I love a Rebecca Serle book, and this one was no different. I read it on a flight and I was concerned about my eyes leaking like a faucet mid flight. The good news is that I was able to control myself. Phew.

Very interesting premise in this story, unique, and "fun", if you don't think too hard about it. I enjoyed this very much and it got me partway from one coast to the other.

I will read everything she writes.

Romance meets The Measure in this sweet contemporary story of predestined dating. With each new relationship, our protagonist Daphne mysteriously stumbles on a note with the boyfriend’s name and relationship duration. When her latest paper has only a name without a duration, Daphne isn’t quite sure what do to, or what secrets to keep.

Just about the perfect romance novel, with a touch of magical realism. 5⭐️!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Expiration date is a fun book kind of a women’s fiction/romance with a little bit of magic. The premise is interesting : Daphne, our main character, finds a piece of paper every time she starts a relationship with a new man. On it, there’s the name of the man and the time that their relationship will last. The book start as she goes on a date and the paper she finds only has a name on it, no time frame. She then assumes this means she finally met her soulmate. We follow Daphne and Jake’s relationship and, through some flashbacks, we learn more about Daphne past relationship and some others secrets of her too.

I was really excited for this book and felt like this was going to be amazing. I loved the idea. Did I enjoy the book? Absolutely. Was it everything I hoped it would be? Not really. I was expecting a romance, and it was, but not really as much as I thought it would be. The focus of the book kind of change at some point and I felt like it was coming from nowhere. I don’t know if it was necessary to the story.

The chemistry between Daphne and Jake was kind of lacking and I felt weird reading their first date. I felt like I was on a first date I wasn’t sure of and I don’t know if that’s good or not. Daphne had a lot more chemistry with Hugo, her best friend, which made me root for him a bit and it confused me because I thought I was supposed to root for Jake. For this reason, it took me a little while to get into it.

There were things I loved too in this book : at time, it’s an ode to friendships and relying on people and I think that was well portrayed. Jake is also confident in what he brings to the table and he is not insecure and we looooove a secure healthy love interest. The story made me feel a lot, I cried and I laugh. It was well-written and I had a fun time reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know why I thought that this book was a romcom. It had dual timelines past vs present boyfriends. Was it predictable? Maybe or I was just rooting for the right guy. It did feel a little short but I loved it anyway.

Thank you to the Netgalley and Atria books for the advanced copy!

Wow. This book was spectacular. I couldn’t put it down. I was so wrapped up in Daphne’s story. Although it’s a romance it is more of a coming of age book. We watched Daphne have these experiences at all different points of her life. The expiration date papers was such an interesting concept and I like the flashback chapters of seeing those relationships.
The book also felt like a love letter to Los Angeles. I love when a location becomes its own character in the story.
Even when I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about it. The writing was beautiful, the characters and their experiences were real and felt authentic. There were some twists and I didn’t see them coming but every time they happened I just felt closer and more invested in the story.
This book was a beautiful and amazing journey. I loved Daphne’s story and felt so inspired by her.
I highly recommend this one. I loved it so much.

Thank you again to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy!

#ExpirationDates:⁣
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Thank you @simon.audio partner for my gifted copy!⁣
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“Life looks different for everyone, and you have to keep choosing one another. You have to make a conscious effort to say, over and over again, “You.”⁣
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I came into this one cautiously optimistic. I loved Italian summer, but wasn’t a fan of 5 years. I think with all of Searle’s books has this beautiful theme of “what if” with a dash of hope and droplet of romance. Expiration Dates follows the same pattern, but the story stuck more with me and it is my new favorite Rebecca Searle book.⁣
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I love that Searle always makes me question, what if fate supersedes life and decides to intervene? (Queue Long Live Taylor Swift) I really liked Daphne as a MC, and she was quite literally my age. Maybe that’s why I connected so well because she was actually written as a modern 30 something instead of this stereotype of what people think we act like. Daphne gets a sticky note (essentially) that tells her how long her next relationship will last. With her new beau, it’s blank. Does this mean forever? ⁣
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One thing Julia Whalen is gonna do is absolutely demolish a male main character like it’s a real person. 10 times out of 10, you can’t convince me it’s two narrators, she reads like the amazing narrator she is. One of my favorites reading an amazing story, 10/10 audio is sure fire the way to go. ⁣
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I can’t give too much away, but check this one out. I actually sat up in bed listening because I did get shook a time or two. Beautiful, fun, perfect. Expiration Dates is out now. ⁣
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QOTD: What is one thing you’d like to know about the future?

What an emotional ride. I know it's a great book when I feel all the feels. I cried, I laughed, and I smiled. Rebecca Serle has not written a book I did not like, and this book really proved her incredibleness.
I loved how she incorporated different representations such as Jewish female lead and an invisible disability representation.
I loved the rawness of the situation and how vulnerable Daphne (and even myself) felt throughout the story, Falling in love is not an easy subject to write about, but this amazing author did it perfectly. She hit the nail on the head talking about the reality of the scariness of being with another person and fully committing yourself to them. She really knows how to capture you, pull you in, and keep you engaged. I could not put this book down and I wish it did not have to be over.
I cannot wait for more Rebecca Serle stories.

Imagine every time you meet a new love interest, you receive a slip of paper with their name on it and the exact amount of time you’ll be together. Can you fall in love when you know your relationship’s expiration date?⁣
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I was intrigued by the premise of this story. Could you allow yourself to fall in love, knowing the expiration date of your relationship. I imagine it would be hard. Yet, as Daphne tells us about her relationships, we find that it’s not impossible to get caught up in the romance. But how do you find your person? Your forever love in the face of constant expiration dates? ⁣
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Loved the magical realism aspect of the story with the notes. Although, I saw the twist coming - I was all in with the romance and Daphne finding her forever love, in spite of the notes. Overall I enjoyed the book (thank you @atriabooks for the complimentary copy) and felt satisfied by the ending.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle was such a welcome treat. I am not a reader who leans toward imaginary happenings, but the magical twist in this story hooked me immediately. Protagonist Daphne is receiving direction from the universe concerning her relationships with men. It all begins in 5th grade with a postcard that she receives giving the ending date for a relationship. Then the phenomenon occurs again, and again, and again. I am still captivated by this unique and creative supposition. Wouldn’t it have been nice (and saved us a lot of heartache) if we’d only known when a relationship was supposed to end?

And then, because we crave a HEA world, a man steps into her life, and the note she receives has no date. The writing is spectacular, artfully drawing the reader into Daphne’s mind and heart. Oh, yes, this is a feel-good book, one that induces smiles and giggles all along the way.

DNF @40% I just could not get into it. The story seemed disjointed with locations, times, and people flopping. I couldn’t care any less about Daphne or the guys she dated, and their outfits and what they ate…which was mentioned a lot for some weird reason. It just wasn’t for me. Not at this time anyway.

I recommend Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. The characters will engage you from the first page. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review. Happy Reading!

This was such a unique story and I completely fell in love with it. I thought In Five Years was just ok so I was a little hesitant to pick this up, but I’m so glad I did. Daphne was such an endearing, charming main character and I enjoyed her personal growth throughout the novel. It was compelling, emotional, heartbreaking, magical and hopeful and full of multiple surprising twists. I just couldn’t put it down, it really made me contemplate the choices you make in life and I was pleased with the ending. 4.5⭐️

Daphne receives a piece of paper every time she meets a man that says his name and a number on it - which is the exact amount of time they will be together. This time the piece of paper she gets says a name, no date.

I really enjoy Rebecca Serle’s stories - they are a mix of women’s fiction, romance, and always have a touch of magic realism which gives the stories a unique and special feeling. In Five Years remains to be my favorite of hers. I liked this story a lot more than One Italian Summer, but didn’t love it overall. I loved hearing the tales of past relationships that lasted a few days to months or years. I loved Hugo and their friendship and history. I was definitely intrigued that she had more information about the length of the relationship than the other person and how she would go into each relationship, knowing this piece. But it just took awhile to really get into and Jake just didn’t make that big of an impression for her forever person so it was tough to buy into that relationship.

I absolutely loved "Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serle. It is such a unique concept for a book. Imagine knowing how long each relationship will last....would you treat it differently? And what if you're in a relationship that you know ends on a certain date but you desperately want it to last longer!? I loved the storytelling and fell in love with the characters. Highly recommend this one!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved most aspects of this story! Rebecca Serle has a style all her own that draws you in and makes you feel like you belong! The romance portion is sweet, not overly spicy, and the characters and settings are well built and never fail to engage me. I’m always trying to guess what the twist will be and this one had quite a few, and they weren’t overtly obvious. I would definitely recommend if you like adult romance with a little bit of mystery sprinkled on top!

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle presents an intriguing premise that immediately caught my attention. The concept of getting a slip of paper letting you know the exact amount of time a relationship will last is undeniably fascinating. However, while the book had its moments, it ultimately fell into predictability, leaving me with mixed feelings.
Serle's ability to create relatable characters and capture their emotions was a highlight of the book. While Expiration Dates didn't blow me away, it provided a nice change of pace from the books I've been reading lately and it offered a thought-provoking concept.
the book was easy to follow, making it a decent read for those seeking a lighter, introspective story.
I appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Expiration Dates provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Although it didn't leave a lasting impression, it was an enjoyable experience overall.

If you are a person who likes to take things on faith you may enjoy this book. If not, you may have a hard time with it. The whole premise of the story is a little hard to imagine that these papers with names and numbers would just show up so mysteriously. Also, it is hard to understand why the main character would constantly willingly want to go into relationships knowing how exactly long they were going to last. It's an awfully strange coincidence that every time a relationship ends, she is just okay with it and never feels like she wants more time with that person. It seems like she never really cared about any of these guys that much to begin with.

Daphne is a hard character to like anyway. The fact that she is so nonchalant about her relationships isn't really an endearing quality. It makes it seem like people (and relationships) are disposable.

The male characters in the story come and go so fast, it's hard to get attached to any of them. Even Hugo who clearly deeply cares about Daphne doesn't really seem all that developed. All in all, this book just feels like it is missing something.

I just love the authors writing, and flew through this book -- though I did have some mixed feelings about it. While it left me wishing I could have the ability to foresee the length of my future relationships, I wished the story was a bit longer to add more depth to it. There were also some questions I had left that went unanswered. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the author's future works!

Predictable and a bit stagnant at times. There were moments where I was wondering “when is this going to pick up”? I enjoyed the audiobook because let’s be honest, Julia Whelan can narrate anything and have it be incredible.

I really wanted more growth from Daphne, more oomph from the romance. More Hugo.

Kudos to the small quick chapters and Julia. That’s all I got.

This is the third book I have read by this author. This one is my favorite. All of her books have a realistic fantasy element to it that makes the story unique.

Daphne Bell is a 33 year old woman who works for a movie producer in Los Angeles. With the start of each new relationship, Daphne receives a postcard or a slip of paper with the man’s name on it and a number that indicates how long the relationship will last. Three months, two years, five weeks, etc. As she leaves to go on a blind date with Josh, she finds a paper that was slipped under her door that just says Josh’s name. There is no expiration date. Does that mean Josh is the one?

The story is told in alternating timelines as we learn about Daphne’s prior relationships. The author brings us to Los Angeles and Hollywood with her descriptive language. There were two unexpected twists in the second half of the book.

As the story unfolds, Daphne begins to re-examine her life. Is Josh the one for her because he’s the love of her life or because there was no expiration date? When do we stop doing what is expected and start doing what we want? Daphne’s dad is a great side character giving her much needed advice.

“No one’s time is promised.”