This was a sweet, poignant romance that made me think about my life and question if anything would have gone differently had I known the outcome ahead of time. But I think it needs some tweaking before it’s finalized. The ending, although satisfactory, felt rushed, and some big reveals throughout the story felt misplaced to me. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I felt like the major one was a huge bombshell that should have been mentioned way earlier.

Overall, though, I really liked this book. I love when characters are casually reform Jews like I am, and always enjoy detailed descriptions of what the characters are wearing, especially in a book with so many glamorous settings and glamorous-sounding people. Rebecca Serle does not disappoint!

So different than anything I’ve read before. What an intriguing concept, to have your life “mapped out” for you then to challenge that from an unexpected place. I really enjoyed this book, albeit the ending wasn’t the one I would have chosen but it was right for Daphne.

Thank you to Net Galley for the arc copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. I have enjoyed nearly all of her books, despite the fact that romance books are not in my wheelhouse, generally.

I adored this book. A quick read, and a lovely and poignant exploration of love and friendship.

There were several points throughout the text that I questioned (character development of Jake being one) but ultimately, the ending resolved my questions.

I have already recommended this book to several people. It was an easy read, but touchingly written!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I went into this book with one set of expectations about the description and left it with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that I maybe could have predicted if I wasn’t so engrossed in the read. I have read similar “fortune telling” books in the past, but nothing quite like this. In an effort to not give too much away, I’ll try to be vague about the things I loved about it.

The book nails the motivations and fears of the main character. She is relatable, complicated, and interesting. Her love interests are well-explained and all contribute to the overall plot of the book and the writing supports it and isn’t too repetitive (something that other romances I’ve read do have trouble with). I also enjoyed the length and felt that it was a full idea without too much fluff, which is hard to do in this genre. All in all, I have very few cons for reading this book and would recommend to most readers who want a quick romance read with some complexity and two likable male leads.

"Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle is a captivating exploration of destiny, love, and heartache. Daphne's unique ability to foresee the duration of her romantic relationships through mysterious slips of paper sets the stage for a thought-provoking journey. You think the mystery is the paper all along, but another secret is then revealed. One that gives pause to love and makes you question everything.

"Expiration Dates" is a must-read, delivering a poignant and unforgettable exploration of love's many facets.
5 stars!

What a wonderful, meaningful, and original story. Daphne Bell receives a note every time she starts dating a new guy with exactly how long the relationship is going to last - the expiration date! Her story explores her current and past relationships, and how these notes dictate so much of her life. I thought this was such a whimsical touch and I absolutely loved it. Can she learn to let go, or will she always be controlled by what the notes say?

This book is full of love, heartbreak, frustration, sadness, and more. The characters are wonderful, there are a few fun twists that keep you on your toes (I don’t think I saw any of them coming), and I felt fully invested in Daphne’s story. This book is such a great life lesson for so many different topics - I walked away with a new perspective on enjoying life.

This was a wonderful light read that still had lots of substance - I think it would be a fun pick for a book club! I wanted a little more from the ending (it felt a little rushed almost), but I still think this was a fabulous book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this!! Definitely check this one out when it comes out on March 5, 2024!

Rebecca Serle, you did it again! I devoured this lovely love story in less than one day. Serle has an incredible ability to draw you into her stories, creating worlds with such realistic, human experiences infused with a little dose of magical realism. If you are a fan of her novel In Five Years, you will love this one, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

pretty cute little romance with a relatively unique plot idea. i thought this one could’ve been executed better and i would’ve liked to explore more about the main character, but i still liked it overall. i didn’t necessarily feel like everything fit together well, though; the novel felt a little like it was taking pieces of different stories that include the same character and gluing them together. rather predictable ending, but it was mostly what i was rooting for, anyway. i do really like rebecca serle, so even though this wasn’t my fav by her, i still liked and would recommend it.

thank you netgalley and atria for this arc in exchange for an honest review! loved having the opportunity to read it early!

What to say except this was incredible. I’m a huge Serle fan, but this was my absolute favorite by the author. The characters , the love story, the unique premise of the notes to determine relationship lengths. All of it. I finished in a couple hours not being able to put it down.

This just may be my favorite book of Rebecca Serle's, to date! Expiration Dates is heartfelt and funny, with great pacing and twists I did not see coming. I laughed, I audibly said "awe!", and I almost got weepy-eyed-- which is as close to crying while reading as I get. The set up, with the titular expiration dates, is perhaps the only piece of the book that is a stretch of the imagination, but all of the dialogue, the setting, and the relationships (or, more often, situationships) feel so real, I kept thinking that this must be drawn from the author's personal life. I can't remember the last time I felt like a book was too short, but I definitely would've liked another 50-100 pages, to see more of the dates. Then again, I'd much prefer to be left wanting more than wishing a book would just hurry up and end.

Serle's newest novel hits that sweet spot of romance + magical realism that made it easy to binge read. 3.5 stars.

The novel takes place in sunny California, with our main character Daphne. Ever since Daphne has started dating, she has received a piece of paper letting her know exactly how long she'll date the person she's with. Some being only 1 date and others years.

When Daphne meets a man and receives a letter with the name "Jake" and no length of time listed, she thinks she's finally found the one. But is he the right person for her?

To be honest, I wish the author had made us fall in love with Jake (as I fell in love with Hugo). I felt like from the get-go, Jake wasn't the one and Daphne did not hide her feelings of unease about going into the relationship or taking those next steps. I wanted my heart to be ripped out by the choice Daphne had to make, but instead it just fell flat. I feel like the story could have taken a few different paths, but took the easiest way out and the less heartbreaking of the alternatives.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Ooof. It hurts my heart to give this book anything less than five stars, but I have to be honest...this one was not my favorite.

One thing that I can always count on is that a Rebecca Serle book feels like sinking into a cozy chair and wrapping yourself in a warm blanket. She's comfort food. Her books feel good. She is an expert at eliciting emotion from readers and Expiration Dates is no exception to this. There were multiple times throughout the book that I actually felt real emotion in my chest whilst reading. That is not easy to do as an author.

The premise of the book was interesting and the pacing was good. The short chapters make it an easy and quick read; however, there were many moments where it felt like the author was rushing through the story. I feel like the book itself could have been quite a bit longer and the characters a little more fleshed out, particularly Hugo and Jake. The story just felt...unfinished. There are so many more avenues that the author could have explored and I felt like I was left with more questions than answers by the end of the story.

This would be a good, quick, vacation read, but it fails to capture the real magic of Serle's writing like One Italian Summer did. Hopefully her next book is a bit more polished.

Rebecca Serle continues to be one of my must-read authors. I love her style of romance with a touch of magical realism. This one does not disappoint. The magic is much more subtle than previous novels, but I loved it all the same!

3.5 ⭐️ Have long found this author's storytelling voice to be charming & captivating.
Thoroughly enjoyed her latest.
Did not see that final twist coming.
Tho understand the need for the context of the lead character's past relationships, would have enjoyed more space given to current day.
Did not appreciate her illness reveal--seemed out of context & too melodramatic.

With thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for this e-ARC!

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 (03.05.24) has such a unique premise "𝘋𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯 , 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳." That's all I want to tell you besides encouraging you to add it to your TBR. Oh- and to pick a day when you can read it cover to cover in one sitting.

Serle takes the reader on a journey of emotional twists, turns and reveals in 272 short pages. The literary writing is heartfelt, candid, deep and captivating. It was a wholly satisfying reading experience.

FWIW- I have all caps LOVED some Rebecca Serle books and lower case 'enjoyed' others. This clearly falls into the loved category.

Absolutely loved this book. The romance past and present were sweet and had me rooting for Daphne. The touch of magic was a great twist to her romantic life.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed the author’s other works and looked toward to this new novel. This was a super light beach read sort of book, very predictable and sweet. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but it was enjoyable.

In Five Years is the book that pulled me in and STILL has a hold on me to this day. But I firmly believe that this book will forever stay with me. It was incredible. Don’t let the number of pages fool you, because every page is filled with emotion to last a lifetime. My goodness, I am still in awe of this story and sifting through all the emotions that come with it. Word of advice when going into this book…do it blindly! Enjoy every page and minute of this, it really is a book that will stay with you for a long, long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me the pleasure of reading this arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!! I was THRILLED when I received an email from Netgalley with the opportunity to read this now. Much like In Five Years, this book wrecked me. The plot was so intriguing, the characters were *chef's kiss,* and I want the movie/limited series now. I could've honestly done without the surprise plot twist, but whatever I don't care it was still so good. I recommend this book to everyone now.

I really enjoyed One Italian Summer and In Five Years and was so excited to see a new title from Rebecca Serle!! This book was everything I’ve come to expect from her: funny, sweet, and somehow both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It started out feeling like a quick, light hearted read, but she beautifully weaves in heavier topics that make your heart ache for the characters. She also had my jaw on the floor with a couple unexpected twists and turns. Keep an eye out for this book next spring!! It was such a treat.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!!