I loved Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. The characters and plot kept me engaged in the book. Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my opinions.

Expiration Dates is a charming, romantic novel that I would consider more of a slow burning romance. I also feel it is an unofficial love letter to the Los Angeles and Hollywood neighborhoods of California. Serle drops street names and restaurants in almost every page which allows the reader to be fully immersed in Daphne's world.

Daphne Bell has always lived with a little secret, she receives pieces of paper that tell her how long her romantic relationships are going to last. Starting as a high school student this small bit of predestination has guided her heart and honestly her brain to tell her just how much energy she should put into each relationship. Until one day when the paper is found without an end date. Does this mean her most recent date, Jake, is the one?

I truly enjoyed reading this novel and was so surprised with a few of the twists Daphne reveals as she lets the audience in on all of her past romantic relationships. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for a chance to read this novel.

I think I expected more from this book. I thought the concept of knowing when a relationship would end before it began was fascinating. How does that affect how you view the relationship? If you know it is only going to last two months, you don't need to spill your dirty secrets, right? But in the end, does that limit the relationship? Interesting premise... poorly executed.

There wasn't a lot of depth to Daphne. She was a very flat character and the author realized this and added a backstory about a third of the way through the book, which seemed cheap. The backstory didn't add a lot to her and just made her more of a frustrating character. She meets this great guy and it is clearly written so they have no chemistry. The guy is perfect (too perfect) and Daphne still isn't happy. There is a lot of woe-is-me going on and I didn't really even love how it all ended up. It was a quick read, I wanted to know what happened, but ultimately I was left disappointed.

I did not expect for this book to send me into an existential tailspin but maybe that's on me for reading the book without re-reading the synopsis! This book was great, if slightly more melancholy than I expected. It has left me pondering which if my life choices were made because I wanted to make them and which were made because I thought there was a forgone conclusion.

This book cemented that Rebecca Serle is not for me. I don't like how her books end and this one especially angered me. Ambiguous endings and I are not friends.

I loved everything about this book. Rebecca Serle is a must read author for me. She blends the mystical with reality in such a way that the reader feels like it’s something that could really happen.

Daphne Bell always knows how long her relationships will last. When she meets a new man, a slip of paper appears with the man's name and a duration of time. But when Daphne meets Jake and the paper is blank, she must navigate what this means and what forever could look like.

I am a huge fan of Serle and her newest book is just as fabulous as the rest. I sailed through it and felt the premise was original and intriguing. I loved the character development throughout the story and thought the characters were likable and diverse. The relationships depicted were believable and fun. The book ends on a happily-ever-after note and it scratched every itch.

Overall, another wonderful book from Rebecca Serle. Highly recommend.

Review posted: 3.18.24

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

After loving In Five Years, when I saw Expiration Dates at Speed Dating event from The Book Report Network, I had to request. I was lucky and received an ARC of this book (gosh this cover is GORGEOUS!)

This book has such an interesting premise. Knowing how long you will spend with someone before you even truly start a relationship- is that a freeing concept or a limiting concept?

I don’t know how much I would have loved it in my real dating life, but I know there are a few people (when I look back at life) that I might would have wanted to know how long we were going to be involved.

What I liked:

This cover. It is GORGEOUS.

I love Daphne. I loved her zest for life. She is a character that I truly enjoyed.

The twists in this book were really good and caused me to re-evaluate the book as I was reading.



Bottom line: In the 2 books by Rebecca Serle that I’ve read, she has managed to give me a book that I adored with a twist that would tug at my heart strings. I def recommend you to read this book!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Loved everything about this book, truly. I absolutely loved Daphne’s character and I loved how raw and real the story truly was. Throughout, I realised how relatable stories like this are for me and so many readers out there and how comforting it can be to have stories like this to enjoy but also to relate to and see yourself in. I enjoyed this immensely and can’t wait to read more from Serle!

I’m so disappointed that I didn’t love this as much as I had anticipated. Ugh.. I don’t know if it was right book/wrong time or if I just couldn’t connect to the characters. 2.25 stars but I will absolutely read anything Ms. Rebecca puts out.

This book is really good! The premise of the notes is so intriguing, but there’s a deeper story about loving and living that absolutely tugs at the heartstrings. Daphne learns so much about herself along the way; she’s one of those characters that you root for! This is the second book I’ve read by Rebecca Serle and I will be reading more!

this was a very sweet book. rebecca is a very emotional writer and I look forward to more from her. I loved this so much.,

This book is SO descriptive. Unnecessarily so. While I usually appreciate writing and details and all of the intricate little nuances, there were entirely too many. The first half of the book could have been consolidated down to maybe a chapter, at most. It took so long. I almost DNF. Ending was good, but predictable.

Every time Daphne meets a new guy she receives a slip of paper with their name and a number. This number turns out to be the exact amount of time they will be together. This has been going on for two decades and Daphne has been anxiously awaiting for the day when she will receive a slip that is just a name, no expiration date. Finally on a blind date in LA she she gets that slip with just the name Jake. At first she is ecstatic but as the pair get to know each other better Daphne starts to have her doubts about the slips prediction because Daphne knows somethings that Jake doesn't and these things have the potential to hurt him. Daphne must grapple with what it means to be committed and whether or not telling the truth is always the best option.

3 stars- this was okay!

Thank you to Atria Books, the author, and Netgalley for the #ARC in return for an honest review!

What did I enjoy?
🌸unique idea regarding the notes and traveling
🌸super quick paced! I read about 50% of this book within a few hours.
🌸good palette cleanser
🌸there were some very memorable and honest quotes throughout this book. I felt connected and seen at times.

What could have been better?
🏷️josh deserved better
🏷️the characters did not have a lot of depth for such a creative, emotional, raw read...oops
🏷️things could have been better explained for a novel calling itself magical realism

This book has an interesting premise like her previous book In Five Years which I find delightfully creative. Her love life is guided by these pieces of paper indicating how long the relationship will last, and then she receives one without a date. Is this the one? I enjoyed the characters and her journey as she tries to find a meaningful relationship. Her male best friend is a great character, too. So far, I've enjoyed all the Rebecca Searle books I've read, and I'd recommend this one. The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan who always is fantastic.

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book to read for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Loved this one…also loved the surprise about halfway thru…really wasn’t expecting that. I’m not often surprised by stories anymore but this one got me

I loved this book and hate that I left it sitting on my shelf for so long. Rebecca Searle’s writing is in another league, and she continues to be a master of magical realism. If you liked her previous books like In Five Years, you’ll like this poignant, non-linear, multi-timeline love story. If you passionately hate the ending of How I Met Your Mother, this one is not for you.

What if you knew exactly how long every romantic relationship in your life was going to last? That is what Daphne experiences in Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. Right before or not long after she meets someone, she finds a small slip of paper with the man's name and a length of time. It might be three weeks, or five months, or one night. She always knows exactly how long it will last. But does knowing change her behavior and possibly the outcome? How would she even know?

This was a sweet book that was just the light read that I needed. It had plenty of heart and a wonderful depth, but it also provided the escape I needed. Daphne is darling, working hard and enjoying the work. She has a sweet old dog who doesn't seem to know he's a dog. And she has parents who are always there for her, even though she's relieved to be living on the other side of Los Angeles from them; close, but not too close. Loveable characters, all. I liked this one.

It's life, all of it. The only way to get it wrong is to refuse to play.

Really cute and unique premise. Charming and loveable characters. I appreciate the opportunity to review.