This book has a really interesting premise. I loved the idea of the papers predicting how long her relationships will last. Overall it was a sweet story but I couldn’t relate to any of the choices that Daphne made. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t tell anyone about her heart condition.

I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was such an interesting concept as well. The friendship between the FMC & MMC was so funny, honest, and beautiful. Watching Daphne and her love/hate relationship with the slips and the men these slips were assigned to left me feeling magical at times and also heartbroken for her. Overall I really loved the book and would recommend it to all the romcom lovers out there. Thank you to the publishers & netgalley for this ARC.

The only magical realism I ever want to read comes from Rebecca Serle. I loved this one just as much, maybe even more than her others. Ugh, this story. Just a wonderful read.

Does not disappoint loves this one, definitely has moved Serle to my must reads. She just keeps getting better and better

3.5 stars (rounded up).

"Expiration Dates" is the first Rebecca Serle book I have read, and it likely won't be the last. I enjoyed this book, though I did find it to be predictable here and there. I think the idea for this story is fascinating. It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief as this is a book full of magical realism, but that's not an issue for me at all. The crux of the story made me think about the relationships we choose to be in, who we choose to be with, and when we choose to get in or out of them. How would it be different if there was a known "end time"? Would we do anything differently? Live any differently? Love any differently? I was frequently left guessing as to what was going to happen (until I wasn't). I will say, I did not recall the main character's name until about 45-50% into the story, so I'm not sure what that says, but I think it's worth noting. Perhaps it's not as fully fleshed-out as I had hoped it would be? I have to say, I predicted the ending, and I didn't love it. If what happened to Daphne had happened to me in real life, I would be p1ssed off, *not* happy and/or romanced! The regular time jumps confused me a little bit until I got the hang of what was going on. I never really felt myself drawn to Daphne or the guys she dated until her health saga was revealed. Then, I got curious! I did enjoy the writing style. Serle's book is infused with magic and love and pain and heart. I will definitely be reading her back catalog!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Serle, and Atria Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This author's imagination must be fascinating. Take this latest book: our main character gets a note with each new guy, with his name and a number on it - detailing how long their relationship will last. Then, wham! A note sans deadline. Le gasp, where will this book take me? And as if that weren't enough, there were twists that had me gasping out loud and explaining the plot to my boyfriend so he could gasp with me (spoiler, he did not).

So, we're tagging along with Daphne on her relationship rollercoaster, where Jake's about as exciting as the blank page he is, while Daphne's and Hugo's chemistry is setting off fireworks left and right. Sure, the story's romantic direction wasn't exactly a mystery but don't get me wrong - I was Hugo's number one cheerleader. But it wouldn't have minded if the book led me on a little.

I also wouldn't have minded fewer outfit descriptions. Thankfully, the short chapters kept the story flowing freely and it was hard to put down. It was that perfect mix of lighthearted and heart wrenching, one minute laughing out loud the next clutching my heart like a daytime soap opera star. I loved Hugo and Daphne (though Daphne definitely did not evolve as much as I wanted her to), the side characters were *chef's kiss*, they were all so wonderful and supportive, her parents were lovely - that heart to heart with her dad had me legit sobbing.

Overall, a sweet and memorable read that I highly recommend and has me impatiently waiting on her next book.

Absolutely delightful and whimsical and deep and moving and just one of the best romance books I have read in YEARS. Truly loved this one & could not recommend it enough. I have been a fan of Rebecca Serle for years but this is my absolute favorite of her books. Really loved the characters and the plot and how the story moved. How the timeline moved around kept things so fresh and interesting. Also. The ending. Perfection. Absolute Perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I always enjoy Rebecca Serle's writing and her ability to make me think. (I have a running note on my phone who would be on my Dinner List) Her books make excellent book club books because they give you the opportunity to have good conversations. This one particularly being the debate of fate vs free will. I feel like my interest in the story fell in and out, but I am happy I read it and excited to listen to Bad on Paper's Book Club discussion on it.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

dnf @ 60% - thank you netgalley and the publisher. how can you take such a cool premise and then ruin the story so quickly, i have to agree with all the other lower rated reviews I’ve seen. terminal illness should not be an engaging plot point and the fact she ends up with hugo is gross

I'll have to start with a spoiler because I'm just so frustrated.

<spoiler>This book is as frustrating to read as the How I Met Your Mother was to watch. So, after everything, after Hugo betrays her trust by shoving a fake paper about Jake, Daphne still goes back to him?! And what was the point of the notes? Hugo proved they didn't mean anything, she could always have the relatioship last how long she wanted. </spoiler>

The characters are just so unremarkable that I just noticed the name of the main character by the 60% mark. They were just so bland. I didn't care about anyone nor about any of the relationships - I cared about the dog though. And I think the author knew the emotional attatchment just wasn't there because that "twist" a little bit after the half way mark just came out of nowhere and without a single reason to exist aside from emotionally manipulating the reader into caring about the main character.

By the end, the book itself makes its plot unimportant. The author just decided to throw everything out of the window - she didn't care about the story, why should I? The book relies heavily on the characters and their relationships by the end. But since no character mattered to me, I didn't enjoy it.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

EXPIRATION DATES is the first book I have read by Rebecca Serles; I am going to read others as I enjoyed the writing, at times the story, not so much.

Every time Daphne she meets a potential mate, she receives a piece of paper from the universe with the suitors name and how long their relationship will last. The relationships last varying times but knowing there is a beginning and an end affects Daphne's commitment to the relationship. She receives a paper that says just Jake; Daphne does not know how to handle this, perhaps forever relationship.

I enjoyed reading Daphne's journey and its message about timing in love and living your life.

Overall the idea was good but was not executed well. I have five year apart by the same author and did not like the ending and how it was done and this is the same thing with Expiration Dates. I just felt like the FMC felt annoying and was self-absorbed bc she always knew from these pages how long a relationship would last which is sad honestly. Do not think it should be marketed as a romance so strong more magical realism

The premise of this one intrigued me from the start. I think this is such a unique concept idea. While I enjoyed the book I wasn’t blown away. This is my first Rebecca Serle book and after this one I won’t be rushing to read the next one. There were some really good parts like the magical realism. This is a fairly easy read and would be a good read for someone wanting an easy beach read.

I struggled to connect with Daphne, the main character. There is a big twist out of nowhere in the middle that left me feeling even more disconnected to Daphne. I felt like the characters lacked depth which is why I struggled connecting to them. The timeline, especially the audio was a little confusing especially at the beginning. My rating would have been a little bit higher but the ending felt rushed and I found myself wanting more.

This is a fun story about the relationships we choose and the ones that chose us. You have to suspend a bit of disbelief to buy into the premise but I enjoyed the story and would recommend this love story.

Expiration Dates

3.5/5 stars

I have a love hate relationship with Serle's books; I loved In Five Years but absolutely despised One Italian Summer.

Now this one fell somewhere in the middle. I was hooked from the first chapter, the writing flowed and my curiosity got the better of me. I just needed to know what happened next.

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. Thats until she meets Jake, this there’s no number.

The magical realism aspect was fantastic, loved every minute of it. But Daphne had one too many cringe-worthy moments that had me rolling my eyes. And even when her life didn’t seem picture perfect, it was still a little too perfect.

But hats off to Serle for writing a book that absolutely hooked me from start to finish, I binge read this.

If you enjoyed her other books, you’re definitely going to love this one.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
The story had an interesting idea and played it out quite well. I was sometimes a little confused about the back and forth in time frames but it was easy to catch up and understand what is happening. While I thought the idea of the notes was cute, I was not impressed with the protagonist. There was something about her that just rubbed me the wrong way. She appeared to be very self centered and I had the feeling that she expected everyone to feel sorry for her. She loved being the center of attention and while she knew how long each relationship would last, she was portrayed as a non likable person. I am not sure I truly like the ending but it fits the story. It was a cute idea but also reminded me about a different book, The Measure,.which had a very similar storyline.
Overall,.i found it ok: 3 🌟

Rebecca Serle knows how to write a tearjerker, doesn’t she? This was just such a lovely story and I was smiling in spite of myself. I love how she takes a premise that seems absurd and gets the reader invested in it in everything she writes. Her books are so enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more. They’re just nice.

Absolutely ADORED Rebecca Serle’s newest book Expiration Dates! It is definitely going to be a top contender for my fav book of 2024

Gah this book. Heartwarming, emotional, swoony, and the perfect balance between real life and magic, this is one of my favorite reads of the year. Serle has the capability of cramming incredible journeys into minimal pages and Expiration Dates is another book I read in nearly one sitting. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for my e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Daphne Bell believes that the universe is telling her something and it really is! Whenever she dates someone, she receives a piece of paper with his name and how long it will last. Nothing has come up for forever yet and she begins to think it never will until she gets a paper that says Jake and that's it. Does that mean forever? Jake is a really great guy. She falls into a comfortable life with him but is that what she really wants? She is still friends with ex Hugo and still feels a draw to him but they were only together for 3 months. He is the only one who knows about the notes and another big whopper of a secret.

I felt like I knew exactly where the story was taking me right away and that was okay. It was warm and lovely. Daphne is an incredibly likeable character. You so want her to find her happiness.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for a copy for review.