Loved this book . Loved the message loved the story whole thing was just one huge win for me . Serle used a fabulous device to remind the reader of all the different stages of a relationship and what happens when you truly let yourself be.

A really good quick read. I really enjoyed the narration style, and learning about the different relationships. The book tells a good story, one I think a lot of people could learn from, about how things differ based on your mindset. I definitely could have done with more epilogue, but I love how the story wrapped up.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle in exchange for an honest review.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Rebecca’s previous novels, In Five Years, and One Italian Summer, so I had high hopes for Expiration Dates. This was a quick read and I think I enjoyed it, but I also felt like I needed more.

The story focuses on Daphne, a woman with secrets, who is looking for love. Whenever she begins a new relationship, she finds the person‘s name and a time frame for how long that relationship will last. I thought the premise was interesting and could have been a great story. However, I didn’t feel a real connection to Daphne. I felt like even as the story progressed, her character wasn’t developed enough.

In the end, I’m glad I read it and would give it 3.5 stars. There was one powerful chapter that did make me stop and think, but I was still left wanting.

I have this book a 4.5 out of 5 rating. I really enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s new book “Expiration Dates.” This book is about the main character Daphne, whose love life has been planned out for her ever since she was young. She has been receiving these mysterious “notes” with the name of the next person she is going to date and how long she will date them for. Until one day, she gets a note that only has a name and no expiration date. The book gives a glimpse into Daphne’s past relationships while also exploring how this new relationship will unfold and what it means for there to be no expiration date.

Rebecca Serle always adds an element of magical realism that I really enjoy. She also is incredibly good at adding unexpected twists that I never see coming. My favorite part about this book was how quickly it pulled you into the story. I was hooked from the beginning.

This book was both heartbreaking but also incredibly heartwarming. Overall, a quick read that will leave you wanting more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance before its release date.

I hadn’t read anything by Rebecca Serle before, am usually a voracious mystery reader, and unlikely to look for anything smacking of “romance.” But I saw this title online as a book someone had already read and loved so decided to download it. I was very happily surprised. Turns out it was not just romantic, but also funny and moving and even sad at times. Daphne is a young woman with a very unusual situation in life. She gets notes, in different places, at different times, unexpectedly, with the name of a man and a time period. “Josh, 6 months,” for example. She learns these are men she will get involved with and the time period named is how long the relationship will last. She also has a serious health issue that complicates everything for her, and that she mostly hides from these men. One day she gets a note with a name but no expiration date, and it terrifies her. She shares her fears with one of the exes, Hugo, who is her best friend, and he tries to be encouraging. The new guy, Jake, is near-perfect, but of course…complications ensue. Unpredictable, funny, with a great sense of place, Expiration Dates is a thoroughly entertaining and at times thought-provoking novel.

"Expiration Dates" is Rebecca Serle's soon to be released (March 19, 2024) new novel. Her fans will be pleased to see that magical realism still rules the day in her book world!

At its core, this novel is a reflection on this theme...how would you respond if you somehow knew (from *magically* appearing names and numbers) the exact *expiration date* of all of your romantic relationships? A bit out there, for sure. But if you can look past this, you can begin to see the ramifications it might have on each relationship's authenticity, as well as the investment in or withholding of one's emotions within that framework. Silly-ish device for moving the reader toward a much more serious reflection on choices, actions, and outcomes in the pursuit of fulfillment and happiness.

I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and Rebecca Serle for allowing me the opportunity to read "Expiration Dates" in advance of its release date.

#expirationdates
#rebeccaserle
#magicalrealism
#netgalley

I enjoyed this quick read from Rebecca Serle. As with so many of her books, there is an element of magic and mystery that you don’t quite have to understand, and you can just take it at face value that it’s happening.

Every time Daphne 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. Three days, five weeks, three months, and so on - from the time she was young until today. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake. With no expiration date, Daphne wonders – is this finally her “happily ever after?”

There’s more to Daphne’s story and secrets than you’re led to believe initially, and I found it interesting to consider how I would have reacted in a similar situation with the twists that came along. The book poses the question about whether fate exists, and your future is predestined no matter what. Or can you change things because you want to, and fight for what your heart tells you is right?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. It had me in tears and that ending was chef’s kiss. This is definitely my favorite of Ms. Serle’s novels. There were twists I didn’t see coming and things I hoped for.

Expiration Dates
Author - Rebecca Serle
Pages - 262

⭐️ 4
🌶️ 1

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. The papers told her she’d 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. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

D - I’m not the type of person that ever thinks if I know this is going to go this way or ends that way, would I still do it. I’ve had things happen in my past that have taught me to not play the what if game. I don’t want to know what’s going to happen. I want to live my life for me without fear, without restraint. I would like to think that if I was told by some deity or whatever, that certain events would go a certain way, I wouldn’t just accept it and would fight if I wanted what they were taking. This book however is the opposite of me lol

To echo Ashley’s thoughts, this book is hard to talk about without spoilers. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I loved the almost dual timeline of the story, where we go back and catch glances of Daphne’s past relationships. When the story first starts, I was annoyed because it almost felt like you had already missed something important. What are these notes? What’s her secret? But as the story unfolded you connect more and more with Daphne. Her secret is so much more than what you’re lead to believe.

I was so invested in Daphne and her story. There were moments I loved and moments I didn’t want to keep reading because I was scared of emotional damage. By the end I had read this beautiful story about life and the things we settle for because we’re told to vs things to fight for because it’s what we want. That love isn’t always enough. It’s hard and it’s heartbreaking but it’s life. Love is worth fighting for and making that choice daily especially if it’s the perfect person for you.

Rounded up from 3.5, a quick and easy read that made me cry in public at the end

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.
Every time Daphne 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. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake. But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction. Daphne's journey explores what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. This book is being promoted as a love story/romance novel, which I felt was a bit misleading and set me up to be disappointed. I'd categorize it under women's contemporary fiction. There's quite a few timeline shifts as Daphne chronicles all of her previous relationships, and to be honest I got bored during the first half. Things picked up after that, and ultimately I did find it to be an enjoyable read.

I loved this romance from Rebecca Serle! I appreciate that she's able to write her beautiful romances in under 300 pages. Her books have all of the necessary details without too much fluff. Thank you Atria Books for sharing this early copy with me!

When I first read the premise, I thought this romance sounded a little silly and I wasn't sure I'd like it, but the story ended up having more depth to it than I expected and there was a twist at the end that I totally didn't see coming!

Summary: Daphne always knows the lengths of her relationships because she finds a little slip of paper with a person's name and a time limit before or during her time spent with different men. Finally, she finds a note with the name "Jake", but no time limit. She has a hard time believing she's finally found the one and starts to wrestle with all that she might need to tell him about her past and present, knowing that the truth could hurt him.

Expiration Dates was the light romance I was hoping for, plus it had a few unexpected surprises that made it even better.

Daphne has always had a timer on her relationships. With every new man she dates, she receives a paper with their name and the exact length of their relationship, from one night stands to long term relationship. Until the night of her blind date when she receives a paper with no time restraints. Daphne thinks this must be the one with no end date. It isn't love at first sight, but Daphne is hopeful. Is Jake her forever? Or is her time for relationships running out?

I am a huge Rebecca Serle fan and Expiration Dates lived up to the hype. This book put me through all the emotions and I loved it. I tried so hard to savor every page but it all went by so fast. Daphne is one of my favorite book characters. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a love story with a hint of magical realism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Expiration Dates.

Another exquisite, emotional tale by Rebecca Serle. This author’s unique story development is unmatched. Expiration Dates is a truly lovely journey that is perfectly timed and delivered. From the way the title is represents the story to the satisfying ending this is top shelf romance at its best.

A cute enough romance novel, not as much of a focus on the magical realism aspect as I was hoping for but a very quick, light, enjoyable read.

I really really LOVED reading this book.
I thought I knew what was happening with the papers and the dates.
I was so so so surprised to learn why she did not take a bigger goal with her work.
I was glad when she moved in and got engaged
but then SO SO SO SO HAPPY when she went back to the actual true love
YAY
:)
GREAT BOOK
Thanks so much

I absolutely loved the premise of this story. I think it is a really great idea and an extremely difficult one to execute. It just felt like it was missing something for me. It was definitely good, just missing something and I cannot put my finger on it. It definitely had a cute ending, even if it was predictable. I do also wish we got an explanation on the letters as well. Overall though, it was a cute and quick love story so if someone is looking for just that, this is definitely for them. I just needed a bit more, I feel like.

This book was a difficult one to read, because I felt like it didn't know what it was.
The initial premise and set-up of the story presents as a romance. However, once we move past the set-up, the story becomes muddled. We spend very little time with the character introduced as the love interest, which makes it very difficult to care about the relationship. There are numerous jumps back in time to previous relationships that did not reveal anything about the main character or her current relationship. I had the feeling through this section that the novel was not actually a romance, but was about something else entirely.
Around the 60% mark there is a large reveal that proved this thought correct. As a reader, I found this jarring, as it seemed to be kept a secret from the reader just to have a reveal. I think the novel would have been stronger and more cohesive if this had not been a late reveal, but present from the beginning of the story. We would have had a chance to connect for the main character and root for her and her relationships.

I feel like Rebecca Serle’s books surprise me in the best of ways, and this one was no different.

I went into this book thinking it’d be a romance, and that’s not quite the case. This is a book about love, but not always in the romantic sense. It’s about self-love, and platonic love for people in our lives, and what it means to love someone for who they are wholly. I really liked the MC Daphne; she was relatable and flawed, and it felt like I was reading about a friend. There are a couple surprising twists I didn’t see coming, but I thought they both took the story in really interesting directions. I like the way it wrapped up, and even though there’s a smidge of open-endedness there, I think it’s done well and reinforces the message of the book.

After reading the synopsis I was ready to dive into this book. I adore books with a magical element. Add in past and present timelines and I’m hooked. Unfortunately Expiration Dates fell flat for me. There was no explanation of why Daphne the main character received these random notes with the name of her next love interest. I would have enjoyed how that came to be and I think would have made the story more interesting. There was so much detail about things that I didn’t care to read, the story dragged on. I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC. I’ve heard wonderful reviews about Rebecca Serles other books, I may give those a try.