I finished "Expiration Date" by Rebecca Serle last night and really enjoyed this book. It is an exploration of fate, love, and human relationships. Daphne Bell's life is shaped by mysterious slips of paper that predict the duration of her romantic encounters with men. However, when she meets Jake, whose slip bears only his name and lacks and expiration date, Daphne's beliefs are challenged, leading her on a journey of self-discovery.

The book is both tender and thought-provoking. It deals with commitment, honesty and the pursuit of a true connection. Daphne grapples with her secret knowledge about Jake. Daphne explores the fragile boundaries of fate and free will, truth and deception.

"Expiration Date" has well developed characters. Daphne explores the meaning of singlehood, in her search for love and the complexities of human connections. It is a fun book for spring reading. Fans of contemporary romance lover will swoon over "Expiration Date".

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Expiration Date" in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #ExpirationDate #RebeccaSerle

Thank you to Rebecca Serle and Atria Books for this ARC! Serle creates some of the most interesting ideas that are insanely creative, thought-provoking but frustrating. This book is an improvement from In Five Years by Serle, which bothered me because of the cheating troupe, but Serle still struggles t make her FMC likeable. Expiration Dates focuses on Daphne, who has the peculiar "gift" of receiving a slip of paper with her next romantic relationship's name and time. The time could be 3 days or 2 years - and it has always been right in her 33 years. Now, she receives a slip of paper before a first date, with NO TIME. Is this the love of her life? Is her life unexpectedly going to end soon? Or, are the slips of paper not accurate? The main joy of this book is Hugo - I love him and his antics!

Ok so the idea of receiving a note with the “expiration date” of every relationship you’ll ever have sounds intriguing. This book however, was not. Now, while there is a lesson along the lines of expectations and placebo effect in there, it wasn’t enough to hold my interest. The repetitiveness of flashbacks to every relationship that came with an expiration date note leading up to the current one that didn’t, just gets really boring. This book just didn’t have enough meat on its bones for me.

Daphne is a thirty-three-year-old Hollywood professional who has secrets. The one that frames this delightful novel is the one about the papers she receives periodically, containing only a name and a period of time. These are the relationships she experiences, with men she has recently met. The source of the papers is not revealed, and there are enough of them to convince Daphne that they are factual. Whether they are because that is fate, or because she goes into them focused on the expiration date, is for the reader to decide.

The other secret gives gravitas to why Daphne lives this way, and as a reader, I wish we’d been told about it earlier in the book…sorry, no spoilers here. Frankly, I was tired of reading about her romantic exploits by the time we find out why, despite Serle’s lovely writing.
It is well written and an easy read, with a premise I’ve not read before. A nice book that is more than fluff, but not so much more that it exhausts me, as some books have this year! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy!

This is my absolutely favorite of Serle's. I love how she adds a touch of magical realism to her books. Such a quick and easy read, and somehow she managed to surprise me with the twist! A delightful read that I will continually recommend.

3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a light-hearted, fun rom-com of a read with a touch of magical realism!

Since Daphne was a teenager, she's been receiving mysterious notes whenever she is in a relationship detailing the exact amount of time that she will spend with that person. Knowing that she has a finite amount of time with each prospect completely skews her approach to her romantic encounters. 3 days with one man, 3 months with another, she always enters the relationship knowing that it won't last forever. When she receives a note one day with the name Jake but no timeline she finally gets the chance to discover if he is "the one" and jumps into a relationship like she's never experienced before. Along with help from her ex-boyfriend turned best friend, Hugo, she navigates the unknown and wrestles with the dilemma of letting the relationship take its natural course vs spilling everything to Jake and altering what could be her first real attempt at love.

I thought the storyline was unique and I really loved all of the characters. Among the 3 books I've now read by Rebecca Serle, though, I felt that the other two (One Italian summer and In Five Years) had more substance to the central storylines than this book did. That being said, this was a cute read that was perfect to take on vacation!

Julia Whelan is a household name for audiobook lovers. She can do no wrong and always delivers an A+ performance! Expiration Dates is no exception! Not only is the story unique and heartwarming but Julia gives her all! If you’re an audiobook girlie like me, this one is 100% worth the listen!

Have you ever wanted to know how long a relationship will last before it begins? Is it worth the time or effort if it won’t last more than a few weeks? Somehow, Daphne receives a note with a name and a length of time on it. Every single time she starts a new relationship. It seems awesome but Daphne has always wondered when she’d be able to fall in love for good. Then she receives a note with no date. Just a name. Is this it? Her true match? As Daphne begins to question the meaning of the note, we get to take a journey through some of her past relationships and see how each of them impacted her. Is fate already sealed or can we still make decisions that can alter our future?

Full of heart and peppered with humor, this is a story about friendship, love, and finding yourself - no matter what path you may think you’re on. Even though the notes showing up for Daphne could only be magic, I wouldn’t classify this one as magical realism because they seemed so normal. Magic was never discussed and that worked for this novel. I listened to this one in an afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it!

A quick-paced new read from Rebecca Serle that might be my favorite of her books that I have read yet! The story follows Dalphne, a young woman, who is searching for love. I found the story very relatable and loved the ways that Serle weaves magical realism into Dalphne's quest with the little notes saying how long a relationship would last. Overall, the book makes a powerful message, but the ending did feel a little rushed and left me yearning for more!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the author of "In FiveYears" and "One Italian Summer", Expiration Dates" is a delightful contemporary romance novel with a touch of magic, and twists you won't see coming. Rebecca Serle's protagonist, Daphne Bell, seems to be getting special deliveries from fate with the name and duration of each new relationship. Then one day, there is just a name, Jake. This storyline is, in and of itself, intriguing but then Serle delivers, "Bam!," an unexpected punch. Then, just when you think things are on an even keel again, "Bam!". Serle has mastered the art of creating a page-turner that is rare in the genre. 4*

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley

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.