Book Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

A huge thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.

If you’re looking for an ideal magical realism romance novel to read this spring, you absolutely must pick up Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.

Rebecca’s books have brought me a great deal of joy for several years now. It started when I read In Five Years and completely fell in love with how she wove together magical realism and romance in the most beautiful, heartbreaking way. Each of her novels contains a heavy dose of escapism with an undertone of melancholy. There’s something about them that keeps me coming back for more.

A couple of summers back, I had the privilege of receiving an advanced copy of One Italian Summer and it quickly became a favorite book of mine. I was truly honored to read and review another of her novels prior to the release date. Expiration Dates reminded me a little bit of In Five Years and within a few chapters, made me fall in love with Rebecca’s unique style of storytelling all over again.

Expiration Dates is out in the world on March 19, 2024. Make sure to snag a copy of this creative, romantic, magical book to enjoy this spring!

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My honest review of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. 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.

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.

Content Warnings: (Major) Medical content and Chronic illness, (Moderate) Sexual content and Grief

I began my Rebecca Serle book journey with In Five Years, and since then, have yet to read another book that gave me quite the same feeling as my first encounter with that story… until now. Expiration Dates reminded me of In Five Years, not necessarily in content, but in vibes. It wove magic with heartache, romance with grief, and joy with complexity, creating a dynamic story that provided enduring hope.

Daphne’s character was immediately relatable, in that she finds comfort in the predictable. Each of her relationships has come with a deadline–an ‘expiration date’–that she receives on a slip of paper near the time she meets someone new. She knows how long she’ll have with each person and it provides peace of mind in more ways than one. This allows her to plan her life accordingly and it dictates how she acts with each individual and makes sure no lines get blurred or feelings get hurt.

However, as I read the beginning of this book, I immediately recognized that there was something more happening behind the scenes. Not only did it seem like she took these expiration dates to an extreme, but there were some relationships that felt heavier than others. I had a lot of questions that I hoped would get answered as I continued the story.

I got swept up in the different romantic timelines, rooting for certain partners a little more than others, and hoping that maybe something extra magical would happen and the expiration dates would be incorrect for some of them along the way. My heart was set on Daphne remaining in one of these loving relationships long-term.

There were several predictable moments throughout the book that I’m sure would be considered “plot twists,” but that seemed a long time coming in my mind. I’ll admit that was a little bit of a letdown and probably the only thing that kept me from giving this story a full five stars. While a few of her other books have really blown me away with their twists, I wasn’t particularly shocked by the outcome in Expiration Dates. That being said, I still enjoyed the direction the story went! It was fun to make guesses and even satisfying to be proven correct as I read.

Like her other books, Expiration Dates deals with topics like illness, grief, and relational challenges. It contains depth and makes you want to pause to consider your own life multiple times while reading. I found myself highlighting several passages to reflect on later because they were so poignant. Unlike her other books that often centered around familial love, this story focused heavily on romantic love, which was such a delight. It made me happy to know that Rebecca’s joy was woven into the story in a brand new way and makes me look forward to her future releases as well!

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