This story got its claws in, and I couldn’t put it down! So many feelings, but another great heartbreaking romance from Rebecca Serle. The story follows Daphne Bell, a woman whose love life seems to be dictated by the universe. Whenever she meets somebody she may end up dating, she receives a piece of paper — sometimes a fortune cookie slip — with their name and the amount of time they’ll be together, whether it’s one night or two years. Before she’s scheduled to go on a blind date, she receives a paper with her date’s name on it…and nothing else, no time listed. Is this a sign this is her soulmate or can Daphne’s own secrets be a sign as to why there’s no time. This is refreshing story exploring the relationships that don’t work and the one that does, while also tackling heavier topics like heartbreak, grief, and diagnoses. I couldn’t put this book down and found myself tearing up more than once.
Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This will release on 3/5/24!

Rebecca Serle has never let me down with a book, so I knew I couldn't go wrong with Expiration Dates. Sure enough, she didn't.

Expiration Dates is a quick read but takes you on a magical and poetic ride. Rebecca Serle has a way with words that just capture your heart.

Every time Daphne starts to date a man, she receives a piece of paper that keys her know must exactly how much time she has with him. Now, I don't know about anyone else but if I were in her shoes, I'd just hide unless I received a piece of paper that had years. It's as if you know you're setting yourself up for heartbreak, but yet intriguing wondering how the relationship will turn out. After all,
one of these men becomes her best friend. However, Daphne sometimes has only a few days to months. This goes on for 20 years. All these predictions that are alwsys right understandly make Daphne question her worth. Then Jake comes along...
Daphne is determined to not let these pieces Of paper control her future. I really appreciated the realism of this book that I think many readers will relate ti but also the magical and whimsical elements as well. These little touches always manage to take me away to another place and truly get lost in a book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

3.75 stars --

rebecca serle's upcoming novel 'expiration dates' gave me what i wanted from one of her books, but felt a bit watered down compared to 'in five years' and 'one italian summer'.

this book follows daphne, a woman in her 30s who has an unusual quirk in that she always receives notes with the name of her next relationship and the length of time they will date, and the notes are always correct. however, when the story opens, she receives a note that just has 'jake' written on it, and daphne assumes this is the man who she will spend her life with. the novel follows her romance with jake, but also shows us flashbacks to other relationships, including a three-month relationship with hugo, her now best friend.

the book takes a twist in the middle that i initially found jarring, as it seemed to come out of left fiend, and becomes the central focal point of the second half the story. daphne & jake also had little to no chemistry, so it was hard to root for them throughout the story. there was a great message about living life to the fullest and not wasting the time you have, but i ultimately wanted a little more oomph from this one.

This was such a well done book with a very interesting concept. I only wish we could have had more on the ending.

Daphne Bell has a pattern when it comes to relationships, but it isn’t one of a typical single woman her age. Any time Daphne’s love life is about to change, she finds a paper - an abandoned post card, a scrap paper stuck to her shoe, a printed note from the copier at work - with the name of a man and the exact period of time she will spend with him. The papers always find their way to her unexpectedly, but they are never wrong. Daphne knows exactly who and what to expect. But when she stumbles upon Jake’s paper that has only his name and no time frame, Daphne thinks he must be it for her: the one. But as their time together stretches on, Daphne can’t help but question the validity of the notes, and if Jake is really her forever - especially when she knows she’s keeping secrets from Jake that could ruin their “forever” all together.

Rebecca Serle has this way of mixing in magical elements to her stories so seamlessly. They aren’t supernatural or otherworldly, just slight bits of remarkable enchantment that give the story an incredible sparkle. Her stories are so unique and tender - they make you want to cry, but will also make your heart bubble with joy.

Serle is such a favorite of mine. She has the magic to make you feel all kinds of emotions for all characters involved. Throughout this journey you will not only feel for Daphne, but for Jake and Hugo as well.

This book was well written and I understood what was intended to go on with "Expiration Dates" as it was written. Sometimes books like this require me to get 35% through before I can even enjoy it, but I did not need to do that with this one.

If you enjoyed The Dinner List & In Five Years, you will enjoy this one. If you did not like Italian Summer (or even if you did), you should like this one so please give it a chance!

An adorable and heartwarming story about Daphne's search for love. She receives a slip of paper with a name and the number of days she'll be with that partner. But is it always true? Daphne tries to figure out who her true love is over a number of years. I highly recommend this book.

Rebecca Serle waves her magic wand again with Expiration Dates. Daphne is looking for love, but she has a secret: every relationship she has been in has come with an expiration date. Notecards, scraps of paper, newspaper, etc find their way to her with a man’s name and how long she has with him. It’s all she has ever known, and Daphne has come to find comfort in knowing what she’s getting into before she is too invested. And then Jake comes along. Just Jake, no expiration date listed. Suddenly the future looks different for Daphne. With no known end date, does that mean Jake is hers forever?

I devoured this book and cried multiple times. Serle captures human emotion so beautifully, so realistically, that the magical element just makes sense. I loved this book and can’t wait for everyone to experience it!

Thank you to @netgalley , @rebecca_serle , and @atriabooks for the advance copy of Expiration Dates in exchange for my honest review.

I love Rebecca Serle. Her writing is always so beautiful! This book kept me wanting to read more and more of it. I loved the main character Daphine and Jake. I did cry through some of their love story. The ending had me a little mad not going to lie I didn’t see it coming at all. The way this book made me feel all types of emotions I was happy, sad, confused. Expiration Dates was a 4/5 for me the ending bumped it down a star but still this book is so beautifully written! This book is for anyone single trying to find their way.

Daphne Bell's emotional journey to find love against all odds, including her self-sabotaging tendencies, touched me more than I care to admit. With the fantasy vibes of the story, it grabs your attention from the very first page when Daphne receives her first note in the form of a postcard at a young age. The note contains a boy's name and a number of days. Initially, she can't decipher its meaning, and the sender remains a mystery. However, as she finds herself dating the boy, she realizes that her dates correspond exactly to the number on the card. The story In Expiration Dates, is full of epic love, magical moments while the story continued to unfold you learn more about Daphne as well as her past. I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. I was honestly a little skeptical because of the supernatural element in it but that element just made the book better with still being able to relate to the characters and their everyday battles of love, health and family. Keep an open mind and you will find the magic in this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

I’d give it a 3.5. A little predictable of an ending. I will say it was deeper/more than you realize when you first start the book. It was a nice fluff type read.

I LOVED this book. I have been on a big streak of "women's fiction" (I hate that label but it best encompasses my year of reading) and this book is hands down the most unique spin on a romance book I remember reading recently. I love how effortlessly Searle works in magical elements to her book--somehow she does it in a way where nothing seems too out of the realm of possibility. Five stars and I am sure this will have a lot of hype next spring!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I had a lot of trouble keeping up with this book and figuring out where it was headed. I’ve read books by this author before and enjoyed them. The blasts to the past were not necessary and added nothing to the story. And it was disappointing that we never found out where the notes were coming from. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy

First, and most importantly: this was a page turner. I couldn’t put it down. That is important to me because I like to be consumed with a book rather than having to force myself to open it back up.

And I enjoyed the story. I love a good supernatural hook, and receiving a note with the name of each guy you will date and for how long is a great one. That is why I wanted to read this book so badly (and I loved the author’s book In Five Years, for that same reason).

A few things fell flat for me though. I don’t want to have spoilers in here but I’ll say that the male characters other than her father didn’t feel fleshed out or real. One was just not believable as a person and the other, well I didn’t really understand the conflict with the other.

Don’t let that stop you. Expiration Dates is a fun read, a quick read, an entertaining read. I enjoyed it! It just isn’t a book is read again or even think much about after finishing. And I liked it more than One Italian Summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Net Galley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to get this one as an ARC from Netgalley. I have read all of Rebecca Serle’s previous novels, and loved a few, but wasn’t crazy about her most recent, One Italian Summer. Being single and dating, I was hopeful that this book would redeem her for me, and that I would love the relatable aspects of it. It honesly fell a little flat for me. I felt the story was slow and kept waiting for a big moment to drop. It is really hard for me to write negative reviews, but this one just wasn’t for me. It did have a touch of magical realism, if you are a lover of that!

This was such a heartwarming feel good book. I loved the magical premise of the plot, and Daphne was such a likable character. I always am excited when I see a new book by Rebecca Serle and this book did not let me down. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Rebecca Serle. In Five Years, is in my top five favorite books. I was thrilled to be chosen to read an advanced copy.

This book follows Daphne’s journey to find love and her happily ever after. We find out Daphne is special and she receives a note every time she starts or is about to start a relationship. The note contains the prospect’s name and the timeline of how long the relationship will last. She carries on her whole love life by these dates, knowing when it’s going to end.

What would have happened in any of these relationships if she didn’t know ahead of time?

I loved that this book really made you think about soulmates, destiny and if our paths are predetermined. How would you live your life if you knew the expirations dates of your relationships?

Highly recommend if you love any of the author’s previous books.

Thank you to Net Galley, Rebecca Serle and Atria Books Publicity for letting me read an early ARC of this book.

I have read other books by Rebecca Serle. This one is her best yet! I found it a little slow to get into, but once I did, it was a great read! Likeable characters and a fun plot. I would recommend to book clubs, as there is a lot to talk about!

This book moved slower than molasses and I was just bored and got really tired of Daphne by the end of this.

"Expiration Dates" follows Daphne Bell. Daphne has a secret, for some odd reason since she was a teenager, a piece of paper will show up with the name of a guy on it and how long the relationship will last. At first Daphne thinks it's just a weird thing, but over the years the papers have been correct about the "expiration" date of her relationships. Daphne goes out on a blind date with a man named Jake, and Daphne gets a piece of paper with his name on it, and no date. Daphne wonders what does that mean, does that mean she's found her soul mate? The man she's supposed to be with forever?

Too bad that the interesting premise of this book did not live up to the hype at all. First, I honestly wish if Serle is going to stick with magical realism, she does a better job explaining things. By the end of the book, we don’t know why Daphne gets notes about her relationships ending. And frankly it makes zero sense why she decides to trust the notes at all. If it was some weird family tick or something maybe that would have worked. But nope, it's a thing that happens, that she hides from everyone but one person in her life. And the person she chooses to let in on the secret makes zero sense.

Second, Daphne is just not enjoyable to read about. I didn't get what was going on with Daphne and it felt tiring of reading the book through her voice and her explaining all of her clothes, her crammed apartment (for the 20th time), her dog, etc. Daphne just felt like a half baked character that wasn't given enough of a voice for me to be rooting for her happily ever after. Then Serle throws in a last minute "medical" thing that once again makes zero sense, but feels crammed in to try to explain things.

Third, the love interests in this book were terribly written. Hugo was the absolute worst though. I don't know if Serle did it on purpose since we have Daphne keeping herself at a distance from the men she's dating cause of the notes or what, but there's no freaking depth there outside of the character of Jake. And what we get of Jake is not that great either.

Fourth, the writing style just didn't work. Serle decides to have Daphne in the present dating Jake, but you go back and forth between the "present" and her prior relationships, but we for some reason go back multiple times between her dating and ending things with Hugo. The whole book's flow was terribly off because of that.

Fifth, that one scene. Or as one reviewer called it, gaslighting at it's best. There was so much mess towards the end of this one that I can't talk about it without spoilers.

The ending was ridiculous and no I didn’t see it even a little as a HEA, just to be nice, I will toss out a HFN, though I doubt the long-term sustainability of the relationship.

EXPIRATION DATES
BY: REBECCA SERLE

I'm thrilled that finally this warm heartfelt novel by Rebecca Searle, called "Expiration Dates," has finally managed to officially relieve me of my reading slump. I really loved this light and fun reading experience. I think that I enjoyed this one as much as her prior one which has remained my favorite called, "In Five Years." This one is every bit as great.

Personally, I don't know quite where I stand on the subject regarding soulmates. In that, I'm on the fence not quite sure whether they exist or not. I'm sure that if you ask others they are pretty much going to have their own opinions--which is okay. In this light but also philosophical gem Daphne who is thirty-three years old has been given preordained answers arriving on slips of paper, post cards, etc., since fifth grade how long a romantic relationship will last. Is this a self fulfilling prophecy, you may wonder as I did?

So starting since she was in fifth grade when Daphne discovered written on a piece of paper on her desk: "Seth, eight days." She didn't know what that meant so she asked her parents and they didn't know what it meant either. She grew up with two loving parents who gave her stability and although frugal, a well above average lifestyle. Her parents lived within their means in a glamorous town that pretty much dictated *keeping up*. Daphne grew up in the smallest house on the best street which enabled her to attend a great public school, where she received a great education.

All that mattered to her very down to earth Mom was that she had space for her garden in which she grew legendary roses in Southern California that continuously bloomed from March straight through to the month of October. I loved this novel because it takes place in California. It seemed that when Daphne was an adult she was able to frequent the trendiest locales, even though her hobby was a thrift shopper. The novel has mentioned that she grew up in Brentwood and the Palisades. I know that Brentwood is a ritzy town in California.

Daphne has two long term relationships that both men seemed in my opinion to be great husband material. This gives the reader an intimate glimpse into her romantic life with terrific character development. I also appreciated the concise and compact short length novel that can be savored in just a couple of hours. It's pacing is fast with snappy dialogue which warmed my heart and after two previous sluggish novels I enjoyed this one all the more. Honestly, this was a pleasure from the very beginning until the final paragraph. It held my interest from the start and never had me checking what percentage I was at during reading this gem.

It has all lovable characters and it depicts the beautiful aspects of California. This worked very well for me as I needed something light. Sometimes a novel is greatly appreciated more due to the timing when one is reading it. For me this came around at exactly the right time. It examines love in a romantic partner as well as loving family members. Sometimes we choose to set someone free because we want the very best for them. After examining what a romantic partner has suffered or endured pain it is altruistic to let them go when we realize that we cannot give them what would truly make them happy. Even if in the short term they don't want to end the relationship, the kindest thing is to let them go. With good intentions so they can get their needs met by someone else who can give them what we are not ready to give.

I think that if you loved Rebecca Searle's novel, "In Five Years," you are going to love this one. This doesn't have the time travel element. There is some magical realism involved in that Daphne receives ahead of time how long a specific romantic partner is going to be in a relationship with her. It's delightful because it has a HEA ending that goes against what the theme is. So it turns out to be a satisfying albeit unpredictable ending. Read this for pure enjoyment when life disappoints you in some way and you want to read a fantastic and great reading experience that I'm confident will lift your spirits. Especially with what is going on in the news. Five Sparkling Stars! Highly, Highly recommended!

Publication Date: March 5, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Rebecca Searle and Atria Books for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#ExpirationDates #RebeccaSearle #AtriaBooks #NetGalley