One thing about me I looooooove magical realism done RIGHT and REBECCA ALWAYS DOES IT RIGHT!!!!!! I read this book on a Sunday morning (which I also read in five years on a Sunday morning so that was a fun little coincidence) and wish I had more to read honestly. I loved all the little nods to her previous books. I did sob during in five years and one Italian summer so wish I had sobbed during this (I only cried when she was breaking up with Jake just the littlest bit) but I still loved it. I actually wish I read it slower. The end had so many good nuggets of wisdom. Love love love

Daphne Bell has a secret. She knows how long each of her relationships will last, down to the day. She's been receiving mysterious slips of paper with the name and length of her lover, for years. The papers have never been wrong. When Daphne gets a new slip, with just a name, Jake, and no end date, she knows she's finally found "the one". Only Daphne's best friend (and ex) Hugo, is privy to the slips of paper, he's the only one Daphne has ever confided in. Can Daphne let go of her expectations and experience lasting love with Jake?

I've read and loved all of Rebecca Serle's previous books, and Expiration Dates is no exception. Serle has a gift for using just a dash of magic as a plot device, and making it totally believable. Her characters are flawed and human, people you want to root for. Expiration Dates is frothy and fun, but still has plenty of depth and emotion. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for this gifted copy. Expiration Dates will publish 3/19/24.

Since the 5th grade Daphne has been the recipient of mysterious notes that have only a name and timespan written on them. It didn’t take her long to figure out that they were telling her who she was going to have a relationship with and exactly how long it would last. Some are very short, say three days, and some may go on for several months or years even, but every single one has an expiration date. Daphne has kept this secret to herself, only ever telling one other person, her best friend Hugo. But, that isn’t her only secret.
It’s an interesting concept that in my opinion could have been done better. I thought most of the characters were one-dimensional and there were far too many descriptions of outfits worn and meals ordered. I found that I didn’t really care too much for what happened to any of the characters, even Daphne. The romance aspect was lacking sparks for me and I wasn’t too invested in how her romantic life played out. There were some promising moments though as Daphne finally makes some important realizations about herself and the life she wants. 3.75 stars

Once I started this book I couldn’t stop. I just loved Jake and Daphne! This is a feel good book, from a comfort read author. Highly recommend

3⭐️

The premise of this book was pretty interesting. Daphne gets a sheet of a paper telling her how long each relationship will last.

I really loved this idea. However sadly this one just didn't work for me in the end. I found it it be really slow and I couldn't connect with the FMC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

3.75 stars
This one put a romantic spin on The Measure. I saw reviews that some people didn't like the twist, but I actually did. I felt like it helped move the story along and helped the MC really think about things instead of blindly trusting the notes. I was getting a little bit bored hearing the previous boyfriends. I feel like some of them could have been cut out and a little more could have been devoted to the ending. It felt a little abrupt, but I guess we're supposed to use our imagination for how things turned out. Overall, In Five Years is still my favorite Serle, but I'd recommend this for certain people.

Daphne Bell knows exactly when each of her relationships is going to end. She know because since she was a kid, she has received slips of paper stating the name of her boyfriend and the amount of time they’ll spend together.

This is a really cool premise and could go in any number of directions! Instead, the “HEA” is fairly predictable, though the route to get there did have some unexpected turns.

I enjoyed the glimpses into the different types of relationships that Daphne experiences in this book, but the twist that come about halfway through the book takes it in a direction it really did not need to go in. The title “Expiration Dates” takes on new meanings after this plot twist.

If you do like books that explore different relationships, a smidge of magical realism and writing that delves into navel gaze territory,m (and I don’t mean that in a negative way), I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! Daphne receives papers that tell her exactly how long each relationship she has will last. When she interprets one paper to mean that this is her forever love, she does some deep internal searching to figure out her life. She develops a comforting, safe, and perfect relationship, but is this what she wants? I enjoyed Daphne and how she worked through all of her struggles.

Rebecca Serle has redeemed herself with Expiration Dates. Her last book was not a hit with me, but I really enjoyed this one.

Daphne has a super power. She receives slips of paper that tell her how long her relationships will last. But the latest one she receives just says Jake, with no date. Is Jake “the one?” Is he her forever?

Expiration Dates takes the reader through Daphne’s love life. We meet each of the men she dates and learns how the relationships end. Hugo, who has a timeline of 3 months, has lasted much longer as a friend after their love affair ended.

This story reminded me more of In Five Years, which I loved, but didn’t quite have the storytelling that book did.

Overall, I enjoyed Expiration Dates and am glad I gave Rebecca Serle another chance. Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced e-copy of #expirationdates . This book is available on March 19, 2024.

Imagine that you knew exactly how long every romantic relationship in your life was going to last? Would you want to know? Daphne doesn't have an option - every time she embarks on a relationship, the world mysteriously slips her a piece of paper with the person's name and how long their relationship will be. Serle takes us through a series of her relationships, including Hugo, who was only a 3 month relationship but has become Daphne's best friend. Most of the book focuses on her relationship with Jake - whose paper was blank.

Expiration Dates is a wonderful story of romance, what-ifs and surprises. There were some unexpected twists and turns along the way. I probably should have seen the ending coming, but I didn't! There is also an alternating timeline weaving in some of Daphne's background which helps to understand her more in the present.

I really enjoyed this story, another great one from Rebecca Serle! Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for a chance to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite Rebecca Serle novel to date. What a fascinating concept. Daphne Bell receives a slip of paper, postcard, etc. each time that she meets a new man. The paper tells her the man's name and how long they will be together. She has had papers of one day, three days, 2 years, and everywhere in between. Then, just before a blind date, she receives one with just a name. Is this her forever person?

Expiration Dates explores love, romance, doubts, truth and lies. Daphne knows these things, but her partners do not. I just loved it!

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

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 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.

Let me start off by saying you are never going to find out who is sending Daphne these notes. I wish someone told me that up front cause I was really stuck on finding out how and kept having so many questions about them. You just have to accept the magical realism of it all. But once you get past that this book was really moving. I'm not going to lie, this book started off rough and jumpy. It didn't feel it was necessary to go back to all these past relationships in the beginning. I thought it took away from the actual story at play. But once we settled more on Daphne's relationships with Hugo and Jake, the story smoothed out and became much more interesting. Also when a big secret is revealed (not the letters), that is when I couldn't stop turning the page In all honesty, I don't want to say too much or characterize this by trope because it does take away from the story. This is a minor spoiler, but I really related to Daphne. As someone with long-term health issues, I really related to her struggles to settle down, and her anxieties over revealing her issues to her partners. I also related to her struggles of feeling like she's not in the norm. I feel like in this day and age a lot of women are unsure if they want the standard marriage and children route and I am in that boat as well. As much as I want to feel normal and do the things all my peers are doing sometimes I don't see myself doing that successfully due to my health issues and in all honesty the way the world is shaping up to be these days.

Overall I'd give this a 4.5 stars. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 3/19

I was excited to read Rebecca Searle’s latest Expiration Dates. It had a slight fantastical element but wasn’t too over the top. I’ve always loved how she can ask “what if?” and still craft a believable story around it. What if you knew exactly how long your next relationship would last? Would you act differently? Try to change the outcome? This book explores so much of that with a little surprise at the end.

I admit some of the chemistry wasn’t obvious to me, and I didn’t immediately connect with the main character narrator. However, as her story developed I did enjoy seeing what came next for her.

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book until the ending, and leave it up to Rebecca Serle to throw in a random illness as a plot twist. Thanks NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my review

Rebecca Serle has continued to win me over time and time again. Her novels have a unique quality to them that makes them a genre all their own. They deal with romance, grief and unusual circumstances of universe intervention. Expiration Dates is no exception. It causes you to think about life and relationships and whether you’re truly living or just waiting for something to expire. If you lived In Five Years or One Italian Summer, you will also love Expiration Dates.

Love love love. I cannot stop thinking about this book. The characters were great and relatable and the concept of the book was so intriguing. I’m telling everyone to read this.

What a cute little romance book! I went into this a little hesitant, because while I loved, In Five Years, I could not finish One Italian Summer. I was nervous about the magical realism, because I've learned that is not my favorite trope in a novel. The magical realism aspect was done really well in this novel. The gist is that the protagonist, Daphne, gets notes whenever she is about to enter a relationship, that tells her how long she should expect the relationship to last. This idea is cute, and while it would be much more anxiety inducing to me than it was to Daphne, this magical realism was much more tolerable than I have read in other books. This book was rather short at around 275 pages, and I appreciated that, but at the same time, some of the characters could have been more developed to pack more of a punch as the story progresses. I loved Daphne and the character of Hugo and Murphy the dog, but those were really the only ones I was interested in by the end of the book. 4.25 stars. I'm really glad that I enjoyed this book and I have already recommended it to those who have privately messaged me about it on Instagram.

I just couldn’t get into this title. I didn’t like the first book I read from her so I’m not sure why I thought this would be different.

"Expiration Dates" is a compelling read that will resonate with readers long after they've finished the book.

I really enjoyed this sweet romance with a touch of magical realism. I thought the concept was creative where Daphne randomly receives pieces of paper with a guy’s name on it and the amount of time they will date. Then, one day, she receives a piece of paper without an expiration date on it. From there, we go on this romantic journey with Daphne as she figures out what she truly wants in life while also carrying a big secret and the emotions surrounding it.

This is told in first person POV (Daphne) and has past and present timelines. Sometimes, these dual timelines bother me and feel jarring as we skip back and forth, but it didn’t this time. I really enjoyed learning about Daphne and her past boyfriends. She shares when she received other pieces of paper with names and expiration dates, how she met other guys from her past, and what happened with them. We learn about her through these flashbacks, which made me connect with her more and understand her more in the present. She was a likable character - funny, charming, flawed, guarded, emotional, strong, and confident. I enjoyed watching this character grow and develop throughout the book.

I also enjoyed the romance in this book. It made me laugh, cry, swoon, and everything in between. There is a tiny bit of spice but it’s not too explicit. It did get steamy at times without revealing too much, which I appreciated since I prefer closed-door romances. I loved the banter between Daphne and Jake as well as Hugo, her friend. There is definitely some emotional depth and maturity in this story. I would not consider this a light, fluffy romcom but more of a romance drama with some humor. There is also a nice twist at the end that I didn’t expect.

Daphne was born and raised in Southern California (L.A. area), so there’s a lot of description about this city. The imagery painted by the author was so vivid that it almost felt like I was in CA with the characters. In a way, this story also felt like the author wrote a love letter to this state. It’s quite obvious she knows the area very well as she names streets, restaurants, shops, etc. I felt completely transported to CA.

Daphne also comes from a Jewish family, where we meet her parents, and they are in multiple scenes. So I really enjoyed watching the family dynamics between them and then learning more about the Jewish culture, customs, and habits. I also LOVED a scene toward the end with Daphne and her dad. It was so touching and made me cry. Loved it!

However, this book did lean toward the liberal/progressive side in tone. Also to note, there is one gay side character. And, there is some language.

Overall, this was an incredibly moving, emotional, heartfelt story. It was extremely relatable and thought-provoking. I loved the messages about choosing with your heart and not letting fear stop you. Time isn’t promised to anyone; therefore, we must live for today and not let the fear of the unknown (or future) get the best of us. Life is a choice, and we can choose to live it fully or let it pass us by because we’re too scared of what may or may not be. Never take your time with someone for granted because it is precious, and people come in and out of our lives for a reason. It’s also about vulnerability and not being afraid to open up to others. They may surprise you!

I also appreciated that the chapters were short and overall, it’s a short read. I got through it in just a few days. This is my first book by this author, and I definitely want to read more by her now. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.