More like 3 and a half Stars ✨

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my gifted advanced readers copy of Expiration Dates.

Rebecca Serle is a hit or miss author for me.
I did enjoy this one more than some of her previous books but it wasn't perfect.
I enjoyed the premise. Rebecca Serle always delivers a unique story. It's what usually draws me in.
I appreciate that all of her novels are short. Expiration Dates was under 300 pages.
The writing was very simplistic and this was definitely an easy read.

Now that I've read 4 of Rebecca Serle's books here is a ranking that nobody has asked for:

1. One Italian Summer
2. Expiration Dates
3. In Five Years
4. The Dinner List (It was a DNF)

Overall- Recommend - to some readers but not all. I will be picking up more by this author.

I joined an @aotmbookclub buddy read for this book and it was a great was great way to read the book! I have loved all of Rebecca Serle’s previous books so I was thrilled to read an advanced copy.

Daphne Bell is single in LA. But when she meets a guy she’s interested in, she receives a mysterious note telling her how long her relationship will last. Some are a few weeks, a few years, even just a night. But when she receives a note with a name and no date, she thinks this must be her forever guy. Her former love and current best friend, Hugo helps her decide her feelings and whether she should take the final leap.

I really liked how they explained a lot of her prior relationships and how they formed her dating life. I do think there maybe have been 1 or 2 too many though. I also love her job and career in LA. Without giving away too much, Daphne has some medical issues that make her question what she has to offer a partner and makes her wonder what she really wants herself. I think anyone who is taking that next step in a relationship will think about what this means long term, but for Daphne it’s even more. This novel has just a touch of magical realism and it was the perfect amount.

I think this is one that you definitely need to discuss with a friend. You will either love or hate the ending!

Thank you @atriabooks for my gifted ebook. Expiration Dates is on sale March 19.

I love how creative and unique Rebecca Serle's books are. Her stories are always full of magical realisms and life lessons. Daphne receives a note every time she starts a new relationship. The note tells her exactly how long her new relationship will last. I really enjoyed how the story went from present day to flashbacks to all of her previous relationships with their length of time and how the journey to the expiration date. There were a couple times that the flashback wasn't explicitly stated so that was a bit confusing. There was a large secret that comes out and makes the reader understand Daphne a bit more. The overall message of the book was a beautiful one, you never know how long you have and what you do with your time is what is important, not the amount of time itself. The writing was just a bit choppy for me but for the most part I enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Shelf Awareness for this copy of "Expiration Dates."

Ever since she was a young girl, Daphne has received a paper with the name of her next romantic interest and how long it will last.

But when she gets a paper with the name "Jake" and nothing else, she's not exactly sure what it means.

This compulsively readable book beautifully explores what it means to love, let go, and make choices.

I fell in love with this book. I loved that it was short and sweet. The title really explains so much and in such a deeper way. The whole book really grabs at your heart strings. The concept of meeting someone and then finding out for how long you’ll date them. Really loved how that isn’t a typical romance story and how it doesn’t fall into those tropes everyone talks about. This was my first book by this author and I’m going to read the others hopefully sooner rather than later.

I was definitely intrigued by the concept of this book. A person getting notes when she is about to date someone with their name on it and a time frame. The note basically is telling her how long that specific relationship will last. It is unique and creative, but I found myself not connecting well with the characters and not wanting to pick up the book to finish it.

The writing of the story was good and I loved chapter 36 when she has the conversation with her father IYKYK. I also was very happy with the ending and it went the way that I wanted it to, but overall I would only give this book a 3.5/5 stars (round up to 4 stars for netgalley rating).

I think that if I could have connected more with the individual characters I would have liked it more. This book was just okay for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved One Italian summer and I was looking forward to this one. It didn’t hit the mark for me. I’m not sure if introducing so many characters didn’t work or what the case may be

Thanks for my e arc for my honest review

The concept of “Expiration Date” is unique and something that I have not read before in a romance novel. While I did enjoy the beginning of this story, I feel as if there were too many major storylines/twists being presented at once. The story dragged on at times and could be somewhat predictable. (2.75 stars)

** spoiler alert ** I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed Italian Summer and had much fun discussing In Five Years with my pandemic book club.
I am all for magical realism and what it can do for love and relationships. This book, however, did not deliver on its promises.

What I enjoyed:
- the premise is great (and gives us a pun in the title) - Daphne receives a note before meeting anyone new romantically that announces with precision how much time that relationship will last. There is so much that could be done with this! Alas.
- I liked the descriptions of family time with Daphne's parents; their everyday interactions (especially before the Big Twist is revealed) seem so healthy and fun - which is why it was confusing why Daphne mentions a few times that she could not get far away from her parents and liked to have some space from them. I assume that it was because of the illness, yet we don't get an explanation, just a lot of angst. I see it as inconsistent - is she grateful to them for having a place to land, or is she trying to get as far as possible? Is it both?
- Hugo's character was lovely, if a bit confusing.
- Murphy - I also have a dog that does not know how to dog (namely - fetch), so I can relate.

What I did not care for:
- the writing is splotchy, and we are often told, not shown, what's going on. The comedy club scene especially. There are also moments where Serle decides to explain certain things that a reader, if unfamiliar, can easily google. Like what kind of store Erewhon is.
- There seems to be no order in which we learn about Daphne's precious relationships, and the switch back and forth between the past and the present gave me whiplash.
- We get the Big Twist about 60% into the book - Daphne is also sick and might die at any moment from a genetic heart condition. (I hope you noticed the spoiler button) This comes out of nowhere. There is no foreshadowing, and the book all of a sudden becomes about the illness, pushing everything else to the back. I know Serle loves a devastating twist (unexpected cancer in In Five Years, truth about her mother in Italian Summer), but the new information, no matter how shocking, should make sense in the story. In my opinion, it did not happen here.
- There is no consistency in the way the "magic" works. We find out in the end that Jake's note, which lacked the time frame and gave Daphne an idea that this is her forever man, was, in fact, written by Hugo to "give her freedom." Nothing happens to the relationship that was supposed to last three weeks, and she ends up getting engaged to the man after months of a seemingly happy if not very exciting, courtship. There are usually rules to these things, right? If you go against the magic, it strikes back, etc. We are led to believe that maybe there wasn't any magic at all in how the relationships ended - Daphne believed they were "expired," so they were.
- Daphne is not a very likable character. She seems to have all these doubts; she does not know herself well; she gets into a relationship with Jake and breaks his heart because she is not truthful with him from the beginning, even knowing about his past heartbreak and loss.
- The characters are Jewish; Daphne talks a lot about how happy her parents would be if she married a Jewish man - but besides a couple of sentences, we don't get much storyline out of that.

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this story as a movie. I finished the book, but it was a chore at times. The illness twist truly threw me for a loop. The end did not satisfy me, but I can see how with a visual it could do more and give more promise (the piece of paper floating away, the smile, the gaze, the embrace, etc.)

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book is out on March 19.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC.

Rebecca Serle has been hit or miss for me, and sadly, this one was a miss. There were parts I enjoyed and then the other parts. I just thought this book was very average.

Daphne reveives a slip of paper with a name and a number; it is the name of her next boyfriend and how long she will be with him. One day, she receives the slip with a name and no number, so could he be the one?

The magical realism aspect was intriguing, but nothing else really intrigued me. I am glad that it didn’t drag on, and that it was wrapped up nice and neat.
Overall, a three star read to me.

3.5

I think overall this was a good story, but left me wanting so much more. I feel like certain characters and relationships never had a chance to really blossom the way they should have to keep me having a more emotional connection. I did really appreciate the twists, the concept of the story itself was great, and the meaning behind it all definitely resonated with me. I just don’t ish for there having been that many positive points that I had connected with the story more.

I was very fortunate to receive an advanced reader copy from NetGalley but all thoughts are unbiased and my own!

This was a quick read and not really what I was expecting! It’s a romance novel, mixed with some fantasy-ish elements. The concept is very unique, so the plot did keep me guessing what was going to happen!

I don’t think this would be a book for everyone - but I really enjoyed Daphne’s journey through the book and her development! But I think some other characters def got short end of the stick…. Think at points there was a bit much going on at once in terms of the story and I can’t say much more about that without spoiling the plot… but overall a fun read that I will be definitely recommending for people looking for a romance with a hint of fantasy woven in.

I love Rebecca Serle books and I did fly through this one & enjoyed it immensely until the end. It was a little unsatisfying in my opinion. I loved the characters and the story but not the ending I expected. Very enjoyable read though.

At first I was excited that reading this book around Valentine’s Day was a happy accident, a cute story of love, but then as the story unfolded, it was a great story about perseverance and embracing your true self.

Rebecca Serle knows how to write a book with ALL the feels - laughter, sadness, and everything in between. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest book. The characters were well developed (and likable!) and the plot was perfect!

Thank you to Net Gallery for the ARC of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. This was the third novel I have read by this author. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Daphne receives a letter with the man’s name and the amount of time they will be romantically involved. Most recently she receives a letter with a man’s name and no timeframe. What does this mean?

I enjoyed reading this book as much as her other novels. It was a quick and engaging read. It was a unique, beautiful, and emotional story with aspects of magical realism intertwined. I definitely took me on a journey with its twists and turns. I would recommend you read this book.

3.5/5

I’ve read several others of Rebecca Serele’s books and have loved each one. They are usually less than 300 pages with fun magical realism elements. This is a story of Daphne. Every time she dates someone new, she receives a note with the name and length of time her and the person will date. One day she gets on with just a name - Jake. The story that follows is about her relationship with Jake, following her heart and learning to live in the moment. I wanted to love the story and for the most part it was enjoyable. However, I struggled to connect with these characters and got a little bored. The ending is satisfying, but the journey was a little too slow for me. Thanks for the arc!

All of Rebecca Serle's books contain a bit of magic ;and to really enjoy her books, you must lean into it. This book was no different and the reader must accept that Daphne gets notes telling her when a relationship must end to enjoy it. So the reader is treated to her early boyfriends until all of a sudden a BIG secret is revealed, which changes the whole path (or what I thought was the path) of the book. By finally revealing Daphne's secret a lot came into view and made the plot deeper and edgier. I was sad when Daphne made her choice of men, but yet was happy at her choice. I must admit that my favorite part of this book was the end--it is perfect and I don't want to write anything that will spoil it.

Well this was a mixed bag.

Magical realism and romance.

Daphne gets a note every time she meets someone she will be in a relationship with… their name and how long the relationship will last. But this last note. Just a name no time period… 👀 she hopes this means they are together forever.

I really loved the magical notes but I found the characters to be… just fine. I wasn’t rooting for anyone or really cared about the romance.

I’m not bugged I read it but I wouldn’t reread it…

Thank to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC.

I was hooked just by the premise of this book and it did not disappoint whatsoever! This is my second book by Rebecca Serle and I loved it just as much as the first.

I fully expected this to be a light and sweet romance, but it wasn’t that at all. The concept was so intriguing and executed incredibly well, reminding us that we are in control of our lives and choices even if it doesn’t seem so.

The characters were all enjoyable, Daphne is so funny and admirable in her resilience, if a bit frustrating at times. There were a couple times in particular I wanted to yell at her. Jake was so sweet and genuine, I really wanted all the best for him. I was immediately in love with Hugo as soon as he was introduced and it was difficult at times to watch him struggle.

The twists were not anticipated at all and I really enjoyed the big one, the result was exactly what I had hoped for the entire time I read. The smaller one, regarding Daphne’s health however, to me, felt a bit like it was thrown in haphazardly and not thought through well.
The conclusion made me ridiculously happy and I enjoyed it very much, even if it made me a bit sad for one party.

I loved this book and now feel compelled to read the rest of Rebecca Serle’s books even more. She does magic realism so well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 3/19/24