I felt like the book had a lot of potential but it just was not what I expected…or wanted. I enjoyed it, but I did not love it. From the beginning I felt the main character Daphne was hard to connect with, which is part of her story, but it also made it difficult to root for her throughout the story. I wanted to love it but it was not for me. I think that if you enjoyed Serle’s other novels, you’ll also enjoy this one. Thank you Net Galley & Arria Books for the advanced copy of this book.

Absolutely adorable! This was so refreshing to read!

“Expiration Dates” follows the story of Daphne. Her entire life, she has gotten a note with a name and a time frame — an expiration date for her relationships.

It makes you think about life in a different way. Are you able to change “fate”? Does it even exist? I loved reading this book, and I am excited to read more of her works!

3.75 rounded up.

A great breath of fresh air, not afraid to put you in your feels, had me laughing, hopeful, tearful and waiting with expectation.

Loved In five years by this author, been long while ago since i read it but was very pleased with the writing of this book too!

Very interesting/different premise, Daphne gets slips of paper with a name and time on them, her love life basically written out for her. Some bumps along the way, friendships that influence her life and a lovely dog called Murphy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atriabooks for the ARC copy of “Expiration Dates” by Rebecca Serle.

✨Podcast episode coming this April!✨

If every romantic relationship you’ve had came with an expiration date, would you guard your heart? Or go all in, knowing your time with that person is limited?

Ever since she can remember, Daphne has been receiving slips of paper that tell her exactly how long a relationship may last. No matter the length of that relationship, Daphne uncovers new truths about who she is and gains new life lessons.

I loved that the expiration cards were frequently used to reflect on Daphne's past relationships and important life moments. It helped to maintain a steady reading pace and I never felt like the story dragged - which often happens for me while reading romance.

Expiration Dates is more than a story about finding true love with another person. It’s also about finding love within yourself and making sure to enjoy life to the fullest.


Some of my favorite quotes:

“Life is catch-22. That’s why God invented female friendships.”

“We have to be cracked open sometimes. We have to be cracked open sometimes to let anything good in. What I see now, emerging in the mirror, is this one, simple truth: learning to be broken is learning to be whole.”

Every time Daphne dates a new man, she receives a piece of paper telling exactly how long the relationship will last. Until before a blind date at her favorite LA restaurant, Daphne's paper just says "Jake" with no end date. As Daphne and Jake date, she begins to question whether this relationship really doesn't have an expiration date. For Daphne knows something that, if she told Jake, it could ruin everything.

Rebecca Serle has been a hit-and miss author for me and I am glad to say that Expiration Dates was a hit. Similar to In Five Years, Serle delivers a lighthearted romance with an intriguing dash of magical realism that side swipes you half way. With a clever twist, Expiration Dates introduces more complex themes that make you feel, make you think, and make you want the story to never end.

It's been ages since I've been utterly broken and crushed by a book. The intense amount of emotions I felt reading this can't be described, but I'll try my best.

With a bit of a whimsical touch, this is solely Daphne's story. From the synopsis and the first few chapters, you'd think you have it all figured out, but nothing could prepare you for all the revelations following. And it's not just 1, it's so many in the form of heartbreak, loss, friendship, and love.

Not a huge spoiler, but this is a bit of a love triangle, and I was bawling my eyes out by the time I figured each love interest's purpose for Daphne. The story was carefully woven that you're bound to fall in love with both the love interests; one sooner than the other.
I highly recommend reading this!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a devoted fan of Rebecca Serle's since Famous in Love back in 2014. I squealed in delight when I received an Advanced Copy of her latest, Expiration Dates. And what a joy of a novel it was!!

There is something about Serle's writing that immediately draws me in. Her characters feel incredibly relatable and are so easy to get invested in. There is also often a whimsical tone that is so distinctly her. And the twists! There are often there and when I least expect it.

I'm thrilled to report that Expiration Dates, out March 19, hits all of my favorite notes of her writing. I simply couldn't put it down and the only disappointment was when it was over.

Daphne Bell is a single gal in LA, but dating has always been odd for her. Shortly after meeting a man, she receives a note with his name and the length of the relationship. She doesn't know where they came from, but they have always been there. And in some ways, provide an odd sense of comfort. Everything has an end date, and she has become comfortable with that. She is expecting more of the same when her former colleague sets. her up with Jake. But when the note arrives it has only his name.

We follow Jake and Daphne's story while also learning about all the papers and expiration dates that have brought Daphne to this point. It is a brilliant story of the journey of being single, and creating your own love story.

Will post this review on retail sites, goodreads and my bookstagram @scottonreads

This was the 3rd book I had read by Rebecca Serle and I love how she throws a little speculative in with her stories. I’m not usually a romance reader, but having that in there captures my interest every time. I couldn’t put this one down and finished it within 24 hours.

I started out completely hooked by this book. The premise was so fresh and interesting and I wanted to keep reading. In fact, I devoured this book in one day. With that being said...the last 50 pages were rough for me. I did not enjoy the "reveal" and felt like it cheapened the story to an extent. I also wish we had received a more proper explanation of the expiration dates. I just feel like this book needed a tiny bit more development. Which makes sense considering the length. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Every time Daphne meets a new man, she mysteriously gets a piece of paper telling her how long the relationship will last. It might be a weekend, or years, but she knows there’s an end date. Until one day she gets a name, and no date.

The premise behind this idea was really unique. There was no questioning it, or where and how this was happening, but it just was. Told in alternating timelines, we get some of Daphne’s dating history mixed in with her current timeline, so there’s a lot of comparison between relationships. Sometimes she wished there was more, and sometimes they reached a natural end.

Although there was some sadness and reflection to it similar to Serle’s other books, it wasn’t a tearjerker the same way some of her others have been. I really enjoyed it overall!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book.

The newest Serle book releases on March 19th. While it was a slow start, once I hit about 40% in, I didn't want to put it down.

Since Daphne was a teenager she has received notes with a name and a time frame. The name is the guy she will start dating and the time frame is how long the relationship will last. The book goes back and forth from past memories to the present where she has just started a relationship with Jake. His was the first piece of paper that only had a name, no date.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle offers a unique premise exploring love, loss, and fate. While the concept is intriguing, the execution occasionally feels predictable, lacking the depth needed to fully captivate readers. Despite this, Serle's writing style is engaging, making it a decent choice for those seeking a light read with a touch of romance and existential contemplation.

What if you knew the length of a relationship? Would you invest in it or keep yourself at a distance? At the beginning of each new relationship, Daphne Bell receives a message (on a slip of paper, a postcard, a napkin, etc) with a measurement in time: one night, three months, a week. The message is a pronouncement of how long her relationship will last.

Rebecca Serle's books are always a yes for me: slight magical realism and strong female main characters. However, this one fell a little flat. There was a twist in the middle of the book that felt forced and though I loved the ending, I needed more time to process it. Also, the multiple timelines (every other chapter described a past relationship) took me out of the narrative, so it was hard to gain momentum with the main plot.

Ultimately, although this was not my favorite, I will still read all Rebecca Serle's books. Also, #teamhugoforever.

Thank you to Netgalley and Artia books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Atria for the e-arc!

I absolutely loved this Expiration Dates. Dare I say, my favorite of Rebecca Serle’s books so far?

As always with Serle’s books, it is full of magical realism that sweeps you away. Her language is impeccable: the descriptions of the food, the characters, the general atmosphere is just lovely. I could perfectly envision each of the characters and the world that they inhabit. I think this is part of the reason I read this whole book in two sittings. It was difficult to put down! Plus the shorter chapters had me begging to know what would happen next.

I loved the exploration through Daphne’s whole dating history, and I loved Serle’s positive spin on it. Not all dates and failed relationships are complete disasters, and I would like to think everyone comes into our lives at specific moments for specific purposes. Maybe they aren’t our forever person, but they can greatly impact us, even just for a night. We see that with Daphne and the men of her past. Every single one of them left a mark, every single one is remembered. Mostly all were positive. Daphne has the rare ability to know exactly how much time she’d be spending in each relationship, and I think that worked slightly to her advantage. She was able to live in the moment and wasn’t concerned about it being more or less than it was. I envy her for that. But we also see towards the end of her story how this worked against her at the same time. I won’t go too much into that for fear of spoiling, but I loved to see the journey Daphne went on and all of the self discovery she experienced.

The twists GOT ME. I always know Serle has more up her sleeve than she lets on from her previous books but man was my breath taken away. Not once, but TWICE. Just so smart and so beautifully done. Again, no spoilers, but these really made the book for me.

This was the most “romantic” of Serle’s books in my opinion, though it still isn’t just about the romance. It was more about Daphne and her discovery, her growth, her heartaches, her joy, her everything. The romance parts were gorgeous and the perfect amount of heart-fluttery, kicking my feet, sighing, loveliness.

An absolute 5/5 for me, no question about it! A quick, captivating read that I will be recommending like crazy.

This book was fun! I loved the fantasy premise to it but I struggled to really get into the story. The idea that we already know from the beginning the premise was a bit off putting and hard for me to get into it. Im not sure what it is really about this book but I found it hard to connect to the FMC and the characters all around. I would still try another book by this author! I do think she has a great writing style and I would still love to read her other books..

I found the beginning of this book to be a little slow. I struggled with it a bit, but at about the halfway mark, my interest really increased. There's a little fantasy(?) in the story in that the main character, Daphne, always finds a piece of paper with the name of man she has just met accompanied with the length of time that they will be together. Can you imagine? Would you view this as a blessing or a curse?

If you have read this author's work before, you will know that there is usually a "wow!" revelation at some point. Expiration Dates is no exception, and I was left in awe by her storytelling once more.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

Expiration Dates was such a unique story. We have Daphne who is single and open to love and who receives expiration dates for all her relationships with men, until one day there’s no date for her next date.
Daphne then meets Jake and everything is going well, but there are things she should have said before. Are they really meant to be together?
Expiration Dates was a gripping story, a page-turner that had me wanting to know what was happening next. I really liked Daphne and I felt connected to her for several reasons. I also really liked Jake.
I deeply enjoyed reading the book and it was a fast read too. It was a bit predictable for me in some ways and even though I liked the ending my heart hoped it would be different. Overall, I liked the story very much and once again I’m captivated by Rebecca Serle’s writing style.

Expiration Dates has a really interesting premise: each time the female protagonist meets a new man she receives a slip of paper telling her how long she's going to date him. I'm a big fan of magic realism and Rebecca Serle always comes up with the most heartfelt ways to write a love story and a characters emotional journey towards healing and acceptance.

The second part of the story served a twist that I didn't see coming and took me out of the novel momentarily, I won't spoil it here but I would have personally liked to see a trigger warning at the start of the book.

Once I was able to adapt to the new route the story was taking me I was OK.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than her last one and I am excited to see what she writes next.

I also had an opportunity to listen to an ALC narrated by Julia Whelan and her narration is spot on as always.

While the concept of knowing the timeline of Daphne's relationship's worked for me to read, I would literally hate everything about that for my own life. I'd always be preparing for doomsday. But, that's the beauty of reading and the magical genre. It was just far-fetched enough to work. I enjoyed it.

I predicted the ending very early on - I even messaged a friend exactly what was going to happen and I was 100% correct. It was charming and made us focus on the real theme of the story which was to trust your heart and not let the rest of the world tell you who you should or shouldn't love.

I'm a fan of Rebecca Serle and can't wait to see what she writes next!

I have mixed thoughts about this book. I really enjoyed the premise, and I was engaged from the first page. I loved Daphne and this little quirk she has. The thought of receiving a note with a person's name and time frame is intriguing. But when she receives her last note with the name Jake and no time frame, she isn't sure what to think. As this relationship grows, she shares her health history and learns that Jake's first wife died. Meant to be, right? Until she learns her friend, Hugo is still in love with her after their break-up 5 years prior. Realizing that she is constantly limiting herself because of her heart condition and not enjoying the present, she takes into account all the experiences she has had and doesn't want to limit herself any longer and live her life no matter how long she has.

As much as I loved the story, it fell flat for me with a few clichés. And I didn't really care for Hugo and his personality.