Expiration Dates is one of the most unique and deeply authentic depictions about the search for love. Our main character, Daphne, is determined to find love against all odds, even if she is typically the one leading the the self-sabotaging train. What makes this story so unique is that throughout her entire dating life (yes, even elementary school flings), Daphne receives a mysterious post card that says a guys name and a length of time, dictating the amount of time she will be with said guy. At the beginning of this book, Daphne receives a letter with a guys name on it with no expiration date. Is this finally him? Her soul mate?

There were so many twists in this book that I did not see coming. They all made me go back and look at different parts of the story through a different lens. Daphne has kept a huge secret from most of the people in her life for a decade and as she comes to terms with that part of her life in this book..... you can't help but just want to hug her. Are you living or are you dying?

There are so many bigger topics and message at play here that Daphne uncovers throughout her journey- it's a matter of taking charge of your own life with your career, friends, family, love, etc.. Is it better to go into a relationship knowing when the end will come or is better to just let everything play out organically? Does knowing the end is coming, cause her to push them away? Can fate be changed?

This book resonated with me in a way I wasn't expecting. I am completely attached to Daphne and her journey and hope she gets her happily ever after.

"With Hugo it felt a little like I’d won a prize—but one that I was always in danger of losing."

“If something isn’t working, change it. Keep changing it until it works"

"The truth is hard. It’s complicated. It does not always follow a simple structure. It is not always convenient. That’s why sometimes we do our best to leave it out of the story for as long as possible. We choose to let it linger in the corners, we don’t spotlight it. But eventually, it catches up to us. Of course it does."

"Hugo crosses his arms. When he looks at me, his gaze is dead center. “You have to stop believing the worst in everyone. Fuck, Daphne. You have to stop believing the worst in yourself.”"

“But the thing is, Daphne. No one’s time is promised. Not yours. Not Mom’s. Not mine. Not Jake’s. It’s just the way it is. We are all dying. Every day. And at some point it becomes a choice. Which one are you going to do today? Are you living or are you dying?”

My only complaint is that I wanted more... the story is very well developed, but that ending made me need MORE. Rebecca Serle's author note, did leave me to believe we may be getting more to the story & if so, I can't wait!

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for this arc. I really liked the premise of a single woman who mysteriously receives notes with her dates name and the amount of time they will be together. What I love about Rebecca Serle’s books are they focus in the main character yes, there are side romances and friendships but the development of the MC makes RS a go to author for me.

I've loved Rebecca Serle's work for a long time, but she really blew it out of the water with Expiration Dates. Swoony and funny, while also being a really interesting meditation on relationships. I really enjoyed following these characters, and I didn't see the twist coming. This might be her best yet. I'll be shouting this one from the rooftops when it comes out.

I recently watched "Embrace Love in the New Year: A Heartfelt Conversation with Rebecca Serle" and I knew I had to read her new novel coming out in March 2024.

I liked the concept of how Daphne recieves a letter of when the relationship will expire. It was unique. The novel was filled with a wide rage of emotions, yet it all made me feel connected and itching to know what will happen next. Especially the last 35% of the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Expiration Dates!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Expiration Dates!

I am giving this one a 3.75 stars-it held my attention, was a quick read, and I enjoyed it! The “plot twist” in this book definitely through me off and at first felt very random, but I think by the end it helped to add perspective to Daphne’s choices! I’d recommend this one!

This was a fun read! The plot was not like something I have read before and I loved learning more about Daphne throughout the book. I was rooting for Hugo the entire book. This was more emotional than I predicted but I thought it was a good addition to the book. This is my new favorite book by Rebecca Serle!

Thank you SO much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

If I wasn’t a huge fan of Rebecca Serle, I am now!

Expiration Dates is a lovely story about a young woman, Daphne, who, for most of her adult life, receives notes telling her how long she will be in a relationship with someone. She goes through life and love knowing this information, which makes her keep her guard up and never really let anyone in until she meets Jake. His note didn’t come with an expiration date. Did she finally meet the One? Or is she telling herself this because of what the note said? Follow Daphne on her journey to love - love for her self and love for others.

It’s a sweet story about finding true love. It had some surprises to it that I didn’t see coming that helps give the story a little more depth than your average romance. It has a touch of magical realism with the notes that Daphne gets that tells her, who will be her next relationship will be and how long they will be together but it doesn’t really explore too much into that. The story is very steeped in LA and that’s fun. For me it was a little predictable, a little saccharine but I think if you like the romance genre your would enjoy this book. It’s enjoyable.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This was an interesting concept. Is it better to know that a relationship has an end date or let it play out organically? Daphne gets random notes when she meets men that she's going to date that tell her how long the relationship will last. Daphne also has a heart condition that she also lets dictate her decisions. The story takes place in the present day, but flashes back to previous relationships with their expiration dates. Currently, she has her best friend and ex bf Hugo and a date her friend set her up with, Jake. For the first time, she receives a note with just a name and no expiration date. Convinced that this person is the one, the relationship forces itself forward. Jake is a great guy and I truly felt for him. He was already a widower and an overall sweet guy. Daphne didn't disclose her heart condition to him until they were already moving in together. That wasn't fair to him, although he was understanding and didn't flinch. They didn't seem to have chemistry, but Jake loved her enough to keep the relationship going as long as it did. They got engaged and Hugo confesses to writing Jake's note. The original note said 3 weeks and wanted to prove to Daphne that she was letting this dictate her life. He was still in love with her and their 3 months wasn't enough. She didn't tell him about the heart condition either and she broke up with him when she told him and he hesitated to know how to react, which honestly is fair since she didn't tell him and then lied when she had surgery. I was a little surprised with the ending because I thought it was headed in a different direction, but I still enjoyed this read. This wasn't my first book by the author and it won't be the last.
I was provided an advanced copy of this book and I'm providing my honest review.

I love the magical realism that Serle works into her books - imagine getting a slip of paper with an end date every time you met a new love interest? This feels both liberating and paralyzing to Daphne, who is also grappling with a pretty heavy secret beyond the mysterious slips of paper. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, although I wish it were a bit longer and dug deeper into some of her relationships and developed other characters further.

Daphne Bell is a single woman who is looking for that special someone. Sounds pretty normal right?.... Not so fast!

Each time Daphne meets a new man she receives a slip of paper with his name as well as the exact number of days that they will spend together. Whether it's Noah in San Francisco, Martin in Paris, or Hugo who eventually became her best friend- Daphne always knows exactly who and how long to expect. Until her blind date in LA with Jake, the only man without an expiration date...

This was a really fun read! I loved the unique concept of the story and it kept me totally invested on Daphne and Jake's relationship and how it would play out. The unexpected twists kept me turning those pages and of course I'm ALWAYS a sucker for a little magical realism!

*Thank you so much Atria Books, NetGalley, and Rebecca Serle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

GoodReads Review Posted: 1/27/24-https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6211471288
IG Review to be posted: 1/31/24-https://www.instagram.com/the_books_we_love_/

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

I really really liked this book! The storyline was so original and grabbed my interest right away. It’s a little bit of a slower read and a slowwwww burn and I would of liked a little more to the ending but all and all I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend!

This is such a cute romance with a unique premise. It ended up being more emotional than I anticipated. It was a little bit predictable toward the end, but it was so sweet I didn’t mind. If you’ve enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s other books, I think you’d enjoy this one as well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is only my second book by this author, but I love everything about her writing. The story flows so easily that I just wanted it to go on forever. The touch of the magical without stepping over into PNR makes it a completely delightful read. Daphne had moments where I didn't completely love her... and then that shoe dropped, and I was all in for the journey. While it may seem that everything is predetermined, sometimes you need to follow your heart to something truly magical.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle is a love letter to women on their journey to fall in love. It read like a comforting hug that I devoured in less than a day.

Rebecca Serle’s writing is filled with magic and warmth that I can’t find from other authors. Her story’s all have deep messages about life while still managing to be quick reads.

There are no notes for Expiration Dates. I thought it was absolutely perfect with the Acknowledgements being the perfect epilogue. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I cheered and feared for Daphne. And the twist!!!

Pick this one up in March. This will absolutely be one of my top books of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Artia Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expiration Dates does not have an earth-shatteringly unique premise. It doesn't have twists that will make you gasp. But somehow Rebecca Serle never fails to capture my interest and keep me coming back for more.

Maybe it's her familiar main characters - I feel like I know them, or that I can relate. Daphne is an intelligent, kind, and hardworking person who I care about right away. Her life seems similar to mine and she does things I would do (most of the time).

Maybe it's the familiar plot lines, with a unique. magical twist. Daphne is single and not worried about it. She doesn't feel a lot of drama about her dating life, but it turns out, that's because she gets notes with each guy's name and the length of time he'll be in her life. This allows her to understand in advance how much to invest, and she's rarely surprised when the relationship ends.

Maybe it's Daphne's awesome best friend, who just happens to be a guy. I've always had guy best friends, so this aspect of the story resonated. Hugo is brash, successful, busy, and kind of a player, but you can see his affection for Daphne right away.

I won't give any of the twists away but, you'll see them coming if you pay attention. I enjoy Serle's handling of situations of family crisis - hard times like these come to everyone eventually, but they are treated with so much heart and love that I can't help but enjoy reading about them. If you liked In Five Years or One Italian Summer, I recommend you pick up Expiration Dates!

***Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved Rebecca Serle’s book “In Five Years” and was so excited to have the opportunity to read this ARC! Thanks @netgalley and @atriabooks!!
I loved Rebecca’s writing and how she gave us glimpses of Daphne’s past and present life. Daphne’s story was at times sad and I felt badly for her that she carried such a large weight constantly by not telling anyone of her heart condition. I’m glad she was able to open up to her friends at the end of the book and become more comfortable being herself. I loved her friendship with Hugo and I hope that one day we get to read more of their story!!

As a fan of Rebecca Serle, I've come to expect certain things from her books: a little magic and a lot of heartbreak. Check and check: Expiration Dates fits the mold. Quite like In Five Years and One Italian Summer, the book starts off with a character I just can't gel with; there is something a tad unlikeable about Daphne. But, like the other books, as this moved along, I found myself liking her more and understanding her. A couple of twists were thrown in and toward the end of the book, I actually took a pause to think about what was really happening and what I would do. I think that's the trademark of a good book. Even though I enjoyed it and thought the premise was wildly creative, it did lack a little something that I just can't quite put my finger on. In the end, I think Irina turned out to be my favorite character.

I was immediately excited about this book because of its fun unique premise but unfortunately I hated it pretty much immediately. The author has written a very pretentious inside LA type of book. I have no idea if the many restaurants are real but there is a boring litany of descriptions of places that is absolutely unnecessary. It’s especially ironic when she’s actually attempting to write a book with depth. Be warned this is absolutely not a fun romantic book with magic. This is very much a book about a single woman coming to terms with herself. About the only moving part was her relationship with her father. I absolutely loathe when the descriptions do not match up and that is absolutely the case with this book and what the blurb and cover have you thinking this book is.

I read In Five Years and went into it excited about reading a fun book with a unique premise but even though it was not at all what I expected the writing won me over in spite of its flaws. Unfortunately that is not at all the case here. This book feels like a huge step back from the way the other much older novel was written.