Rebecca Serle has been a favorite for me ever since I read In Five Years and The Dinner List. These two were honestly some of my favs of all time. I was SO excited when I was sent "Expiration Dates" via Net Galley - and in my opinion, one of her most mature, heartwarming novels to date!

Daphne is looking for The One. She knows exactly how long each of her relationships is destined to last (via a slip of paper she receives with her date’s name and the duration of their romance- a night, a few weeks, a few months, etc. - until one note finally arrives with no end date. ). While her latest date with Jake goes well enough, Daphne seems to be getting everything she wanted…so why doesn’t it feel that way?

A little magical realism, a little romance, a lot of finding your way.

Rebecca Serle didn’t disappoint with her newest release! It was sweet, heartbreaking, heartwarming and hopeful! I will recommend this to anyone and everyone!

3 stars

I dont often read romance, but this one just sounded fun. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but it was enjoyable.
One little downfall, is that the disease felt like an afterthought, but then kind of took over. If it was established early and played a roll throughout it would’ve been fine, or if it was left out completely it could’ve still worked.

Overall I did enjoy the book, and it was a nice little break from what I usually read.

This was my first book by Rebecca Serle, but it definitely won’t be my last! I loved her simple plot mixed with her complex characters. Definitely an author that I will stay with!

NetGalley kindly gave me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and well, here it goes... Once again, Rebecca Serle writes a book with a cool concept, but absolutely lacking in execution. This review contains mild spoilers.

• The writing style is so rudimentary. So many unnecessary details about every character's exact outfit and how they smell. It's fluff and genuinely adds nothing to each scene it's in. I'm not kidding, it was every chapter. Explaining every outfit in detail is cheap writing.

• Writing in a major health concern/essentially terminal illness for the main character was a copout and adding it so late into the book was cheap. It then became the entire focus of the book. Focus on your cool concept and stop giving characters illnesses because you think it's going to make your writing "deep". This one in particular just felt like it did not fit in with the rest of the book.

• The character development fell flat. I felt for Daphne and her situation with the notes which kept her from getting attached to love interests, but then the book became about her illness and her victimhood and her what... not wanting a great guy who wants to stick beside her? The scene of Daphne confronting Jake and ending things she basically invalidated his feelings and gaslit him. There was absolutely no character development for Hugo. None. At the end of this book we're supposed to believe Daphne tries again with this guy? The guy who left her after finding out about her illness, who then tricked her with a fake note saying how long she'd be with Jake. THAT'S the guy for her? PLEASE.

Every time Rebecca Serle takes a cool concept and is like "Let me add in a debilitating illness, some descriptions of bad outfits, and some basic, surface-level thoughts about life." Every time. At least when other authors recycle plots, they do it well. And at least this book didn't have a cheating plot line like One Italian Summer did.

Once again, another miss with this author.

Very cute book! How would you approach new relationships if you knew there was or was not an end date? Enjoyed the characters and there were a few unexpected twists. Like many of this author’s books, the story contains a touch of magical realism, but not too much to make me not interested. Enjoyable!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I kind of loved this book. The main character randomly receives piece of paper that say things like "Seth 8 days" or "Jack 6 months" that tell her exactly how long a relationship will last. In this book, she gets one that says "Jake" but is blank. Obviously not even remotely realistic, but it was an interesting take on how you can approach a relationship when you know it has and end date...or doesn't.

Another winner by Rebecca Serle. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. Ms. Serle has quickly become a favorite author of mine. Her stories are easy to read but hard to forget. Don't hesitate to get this one.

This was my favorite of Rebecca Serle's yet—the conceit (a woman receives a paper noting the length of every relationship when it begins) is already ripe for discussion and exploration, and the way Serle unfolds the secrets, backstory, and relationships along the way is satisfying, surprising, and ultimately so powerfully drawn into a beautiful message by the end.

Another amazing read by Rebecca Serle! She has become one of my go-to authors so I was so delighted to be able to receive my copy. This story was so beautifully written and unique. Perfect rom-com cozy read!

Sweet and heart warming romance novel that will give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings and maybe even make you cry. The story is more than and love story and explores one of soul searching, growth, and the unpredictability of life and love. The book is light and breezy yet the characters and writing rich and warm. I loved the main characters of Daphne, Hugo, and Jake and wanted more. Pick this up for an easy and fun love story. Rebecca Serle can write no wrongs and I just love her books!

Thank you Atria Books and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and opinion.

My new favorite Rebecca Serle book! This was beautifully written and I finished it in a day. I enjoyed the unique plot combined with the theme of self discovery, choices, and following your heart.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful story of "what ifs".
Each time Daphne meets a man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a # on it - and that's
exactly how long the romance is going to last.
So she goes through life with expiration dates filling her thoughts and ruling much of what she does with her days.
Until the whole thing changes and everything is a bit more muddled than she is used to and we find that
expiration dates have a lot more meaning than what we led to think.
So what now?
As she finds her way, we find her way also and the surprise is astounding.
Just a great story with terrific characters; well planned and wonderfully developed personalities.
The story line is right out of the realm of possibilities and that's what make it work.
What If???
Bravo on a story that does not disappoint for one single second.
Rebecca is a fabulous author who reaches above and beyond and that's what makes her a delight to read.

The plot of this story was so unique. Would you give your romantic relationship everything you have, even if you knew it wouldn’t last? If from the beginning you knew it would last 3 weeks, 6 months, 2 years… would you accept if for what it is and enjoy it while it lasts to prevent heartbreak? This book is a reminder to recognize what you want in life, rather than what is expected of you. Daphne has to decide if she is truly happy with Jake, or if she is following what the universe wants for her. Is she more in love with the idea of “forever” and a relationship with no expiration date than she is with Jake? The beginning of the book is really good, but what makes this book is the second half. It evokes a variety of emotions and constantly tugs at your heartstrings. There was a twist that I did not see coming, and is thought provoking. Rebecca Serle has such a way with words and I love her skilled writing style.This book contains her usual use of magical realism, which I enjoyed. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It took me a while to get into this story but once I did I could not put this down. A beautiful story about a young women with a heart condition, who get magic notes every time she meets a boyfriend about how long the relationship will last. Serle always marries romance and magical realism, and this book is no different. This is a beautiful story about love, and hope, and finding yourself. I really loved this one.

I have been a fan of Rebecca Serle since her debut. Enjoying this book was no exception. I sunk easily into Serle's writing style and Daphne's head. I loved that this book was about love, but also about *choice* and recognizing what you want, versus what you think is expected of you. (My only reason for 4 not 5 stars is I didn't root/"ship" for the couple that ended up together, but minor qualm in a great book.)

I have enjoyed Serle's books in the past, so I was excited about this, but ultimately it disappointed me. The concept of the book was interesting, and I really enjoyed the creativity in it, especially at the end. Adding in health issues was a cheap trick Serle employed to add depth to the book, and while as someone who had chronic health issues, I felt she did a decent job giving the POV of an ill person, it generally felt like it didn't 'fit' in with the rest of the book. It was difficult to connect with certain characters - Daphne and Jake are the two that come to mind, which is crucial given how much of a focus is on them - and overall, this book was not at the level I expected from Serle given her other novels.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

My new favorite Rebecca Serle's title hands down! Expiration Dates is a romance, but not in a corny love story type of way. A unique plot centered around notes the main character, Daphne, receives for every new love interest with their name and a number—how long they'll be in her life. This is until she meets Jake and the note bears no number. Paired with Serle's vivid writing style, Expiration Dates will pull you into Daphne's world and take you on a ride that will pull at your heartstrings.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Rebecca Serra’s “Expiration Dates”. I loved her past novels and this one did not disappoint.

I found this book had a similar vibe to “The Measure” but with love. 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. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself wondering if she is really in love with the man or the idea of love and letting the universe decide.

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.
I can’t say much without giving away half the book but it’s full of surprises and you’ll find yourself questioning what you would do.

Rebecca Serlre wrote an emotionally charging and thought provoking novel that makes you question your trust in fate and the universe. A beautiful read!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the Arc!

The premise of this story was very interesting. Each time the main character met a new potential love interest, she would receive a piece of paper with a time limit on it. Like 3 months or 6 weeks or 1 night. She had no idea where these slips of paper came from or who sent them. It must have been the universe. But the predictions were always true. Something always happened to end the relationship exactly on the "expiration date". Until she got one with just a name and no date. What could that mean? Well it must mean that he is "the one". The final one. Because she knew from the beginning when the relationship would end, she played it that way. So with no date, that could only mean she was supposed to marry this one. Right? Well maybe, maybe not. This is a very interesting concept to think about and apply to our mortality. If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness and told you had 6 months to live (your personal expiration date), how would you live those next 6 months? Would you commit to anything knowing it wouldn't be long-term? Hmmm...