I am a fan of Rebecca Serle's writing and Expiration Dates is a beautifully written story of Daphne's love life. Every time Daphne meets a new man, she receives a piece of paper with his name and a number on it, which is the exact amount of time they will spend together. When she's set up with Jake, she receives a paper with his name on it—only, there's no number. It's blank. Daphne and her best friend Hugo (whom she dated for 3 months and is the only other person who knows about the notes!) work to decipher what it means. As Daphne and Jake's story plays out, Daphne wrestles with commitment and what the truth behind the blank paper is trying to tell her. Overall, I enjoyed Expiration Dates and following Daphne's story. Rebecca Serle is very talented at weaving together magical realism and romance, which is clear in her new novel. However, I was left with questions at the end and, ultimately, I just wanted to know more about the notes and Daphne's future!

“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”.

This quote accurately sums up the whole book. Daphne is trying to live her life to the fullest, with a debilitating heart-condition, a dog that doesn’t act like a dog, and a best friend that’s still in love with her, all while getting these notes.

Notes that tell her how long she’ll be with someone. Would you like if someone told you your date?

At first, this book was slow. Eventually, it began to pick up speed. I loved the concept of the book, even though at times it confused me as to where Daphne was actually at. This is by far my favorite book by the author.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

The premise of this book is great however I felt it was lacking. It was such an interesting and original idea however I think it only scratched the service of the story of the main character Daphne. I think her character arc could have been developed further. It was a fun and quick read.

I usually absolutely adore anything that Rebecca Serle writes, but this book felt extremely choppy to me. I really enjoyed the concept of the book itself, but I feel like the execution was sub par: Since Daphne was young, she received notes of who and for how long she would date a man, until one day, she receives one with no time limit. She has a health problem, struggles to open up, but takes in the challenge and is understanding of the time limit she has, but it prevents her from truly taking a chance on some of the relationships she experiences.

The book started off sort of slow, but then I was able to steam roll through. Again, I appreciated the concept and enjoyed Daphne's connection to past lover and best friend Huge, but smack dab in the middle of the story we learn about Daphne's heart condition and there is a huge emphasis on that. Again, there's a lot of choppiness in the story line and it doesn't feel like it fully flowed together!

Expiration Dates tells the story of Daphne, a single woman whose best friend is Hugo. Daphne has a secret - a few secrets actually - but the secret where the book gets its title is that Daphne receives anonymous notes about her relationships with men - a name and a time frame, such as "Hugo, 3 months," meaning that she would have a relationship with that man for exactly that time period and then it would end. Interesting premise but the story gets a little confusing with the alternating time periods and alternating mens' names and time frames. Through it all, Daphne and Hugo remain close as friends after their time together as lovers ends. What will happen to their friendship when Daphne meets "the one" whose paper lists no expiration date? I enjoyed this story with its likeable characters and Rebecca Serles' easy-to-read writing style. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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

i was really let down by this book. the female character felt very self-important and shallow. i did not like the ending jake was clearly the better man for her but she ends up with a guy that manipulated her?? that's not it

I love coming across this genre every now and then; chick lit with a bit of magical realism. Rebecca Serle has a real knack for this genre and after reading her last book “In Five Years” I knew this would be good. Daphne’s relationship time frames are determined by a piece of paper stating how long each would last. She would receive them is the most random ways. I really enjoyed her relationships with Hugo and Jake. All the characters are so likable! There’s a twist I didn’t expect at all and it threw me for a loop. This was such a good story, I would love to see a sequel.

Her prose is good, she's very descriptive, painting the picture with words so you see and hear the people and places, but the characters of the love interests (Daphne and Jake) aren't as well developed, Daphne is also the narrator, which I think is the only format this story would work from - I can't imagine a third person or dual POV way to make the premise work.

I actually think Hugo (Daphne's bestie) her parents and her boss are easier to imagine as fully formed people. I wonder if that's an intentional choice so you can put some of yourself/partner into Daphne and Jake.

This is a book that made me feel a wide range of things - often frustration at Daphne for keeping secrets, her resignation to the way things are, and the sense that she's stuck - a recipient of life's activity rather than a participant.

Jake, while seemingly "great" and checking all the boxes, bored me, as exciting as cream of wheat, but I think that's intentional, too. Also, I don't want to give the impression that he was entirely forthcoming, the weight of his past presents with secrets simmering just below the surface at all times.

This story speaks to the wrestling of free will versus fate, resignation versus ambition, risk taking versus playing it safe.

Hugo, despite his flaws, was my favorite character, but I really wish that Jake and Daphne made me feel half of what Hugo did.

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 for the rating scale) because the concept was novel and the writing was lovely but I just didn't feel a case was made to be emotionally invested in Daphne or Jake.

Also, I had to edit this review because it was confusing that the last previous boyfriend was Josh before flipping back to Jake (there was even an error where Jake was used in dialogue with Josh so I'm not alone in the confusion!) so I do think, with going to flashbacks, more dissimilar names are necessary.

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Expiration Dates
AUTHOR: Rebecca Serle
FORMAT: Physical
GENRE: Magical Realism
DID I CRY: No
PUB DATE: 3/19/24
RATING: 8/10

Thank you so much @atriabooks for sending me an advanced copy of #ExpirationDates out march 19💚

MY THOUGHTS

I have read all of Rebecca Serle’s books to date and I truly have loved each of them. Her writing is so readable, it cuts out the fluff and really gets straight to the point. I feel that they’re a perfect combination of character-driven and plot-driven. And she always manages to write incredibly unique stories that you won’t find in other books. Her stories tend to be magical realism but not in an overwhelming way.

This particular book i really enjoyed the setting! I felt like LA was home to me after reading it. There was such rich detail while not being too wordy or fluffy. The characters were introduced well and continued to develop throughout the story. I truly loved all of them so much🥹 the plot was fun and i really enjoyed it. The themes, as always, were so special and touching🥹🥹🥹

I think for me, Serle’s books always pack such an intense emotional punch and I didn’t really feel that with this one. As much as I loved this book, I was fully expecting the ending to punch me in the gut and it didn’t. The emotional build up didn’t feel congruent with the ending in my opinion!! All in all tho this was a fantastic book & I can’t wait for you all to read it🫶🏼🫶🏼

This was a sweet, fun, and light read. It was also a quick read for me.

The main character, Daphne, was very likable. The story follows her dating and love life. At times I wanted to scream my opinion into the book, but that’s the sign of a captivating book.

You won’t regret following Daphne through her dating years and will be intrigued with some of the additional life details sprinkled in.

4.5 stars! Another excellent read from Rebecca Serle! Though One Italian Summer is still my favorite of hers, I really enjoyed this one too! The chapters did jump around a bit in a way that ultimately made sense, but it did take me a bit to be fully hooked into this one. But I did get hooked--and read the last two thirds of the book in one sitting. An excellent read!

This book was a roller coaster of emotions for me. At first, I was bored - then shocked, frustrated, and then can’t decide if I loved it or not!

The premise is a fascinating one, and unique, but felt contrived - until it didn’t. I can’t quite put into words, without spoiling it. I think it’d make a fascinating book club book and a lively discussion.

However, I admit I judged it far too soon. The first half of the book for me was a 2-3, but the second half won me over, so a 4 it is!

I enjoyed this more than One Italian Summer but not as much as In Five Years.

✨ Arc Review!✨

Expiration Dates
By Rebecca Serle
Publishes: 3/19/24
Genre: romance & magical realism

Rebecca Serle has a knack for description and detail. She really paints a picture with words. At first I wasn’t that into the story. I thought it was somewhat hard for me to personally relate to with all of the city-life and media references, but I do truly appreciate the detail and the balance of lightness and perspective this book had. I also love that I can always count on her books to have a little magic and surprise. About halfway in, I found myself very invested in the main character. The ending did not let me down…it was perfection! This book is a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

All this and more…
🎥 media industry
🪄 touch of fantasy
🌴 California
🌆 city life
💗 true love
💔 heart break
👩 strong female MC
🏃‍♀️ fast read
🩳 short chapters
🐶 dogs included
🔮 fate vs. choice
⏳past and present timeline
📚classic Rebecca Serle
(If you like her other books, you’ll like this one too!)

This novel works on two levels: romance, and , magical realism, Do we take control of destiny or do we let destiny take control of us? Thought provoking at times.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Short, sweet and heartfelt! Really enjoyed the characters and I feel like I’m slowly loving magical realism more and more. There was a slight twist in the middle that I didn’t see coming but I’m not sure it was entirely necessary or added to plot? Overall I enjoyed it, it’s great if you’re looking for a sweet story filled with magic and a HEA.

I loved the setup of the book, and the pacing. I felt like I was in warm and sunny LA, and I was surprised by the FMC's heart disease reveal. I would read other Rebecca Serle books after reading this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC of Expiration Dates, available everywhere March 2024.

What would you do if you knew your relationship had an end date before it even got off the ground? For as long as she can remember, that question has been at the forefront of Daphne Bell's love life. Each time she's about to meet someone new, a mysterious piece of paper with the man's name and the duration of the relationship appears. Whether it's for five days or over two years, she ultimately says yes to him, all while keeping an eye on the clock. Knowing each man is disposable, she doesn't allow herself to become invested in any relationship until one day, a paper appears with a name but no end date. Is the end of all the endings? Is Jake the one? As the two plan for their future together, the less convinced Daphne is. Maybe the pieces of paper don't know everything after all.

This was such a fun, intriguing opportunity to explore the idea of choice versus what is preordained but the execution didn't land for me. For the most part, I liked the novel, I finished it in one sitting. It was easy to stay engaged in the novel as I bounced back and forth between the present and Daphne's past relationships. I will say that despite how quickly the story moved, there was still a fair amount of filler dedicated to how someone was dressed, the state of Daphne's apartment, commentary around food, etc. There was one light body-shaming comment that should have been cut.

Daphne and Jake, though, were two boring people who lacked any chemistry. Daphne had more spark with a previous ex so I found myself rooting for them to get back together instead. I would read this less as a romance novel and more akin to a woman searching for herself. The ending was left more open-ended instead of a true happy ending.

The abrupt introduction of a medical condition, one that was preexisting in Daphne's life, felt so unnecessary. It could have been introduced much earlier instead of what felt like something dumped in for shock value.

Lastly, why do we never learn how these notes appear in her life??? How can one of her exes learn about it, shrug, and just move on? Where are the questions??

I loved, loved, LOVED this book. Where to even begin??!

Daphne Bell has some unique circumstances. For one, 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 name: 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.

This book makes you think and brings up so many good life questions. Would you make the same choices if you knew the outcome? Does knowing the ending influence your choices and the risks you’re willing to take??? And is it all worth it? The good and the bad??? I found myself highlighting so many great quotes and thoughts, too- and I’m not even an annotator! I was so sad when I finished this book- not necessarily because the ending is sad- I’ll let you decide if it was or not because that’s very subjective- but just because I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet; to have to let go of these characters. Rebecca Serle, please write a sequel. Thank you for writing this amazing book. I have a new favorite author!

This ARC was provided to me by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

First thought was this would be a cute book, sorta like the TV show where the guy guy the news a day early. After reading - it is a cute book but the papers seem to take a lesser role as we explore Daphne's love life. Pretty predictable except for the events in the middle but that wasn't enough to salvage it for me. I have to go with a 3 or maybe a 3.5 because of the flipping back and forth seemed a little off and Hugo was thrown into the mix of all of them so for a minute or two it's hard to tell if you are in the past or present. Overall it is a cute book, just not a favorite for me. I was provided an advanced reader copy at my request and was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the read.

3.5 Stars - 4 rounded up.

I thought this book was good - I liked the pretense and plot: a woman receives a piece of paper after the start of each relationship noting how much time they'll spend together. I thought the characters, the setting, the plot and idea were all very likable and I thoroughly enjoyed the witty banter - I felt like I was with Hugo and Daphne sitting in on coffee shop dates or going to the farmer's market. Judging from the synopsis, I anticipated to feel more sadder and more heartbreak? Despite that "letdown" I thought this was a solid read.

Thank you to NetGally and the publishing team for the advanced read - I appreciate it & enjoyed it!