This is a book for people who love love and Los Angeles. I had so much fun picturing the characters in a city that is near and dear to my heart. I loved being on this journey of wondering what love is and when to know when you have really found it.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Rebecca Serle for a DRC in exchange for an honest review!**

Would you take a chance on love...if you knew from your VERY FIRST meeting that it wasn't going to last?

Daphne Bell has his number, all right...each and every time. You see, Daphne has been receiving bits of paper for TWENTY YEARS each time she embarks on a new relationship. But these sort of 'unfortunate cookies' (minus the cookie, which seems unfair if you ask me!) each have two pieces of information on them: the name of her new beau, and exactly how long the relationship will last, from a quick fling with Martin in Paris (three days) to a 'just starting to get to know one another' rendezvous with Noah (five weeks) and even the short-but-powerful relationship with her boyfriend-turned-bestie Hugo (three months). Living with this sort of certainty has always helped her protect herself when relationships got too deep or serious, but has also given her the go-ahead to dive in at times she might have otherwise held back...so Daphne's notes have served as sort of a guiding force and light...even if she hasn't found her forever person JUST yet.

But all of that is about to change when Daphne goes on a blind date with a TV exec named Jake. They have a fantastic first date and the butterflies creep in, along with a rush of anticipation at the 'fortune' with Jake's name on it. Daphne is stunned to find, for the first time EVER, a name....but NO expiration date. What exactly does this mean for Daphne? Could fate FINALLY be showing her that Jake is...the one? As their connection deepens, doubt and fear begin to creep in...does Jake really KNOW her better than anyone she's ever met before? Can she trust him with a secret she's been keeping that will shape the rest of her life...AND his, if they stay together forever? Or will Daphne choose to forego the notes, the universe's advice, and simply figure out HOW she can follow her own heart, wherever it leads?

Rebecca Serle is one of those authors in the genre who has found her perfect fit: her stories always meld romance with magical realism neatly, effortlessly, and ALWAYS have a heavy dose of heartbreak. What's beautiful about her writing in particular is that you never quite know WHAT the heartbreak will be or how it's going to play out: is it the loss of a beloved friendship? A strained relationship between the lead and a family member? Melancholy about love had and lost? There are always SO many factors in play in Serle's books: they never read as a cut-and-dried romance, and sometimes even feel more in the vein of women's fiction FEATURING a romance, and I always know the vibe to expect from a Serle book: it's going to rip my heart out a time or two, get me thinking about the past, present, and future of my OWN life, and to explore expectations in general: all of these elements, along with beautiful and relatable characters, pull you into her web of magical realism in such a special way that you often forget the implausibility of some of her plots entirely. (See: having dinner with Audrey Hepburn in the Dinner Party...in that book? It just MAKES SENSE no questions asked!)

I'm not sure what it was, but something about this particular story kept me absolutely enthralled, and held my attention from beginning to end: in short, while my previous two Serle reads were good, Expiration Dates was great. I absolutely LOVED the idea of the concept, which was almost a play on the idea of finding a piece of paper with your death date on it...and the question of if this were possible, would you WANT to know? True, this concept is far less severe in a sense, but it is fueled by the same sort of speculation: is every relationship FATED to last only for so long? If the universe gave you an end date, would a fight you coincidentally had the same day with your partner be the final straw? We get glimpses of Daphne's past and her perspectives through the lens of her various relationships, and as she shares her tales, you can FEEL the nostalgia through her words: with such a finality to the end of her relationships, it almost makes them all the more special to her...but also leaves her so lost as to what her future should look like or where she's meant to end up.

I also have to admit, I PROBABLY should have seen it coming, but since I was SO swept away by the story and the nuance in general...there is a twist that COMPLETELY surprised me! A more astute or careful reader probably would have caught it, and even in writing the mini synopsis here I ALMOST gave something away myself! I won't spoil anything, but in all honesty, this book could have gotten REALLY cheesy, and I applaud Serle for the fact that it did not. Just like in life, nothing is cut and dried here, and every relationship exists in shades of grey...if you're looking for a wholly predictable, HEA sort of ending...this isn't QUITE like that. There are hints dropped and also a couple of different avenues Daphne can choose by the end of the novel, and Serle cleverly alludes to one possibility without DEMANDING buy-in...and in doing so, allows both Daphne as a character and YOU as a reader to contemplate what choice she made...and also, where it might lead.

And more importantly, just like poker, when it comes to love?

You have to be lucky...but you also can't win the jackpot unless you're TRULY all in.

4 stars

This story is a mix of magic realism, the romantic history of the main character, and a love story to LA.

This story is told through both flashbacks to previous relationships, and present day narration. In the beginning, the book took a bit to ramp up and become engaging, but once you’re accustomed to the story and the characters, it’s hard to stop reading.

I really appreciated that while I found the main ‘twist’ to be fairly predictable, there were a couple other aspects of the story that didn’t come in until later in the book, which kept it engaging without feeling repetitive.

Jake, one of the main male characters, is also very assured and a great partner - it’s rare to read a romance book with a MMC that truly is unproblematic and doesn’t even have any unhealthy mannerisms.

Expiration dates

Daphne has always wanted love but every relationship that starts always has an expiration date, one night, three weeks, six months. She gets these messages on little slips of paper that get delivered or left for her. Until she meets Josh. His paper has no expiration date and Daphne has to learn to live with the man she is supposed to be with.

I loved Daphne’s story. Having read stories written by Rebecca Serle before I knew what to expect so when the twist came partway through, I was shocked, but also ready for it. You really empathize with Daphne and her situation, moving from relationship to relationship trying to find the right guy. I really loved her relationship with Hugo too. It kept the story moving. The ending was absolutely brilliant too. All of the loose ends that could be tied were tied. I would hundred percent recommend this story to anybody who loves women’s fiction or romances. It appeals to everyone. Rebecca Serle is on my auto buy list. Thank you so much to Atria Books NetGalley for the free eARC for my honest opinions. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first time reading anything by Rebecca Serle, and this book did not disappoint. What made this whole situation even better was that I received an ARC for this one! I felt so blessed to have been chosen. I didn't necessarily know what to expect going into this, and I actually didn't read the summary before starting it. I went in completely blind.

Like I said before, I didn't know what to expect from her, but this book read a bit like an Emily Henry book. Or even like an adult version of a Sarah Dessen book. It was a romance book with depth. But it also had a bit of whimsical light magic that's never explained, similar to something Ashley Posten would right, so take that for what you will.

The story follows Daphne, who for as long as she could remember, would get these slips of paper telling her how long her relationship was going to last. Sometimes it was before she met the person and sometimes it was after she met them. And because of that she believes the universe has a plan for her. Finally she receives a piece of paper with no expiration date, Jake. As Jake and Daphne's story unfolds, she finds herself doubting the paper's prediction, and has to wrestle with what it means to be committed and truthful.

This story was so quick to read. I feel like every chapter unlocked a bit more of the truth, and when I got to the end I found myself shocked, but also so so happy. There were two major plot points, one went exactly as I wanted it to, and the other one caught me completely off guard. From reading this book, I already know that I'll be checking out all of her other books! Highly recommend.

Love love love love love this book! I can't even express words other then Rebecca Serle does it again

This was a really interesting premise and I felt all the feelings. Plus some truly shocking twists I did not expect!

Rebecca Serle’s books are always a must read for me! “Expiration Dates” did not disappoint and I loved this story! This would make a great book club read!

Darn it. I was SO into the premise and storyline, but the way the book unfolded just fell flat for me. I didn't feel much for the FMC and didn't really get to know her. I thought the storytelling flashbacks were a little disjointed and ultimately the writing style didn't quite work for me.

I wish I liked it more, but I thought the idea behind it was super creative and interesting.

Thank you for the arc!

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