My first Rebecca Serle read! Loved the mix of magical realism with women's fiction. Romance is def a subplot tho so be warned if that's what your looking for!

rebecca serle's upcoming novel 'expiration dates' gave me what i wanted from one of her books, but felt a bit watered down compared to 'in five years' and 'one italian summer'.

this book follows daphne, a woman in her 30s who has an unusual quirk in that she always receives notes with the name of her next relationship and the length of time they will date, and the notes are always correct. however, when the story opens, she receives a note that just has 'jake' written on it, and daphne assumes this is the man who she will spend her life with. the novel follows her romance with jake, but also shows us flashbacks to other relationships, including a three-month relationship with hugo, her now best friend.

the book takes a twist in the middle that i initially found jarring, as it seemed to come out of left fiend, and becomes the central focal point of the second half the story. daphne & jake also had little to no chemistry, so it was hard to root for them throughout the story. there was a great message about living life to the fullest and not wasting the time you have, but i ultimately wanted a little more oomph from this one.