4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Dare I say this might be my favorite Rebecca Serle book yet?! I loved In Five Years, so I will settle at a tie for now. This book was wonderful and probably my favorite Netgalley read so far. I loved the multiple timelines and how it explored Daphne’s past relationships. It made you question if Daphne lived her life differently knowing her time would come to an end with each of these people. I enjoyed seeing Daphne grow and blossom through these relationships, as well as some other issues she had a lifetime of dealing with. Definitely recommend this one!

For Readers Who Like:
- Multiple timelines
- Magical realism
- LA vibes

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

I know anything that Rebecca Serle writes will be a hit for me. I think it’s hard to do a romance right, but she hits it out of the park with this one.

Right away, I fell in love with the unique plot of the book. It was such a unique twist that really made me love the book. Daphne gets a piece of paper with a time length whenever she starts to date someone new. That is the expiration of the relationship. Navigating her timelines, trying to figure herself out as a person, and watching her grow makes the book marvelous. I’m obsessed with her dog, Murphy.

I loved the jump in timelines to understand all her past relationships and how they shaped her as a person. There were some really funny and endearing moments too. It was such an amazing, fun, heartfelt read.

It’s not as emotional as her last two books, but it hits the spot. Don’t wait to read this one!

Thanks to Atria books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Be sure to buy this book on March 19, 2024!

Expiration Dates is a story that will make you think about life, love, and relationships. It's not an incredibly long book but Serle packs a lot into the pages. It's a very moving story about someone who is following what the universe is telling her to find love, but there is so much more to the story than that. This is a book that would be very easy to spoil. With that in mind, I won't say much more.

I will say I adored Daphne's characters and she completely came to life on the page.

Read this book. At times it will break you into pieces and at other times, it will warm your soul.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the honest review. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Quick intro:
Daphne Bell receives notes upon meeting men with their name and a number - the exact amount of time she will spend with them. It’s always made dating easy, the knowing what to expect, but this time there’s just a name and no number - does that mean forever?

Quick thoughts:
After reading One Italian Summer by this author and not enjoying it, I was hesitant about her newest book. However, the premise seemed interesting to me so I gave it a go and I’m glad I did!

There’s just something about Rebecca’s style of writing that feels very realistic and conversational. Her characters feel relatable, honest, and like actual humans and I really appreciate that.

This book reminded me of The Measure in a lot of ways. Daphne was forced to figure out how to deal with, process, and live in light of knowing what you shouldn’t know. I enjoyed the magical element and it somehow felt believable. 😂

Read if you like: sad romances, quirky MCs, fade-to-black, first person POV, quick reads, non-linear time-lines, and dashes of magical realism.

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

What to expect in this book:

-Magical realism
-Exploring dating/love
-Grief/meaning of life
-Magical letters
-Alternating timelines
-Self-discovery

Thoughts

Rebecca Serle is one of my favorite authors and I genuinely love her writing and magical elements throughout her stories. This one in particular in so special because I feel like it truly captures so many important elements. Without spoiling some twists, this book explores what it is like to grow up and live a life much different than you may have imagined living. Daphne receives letters from the time she is young telling her the person and length of relationship that she will be with them. However, one day she receives a note with a name on it, but no expiration date. Is he the one? What does this mean for Daphne's future?

This book felt particularly personal reading; not because it is my story at all, but because I could tell that the author felt what the main character was going through. I highlighted so many passages and felt like this was a book that many people could relate to in the humanity of the main character. She has so many important relationships in her life, but could not seem to understand love and it's purpose in her life.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is: "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."

The pacing of the story felt slow for the first 50-60%, but until that point the direction of the story is not as clear. Once the author reveals a major part of the character's story, we begin to see the beauty and the breakdown unfold. I love books with flawed characters- characters that make decisions that are not so black and white, and that struggle with themselves in some way. While this is not my favorite RS, I still think The Dinner List (while not as popular) is still my favorite. However, this book is beautiful, emotional, and real.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader's copy. This book hits shelves March 5.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of Expiration Dates in exchange for this honest review.

First of all, I was very excited to read this book! I enjoyed One Italian Summer by the same author, and I am a big fan of the magical realism she weaves into her storylines. Her books are always very easy to read, with short chapters and easy love characters.

Expiration Dates has such an interesting premise. How would you feel about dating a person if you knew ahead of time how long the relationship was going to last? Would you dive in with both feet? Daphne has known her entire life how long each of her relationships would last. In turn, she has never feared “the fall” of love, never put herself completely out there to have her heart broken, never thought about a future with anyone. Until now. Until Jake.

While I LOVED reading this fast paced romance, the twist for me felt rushed. There wasn’t enough of a storyline for it to feel real or believable. The ending also fell flat for me as a reader. I didnt really feel a connection farther than friendship with Hugo, and felt like Jake was the better choice.

Overall, I would rate this 3 1/2 stars rounded up for Goodreads

Again, thank you for the advanced reader copy. 8 look forward to reading more books feom Rebecca Serle, and would definitely recommend this book to a friend needing a quick, easy read.

Daphne has a gift… she receives notes with a name and an amount of time telling her how long her relationship will last. Then she receives a note with just a name, no expiration date. This is where things change… without a date, does this mean he’s her forever??

I really enjoyed this book. It was such a unique premise and the main character, Daphne, was easy to relate to. Serle does a great job helping the reader to empathize with what would seem like a great gift but in fact, could be quite challenging. I was not sure what direction she was going to take things and was pleasantly surprised with the ending. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this novel was very interesting and I devoured it quickly.

The universe seems to have a plan for Daphne - any time she meets a man, a piece of paper appears with a name an number on it - indicating the time they will spend together.

One day she has a blind date set up by her friend, and a paper never appears.

Has her fate changed? Could this man be the one?

This was a great read, and I'd highly recommend!

I loved Expiration Dates!!!
I read a few of Rebecca Serle's books and this was my favourite one so far!
The characters are wonderful & well developed, and the plot was super interesting. There was a magical realism aspect (just like One Italian Summer & In Five Years, which I previously read) that I really enjoyed.
Also, I identified with the Jewish aspect of the book. It was nice to recognize certain customs and vocabulary.
Without any spoilers, I'll just say that I loved the ending. It worked perfectly with the theme of the book. I was left with that great book feeling, if you know what I mean, and was very satisfied. There are so many great quotes and there's a lot of discussion that can arise around this novel. I just know this will stay with me for a long time.

oh how i wanted to love this book… and oh how i didn’t. i struggled to connect with the characters which made it difficult to get into the story. i also was just bothered by how daphne let the paper premonitions control everything. the whole point of life is that we don’t know and i was just extremely bothered by the way she lived hers. i also was sad that jake and hugo felt so deeply hurt at different times as a result. this may be an unpopular opinion, but this book simply was not for me.

Fantastic novel, enjoyed every minute of it! Absolutely nothing not to like about it. Such a cute story and great characters. Highly recommend this!

Expiration Dates is an original story that kept me entertained and guessing what will happen until the very end! How would knowing the exact length of your relationship with a romantic partner impact your relationship and how much you truly bring to the table? This is the dilemma that Daphne phases. Alas, her latest relationship has no expiration date- Is Jake the one? Also, mixed into the story is her friendship with an old boyfriend named Hugo. He is one of her best friends and the only person who knows about the little papers Daphne receives with the expiratation date of her next relationship. Again, this is a unique story with some surprising twists and turns. My only regret was the story didn't last longer! Rebecca Serle has created a gem of a story that will keep you thoroughly engaged!

Rebecca truly has a way of making you contemplate what is truly important in life. I love the way that she uses magical realism in each of her books to explore existential questions. All of Serle’s books have stayed with me many years later.

Daphne receives a note stating a man’s name + number of days of this relationship. Does this protect her heart from getting too invested? Does this hinder her ability to see endless possibilities? Does Daphne have a choice in who she loves? Is she steering the relationship to what she thinks it’s supposed to be? While some may consider this a romance, and there are some romantic elements, this book is for me was really about self discovery, and took us on quite the journey with a few plot twists and turns- some I was surprised by, and others I was able to infer— but it didn’t change my experience with reading this book.

I manage to cry the last 20% of every Rebecca Serle book and this one was no different. If you enjoy magical realism, and introspective reads— which is what Serle is known for, you’ll love this one!

THE REFERENCE TO IN FIVE YEARS!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC!

Wow. This book. I could not put it down. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before. The plot is so clever but also embedded is so much reality when it comes to dating. Daphne gets notes, letters, postcards all that let her know how long she’ll be with the man she just met. 3 months with Hugo, five weeks with noah, 3 days with Martin etc. While going through this for 20 years Daphne also goes through other personal struggles that get harder as life progresses. I laughed in some bits and cried in other parts. I love going into books blind and I’m so glad I did for this one too as it took me on an emotional journey in the best possible way. Highly highly recommend this one

There we parts of this that I loved but then parts of it that got on my nerves. For instance, but why are outfits described in such detail when it doesn’t actually, in my opinion, contribute anything to the story? It felt so elementary and young author. Secondly, I struggled with the magical realism element and just accepting these notes ans ann unquestioned part of the plot. Our MC never questioned them as the truth yet knew they were odd enough she never mentioned them to anybody else? I can’t bring those two opposites together in my mind. If you can’t get past that, and I’m not sure I can, I felt like it was an okay read. I keep going back between two and three stars.

Daphne and Jake's story had me invested the whole time. I was curious as to how everything was going to turn out that I could not help but to keep reading. The premise alone had me interested and the outcome was delightful. I really wasn't expecting the emotional pull of this book and in the end it left me satisfied and gooey inside. I loved it!

After having loved In Five Years and finding One Italian Summer enjoyable, I wasn't sure what to expect with Expiration Dates, but it fell short for me. The book jumped right in without a backstory (that did come), so I started off confused. I had a hard time connecting with Daphne and the way she was in relationships. The idea of knowing how long you have in each relationship from the start is intriguing and really made me think about how you'd handle that kind of knowledge, especially when you want more, or less, time with someone. There were a few twists that I did not expect and it changed the way I viewed Daphne and her approach as well as how much you might let ideas/thoughts influence your approach to dating.
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Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I could not have been more excited to receive an advance copy of this book. I fell in love with it immediately. Watching the main charter grow into her life was wonderful. I thought I knew what I wanted to happen 50 times, but she kept me guessing. I love how Rebecca Serle always has just a little bit of magic to her stories. I hope she has many more to give us.

I really enjoyed Serle’s In Five Years and had high hopes for this book. When reading the summary, I was excited to read it but after finishing the book, I can’t decide exactly how I feel about it. This review may contain slight spoilers.

-The flow of the book felt so jumpy going between various timelines. It works in some books but felt disjointed in this one.
-I kept waiting for more explanation about why Daphne got the notes, who sent the notes and why she was the only one to get them. I enjoy the aspect of magical realism but it felt like there should have been more connection and description about it in there.
-Daphne and Hugh weren’t very likable as characters and seemed less and less compatible as the book went on.
-The medical “twist” about Daphne felt so out of place. The rest of the book focused on it and it was a disappointing direction in my opinion.

While I enjoyed sections of the book, it was sadly underwhelming in others.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one. The concept that the universe gives the lead character signs in the form of notes drew me right in. The love triangle, on the other hand, was where the author lost me because I couldn’t connect with either of the couples. Beyond that, I wanted to know more about WHY the lead gets these notes from the universe. I kept waiting for an explanation that never came, which left the story feeling unfinished.

Overall, I did enjoy this for the most part, so I am giving it a solid 3 stars!

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