Expiration Dates is beautifully written novel by Rebecca Serle. Daphne Bell receives little slips of papers from the universe that lets her know how long each of her relationships will be. That is until she receives a slip of paper that only says "Jake" with no date on it. Expiration Date has a sweet plot that follows Daphne's current relationship and flashes back to her previous failed ones. I really enjoyed the unique story line, the twist at the end, and the reminder to live our life to the fullest.

This was my first book by Serle, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

4 stars!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Atria books and Netgalley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.


I started this awhile ago and couldn’t get into it right away. After about 40% I was more invested. I enjoyed the bits of magical realism in the story. This one shows emotion over halfway through and led the story in a different direction than I originally thought. The different time jumps were fun as you got a look into Daphne’s mindset for each guy she dates. I was shocked by the end, but it was the perfect ending.

Excelente! This book was great and another hit for Rebecca Serle.! I loved One Italian Summer and was thrilled to read this too. I’m pleased to say it lives up to the hype and expectations set by One Italian Summer.

I enjoyed this unique storyline that took a romance and made it include magical realism and deeper topics. Thank you so much for this arc. I always enjoy Rebecca’s books!

I’m not sure why I gave this a shot. The premise sounded fun but I’ve hated all her books and this was no different.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

I adored this book. I am someone who tries to believe in fate and also had a medical condition when I was younger so the main character really resonated with me. My heart broke for her over and over again. I really enjoyed this.

Serle has been hit or miss for me in the past. This book was a complete hit. I was curious how the premise of the book was going to work out and the writing was great. There was a great theme and lesson behind the book, which left me reflective. Definite book hangover from this book!

OMG this book was absolutely stunning and a unique heartfelt tribute to love. I love Rebecca Searles ability to get tears out of me and she definitely did it again with this one.

Rebecca Serle sure knows how to write romance! This story was cute, wholesome, but will also pull at your heartstrings. I am often critical of romance novels for having too much comedy and not enough realism, but this is one story I really enjoyed, despite there being a touch of magical realism.

This story had an interesting concept: the main female character receives random letters for each relationship, stating how long each of those relationships will last. One day, however, she receives a letter with the man's name, but no timeline.

There were a few twists and turns in the story. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but that's just me being picky. Will I remember this book forever and ever more? Probably not, but this love story is on the shorter side, can be read quickly, and will still give you all the feels.

Those who enjoyed The Measure would likely appreciate this one too!

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing will ever come close to In Five Years for me, but this one is probably my second favorite of Serle’s, with a fascinating premise to boost that will have you questioning fate versus our own expectations and their intermingling role in our lives, relationship, and choices.

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Daphne Bell has received a postcard with a man’s name on it and a timeline of how long her relationship with him will last since her very first relationship. When she receives one with a name and no end date, she believes she’s finally found the one. And it will force her to look at her life, her choices, and her own role in her destiny in ways she never has, as she decides how much faith to place in a little piece of paper amidst her feels, ongoing personal and health issues, and complicated relationship with ex-boyfriend and bestfriend, Hugo.

3.5 Stars for Expiration Dates.
If You like books with friends as lovers, second chance romances and just overall a good romance book this one was a good choice! This author brings you in from page one and definitely captures your attention. The writing was written well and the characters were enjoyable to read. Not too much spice but thats totally ok! Its a book that will have you questioning certain things.

I liked but didn’t love this book. In fact, it’s a couple days later and I don’t remember the characters names. I know a lot of people loved this book though, it just wasn’t the right “bottle of wine” (thinking of books as a wine library) for me at the time!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really starting to enjoy the whimsy of magical realism. I love how anonymous notes show up and it's just a little magical gift that we accept as readers. This story was so cute and fun to immerse myself in for the day it took to read. It was great to get to know Daphne and follow along with her relationship with Jake while peeking back to previous men in her life.

Rebecca Serle delivers a poignant book about hope, love and acceptance, which hit too close to home. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read her other ones!

I was super intrigued by the premise of this one- I love a touch of magical realism in contemporaries, and Rebecca Serle usually integrates magical realism so well into her romances.

This protagonist in this story receives a slip of paper with an amount of time whenever she begins dating someone, which will determine how long the relationship lasts. This inevitably leads to questions about what is fate vs what is a self-fulfilling prophecy, etc. I was interested in settling into the flashes of Daphne’s past and seeing the snippets of her past relationships and how they ended juxtaposed against her current relationship, the first to NOT have an “expiration date” on the paper she receives.

However, in what I am coming to learn is a bit of a Rebecca Serle book habit, the story unveiled a rather heart-wrenching twist. I was also caught off guard this way when reading In Five Years, and I’m starting to think it’s a signature style of hers. While it definitely lends gravity to the story, I definitely didn’t see the twist coming and it found like such a big, shocking omission from the protagonist for so long that I had a hard time connecting with her throughout the rest of the novel.

I did love the Los Angeles setting of the novel, and you can tell Rebecca has an intimate knowledge of the city. Rather than a romance, I felt much more like I was reading a contemporary novel set in the sprawling urban paradise (which is not a bad thing!) and Serle’s writing, as always, is easily digestible yet still poignant. However, I think I prefer more of a traditional HEA when it comes to my romances.

This is the second book I've read by Rebecca Serle and I enjoyed it just as much as "One Italian Summer", if not maybe more. I still have "In Five Years" on my shelf calling for me to read as well! Reading Expiration Dates might have given me the push to move it up on my TBR! I balanced both reading the e-book as well as listening to it on audiobook format. The audio was performed impeccably by the wonderful Julia Whelan. I've yet to listen to an audiobook that she narrates that I don't enjoy. "Expiration Dates" revolves around the main character, Daphne, who receives notes from the universe telling her how long each of her relationships will last. Until there is finally the night of a blind date with a truely remarkable man, Jake, who could truly fall for. The note reveals no number....it's just blank. So what does that mean for Daphne? Is this the forever love relationship? There are twists and turns in their relationship and the story which leaves you surprised and wondering what would happen next. The sweet touch of magical realism was fun, it made me think...what would I do with these notes? Would I open them up, would I really want to know the end date? The ending of this book was emotional, passionate, yet heartbreaking too. I really enjoyed it and it went quickly! Well done Rebecca Serle!

Omg Wow I ended up listening to the audiobook from my library. Loved the narration but the story itself was just stunning. I loved the subtle magical realism in the book. My only wish would have been that we got more of a clear answer as to how or why with the expiration notes.

I had a feeling the couple would need a redo and I loved that we got that second chance romance and sort of friends to lovers trope as well.

I really liked the setting and both characters. The story flowed effortlessly and there was never any down or boring parts.

I've been a fan ever since I read In Five Years, but this one just wasn't my favorite. I absolutely love magical realism and was very intrigued by the premise of this book! In the end, I wanted more answers regarding the notes that Daphne was receiving. Who were they coming from and why? But on the other hand, maybe the beauty is in not knowing. I won't give anything away, but I do want to add that the twist took away from the focus of the book for me.

It was hard at times to find someone to root for because I just couldn't feel any chemistry between Daphne and her love interests. I will say that I did enjoy Daphne's character and her inner monologue! It felt very relatable to me. I loved the descriptions of LA and it made me feel as if I was there myself!

Thank you to Atria Books, Rebecca Serle, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Cute story. Something I'm sure all of us wish we knew... how long a relationship would last. Kind of wish it was chronological instead of jumping back and forth within her timeline.