This was a sweet hopeful novel about Daphne who gets notes which say how long each of her relationships is going to last.
It was well written with interesting characters,romance with some magic,humour and heartache thrown in.

Before every new relationship, Daphne receives a scrap of paper with the name of her suitor and the duration of the relationship. She goes into every relationship knowing when it will end. I loved this simple and intriguing premise, and really enjoyed this mix of magical realism and romance.

I think Expiration Dates is a great one to go into blind. The notes made for a great plot device, exploring themes around fate, choice and the nature of love. Told in flashbacks and present day, the story also explores broader themes around love and loss, friendship and family. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to past relationships, which provided greater context Daphne’s choices. I also really loved the descriptions of the difference places throughout the story- LA, San Fransisco, Paris; and the impact they had on Daphne

I felt a bit unsure halfway through where the story was heading, but am glad I persisted, as the author wove the threads of the story together in a way that felt cohesive and impactful. I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a romance with emotional depth, magical realism and some twists and turns.

Thank you Quercus Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Another fabulous novel of magical realism from the author. Daphne has never been uncertain about love and how things will unfold in her life. Because each time she meets a man, she gets a note with his name and an expiration date - the time they will spend together. Then one day a note arrives with a name and no date and she begins to hope, praying it means forever and not something far worse.

As this one began to unfold I thought it seemed almost predictable in places...until it wasn't. Heartbreaking, emotional and full of secrets, this was another rollercoaster by the author and full of surprises. 4.5*

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the gifted review copy. Thoroughly enjoyable and as always, I look forward to more by the author.

I’m fairly new to magical realism as a genre but having really loved a couple of MR stories late last year I’m eager to try more. The concept of Expiration Dates reminded me of the Black Mirror episode and I was excited to see how Rebecca Serle put her own twist on it.

I struggled to get into this and found the constant back and forth between current life and past relationships very choppy. Given that the relationships expired I’m not sure why so much time was given to them. I powered through and just felt a bit meh by the end. It might read better as an audiobook.

Thank you to Quercus Books + NetGalley for the opportunity to review before the book is published on 19th March 2024 💖❤️ #ExpirationDates #NetGalley

I am a HUGE fan of Rebecca Serle’s books and ONE ITALIAN SUMMER is one of my fave books! Her new book, EXPIRATION DATES, comes out in March. Since school, Daphne receives a piece of paper with the name of a man and the exact amount of time she will spend with him … until one day there’s just a name, could this mean forever? 💖 The book is a unique gem - romance, humour, a touch of magical realism and a lot of emotions 🥹 and I LOVED IT 🌟🌟🌟🌟

the concept of this book was SO intriguing! i had so much fun reading this, also was not expecting the twists.

this was so much more than a romance, i love how Daphne took control of her choices!

can’t wait to read more by this author !!

Throughout Daphne’s life she has been finding a piece of paper with a first name and a length of time written on it, just as she is about to embark on a new relationship. This is a premonition of the length of time this relationship will last and she lives her life by this. It took me a little while to get into this book as I found the idea of the notes difficult to get my head around, although I did enjoy the story more as I discovered more about Daphne’s back story. All in all, an enjoyable read.

This really is a book of two halves and therefore makes me really conflicted in how to review it. Half of the book is 4 stars - a Black Mirror-esque exploration of relationships and the hypothetical impact of what would happen to a person if they knew from the outset the expiry date of all their romantic relationships.
However, this really compelling conceit is undermined with a plot twist that ends up being such a distraction and results in a whiplash-inducing final denouement.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book, reminded me of one of my favourite Black Mirror episodes.

I liked books by Rebecca Serle. She is so good at love story with a big twist and a little bit of magical realism. I was glad to see this new book by her had all the elements I love about her books.

However, I have mixed feelings about this one. A couple of great twists I didn’t see coming, but the ending was predictable from the start. I mean, that is ok. It doesn’t ruin the book when it comes to her books. Her storytelling is still so good that it sucked me in completely and I finished it in two days. It’s a story about a woman’s journey to learn how to live her life fully and follow what her heart wants. It is full of good life lessons and advice that anyone can learn from this book. But it’s just that her previous books were just more unpredictable how the sMC ends up doing or what she decides to do in the end, so that was more exciting.

It’s still a beautiful, heartbreaking love story only Rebecca Serle can tell. And so glad I picked it up!

3.5-4 🌟

I am a bit torn about Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle. It is well written and an interesting concept. Ultimately a love story, it does make me want a happy ending for Daphne and for her to find love.
Daphne is a young woman who always finds out how long any romantic relationship will last before it starts. A week, a month, a year - she gets a note around the time of the first date that is always accurate. When I was halfway through I had no idea where it was going, when there is a plot twist that I didn’t see coming and turned this into a different type of book. I wasn’t 100% convinced, but I went with the change of tact and actually enjoyed it. A quick and easy read that is different and will keep you interested. You will also like Daphne and her friends and family. They are a likeable bunch. I am definitely happy that I read it.

I have read Rebecca Serle books before and feel they offer something a little different to your usual romance books.

This novel tells the story of Daphne who for every romantic relationship in her life, receives a piece of paper with her love interests name and how long the relationship will last. The story goes between her current day relationship / life and her past relationships / life. It is easy to follow and well spliced between current day and past.

I enjoyed that this book focused more on Daphne and her life, what she learns about herself from each relationship than solely focus on the romantic relationships themselves.

I feel some of the characters could have been slightly more fleshed out. In particular Hugo, I would have liked to know more about his past and background.

If youve enjoyed Rebecca Serles previous books then I'd recommend this. It has the same *magic* and definitely one to look out for.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca Serle does a fabulous job of gripping onto my heart and tearing it out of my chest and this book was no exception to that.

I did struggle at the very beginning of the book as it felt like a massive word dump of information that I was lost swimming in but alas we made it through that.

I will say that while the premise of this book certainly intrigued me, nothing is living up to the standard that 'In Five Years' holds for me and sadly this book was kind of disappointing to me. I did really enjoy the characters and the plot but perhaps the writing was not all there? I'm not sure what exactly it is that I didn't love about this other than I just wouldn't rate it as highly as other books I've read like 'In Five Years'.

The premise of this novel was tantalising, and for the vast majority of the story, enjoyable. I really was hooked by the idea of Daphne knowing how long her relationships were going to last, these bits of paper and their origins were intriguing. Enter Jake, a lovely man who Daphne finds herself growing close to. This relationship seems to progress quite naturally and painlessly, and then BANG. I didn't see the plot twist coming, there had been a very vague mention of something which set my mind ticking, but this development was as surprising as it was unwelcoming. I did not feel it added anything to the story, but it did alter my perception of the book as a whole. I felt from that point on, throughout the major revelations, I was just waiting for the story to end. I was no longer interested in the characters - not because Daphne has anything to be ashamed of, I just felt knowing that important piece about her character from the start would have leant more depth to her search for happiness. Instead it almost felt, as readers, we were being as misled as Jake. If this was the intention, then great, however it didn't ultimately lead me to be appreciative of the end of the story. I was also left with unanswered questions regarding the beginning of Daphne's paper trail - we get some answers, but not a prior to...

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I always like the concepts that Serle comes up with, but her execution always leaves me wanting, and Expiration Dates is no exception. I didn’t find this book to be particularly riveting and something about the writing felt quite flat to me. I can see how others would enjoy this story, but for me, it is was difficult to stay interested.

With Rebecca Serle's books, I have one of two emotions. I'm either deeply moved and adore it, or I feel entirely 'meh' about it. 'Expiration Dates' sits firmly in that second camp.

Despite an ambitious concept, this novel never really gets off the ground. It doesn't move. Chapters start giving you deja vu as they dive between detailing some of Daphne's previous relationships and present day ones that follow a 'we went here, we ate this, we drank that, we talked, quick cut to black'. Despite the depth this novel could give, it never quite manages to get beneath the surface. It tries, throwing plenty of drama at you, but it doesn't feel...necessary. It didn't make me empathise anymore with a character who has spent her life dumping people because a magical piece of paper told her to.

I'm also realising that ALL of Serle's protaganists, in all four of her previous novels, are identical. They're messy thirty-somethings who don't have their lives together and have to go on some magical journey to work out that they want a conventional heterosexual romance with someone. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's all getting a bit...same-y.

Do you know who I felt most upset for? Jake. The guy thought he was getting the romance of a lifetime, he'd been through so much crap in his life - and for a reason I didn't fully believe, especially with how the book ended - he had another awful moment to go through.

I kept waiting for something to happen and it just...didn't. You can probably guess the ending from the beginning of the novel - you know where it's going to go, you've just got to slog through 300 pages first. For a book that prattles on for paragraphs about depth and abstract concepts, 'Expiration Dates' is surprisingly immature.

‘Expiration Dates’ by Rebecca Serle tells the story of Daphne - a smart and likeable woman, whose relationships are totally relatable but not really like everybody else’s… at the start of any new fling or romantic entanglement, she receives a slip of paper with their name and an expiration date. Therefore, she enters every relationship with her eyes wide open to the fact that it will end.

As the book begins, we learn that she finally received a name with no expiration date… how do you begin a great love affair when you know on Day 1 that they are unequivocally The One? Daphne is keeping secrets from her suitor, including the existence of the notes, and as they unravel, the latter half of the book has some unexpected developments.

This novel explores love and loss exquisitely through its interesting and unique premise. Told across the present day and the past - with flashbacks to the key events of Daphne’s prior relationships, however long or short - the tale is well woven and compelling.

At the end, you’ll be left with questions and wonderings about just how much of life really is predetermined and whether “knowing” is a blessing or a curse.

Giving this one a thought-provoking, engrossing four stars. This book will stay with me a long time!

3.75 stars
As a fan of In Five Years and One Italian Summer, I was very excited to see what Rebecca Serle did next.
This had an interesting concept, even if it was never explained, which felt like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
I would have loved to find out what was causing Daphne to receive the notes.
It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, after reading the blurb, either.
It deals with a lot of heavy themes, such as chronic illness and the effect that it can have on every area of the person's life and the lives of their loved ones.
I felt zero chemistry between Daphne and Jake. Even his name is pretty unremarkable.
Daphne wasn't the most likeable either, at times. And Hugo didn't really develop all that much either.
I liked the flashbacks of Daphne's previous relationships and how long they had lasted.
And I did come away with the message of making the most of life and not letting anything hold you back, as tomorrow isn't promised.
Even though it did have a magical element, I didn't really feel any of the magic that I had in her earlier two books, sadly.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was curious about this one as the premise sounded great, but it didn't really meet my expectations! It was a super quick read but didn't always grab me.

This didn't have the breathtaking quality of her other books (I have read them all), but I am still an avid Serle fan and continue to be.

Serle still writes realistic storylines with a (not so seemingly far-fetched) magical streak.

I can't wait to see what she writes next.