Rebecca Serle is usually hit or miss for me, but this one was a hit! I loved the concept and the romance, I laughed and gasped aloud. One Italian Summer is my favorite by her, but this is a close second.

I am not usually a fan of books that could be considered "romance novels", but Rebecca Serle manages to do a bit of genre-bending. There is romance, in fact the main premise is the romantic life of Daphne Bell. But the story has so much more. The ups and downs of life. A little bit of magic. Whatever the formula, I absolutely adored this story and all the characters!

Daphne is a single girl working in LA, waiting to meet the man of her dreams. But she has a little help. Every time she starts dating someone, a piece of paper will mysteriously appear and spell out how long the relationship will last, be it one night or two years. Until now there has been an end date, always, but suddenly a piece of paper appears with just the word, Jake. And then a friend sets her up with Jake. Is he the man she's been waiting for?

There is so much more to the story than dating and romance, though. We are immersed in Daphne's life, and what a likeable character she is! And wouldn't everyone love a best friend like Hugo? Tall, handsome, and funny, what is not to like? The dialogue between these two is whip-smart sharp and funny, and it made me wish I could go hang out with the two of them. As the story slowly unfolds, jumping into the past at various intervals, we learn that Daphne has been keeping a few secrets from the reader, and they will slowly be revealed.

This book made me laugh, and even cry a little. If you have even the tiniest romantic bone in your body, read this book! You won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Rebecca Serle, NetGalley, and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The pleasure was mine!

4.5 Stars
What an amazing story! I love love love how this story was told. It honestly felt like a movie. There were some things that I did not see coming and it just made the story that much deeper and meaningful. Sigh…… i need a follow up or epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Every time Daphne dates someone, she receives a slip of paper that tells her how long her relationship will last. She receives a slip of paper before her newest date, with Jake, but it has no time listed on it. Does this mean Jake is her “forever”.

Told in timelines and Daphne’s relationships, this is such a good premise and beautifully done.

Reading this made me think about whether I would have wanted to know the timeline of my relationships (when I was single, a long, long time ago) and I don’t think I would.

🌶️: no

For over 20 years, Daphne has received mysterious notes that contain only a name and a number on it - these notes tell her exactly how long she will spend with a love interest. Finally she receives a paper that only has a name and no number, leading Daphne to believe this person is her forever relationship. The only problem is, the more time she spends with this man, the more she wonders if the note really got it right.

One thing I love about Rebecca Serle’s writing is how it makes me think - and this premise really had me thinking about whether I would want these little notes. How would knowing the future impact my actions? It was interesting to see Daphne grapple with these same things herself.I loved all of the glimpses into Daphne’s previous relationships - from the notes to what actually happened. This is a story full of heart.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This book is the tale of Daphne's "hook-ups." In each relationship she was guided by an expiration date which kept her from becoming too involved. Would she have let the expiration date pass if she actually started to feel a connection or have feelings with these men? The book was slow to evolve because, let's face it, Daphne was never able to commit to anybody. Just as I was ready to give up on this read, some more of Daphne's history was brought in to the story. This did help some ( I finished the book). There is a lot of hype surrounding this book- which is very puzzling to me. I received a complimentary digital ARC from NetGalley and Atria. This review is my own words.

I loved Rebecca's "In Five Years', so I was looking forward to this book! This book was a mix of adorable and heart-wrenching. I adored the main character and her journey—her struggles, growth, and the unique concept of fate leaving notes about her relationships' durations. Her acceptance of this fate and her health challenges added depth to the story. It was a sweet and enjoyable romance that I quickly got lost in from the first page! I do wish that it came out in PB instead of HC though!

Oh my goodness did I love this book. What would you do if you knew exactly how long every romance relationship was going to last? What do you do when you finally don't know how long that is? I loved all the characters in this story, especially Daphne and Irina. I liked both Hugo and Jake, but definitely had my favorite out of the two. I won't spoil who that was but just know I was very happy with the ending.

* Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Rebecca Serle is a must read author for me. I enjoyed this story so much. I was quite surprised by the turn the story took. I really liked the relationship between Daphne and Hugo.

"While Rebecca Serle has proven herself as the queen of magical realism in previous works, 'Expiration Dates' unfortunately falls short of her usual brilliance. The story feels poorly developed, lacking the depth and nuance characteristic of Serle's best work. Despite her mastery of weaving fantastical elements into reality, the execution in 'Expiration Dates' misses the mark, with the notes veering too far from realism to effectively suspend disbelief. While Serle's talent is undeniable, this particular offering may leave readers disappointed in its failure to deliver a cohesive and compelling narrative."

Such a wonderful read with some unexpected twists. I found this story to be heartwarming, thought provoking, sweet story. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

What if you knew you had found your soulmate before you ever actually met?

For over twenty years, Daphne has always known what the universe has in store for her love life. When she meets a new love interest, she is delivered a paper with their name and a limit for their time together. She’s been waiting for the day when a paper would come with no expiration date for their time together- and then it actually happens.

WOW- I was so impressed with this book! I haven’t read anything from Rebecca Serle and was expecting maybe a rom-com vibe, but this book evokes a more serious side of chick lit/women’s fiction with a dash of magical realism. I would compare the writing to Taylor Jenkins Reid! I really liked the characters and stayed engaged throughout the entire book. The fate of the characters itself was not groundbreakingly innovative and I could see some parts of the plot coming, BUT there were not one but TWO BOMBASTIC TWISTS in this book that I did not see coming. They left me speechless! I had a wonderful time reading Expiration Dates and wholly recommend it! Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC of Expiration Dates, which is available now.

thank you to atria books for this advanced reader’s copy. EXPIRATION DATES is out now!

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY ↡
✨ magical realism
⏪ past + present POVs
📕 quick romance books
🌇 stories in los angeles

REVIEW ↡
this is my third rebecca serle book! her romances are always so fun in how they incorporate magical realism and introduce creative elements to the storyline.

i loved how quickly this book progressed. i breezed through it in about 24 hours. it picks up around 50% with a major plot twist that i didn’t see coming at all! it was fun to read about daphne’s various relationships over the years. i was surprised that the magical element didn’t get talked about more - it was subtle and i appreciated how it wasn’t the main point of daphne’s story. overall enjoyed this book more than i expected!

spoilers ahead ‼️

i didn’t love the ending - i feel like we were made to dislike hugo and i was so disappointed that daphne broke things off with jake. i can appreciate the friends-to-lover trope but i wish hugo’s character and jake’s had been flipped almost?! i did love the discovery about daphne’s condition about halfway through. it makes me want to reread the first half of the book to better understand the clues that had been dropped. rebecca serle is such a clever writer!

This book was so adorable - yet also heartbreaking. I loved the main character, her experiences, her challenges, her growth. I enjoyed her idea of fate leaving notes as to how long her relationships last - and the fact that she accepted this and was okay with her. Her health challenges and her acceptance of them over many years was an interesting spin to the story. I thought this was an enjoyable, sweet romance story. A quick read - I was sucked in from page one!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

What would you do if you knew the length of every relationship-before it happened? Daphne has faced this dilemma as long as she can remember. A piece of paper, a fortune, a passed note-all list a name and length of time she will spend with that person. Now in her early 30s, with her beloved dog Murphy, a career as an assistant for a high-powered producer and a small group of close friends, Daphne receives a piece of paper with a name and no expiration date-Jake. Daphne goes into their first date knowing this and the knowledge she has could heal or break Jake's heart. With Southern California serving as the perfect backdrop, Rebecca Serle dives into relationships and what it means to choose to loves someone. This is a charming and yes, a little heart-breaking, novel that I will remember for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I adored this book! Very cute and unique story. Ending was surprising. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Since she was a teenager, Daphne has received a note telling her how long each relationship will last. And up until now it has proven to be right each time. When Daphne meets Jake, she receives her first letter with no expiration date. Does this mean she's finally met her forever person?

The concept for this book was really neat! I was excited to see how it all played out and already had some questions as to the themes or lessons the author was trying to share. I had previously read In Five Years from this author so I knew to not expect the typical romance. But overall I was let down. First I didn't feel invested in the main character AT ALL. I could not tell you anything about her other than she has a dog and where she works. Then the love interests were either bland or a dick. The back and forth storytelling of past relationships felt choppy and then gave us less time in the present with Daphne, Jake, and Hugo. The magic of the notes was never really explored and just felt off. I found myself just waiting for the end to at least know what happens and then that was a big let down too because the answer was nothing lol.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! F

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this!

I liked this almost the whole way through, loving a premise that is romance but add a little bit of magic. The end threw me for a loop though, and I couldn’t decide how I felt about it.

Quick and Dirty
-contemporary romance
-magical realism
-disability/chronic illness rep
-Los Angeles is a major character
-🌶️🌶️/5 spice (open door)
-5⭐ narration by Julia Whelan

What Worked
I won’t lie, I didn’t love One Italian Summer as much as In Five Years, so I was unsure what to expect in Serle’s latest. But I always love her ability to weave magical realism into a story, so I said what the heck! Boy, am I glad I did! I LOVED this book so much, and I have a feeling that just about everyone who reads it will, too. It’s heartfelt and poignant when it needs to be, witty and charming, too. The L.A. Jewish culture representation is terrific, adding an element you don’t expect but appreciate. I appreciated the female friendships in the novel, as well as the FMC’s personal growth story. The love triangle is a trope many don’t like, but it works here because both MMCs are desirable. The book has some steamy moments but nothing too smutty. What I loved the most about this book was how Serle featured Los Angeles as another character. My beloved city is on display in the best way possible. Essentially, this book is a love letter to L.A., which I adored. I recognized city streets, neighborhoods, restaurants, and the overall L.A. vibe she wove into the story. Kudos, my friend!

What Didn’t Work
I loved this book too much to nitpick, but I will say that some will have issues with the love triangle and the absence of more steam. As with all her books, the intimacy isn’t relegated to the sheets, making it more of a cerebral love story (which I prefer).

Read This If
If you want an emotional journey about a woman’s search for love (of all kinds), read this book!

Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Serle, and Atria Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is my third Rebecca Serle novel. I loved In Five Years, but I did not enjoy One Italian Summer, so I was unsure how I would like this one, but overall I really enjoyed it! I thought the plot was very cool and unique and I had a hard time putting this one down and I really liked the main character Daphne! Overall a 4 star read for me!