It seems that Daphne Bell’s love life has been pre-determined for her. Every time she meets a new love interest, she will also find a slip of paper with the person’s name and the length of time she will have with them. The papers have nailed it so far, including her time spent with her ex Hugo, who has now become her best friend. He is also the only one that knows this secret.

As she plans for a blind date with a man named Jake, she finds her slip of paper as usual, but this time it is only his name. It is the first slip of paper that does not give her a timeline. Could this be her soulmate? She and Jake have a promising first date and their relationship continues. The closer they become, she realizes she is still holding onto secrets that Jake needs to know to continue a life with her. Secrets that given his past, will break his heart.

This was a beautifully written book and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Rebecca Serle is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I loved Expiration Dates so much! The unique premise, the quick pacing, and the great characters combined for such a fun reading experience. I liked Daphne a lot - she's earnest, kind, but flawed in her own way, the kind of heroine you can easily root for and go along on a journey with. I wanted good things for her and I so hoped she would figure things out by the end of the novel. I love how Serle's books have this element of magic, just a tiny bit, enough to add that extra special something to the novel, and this one was perfect. And the "twist" was perfect, too. I loved everything about this book.

Wow. This book was amazing. I loved Daphne's and Hugo's friendship. I can't imagine what it would be like to live with such a heavy secret and then to also know when your relationships will end. I loved Jake and really want a sequel about how his life unfolds and a rekindling friendship with Daphne. I wish I could read this again for the first time.

Expiration Dates
Author Rebecca Serle
Available now!

Thank you, @atriabooks and @netgalley, for my #gifted e- arc and thank you, @librofm, for my #gifted #audioarc! I've read and Serle's In Five Years and One Italian Summer, so I was super excited to have the opportunity to read her latest women's fiction/ magical realism gem!

I prefer magical realis, to be more of a sprinkle than one of the main components in a novel because I need it to be somewhat realistic. While this was not realistic, the plot was perfectly unique and absolutely relatable about what it means to be vulnerable, fall in love, and find your happily ever after.

In the most serendipitous ways and for over twenty years, Daphne receives a piece of paper every time she meets a new man, with his name and a date on it. Interestingly, the date is their expiration date or when their relationship ends. Naturally, she's waiting for the piece of paper that doesn't have a date on it, and when that paper finally arrives, why is she struggling to be honest about who she is and tell Jake her story?

With a few interesting twists and a friendship that is gold, Expiration Dates is an emotional and magical love story about listening to your heart and staying true to yourself.

Author Rebecca Serle is at her best in Expiration Dates. She masterfully weaves elements of magical realism into an emotional story that pulls you into Daphne's story. However, I wanted a bit more from the relationship development between Daphne and Jake, I just couldn't get myself invested in them. I'll always read anything Serle publishes and look forward to her next book.

Rebecca Serle always comes up with the most creative premises for her books. Our main girl Daphne, receives a note about every relationship she's ever been in telling her when the relationship will end. As the book begins, she receives a sheet of paper without an expiration date. The universe is clear: this is her soulmate. But what about her ex/best friend Hugo, with whom she has unfinished business? Like all of Serle's books, this book is emotional and comes with a twist in the middle that alters the entire story. Expiration Dates is a quick read, but a thought-provoking one, and I highly recommend it to fans of Serle's past work.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This is my fourth book by Rebecca Serle and she never disappoints, I love how she mixes women's fiction with magical realism. I thought this one would be a light, fluffy romance but boy was I wrong...this book was so much more than that. It is such an intriguing concept, little notes tell our main character, Daphne, how long her relationships will last.

The author throws in a couple of surprise twists that I did not see coming and I thoroughly enjoyed being surprised that way. The best part, for me, was when Daphne stopped letting the pieces of paper dictate her life and she took control of her choices herself and remembers you only have one life so live it to your best ability to be happy no matter how long or short it is.

I liked the way Serle writes, it isn't too flowery or wordy and her books are always so unique. The style is easy to read and so engrossing I managed this one in a couple of sittings. I love the way that romance isn't the most important part of her plots but they still manage to give me all the feels and have cheering the couple on. The book is short and very emotive and was such a gut punch a couple of times. I was really happy when Daphne found herself and her one true love.

Meh. I don’t love her books yet keep coming. Back in hope I’ll like the next one. It was just ok. The back and forth timelines was a little confusing to follow and again I didn’t like unexplained elements.

I really liked the idea behind this story, but I felt like it could have been further developed. There was a lot of details missing that could have provided more depth to the story. It was very surface, I guess. But I did enjoy it.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book gave me a lot of feelings and I'm going to do my best to put them into words, but I just have mixed emotions.

3/5

Daphne has a secret. The universe tells her how long the relationships in her life will last. Every time she meets a man she receives a piece of paper with his name and a length of time. This could be one night, to a few years. That is until she receives a paper with just a name and no time. Daphne then has to go through this relationship deciding if this is the man she is supposed to be with for the rest of her life or if there are other things that make her happy in life. 

The concept of this book and the papers gripped me! When I read the synopsis I was incredibly intrigued. However, as I was reading the book I felt a little let down. The reality didn't seem to match the intrigue I started with. The other issue I had was that I never felt connected to Daphne, Jake, or Hugo. The book just needed a bit more depth. 

While I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book I do want to share my feelings. It was so well written and I have seen some really rave reviews, I just couldn't get there. About halfway through is a big twist that, like Jake, left me feeling like I never really knew our FMC. Which again, is a testament to the writing. I felt what one of our leading men felt...a little betrayed. 

Overall, the last 30 some pages were my favorite part. There was a second twist I didn't see coming and I loved it. I wish we could have had more at the end and more explanation.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise was intriguing and I thought I was really going to enjoy it as I started reading. However, the overall execution was a let down for me. Unfortunately it’s not one I will recommend to other readers.

Every time Daphne Bell meets a man she receives a mysterious piece of paper with how long she’ll date him for. Daphne has no clue where they come from and keeps this a secret. Sometimes she’ll spend one night with a man or two years. When Daphne is set up on a blind date with Jake the paper she finds is blank, no end date. Daphne must find herself and come to terms with certain aspects of her life.

I really enjoyed Expiration Dates. The book has an extremely interesting premise. The characters are extremely likeable. You can’t help but root for each one of them. Daphne is also relatable. She’s trying to find herself in the process of dealing with obstacles life throws at her.

The story is told in the present and in flashbacks to the past. I enjoyed the flashbacks of her previous relationships and how things unfolded. The pace was good and it was a quick read.

There were a few surprises along the way that took be aback and made me even more invested in the story. This book was more surface level than I expected. I thought there would be more internal inspections. It also wasn’t an over the top romance.

I would have liked if the expiration date part was explained. It seems odd that she would get them but no one else would. Personally I would have liked an explanation to wrap the story up nicely.

This book is perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle’s other works and enjoyed magical realism books such as The Measure by Nikki Erlick.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. This story had a new angle that I hadn't seen in a rom-com before and it was intriguing. However you have to suspend your belief right from the beginning. I didn't like the plot twist in the middle of the book and felt it very unrealistic that this wouldn't be "discovered" by any of her boyfriends or her friends at any point. I also didn't understand why she would keep this secret. The main character wasn't very likable. There were some good quotes and the book was a very quick read.

Magical realism. I enjoyed this book as much as in five years and a lot more than one Italian summer. While the FMC was occasionally annoying (as in one Italian summer) she was much more relatable. Really enjoyed the magical realism aspect and found the concept very thought provoking

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of "Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle. I just love Serle's writing. This is my third book by her, and although I really enjoy audiobooks, I have read all of hers in the written form. Her writing is beautiful, She creates characters I really care about. The endings are sometimes unexpected but always deeply touching.

I cheered so hard for Hugo throughout and while the "twist" caught me off-guard, I continued to root for her until the very end. What a testament to the power of influence and getting caught up in what you think you should do, that you can overlook what you want to do.

Charming book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy.

This is my second novel by Serle, and I loved it! She is a very gifted author! It’s hard to give a lot of details without spoiling anything, but there are a few things I can say.

What I Did Like:
- This is a love triangle that is written VERY well! I love how it is written, in general. I love that Daphne is keeping a secret and her entire story is told bouncing back-and-forth between present day and her past. I love how her secret unfolds as the story weaves in and out of her relationships and the letters she received about them.

What I Didn’t Like:
- I didn’t agree with Daphne’s decision to choose Hugo over Jake.
- I didn’t like how Hugo started behaving towards the end. His behavior felt very toxic, which made me not like Daphne's decision to be with him even more.

Something I’m unsure of … I can’t decide if I liked this, or didn’t like this, or if I’m indifferent about it …. but the magical realism element never gets explained. You just have to accept it for what it is. I'm not sure how I feel about that part.

Rebecca Serle integrates magic realism so well into her novels that it seems entirely plausible. "Expiration Dates" has such a unique concept and I wanted it to grip my attention from beginning to end, but it fell flat in execution. The romance felt expected, but also lacked the chemistry of a can't-put-down-romance. Overall, this a nice read with some of the expected and unexpected woven in.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book. I have previously read Rebecca Serle's books (both from NetGalley) and find her books to be very enjoyable and she never disappoints, I love the touch of magic she puts in each of her stories. I was hooked immediately with the premise of this story. I read it in one day and will/have recommended to many. I must say I was hoping she would end up with Jake but loved the character of Hugo also. The author throws in a couple of surprise twists that I did not see coming and I thoroughly enjoyed being surprised that way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy. i would give it a 4 stars.

I thought this book had such an interesting premise. Daphne receives a slip of paper every time she meets a man with the amount of time they will be together . I personally love magical realism in books so this was right up my alley . I did really love the main character of this book . I found it hard at times to keep track of the back of fourth of past lovers . However the ending was really good and I did enjoy this book a lot .

A big thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Publishing for an advanced read copy of this book!

Daphne’s dating life has always been unique. Before a first date, she always receives a note indicating the length of the relationship. Knowing what the future holds with each new relationship has given her a sense of control until another aspect of life throws her for an unexpected loop.
Daphne learns to navigate this news and new way of life, only sharing it with her parents and former boyfriend Hugo until she one day receives a note without an expiration date. For the first time in her dating life, she must let down her guard and make a decision to fully jump all in.

This was my first Serle read and she had me hooked from the first page to the last. I loved Daphne’s character development over the storyline and the ways her relationship with Hugo ebbed and flowed. The ending left me with all the feels. I’d love to read a sequel to this book!