The best of the best when it comes to Rebecca Serle!!! She always adds a bit of magical/fantastical flair to her romance and Expiration Dates was no exception. This book was whimsical and deep, and I was heavily invested in the main character getting her happy ending.

The time jumps were well executed for character development. It was paced well and I was always eager to find out what was going to happen next. There was little rambling or excess, but lots of fun, vivid stories.

The end was beautiful, and really the message of the story was as well. It wrapped together so nicely.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Rebecca Serle and Atria Books!

What a fantastic dive into a story that makes you think about how we measure our lives and our loves! This was a joy to read and I highly recommend. It feels hopeful!

This was a quick and cute read with a twist that honestly surprised me. Maybe not my favorite Serle novel, since I thought Daphne was incredibly frustrating at times. However, she doesn't act out of character and stays pretty consistent throughout story, even with the back-and-forth in time, so others may not mind so much. Overall, this would be a fun beach/vacation read where you want something quick but just a bit thought-provoking.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. It wasn’t too long but it also wasn’t too short. I wish I had a little more information for each person in the past and a little longer epilogue at the end. I loved the overall concept of the book and the mix of romance and a magical realm.

Expiration Dates is a very unique kind of story. My first from Rebecca Serle and she definitely shows that she has her own style of writing. I will admit there were times I felt a bit off-kilter, not fully understanding the whys and hows of what exactly was transpiring for Daphne and the mysterious notes left for her that decided how long she'd be with a particular man. I was intrigued enough to keep going and I did enjoy it more as the book progressed and a clearer picture was painted as we get Daphne's full dating history in every other chapter or so.

The use of these random notes did in fact give Daphne too much restraint on finding real happiness, as her bestie and former lover Hugo so perfectly points out later on in the story. The expiration date could be seen as too much of a safety net, whether the timeline is a one-night thing or a years-long relationship. With her health issues, these finite timelines really did keep Daphne at arm's length with her men, only Hugo surviving their time together and becoming her sounding board and keeper of this unusual dating ritual. I loved the honesty they shared and how you could tell, as others point out to Daph, that Hugo was still enamored with her. But again, Daphne needed to find the right man at the right time and for her, Hugo just wasn't that person. At least not yet.

The pace was good enough yet again I felt like it was just a bit too confusing at first that I could see some giving up before the story really gets going. I was happy to have finished and although not a standout kind of book for me, I did like the character development and the use of perhaps a little otherworldly intervention to show Daphne the way out of her indecisiveness and apprehension when it came to relationships as a whole. All of the secondary characters played their parts beautifully and added the right touch when needed. They made the book shine a bit more for me when things felt either too rushed or too awkward. Or when I had a tougher time following along.

But this has been a huge success for this author and I hope I get the chance to try her work again in the future.

3.5 stars.

I unfortunately didn’t love this one. The main character was not particularly likable and I didn’t find myself rooting for her.

I read One Italian Summer a few years ago and it changed my life. As I sat in a puddle of tears at the ending, I had fallen back in love with reading and swore I would read every book Rebecca Serle ever publishes, so getting an ARC of this one really felt like a full circle moment.

What would you do if every time you met a guy, you received a piece of paper that told you how long you would get to love them? From a few months, to one night, to a few years, Daphne has always known the expiration date on her relationships. Until she meets Jake, and his piece of paper is blank. She knows that he is her forever, but he has no clue - and now she has to hide their fate while they enter into a budding romance.

What I love about Rebecca Serle is every book she writes is so unique. There's always a whimsical aspect that makes them different than your standard romance novel, and boy can she write something that's going to pull on your heart strings in the best way possible.

I fell completely in love with Daphne and Jake, and every single side character and pet that crossed the pages of Expiration Dates. This was also a quick read, I'm talking finished in a matter of hours (maybe because of my excitement for it...) so it's the perfect read if you're looking for something uplifting but fast-paced.

I cannot sing the praises of Rebecca Serle enough. This is a must read on release day!

ARC Review! Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Rebecca Serle for the advanced copy of Expiration Dates in exchange for my honest review!

AMAZING!!! I already love Rebecca Serle but this has convinced me she's an autobuy author. The concepts she comes up with are so well executed and I love her books so much. Must read!!

Rebecca Serle’s formula stays the same—leading lady with no personality, a love triangle, and a touch of magical realism. Why change it if it works, right? This one worked for the most part, but I was left a little underwhelmed.

Expiration Dates has a really interesting concept: the main character Daphne receives mysterious notes indicating who she will have a relationship with and how long it will last.

I’ll be frank in that I do not like Rebecca Serle’s writing style. The majority of the book reads like an LA travel guide mixed with cringey dialogue—I kept asking myself “wait, do people really talk like that?”. The storyline attempts to show Daphne asking more profound questions as she contemplates how the notes have affected her life, but ultimately it fell flat for me and left me confused and wanting more.

I think the concept of the book was super interesting but not executed to its full potential.

This is the second book I’ve read by Rebecca Serle. It was a very sweet story and a fun premise. I found myself curious about where the author was taking us and read it fairly quickly.

The story jumps from past to present as you follow Daphne through different relationships. What would you do if you knew exactly how long a relationship would last?

This was 3.5 stars for me, so I rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

Whenever Daphne meets a new man she gets a piece of paper with the man’s name and how long they will be together. Until she goes on a blind date with Jake and the paper just has his name. No time frame. Does this mean she has finally met the one? The book flashes back to the past relationships and how they ended just as the notes said they would. Including her now best friend, Hugo, and their 3 month relationship. Daphne has been keeping secrets and now she must decide if she can come clean.

I liked this one but it didn’t wow me like I had hoped it would. I adore magical realism and loved the idea of notes with expiration dates to let you know how long a relationship would last. I think the book could have really been more than it was. The ending was obvious but I don’t mind it. I would have appreciated more details about the notes themselves and how they came to be. Overall it was a quick read about finding yourself and deciding if you will go with the expectation or fight for what you really want.

Unlike many who have reviewed Expiration Dates, I’m not familiar with Rebecca Serle’s work. When I requested an advance reader copy from the publisher, it was largely on a whim, and owing to the intriguing premise: the protagonist receives anonymous slips of paper telling her when her relationships will end? I have so many questions! Why does this happen? Is she the only person who this happens to? Why does she believe the notes? Etc., etc., etc.

Reader: do not go into this book expecting answers. Of any kind. Otherwise, you, like me, will only end up disappointed.

Expiration Dates is the story of Daphne and Jake, and that might be our first problem, because Jake is just not a serious name. Jake is not the name you give your romantic lead in an adult contemporary novel. Jake is Hannah Montana’s boyfriend. Jake is the American Dragon. Jake is the filler name you give your Ken dolls when you want to spice things up. I’m kidding, but also, I’m really not, because if you, the author, give us two romantic rivals, and one is Hugo and the other is Jake —

(No disrespect to any Jakes who might be reading this, but someone had to tell you.)

The story is framed as a love story, but, to be perfectly blunt, it’s abundantly clear by a third of the way through the book that Jake Green is not our romantic lead. It didn’t surprise me that Jake and Daphne didn’t end up together, because Jake is not a character; Jake is a plot device. Jake is the disposal fiance from every early 2000s romantic comedy. I would feel sympathy for Jake, if the author had given him more character traits than “dead wife” and “wants to be a dad.”

(I promise, this review is about other things than the non-character that was Jake Green.)

Daphne herself was equally frustrating. In a world of dynamic, complex female heroines, Daphne was a blank slate. We know she’s Jewish and she works in Hollywood, but aside from that? What are her dreams? Her goals? Her aspirations? We’re told more about her wardrobe and her interior decor than what makes her tick. We know she goes to the farmer’s market, but not why. We know she works in film production, but this, along with the descriptions of her $12 Erwehorn strawberries, seems more like a fantasy of a California lifestyle than a character-building exercise.

This book is exceptionally short, even for a romance novel, coming in at a paltry 272 pages. That’s hardly enough time to cover the themes this book attempts to tackle, let alone answer the questions posed by the premise. We know Daphne started receiving the notes in high school, but not why. We know she trusts them, but not how she came to this conclusion. And, most importantly of all, we don’t know who or what is writing them. Is Daphne the only person in the universe receiving these notes? What makes her so special??? Look, I’m a fantasy reader - I’m generally pretty good at suspending my disbelief for the sake of the plot. But if Expiration Dates goes out of its way to point out to me that these letters aren’t normal, only to drop an absolute bombshell of a plot twist regarding the source of Daphne’s “Jake” letter — well, I’m going to be left with questions!

Moreover, the book introduces another incredibly jarring plot twist at roughly two-thirds to increase tension, urgency, and to explain some of Daphne’s more jarring character choices. In theory, this should work fine, but this is essentially an entirely new premise, one that is much more common (both in fiction and in reality), and takes away from the magical realism of the letters. This felt incredibly unnecessary, distracting, and an indication that the author had backed herself into a corner regarding the letters — and was now searching desperately for a way out.

Was Expiration Dates the worst thing I’ve ever read? No. Of course not. It was short, quick, and breezy. However, the misleading blurb, the poor character development, and the lackluster plot means I doubt I’ll be thinking about this one for longer than it takes to proofread my review.

(Review will go live on March 19)

I thought this book was fabulous! For me, it was a page turner the whole way through with the perfect amount of unpredictability woven throughout. Obviously this was a romance novel and it covered that topic very well, but I found myself personally cheering for the strong female support and friendships. I know women supporting women is becoming more and more common this day and age but it also feels like often “women drama” sells. I greatly appreciated the lack of drama amongst the female characters.

I would’ve given a little more backstory to the notes. Why? How? Where? The idea was cute but it didn’t leave me a little bit confused towards the end.

Overall, I would give this 4/5 stars. And would recommend to a friend to follow Daphne along her love journey.

This was an interesting read for me. The way this book started out I was not interested in the main character at all. As the book progressed and we started to learn more about why she was the was I got more into the story but I was never fully in it. The way the ending wrapped up didn’t show really how she grew from all of the things she was grappling with.

This book felt like two different stories. The first half was light and happy, and then the second half went suddenly serious. It ended hopefully, but I felt a little whiplashed by the quick wrap up. It was a quick and easy read, but I’m left feeling unsettled.

Meh

I should’ve known I’d feel the same way about ED as I did about IFY. Was it a good book? Sure. Was it awe inspiring and interesting and make me wanna treasure every page.

Nope.

But it was good. It was okay.

This is my favorite Rebecca Serle novel yet. It is perfectly paced to the point I didn’t want to stop reading and finished it in about 24 hours. I liked the flipping between timelines, and I feel like the unexpected twist in this books was just that; I was completely surprised. Normally, books I consume this quickly are more like 4.5 or 5 stars, but I didn’t personally like the ending. It’s well done, and it honestly fits the book really well, even if I myself didn’t enjoy it. Every time I felt where the book was leading “Rebecca! Please don’t do this to me!” So I was invested in the characters and their ending, even if I didn’t love the outcome. I also think this author does a phenomenal job of making magical realism feel every day and emphasizes that with great examples of complex human emotion and growth.

I loved the synopsis of this book and couldn't wait to read it! The storyline was a bit different and it had a few surprises.

When Daphne starts dating someone, a slip of paper with a deadline for the relationship always shows up. She is waiting to receive the paper that has no deadline so that she'll know that she's met her future husband. However, when she does finally get that slip of paper, she is confused by the relationship and unsure if she should trust the paper, or her heart.

This was a fun story that I read quickly because I wanted to know who Daphne would end up with in the end. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC.

Daphne’s love life is measured in paper. At the start of each new relationship, she receives a slip of paper with a name and duration: six months, three weeks, one night. Until one day she receives a paper with just a name - is this her forever?

Expiration Dates feels like the perfect compliment to Rebecca Serle’s previous two magical realism novels on love and grief (although I wouldn’t be surprised or upset if she finds a way to keep the theme going).

We finally got a novel which focuses on romantic love - the editors were right, we’ve been waiting for this one. I enjoyed every character in the book, and knew I wouldn’t be disappointed by the ending because of that - as someone once told me, a love triangle trope is only successful if both options are right for the main character. (Although while I understood Hugo’s pull, I’m still not sure I quite understood Daphne’s reason for breaking up with Jake).

I also just loved the premise of Daphne’s life being measured by names and paper. It was a wonderfully entertaining way to detail her life story, with every few chapters backtracking to a past relationship, and the different ways those affected her.

As always, Serle’s words resonated deeply with me - even though I’m not going through exactly the same experiences as her characters. Her lessons on love, pain, grief, protection, fate, and living life to the fullest are always relevant no matter where you are in this game of life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.