I would quite literally read anything Rebecca Serle writes! I love the way that she displays real and raw human emotions in her writing. This plot was so fun. Daphne receives a slip of paper whenever she meets a new guy essentially with an expiration date of its ending. Although this makes her live in the moment it also makes her fear that maybe she'll never have a true future. The pacing and flow of this book was beautifully down. However, I felt like I wanted something a little more from the ending. Definitely a good spring/summer contemporary romance read!

Rebecca Serle's new novel, Expiration Dates, is more than just a romance story. It is a story about finding yourself and finding strength and moving forward. This story, the main character Daphne, receives little notes prior to a start of a new relationship that says the name of the next guy and how long they will date. It was such a fun concept and got me thinking about timelines and if only we knew what the future holds, how that would change our choices. I also enjoyed the sense of place that was created while reading about the different places she was living. This was a fun read-it was perfect for my spring break vacation.

I did not see where this book was going but honestly should have expected it because Serle always rips my heart out (in a good way?)

I loved the FMC, her development, and her friends and parents. The ending was so good too 🥹

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into, but I really liked this book! I’d say the first half is like 3 stars while the second half is 4.5 stars. In the beginning, it’s a slow burn. You’re building background and learning the characters for a long time, but once you hit the big reveal… I’m not telling you…. The book starts to hit its stride. And, the premise is so cute! Basically, the FMC received a piece of paper with every guy she starts dating telling her how long the relationship will last, but when she meets a guy and receives a paper with no expiration, she can only assume one thing… she’s meeting the one. This story is very heartfelt and deals with a lot of trauma.

I received an advanced reading copy via Netgalley, though all thoughts are my own.

This book had quite the twists, particularly towards the middle of the book and closer to the end. It was heartbreaking, full of quotes that rang true to me, a dash magical and the story of a young woman who is learning how to be herself and the beauty of sharing that with others who also love her.

I adore her friends, the bond that she's formed with Hugo who she once wanted to be the love of her life, her super supportive parents, Murphy her dog and several of the people who she meets over the years briefly and have such an impact on her life.

This is my favorite book of Rebecca's so far, and I did not see a particular twist coming towards the end of the book (don't worry, a main character doesn't die).

I highly recommend this book and would love a potential sequel!

Trigger warnings: death of a partner, health condition revealed halfway through the book, hospital stays

Received as an ARC on NetGalley and had every intention of posting my review on pub day but I’m one day late! I honestly didn’t love it at first. The letters were just a little too far fetched for me and I struggle with love stories that are that unrealistic…but I ended up loving it in the end. I loved Hugo from the jump and desperately wanted them to be together. I wanted to Daphne to realize she had power over the letters and her own destiny so I was so happy with the ending 🩷 I think this is one of the first books where I loved all the characters. All her ex boyfriends, Irina, Kendra, Daphne’s dad 🥹 If only we all were so lucky to be loved that well.

⭐️rating: 4/5

This was my first book I’ve read by Rebecca Serle and I really enjoyed it! It was a fun, quick read and the writing was great. The magical realism of the notes draws you in and adds a really fun element to the story.

I enjoyed the time jumps all over to the different relationships. Revealing those little stories bit by bit made the whole novel very compelling and made me keep wondering how it’d all turn out.

Surprisingly, it was more emotional than I expected (in the best way), and I was for sure in my feels. And then that twist at the end! I had some guesses, but I hadn’t guessed that! The more you read, the more you just can’t stop.

The FMC’s journey throughout was very satisfying. I’m just sad that it’s over now, but I’ll definitely be checking out other books by this author now.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this! It was fun, emotional, quick, and an all around enjoyable read. I recommend it for sure!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

And again... another Rebecca Serle book that takes a "romance" and brings it to a higher level. Her usual twists and turns are to be expected but as always, you won't necessarily be able to say what exactly they'll be. The way this author is able to wrench feelings out of me... I'm not sure I like it haha I felt so many things while reading this! I do wish there had been a bit more about the letters but overall, it was enjoyable!

4 stars!
I know. I know... yet here I am saying it one more time, Rebecca Serle did it again. For some reason, I don't even question the fantasy part that literally drives the plot for this story. Simply because I do not want to know and what I don't know will not hurt me. Who was responsible for such act to dictate who to date and for when and how long the relationship last? If it could happen to everyone, it would have saved a lot of the world's hate problems and could have spare many broken hearts. And yet here I am, totally invested in Daphne Bell's romantic, emotional and unique journey to find the one true love defying everything, despite resistance, setbacks and even if her own personal odds were definitely not in her favor.
Daphne Bell believes that even though she is not meant to live long, the universe has a plan for her. Each time she meets a man, she receives a slip of paper with the name and for how long this connection will last. Until Jake. Jake's paper did not come with an end date. What does this mean to Daphne's future? And what about Hugo? Hugo was an ex, one whose name on the paper came with an end date and Hugo is the one Daphne wanted.
Oh my poor hopeless romantic beating heart. I am feeling so much emotions with Daphne's deep connection with these guys. I love her character, I love her friends most specially Irina. I love her parents because they are unconditional in many aspects of life. I even love her dog Murphy, even though he does not seem to act half a dog at most times. True to Rebecca Serle's signature touch, she has once again captivated the world of romance in a unique way, It was written beautifully and I do not expect anything less on that. It was flawlessly passionate, intense and warm. There was heartbreak and believe me when I say it was delicately desolating. I devour the book in 4 hours and if that did not tell you how I enjoyed the reading journey, I do not know what else could.
Special thank you to Atria Books via Netgalley for the complimentary e-copy in exchange of my honest review.

This was my first Rebecca Serle book and I was pleasantly surprised with how fast of a read this was. The chapter lengths were perfect. I Immediately felt drawn in to the story of Daphne and how every time she starts a new relationship she gets some sort of piece of paper with the guys name and a time line on it. I couldn't imagine knowing how long a relationship was going to last, sometimes even before it started.

I was shocked about halfway thru the book, and wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. I absolutely loved the ending. I've seen mixed reviews for this one, but overall I loved it. The only thing I didn't like was the jumping around from current to past relationships at first, but it all made sense a little later on.

Highly recommend this one! I will definitely read more by Rebecca Serle now!

4/5 - I couldn’t put this one down! Written in Serle’s beautiful, descriptive and engaging voice, Expiration Dates is a different, thoughtful and layered take on love. Serle’s books always have a magical twist and in this case, the main character, Daphne, gets pieces of paper with the name of her next partner and how long they will be together. Sometimes she’s already met them and sometimes not!

What unfolds is a layered journey of discovery, because that isn’t the only secret Daphne holds close. Together, these two aspects of her life really shape who she is and how she experiences the world, for better or worse. Because how much can you authentically feel, learn, grow, give and let go when you already expect and anticipate a certain ending? Or none at all?

This was a very emotional read for me - I actually cried at the end, during Daphne’s conversation with her father. There are some tough themes explored here related to self love, loss and especially chronic illness, so if that’s a tough topic for you this will either be incredibly relatable or potentially triggering.

Thank you to @netgalley, Atria and Rebecca Serle for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book came out YESTERDAY so grab it now!

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book so bad. I saw rave reviews and was extremely excited to start it. It was a short, cute read coming in about 280 pages. The premise of the book was intriguing. Every time Daphne meets a new man, she gets a slip of paper about how long she is going to spend with him. When she meets Jake and his name is the only thing on it, she is forced to question the validity of the papers.

I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love the book as much as everyone else. I didn't exactly feel the chemistry between any of the characters in the book. It felt pointless to relive the old dates considering they didn't add much to the story. I wasn't fully invested in Daphne and felt disconnected from her love life. I wish we would have gotten the "twist" a little earlier in the book. It was dropped pretty late in the book and not reflected on much, which led to more disconnect.

I did enjoy the writing style and the short chapters. I would be willing to give Rebecca Serle another chance because I can see all the potential, but this book just wasn't my taste.

Expiration Dates is a love story that follows Daphne who seems to have a rather unique romantic journey. Every time she meets a new man, she also gets a slip of papers with his name and a number on it indicating how long they will be together. We learn about some of her slips of paper and men in the past and it turns out that Daphne has been going through this for years. She starts to wonder if she'll ever find the one, the one without a number or rather, an expiration date. Soon after comes, Jake and we are thrusted into their rollercoaster of a story.

It's a beautiful story at its core about love and being single. I found Daphne to be quite a relatable lead to follow and I appreciated how emotional the story was. I adore Rebecca Serle's writing - there is always something so ethereal about it! I enjoyed this read overall, as I typically do with all of Rebecca Serle's books thus far.

I generally like Rebecca Serle's work, but this was a solid LOVE. This was a short and sweet romance that is perfect for this Spring season.

From the time she was a girl, Daphne has received a mysterious note with the man's name and the duration of the relationship. Before she goes on a date with Jake, for the first time ever, Daphne receives a note with nothing but his name. Is this finally her forever? And if so, why is she having doubts?

This book was so unexpected to me. It was a romance, yes, but it had also has unexpected depth. We learn about Daphnes very valid fears, including those related to trust and expectations.

Highlights: The length - I have read too many romance novels lately that just go on. And on. And on. This one was short, but just right for the story. The pacing was perfect and at the end I felt like the book had come to its natural ending. I also enjoyed how the magical realism aspect tied in nicely and without becoming overwhelming or distracting.

While this is not the greatest book, even romance book, I have ever read... I really have nothing I would change. It perfectly reached its expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I recalled enjoyed this book so much! Daphne has received notes for years about the duration of her current relationship. She receives a note with a name and no date, does this mean he is the one? I am a fan of a magical realism and it did not disappoint.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC.

A fun, magical, romance novel!

Daphne receives a piece of paper with a name and a timeframe before dating any man, so she always knows the time she will have to spend with them. The novel opens with Daphne receiving a note on her way to a first date with a name and no date - does this mean he will be her forever?

The novel goes back and forth between Daphne's current relationship and her previous ones. With a twist revealed in the middle, and the continuation of her ex- turned - friend, in her life this book held my interest.

Read if you like: low-spice romance, magical realism, contemporary women's fiction

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Rebecca Serle writes the most interesting realistic stories with a touch of magic! ✨

I’m a little late in finishing this ARC but I’m so glad I did! I really enjoyed this book about different stages of one’s love life and tough things that can happen to anyone!

I also like how one big detail came as a surprise to the reader a good ways through the book! I did not expect that! 😱

The ending of this book was a good conclusion that shows that it doesn’t have to be a “perfect” ending but one that is hopeful!

Definitely go check out this new book by Rebecca Serle! 💗

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest book review!

Daphne Bell has lived a pretty normal life, grew up in the suburbs of LA, only child to her loving parents, the only thing that makes her different that for every man she meets and dates she gets a slip of paper with their name and how long the relationship is going to last. Over the years they slips have predicted one night stands, weekend flings, to a 2 and a half year long term relationship. She is about to leave to meet up with her blind date when she gets a piece of paper, but this time it has no amount of time just a name, Jake.

Daphne grapples with how much choice she has in the matters she has always left up to fate, and finally baring her soul to someone when she has always held her secrets close to her chest knowing past relationships always had a fixed end.

This story was so beautiful and powerful. The exploration of being single, what it means so have a relationship, the impact of lost loves, and what it truly means to be all in on love. The author did such a wonderful job of have real meaning to the story while also making it so readable and compelling, everytime i put it down for any reason I wanted to pick it right back up. The book felt like a warm hug while also feeling challenging and thought provoking.

If you could find out when your relationship would end, would you want to know?

That is the premise for Expiration Dates. A woman gets an anonymous piece of paper with a man’s first name and a time period so she always knows how long a relationship will last. I don’t want to give any more info because this book is best going in blind. And let me tell you, I LOVED IT. It was true story of resilience, growth, and love. It was finding yourself and loving yourself. I loved all of the relatable and lovable characters, the quirkiness, the raw emotion that jumped from the page. And as an added bonus, it was a bit like a love letter to Los Angeles, including lots of references to the little part of the city where I live. Pub day is today and you need this book.

Quick read with self-empowerment vibes/owning your own future. Similar tropes to her other books but no Rebecca Serle book would be complete without an illness/death storyline tied in.