This is a hard book to review as typical of this author, it’s not what it seems and has some twists you won’t be prepared for. I like this author’s writing and have read most of her books. Though not my favorite of hers, this is such an interesting story on love and the forms it takes. It’s short and a fast read and I would recommend with the caveat you will walk away with some questions. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARD in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an ARC of Expiration Dates in exchange for an honest review.

All her life, at the beginning of any new relationship, Daphne has received a note in one form or another. The note states her new boyfriend’s name and a length of time—which experience has shown her is the length of time she’s destined to be in that relationship. But as the book opens, Daphne is on uncertain ground, because she about to go on a blind date with Jake, and the paper she received simply says “Jake” with no expiration date for their relationship.

For the first half of Expiration Dates, it felt like a sweet but fairly straightforward story about a woman opening up to the simple but terrifying possibility that, after being a single adult for some time, this new person might be the one. I loved the three main characters (Jake, Daphne, and Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend who’s the only person who Daphne has ever told about the notes). And I spent a fair amount of time trying to cast the movie.** Incredibly relatable, and moving, but hardly groundbreaking or the basis for what the publisher boldly calls “the romance that will define a generation.”

But then, at about the midpoint, you learn Daphne’s other secret. It’s not as shocking as the one Ms. Serle had in store in In Five Years, but it leads to the reader’s first reexamination of those notes and Daphne’s relationship with Jake. And then there’s a second revelation—a genius twist I never saw coming—which leads to another reexamination of the story by both the reader and Daphne. All of which brings you to Daphne’s final series of choices and the ending. I’m not gonna lie. When I hit the last page, I was not happy. But I kept thinking about the ending and by the next day, I accepted it. And after a couple more days (I was still thinking about it), I decided it was not only the right ending but I kinda loved it.

So back to that publisher hype that calls Expiration Dates “the romance that will define a generation.” I laughed and laughed and laughed … until I didn’t. Despite the magical realism, I think a lot of readers will see themselves and their relationships in this story. There’s a core to this story—a woman with a choice to make about love and her future—that does bring to mind generation-defining romances like Casablanca or When Harry Met Sally or, dare I say it, Twilight. And I wanted to pick it back up and read it again almost as soon as I’d finished it. So who knows? Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

** My perfect, Oscar-winning cast:
Daphne: Jennifer Lawrence
Jake: Jeremy Allen White (from Shameless and The Bear
Hugo: Michael B. Jordan

Hollywood, call me. I can have a script for you in six weeks. 😎

This was sort of middle of the road for me but a book I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. I have hit-or-miss feelings about Serle's books. She always has incredibly creative ideas and this book is no exception. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. I think part of my issue is wanting a little more of the magic and the papers. There was an unexpected element around the halfway point I was not anticipating nor do I think was necessary relating to the MC. I did feel that the ending was obvious though not in the way I envisioned so it was still pleasant. I do agree with another reviewer about the chemistry throwing things off. As well as the main intention of this book. However, it was cute and I did enjoy it. The things that bugged me might not matter to another person.

This was a slow start for me but I'm glad I stuck with it. The exposition paid off for me in the end. I really really liked this one — my favorite of Serle's so far. And that declaration of love … swoon.

Most times I hear the phrase, you can run but you can’t hide it’s been in a threatening way. But what if it was used as an eye opening way to look at your life and how something was running it?
A piece of paper used to predict your relationships and how you attach to these men….allowing yourself never to fall in love to never break your heart.
Would you be afraid to move on, throw caution to the wind and make your own love?

A thought provoking look at fate vs self determination

3.75 rounded up to 4

If you knew how long your relationships would last, would you want to know? This book is about Daphne who receives notes before each of her relationships telling her how long it will last. She goes through life with this finite period of time in front of her and plans accordingly. But what if, by living based on these notes, she is making them come true? Has she already met her true love and lost it?

The concept of this was so interesting and a departure from anything else I've read lately. Many thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a big fan of Rebecca Serle's work since I discovered "In Five Years" a few years ago. I could not wait to get my hands on this book, and it absolutely did not disappoint! This story uses magical realism to explore the theme of fate vs. free will as it relates to a young woman's search for romantic love. The main character's journey was relatable and heartwarming (and included a twist that I did not see coming!). Rebecca Serle has a gift for crafting flawed yet lovable characters. This book also has such a rich sense of place to it-- Los Angeles is to Expiration Dates as New York is to In Five Years.

I cannot wait to have a hard copy of this book on my bookshelf come March. I will be recommending this book to all my friends, as well! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to love this book in the worst way possible. I love the idea of it I think it’s so unique but unfortunately, it just didn’t do it for me. I found the characters hard to connect with, and had only surface level relationships. I just felt like I wanted more. I wanted more about her and Hugo, and more about each of their back stories, and maybe even more about her partners she has throughout her life.the concept of it as a whole was great but overall I struggle to finish the book.

This was a clever rom-com incorporating tropes of friends to lovers, do-overs, and a little magical realism. I loved the opposing ideas of meant-to-be and self-determination. The characters are al likeable - people you want to root for!

I really loved the idea and premise of the book. Daphne received notes with the expiration date of her relationship usually on the day it begins. I felt like the book kept a good pace but did start to slow down around the middle. I liked her dog and the setting in LA. I liked her relationship with her parents. I did feel like the chapters went back and forth to the past too often. I feel like it got better towards the end but for the first half of the book, it felt like I couldn’t really get into the present because I kept getting pulled back into the past ever other chapter. I liked the ending and felt like it matched the rest of the storyline well. Overall very cute but felt like it wasn’t quite long enough.

Daphne Bell is not like other girls. Whenever she meets a man, she gets a note, postcard, or letter with the man’s name and a length of time. This is her relationship’s expiration date. She secretly loves that she always knows how much to invest into everyone, but when she gets a letter with just Jake’s name and no length of time, she’s shook up. Is he forever? And if he is, why is she having such a hard time letting him in?
💭Thoughts💭
This book’s premise is so cool and I loved going back to some of Daphne’s previous relationships and having glimpses into them, in addition to the present. Her friendships (Hugo, Irina, and Kendra) added great depth to the novel.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
Daphne’s parents and the conversations she had with them were so lovely and beautiful. I sobbed toward the end when she finally opens up to her dad.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Hugo and Daphne took her dog, Murphy, to the farmers market early on the weekend. Go to your local farmers market, buy some sunflowers and some bagels and have breakfast outside!

Oh I picked this one up because of the interesting premise. Everytime Daphne had a new date, she received information about their name and the exact length of time they would be together. Some were a few weeks and others a few years. On the last blind date the note stated Jake with no expiration date. As their story unfolded, Daphne had to find her path of finding the right one, she also realized she needed to love herself as well. I liked the premise. It was what drew me in, but the execution was done poorly. My problem was I didn’t like the main character at all. She was insufferable. I didn’t care about the ex boyfriends nor her dating history. Her medical issue was such a huge part of the story that wasn’t revealed until halfway through the book!!!It was thrown in like I should care, but at that point of the book I didn’t. I didn’t understand her relationship with her ex boyfriend, Hugo. He was now her best friend? I didn’t understand that. Jake was sadly a good guy that didn’t deserve her treatment. There were some good parts to the book. One, it was short length. Another was that her friends had redeeming qualities. The ending was okay. Overall, it was an okay romance book. If you want to call this romance. I’m a little afraid to read another book from this author. And I am fully aware I am in the minority of disliking this book. Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for this review.

This book was a rollercoaster for me, at first I found it to be a little bit stale and I was a little uninterested, but about 20% through it really caught my attention and kept it. It had me routing for something I wasn’t even sure was going to happen. This book definitely also has a lot of good stuff to take away from it. Over all, I was really happy with how this book turned out!

What would you do if you knew ahead of time how long your next relationship was going to last? Go through the motions? Get invested?

Daphne goes on such a journey in this book while she navigates these questions. The writing in this felt so emotional it’s impossible not to get sucked in. It had Serle’s signature magical realism coupled with heart, sorrow and humour. The second twist shocked me and the ending had me in tears. This was an easy 5 stars for me. Also, Hugo 💜

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Book for this eARC!

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Serle and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Expiration Dates has such an interesting concept going here. Daphne always enters her relationships knowing exactly how long they’ll last. Mysterious letters with her partners name and length of time the relationship will last are always a constant in her life, until she receives one that only has a name with no time associated with it.

Rebecca Serle has such an interesting and descriptive way of writing. She always sets the scene, from the setting to the characters - you have every detail to conjure up in your brain. I love that about her writing, she makes it easy to have vivid ideas of what things look like throughout her books. I thought this book was the perfect length, easy to read and easy to get through which is something else I’ve noticed about her books. I never feel like they’re too short or too long.

I do feel that this book could have used more depth with the actual plot - to help us connect more and understand more deeply. I still enjoyed reading it, but a little more depth would have made it even more enjoyable, in my opinion. The twist or major plot point didn’t shock me or cause any intense feeling around it while reading. By the end of it, I still had a few questions left unanswered. Overall, the book felt very easy and breezy. If that’s something you look for in a book, then this would be a good read for you!

Imagine your love life and everything that’s happened through each relationship- how would you feel if you had known when the relationship was going to end, in the beginning? Personally I think I would hate that! The dread of getting close to someone just to know exactly when it’s going to end? PASS.

this story was so heartbreaking and beautifully, in so many ways. “The problem with love is that it’s not enough,” it’s not often that I truly take away from a book and try to apply it to my real life, but I definitely will with this one. “You have to stop believing the worst in yourself.”

I was not expecting the two twists either, I of course was expecting something but not THAT.

Daphnes character is so strong and empowering. The author did a flawless job at creating her and showing her development.

My only “flaw” was the constant talk about California. I found it nice at first, but it seemed to become a main focal point of the story and it almost took away from the plot IMO.

I have enjoyed all of Rebecca Serle's books and Expiration Dates may have been my favorite one yet. I love how there is a touch of magical realism mixed into the story while also providing a heart-warming storyline.

Another beautiful book from Rebecca Serle! If you knew how long your relationships would last, would you want to know? This book is about Daphne who receives notes before each of her relationships telling her how long it will last. She goes through life with this finite period of time in front of her and plans accordingly. But what if, by living based on these notes, she is making them come true? Has she already met her true love and lost it?

Wonderful book that burrowed it's way into my soul. Daphne was an amazing character. Many thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite Rebecca Serle novel. A very moving and sweet story about what happen if we all knew how long our relationships last. Couple of interesting plot twists and very good descriptions of food. I couldn’t put it down.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

This was my first book by Rebecca Serle and I really enjoyed it. I’ve heard great things about her books and I’ve also discovered this year that I love books with a touch of magical realism so this one piqued my interest immediately. It doesn’t come out until March but I just couldn’t wait that long to read this story.
The basic premise of the novel is that every time the main character, Daphne, meets a new man she is interested in, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it – the exact amount of time they will be together. I don’t want to give spoilers but some of the details on how this happened weren’t what I assumed and I thought that made the book stronger because it was less predictable. I also really loved all the stories of Daphne’s previous relationships.
At first, I thought maybe the universe was telling Daphne which men she should date but I soon realized that it was actually up to her, and only the length of time was pre-determined. I also loved that her relationships did come to a natural end, and it wasn’t Daphne proactively ending the relationships at the determined time just because that’s what the slip of paper said.
I was definitely surprised partway through to find out some more background on Daphne and realize what these slips of paper actually meant to her. I thought it was so smart of Rebecca Serle to connect them to a bigger picture of Daphne’s life and give it more meaning than I initially thought.
Ultimately, I thought the ending was perfect and it kept me reading with interest, as I wasn’t sure which way things were going to go. I can’t wait to read Rebecca Serle’s other books.