Daphne has been receiving mysterious pieces of paper with the names of guys she will date and the amount of time they'll be together since she was in 5th grade. She finally receives one with only a name, Jake, and no time. Jake must be the one then.

As the story unfolds we learn about Daphne's past relationships. We also learn more about Daphne. I don't want to give away anything else about this book. But there is big reveal and then what I'd call a twist. The reveal seemed overly dramatic. The twist I didn't see coming and it felt like the characters and reader needed more time to digest it.

This was a short book and easy to read quickly. If you've enjoyed Serle's other books pick this one up. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

I loved every bit of this until about 87% to the last chapter. The end absolutely killed all of the amazingness that was in the rest of the book. Don’t get me wrong it’s a HEA but it felt so lack luster.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. So much so that I listed this book as one of my most anticipated romance books of 2024. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. This was my first book by Rebecca Serle so my expectations (along with the amazing book blurb) were high given her popularity but I was disappointed in her writing, the story development and pacing, and lack of chemistry among all the characters in this love story. The aspects of the notes with time frames for her relationships is such a cool concept but that uniqueness just didn't come across on the page or redeem the lackluster story. Instead, I found the book boring and by 40% in was just skimming. While the flashbacks to her romantic relationships were a good hook to use in this story, they were overshadowed by so much extra prose that distracted from the point that I assume she was trying to make with them that just got lost. I did see the connection between Daphne and Hugo and want to root for them in the beginning, there just wasn't enough to get me invested in them to care about their possible happy ending. Daphne and Jake had zero chemistry so I just started skipping their parts all together. Then the heart business.....why was that even needed? I respect the amount of effort that goes into writing a book which is why it pains me to criticize one but I was sorely disappointed.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to try this author's work.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading One Italian Summer and had high hopes for Expiration Dates.

The premise of receiving the mystery notes is what attracted me to the book, and yet, it is the thing that left me feeling disappointed. The notes have expiration dates, yet I felt ass though Daphne just accepted this as fact and rather matter of factly at that. Why not challenge the date? It was if though she lived life based on the dates aand didn't question it.

The weaving of the different boyfriends kind of felt a bit disjointed. I get the reasoning, but for me, it didn't flow well.

As other reviewers have noted, the 'twist' mid-way though the book also felt a bit disjointed.

When it came to Hugo and Jake, I felt that Daphne would always choose Hugo. I think she just had to come to the realization that he was 'the one'. Her relationship with Jake didn't seem to have any passion. Daphne exude enthusiasm about getting engaged. It was almost as though she just checked off boxes when it came to her relationship with Jake. Date - check. Move in together - check. Get engaged - check. It was difficult to become invested in their relationship.

I would have enjoyed more clarity about where the notes came from. We know in the end the source of Jake's note, but what about the others?

I'm grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

#NetGalley #ExpirationDates

I love this book and such an emotional read with a mind blowing concept!!! I was surprised by the ending, and enthralled the whole journey. I laughed, I cried…..such a great book!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I connected with this book from the first page. The magical realism of the notes was so intriguing and carried such philosophical weight. Would you give a relationship all of yourself if you knew it was going to end? Would you stay in a unfulfilling or even toxic relationship if you were told it was fated to last? It explored the question of fate versus choice in a way that provoked so much thought that I actually took a break from reading to just…sit with it.

It was also a fun and exciting read! I loved reading about their jobs in LA- the production, movie sets, directors, and execs. I felt like I got a taste of LA, took a trip to France and explored the set of a movie within these pages.

This book was emotionally provocative and beautifully explored the complexities of emotions, belonging, and varied forms of love. I loved how it highlighted that so much can happen in such a short time. The small moments and big ones are all important in our lives. The revelation halfway through gave such new meaning to the notes and really resonated with me. I wasn’t sure if I liked the ending at first, but the more I sat with it, the more I came to love it. This one will stick with me for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the wildly talented Rebecca Serle for an ARC of this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading and giving my honest feedback!

I really enjoyed this book. I often struggle with elements of magical realism but the way it was handled in this book was very consumable.

I had a feeling I knew the direction of the love triangle was heading but there was another twist midway through that surprised me in a good way.

Overall I enjoyed this book but felt like the relationships fell a bit flat

I started Expiration Dates expecting a nice, light hearted romance. And for a few chapters I was right. But then it became real. Daphne had a lot going on in her life, including men, but she needed to learn how to drive her own ship. Hugo is a great wingman and I love how he seemed to grow up with her. Definitely one of the most thought provoking romance novels I have read!

A PG romance story! Was hooked from the opening page and was surprised by the turn in the middle of the book, which was refreshing! I do wish the notes theme was explored/finalized a bit more. Having spent some time in LA, the realistic present-day references, made me feel like I was living in Daphne’s shoes, which also made me love the characters even more. Great, quick read!

3.75 stars. Rebecca Serle has a way of sprinkling touches of magic in her stories and she did not miss the target with Expiration Dates. Daphne has been receiving notes and postcards with the amount of time she will be with each partner and they've all proven right until she receives a name and no date or extent of time she will be with Jake.

Throughout the novel, Daphne falls in love with Jake under the pretense that he is *the one* and this ultimately leads her to question what real love should feel like, but how to trust those that love her most.

Another wonderful, quick, read by Serle!

Expiration Dates was a unique and interesting take on a romance novel. Prior to meeting a new partner, Daphne receives a piece of paper noting the length of time she will spend with her new love interest. We get to follow along and see how she reacts to knowing how long or short each relationship will be. Overall, I thought Expiration Dates was a fun and quick read.

Rebecca Serle does it again!!! This books humor and romance is a 10 out of 10. I love the whole note situation and this was a book where I did not mind if it went back in time with the flashbacks because it still kept me on the edge of my seat. There are a few unexpected twist that you don't see coming but that is what makes it so good.

I absolutely loved In Five Years and think about it often, so I was excited to read Rebecca Serle’s latest (thanks NetGalley for the ARC). While the premise of Expiration Dates made me excited to dive in, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I struggled to connect to Daphne or empathize with her choices. I also felt like the concept of the notes and their effect on Daphne could be explored more. That being said, I felt like it ended on a great note and did enjoy elements of the story. Overall, a pleasant beach read that can be read quickly

What a gem of a romance novel! I think this author has a great relatable story-telling gift. I have enjoyed all the books I have read by her in the past, but this one might be my fave!
The premise is a great one--what if you knew how long a romance would last before you started a new relationship? Would it last-mere days, a few weeks, several months, a few years? If you had an idea of how it would all play out and who they would be, you could protect your heart, but would you ever truly love?
Daphne has known her romantic fate since her very first school girl crush, but when a new beau, Jake, enters her life with "no expiration date," she's unsure of how to proceed into this new relationship which has the one thing she's never experienced in her thirty plus years--full on long-term commitment potential.

I really wanted to like this but I didn’t. I’ve loved her past books but this one didn’t do it for me. It was bland and seemed to take a long time to get nowhere. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Rebecca Serle never seems to disappoint, and this was no different. Expiration Dates might be my new favorite of her collection. I love the slightly magical journey her books take you on while falling in love with the characters. There was also a slight twist toward the end that I didn't expect, which added to the reading experience.

This book was sweet and the story of the expiration dates was a surprise as was some other revelation.
The character development was great and I enjoyed the supporting cast.
The ending wasn’t what I expected but I can see why Ms. Serles went with that ending,
I’m still thinking about this book a day later.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I have enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s book, In Five Years, so I was so excited to read an ARC of this story. I am happy to report that it did not disappoint!

I found this story very enjoyable. I loved the characters and found myself engrossed in all the flashback chapters from different periods of Daphne’s life. I loved the concept of the slips of paper telling her how long her relationships would last, and seeing how they played out.

While I was able to predict some of the big twists in the story, this didn’t detract at all from the pleasure of reading this book. I think Serle can really make her readers connect with the characters and become emotionally invested in her stories. This isn’t one I would skip!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the latest romance, Expiration Dates, from author Rebecca Serle, 33-year-old Daphne Bell has had six important relationships, one weekend in Paris, and 42 first dates over a period of 20 years…all determined by some kind of cosmic force. Coming out in early March, the novel relies on magic realism with names of men and the length of the relationships showing up on such things as slips of paper, a post card, and a fortune cookie, all describing the who and the length of the romance.

This phenomenon started in fifth grade when she received a post card that said “Seth 8 days” that pointed to a kid in soccer who became her very first boyfriend. Her relationship with Hugo is to last 3 months, with Noah, 5 weeks, with Martin, 3 days, and so on. Daphne relies on the messages from the universe telling her how long a relationship will last so she is always prepared and never heartbroken.

Then along comes Jake with no indication of time to be spent together making Daphne believe Jake is her forever guy. He is a great prospect, everything Daphne would look for in a lifetime partner. However, he has suffered a great loss before meeting Daphne, and she has a huge secret that could change their course.

What happens if Daphne reveals her secret to Jake who wants something more than a casual relationship? How will Hugo’s reappearance in her life affect her feelings about Jake? How can her secret compromise everything in life?

Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years, The Dinner List, and One Italian Summer. With the help of a writer-producer-director, Serle turned her young adult book Famous in Love into a TV series that lasted two seasons. Serle lives in Los Angeles.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 18, 2024.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

4.5 stars! Rebecca Serle has a way of tugging at your heart strings and making you feel all of the feelings. By the end of this, I was sobbing! It’s such a unique beautifully written love story that has you wanting more. I loved Daphne as a character and enjoyed her character development.