super interesting concept and highly readable, i'd recommend if you're just looking for a quick read. but other than that, not much to praise in my opinion. the writing is extremely simplistic and at the same time super densed up with unnecessary descriptions of everyone's outfits and what everyone orders in restaurants. the dialogues between the characters are so stiff and fail to make me believe there's any chemistry between any of the characters at all. it didn't help that none of the characters felt developed at all, even with our main character daphne i struggled to understand her motivations, and completely despised how she started acting like a 'victim' of the cards. girl.
the interesting magical realism plot just fizzled out in an anticlimactic -- and gaslighting -- scene, and was completely overshadowed by a the plotline that suddenly appeared halfway through, which felt cheap.
serle's previous book 'in five years' pleasantly surprised me, but after this one, i think her books just aren't for me.

thank you to quercus books and netgalley for this early digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Imagine having a piece of paper given to you telling you the name of the person you'll be in a relationship with and the length of time. This is what happens to Daphne. Until one day, she gets a name with no expiration date.

I had high hopes for this one and while it was a decent read, I can't help but feel a little conflicted about it as well. The book started out with a bang, then slowed down for me around 30% until the big twist was thrown in at 50%. I was then all in and couldn't stop reading until the end. But that ending, I just don't know how I feel about it.

Expiration Dates follows Daphne's journey as she navigates her love life guided by the relationship expiration dates. It’s a blend of romance, magical realism, and philosophical inquiry. I don’t think that this one will resonate with every reader but I found it to be an engaging read - not as great as In Five Years, but still a good read.

Daphne has been receiving postcards, letters and notes since she was a pre-teen giving her a name and a length of time - the name of her next boyfriend and how long it is going to last. Until one day, she receives a card with the name Jake, but no length of time. She takes this to mean that he is the one she will spend the rest of her life with so when she meets him for dinner, she goes into it thinking this will progress.

Throughout the story we hear about the other relationships she had and the reasons they broke up, leading her to her time now with Jake. It seems like the letters were all correct, they all last the time Daphne was given and not a moment sooner or later. When Daphne introduces Jake to her best friend Hugo, who she had previously dated for 3 months - just like the card told her she would, he told her after that he didn't mind Hugo's rudeness as he was clearly still in love with Daphne.

Daphne moves in with Jake and agrees to marry him when he proposes but it doesn't really seem like her heart is really in it, but it must be right because that's what the letter said. Then she finds out it was Hugo who left the note, he'd found the original one saying "Jake - 3 weeks" and he left one without the time frame, he wanted to show her that it was up to her how long she spent with someone, not the universe. He was in love with Daphne and always had been, but when she got sick 3 months into their relationship and she told him she as an incurable heart condition she never gave him a chance to be there, she ended it when she told him - fulfilling the prophecy.

I really enjoyed this book because it really made me think what would any of us do if we knew the outcome of any relationship? Is it destined to last that long or do we allow ourselves to end it because that's what the note said? It's a self-fulfilling prophecy really and had there not been a time limit on her relationship with Hugo, maybe they would have lasted, maybe not, but she could have had someone she was really truly in love with. Thankfully there is a happy ending and I think eventually Daphne realises that she needs to take her life in her own hands and not let these prophecies from the universe dictate her life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

DNF at 50%.

Daphne gets an anonymous note every time she starts dating a guy, letting her know how long the relationship will last: one day; four weeks; five months, and its always accurate, even if she has no initial interest in a guy. Until one day she gets a note with a name and no expiry date.

I loved the premise of this novel, unfortunately the story just didn't grab me. There seemed to be continuous descriptions of what she was wearing, what she ate, what her dates ate, what they were wearing. The story seemed disjointed flipping between dates and place randomly, one minute she's on a date, then she's working in Paris, then she's back in the US. Also, I quickly lost sight of which name had no expiry date and then I was floundering with all these dates trying to work out who he was.

I stopped reading at about 30%, then gave it another good try but at 50% in I don't really care about Daphne or who the mysterious date with no expiry date is, or what secret could torpedo their romance, sorry.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I think this did a lot of things really well!

The narrative was really compelling and played a lot on what we choose to believe and how much of ‘fate’ dictates our lives vs. how much we allow it to become our story.

The deeper themes of safety were done really well too. I think there’s a lot to be said about human nature and how we reject the things that make us feel good for something that is safe.

You really see this play out with the two main love interests. They were the epitome of safety vs. fun. Protection vs. love.

I had two main issues with this story and it’s what makes it so hard to rate.

I think the twist dropped in the middle needed just a little more omph. More foreshadowing and a better lead in. I had difficulty suspending my disbelief. From there, I also had difficulty understanding the notes of time. I think had there been more of a spiritual understanding for the FMC as to why she’d received these dated letters, I might have believed in the magical realism a little more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this quick and thoughtful read and would recommend it to anyone who loves magical realism and romance.

I could not put this book down at all, it was such an original and fun concept to me, could you imagine having full knowledge of your 'expiration date' with each person you meet? I don't think i'd like that. I enjoyed the writing style and where the story was going but at the end it felt a little flat to me? I still had some questions or just wanted a little but more i suppose. Still very enjoyable and happy to have read it.

This book is a mix between women's fiction and magical realism. It’s an interesting concept considering this is my first book from this author.

Daphne gets little notes that tell her how long her relationship will last. There were some sweet moments, some emotional ones as well, but the story felt so slow for me… I did enjoy the cute ending and definitely liked who she picked at the end but we have no clue how it happened. Also the whole plot is about Daphne, her relationship and the letters and during majority of the book I was expecting to get a answer on who sends those them and why but that never happens which makes the story feel unfinished.

Overall, I enjoyed the cute love story but I expected a little more. 3.5* stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a digital ARC copy.

#ExpirationDates #NetGalley

I went into this with so much anticipation, I absolutely love the concept behind it and was really looking forward to it. I love a bit of magic realism 🙏
However the execution really let me down- I don't know if it was Serles writing style or because my netgalley copy appeared to have a few glitches and sometimes I couldn't even finish the chapter because of issues with the proof. For this reason I found myself struggling to read on and not inspired to pick it up 😭

I devoured this book in 2 days - which indicates how much I hated to put it down despite working full time and other commitments!

A love story that explores the concept of fate verses free will. I got the ending I was hoping for whilst exploring the concept of love, for others and yourself.

This is my second Rebecca Serle book. I read One Italian Summer two years ago, and I didn't love it. Not that it wasn't entertaining, but there were some plot holes and some of her choices plot wise irked me a bit.

With this new book from her, Expiration Dates, I had a better reading experience. It wasn't life changing and I don't see myself thinking about it in the near future, but I liked the writing and it was a really interesting concept. Her books tend to be a mix of genres, and this one is no different. I'd categorize it as a contemporary romance / chick lit with some magical realism. it's the magical realism part that really doesn't work for me. The origin of the notes is never explained or given any context and it feels like it was just added in the narrative to give a little bit of spice. I get the meaning and the message conveyed through this, but if we're going to have a magical realism aspect, we need to feel like it's there for a reason.

Expiration Dates talks about relationships, pain and self-love and understanding. I like that it delved into deeper subjects and that it was more than a 'simple' romance, but I can't help feeling like there was something missing.

This book had a really good concept but the execution was not great and the writing style was not for me.

Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a quick and enjoyable read. I was interested in the storyline and although I didn't feel there was much story or character development, I felt Serle wrote engagingly and sensitively.

I loved In Five Years but really disliked One Italian Summer so I was excited but nervous about this new book from Serle!

The plot is Like that black mirror episode with the dating watches but instead of being dark and dystopian this story is more lighthearted and whimsical-although it is emotional as well.

I was pulled in immediately and finished in 2 days, I devoured this book! Sometimes too much detail that feels unnecessary and telling over showing. I enjoyed the story and characters enough that it didn’t bother me quite as much as it normally would!

Such a unique plot and already making me reflect on fate, free will, and if Daphne used these pieces of paper to sabotage relationships when the notes could’ve been wrong-what if things were going well and she cut them off at the deadline because that’s what the paper said, or it was a bad relationship but she stayed because their time wasn’t up yet?! This novel clearly made me reflective on life and love and the universe.

The plot twists?! Did not see coming at all (except for one). I cried quite a bit with this book as I always do with Serle’s novels. The characters were all well written, although Kendra felt one dimensional as a friend only present to serve a purpose for the MC. I also enjoyed that we got to see glimpses of Daphne’s past relationships as it gave us a chance to get to know her character better!

I was slightly disappointed towards the end as I felt like Daphne didn’t have much character development but that’s all I can say without giving away any spoilers

Overall an entertaining, quick read that I loved right up until the end! I didn’t enjoy as much as In Five Years but was waaay better than One Italian Summer. I look forward to reading more from Serle in the future 💖

After loving Rebecca Serle's "In Five Years," I had high hopes for "Expiration Dates." The concept is interesting, especially if you're into magical realism, and the book has its cute and creative moments. However, I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I wasn't rooting for either love story. A major plot point revolves around mysterious notes sent to Daphne, but we never find out who's behind them, which left me feeling unsatisfied.

Despite these issues, "Expiration Dates" is still a quick and easy read. It's perfect for something light and non-stressful, like a beach day book. It didn't move me like "In Five Years" did, but it's not a bad way to spend a few hours if you're looking for something simple and sweet.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy of this book.

Given this was a Rebecca Serle book I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it, and there was no disappointment. A really interesting premise for a book with twists along the way. A sure fire romance with enough grit to make it not sickly.

My first Rebecca Serle book and I adored it 🫶🏻 I think the concept is so interesting and unique, it’s what attracted me to the book in the first place and I wasn’t disappointed.⁣
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Daphne Bell is our MC, a woman who has been receiving mysterious slips of paper from the universe for the majority of her life. The papers consist of the name of the man she is currently dating and the length of time they will be together (24 hours, 8 days, 5 months etc.) until one day she is set up on a blind date with Jake, and the paper she receives has only his name on and no length of time… ⁣
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I found myself so easily absorbed in this story; we follow Daphne on her journey in the present day with Jake while also getting flashbacks to some of her previous relationships which help to provide backstory for who Daphne is today. I really resonated with Daphne’s character and the absolute emotional turmoil she experiences following the chaos of her dating life. ⁣
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This book is excellent with well-timed twists I didn’t see coming, thought-provoking scenarios and ultimately the happy ending I was rooting for 💗 I thoroughly enjoyed it!⁣
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Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Expiration Dates its fresh and surprising take on dating. I had read a previous book by Rebecca Serle, In Five Years and this has the same slightly magical element but so believable premise. The characters were so engaging especially the main character, Daphne. We watch her grow up and meet partners and go almost the same pain she does when they break up because we feel the connection. I think anyone who enjoys RomComs would enjoy this. I can certainly see Expiration Dates turned into a series on Netflix. But the book is always better.

I love magical realism books and enjoyed reading Expiration Dates. I loved the book's premise and the way Daphne's relationships were presented. The opportunities and dilemmas brought about by the notes she received made for a very interesting story arc of "what-if", potentials and "fate".

I wish that there was more backstory to the notes that magically appear.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magical realism, romance and a quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.