I really wanted to like this one! I loved it until the end!!!! I felt very disappointed and unsatisfied with the ending!!! This book had me in a chokehold until I got to the ending!!!

Reading challenge category - 2022 52 Book Club: Title starting with the letter "E"

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC ebook.

Daphne has always been a little bit different. She receives pieces of paper with a man's name on it and how long she will spend with him. It could be before she meets him, while she's with him, or in one case, after a one-night stand has already occurred. When she receives a piece of paper with a man's name, but no expiration date, could this be her soulmate that she's been waiting for?

I enjoyed the premise of this book, but feel like the ending was a miss. Parts of the 'twist' about 3/4 in were predictable. <spoiler> Although I am glad that after her heart condition was revealed that Jake didn't become a heart donor for her, which is why there was no expiration date - a la "Last Christmas." </spoiler> The final 'surprise' was also predictable, yet I didn't mind that one as much.

Overall it was a quick, enjoyable read, but lacked real substance.

I received this novel as an advanced reader review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed all books by this author, and this was the same. It is a heartwarming, light read that is perfect for the upcoming summer season highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed her books before..

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the gifted copy of this book.
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Read if you like: magical realism, an exploration of life and love.
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Every time Daphne goes on a date, she gets a postcard with a timeframe for that relationship. So when she receives a postcard for Jake that is blank, she thinks she has met her soulmate.
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This book was so unique and I loved it! I loved Daphne and her exploration of life and love. The author is a pro at witty banter and character development, and I loved how she revealed certain plot points. I was fully engaged and am now obsessed with this story! Highly recommend!

While I normally enjoy Rebecca's book I have mixed feelings on this one. The premise of this sounded super promising. A girl get notes saying how long her relationships will last. It's different. It was a cute idea. Seeing her different relationships was great and I was honestly rooting for her and Hugo. While her and Jamie seemed like a good match...he wasn't Hugo. And even though they ended I felt like Hugo never got over her. I wish that there was maybe a better way to differentiate between past and present because sometimes it would end and I wouldn't realize we were back in the present.

Her sickness felt completely unnecessary to me. It seemed super random. Something that gets brought in at the last minute and there was no hint or anything to something else going on? I didn't understand the point of it.

Daphne knows exactly how long she'll be with someone. Since she was young, she would receive a magical note with her partner's name and the time they'd be together. When she finally receives one without an end date, this has to mean she's found her soulmate, right? A nice first date with Jake turns into multiple and their life beginning together. With the encouragement of her best friend, Hugo, Daphne sets off for forever.

But as their story unfolds, Daphne must decide how to tell Jake about who she really is without completely breaking him.

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A thorough disappoint from Rebecca Serle. This book was full of descriptions and unfinished feelings. Finished with the book, I sat around pretty unfulfilled. I didn't know what happened. I was unimpressed and I didn't know if I even enjoyed it. With the synopsis and knowing Serle's writing, you would kind of hope for something really remarkable and profound. Instead what we get is a lot (I mean A LOT) of descriptions about what people are wearing, what they're eating, what they're drinking and a lot of stories about all her past romps. It felt like she was trying to reach a word count.

It felt like I was trying to be distracted with what was happening with Daphne and it just did not help that her and Jake really didn't have any chemistry. Her chemistry with Hugo was better but I didn't find him all that likable either. I was in a weird situation where I didn't want to root for anyone and by the end, I wasn't even really rooting for Daphne.

Throughout the book, I felt like it was climbing and climbing to the climax and when it got there, I was still unimpressed. There was one moment after the climax where I was hit with some unexpected plot twist (sorta) and then went back to feel very meh about everything.

In Serle's acknowledgment, she writes that this book was a love letter to all her fans and readers, and I can definitely read this book and understand what a labor of love writing a book can be. But this book read like she was trying too hard. I'm sure it'll turn into a Netflix or Hulu original film or series because it's written that way but this one was just not for me. A really big disappoint unfortunately.

Calling this the "love story that will define a generation" was a very confidence choice..

A solid 3. Despite all my feelings about the writing and plot and etc (which I know is hard to believe but humans are complex), I actually feel really indifferent to the book. It wasn't good but it wasn't the worst book I've ever read. It was definitely a book I read.

I received this as a NetGalley, thank you Atria books!

From the publisher description: "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."

I really enjoyed this book so much. While it was light in the beginning, it did grapple with challenging topics. What does it mean to be in love? What are you willing to compromise for someone you believe you are meant to spend forever with?

Told from Daphne's point of view, we jump between present time and past relationships to see how the universe intervenes (or doesn't). I found this to be more character driven than plot driven and loved it. It was just the right pace with the question of , "will they/won't they" still prickling in the back of my mind.

While reading, you learn so much about Daphne, and how Daphne learns about herself too, and about how she interacts with those around her, which was refreshing.

While keeping this review as spoiler free as possible -- I am sharing a mild/moderate trigger warning for those that may need it: <spoiler>death of a spouse/partner & chronic illness/medical content/medical trauma - mentions of medical incidents/hospital stays/tests</spoiler>

Rebecca Serle's writing style is so specific and beautiful, and always flows so easily. Expiration Dates was an interesting concept and really made you think about the kinds of decisions you would make in the main character's position. Daphne Bell receives slips of paper with expiration dates for each new relationship, but when she gets one without an expiration date, she begins to wonder just how accurate they are. This was an emotional story with depth that will make you think about life and love and the roles relationships play. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

This was a solid 3 star read for me. Very interesting concept. I’m not sure I liked the ending. I’ll have to sit with it and see how I feel. I really liked the main character and the dilemma she faced. The way Rebecca Serle writes always makes me stop and think of what I would do if I was faced with the same decisions. If you are remotely interested, give it a read. It’s short and enjoyable.

"Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle offers a unique twist on the concept of dating and relationships. Protagonist Daphne Bell believes in the universe's plan for her romantic life, receiving slips of paper with expiration dates for each new relationship. However, when she meets Jake, who lacks an expiration date, Daphne begins to question the validity of the papers and wrestles with the complexities of commitment and honesty. Serle's narrative is imbued with warmth and insight, exploring the intricacies of romantic love and self-discovery. "Expiration Dates" is a gripping and emotional novel that delves into the essence of being single, finding love, and defining one's own path to happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such a great read, and i loved how original it was. To know exactly how long and with who you are going to date. How it can take so much of the risk out of it, but alsomakes everything so finite. Daphne kept up such walls around herself, but so loved her family and friends. I loved seeing how her walls came down, even to the reader as the story progressed. This was such a beautiful book about taking risks, living your life, and living with a chronic illenss. This had me tearing up multiple times.

This was my first Rebecca Serle book and I really enjoyed it! I enjoyed the characters and became very invested in their well-being and situational outcomes. I loved the storyline as well, although I thought going into it that their would be more emphasis on the 'magic of the dating notes'. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to Daphne's past loves as well. The twist mid-way through made it more serious than I was expecting, however I was invested in that storyline and I feel like it added a lot of depth to Daphne's character and her relationship with Hugo. I've seen mixed reviews on the ending, but I loved it! I can totally picture this book being made into a Netflix movie!! I will certainly read more by Serle!

At first I thought this book was a little slow, but then *BOOM* plot twist that I did not see coming. I enjoyed how real the relationships felt and found myself cheering for the magic of "what if...".

This was a quick, light hearted read! Loved the author's writing style and the unique story line/plot! Highly recommend to anyone seeking a fun story with strict EXPIRATION DATES on each romantic relationship

Daphne has lived her life dictated by pieces of paper. They tell her the name of men she’ll meet, and how long she’ll be in a relationship with them. Until one day the paper doesn’t have a time stamp on it.

This is a love story, but it’s more about the risks we take when we fall in love. Serle’s stories often have a bit of magic in them that leave the reader contemplating the hypotheticals, which I always enjoy. How would you treat a relationship if you knew exactly how long it would last? I felt like this story didn’t quite pick up until 40% through, but once it did it was a quick read.

Being single and looking for a long term partner is like playing the lottery. Every new person every first date could be the start of something big, but what if you don't have to commit and worry and figure it out but know the "expiration date" or at least the relationship time frame right from the get go. As the protagonist Daphne wrestles with what it means to be committed and truthful - so do we as readers. This is not the whole premise but giving more away seems wrong I feel like this is definitely a book that is best experienced blind without much prior knowledge but than pondered on.
A beautiful, gripping, emotional, passionate, and heartbreaking novel, much deeper than the pretty cover leads to expect, about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves.
Expiration Dates is a wonderful book.

This book just wasn’t for me I had a hard time getting into it and I didn’t feel any great connection to the main character. There wasn’t anything wrong with the novel it just didn’t keep me hooked or interested.

Expiration Dates has the same subject as hundreds of other books: fear of love. Is he/she be the one? Is he/she going to break my heart? How long will we have? Will I survive when, one day, I’ll be alone again? Is it worth it?
Even the ones that had their hearts broken will tell you that yes, it's worthy to love and be loved. But it's not easy and it's not always the most obvious choice, especially when you become good at being alone.

Not quite sure how I felt about this story, the premise was quite interesting. The time jumps I had a hard time following the past with the present. Daphne was just an ok character and I wasn’t really invested in her and Jake. The twist and ending seemed to leave a lot unsaid and was rushed. 3.5 stars

I liked the premise, but the execution felt disjointed and confusing. I assumed the timestamped notes would play a larger role? Why even include them at all if they wound up not being as central to the story as the character's own struggles? I also wish there would have been better demarcation between time-jumps.