What is it about the magical realism genre that just tugs on my heartstrings so much?! I can’t get enough. The premise of this book sucked me in from the first chapter. Daphne mysteriously receives a slip of paper with each of her boyfriend’s names and an amount of time written on them. Sometimes they come before she meets them, sometimes after. So what happens when a slip comes with no time limit?

I really enjoyed Serle’s writing. It felt honest and personal. I had an idea of where the story was going to go, but I wasn’t sure how it would get there, and I loved that. There were a few nit-picky things I didn’t love, but overall I really enjoyed this story. A great vacation read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book!

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for a copy of this book. I enjoyed the premise of the book with Daphne receiving random notes with a name and how long the relationship will last with that person. We get to see Daphne as present day as well as her previous relationships. It was interesting to see how this sort of sabotages her relationships knowing there's an end date. I love the twists in the story and really loved the last 1/3 of the book.

I absolutely loved this book! This is my third book by this author and this is my favorite. The premise is so fun, but the book is so much more than love. It’s about life being short and taking each opportunity to live it to the fullest.
Daphne has been getting postcards since she was young with a man’s name and a timeline. Each card tells her who she’s going to date and how long. Her life takes a turn at 20, so each new card felt like a lifeline. Suddenly she gets a card that has just the name Jake. Jake is a nice guy and has all the qualities you need in a partner. He would be her perfect forever. The only problem is a guy from her past has a grip on her heart.

This was okay. It took me a while to get into it. Daphne has this power where she gets a paper with a guy’s name on it that also says how long she will be with him. One day she receives a paper with just a name but no end date. I liked the flashbacks talking about the other relationships but I didn’t love the current timeline. The twist was also a little out of nowhere and was more than halfway through the book. I found the relationship with Hugo to be unlikely and unbelievable. The end was also very abrupt.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read by Rebecca’ Serle. Whenever I need a nice feel good but emotional story she’s my go to. I love the characters I did expect Hugo and her to get together, but I still really enjoyed the story

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

Expiration Dates is a cute romance novel about a woman who gets slips of paper telling her how long each of her romantic relationships will last. Definitely an interesting concept, but unfortunately, we don’t dive in to it. I feel like that’s a huge miss and I would’ve liked to know more about why she gets these “expiration dates.”

This was a pretty surface level read and I feel like we didn’t get a whole lot of depth out of most of the characters. It was a nice palette cleanser though and took less than 4 hours to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Rebecca Serle for the eARC.

Thanks to #partner @netgalley and @atriabooks for the digital ARC of Rebecca Serle’s Expiration Dates. The book will be published tomorrow!

I haven’t read a book by Rebecca Serle that I haven’t loved, and her new release, Expiration Dates, continues the trend. The novel centers on Daphne Bell who, since she was a child, has received strange messages from an unknown force. When she meets someone she’s going to date, pieces of paper with the person’s name and the duration of their romantic relationship appear.

These strange manifestations have, of course, some consequences. She doesn’t receive a paper? That’s not someone she’s going to date. Something goes wrong right around the relationship’s “expiration date”? Well, that explains it . . . and the relationship is over with no struggle and no fuss from Daphne.

And then, Daphne receives a note about Jake, and there is no expiration date. It’s a blank paper. What does that mean?

Daphne tries to work through the implications with her best friend Hugo—their romance lasted only a few months, but their attachment continued—but they proceed with the assumption that this means an unending relationship. Right?

Discussing further would get into spoiler territory, so I’ll just say (again!) that I absolutely loved this book. Serle excels at these books with slightly magical premises, stories that are nevertheless grounded in reality and in character. Her situations are always intriguing, and watching how Daphne, in Expiration Dates, navigates having her future foretold is so thought provoking in its consideration of free will and choice. Daphne is a compelling protagonist whose life has been shaped by circumstances outside her control, and I so appreciated the complexity of considering the implications of such circumstances for all of us. I tore through this one—pick it up tomorrow!

This was such a cute story, however there were several factors that didn’t work for me. Starting off with the letters. There was zero explanation as to how the letters were received. Furthermore, the ending felt rushed. Like how did we end up here? I didn’t understand it. It was cute book and I enjoyed the relationship between Jack and Daphne

I have enjoyed about half of Rebecca Searle's books and I never know which side a new book will fall on.

I was enjoying in Five Years but then was appalled at the ending. But I really did like One Italian Summer.

Expiration Dates seemed like it was going in the One Italian Summer direction for me.

Main character Daphne gets a memo telling her how long each of her relationships will last. It's weird, but she's used to it and still best friends with her favorite ex, Hugo (three months.)

Then one day, she gets a note about a new relationship with no ending date. Is this it? Does this mean Daphne is ready to fall in love forever?

I was vibing with this concept and then something about the ending (that I can't reveal without spoilers) just didn't sit right with me and kept me from loving this book..

In any case, if you are a Searle fan, I think you will enjoy this. If you did NOT like In Five Years, proceed with caution, as I think these two books are rather similar in a way.

I loved this book. It abounds in the usual Rebecca Serle charm while entrapping you by the characters. I'd definitely recommend it.

I typically find Rebecca Serle's novels to be hit or miss as I'm not typically one for magical realism themes. However, I mean it with my whole heart when I say that this is Serle's best book yet. I could not put it down and found the concept to be unique and refreshing. This book was a tad predictable (we all knew she was ending up with Hugo by the book's end - even if she set the reader up to second guess in the epilogue!) but I think it made it all the more charming. It also allowed the reader to focus on the real theme of the story - loving yourself first and trusting your heart, not letting the world tell you who you should or shouldn't love or have in your life. I have been singing this book's praises in the week since I finished and I can't wait for all of my friends to have a copy in their hands. Heartbreaking, honest, and happy - this book is IT!

This one is definitely 3.5 rounded up. Some of the chapters felt unnecessary to me. I honestly didn't read any of the chapter about her past relationships. Only the Hugo chapter. And Hugo...he was just perfect. I loved him so much. And I loved him and Daphne together!

Rebecca Serle is an auto buy author for me and I am so genuinely excited when I see she is releasing a new book! Her novels are so inquisitive and make me think how they would apply to my life and I love that! They all have some magical realism and are done so perfectly! I am not a huge romance reader, but this book is my favorite of hers, hands down. It takes a lot for me to truly invest in a book that isn’t in the thriller genre, but this one has such an original plot and not one bit two twists that were truly shocking! I couldn’t believe she pulled it off so effortlessly! Daphne is one of my favorite characters that Rebecca has written and I couldn’t help but root for her! I finished this book in less than 24 hours and that is not my normal, I just enjoyed it so much and couldn’t put it down.

A different, a bit confusing story of Daphne Bell and her journey through life. The story surrounds her search for love and every time she is about to meet a man, a slip of paper mysteriously appears with the name and number of how long the relationship will last. This bounces back and forth, past and present. Which I wished would have more clearly written. I almost DNF since this is was all about Daphne’s one night stands, short weekend affairs and a few longer ones. But stick with it! The last third will reveal a secret that Daphne has hidden from the world. And explains why she has relied on fate.
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #ExpirationDates

In Rebecca Serle's Expiration Dates protagonist Daphne gets a unique sign from the universe. A piece of paper appears, telling her the exact amount of time her relationship will last. When Daphne receives a paper with the name of her latest date and no time frame, she thinks she may have found the elusive "one."

Serle blends fantasy and contemporary fiction seamlessly. The fantasy drives the plot but doesn't distract from it. The magical realism element was a unique device for Daphne to explore her feelings about how she shows up in relationships. 

Serle delivers a twist mid-book that turned my expectations upside down. This unexpected turn added new depth to the second half of the book. It gave me a new lens to view Daphne's perspective. Serle balances heartfelt humor with realistic drama, and it works in the context of the story. 

Miscommunications and timing were motifs explored throughout the book. The events in the plot believably drove Daphne toward her revelations without being too obvious. Serle has a masterful command of language. Her writing flows seamlessly, making this a book that is difficult to put down.

Daphne's interactions with her best friend, Hugo, were some of the most heartfelt in the book. Some friends bring out the best of us, and Serle did a great job illustrating this with Daphne and Hugo. It can be easy to typecast certain characters in the "best friend" role, but Hugo had the charisma to stand on his own. 

Serle also integrated Los Angeles as a character in its own right. Settings can often become muted around characters and plot points. However, Serle described the setting and its place in Daphne's character arc so vividly that it served the story well. As someone who has yet to visit Los Angeles, Serle's descriptions gave me a vivid understanding of the city's look and vibe. 

The ending was a satisfying conclusion to Daphne's narrative. Her relationships with friends, family, and love interests added zest to her character arc. As a reader, you're left with the feeling that Daphne has a new beginning, rather than a happy ending.

I would give this book 10 stars. Daphne is in her late 20s, living in LA. Since she was young, mysterious pieces of paper come to her telling her the name of her next boyfriend and the duration of the relationship. The novel opens with a paper arriving with just a name, no time period. This book took me on such a fun journey. I loved Daphne, and Jake, and Hugo and Murphy. I really loved seeing what @rebecca_serle would do with Daphne. This book made me gasp, made me ponder and it really made me smile. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It releases on 3/19. Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the arc. #expirationdates #rebeccaserle #romancereaderofinstagram

This is my 3rd Rebecca Serle book and most likely my last. I have always been drawn to her books because of the magical realism premise but every single time, it just doesn’t do it for me. I think it's her writing style that makes me lose focus. I hate to give a bad rating as every single author pours their heart and soul into their work. I know I am in the minority so do not let my review deter you from reading and loving her work.

This may be my favourite Rebecca Serle book to date. It’s a unique concept where every time the main character, Daphne Bell, meets a man, she receives a piece of paper telling her how long they will spend together. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but it had me intrigued. The magic in the concept was in the richness of how Serle unfolds the story. Each relationship was fleshed out and held their own. The six-month relationship with Josh, the founder of a tech-venture start-up in San Francisco left me wanting more and wishing it was a full novel unto itself. Serle left easter eggs throughout, which really pulled the story together at the end. I won’t spoil anything but I will say I was surprised by the ending.

Now a note on length – I read the ARC on NetGalley on my phone and it came in at 196 pages. While I often like a chunky book, this one was an enjoyable ride on the shorter side and I think it really worked. You can tell the author did a great job on keeping it tight and editing it so it fit perfectly. I wish there was more books out there like this.

Although this didn't quite measure up to In Five Years and One Italian Summer, this was an okay read. The plot about a women receiving notes with the name of a future partner and the amount of time she'll be involved with that partner was intriguing the lack of explanation as to why it was happening left me feeling confused. There was a twist that occurred about halfway through that was interesting, but there still wasn't a whole lot of depth to the book. It was a quick read and some sweet parts.

4.5 stars. Are you kidding me? Rebecca Serle did it again. I absolutely adored this book, and like Rebecca's other books, she really pulled me into the world and wanting more. I read this in one sitting, I had to see what would happen with the papers and how they shaped the way Daphne acted in those relationships. And how she would never fully get close. And how even when she doubted herself in a relationship, she trusted in those mysterious papers. The character development was on point, I thought the pace was great, and even though the overall premise is not realistic, I was made to feel like it was. 10/10, would recommend to everyone.