Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the advanced readers copy of Expiration Dates.

I am a fan of Rebecca Serle. I love how she incorporates just a touch of magical realism to her modern day novels. This one was no exception. The concept of getting a slip of paper that tells you how long the relationship will last with a new love interest added to our main character and her quest for love.

I think this novel is age appropriate even for young adult readers. Nothing salacious is in the novel.

Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle 4⭐️


I loved the magical realism premise of the book and Rebecca’s writing has such an honest feeling about it. She captures women in their late 20s into their late 30s in a relatable way. I don’t always love the characters or their decisions but I think that’s what unique about her books - they really make you question what you would do in their shoes.

The beginning of the book dragged at points but once I hit the 2/3 mark I was fully invested and had to know how it ended. The twists surprised me and made me reflect back on the beginning with a new lens.

I read all of Rebecca’s adult fiction and In Five Years will likely always remain my favorite because of the NYC setting (I was living in NYC at the time and the same age as the main character). Expiration Dates felt like a love letter to Los Angeles so if you have an affinity for LA, this may be the book for you!

Usually magical realism is outside my comfort zone, but Rebecca Serle may be my exception. Set in LA, the story follows Daphne, a woman who for the last 20 years has received a note at the beginning of any romantic relationship telling her how long it will last. It’s spot on every time. But is this clairvoyance or self fulfilling? Hard to know.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a short read, perfect for a return flight home from LA. The story is definitely romantic, but not in a conventional way, and really centers more on Daphne and the reasons she has difficulty trusting she will have a future.

Expiration Dates publishes next week March 19th! Don’t miss it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for access to an e-arc of this book.

I absolutely loved and devoured Rebecca Serle’s last book. I was SO excited to be approved for this ARC! I am honestly torn on how I feel about this book. I loved the characters and loved the premise. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but I just wanted more of something to really push this into a must-read for me.

NYT bestselling author and master storyteller Rebecca Serle returns following One Italian Summer with her latest enchanting romance, EXPIRATION DATES — could a piece of paper alter your destiny and true love?

Meet Daphne Bell. Her love life has revolved around a slip of paper with a name and number listed—The exact time they will be together.

This time, the name is Jake. It's a blind date. They are to meet in a restaurant in West Hollywood. She thinks she is about to meet her soul mate. This time the envelope arrives blank with no time. What does this mean?

The previous papers told her—for example, that she would 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.

She has received the numbered envelopes for over twenty years, always wondering if there might be one with no expiration date. The only person she has shared the notes with is Hugo, her best friend (and former ex-boyfriend).

She seems to be doubting the papers and possibly controlling things alone this time. She has had setbacks and things she is unwilling to share with a new guy.

As the story unravels, Daphane and the reader will experience emotion, passion, second-guessing, anticipation, expectations, doubts, and some pleasant surprises. The unknown can be beautiful.

EXPIRATION DATES is beautifully written, enchanting, and heartwarming with a sprinkling of magical realism. The author has a way of hooking you from beginning to end with her winning style.

Enjoy the journey, hitting the fun hot spots in LA, friendships, family, and the meaning of love and self-discovery. A fun, lighthearted tale that will make you smile.

For Serle fans and those of Katherine Center, Jennifer Weiner, and Sarah Jio.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC and a stunning hardcover copy with swag (loved) for my honest feedback.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Mar 19, 2024
March 2024 Must-Read Books
March Newsletter

This was just honestly not me for me. I guess I didn’t realize it was a book with realistic magic, but I have it a shot and couldn’t get into it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

How would you feel about relationships if you always knew when they would end? In this book, Daphne receives notes with a man’s name and an expiration date. She quickly learns what it means. She goes thru her life knowing when each relationship will end. Until one day, the card doesn’t have a date. Does this mean this relationship is forever?

4.5 Stars

Main Characters:
-- Daphne – early 30s, assistant to a famous producer for the past three years, has been receiving notes since she was in 5th grade with a the name of a man (or boy when she was younger) and the length of time they would be a couple
-- Jake – mid 30s, a television executive for Warner Brothers, set up with Daphne by Kendra, his name was on Daphne’s most recent slip of paper with no length of time
-- Hugo – late 30s, one of Daphne’s ex-boyfriends, now her best friend, works in real estate, he is the only person besides Daphne who knows about the notes
-- Kendra – trained Daphne to replace her in the assistant’s role and became one of her closest friends
-- Irina – late 50s, “Old Hollywood,” Daphne’s boss

Some of the best romantic comedies have a mystical element to them. In Prelude to a Kiss, a new bride changes bodies with an old man at her wedding reception. In The Age of Adaline, a woman stops aging after a car crash into a freezing lake. City of Angels tells the story of an angel who falls in love with a mortal woman and chooses to “fall” to be with her.

None of these are realistic scenarios, but I’m still drawn to the stories. They take me a little out of the realm of reality, and they make me smile.

Expiration Dates reminds me of those stories, and I can totally picture it as a movie. Told in the first person by Daphne, the story begins with Daphne finding a piece of paper reading “Jake” slipped under her door as she leaves for dinner and her first date with Jake. The slip of paper is not unusual for Daphne, but the name without a timeframe throws her off a little bit.

Since fifth grade, Daphne has received pieces of paper with the name of a man (or boy when she was younger) and the exact amount of time she will have a relationship with him. While she waits (Jake arrives late), she texts her best friend Hugo and tells him about the paper. As both of them try to dissect what it means, they come to the same conclusion. Jake must be the one.

Over the course of the book, we learn how Daphne and Hugo went from lovers to best friends. He was, after all, one of her slips of paper (three months). He’s also the only other person who knows about them. Between the chapters developing Daphne and Jake’s relationship, the author drops in a handful of the relationships Daphne has had in the past. Some she moved on from easily, and some caused heartbreak even though she knew they were going to be ending.

As she navigates the experience of being in a relationship for the long haul, she takes advice from Kendra and Irina, who are constant female friends for her. But Hugo is a different story. He becomes more distant as her relationship with Jake develops.

Things eventually come to a head. They always do in a romance. But probably not the way you would expect, and I don’t want to spoil it. There are two big reveals. The first explains a lot about Daphne’s tentative personality. The second literally made me gasp 😲, but you have to wait until you get 87% of the way through the book.

I really enjoyed this, and it really made me think about how we respond to events in life when we think we know the outcome. It’s also a reminder to live life to the fullest while you can. (You’ll find out why when you read it.)

The only thing I struggled with was the chapters didn’t have any sort of indication of “when” we are in Daphne’s life, and the timelines flipped back and forth a bit with the chapters about Daphne’s exes. It would have been fine if Hugo weren’t a part of her past and present. But I found it a bit confusing. Knowing how old she was in each chapter to know where she was in her life would have been helpful.

This was a great read, and I’ll probably be looking into more by this author.

This is my first read of Rebecca Serle's and it was such a fun, thoughtful book!

Daphne has an unusual knowledge of her life - she has two secrets she keeps. The first one is in regards to her dating life - every time she meets a new romantic interest, she gets a slip of paper with a timeframe on it. The second secret doesn't come out until almost the end and is just as life altering. The book follows her along as men come and go from her life - it's interesting, entertaining (she's a fantastic character), makes you think and I just really enjoyed reading this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I really liked this book. After very much disliking Rebecca Serle previous book One Italian Summer I was a little apprehensive about this book but I was pleasantly surprised. While I did guess Daphne would ultimately end up Hugo as early as the first chapter I did like the little twist in the middle of the book. I liked the flashbacks to previous boyfriends and the descriptions of Daphne’s dog Murphy.

Once the twist was revealed I liked knowing how the author had written in small clues such as Daphne’s lack of exercise. This book was a winner for me.

After finishing this book, I can say that I think it will do very well for those who love and adore contemporary romances with a twist, but it simply was not for me. Again, I think it will do well for the target audience, but I simply couldn't click with the narrative voice as it was snappy and written as if I was a close confidant of the main character--which in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing--but it does require the right audience to do well with.

Expiration Dates was one of my favorite Rebecca Serle novels. It was full of so many emotions yet kept the me feeling hopeful. I have recommended this book to anyone who likes a little magical realism combined with romance. Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book.

Expiration Dates is the latest book by the author of In Five Years and The Dinner List, both of which I really liked. Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it - the exact amount of time they will be together - until one night, on a blind date, she finds a note with just a name: Jake. (Swipe for synopsis.)

Told from a first person point-of-view, the chapters alternate between Daphne’s present, chronicling her relationship with Jake, and past, featuring previous romances. The chapters that take place in the past have titles with a man’s name and the length of time he and Daphne were together: Hugo, three months; Martin, three days. I thought some of the flashback chapters worked better than others, and I wish more time had been devoted to character development.

My favorite part of the book was the setting. Daphne’s Los Angeles is lush and vibrant with sunshine and farmer’s markets, film studios and brunch with friends, and dinner dates at the hottest restaurants. I also enjoyed her relationships with her boss, Irina, and her best friend, Kendra.

Expiration Dates explores the expectations we put on ourselves and our relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and romantic partners. Knowing that her time with a man is limited, Daphne holds back large parts of herself, and this habit spills into her other relationships, too. When she finds “the one,” will she let him all the way in and become the person she’s meant to be? I rooted for Daphne to grab life by the horns and move forward in career and love, and I was satisfied with the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Expiration Dates will be published on 3/19.

My first Serle book, it definitely won’t be my last. It’s a bit romantic comedy, friend fest, introspective deep dive, all tied up with a paranormal twist…wow, never thought I’d put those descriptives together.

Daphne Bell, for over 20 years, has been living her romantic life through a series of slips of paper that mysteriously come her way. With each slip comes a first name and a timeframe…the exact period of time they will be together. As she’s grown older, she yearns for the slip with a name…but no time limit.

Enter Jake. As Daphne and Jake grow closer and begin to discuss future plans, Daphne wrestles with the dilemma of being both committed to a relationship and also being truthful about the paper slips and parts of her own life.

I really enjoyed this one! It was all over the place with emotions…humorous and light, deeply felt, heart wrenching. But ultimately it struck me for its growth arc of Daphne’s character. She learns some very tough but valuable lessons as she sticks with a long-lasting relationship, and by the denouement, those lessons are fully realized by a wonderfully satisfying ending.

Whole-heartedly recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the free early arc of Expiration Dates for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

🌟 rating: 4
📚 genre: contemporary romance // magical realism
📄 pages: 268
🥳 pub day: 3/19
✍🏼 same author as: ONE ITALIAN SUMMER, IN FIVE YEARS
🤓 read if you like: books set in LA, TJR’s early work (like ONE TRUE LOVES or MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE), quick books

where do i even start?! i liked so much about this book.
✨ the plot!! it hooked me from the beginning. every time Daphne meets a guy, she gets a piece of paper with his name on it and the amount of time they will be together (i.e. Josh - 3 months). but one day she finds a note with just the name on it: Jake. does that mean he’s the one?!
✨ the writing style!! 🤌🏼 if you’re looking for a fun, fast read, here you have it! at only 268 pages with short chapters & quick pacing, this is read-in-one-sitting material 📖
✨ the twists!! 🌪️ this book has several! some are less shocking than others, but i’m still a sucker for em 😮‍💨

however, there’s a twist that happens around the halfway point that completely changes the trajectory the book. i think this will make or break this book for most readers. i personally didn’t love the twist but it certainly made me keep reading — i couldnt wait to see how everything played out!!

all in all, it’s a solid read that i’d recommend to anyone who likes Rebecca Serle books, especially the magical realism and emotional elements that she ties into her stories. imo, this one’s not as good as IN FIVE YEARS, but it’s better than ONE ITALIAN SUMMER.

Shortly before pursuing a new romantic relationship, Daphne Bell receives a slip of paper with the person's name written on it, along with the total duration of their time together. As she has gotten older, she has learned to enjoy her time with each person and is used to not being devastated when their time together is over. One day, Daphne receives a slip of paper that only includes a name and no end date. Could Jake be the one person she is meant to be with forever?

The plot immediately intrigued me, and overall, it was executed well. I loved Daphne's relationship with Hugo, both when they dated and as they became best friends. Jake is also a great character, and I liked watching their relationship progress, knowing what we know going into it as the reader. Something I struggled with was wanting more dialogue. I enjoy good banter, and this story needed more. I also wanted it to focus less on the prior relationships. I never felt super close to any of the present-day characters, so as things came up during the story, I struggled with my reactions because of the disconnect I felt. There are two big reveals that occur throughout the story. The first came absolutely out of nowhere…I ended up re-reading the chapter three times because it felt like whiplash. They made the book turn into something different for me, not in a bad way, just something I wasn't expecting. Consider picking this one up if you've enjoyed the author's prior work or are looking for a romance with some magical realism.

Thank you to author Rebecca Serle, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of Expiration Dates in exchange for my review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Rebecca Serle for providing this book for my honest review. If you love this author’s previous books and magical realism then you will love this one. This is not just a cute romance but it has a lot of depth to it as well. We see multiple relationships throughout the story which I loved. This book is so unique and a wonderful read. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys magical realism and the premise of knowing how long each relationship will last before it really event starts. Thank you again for allowing me to review this entertaining book.

Great premise about defying the universe and creating your own destiny. I loved the magical realism, and I loved Hugo! Daphne felt a little flat for me, like she wasn't written with enough passion. She didn't feel like a real person, and she seemed very detached. The "plot twist" in the middle felt more like a completely different book—it went from being a cute magical realism romance to a health journey type of book that tried to be profound but missed the mark, to then a self-love romance instead. It seemed like the book didn't know what it wanted to be, and I didn't feel like Serle's heart was in it, despite what she says in the acknowledgements.

I would still recommend it. It just wasn't for me.

This book has such a unique premise and I found myself completely drawn in from the beginning. Daphne has a bit of a quirk when it comes to dating, she receives a slip of paper that tells her the length of time she will spend with her romantic partners. She is going on a blind date with Jake and receives a slip of paper without a timeline. She is left wondering what this means, has she finally met the person she will spend the rest of her life with?

This book had a lot of depth to it, which I really enjoyed, and I feel like it really helped me get invested in the characters. I loved that we got to see previous relationships and how this slip of paper has impacted her dating history. It provided a lot of context to see her relationship with ex-boyfriend and current best friend, Hugo. I loved exploring the different relationships in Daphne’s love life and relationships with family and friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My thoughts on this book are complicated. On one hand, I really enjoyed the initial premise and had fun reading the first half of the book. I was invested in the main character and curious to see how her relationship ended up. I also actually enjoyed the small speculative element and the flashbacks to how it had impacted her life so far. But then, a little over halfway into the book, it takes a dramatic shift towards the more serious. I think I would have preferred if this topic was part of the story from the beginning, so that readers can be mentally prepared and it can be talked about without considering it a major spoiler for the book. I saw that critique commonly made for this author's book In Five Years, and I think readers who had a problem with that book will have the exact same experience here. That also probably means those who loved In Five Years will also really enjoy this book. I gave both 3 stars... so with all that said, I would recommend this to fans of early Taylor Jenkins Reid books (One True Loves + Maybe in Another Life in particular) and who are okay with ambiguity when it comes to books with speculative elements. I would not recommend it to those who could be triggered by (minor spoiler ahead) the abrupt inclusion of a serious medical condition (congenital heart disease).