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

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