I was fascinated by the of this story. It has left me thinking about it for days. I loved the characters. I was so invested in them I stayed up way too late so I could finish the story. Great read!

"Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle is a contemplative and emotionally charged novel that delves into the profound questions of life, love, and mortality. I had the privilege of reading an advance copy, and it's a book that left me deep in thought.

Serle's writing is elegant and thought-provoking. She effortlessly weaves together a narrative that revolves around the intriguing concept of knowing the expiration date of one's life. The premise is both fascinating and unsettling, and it serves as a springboard for exploring the characters' motivations and choices.

The protagonist's journey of self-discovery and personal growth is at the heart of this novel, and it's a journey that many readers will find relatable. Serle paints a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil that comes with facing the inevitability of death, and she handles the subject matter with sensitivity and depth.

The characters are well-drawn and multidimensional, making it easy to empathize with their struggles and dilemmas. Their relationships and interactions, particularly the central romance, are portrayed with authenticity and emotional resonance.

One of the strengths of "Expiration Dates" is its ability to spark introspection. It invites readers to ponder their own lives and consider how they might approach life if they knew their expiration dates. This philosophical element adds a layer of depth to the story that elevates it beyond a typical romance novel.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I'm awarding it four stars instead of five due to a couple of pacing issues in the middle of the story. There were moments when the narrative felt a bit slow, but it did pick up again as it neared the conclusion.

In summary, "Expiration Dates" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that explores themes of life, love, and mortality. Rebecca Serle's storytelling is both compelling and introspective, making it a worthwhile read for those who enjoy contemplative romance novels with a touch of existentialism. It's a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced digital copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. I rated the book at 4 stars, but in reality it’s more like 3.5/3.75. I loved the premise of the story. It was a cute quick read that I really did enjoy. However, some parts of the story fell flat and Daphne’s ending was too rushed for my liking. Also, the most important question was left unanswered! Where are the notes coming from? Some of the supporting characters were underdeveloped and left me wondering why they were there. Overall though, it was a sweet clean romance.

I have enjoyed Rebecca Serle books since I first read The Dinner List. This book is right up there with her others. She creates amazing characters, and the plot of the story is unique. This is a very good book to read if you are in a reading slump.

Expiration Dates is a sweet and heart-warming romance novel. The premise was interesting. Rebecca Serle gets her readers thinking and questioning life’s choices. If you knew the future of a relationship, would you behave differently? If you knew how long you would be dating someone and when it would end, would that change how you spent your time with them, the topics you discussed or the things you did together?
Like other Serle novels, the story contains a touch of magical realism, however, not enough to make me loose interest.


Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My first Rebecca Serle....admittedly at the beginning I was hopeful and skeptical....but omg what a delight! This was a read I didn't want to end.

I loved how the author posed questions, thought proving ideas to the reader.

I'm going now to see what others if hers I need to add to my tbr!

5 stars!

An enjoyable read! The plot was intriguing and the character growth was good. The reason I couldn't go with a full five stars was because of how Daphne was portrayed. Half the time she was a pretty annoying protagonist and I just didn't feel like I could trust her. Part of this was because she was so incredibly insecure all the time, and yet described herself previously as feeling "better than everyone else" and she was bold and outgoing in owning her oddness. So the differing characterizations of her just made her unlikeable to me. I did like the journey though and what Daphne learned about herself and the world around her from it.

I want to thank Netgalley for an advanced copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. I’ve read other books by her and loved them all.
It’s about a girl, Daphne, who serial dates. She gets a paper ( not sure how) of how long the relation is going to last in days, weeks, months and years. I never read a book like that. Then she dates these guys and her relationships end accordingly.
She holds on to one of her previous relationships and stays friends.
The question is: Do we really want to know how long a relationship will last or don’t we?
I think we should all just enjoy the ride. Enjoy this book aw well!

It's another magical realism book from Serle. The FMC Daphne gets a slip of paper for each romantic relationship that gives her the amount of time the relationship will last. One day she gets a name with no timeline...
How would you behave if you knew the time line for each relationship?

This book took a bit for me to get into. I really didn't connect with any of the characters and I thought the FMC and MMC lacked chemistry.
However, if you like the author's other work One Italian Summer and In Five Years you'd likely enjoy this one.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

Her entire life, Daphne Bell has received a note at the beginning of each of her romantic relationships telling her how long it will last. Now before she leaves for a first date she has received a note with just a name - Jake - and no expiration date. Daphne believes the universe has determined that Jake is supposed to be her forever, but as their relationship unfolds Daphne begins to have doubts about whether Jake is her destiny. She's been keeping secrets from him, and doesn't know how they might impact their forever.

It's a fascinating premise - how would knowing where a relationship is headed impact your investment in it? Is there someone we are each destined for? How much of life is free will and how much of it is fate? And can you really be with someone forever if you haven't shared all of who you are with them? These are some of the questions Serle explores in Expiration Dates. I won't spoil the storyline, but there also were two additional key plot points which were interesting twists and really changed where I thought the story would go.

Serle is the master of taking a common storyline and turning it on its head with just a hint of magical realism. Her writing style is very reader friendly and I flew through Expiration Dates in under 24 hours and thoroughly enjoyed the novel. 4 stars out of 5 as a I felt that there were a couple of characters (most notably Hugo) who could have used further development/fleshing out.

Expiration Dates is due for publication March 5, 2024. I was very excited to read and review this book as I love Rebecca Serle's work and the touch of magical realism in her thought-provoking novels. I highly recommend it for fans of hers or readers who enjoy fiction with a hint of magical realism.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark for me. I didn't feel a connection with the characters and I found so many of the details unnecessary.
I was looking forward to this one as the premise was intriguing but it fell flat for me. 3 general stars.

Cute easy read! Read in a few hours cus it keeps you entertained and just all around a good read. The execution of plot and character development was also beautifully done!!

Each time Daphne begins a new relationship, she knows how it ends. Literally, the universe tells her via a random slip of paper that lets her know how short/long she'll be with each person. It leaves little to chance - until Jake. His note has no amount of time, so he must be "the one," right?

I found this to be a unique premise as all of Rebecca Serle's book are. I will say that like the other books by this author that I've read there is a plot twist/reveal about 2/3 of the way through that was quite the "punch in the gut" (Note: I've never actually been punched in my gut, so I'm imagining with my comparison, but you get the point) that was a lot for me to process. I liked that this was such a creative twist on a love story. I do still have many questions about how this whole process worked, and I wanted to know if Daphne was the only human out there with these tips, but alas, I did not get that resolution. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this March 2024 release!

First, thank you Atria for an ARC of this book! I found Expiration Dates to be a quick and easy read, similar to other books written by Rebecca Serle that I’ve read. While I enjoyed it, I felt like we could’ve done with more character development across the board. The flashbacks of Daphne’s past loves gave me more insight into those characters than I felt like we got with Daphne, Hugo or Jake throughout the story. This is a great pick for someone who likes romance without any of the spice, and I’ll keep it as a recommendation for friends I know in that category. While I didn’t see the one main plot “bomb” coming, I did find the end a little predictable. Overall a quick and easy read that I enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, the execution of the concept of this book was lacking for me and I did not finish the book. I found the writing stodgy and jerky, and I could not get into Daphne as a protagonist. I wasn't invested in a single character in this book, in fact.

Also, the fact that we never learn WHY Daphne gets these notes and who they're coming from. It's so unsatisfying.

This was a miss for me.

What a beautifully written story! The emotions I experienced as a reader were vast! The way her relationships intertwined with who she was as a person and in her present relationship was fascinating. This is a must read for sure!

I love Rebecca Serle, she is one of my favorite authors. This book is wonderful. Our heroine holds the secret to love and relationships, or so she thinks. Daphne is a young woman who lives in LA, works as an assistant in the industry, loves her job, and has had a series of relationships in her life, but she holds a secret: each relationship has an expiration date, and she knows it, but he doesn’t. This is a fascinating book, and was so enjoyable to read. I highly recommend it!

Love Rebecca Serle books! She is kind of the anti-romance author. While love plays a big part in her stories, they are not romances in the traditional sense. I loved Daph. She had a lot going on, and as usual just how much she has on her plate is revealed over time, adding depth and "realness" to her character. I fell in love with Hugo right away, he was such a great best friend. For having a supporting role, he had a lot of depth. Jake was such a good guy, I related to him on a personal level because I watched my baby brother go through something similar.

Loved Expiration Dates! Loved the growth Daphne experienced. Loved the whole thing! Can't wait for Serle's next book.

The last 50% of this book was amazing!!! I thought the beginning was a little slow, but once I got halfway in, I could not put this book down. Reminded me of In Five Years a little bit, so sweet and heart warming! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

What a beautiful, harmless and honest love story.

This is the first book I read from Rebecca Serle. She does a great job creating characters that just fit together. At times sad, Serle is able to capture the struggle Daphne had with love, timing and decisions.

The only thing that was off was the pacing. It seemed a little too quick, but maybe that goes with the overarching theme of time and living in the moment.

“Love is a net. It could catch you and it was catching you”