Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Ok this didn’t ruin me like I expected it to. I enjoyed it thoroughly, there were some excellent quotes to pull from, but I was left wanting a little bit more?

Excellent characters in this. 4 stars.

I am a sucker for a cute romance and this was no exception. Does it turn out exactly as you’d expect? Yes! Did it also have depth besides a romance, yes! Loved the concept of this book and it was super cute. This book is the perfect beach read or pick me up. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc.

The book starts at Gracias Madre , one of my favorite restaurants in WeHo (West Hollywood). So I had an immediate liking to the story.

Everytime a paper slip appears for Daphne with a name and duration, it means a new man in her life with an expiration date of that relationship. The story proceeds by switching between her past relationships and the present one.

I went into this book without any background and just by Rebecca Serle’s name since I like her last book. The story is based on magical realism and this was a slow read for me at the beginning but half way through it picked up with an unexpected turn. I liked the ending and I did see it coming.

Unfortunately I wasn’t a big of of this story. It was a quick read and I loved the premise, but the characters fell super flat. I didn’t feel any chemistry between Daphne and any of her romances. I hated that her illness was revealed so late in the story and then that’s all the book focused on. The twist with Huge writing the last expiration note was a good twist, but Daphne got over it so quickly and then they start maybe dating. Just not a fan.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle asks the question, "What would you do if you knew how long each of your relationships would last?" Daphne has had this happen to her her whole life, but one day she receives a note that's blank - could this be The One? We follow her through both her present relationship and past relationships, learning more about her through each relationship. We end up learning that Daphne has been keeping a secret from the people closest to her, as well as the reader, that impacts how she will move forward with her life. While this book isn't my favorite Rebecca Serle book (loved In Five Years!), it was a solid story, and I enjoyed the characters and setting. I would recommend this to friends as well.

The novel had an interesting premise, but the twist halfway through kind of dampened the reading experience for me.

Great concept but not well executed. Still enjoyed the reading experience but could have been so much better. Didn’t like the switch in focus half way through. .

Daphne has been on the single life journey for a while. She believes in things that are meant to be, and her life is guided by those moments of fate. Set up by her former boyfriend who is also her best friend Daphne finds Jake. What is she willing to give up in order to contest the will of fate? Will Daphne find her love or will she break Jake’s heart. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

I really enjoyed this story. I connected with the characters and felt Daphnes pain. It was well written. I adored Hugo and Jake. I even shed a tear or two.
Very much recommend if you’ve enjoyed Rebecca Serles other novels

Expiration Dates has such an interesting premise. If you knew when you met someone how long the relationship will last does it change how you are with the person? Daphne Bell mysteriously gets a paper with a date on it when she meets a new potential man for a relationship. The story begins with her being set up on a blind date with Jake and his paper only has his name and not an end date. As she begins dating him you get the back story of her other relationships whether they were weeks, months, years or even a one night stand. It also follows her career path as well.

This is a closed door, general (women’s) fiction, focusing on Daphne navigating her life and choices. She has a good friend Hugo who she dated years earlier that is still part of her life. The book sets up a love triangle with the two men that I didn’t connect with. I didn’t care about either of the men enough to support one over the other, although I guessed correctly where the story would go. There is another serious issue that Daphne deals with as well and which makes the tone of the book more somber and serious. This is not a light romance story, even if it is under 300 pages. I am glad to have read it but wasn’t really satisfied by the end. I am new to the author and would like to read more of her work. (3.5 Stars)

A huge thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

One of my favorite things about Serle as an author is that everything she writes feels so incredibly original. Even though this type of story has been "done before," it's never truly been done quite like this. Her characters are relatable and they feel REAL.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the juxtaposition of the expiration dates with the seemingly end-all be-all in Jake appearing but things really not feeling like they are what they seem or maybe should be. Without any spoilers, I was genuinely surprised by how this story wrapped up. Top of the Serle reads for me!

Expiration dates
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daphne always knows exactly how long her relationships will last. Somehow a piece of paper with the guys name and a time period will wind up in her possession. And it’s never failed her. Until she meets Jake and his paper has no time period.

Interesting romance. Brings up some really good questions. Would be a great book club book. Loved her best friend, Hugo.

3.5. stars - I enjoy Rebecca Serle's romance novels, especially the fact that they all have a touch of magic to them. In Expiration Dates, Daphne receives slips of paper each time she meets someone she will date with the length of their relationship on them. This has allowed her to take a backseat on her dating life and let life happen to her rather than live fully.

Expiration Dates was full of Serle's signature warmth and likable main characters. This was a breezy read that went by quickly, and had a strong sense of place being set in LA. I would have liked to seen a little more depth from Daphne's family and friends, I think it would have made the story even richer.

The idea of this book was good and I had really high hopes. Unfortunately, I found myself getting annoyed with the main character and her general lack of accountability for her choices was underwhelming. The ending was quite predictable and at times I wanted to set it aside and not finish it.

Thinking 2.5, maybeeee 3 for this one. 😬

For reference, I LOVED In Five Years, did not like One Italian Summer, & have not yet read The Dinner List or her YA books.

I was super excited about Expiration Dates upon seeing such great early reviews, but there were several things that sadly just didn’t work for my reading taste.
I went in blind, and wasn’t expected the “secret” that our FMC shared around page 150; I LOVED this part of the story and think I would’ve enjoyed the whole book/plot better if it had been revealed much earlier on. There could’ve been so much more emotion and complexity intertwined from it!! The story felt like it should’ve been much more layered, to me.

The jumping around between different relationships (of which mostly held no substance in my opinion) was just boring for the first half of the book, and once things got more “serious” in subject matter, it didn’t feel as serious as it should’ve/I would’ve liked because the temperament of the first half felt so opposite. It felt like two different books, in a way.

The jury is out on Rebecca Serle for me, I guess! I gave In Five Years 5 stars (LOVED the audiobook!!!) but just got totally different feelings from One Italian Summer & Expiration Dates.

I'm a fan of Rebecca Serle's books, and this one did not disappoint. It was a good book with a different plot. Daphne always knows how long she'll end up with people she dats, thanks to strange papers with name and dates. But why should she let a piece of paper determine her fate? A cute story.

I thought this book had so much promise, I loved the idea of it. The execution of it just fell short for me. It ended up being just ok for me.

If you've read Serle's In Five Years and One Italian Summer, you will know what to expect with this book. This was full of heart and emotion!

The premise of this one hooked me right away. Daphne Bell receives slips of paper every time she meets a new man with his name and a time frame on it. This is the exact amount of time she will be with the guy on the paper. We get to see glimpses of these relationships and how what happens in each one. This was so interesting to me. Would you change how you act if you knew you were only going to date someone for 2 weeks or 3 months? The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend.

Then one night, she gets set up on a blind date with Jake. When she gets this slip of paper she also gets a surprise. She gets to know Jake and starts to really like him and really wonders about the prediction of the paper. She still remains friends with Hugo and all her friends try to help her through this. There is also a bit of a twist thrown in to this one that I TOTALLY was NOT expecting that really tied things together so nicely.

This one had me feeling ALL the feels! I think I laughed and cried a few times during this one. This is signature Serle style with characters that you just love and want to root for. I loved the little twist that was over halfway through and it just tied everything together. I just think Serle is a genius putting together a plot and coming up with an ending that I would have NEVER guessed. Five stars!!

A special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this heartfelt book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I LOVED this story. Serle is so adept at weaving emotional threads through a seemingly lighthearted story. I could feel so deeply with the characters and was rooting for the love story. A must read.

A fascinating book with a very unique premise. Daphne gets mysterious notes from the universe with a name and a time period. She realizes that the names are guys she meets with the amount of time they’ll be together.
One day, she gets a paper with only a name, no time period.

Does this mean he’s the last guy? Is he THE guy? Daphne isn’t sure how to be in this relationship, she always knows when they’re going to end and acts accordingly.

I loved the twist towards the end, and the ending was unexpected.
4.5 stars.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.