship. At the beginning of the novel, she meets Jake — and his note just has his name and no date. Of course, it seems simple, but Daphne also has her long-standing relationship with her ex-boyfriend and best friend Hugo in the mix; he's the only one who knows the truth about Daphne's notes.

While this was enjoyable, I found some of it frustrating. Daphne's lack of ambition was frustrating; she has a fancy job working for a Hollywood film director who seems obsessed with her, but she doesn't seem to work that hard or be that interested in advancing her career. She also doesn't really have any interests, aside from drinking tequila sodas and the boys she dates. I like the touches of Jewish culture and tradition in the book and how Daphne's Judaism was part of her identity. Beyond that, however, I didn't get a real specific sense of her, and I wanted her to be a little more motivated. She seems mostly motivated to date and find the next guy who adores her — that might be in part because the novel is framed around her relationships, but I found her boy craziness tiring.

The novel also reveals something major about Daphne 60% of the way through — and it's maudlin. I didn't think this big twist added much, other than to make the book's message about finding love and acceptance for who you truly are a bit overwrought and on the nose.

I enjoy Rebecca Serle's adult romances, and I'm sure I'll keep reading them. I liked this book. I was in the mood for an easy, breezy read, and the high concept was interesting.

This is very much a 3.5 rounded up. While I did love these characters, I felt very detached from them. Perhaps that was intentional for our MC during the first half, her keeping us at a distance as she does with her romantic interests. That aspect, well done. But I felt that way with ALL of the characters throughout the entire book, so it kept me as the reader at a distance for too long.

Daphne received a slip of paper at the beginning of every relationship, letting her know how long this one will last. It’s been occurring her entire life. When she finally receives that piece of paper seemingly promising forever, she trusts it. Even though she has her doubts.

I think this story had a lot of potential and I did love the premise, but the execution left me wanting. It didn’t tug at my heartstrings the way I hoped, but I still did enjoy the read.

I would recommend if you want: hidden secrets/a light, easy, quick read

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

I will read anything Rebecca Serle writes. I love the way that she plays with magical realism and leaves the reader with something unexpected, always. Expiration Dates is no exception and it was a really lovely delve into the most traditional love story we’ve gotten from Serle yet.

Daphne Bell has an unusual little helper when it comes to dating - when she meets a new person a paper pops up to tell her how long the relationship will last. Until one day she meets Jake and the paper is blank. This is a story of what it means to follow your heart, fate, and how much in life we can control.

I really enjoyed this read and flew through it - I found myself rooting for Daphne and her happy ending, whatever that may be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC - Expiration Dates is out 3/19/24.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have been a fan of Rebecca Serle since the beginning. I was really excited to get the chance to read her newest book before it’s released to the wild.

This book did not disappoint. From the jump it was an interesting premise - I was hooked.

Definitely a fun beach read!

Expiration Dates gets 4 stars for me for the tension/suspense I had reading this unique story. Daphne gets a note every time she meets a love interest with their name and a time frame on it. Some last a night some last longer. Will Daphne ever find love?

Gahhhh - this book had a lot of good moments but a few frustrating moments too. I don't like to spoil books with a review - but the book has maybe an implied HEA - to me it felt more ambiguous/open ended which sometimes I struggle with. There's a few twists in there that left me flustered. I also at a few times struggled with points of time - the chapters would change and It'd take me a bit to realize it wasn't present time.

All that said, I was interested in the story line and felt that way until the very end - so job well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy. These opinions are my own.

Many thanks to @bookclubfavorites, @atriabooks, and @netgalley for my #gifted copies.

This was a unique book that I absolutely adored. It's a fast and easy read with short chapters, and before I knew it I was finished.

Daphne, is still waiting for "the one" at 33. She has a very unique secret. All her life she has been receiving notes that tell her the guys name she is going date next and how long the relationship will last.... Until she gets a note with the name, but this one is missing the time frame. Will this finally be the one? There were quite a few unexpected twists in the book, that definitely took me by suprise. Every once in a while I'm in the mood for a good romance novel, and this one definitely did it for me. I will be reading all Rebecca Serle's books now! 4.5 stars!

Such an interesting concept. Daphne receives a piece of paper at the start of every relationship with the length of time the coupling will last. When she receives a paper with only Jake written with no expiration date, she knows she has found her soulmate. But, is everything as fated as it seems, or do the papers keep her detached, already knowing the end of the story before it even begins? I enjoyed Serle's other novels and would read anything she writes in the future given the chance.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I. Loved. This. Book! I discovered Rebecca Serle’s delightful writing style when I read One Italian Summer and she has done it again with Expiration Dates!
This book is about Daphne, who receives a written message for each ofher relationships telling her how long it will last. But when she receives a message with a name but no time frame, does that mean she has met her soul mate?
Expiration Dates was so fun and had some plot twists that really surprised me. I loved these characters and, similarly to One Italian Summer, Serle has written the setting of Los Angeles in such a way that you feel like you are there.
I highly recommend this book to romance lovers and lovers of good writing! Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley, as well as Rebecca Serle, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pros: I have read all of Rebecca Serle's books for adults, and Expiration Dates has taken over from In Five Years as my favorite! I appreciate that her books often have an element of magical realism and really liked the premise in this book of the main character knowing how long each of her romantic relationships would last before the relationships began. I also appreciate that her books are often under 300 pages because they are the types of books I want to read in one sitting. My favorite thing about this book was that the plot surprised me several times (I can't say more because of spoilers), and I love when a book does that.

Cons: None that I can think of. I usually think of contemporary romances as books that are fun to read but I won't remember, but I think I will remember this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book.

4+ stars

Oh, my! Expiration Dates, by Rebecca Serle, is definitely an emotional read. If you are up for that kind of story, then I recommend this one. This is not the first of Serle's novels that I have read and it will not be the last. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook to read and review.

The last time I read a Rebecca Serle book, I finished it in a day and sobbed myself to sleep. History is repeating itself again. It’s a good pain knowing you’ve read something wonderful and you’ve gone on an amazing journey. If you’re good with a very emotional read, I’d recommend this one immediately.